diff --git a/scripts/test-paid-shards.ts b/scripts/test-paid-shards.ts
index 26ca8263b..20f3afc9c 100644
--- a/scripts/test-paid-shards.ts
+++ b/scripts/test-paid-shards.ts
@@ -339,11 +339,14 @@ export function buildPaidShardArgs(
   files: string[],
   timeoutMs: number,
   maxConcurrency: number = DEFAULT_WITHIN_SHARD_CONCURRENCY,
+  retries?: number,
 ): string[] {
   // Explicit --concurrent/--max-concurrency: the legacy path always set one;
   // omitting it here made within-shard parallelism differ silently between
   // the two runners (observed: 1.6x sumdur/wall sharded vs 8x legacy).
-  return ['test', ...files, '--retry', '1', '--concurrent', `--max-concurrency=${maxConcurrency}`, `--timeout=${timeoutMs}`];
+  // Retries default to 1; RETRY_OVERRIDES membership (old matrix rows'
+  // earned `retries: 2`) flows through retriesForFiles at the call site.
+  return ['test', ...files, '--retry', String(retries ?? 1), '--concurrent', `--max-concurrency=${maxConcurrency}`, `--timeout=${timeoutMs}`];
 }
 
 /**
@@ -357,7 +360,17 @@ export function shardSlug(files: string[]): string {
     .replace(/[^a-zA-Z0-9._+-]/g, '-');
 }
 
-export type ShardStatus = 'passed' | 'failed' | 'timed-out' | 'never-started' | 'skipped-by-diff';
+export type ShardStatus =
+  | 'passed'
+  | 'failed'
+  | 'timed-out'
+  | 'never-started'
+  | 'skipped-by-diff'
+  // exit 0 with ZERO executed tests on a run that promised everything
+  // (EVALS_ALL): the hollow-file green the census backstop exists to catch.
+  // Under selective runs, 0-executed passed shards stay 'passed' (in-file
+  // diff/tier self-skips are legitimate there) and get a WARNING line only.
+  | 'passed-empty';
 
 export interface ShardOutcome {
   shard: number;
@@ -366,6 +379,8 @@ export interface ShardOutcome {
   exitCode: number | null;
   elapsedMs: number;
   groupPid: number | null;
+  /** Tests bun reported executing ("Ran N tests ..."), null when unknown. */
+  executedTests: number | null;
 }
 
 export interface ShardCommand {
@@ -440,6 +455,7 @@ export async function runPaidShard(
         exactTestFileSelectors(files, rootDir),
         timeoutMs,
         options.withinShardConcurrency ?? DEFAULT_WITHIN_SHARD_CONCURRENCY,
+        retriesForFiles(files),
       ),
     };
 
@@ -531,7 +547,10 @@ export async function runPaidShard(
   const logSuffix = status === 'passed' ? '' : ` — full log: ${logPath}`;
   log(`${label} ${status.toUpperCase()} in ${Math.round(elapsedMs / 1000)}s (exit ${exitCode ?? 'signal'})${logSuffix}`);
 
-  return { shard: shardNumber, files, status, exitCode, elapsedMs, groupPid };
+  const executedTests = summary.terminalTestCounts.length > 0
+    ? summary.terminalTestCounts.reduce((a, b) => a + b, 0)
+    : null;
+  return { shard: shardNumber, files, status, exitCode, elapsedMs, groupPid, executedTests };
 }
 
 export interface RunSummary {
@@ -552,7 +571,7 @@ export function summarize(outcomes: ShardOutcome[]): RunSummary {
     total: outcomes.length,
     executed: outcomes.length - count('never-started') - count('skipped-by-diff'),
     passed: count('passed'),
-    failed: count('failed'),
+    failed: count('failed') + count('passed-empty'),
     timedOut: count('timed-out'),
     neverStarted: count('never-started'),
     skippedByDiff: count('skipped-by-diff'),
@@ -560,6 +579,28 @@ export function summarize(outcomes: ShardOutcome[]): RunSummary {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * Hollow-shard guard. Under EVALS_ALL (the run promised EVERY test), a
+ * passed shard whose bun summary reported 0 executed tests is not a pass —
+ * it is the zero-execution class one layer down (file selected, every test
+ * inside self-skipped, exit 0). Selective runs keep those shards 'passed'
+ * (in-file diff/tier self-skips are legitimate) and only warn.
+ */
+export function applyHollowShardGuard(
+  outcomes: ShardOutcome[],
+  opts: { evalsAll: boolean; warn?: (line: string) => void },
+): ShardOutcome[] {
+  const warn = opts.warn ?? ((line: string) => console.error(line));
+  return outcomes.map((outcome) => {
+    if (outcome.status !== 'passed' || outcome.executedTests !== 0) return outcome;
+    if (!opts.evalsAll) {
+      warn(`[test:paid] WARNING: shard ${outcome.shard} passed with 0 executed tests (${outcome.files.join(' ')}) — legitimate under selection, hollow under EVALS_ALL`);
+      return outcome;
+    }
+    return { ...outcome, status: 'passed-empty' };
+  });
+}
+
 /**
  * Exit code for a finished run: skipped-by-diff shards are successes (the
  * parent proved none of their tests were selected); everything else must
@@ -582,6 +623,7 @@ export async function runPaidShards(
     exitCode: null,
     elapsedMs: 0,
     groupPid: null,
+    executedTests: null,
   }));
 
