diff --git a/.changeset/zesty-tunas-bark.md b/.changeset/zesty-tunas-bark.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3920b9795
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/zesty-tunas-bark.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+type: Fixed
+pr: 4381
+---
+**`state` no longer guesses the STATE.md `status` token from substrings of the status prose** — a status line mentioning `.planning/` (or Italian `verifica`, `completezza`, `fasi complete`) no longer silently becomes `status: planning`/`verifying`/`completed`; recognized vocabulary values keep normalizing and unrecognized prose stays visible, `state record-session` without arguments now errors instead of writing, and stray `*-SUMMARY.md` files without a plan twin stay excluded from `progress.completed_plans` recounts. (#4186)
diff --git a/CONTEXT.md b/CONTEXT.md
index 1f2e6a438..294ae108c 100644
--- a/CONTEXT.md
+++ b/CONTEXT.md
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ Module owning STATE.md lifecycle/maintenance transitions as intent-based methods
 The one declaration (ADR-3473 §8.8, #3873) for "which STATE.md keys exist and what they carry", replacing three hand-maintained tables that were already observed to disagree: `FIELD_CLASSIFICATION` and `FRONTMATTER_BODY_SOURCE` (STATE.md Transition Module) and `FRONTMATTER_KEY_TO_BODY_LABEL` (STATE.md Document Module's `bodyLabelFor`, `state.cts`). One frozen, null-prototype `STATE_FIELD_SCHEMA` row per key carries `type`, `cardinality`, `source`, `preservation`, `guard`/`mergeStrategy` (ADR-3408's closed vocabularies, whose type declarations moved here), `bodySource`/`bodyLabel`, `acceptedShapes` (declared value shapes a hand-written parser accepts — e.g. `current_plan`'s `N` / `N of M`, #3784 — never a predicate; Greenspun's Tenth Rule still applies), and `emitted` (mirrors `buildStateFrontmatter`'s null-guards). The three original tables are now PROJECTIONS derived from this schema at module load, byte-identical in shape/key-order/frozen-and-null-prototype-ness to what they were before #3873 — every existing consumer (the preservation dispatch loop, `getFieldClassification`, `getPreserveWhenUnchangedFields`, `bodyLabelFor`, #3872's `declaredLeavesOf`) is unaffected. **The `last_activity` disagreement is resolved by declaration, not by picking the table that "looks right":** it carries a `bodySource` (it IS body-derived) but deliberately no `bodyLabel`, matching what ships today — its `preservation` is `derive`, so it can never reach `bodyLabelFor`'s `STATE_BODY_LABEL_UNWIRED_ROW` throw, pinned by `tests/state.test.cjs`'s `lastActivityLabelResolutionMatchesShippedBehavior`. Leaf module: imports from neither `state-transition.cts` nor `state.cts` (both import it), avoiding the CJS require-cycle `src/health-diagnostic-types.cts` was split out to break. `scripts/lint-state-field-drift.cjs` is UNCHANGED and retained — it guards the #3187 STATE.md field-extraction fallback-chain re-derivation, an orthogonal concern this schema does not make unrepresentable (§8.8's own claim that the guard is deleted here was verified false). Source of truth: `gsd-core/bin/lib/state-md-schema.cjs` (generated from `src/state-md-schema.cts`).
 
 ### STATE.md Status Lifecycle (ADR-2207)
-The `Status` field in STATE.md follows a strict lifecycle: `Ready to plan` → `All phases complete` (all phases done, milestone awaiting formal close) → `<version> milestone complete` (terminal, written only by the milestone-close verb `milestoneCompleteCore`) → `Awaiting next milestone` (archived). Phase-completion verbs write `All phases complete` on the last phase — never `Milestone complete` (the overloaded bare value was removed in #2204 per ADR-2207 to decouple phase-level writes from milestone termination). `normalizeStateStatus` maps any status containing "complete" → `completed`, so consumers using the normalized projection (workstream inventory's `status` field, statusline) recognize `All phases complete` without code changes. Note: `isCompletedInventory` (workstream-inventory-builder.cts) intentionally checks only for the terminal `\bmilestone\s+complete\b` / `\barchived\b` — `All phases complete` returns `false` (intermediate, not terminal).
