diff --git a/lib/review-collect.ts b/lib/review-collect.ts
index cb48b708f..ac16ba0d2 100644
--- a/lib/review-collect.ts
+++ b/lib/review-collect.ts
@@ -255,10 +255,11 @@ export function collectCommit(root: string, baseSha: string, headSha: string): C
   return result(diff, { root: skillDirs, registry, errors, mergeBase, untracked: [], consumed, drawings });
 }
 
-/** The working tree against the merge base with origin/<base> (or <base>), untracked files counted per path; the registry is the base ref's commit. */
+/** The working tree against the merge base with origin/<base> (or <base>; a remote-qualified base reads refs/remotes/<base> only), untracked files counted per path; the registry is the base ref's commit. */
 export function collectLive(root: string, base: string): Collected {
   const errors: DepthError[] = [];
-  const ref = [`refs/remotes/origin/${base}`, `refs/heads/${base}`].find(r => git(root, ['rev-parse', '--verify', '-q', `${r}^{commit}`]).ok) ?? base;
+  const qualified = base.startsWith('origin/') || git(root, ['remote']).out.split('\n').some(r => r && base.startsWith(`${r}/`));
+  const ref = (qualified ? [`refs/remotes/${base}`] : [`refs/remotes/origin/${base}`, `refs/heads/${base}`]).find(r => git(root, ['rev-parse', '--verify', '-q', `${r}^{commit}`]).ok) ?? base;
   const registry = loadRegistryAt(root, ref);
   const mb = git(root, ['merge-base', ref, 'HEAD']);
   if (!mb.ok) {
diff --git a/lib/ship-receipt-depth.ts b/lib/ship-receipt-depth.ts
index 7ef05ab1b..875028435 100644
--- a/lib/ship-receipt-depth.ts
+++ b/lib/ship-receipt-depth.ts
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ export function receiptReviewAtHead(repoRoot: string, base: string, binDir: stri
   const declares = declaresExclude(repoRoot, ref, sha);
   let tagged: number | null = 0;
   let paths: Set<string> | null = declares ? new Set() : null;
-  if (gateScanNeeded(c.paths, c.root)) {
+  if (declares || gateScanNeeded(c.paths, c.root)) {
     const atHead = git(repoRoot, ['rev-parse', 'HEAD']).out === head && git(repoRoot, ['diff', '--quiet', 'HEAD', '--']).ok;
     const g = atHead ? runScriptSync(path.join(binDir, 'gstack-gate-diff'), [baseRev, ...(declares ? ['--format', 'jsonl'] : [])], { cwd: repoRoot, encoding: 'utf8', timeout: 120_000, maxBuffer: 64 * 1024 * 1024 }) : null;
     const m = /GATE_SUMMARY: .*?tagged=\{([^}]*)\}/.exec(g?.stdout ?? '');
diff --git a/test/review-collect.test.ts b/test/review-collect.test.ts
index 1a64f4da8..3db4a3665 100644
--- a/test/review-collect.test.ts
+++ b/test/review-collect.test.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,18 @@ describe('collectLive: the working tree', () => {
     expect(c.paths).toEqual(['docs/a.md', 'src/a.ts', 'src/new.ts']);
     expect(depthOfCommitInput({ ...c, gateTagged: 0 })).toMatchObject({ depth: 'light', runtimeLines: 20 + 10 });
   });
+  // Value: protects=a remote-qualified base reads that remote's tracking branch by its full name, so a fetched branch called
+  //   origin/main cannot become the merge base (an empty diff) or the registry and policy source; fails_when=collectLive tries
+  //   refs/remotes/origin/<base> first for origin/main (/ship review of #3852, outside-voice#1); why_new=every other case names a
+  //   bare base; seam=none; no_claim=remotes other than origin
+  test('a fetched branch named origin/main never stands in for origin/main', () => {
+    const r = repo({});
+    r.git('update-ref', 'refs/remotes/origin/main', r.baseSha);
+    const head = r.commit({ 'src/a.ts': lines(3) });
