diff --git a/changelog.d/gsta-258-a-ci-carry.md b/changelog.d/gsta-258-a-ci-carry.md
index 2becf93a1..24f7eca1c 100644
--- a/changelog.d/gsta-258-a-ci-carry.md
+++ b/changelog.d/gsta-258-a-ci-carry.md
@@ -4,3 +4,4 @@ bump: minor
 - CI is now the one full test run. When a verified CI run already passed at the exact, clean tree, `gstack-pregate`'s tests stage and /ship's test lanes use it instead of running the suite again (GSTA-258, R65 item 1). The tests stage looks up the newest verified run at HEAD under the base branch's `run_profiles` by itself (`CI_CARRY: accepted …`; `--no-ci-carry` turns it off). A /ship lane carries only when the base branch's `.gstack/pregate.json` maps its exact command in the new `ship_lanes_from` key, and only when the run's `tree.json` covers the lane's inventory; gstack maps `bun run test` to its Free Tests run. A carried lane prints `LANE: <label> carried run=<id>/<attempt>` and is recorded as an explicit CI-sourced evidence row (`gstack-evidence record-ci`), never as a local run. Dirty trees, fork runs, stale runs and a newer red or running run never carry.
 - A lane that already passed at the same tree, command and runtime is reused instead of rerun (`gstack-evidence run --reuse`, the default from `gstack-ship-preflight` and `finish`): a newer failure vetoes an older pass, and the reused row keeps its original timestamp, so the 24-hour age limit still measures the real run.
 - /ship runs beside CI: on a repo that maps its lanes, Phase 2 pushes early (`gstack-ship-release push --early` runs the secrets scan and the sealed guard first), `finish` defers a mapped lane it cannot carry yet (`EVIDENCE: DEFERRED`), and the new `gstack-ship-release accept` carries it from the green run at the final pushed head and reruns the pregate there. `gstack-ci-carry find|wait` checks or waits for that run, and the ship receipt records `ci_carried`. See docs/pregate.md#ci-carry.
+- On a small machine, the remote gate obligation clears from the same carried run (through `remote_gate_runs` and its inventory check) when the files left over are only ones the gate skips, such as gstack's paid evals. Before, that remainder made the gate report `tests=0` and `clear --run` refuse it as `paid_only`, so nothing could clear it.
diff --git a/docs/pregate.md b/docs/pregate.md
index fac741a55..a50802673 100644
--- a/docs/pregate.md
+++ b/docs/pregate.md
@@ -933,6 +933,17 @@ run. On a small machine a selection the run covers records no remote gate
 obligation. It prints `CI_CARRY: accepted <receipt>` or `CI_CARRY: none
 (<reason>)` on stderr; `--no-ci-carry` skips the lookup.
 
+When files are left over, the remote gate obligation still clears from the
+same run when the base declares `remote_gate_runs` naming that run's profile:
+the run must pass every `clear --run` check, with the carried files counted
+as selected files. So a remainder of only files the gate's `skipped` command
+names (gstack's paid evals, which the gate itself reports as
+`PREGATE_REMOTE_PAID_ONLY` with `tests=0`) clears with `skipped=<n>` in the
+receipt instead of becoming an obligation nothing can clear. The line is
+`CI_CARRY: cleared pregate.json/remote_gate <receipt>`, or `CI_CARRY:
+pregate.json/remote_gate stays uncleared (<reason>)` when a check refuses, for
+example a gate inventory file missing from the run's `tree.json`.
+
 **/ship lanes: `ship_lanes_from`.** A lane carries only when the base branch's
 `.gstack/pregate.json` maps its exact command (the evidence ledger binds the
 command's sha256; a label alone never carries) to the profiles whose runs carry
diff --git a/lib/pregate/index.ts b/lib/pregate/index.ts
index 39255fe6c..70e614cec 100644
--- a/lib/pregate/index.ts
+++ b/lib/pregate/index.ts
@@ -103,9 +103,30 @@ export async function runPregate(ctx: PregateContext, o: RunOptions): Promise<Pr
     requires_remote: remote,
   };
   file.verdict = verdictOf(file);
+  const gateLine = carryGate(ctx, file);
+  if (gateLine) ctx.progress(gateLine);
   return file;
 }
 
+/**
+ * After a verified run carried part of the tests stage, that run clears the remote gate obligation under `clear --run`'s
+ * own checks (remote_gate_runs profiles, inventory coverage, skipped files). The obligation is checked as the carried
+ * files plus the rest: without that, a remainder of only gate-skipped files (gstack's paid evals) is refused paid_only,
+ * and the gate itself reports tests=0 for it, so nothing could ever clear it.