+The `Status` field in STATE.md follows a strict lifecycle: `Ready to plan` → `All phases complete` (all phases done, milestone awaiting formal close) → `<version> milestone complete` (terminal, written only by the milestone-close verb `milestoneCompleteCore`) → `Awaiting next milestone` (archived). Phase-completion verbs write `All phases complete` on the last phase — never `Milestone complete` (the overloaded bare value was removed in #2204 per ADR-2207 to decouple phase-level writes from milestone termination). `normalizeStateStatus` recognizes the whole-field status vocabulary (exact values plus anchored `Executing Phase N` / `Phase N complete` / `<version> milestone complete` forms — `STATUS_EXACT_TOKENS` / `STATUS_ANCHORED_PATTERNS`, src/state-document.cts; #4186 ended the pre-#4186 substring scanning, so prose merely CONTAINING a status word passes through verbatim), so consumers using the normalized projection (workstream inventory's `status` field, statusline) recognize `All phases complete` and the other lifecycle values without code changes. Note: `isCompletedInventory` (workstream-inventory-builder.cts) intentionally checks only for the terminal `\bmilestone\s+complete\b` / `\barchived\b` — `All phases complete` returns `false` (intermediate, not terminal).
 
 ### Query Execution Policy Module
 Module owning query transport routing policy projection (`preferNative`, fallback policy, workstream subprocess forcing) at execution seam.
diff --git a/docs/CLI-TOOLS.md b/docs/CLI-TOOLS.md
index 960fa56f5..ff0925d1a 100644
--- a/docs/CLI-TOOLS.md
+++ b/docs/CLI-TOOLS.md
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ node gsd-tools.cjs state add-decision --summary-file path [--rationale-file path
 node gsd-tools.cjs state add-blocker --text "..."
 node gsd-tools.cjs state resolve-blocker --text "..."
 
-# Record session continuity
+# Record session continuity (at least one of --stopped-at / --resume-file is required)
 node gsd-tools.cjs state record-session --stopped-at "..." [--resume-file path]
 
 # Phase start — update STATE.md Status/Last activity for a new phase
diff --git a/docs/adr/2207-status-field-lifecycle-ownership.md b/docs/adr/2207-status-field-lifecycle-ownership.md
index b936815d8..a1fd13722 100644
--- a/docs/adr/2207-status-field-lifecycle-ownership.md
+++ b/docs/adr/2207-status-field-lifecycle-ownership.md
@@ -30,4 +30,4 @@ STATE.md's `Status` field is written by two transitions with an **overloaded** v
 
 **Positive:** the overload is removed; the intermediate and terminal "complete" states are distinct; a phase-level verb no longer writes the terminal milestone state; the wrong-phase flip becomes a parse-correctness concern already owned upstream.
 
-**Cost / follow-through (implemented in #2204):** consumers that key on the `Milestone complete` string must recognize `All phases complete` — `workflows/progress.md` (Route D), `verify.cts`, and `workstream-inventory-builder.cts`. `normalizeStateStatus` already maps any status containing "complete" → `completed`, so it needs no change. A `CONTEXT.md` glossary entry enumerating the `Status` lifecycle lands with the #2204 implementation.
+**Cost / follow-through (implemented in #2204):** consumers that key on the `Milestone complete` string must recognize `All phases complete` — `workflows/progress.md` (Route D), `verify.cts`, and `workstream-inventory-builder.cts`. `normalizeStateStatus` already maps any status containing "complete" → `completed`, so it needs no change. *(Superseded mechanism, #4186: recognition is now an ANCHORED whole-field vocabulary match — `All phases complete` and `<version> milestone complete` still map to `completed`; prose merely containing "complete" passes through verbatim. The consumer-recognition consequence above is unchanged.)* A `CONTEXT.md` glossary entry enumerating the `Status` lifecycle lands with the #2204 implementation.
diff --git a/hooks/gsd-statusline.js b/hooks/gsd-statusline.js
index c73d56401..37e110e9e 100755
--- a/hooks/gsd-statusline.js
+++ b/hooks/gsd-statusline.js
@@ -449,13 +449,17 @@ function contextTokenSuffix(currentUsage) {
 // --- Compact state format (opt-in) ---------------------------------------------
 
 /**
- * Collapse GSD's free-text status (often a multi-sentence narrative) to a
- * single keyword, built on the canonical normalizer (#2162 approval
- * condition): normalizeStateStatus() in state-document.cjs owns the status
- * vocabulary (discussing / planning / executing / verifying / completed /
- * paused) so the two can't drift. "paused" — the canonical stuck state — is
- * uppercased to PAUSED, the one state worth shouting about. Statuses the
- * normalizer passes through unrecognized fall back to their first word,
+ * Collapse GSD's status value to a single keyword, built on the canonical
+ * normalizer (#2162 approval condition): normalizeStateStatus() in
+ * state-document.cjs owns the status vocabulary (discussing / planning /
+ * executing / verifying / completed / paused) so the two can't drift.