   let next = 0;
@@ -604,6 +646,7 @@ export async function runPaidShards(
           exitCode: null,
           elapsedMs: 0,
           groupPid: null,
+          executedTests: null,
         };
         console.error(`[test:paid] shard ${index + 1} could not run: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)}`);
       }
@@ -631,6 +674,153 @@ export function formatSummary(summary: RunSummary): string[] {
   return lines;
 }
 
+// ─── Planner / executor / report (the CI re-platform surface) ──────────────
+// One PLANNER computes selection and the slice plan ONCE; K executor jobs
+// consume it; a REPORT reconciles results against the plan. This kills two
+// classes at the root: per-slice selector divergence (one slice failing
+// merge-base resolution and running a different partition than its siblings)
+// and hollow lanes (a missing/failed slice that artifact-presence aggregation
+// would read as green). CI wiring: evals.yml planner job → K-way matrix of
+// `--plan manifest.json --slice i` → report job running `--report <dir>`.
+
+export interface ManifestEntry {
+  file: string;
+  /** 1-based executor slice for planned entries; 0 for skipped/excluded. */
+  slice: number;
+  status: 'planned' | 'skipped-by-diff' | 'excluded';
+  reason?: string;
+}
+
+export interface PaidRunManifest {
+  version: 1;
+  tier: PaidTier;
+  evalsAll: boolean;
+  sliceCount: number;
+  selectionReason: string;
+  entries: ManifestEntry[];
+}
+
+/**
+ * Files whose old evals.yml matrix rows carried `retries: 2`, with the
+ * receipts that earned them (see the deleted rows' comments). The runner
+ * default stays --retry 1; membership here is a literals map so retry
+ * parity with the matrix is explicit, not folklore.
+ */
+export const RETRY_OVERRIDES: Record<string, number> = {
+  'test/skill-e2e-workflow.test.ts': 2,
+  'test/skill-e2e-office-hours-auto-mode.test.ts': 2,
+  'test/skill-e2e-plan-mode-no-op.test.ts': 2,
+};
+
+export function retriesForFiles(files: string[]): number {
+  return Math.max(1, ...files.map((f) => RETRY_OVERRIDES[normalizeRelativePath(f)] ?? 1));
+}
+
+/** Round-robin the RUNNABLE (sorted) shard plan across K slices — deterministic. */
+export function buildRunManifest(opts: {
+  tier: PaidTier;
+  sliceCount: number;
+  evalsAll: boolean;
+  discovered?: string[];
+  env?: NodeJS.ProcessEnv;
+  rootDir?: string;
+}): PaidRunManifest {
+  if (!Number.isInteger(opts.sliceCount) || opts.sliceCount <= 0) {
+    throw new Error(`--slices needs a positive integer. Received: ${opts.sliceCount}`);
+  }
+  const rootDir = opts.rootDir ?? ROOT;
+  const discovered = opts.discovered ?? collectPaidTestFiles(rootDir);
+  const { selected, excluded } = selectPaidTestFiles(discovered, opts.tier, rootDir);
+  const shards = planPaidShards(selected, { maxFilesPerShard: 1 });
+  const diffSelection = computePaidDiffSelection(opts.env ?? process.env);
+  const { runnable, skipped } = partitionShardsByDiffSelection(shards, diffSelection.selectedNames);
+
+  const entries: ManifestEntry[] = [];
+  runnable.forEach((files, index) => {
+    entries.push({ file: files[0], slice: (index % opts.sliceCount) + 1, status: 'planned' });
+  });
+  for (const s of skipped) entries.push({ file: s.files[0], slice: 0, status: 'skipped-by-diff', reason: s.reason });
+  for (const e of excluded) entries.push({ file: e.file, slice: 0, status: 'excluded', reason: e.reason });
+  entries.sort((a, b) => (a.file < b.file ? -1 : 1));
+
+  return {
+    version: 1,
+    tier: opts.tier,
+    evalsAll: opts.evalsAll,
+    sliceCount: opts.sliceCount,
+    selectionReason: diffSelection.reason,
+    entries,
+  };
+}
+
+export function parseRunManifest(raw: string): PaidRunManifest {
+  const parsed = JSON.parse(raw) as PaidRunManifest;
+  if (parsed.version !== 1) throw new Error(`unsupported manifest version: ${(parsed as { version?: unknown }).version}`);