+ */
+function carryGate(ctx: PregateContext, file: PregateFile): string | null {
+  const gate = file.requires_remote?.find(r => r.lane === REMOTE_GATE_LANE && !r.receipt);
+  const carried = file.checks.find(c => c.id === 'lanes')?.from_run?.files;
+  if (!gate || !carried?.length || !ctx.fromRun || !('inventory' in ctx.fromRun.check)) return null;
+  const check = ctx.fromRun.check as RunCheck;
+  if (!check.gateRuns) return null;
+  const view: PregateFile = { ...file, requires_remote: file.requires_remote!.map(r => (r === gate ? { ...r, tests: [...new Set([...carried, ...r.tests])] } : r)) };
+  const d = clearByRuns(view, REMOTE_GATE_LANE, [ctx.fromRun.ref], check, ctx.repoRoot);
+  if (!('receipt' in d)) return `CI_CARRY: ${REMOTE_GATE_LANE} stays uncleared (${d.message})`;
+  clearObligation(file, REMOTE_GATE_LANE, d.receipt, 'ci-carry', d.substitution);
+  return `CI_CARRY: cleared ${REMOTE_GATE_LANE} ${d.receipt}`;
+}
+
 /** `pass`, `warn`, `requires-remote`, `incomplete` or `fail`: the worst status across checks, with uncleared obligations counted. */
 export function verdictOf(file: PregateFile): string {
   const statuses = new Set(file.checks.map(c => c.status));
diff --git a/test/pregate-carry-gate.test.ts b/test/pregate-carry-gate.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..da02dfe80
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/pregate-carry-gate.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+/**
+ * CI carry and the remote gate (GSTA-258 A): after a verified CI run carries part of the tests stage on a small
+ * machine, the files left over can all be ones the remote gate never runs (gstack's paid evals). The gate itself then
+ * reports tests=0 (PREGATE_REMOTE_PAID_ONLY) and `clear --run` refuses paid_only, so the obligation could never clear.
+ * The carried run clears it instead, through remote_gate_runs and its inventory check. The run API is a fake.
+ */
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import type { PregateFile } from '../lib/headless-artifacts';
+import { buildContext } from '../lib/pregate/context';
+import { clearDecision, runPregate, type RunCheck } from '../lib/pregate/index';
+import type { ApiRun, RunProfile } from '../lib/run-evidence';
+import { BASE_PREGATE, cleanup, commit, makeFixtureRepo, type FixtureRepo } from './helpers/pregate-fixture';
+
+const repos: FixtureRepo[] = [];
+afterEach(() => { while (repos.length) cleanup(repos.pop()!); });
+
+const LANE = 'pregate.json/remote_gate';
+const NOW = new Date('2026-11-02T12:00:00Z');
+const LOCAL_OS = process.platform === 'darwin' ? 'macOS' : 'Linux';
+const PROFILE: RunProfile = { workflow: 'free-tests.yml', events: ['pull_request', 'workflow_dispatch'], jobs: ['unit'], artifact: 'tested-tree', os: LOCAL_OS };
+const PAID = 'test/nightly/retry-heavy.test.js';
+const FREE = ['test/retry.test.js', 'test/util.test.js'];
+
+function fixture(): FixtureRepo {
+  const repo = makeFixtureRepo({ pregate: { ...BASE_PREGATE, remote_gate: 'node scripts/remote-gate.js' } });
+  repos.push(repo);
+  commit(repo, { 'lib/util.js': 'exports.add = (a, b) => a + b + 0;\n', 'lib/retry.js': 'exports.MAX_RETRIES = 3;\nexports.TIMEOUT_MS = 5000;\nexports.retry = (fn) => fn();\nexports.touched = true;\n' }, 'touch two subjects');
+  return repo;
+}
+
+/** Run 100 of free-tests.yml at HEAD, green, its tree.json listing `files`; the gate's inventory is FREE and its skipped command names PAID. */
+function runCheck(repo: FixtureRepo, files: string[]): RunCheck {
+  const head = repo.git('rev-parse', 'HEAD');