+ * #4186: the normalizer recognizes the DECLARED vocabulary by anchored
+ * whole-field match — vocabulary values (the state writer persists tokens)
+ * collapse to their keyword; free-text narratives are no longer
+ * keyword-guessed from substrings (a `.planning/` mention in non-English
+ * prose used to render `planning`), and pass through unrecognized to the
+ * first-word fallback below. "paused" — the canonical stuck state — is
+ * uppercased to PAUSED, the one state worth shouting about. The fallback is
  * capped at 16 chars so a rogue STATE.md can't blow up the line.
  * Returns null for empty input.
  */
diff --git a/scripts/lint-docs-guard-registration.exempt-baseline.cjs b/scripts/lint-docs-guard-registration.exempt-baseline.cjs
index fb641a3c2..157747b9a 100644
--- a/scripts/lint-docs-guard-registration.exempt-baseline.cjs
+++ b/scripts/lint-docs-guard-registration.exempt-baseline.cjs
@@ -191,7 +191,9 @@ const DOCS_GUARD_EXEMPT_DOCS_PATHS = {
   'runtime-name-policy.test.cjs': ['docs/customize/skills'],
   'security-prompt-injection.security.test.cjs': ['docs/notes.md'],
   'shipped-reference-cites.test.cjs': [],
-  'state.test.cjs': ['docs/CONFIGURATION.md', 'docs/reference/state-md.md'],
+  // #4186: the record-session usage-contract test cites the documented
+  // signature in docs/CLI-TOOLS.md in its explanatory comment.
+  'state.test.cjs': ['docs/CLI-TOOLS.md', 'docs/CONFIGURATION.md', 'docs/reference/state-md.md'],
   'worktree-safety.test.cjs': ['docs/SUMMARY.md'],
 };
 
diff --git a/src/state-document.cts b/src/state-document.cts
index 5921b31d2..a8fc16bb8 100644
--- a/src/state-document.cts
+++ b/src/state-document.cts
@@ -611,31 +611,115 @@ export function stateReplaceFieldInSession(content: string, primary: string, fal
   return withSection(content, target, (sectionBody) => stateReplaceFieldWithFallback(sectionBody, primary, fallback, value));
 }
 
+/**
+ * #4186: the DECLARED raw-status vocabulary `normalizeStateStatus` recognizes.
+ * Keys are whole-field values, compared against the caller's input after
+ * lowercasing, trimming, and collapsing internal whitespace runs to single
+ * spaces — so case and whitespace variants the vocabulary documents
+ * (`EXECUTING PHASE 5`, `  Paused  `, `In   progress`) keep normalizing.
+ * Values are members of `STATUS_LIFECYCLE_ENUM` (`src/state-md-schema.cts`)
+ * — the set the normalizer maps recognized input ONTO.
+ *
+ * The mapping preserves the PRE-#4186 branch ORDER's observable artifacts for
+ * every value the old substring chain recognized: `Planning complete` →
+ * `planning` (the `planning` branch outranked `complete`) and
+ * `Phase complete — ready for verification` → `verifying` (`verif` outranked
+ * `complete`; pinned by tests/state.test.cjs's advance-plan case-5 comment).
+ *
+ * Everything else — prose that merely CONTAINS a status word — falls through
+ * to the caller's raw value (the recorded lenient fallback, #3873 phase-3
+ * row 26). A token guessed from a substring inside a sentence is worse than
+ * a visible paragraph: the paragraph is visibly prose, the wrong token is
+ * not (a `.planning/` path in Italian prose silently produced
+ * `status: planning`; `verificata` produced `verifying`; `completezza`
+ * produced `completed`).