+  if (parsed.tier !== 'gate' && parsed.tier !== 'periodic') throw new Error(`manifest tier invalid: ${parsed.tier}`);
+  if (!Number.isInteger(parsed.sliceCount) || parsed.sliceCount <= 0) throw new Error('manifest sliceCount invalid');
+  if (!Array.isArray(parsed.entries)) throw new Error('manifest entries missing');
+  for (const entry of parsed.entries) {
+    if (typeof entry.file !== 'string' || !Number.isInteger(entry.slice)) throw new Error('manifest entry malformed');
+    if (!['planned', 'skipped-by-diff', 'excluded'].includes(entry.status)) throw new Error(`manifest entry status invalid: ${entry.status}`);
+    if (entry.status === 'planned' && (entry.slice < 1 || entry.slice > parsed.sliceCount)) {
+      throw new Error(`planned entry ${entry.file} has out-of-range slice ${entry.slice}`);
+    }
+  }
+  return parsed;
+}
+
+export interface SliceResult {
+  version: 1;
+  tier: PaidTier;
+  sliceIndex: number;
+  sliceCount: number;
+  outcomes: Array<Pick<ShardOutcome, 'files' | 'status' | 'exitCode' | 'elapsedMs' | 'executedTests'>>;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Reconcile slice results against the manifest — the fail-closed aggregation.
+ * Problems (any → non-zero): a slice index missing entirely (a cancelled or
+ * crashed executor whose artifact never landed), a planned entry no slice
+ * reported, an entry reported by the wrong/duplicate slice, or any reported
+ * outcome that is not a pass.
+ */
+export function verifySliceResults(
+  manifest: PaidRunManifest,
+  results: SliceResult[],
+): { ok: boolean; problems: string[] } {
+  const problems: string[] = [];
+  const byIndex = new Map<number, SliceResult>();
+  for (const result of results) {
+    if (result.version !== 1) { problems.push(`slice result with unsupported version: ${String(result.version)}`); continue; }
+    if (result.tier !== manifest.tier) problems.push(`slice ${result.sliceIndex} ran tier ${result.tier}, manifest says ${manifest.tier}`);
+    if (byIndex.has(result.sliceIndex)) problems.push(`duplicate result for slice ${result.sliceIndex}`);
+    byIndex.set(result.sliceIndex, result);
+  }
+  for (let index = 1; index <= manifest.sliceCount; index += 1) {
+    if (!byIndex.has(index)) problems.push(`slice ${index}/${manifest.sliceCount} reported NO result — cancelled/crashed executor, not a pass`);
+  }
+
+  const reported = new Map<string, { slice: number; status: ShardStatus }>();
+  for (const result of results) {
+    for (const outcome of result.outcomes) {
+      const file = normalizeRelativePath(outcome.files[0] ?? '');
+      if (reported.has(file)) problems.push(`${file} reported by two slices`);
+      reported.set(file, { slice: result.sliceIndex, status: outcome.status });
+    }
+  }
+  for (const entry of manifest.entries) {
+    if (entry.status !== 'planned') continue;
+    const got = reported.get(normalizeRelativePath(entry.file));
+    if (!got) {
+      if (byIndex.has(entry.slice)) problems.push(`planned ${entry.file} (slice ${entry.slice}) was never reported`);
+      continue; // the missing-slice problem above already covers it
+    }
+    if (got.slice !== entry.slice) problems.push(`${entry.file} planned for slice ${entry.slice} but reported by slice ${got.slice}`);
+    if (got.status !== 'passed') problems.push(`${entry.file}: ${got.status}`);
+  }
+  return { ok: problems.length === 0, problems };
+}
+
 type CliOptions = {
   tier: PaidTier;
   listOnly: boolean;
@@ -638,6 +828,16 @@ type CliOptions = {
   jobs: number;
   withinShardConcurrency: number;
   maxFilesPerShard: number;
+  /** Planner mode: write the run manifest here and exit. */
+  emitPlanPath: string | null;
+  /** Slice count for --emit-plan. */
+  slices: number;
+  /** Executor mode: consume this manifest... */
+  planPath: string | null;
+  /** ...running only this 1-based slice. */
+  sliceIndex: number | null;
+  /** Report mode: reconcile manifest.json + slice-*.json under this dir. */
+  reportDir: string | null;
 };
 