+  const api: ApiRun = { id: 100, run_attempt: 1, status: 'completed', conclusion: 'success', event: 'workflow_dispatch', head_sha: head, path: '.github/workflows/free-tests.yml', created_at: '2026-11-02T10:00:00Z', updated_at: '2026-11-02T10:30:00Z', repository: { full_name: 'fx/fx' }, head_repository: { full_name: 'fx/fx' } };
+  return {
+    repo: 'fx/fx', profiles: { 'ci-reuse/free-tests': PROFILE }, now: NOW,
+    gateRuns: { profiles: ['ci-reuse/free-tests'], inventory: 'INVENTORY', skipped: 'SKIPPED' },
+    inventory: (command, _tree, selected) => (command === 'SKIPPED' ? (selected ?? []).filter(f => f === PAID) : FREE),
+    deps: {
+      run: () => api, runsForHead: (_wf, sha) => (sha === head ? [api] : []), jobs: () => [{ name: 'unit', conclusion: 'success' }],
+      artifact: () => ({ run_id: 100, run_attempt: 1, event: 'workflow_dispatch', sha: head, head_sha: head, tree: repo.git('rev-parse', 'HEAD^{tree}'), os: [LOCAL_OS], files, tests: files.length * 4 }),
+      commitTree: sha => repo.git('rev-parse', `${sha}^{tree}`),
+    },
+  } as RunCheck;
+}
+
+async function carried(repo: FixtureRepo, check: RunCheck): Promise<{ file: PregateFile; progress: string[] }> {
+  const progress: string[] = [];
+  const loaded = buildContext({ repoRoot: repo.work, base: 'main', policyFrom: 'base', allowRepoCommands: true, env: { ...process.env, ...repo.env }, progress: l => progress.push(l), cores: 4, testBackend: 'local' });
+  if (!('ctx' in loaded)) throw new Error('fixture context refused');
+  loaded.ctx.fromRun = { ref: '100', check };
+  return { file: await runPregate(loaded.ctx, { stage: 'tests' }), progress };
+}
+const gate = (file: PregateFile) => file.requires_remote?.find(r => r.lane === LANE);
+
+describe.skipIf(process.platform === 'win32')('CI carry clears the remote gate on a small machine', () => {
+  // Value: protects=a carried run whose remainder is only gate-skipped (paid) files leaves no obligation nothing can clear;
+  //   fails_when=the remainder stays a remote_gate obligation that the gate reports tests=0 for and clear --run refuses paid_only;
+  //   why_new=GSTA-258 A, the PREGATE_REMOTE_PAID_ONLY dead end seen at 0fba5533 (112 paid files after run 41554380563); seam=runPregate with a fake run API
+  test('the carried run clears the gate when only skipped files remain, and the receipt counts them', async () => {
+    const repo = fixture();
+    const check = runCheck(repo, FREE);
+    const { file, progress } = await carried(repo, check);
+    const obligation = gate(file)!;
+    expect(obligation.tests).toEqual([PAID]);
+    expect(clearDecision({ ...file, requires_remote: [{ ...obligation, receipt: null }] }, LANE, { runs: ['100'], evidence: check }, repo.work)).toMatchObject({ refused: 'PREGATE_RECEIPT_INVALID', message: expect.stringContaining('reason=paid_only') });
+    expect([obligation.receipt, obligation.cleared_by]).toEqual([expect.stringMatching(new RegExp(`^remote-gate tree=${file.tree.slice(0, 12)} tests=8 skipped=1 runs=100/1 `)), 'ci-carry']);
+    expect(progress).toContain(`CI_CARRY: cleared ${LANE} ${obligation.receipt}`);
+    expect(file.verdict).toBe('requires-remote cleared');
+  }, 120_000);
+
+  // Value: protects=the carry clears the gate only under clear --run's own checks; fails_when=a run that misses an inventory file clears it
+  test('a run that misses a gate inventory file leaves the gate uncleared and says why', async () => {
+    const repo = fixture();
+    const { file, progress } = await carried(repo, runCheck(repo, ['test/util.test.js']));
+    expect(gate(file)?.receipt).toBeNull();
+    expect(progress).toContainEqual(expect.stringMatching(new RegExp(`^CI_CARRY: ${LANE} stays uncleared \\(REUSE: refused reason=inventory_uncovered`)));
+  }, 120_000);
+});