+ */
+export const STATUS_EXACT_TOKENS: Readonly<Record<string, string>> = Object.freeze({
+  paused: 'paused',
+  stopped: 'paused',
+  executing: 'executing',
+  'in progress': 'executing',
+  'ready to execute': 'executing',
+  planning: 'planning',
+  'ready to plan': 'planning',
+  'planning complete': 'planning',
+  discussing: 'discussing',
+  verifying: 'verifying',
+  completed: 'completed',
+  done: 'completed',
+  complete: 'completed',
+  'phase complete': 'completed',
+  // advance-plan's phase-complete write (state-transition.cts:1812) — maps
+  // to `verifying`, preserving the pre-#4186 branch order where `verif`
+  // outranked `complete`.
+  'phase complete — ready for verification': 'verifying',
+  'all phases complete': 'completed',
+  // Legacy bare terminal form. ADR-2207/#2204 removed it from every WRITER
+  // (phase verbs write `All phases complete`; milestone close writes
+  // `<version> milestone complete`) — kept here as READER recognition so a
+  // legacy STATE.md still normalizes, exactly the way KNOWN_TEMPLATE_DEFAULTS
+  // keeps the other legacy Status strings.
+  'milestone complete': 'completed',
+  unknown: 'unknown',
+} as const);
+
+/**
+ * #4186: ANCHORED patterns for handler-written raw statuses whose text
+ * carries a variable component (a phase number, a milestone version, a
+ * #1070 completion glyph). Each pattern is matched against the same
+ * normalized key as `STATUS_EXACT_TOKENS` (lowercased, trimmed,
+ * whitespace-collapsed) and must match the WHOLE value — never a substring —
+ * mirroring how `KNOWN_STATUS_PATTERNS` anchors its template-default checks.
+ * `Executing Phase 5 — final stretch` (executor-appended prose) matches
+ * NOTHING and passes through verbatim, the same discipline #1070 applies to
+ * "Complete but needs manual QA".
+ */
+export const STATUS_ANCHORED_PATTERNS: ReadonlyArray<readonly [RegExp, string]> = Object.freeze([
+  // begin-phase / planned transitions write `Executing Phase ${N}`.
+  [/^executing phase\s+\S+$/, 'executing'],
+  [/^planning phase\s+\S+$/, 'planning'],
+  [/^verifying phase\s+\S+$/, 'verifying'],
+  // phase-complete verbs write `Phase ${N} complete` (state.cts) — the exact
+  // shape the #3578 demote guard then re-checks against the disk counters.
+  [/^phase\s+\S+\s+complete$/, 'completed'],
+  // milestoneCompleteCore writes `${version} milestone complete` (terminal,
+  // ADR-2207); the version label is a single token (milestone.cts's charset
+  // validation admits letters, digits, '.', '-', '_').
+  [/^\S+\s+milestone complete$/, 'completed'],
+  // #1070: LLM executors may write "Complete ✓" or bare "Complete" when
+  // finishing a phase.
+  [/^complete\s*[✓✔✅☑]?$/, 'completed'],
+] as const);
+
+/**
+ * Normalize a raw `Status` body-field value to the canonical status token.
+ *
+ * #4186: recognition is ANCHORED — the whole field value (lowercased,
+ * trimmed, whitespace-collapsed) must be a member of the declared vocabulary
+ * (`STATUS_EXACT_TOKENS` / `STATUS_ANCHORED_PATTERNS` above). The pre-#4186
+ * implementation ran a first-match-wins chain of SUBSTRING tests over the
+ * free-prose field, so any prose merely CONTAINING a trigger word was
+ * silently rewritten to a credible wrong token: a `.planning/...` path
+ * mentioned in a non-English status line landed on `planning` (the trigger
+ * word lives in the directory name and outranked the `verif`/`complete`
+ * branches), Italian `verifica*` landed on `verifying`, `completezza` and
+ * `fasi complete` landed on `completed`. The lenient FALLBACK is unchanged
+ * and recorded (#3873 phase-3 row 26): an unrecognized value passes through
+ * verbatim — visible prose, never a guessed token.
+ *
+ * `pausedAt` keeps its documented force (issue #4186: intended behavior): a
+ * truthy value yields `paused` regardless of the prose.