 function parsePositiveInt(value: string | undefined, flag: string): number {
@@ -674,6 +874,11 @@ export function parseCliOptions(argv: string[], env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process
       ? parsePositiveInt(env.EVALS_CONCURRENCY, 'EVALS_CONCURRENCY')
       : DEFAULT_WITHIN_SHARD_CONCURRENCY,
     maxFilesPerShard: DEFAULT_MAX_FILES_PER_SHARD,
+    emitPlanPath: null,
+    slices: 1,
+    planPath: null,
+    sliceIndex: null,
+    reportDir: null,
   };
 
   for (let index = 0; index < argv.length; index += 1) {
@@ -688,6 +893,23 @@ export function parseCliOptions(argv: string[], env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process
     if (arg === '--timeout') { options.timeoutMs = parsePositiveInt(argv[index += 1], '--timeout') * 1000; continue; }
     if (arg === '--jobs') { options.jobs = parsePositiveInt(argv[index += 1], '--jobs'); continue; }
     if (arg === '--files-per-shard') { options.maxFilesPerShard = parsePositiveInt(argv[index += 1], '--files-per-shard'); continue; }
+    if (arg === '--emit-plan') {
+      const value = argv[index += 1];
+      if (!value) throw new Error('--emit-plan needs a file path');
+      options.emitPlanPath = value; continue;
+    }
+    if (arg === '--slices') { options.slices = parsePositiveInt(argv[index += 1], '--slices'); continue; }
+    if (arg === '--plan') {
+      const value = argv[index += 1];
+      if (!value) throw new Error('--plan needs a manifest path');
+      options.planPath = value; continue;
+    }
+    if (arg === '--slice') { options.sliceIndex = parsePositiveInt(argv[index += 1], '--slice'); continue; }
+    if (arg === '--report') {
+      const value = argv[index += 1];
+      if (!value) throw new Error('--report needs a directory');
+      options.reportDir = value; continue;
+    }
     throw new Error(`Unknown argument: ${arg}`);
   }
   return options;
@@ -695,9 +917,111 @@ export function parseCliOptions(argv: string[], env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process
 
 async function main(): Promise<number> {
   const options = parseCliOptions(process.argv.slice(2));
+
+  // ── Planner mode: compute selection + the slice plan ONCE, write it, exit.
+  if (options.emitPlanPath) {
+    const manifest = buildRunManifest({
+      tier: options.tier,
+      sliceCount: options.slices,
+      evalsAll: process.env.EVALS_ALL === '1',
+    });
+    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(path.resolve(options.emitPlanPath)), { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(options.emitPlanPath, `${JSON.stringify(manifest, null, 2)}\n`);
+    const planned = manifest.entries.filter((e) => e.status === 'planned').length;
+    const skipped = manifest.entries.filter((e) => e.status === 'skipped-by-diff').length;
+    const excludedCount = manifest.entries.filter((e) => e.status === 'excluded').length;
+    console.log(
+      `[test:paid] plan: tier=${manifest.tier} evalsAll=${manifest.evalsAll} — `
+      + `${planned} planned across ${manifest.sliceCount} slice(s), ${skipped} skipped by diff, `
+      + `${excludedCount} excluded (${manifest.selectionReason})`,
+    );
+    return 0;
+  }
+
+  // ── Report mode: reconcile slice artifacts against the manifest. Fail-closed:
+  // a slice whose artifact never landed is a FAILURE, not an absence.
+  if (options.reportDir) {
+    const manifest = parseRunManifest(fs.readFileSync(path.join(options.reportDir, 'manifest.json'), 'utf-8'));
+    const results: SliceResult[] = fs.readdirSync(options.reportDir)
+      .filter((name) => /^slice-\d+\.json$/.test(name))
+      .map((name) => JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(options.reportDir, name), 'utf-8')) as SliceResult);
+    const verdict = verifySliceResults(manifest, results);
+    const planned = manifest.entries.filter((e) => e.status === 'planned').length;
+    console.log(`[test:paid] report: ${results.length}/${manifest.sliceCount} slices, ${planned} planned shards, tier=${manifest.tier}`);
+    for (const result of results.sort((a, b) => a.sliceIndex - b.sliceIndex)) {
+      for (const outcome of result.outcomes) {
+        console.log(`  slice ${result.sliceIndex}  ${outcome.status.padEnd(15)} ${String(Math.round(outcome.elapsedMs / 1000)).padStart(5)}s  ${outcome.files.join(' ')}`);
+      }
+    }
+    if (!verdict.ok) {
+      console.error(`[test:paid] report: ${verdict.problems.length} problem(s):`);
+      for (const problem of verdict.problems) console.error(`  ✗ ${problem}`);
+      return 1;
+    }
+    console.log('[test:paid] report: every planned shard accounted and passed');
+    return 0;
+  }
+
   const discovered = collectPaidTestFiles();
   if (discovered.length === 0) throw new Error('No paid test files were discovered.');
 
