diff --git a/test/paid-report-fail-open.test.ts b/test/paid-report-fail-open.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..cc734f998
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/paid-report-fail-open.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+/**
+ * Fail-open regression suite for the paid lane verdict. Synthetic slice
+ * artifacts go through the real `--report` CLI path (the command the workflow
+ * report jobs run), so a change to the gate cannot turn a real failure green
+ * without one of these cases going red. Landed before the panel-verdict gate
+ * change; every later gate change extends it.
+ */
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import * as fs from 'node:fs';
+import * as os from 'node:os';
+import * as path from 'node:path';
+import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process';
+import { parseRunManifest, type PaidRunManifest, type SliceResult } from '../scripts/test-paid-shards';
+
+const ROOT = path.resolve(import.meta.dir, '..');
+const RULE_A = 'test/skill-e2e-fail-open-alpha.test.ts';
+const RULE_B = 'test/skill-e2e-fail-open-beta.test.ts';
+
+let base: string;
+beforeAll(() => { base = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'paid-fail-open-')); });
+afterAll(() => { fs.rmSync(base, { recursive: true, force: true }); });
+
+type Outcome = SliceResult['outcomes'][number];
+const passed = (file: string, extra: Partial<Outcome> = {}): Outcome =>
+  ({ files: [file], status: 'passed', exitCode: 0, elapsedMs: 1_000, executedTests: 1, skippedTests: 0, ...extra });
+
+function manifest(entries: PaidRunManifest['entries'], sliceCount: number): PaidRunManifest {
+  return parseRunManifest(JSON.stringify({ version: 1, tier: 'periodic', evalsAll: true, sliceCount,
+    selectionReason: 'fail-open fixture', profile: 'full', selection: { e2e: null, judges: null }, entries }));
+}
+
+let caseCounter = 0;
+function report(plan: PaidRunManifest, slices: SliceResult[], collectors: Record<string, unknown> = {}) {
+  const dir = path.join(base, `case-${++caseCounter}`);
+  fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, 'manifest.json'), JSON.stringify(plan));
+  for (const slice of slices) fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, `slice-${slice.sliceIndex}.json`), JSON.stringify(slice));
+  for (const [name, body] of Object.entries(collectors)) {
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(path.join(dir, name)), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, name), JSON.stringify(body));
+  }
+  const result = spawnSync(process.execPath, [path.join(ROOT, 'scripts/test-paid-shards.ts'), '--tier', plan.tier, '--report', dir],
+    { cwd: ROOT, encoding: 'utf8', timeout: 30_000, env: { ...process.env, EVALS_TIER: plan.tier } });
+  return { status: result.status, out: `${result.stdout}\n${result.stderr}`, dir };
+}
+
+const slice = (sliceIndex: number, sliceCount: number, outcomes: Outcome[]): SliceResult =>
+  ({ version: 1, tier: 'periodic', profile: 'full', selection: { e2e: null, judges: null }, sliceIndex, sliceCount, outcomes });
+
+describe('rule shards stay fail-closed through --report', () => {
+  const plan = manifest([
+    { file: RULE_A, slice: 1, status: 'planned' },
+    { file: RULE_B, slice: 2, status: 'planned' },
+  ], 2);
+
+  test('all planned rule shards passed: green', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A)]), slice(2, 2, [passed(RULE_B)])]);
+    expect(r.status, r.out).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  test('a failed rule shard: red, naming the file', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A, { status: 'failed', exitCode: 1 })]), slice(2, 2, [passed(RULE_B)])]);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(r.out).toContain(`${RULE_A}: failed`);
+  });
+
+  test('a timed-out rule shard: red', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A, { status: 'timed-out', exitCode: null })]), slice(2, 2, [passed(RULE_B)])]);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(r.out).toContain(`${RULE_A}: timed-out`);
+  });
+
+  test('a missing slice artifact: red', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A)])]);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(r.out).toContain('slice 2/2 reported NO result');
+  });
+
+  test('a planned shard no slice reported: red', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A)]), slice(2, 2, [])]);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(r.out).toContain(`planned ${RULE_B} (slice 2) was never reported`);
+  });
+
+  test('a hollow shard under EVALS_ALL: red', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A, { status: 'passed-empty', executedTests: 0 })]), slice(2, 2, [passed(RULE_B)])]);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(r.out).toContain(`${RULE_A}: passed-empty`);
+  });
+
+  test('a never-started shard: red', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A, { status: 'never-started', exitCode: null, executedTests: null })]), slice(2, 2, [passed(RULE_B)])]);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  test('a failed collector record under a passing shard: red', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A)]), slice(2, 2, [passed(RULE_B)])], {
+      'shards/skill-e2e-fail-open-alpha/run.json': { tier: 'e2e', total_tests: 1, total_cost_usd: 0,
+        tests: [{ name: 'alpha', suite: 's', tier: 'e2e', passed: false, duration_ms: 1, cost_usd: 0 }] },
+    });
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(r.out).toContain('1 unapproved final collector failure(s)');
+  });
+
+  test('a shard reported by the wrong slice: red', () => {
+    const r = report(plan, [slice(1, 2, [passed(RULE_A), passed(RULE_B)]), slice(2, 2, [])]);
+    expect(r.status).toBe(1);
+    expect(r.out).toContain(`${RULE_B} planned for slice 2 but reported by slice 1`);
+  });
+});