+ */
 export function normalizeStateStatus(status: string | null | undefined, pausedAt: unknown): string {
-  let normalizedStatus = status || 'unknown';
-  const statusLower = (status || '').toLowerCase();
-  if (statusLower.includes('paused') || statusLower.includes('stopped') || pausedAt) {
-    normalizedStatus = 'paused';
+  if (pausedAt) return 'paused';
+  if (!status) return 'unknown';
+  const key = status.trim().toLowerCase().replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
+  const exact = STATUS_EXACT_TOKENS[key];
+  if (exact) return exact;
+  for (const [pattern, token] of STATUS_ANCHORED_PATTERNS) {
+    if (pattern.test(key)) return token;
   }
-  else if (statusLower.includes('executing') || statusLower.includes('in progress')) {
-    normalizedStatus = 'executing';
-  }
-  else if (statusLower.includes('planning') || statusLower.includes('ready to plan')) {
-    normalizedStatus = 'planning';
-  }
-  else if (statusLower.includes('discussing')) {
-    normalizedStatus = 'discussing';
-  }
-  else if (statusLower.includes('verif')) {
-    normalizedStatus = 'verifying';
-  }
-  else if (statusLower.includes('complete') || statusLower.includes('done')) {
-    normalizedStatus = 'completed';
-  }
-  else if (statusLower.includes('ready to execute')) {
-    normalizedStatus = 'executing';
-  }
-  return normalizedStatus;
+  return status;
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/state-md-schema.cts b/src/state-md-schema.cts
index 3ea1306a0..ea31d61a7 100644
--- a/src/state-md-schema.cts
+++ b/src/state-md-schema.cts
@@ -67,24 +67,31 @@ export type FieldMergeStrategy = 'progress-ratchet';
 /**
  * The seven CANONICAL values `normalizeStateStatus` (`src/state-document.cts`)
  * maps recognized raw status prose TO — the function's default fallback plus
- * each branch's literal output, in the order the function tests them. This is
- * NOT the raw body prose vocabulary `CONTEXT.md`'s "STATE.md Status Lifecycle
- * (ADR-2207)" entry documents (`Ready to plan` → `All phases complete` →
- * `<version> milestone complete` → `Awaiting next milestone`, plus the
- * handler-authored strings in `KNOWN_TEMPLATE_DEFAULTS['Status']`) — that is
- * free-form prose `normalizeStateStatus` READS.
+ * each vocabulary entry's literal output. This is NOT the raw body prose
+ * vocabulary `CONTEXT.md`'s "STATE.md Status Lifecycle (ADR-2207)" entry
+ * documents (`Ready to plan` → `All phases complete` → `<version> milestone
+ * complete` → `Awaiting next milestone`, plus the handler-authored strings
+ * in `KNOWN_TEMPLATE_DEFAULTS['Status']`) — that is free-form prose
+ * `normalizeStateStatus` READS.
  *
  * CORRECTED (#3873 phase-3 test-matrix row 26 — verified by executing
  * `normalizeStateStatus`, not by reading this docstring's prior claim):
  * this is NOT a closed set the `status` frontmatter key is restricted to at
- * runtime. `normalizeStateStatus` is deliberately LENIENT: its fallback is
- * `normalizedStatus = status || 'unknown'`, and when none of its
- * substring-match branches recognize the raw input, that fallback — the
- * caller's raw, UNRECOGNIZED prose — is returned unchanged. A status value
- * outside this seven-member set is not rejected, coerced, or normalized; it
- * passes straight through into the frontmatter. `STATUS_LIFECYCLE_ENUM` is
- * therefore the set of values the normalizer maps recognized input ONTO, not
- * a runtime-enforced closed vocabulary for the field.
+ * runtime. `normalizeStateStatus` is deliberately LENIENT: its fallback
+ * returns the caller's raw, UNRECOGNIZED prose unchanged — when none of its
+ * vocabulary entries recognize the whole-field input, that raw value is what
+ * the function returns. A status value outside this seven-member set is not
+ * rejected, coerced, or normalized; it passes straight through into the
+ * frontmatter. `STATUS_LIFECYCLE_ENUM` is therefore the set of values the
+ * normalizer maps recognized input ONTO, not a runtime-enforced closed
+ * vocabulary for the field.
+ *
+ * #4186: recognition is ANCHORED (whole-field match against the declared
+ * `STATUS_EXACT_TOKENS` / `STATUS_ANCHORED_PATTERNS` tables in
+ * `src/state-document.cts`), never a substring scan of the prose — prose
+ * merely CONTAINING a status word (a `.planning/` path, `verifica*`,
+ * `completezza`) passes through verbatim instead of being rewritten to a
+ * credible wrong token.