+  // ── Executor mode: consume the planner's manifest; never self-select.
+  if (options.planPath || options.sliceIndex !== null) {
+    if (!options.planPath || options.sliceIndex === null) {
+      throw new Error('--plan and --slice must be used together');
+    }
+    const manifest = parseRunManifest(fs.readFileSync(options.planPath, 'utf-8'));
+    if (manifest.tier !== options.tier) {
+      throw new Error(`manifest tier ${manifest.tier} != requested tier ${options.tier} — refusing a cross-tier run`);
+    }
+    if (options.sliceIndex > manifest.sliceCount) {
+      throw new Error(`--slice ${options.sliceIndex} exceeds manifest sliceCount ${manifest.sliceCount}`);
+    }
+    const mine = manifest.entries.filter((e) => e.status === 'planned' && e.slice === options.sliceIndex);
+    const shards = mine.map((e) => [e.file]);
+    console.log(`[test:paid] slice ${options.sliceIndex}/${manifest.sliceCount}: ${shards.length} shard(s), tier=${manifest.tier}, evalsAll=${manifest.evalsAll}`);
+
+    const evalDirBase = process.env.GSTACK_EVAL_DIR || getProjectEvalDir();
+    let summary: RunSummary;
+    if (shards.length === 0) {
+      summary = summarize([]);
+    } else {
+      preflightAnthropicApi(process.env);
+      summary = await runPaidShards(shards, {
+        timeoutMs: options.timeoutMs,
+        jobs: options.jobs,
+        withinShardConcurrency: options.withinShardConcurrency,
+        env: {
+          ...process.env,
+          EVALS: '1',
+          EVALS_TIER: options.tier,
+          ...(manifest.evalsAll ? { EVALS_ALL: '1' } : {}),
+          EVALS_PREFLIGHT_OK: '1',
+          // The manifest IS the selection: children must not re-derive a
+          // possibly-different one from their own git view.
+          EVALS_SELECTION_JSON: JSON.stringify({ version: 1, selected: null, reason: `manifest slice ${options.sliceIndex}: ${manifest.selectionReason}` }),
+        },
+        evalDirBase,
+      });
+    }
+    const guarded = applyHollowShardGuard(summary.outcomes, { evalsAll: manifest.evalsAll });
+    summary = summarize(guarded);
+    const sliceResult: SliceResult = {
+      version: 1,
+      tier: manifest.tier,
+      sliceIndex: options.sliceIndex,
+      sliceCount: manifest.sliceCount,
+      outcomes: guarded.map(({ files, status, exitCode, elapsedMs, executedTests }) =>
+        ({ files, status, exitCode, elapsedMs, executedTests })),
+    };
+    fs.mkdirSync(evalDirBase, { recursive: true });
+    const sliceResultPath = path.join(evalDirBase, `slice-${options.sliceIndex}.json`);
+    fs.writeFileSync(sliceResultPath, `${JSON.stringify(sliceResult, null, 2)}\n`);
+    console.log(`[test:paid] slice result: ${sliceResultPath}`);
+    for (const line of formatSummary(summary)) console.log(line);
+    return summaryExitCode(summary);
+  }
+
   const { selected, excluded } = selectPaidTestFiles(discovered, options.tier);
   const shards = planPaidShards(selected, { maxFilesPerShard: options.maxFilesPerShard });
 