+    r.git('update-ref', 'refs/remotes/origin/origin/main', head);
+    const c = collectLive(r.dir, 'origin/main');
+    expect([c.mergeBase, c.registry.sha, c.paths]).toEqual([r.baseSha, r.baseSha, ['src/a.ts']]);
+  });
   test('no merge base is a collector error the CLI refuses on', () => {
     const r = repo({});
     expect(collectLive(r.dir, 'no-such-branch').errors.map(e => e.code)).toEqual(['numstat_failed']);
diff --git a/test/review-exclude.test.ts b/test/review-exclude.test.ts
index a93862931..4c0695183 100644
--- a/test/review-exclude.test.ts
+++ b/test/review-exclude.test.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { EXIT } from '../lib/headless-artifacts';
 import { KEEP_ARG_MAX_BYTES, readSelection, reviewExclude, tooLargeLine, unreadableLine } from '../lib/review-exclude';
 import { collectCommit, collectLive } from '../lib/review-collect';
 import { extractReceipt } from '../lib/ship-receipt';
-import { bindShippedReceipt } from '../lib/ship-receipt-depth';
+import { bindShippedReceipt, receiptReviewAtHead } from '../lib/ship-receipt-depth';
 import { REVIEW_EXCLUDE_KEY_VERSION, isUnavailable } from '../lib/ship-policy';
 import { loadPolicyAt } from '../lib/ship-policy-at';
 import { cleanup, commit, makeFixtureRepo, runBin, write, type FixtureRepo } from './helpers/pregate-fixture';
@@ -253,6 +253,20 @@ describe('the receipt binds the selection the reviewers read', () => {
   const receiptIn = (body: string) => extractReceipt(fs.readFileSync(body, 'utf8')).receipt!;
   const writeReceipt = (repo: FixtureRepo, body: string, extra: string[]) =>
     runBin(repo, 'gstack-ship-receipt', ['write', '--pr', '7', '--base', 'main', '--version', '1.0.0', '--session-kind', 'unattended', '--body', body, ...extra]);
+  // Value: protects=a docs-only range whose only file sits under a base pattern and carries a gate tag binds the same selection at
+  //   plan and receipt write, so the receipt can be written; fails_when=receiptReviewAtHead skips the gate scan when the paths are
+  //   docs-class and excludes the file the plan kept as gate-tagged (/ship review of #3852, red-team#1: digests 652d0aa8 vs
+  //   6f33bd56, RECEIPT_INVALID with no fix); why_new=every other receipt case has a code path in its range; seam=gstack-review-plan
+  //   --json and receiptReviewAtHead on one head; no_claim=the gate scan's own tag rules
+  test('a docs-only range with a gate-tagged file under a pattern binds the plan\'s digest at receipt write', () => {
+    const repo = makeFixtureRepo({ prefix: 'gstack-exclude-docs-', baseFiles: { '.gstack/ship-policy.json': policyText(['testdata/**']) } });
+    repos.push(repo);
+    const head = commit(repo, { 'testdata/expected.txt': 'expected output\n' });
+    const planned = JSON.parse(runBin(repo, 'gstack-review-plan', ['--base', 'main', '--json']).out).review_exclude;
+    expect(planned.kept_files).toEqual([{ path: 'testdata/expected.txt', reason: 'gate-tagged' }]);
+    const { exclude } = receiptReviewAtHead(repo.work, 'main', path.join(import.meta.dir, '..', 'bin'), head);
+    expect(exclude.state === 'active' ? exclude.record.digest : exclude.state).toBe(planned.digest);
+  });
   // Value: protects=a receipt names the selection the rendered briefs read, a base merge that leaves the policy alone still
   //   carries, and a policy change on the base (adding or removing a pattern) needs a new review, not a write; fails_when=write
   //   records a digest the briefs never named, carry compares the base sha, or a removed exclusion clears by writing the old