diff --git a/design-html/sections/craft.md b/design-html/sections/craft.md
index fe6913004..e17d7ee12 100644
--- a/design-html/sections/craft.md
+++ b/design-html/sections/craft.md
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ At Step 4, after the Slop Gate and before the screenshots, run the free checker
 
 It prints one `CRAFT_CHECK: <id> <count> <fix>` line per tell (the realism rules above, `[Needs proof:` markers, scroll listeners, `100vh`, `transition: all`, `href="#"`, `alert()`, missing alt; on a full document a missing title, description, favicon, working skip link, or `aria-current` on route navigation), then `CRAFT_RESULT: clean` or `CRAFT_RESULT: <n> issue(s)`, plus the accepted count when `--accepted` covers any. No `CRAFT_RESULT` line: say the check was unavailable and continue. Same contract as the Slop Gate: one surgical fix pass, one rerun, the rest listed as accepted-with-reason (a real customer named Nexus, a supplied 50% figure). Rerun once when the refinement loop exits; report only new lines.
 
-**Accepted exceptions persist.** Step 5's finalized.json records each one in `craft_exceptions` as `{ id, count, reason }`, carrying forward earlier ones the check still reports. Whenever a finalized.json already sits beside the page, or beside the one you are evolving, append `--accepted <that finalized.json>` to the command: a tell it covers prints `CRAFT_ACCEPTED: <id> <count> <reason>` and does not fail the check, so name those as accepted earlier instead of fixing or re-flagging them. A count above the accepted one stays a `CRAFT_CHECK` line; it is new, so fix it or accept the new count with a reason. A `cannot use exceptions` warning with exit 2 means that record is malformed: the page was still checked with none accepted, so treat every line as new and write `craft_exceptions` correctly at Step 5.
+**Accepted exceptions persist.** Step 5's finalized.json records each one in `craft_exceptions` as `{ id, count, reason }`, carrying forward earlier ones the check still reports at the count it reports now (`[]` when none, never the template's placeholder entry). When evolving a finalized page, or rerunning on the page this run finalized, append `--accepted <that finalized.json>` to the command; never after Start fresh or for a new page, whose old exceptions covered different content: a tell it covers prints `CRAFT_ACCEPTED: <id> <count> <reason>` and does not fail the check, so name those as accepted earlier instead of fixing or re-flagging them. A count above the accepted one stays a `CRAFT_CHECK` line; it is new, so fix it or accept the new count with a reason. A `cannot use exceptions` warning with exit 2 means that record is malformed: the page was still checked with none accepted, so treat every line as new and write `craft_exceptions` correctly at Step 5.
 
 **Before this can ship.** Open the Step 4 hand-off, and repeat before Step 5's "Copy to project": every `[Needs proof: …]` marker, the dependencies the page cannot own (legal URLs, form endpoint, og:image, indexing, analytics and cookie consent where required), the accepted exceptions, and every claim the check made you change.
 
diff --git a/design-html/sections/craft.md.tmpl b/design-html/sections/craft.md.tmpl
index dd7337f5a..b249a50ee 100644
--- a/design-html/sections/craft.md.tmpl
+++ b/design-html/sections/craft.md.tmpl
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ At Step 4, after the Slop Gate and before the screenshots, run the free checker
 
 It prints one `CRAFT_CHECK: <id> <count> <fix>` line per tell (the realism rules above, `[Needs proof:` markers, scroll listeners, `100vh`, `transition: all`, `href="#"`, `alert()`, missing alt; on a full document a missing title, description, favicon, working skip link, or `aria-current` on route navigation), then `CRAFT_RESULT: clean` or `CRAFT_RESULT: <n> issue(s)`, plus the accepted count when `--accepted` covers any. No `CRAFT_RESULT` line: say the check was unavailable and continue. Same contract as the Slop Gate: one surgical fix pass, one rerun, the rest listed as accepted-with-reason (a real customer named Nexus, a supplied 50% figure). Rerun once when the refinement loop exits; report only new lines.
 
-**Accepted exceptions persist.** Step 5's finalized.json records each one in `craft_exceptions` as `{ id, count, reason }`, carrying forward earlier ones the check still reports. Whenever a finalized.json already sits beside the page, or beside the one you are evolving, append `--accepted <that finalized.json>` to the command: a tell it covers prints `CRAFT_ACCEPTED: <id> <count> <reason>` and does not fail the check, so name those as accepted earlier instead of fixing or re-flagging them. A count above the accepted one stays a `CRAFT_CHECK` line; it is new, so fix it or accept the new count with a reason. A `cannot use exceptions` warning with exit 2 means that record is malformed: the page was still checked with none accepted, so treat every line as new and write `craft_exceptions` correctly at Step 5.
+**Accepted exceptions persist.** Step 5's finalized.json records each one in `craft_exceptions` as `{ id, count, reason }`, carrying forward earlier ones the check still reports at the count it reports now (`[]` when none, never the template's placeholder entry). When evolving a finalized page, or rerunning on the page this run finalized, append `--accepted <that finalized.json>` to the command; never after Start fresh or for a new page, whose old exceptions covered different content: a tell it covers prints `CRAFT_ACCEPTED: <id> <count> <reason>` and does not fail the check, so name those as accepted earlier instead of fixing or re-flagging them. A count above the accepted one stays a `CRAFT_CHECK` line; it is new, so fix it or accept the new count with a reason. A `cannot use exceptions` warning with exit 2 means that record is malformed: the page was still checked with none accepted, so treat every line as new and write `craft_exceptions` correctly at Step 5.
 
 **Before this can ship.** Open the Step 4 hand-off, and repeat before Step 5's "Copy to project": every `[Needs proof: …]` marker, the dependencies the page cannot own (legal URLs, form endpoint, og:image, indexing, analytics and cookie consent where required), the accepted exceptions, and every claim the check made you change.
 
diff --git a/test/design-craft.test.ts b/test/design-craft.test.ts
index fc2bb7190..f1c2af57b 100644
--- a/test/design-craft.test.ts
+++ b/test/design-craft.test.ts
@@ -176,6 +176,8 @@ describe('accepted craft exceptions (finalized.json craft_exceptions)', () => {
         expect(bad).toMatchObject({ code: 2, out: run(page).out });
         expect(bad.err).toContain('checked with none accepted');
       }
+      fs.writeFileSync(page, CLEAN);
+      expect(run(page, '--accepted', path.join(dir, 'broken.json'))).toMatchObject({ code: 2, out: 'CRAFT_RESULT: clean\n' });
       expect(run(page, '--accepted').code).toBe(2);
       expect(run(page, '--strict').code).toBe(2);
       expect(run(page, '--accepted', record, 'extra').code).toBe(2);