@@ -765,8 +1089,12 @@ async function main(): Promise<number> {
     exitCode: null,
     elapsedMs: 0,
     groupPid: null,
+    executedTests: null,
   }));
-  const summary = summarize([...runSummary.outcomes, ...skippedOutcomes]);
+  const guardedOutcomes = applyHollowShardGuard(runSummary.outcomes, {
+    evalsAll: process.env.EVALS_ALL === '1',
+  });
+  const summary = summarize([...guardedOutcomes, ...skippedOutcomes]);
   for (const line of formatSummary(summary)) console.log(line);
   return summaryExitCode(summary);
 }
diff --git a/scripts/test-strict-output.ts b/scripts/test-strict-output.ts
index 31e2dccd3..2e91bd096 100644
--- a/scripts/test-strict-output.ts
+++ b/scripts/test-strict-output.ts
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ const ROOT = path.resolve(import.meta.dir, '..');
 const ANSI_ESCAPE = /\u001B\[[0-?]*[ -/]*[@-~]/g;
 const BUN_FAIL_RESULT = /^\(fail\) .+ \[(?:\d+(?:\.\d+)?)(?:ns|us|µs|ms|s)\]$/;
 const BUN_BETWEEN_TESTS_ERROR = '# Unhandled error between tests';
-const BUN_TERMINAL_SUMMARY = /^Ran \d+ tests? across (\d+) files?\. \[(?:\d+(?:\.\d+)?)(?:ns|us|µs|ms|s)\]$/;
+const BUN_TERMINAL_SUMMARY = /^Ran (\d+) tests? across (\d+) files?\. \[(?:\d+(?:\.\d+)?)(?:ns|us|µs|ms|s)\]$/;
 
 export type BunTestOutputFinding = 'failed-test' | 'unhandled-between-tests';
 
@@ -27,6 +27,8 @@ export interface BunTestOutputSummary {
   failedTests: number;
   unhandledBetweenTests: number;
   terminalFileCounts: number[];
+  /** Test counts from the same terminal lines — feeds the hollow-shard guard. */
+  terminalTestCounts: number[];
 }
 
 export type ForwardedTerminationSignal = 'SIGINT' | 'SIGTERM';
@@ -196,9 +198,15 @@ export function classifyBunTestOutputLine(rawLine: string): BunTestOutputFinding
 }
 
 export function parseBunTerminalSummaryLine(rawLine: string): number | null {
+  return parseBunTerminalSummary(rawLine)?.files ?? null;
+}
+
+export function parseBunTerminalSummary(rawLine: string): { tests: number; files: number } | null {
   const line = stripAnsiLine(rawLine);
   const match = BUN_TERMINAL_SUMMARY.exec(line);
-  return match ? Number.parseInt(match[1], 10) : null;
+  return match
+    ? { tests: Number.parseInt(match[1], 10), files: Number.parseInt(match[2], 10) }
+    : null;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -220,6 +228,7 @@ export class BunTestOutputClassifier {
   private failedTests = 0;
   private unhandledBetweenTests = 0;
   private terminalFileCounts: number[] = [];
+  private terminalTestCounts: number[] = [];
 
   write(chunk: Uint8Array | string, origin: ClassifierOrigin = 'stdout'): void {
     this.pending[origin] += typeof chunk === 'string'
@@ -242,6 +251,7 @@ export class BunTestOutputClassifier {
       failedTests: this.failedTests,
       unhandledBetweenTests: this.unhandledBetweenTests,
       terminalFileCounts: [...this.terminalFileCounts],
+      terminalTestCounts: [...this.terminalTestCounts],
     };
   }
 