  */
 export const STATUS_LIFECYCLE_ENUM = Object.freeze([
   'unknown',
diff --git a/src/state.cts b/src/state.cts
index e55f8105a..9f91423f6 100644
--- a/src/state.cts
+++ b/src/state.cts
@@ -1921,6 +1921,18 @@ function cmdStateResolveBlocker(cwd: string, text: string, raw: boolean): void {
 }
 
 function cmdStateRecordSession(cwd: string, options: StateRecordSessionOptions, raw: boolean): void {
+  // #4186: a bare invocation is a usage error, not a heartbeat write. The
+  // pre-#4186 handler accepted zero arguments and still refreshed
+  // `Last session` / `Last Date` / `last_updated` — a caller probing the
+  // command's signature (the way other subcommands encourage) silently
+  // mutated STATE.md. Mirrors `state update`'s required-arg guard
+  // (cmdStateUpdate: `error('field and value required for state update')`),
+  // including its ordering: validation precedes the STATE.md existence
+  // check. Either flag suffices — `--resume-file` alone carries an explicit
+  // value the handler must persist.
+  if (!options.stopped_at && (options.resume_file === undefined || options.resume_file === null)) {
+    error('stopped-at or resume-file required for state record-session');
+  }
   const statePath = planningPaths(cwd).state;
   if (!fs.existsSync(statePath)) { output({ error: 'STATE.md not found' }, raw, undefined); return; }
 
@@ -3147,19 +3159,19 @@ function buildStateFrontmatter(
   }
 
   let normalizedStatus = normalizeStateStatus(status, pausedAt);
-  // #3578: normalizeStateStatus matches 'complete' as a case-insensitive
-  // SUBSTRING, so the phase-completion prose cmdStateCompletePhase writes to
-  // the body (`Phase ${N} complete`) collapses to the milestone-level
-  // 'completed' status even when other phases remain open. Phase-level
-  // prose must never decide milestone-level status — completedPhases /
-  // totalPhases / diskScope, already derived above from a disk scan, are
-  // the authority on whether the MILESTONE is actually done. Only override
-  // when: (a) normalizeStateStatus actually landed on 'completed'; (b) the
-  // raw prose is UNAMBIGUOUSLY phase-completion prose — the anchored
-  // pattern below deliberately excludes "All phases complete" (no `\S+`
-  // phase token) and milestone-close prose like "v1.0 milestone complete"
-  // (no leading "phase"); and (c) the counters are trustworthy (a COMPLETE
-  // disk scope, both counts are finite numbers, and a positive
+  // #3578: the declared status vocabulary (#4186) recognizes
+  // `Phase ${N} complete` (state.cts's own phase-completion write) and maps
+  // it to `completed`, so the phase-completion prose still collapses to the
+  // milestone-level status even when other phases remain open — this guard
+  // demotes it back. Phase-level prose must never decide milestone-level
+  // status — completedPhases / totalPhases / diskScope, already derived above
+  // from a disk scan, are the authority on whether the MILESTONE is actually
+  // done. Only override when: (a) normalizeStateStatus actually landed on
+  // 'completed'; (b) the raw prose is UNAMBIGUOUSLY phase-completion prose —
+  // the anchored pattern below deliberately excludes "All phases complete"
+  // (no `\S+` phase token) and milestone-close prose like "v1.0 milestone
+  // complete" (no leading "phase"); and (c) the counters are trustworthy (a
+  // COMPLETE disk scope, both counts are finite numbers, and a positive
   // denominator) and affirmatively disagree with 'completed'. In every
   // other case normalizedStatus is left exactly as normalizeStateStatus
   // returned it.
diff --git a/tests/gsd-statusline.test.cjs b/tests/gsd-statusline.test.cjs
index 782f5c879..91c5011a9 100644
--- a/tests/gsd-statusline.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/gsd-statusline.test.cjs
@@ -1741,16 +1741,30 @@ test('config-set statusline.show_context_tokens yes → rejected', () => {
       assert.equal(shortGsdStatus(''), null);
       assert.equal(shortGsdStatus(undefined), null);
     });
-    test('paused — the canonical stuck state — wins and renders uppercase (#2162 condition)', () => {
-      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('paused — waiting on credentials'), 'PAUSED');
-      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('stopped by user'), 'PAUSED');
+    test('paused — the canonical stuck state — renders uppercase (#2162 condition)', () => {
+      // The #2162 shout applies to the canonical token, which is what the
+      // state writer persists (#4186 anchored vocabulary).
