diff --git a/test/autoplan-guard-pty-fixture.test.ts b/test/autoplan-guard-pty-fixture.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..93a3790d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/autoplan-guard-pty-fixture.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import * as fs from 'node:fs';
+import * as path from 'node:path';
+import { closePacketReadAfterNotice, prepareGuardSession } from './helpers/autoplan-guard-pty';
+
+const base = '/home/runner/.cache/gstack-paid-shard-x/tmp/ap-guard-pty-y';
+
+test('the close-packet check accepts a Read in the notice turn and rejects one made before the notice', () => {
+  // PR gate 39069171159 (b789898, pass): the CEO reviewer's notice started the turn that read the close packet.
+  expect(closePacketReadAfterNotice([
+    `Read ${base}/project/.gstack/tmp/autoplan/autoplan-ceo-oMVeYz/close-packet.md`,
+    'Bash true autoplan-published ceo',
+    `Read ${base}/home/.claude/skills/gstack/autoplan/sections/design-phase.md`,
+    'Agent Design review',
+  ])).toBe(true);
+  // PR gate 39070276914 (dc739be, fail): the actor read the close packet in the dispatch turn, before the notice.
+  expect(closePacketReadAfterNotice([
+    'Bash true autoplan-published ceo',
+    `Read ${base}/home/.claude/skills/gstack/autoplan/sections/design-phase.md`,
+    `Bash cat "${base}/project/.gstack/tmp/autoplan/dispatch-design.txt"`,
+    'Agent Design review',
+  ])).toBe(false);
+});
+
+test('the scripted actor ends its turn after a background CEO dispatch and reads the close packet only after the reviewer finishes', () => {
+  const s = prepareGuardSession(undefined);
+  try {
+    const skill = fs.readFileSync(path.join(s.project, '.claude', 'skills', fs.readdirSync(path.join(s.project, '.claude', 'skills'))[0]!, 'SKILL.md'), 'utf8');
+    const step = (n: number) => skill.slice(skill.indexOf(`\n${n}. `) + 1, skill.indexOf(`\n${n + 1}. `));
+    expect(step(5)).toContain('If its result says the agent is running in the background, end your turn at once with no further tool call; the completion notification starts your next turn.');
+    expect(step(5)).not.toContain('If the agent runs in the background, end your turn and wait');
+    expect(step(6).startsWith('6. Only after the CEO review agent has finished (in the turn its completion notification starts, when it ran in the background), Read the file whose path step 3 printed')).toBe(true);
+    expect(skill.indexOf('\n6. ')).toBeGreaterThan(skill.indexOf('\n5. '));
+  } finally { s.cleanup(); }
+});
diff --git a/test/helpers/autoplan-guard-pty.ts b/test/helpers/autoplan-guard-pty.ts
index 3223510d2..4266ab352 100644
--- a/test/helpers/autoplan-guard-pty.ts
+++ b/test/helpers/autoplan-guard-pty.ts
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ export interface GuardSession {
   cleanup(): void;
 }
 
+/** The close packet Read (step 6) came after the CEO reviewer's completion notice, so it ran in the notice's new turn. */
+export const closePacketReadAfterNotice = (afterNotice: string[]): boolean => afterNotice.some(c => /^Read .*close-packet\.md$/.test(c));
+
 export function prepareGuardSession(apiKey: string | undefined): GuardSession {
   const base = fs.realpathSync(fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'ap-guard-pty-')));
   const home = path.join(base, 'home'), config = path.join(home, '.claude'), project = path.join(base, 'project');
@@ -78,8 +81,10 @@ console.log(close);
     `4. Run this Bash command alone: cat "${path.join(artifacts, 'dispatch-ceo.txt')}"`,
     '5. Call the Agent tool once with these inputs: prompt = the exact, complete output of step 4 (every line, unchanged), ' +
       'description "CEO review", subagent_type "general-purpose", and run_in_background false. Include run_in_background even ' +
-      'if the tool schema lacks it. If the agent runs in the background, end your turn and wait for its completion notification.',
-    '6. Read the file whose path step 3 printed, completely (no offset or limit).',
+      'if the tool schema lacks it. If its result says the agent is running in the background, end your turn at once with no ' +
+      'further tool call; the completion notification starts your next turn.',
+    '6. Only after the CEO review agent has finished (in the turn its completion notification starts, when it ran in the ' +
+      'background), Read the file whose path step 3 printed, completely (no offset or limit).',
     '7. In one message, write exactly this line as your own text: **Phase 1 complete.** and make exactly one tool call in that ' +
       'same message: the Bash command `true autoplan-published ceo`.',
     `8. In your next assistant message, without waiting for any user input, Read the file ${path.join(sections, 'design-phase.md')} with offset 1 and limit 20.`,
diff --git a/test/skill-e2e-autoplan-guard-pty.test.ts b/test/skill-e2e-autoplan-guard-pty.test.ts
index c114151d4..652f7c81d 100644
--- a/test/skill-e2e-autoplan-guard-pty.test.ts
+++ b/test/skill-e2e-autoplan-guard-pty.test.ts
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@
 import { expect } from 'bun:test';
 import { describeIfSelected, testIfSelected } from './helpers/e2e-helpers';
 import { launchClaudePty, selectPtyNumberedOption } from './helpers/claude-pty-runner';
-import { prepareGuardSession } from './helpers/autoplan-guard-pty';
+import { closePacketReadAfterNotice, prepareGuardSession } from './helpers/autoplan-guard-pty';
 
 const MODEL = 'claude-haiku-4-5-20251001';
 
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ describeIfSelected('autoplan publication guard live PTY', ['autoplan-guard-pty']
       // the Phase 2 transition and the Phase 2 reviewer dispatch: four guarded allows, each verified.
       expect(log.map(e => [e.decision, e.disposition])).toEqual(Array(4).fill(['allow', 'allow']));
       // The CEO reviewer's notice started a new turn before the close packet, the Phase 2 entry and the Phase 2 dispatch.
-      expect(evidence.afterNotice.filter(c => /^Read .*close-packet\.md$/.test(c))).not.toEqual([]);
+      expect(closePacketReadAfterNotice(evidence.afterNotice), evidence.afterNotice.join('\n')).toBe(true);
       expect(evidence.afterNotice.filter(c => /^Read .*autoplan\/sections\/design-phase\.md$/.test(c))).not.toEqual([]);
       expect(evidence.afterNotice).toContain('Agent Design review');
       expect(evidence.reviewerReads.filter(f => /\.gstack\/tmp\/autoplan\/autoplan-design-[^/]+\/native-prompt\.md$/.test(f))).not.toEqual([]);