@@ -258,8 +268,11 @@ export class BunTestOutputClassifier {
     const finding = classifyBunTestOutputLine(line);
     if (finding === 'failed-test') this.failedTests += 1;
     if (finding === 'unhandled-between-tests') this.unhandledBetweenTests += 1;
-    const terminalFileCount = parseBunTerminalSummaryLine(line);
-    if (terminalFileCount !== null) this.terminalFileCounts.push(terminalFileCount);
+    const terminal = parseBunTerminalSummary(line);
+    if (terminal !== null) {
+      this.terminalFileCounts.push(terminal.files);
+      this.terminalTestCounts.push(terminal.tests);
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/test/paid-run-manifest.test.ts b/test/paid-run-manifest.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..402f63e24
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/paid-run-manifest.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+/**
+ * Planner/executor/report contract for the re-platformed paid CI lane.
+ *
+ * The classes these pin (each was a live CI failure mode of the old
+ * hand-enumerated matrix, or a review-identified risk of the migration):
+ *  - per-slice selector divergence → ONE planner manifest, executors consume
+ *  - hollow lanes → a slice with no artifact is a FAILURE, not an absence
+ *  - hollow shards → EVALS_ALL + exit 0 + zero executed tests ≠ pass
+ *  - retry parity → the old matrix rows' earned `retries: 2` survive as a
+ *    literals map, not folklore
+ */
+import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import * as fs from 'node:fs';
+import * as path from 'node:path';
+
+import {
+  applyHollowShardGuard,
+  buildPaidShardArgs,
+  buildRunManifest,
+  parseRunManifest,
+  retriesForFiles,
+  RETRY_OVERRIDES,
+  summarize,
+  summaryExitCode,
+  verifySliceResults,
+  type PaidRunManifest,
+  type ShardOutcome,
+  type SliceResult,
+} from '../scripts/test-paid-shards';
+
+const ROOT = path.resolve(__dirname, '..');
+
+const outcome = (over: Partial<ShardOutcome>): ShardOutcome => ({
+  shard: 1,
+  files: ['test/skill-e2e-x.test.ts'],
+  status: 'passed',
+  exitCode: 0,
+  elapsedMs: 1000,
+  groupPid: null,
+  executedTests: 3,
+  ...over,
+});
+
+describe('run manifest (planner)', () => {
+  test('live build: every paid file appears exactly once; planned slices partition 1..K', () => {
+    const manifest = buildRunManifest({ tier: 'gate', sliceCount: 5, evalsAll: true, env: { EVALS_ALL: '1' } });
+    const files = manifest.entries.map((e) => e.file);
+    expect(new Set(files).size).toBe(files.length);
+    const planned = manifest.entries.filter((e) => e.status === 'planned');
+    expect(planned.length).toBeGreaterThan(20); // census sanity
+    for (const entry of planned) {
+      expect(entry.slice).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1);
+      expect(entry.slice).toBeLessThanOrEqual(5);
+    }
+    // Round-robin balance: slice sizes differ by at most 1.
+    const sizes = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].map((i) => planned.filter((e) => e.slice === i).length);
+    expect(Math.max(...sizes) - Math.min(...sizes)).toBeLessThanOrEqual(1);
+    // Non-runnable entries carry slice 0 and a reason.
+    for (const entry of manifest.entries.filter((e) => e.status !== 'planned')) {
+      expect(entry.slice).toBe(0);
+      expect(entry.reason ?? '').not.toBe('');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('deterministic for identical inputs', () => {
+    const opts = { tier: 'periodic' as const, sliceCount: 4, evalsAll: true, env: { EVALS_ALL: '1' } };
+    expect(buildRunManifest(opts)).toEqual(buildRunManifest(opts));
+  });
+
+  test('parse round-trips and rejects malformed manifests', () => {
+    const manifest = buildRunManifest({ tier: 'gate', sliceCount: 2, evalsAll: false, env: {} });
+    expect(parseRunManifest(JSON.stringify(manifest))).toEqual(manifest);
+    expect(() => parseRunManifest('{}')).toThrow(/version/);
+    expect(() => parseRunManifest(JSON.stringify({ ...manifest, tier: 'e2e' }))).toThrow(/tier/);
+    expect(() => parseRunManifest(JSON.stringify({ ...manifest, sliceCount: 0 }))).toThrow(/sliceCount/);
+    const outOfRange = {
+      ...manifest,
+      entries: [{ file: 'test/skill-e2e-x.test.ts', slice: 9, status: 'planned' }],
+    };
+    expect(() => parseRunManifest(JSON.stringify(outOfRange))).toThrow(/out-of-range/);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('slice-result reconciliation (report)', () => {