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('paused'), 'PAUSED');
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Paused'), 'PAUSED');
+      // #4186: narrative prose is no longer keyword-guessed — a paused-led
+      // narrative renders its first word (visible, never a silent wrong
+      // token), so the shout is reserved for the recognized token itself.
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('paused — waiting on credentials'), 'paused');
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('stopped by user'), 'stopped');
     });
-    test('collapses lifecycle narratives to canonical keywords via normalizeStateStatus', () => {
-      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Executing phase 7 of the parser milestone'), 'executing');
-      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Ready to plan next phase'), 'planning');
-      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Discussing scope with user'), 'discussing');
-      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Verifying UAT criteria'), 'verifying');
-      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Work complete'), 'completed');
+    test('collapses vocabulary values to canonical keywords via normalizeStateStatus (#4186 anchored)', () => {
+      // #4186: normalizeStateStatus recognizes the DECLARED vocabulary
+      // (whole-field match), so exactly those values collapse to keywords.
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Executing Phase 7'), 'executing');
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('ready to plan'), 'planning');
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Discussing'), 'discussing');
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Verifying Phase 2'), 'verifying');
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Work complete'), 'Work');
+      // Narrative prose — vocabulary words embedded in longer sentences — is
+      // no longer guessed at (a `.planning/` mention in non-English prose
+      // used to render `planning`); it falls back to the first word.
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Executing phase 7 of the parser milestone'), 'Executing');
+      assert.equal(shortGsdStatus('Ready to plan next phase'), 'Ready');
     });
     test('matches the canonical vocabulary exactly — no drift from normalizeStateStatus', () => {
       const { normalizeStateStatus } = require('../gsd-core/bin/lib/state-document.cjs');
@@ -1777,9 +1791,15 @@ test('config-set statusline.show_context_tokens yes → rejected', () => {
     test('renders version · phase/total · status', () => {
       const out = formatGsdStateCompact({
         milestone: 'v1.12', phaseNum: '7', phaseTotal: '12',
-        status: 'Executing phase 7 — building the parser',
+        status: 'Executing Phase 7',
       });
       assert.equal(out, 'v1.12 · P7/12 · executing');
+      // #4186: narrative status is not keyword-guessed — first word renders.
+      const narrative = formatGsdStateCompact({
+        milestone: 'v1.12', phaseNum: '7', phaseTotal: '12',
+        status: 'Executing phase 7 — building the parser',
+      });
+      assert.equal(narrative, 'v1.12 · P7/12 · Executing');
     });
     test('prefers lifecycle active_phase over body phase number', () => {
       const out = formatGsdStateCompact({
@@ -1789,7 +1809,7 @@ test('config-set statusline.show_context_tokens yes → rejected', () => {
     });
     test('paused state renders uppercase in the compact line', () => {
       const out = formatGsdStateCompact({
-        milestone: 'v2.0', activePhase: '4.5', status: 'paused — waiting on review',
+        milestone: 'v2.0', activePhase: '4.5', status: 'paused',
       });
       assert.equal(out, 'v2.0 · P4.5 · PAUSED');
     });
diff --git a/tests/state-document.test.cjs b/tests/state-document.test.cjs
index 01569eefd..4a4ada130 100644
--- a/tests/state-document.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/state-document.test.cjs
@@ -2236,3 +2236,147 @@ describe('#3642 — single-section leak controls and seam pins', () => {
     assert.strictEqual(roadmapParser.hasMilestoneSectioning(two), true, '>=2 predicate unchanged: two headings is sectioning');
   });
 });
+
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// #4186 — normalizeStateStatus must derive the `status` token by ANCHORED
+// matching against the declared status vocabulary (whole-field value,
+// case-insensitive, whitespace-collapsed), never by substring-scanning the
+// free-prose body Status field. Prose that merely MENTIONS a status word (a
+// `.planning/` path, Italian `verifica*`, `completezza`, `fasi complete`)
+// must pass through verbatim — the visible paragraph beats a valid, credible,
+// wrong token. The lenient fallback itself is a recorded contract
+// (state-md-schema.cts #3873 phase-3 row 26) and is preserved.