+  const manifest: PaidRunManifest = {
+    version: 1,
+    tier: 'gate',
+    evalsAll: false,
+    sliceCount: 2,
+    selectionReason: 'test fixture',
+    entries: [
+      { file: 'test/skill-e2e-a.test.ts', slice: 1, status: 'planned' },
+      { file: 'test/skill-e2e-b.test.ts', slice: 2, status: 'planned' },
+      { file: 'test/skill-e2e-c.test.ts', slice: 0, status: 'skipped-by-diff', reason: 'unselected' },
+    ],
+  };
+  const slice = (index: number, files: string[], status: ShardOutcome['status'] = 'passed'): SliceResult => ({
+    version: 1,
+    tier: 'gate',
+    sliceIndex: index,
+    sliceCount: 2,
+    outcomes: files.map((f) => ({ files: [f], status, exitCode: 0, elapsedMs: 5, executedTests: 2 })),
+  });
+
+  test('all slices present and passing → ok', () => {
+    const verdict = verifySliceResults(manifest, [
+      slice(1, ['test/skill-e2e-a.test.ts']),
+      slice(2, ['test/skill-e2e-b.test.ts']),
+    ]);
+    expect(verdict).toEqual({ ok: true, problems: [] });
+  });
+
+  test('a missing slice artifact is a FAILURE, not an absence', () => {
+    const verdict = verifySliceResults(manifest, [slice(1, ['test/skill-e2e-a.test.ts'])]);
+    expect(verdict.ok).toBe(false);
+    expect(verdict.problems.join('\n')).toContain('slice 2/2 reported NO result');
+  });
+
+  test('a planned shard nobody reported fails even when its slice reported', () => {
+    const verdict = verifySliceResults(manifest, [
+      slice(1, []),
+      slice(2, ['test/skill-e2e-b.test.ts']),
+    ]);
+    expect(verdict.ok).toBe(false);
+    expect(verdict.problems.join('\n')).toContain('never reported');
+  });
+
+  test('wrong-slice, duplicate, cross-tier, and failing outcomes all surface', () => {
+    const wrongSlice = verifySliceResults(manifest, [
+      slice(1, ['test/skill-e2e-b.test.ts']),
+      slice(2, ['test/skill-e2e-a.test.ts']),
+    ]);
+    expect(wrongSlice.ok).toBe(false);
+    const failing = verifySliceResults(manifest, [
+      slice(1, ['test/skill-e2e-a.test.ts'], 'failed'),
+      slice(2, ['test/skill-e2e-b.test.ts']),
+    ]);
+    expect(failing.problems.join('\n')).toContain('test/skill-e2e-a.test.ts: failed');
+    const crossTier = verifySliceResults(manifest, [
+      { ...slice(1, ['test/skill-e2e-a.test.ts']), tier: 'periodic' },
+      slice(2, ['test/skill-e2e-b.test.ts']),
+    ]);
+    expect(crossTier.problems.join('\n')).toContain('ran tier periodic');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('hollow-shard guard', () => {
+  test('EVALS_ALL: passed with 0 executed tests becomes passed-empty and fails the run', () => {
+    const guarded = applyHollowShardGuard([outcome({ executedTests: 0 })], { evalsAll: true, warn: () => {} });
+    expect(guarded[0].status).toBe('passed-empty');
+    const summary = summarize(guarded);
+    expect(summary.failed).toBe(1);
+    expect(summaryExitCode(summary)).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  test('selective run: same shape stays passed, warns once', () => {
+    const warnings: string[] = [];
+    const guarded = applyHollowShardGuard([outcome({ executedTests: 0 })], {
+      evalsAll: false, warn: (line) => warnings.push(line),
+    });
+    expect(guarded[0].status).toBe('passed');
+    expect(warnings).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  test('unknown executedTests (null) is never guessed hollow', () => {
+    const guarded = applyHollowShardGuard([outcome({ executedTests: null })], { evalsAll: true });
+    expect(guarded[0].status).toBe('passed');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('retry parity', () => {
+  test('overrides exist only for the files whose matrix rows earned them, and each names a real file', () => {
+    expect(Object.keys(RETRY_OVERRIDES).sort()).toEqual([
+      'test/skill-e2e-office-hours-auto-mode.test.ts',
+      'test/skill-e2e-plan-mode-no-op.test.ts',
+      'test/skill-e2e-workflow.test.ts',
+    ]);
+    for (const file of Object.keys(RETRY_OVERRIDES)) {
+      expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(ROOT, file)), `stale RETRY_OVERRIDES entry: ${file}`).toBe(true);
+    }
+    expect(retriesForFiles(['test/skill-e2e-workflow.test.ts'])).toBe(2);
+    expect(retriesForFiles(['test/skill-e2e-retro.test.ts'])).toBe(1);
+    expect(buildPaidShardArgs(['x'], 1000, 4, 2)).toContain('2');
+    expect(buildPaidShardArgs(['x'], 1000, 4).join(' ')).toContain('--retry 1');
+  });
+});