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('#4186: normalizeStateStatus anchored status vocabulary — substring traps', () => {
+  const { normalizeStateStatus } = require('../gsd-core/bin/lib/state-document.cjs');
+
+  // Row 1 — the failing-first regression: a `.planning/` path inside Italian
+  // prose must NOT land on `planning` (the trigger word lives in the
+  // DIRECTORY NAME; the reporter measured this exact counter-pair).
+  test('row 1: a .planning/ path inside prose never yields `planning`', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      normalizeStateStatus('Lavoro sospeso, vedi .planning/STATE.md', null),
+      'Lavoro sospeso, vedi .planning/STATE.md',
+    );
+  });
+
+  test('rows 2-5: Italian prose mentioning paths/verification/completeness passes through verbatim', () => {
+    const prose = [
+      'Esecuzione in corso su .planning/',
+      'Fase 34 COMPLETA, VERIFICATA 8/8 e FUSA IN PRODUZIONE',
+      'Aggiornato .planning/STATE.md dopo la verifica di fase',
+      'Referto in .planning/phases/34, completezza ok',
+    ];
+    for (const p of prose) {
+      assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus(p, null), p, `prose must pass through verbatim: ${p}`);
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('row 6: Italian verifica-family words do not match the `verif` trigger', () => {
+    for (const p of ['verifica', 'verificata', 'verifiche', 'ri-verifica']) {
+      assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus(p, null), p);
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('rows 7-8: `completezza` and `fasi complete` do not yield `completed`', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('riportata per completezza', null), 'riportata per completezza');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('fasi complete', null), 'fasi complete');
+  });
+
+  test('rows 9-10: control — prose with no trigger words was already verbatim and stays so', () => {
+    const control = [
+      'completata / completato / completo / completa / incompleta / completamente',
+      'Lavoro sospeso in attesa del CEO',
+    ];
+    for (const p of control) {
+      assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus(p, null), p);
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('row 11: English status words embedded in prose sentences are not rewrites either', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Waiting on the planning department', null), 'Waiting on the planning department');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Notes done, see log', null), 'Notes done, see log');
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      normalizeStateStatus('Discussed the verif steps with QA, paused decision', null),
+      'Discussed the verif steps with QA, paused decision',
+    );
+  });
+
+  test('row 12 (existing #3873 row-26 contract): unrecognized text passes through unchanged', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      normalizeStateStatus('totally-unrecognized-status-text', null),
+      'totally-unrecognized-status-text',
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+describe('#4186: normalizeStateStatus anchored status vocabulary — documented vocabulary still normalizes', () => {
+  const { normalizeStateStatus } = require('../gsd-core/bin/lib/state-document.cjs');
+
+  test('rows 13-15: variable handler-written phase statuses (case/whitespace variants)', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Executing Phase 5', null), 'executing');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('EXECUTING PHASE 5', null), 'executing');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('executing phase 46', null), 'executing');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Planning Phase 3', null), 'planning');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Verifying Phase 2', null), 'verifying');
+  });
+
+  test('row 16: `Phase N complete` still lands on `completed` (composes with the #3578 demote guard)', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Phase 12 complete', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Phase 3A complete', null), 'completed');
+  });
+
+  test('rows 17-18: ADR-2207 lifecycle terminal statuses (CONTEXT.md:94 recorded contract)', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('All phases complete', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('ALL PHASES COMPLETE', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('v1.0 milestone complete', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('1.0 milestone complete', null), 'completed');
+  });
+
+  test('rows 19-25: fixed-form handler defaults, including case and whitespace variants', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Ready to plan', null), 'planning');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Ready to execute', null), 'executing');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('In progress', null), 'executing');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('In   progress', null), 'executing');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('  Paused  ', null), 'paused');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Paused', null), 'paused');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Stopped', null), 'paused');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('stopped', null), 'paused');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Discussing', null), 'discussing');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Verifying', null), 'verifying');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Completed', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Done', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('done', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Complete', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Complete ✓', null), 'completed');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Complete✔', null), 'completed');
+  });
+
+  test('rows 26-27: branch-order artifacts are preserved byte-for-behaviour', () => {
+    // `verif` outranks `complete` (pinned by tests/state.test.cjs's
+    // advance-plan case-5 comment); `planning` outranks `complete`.
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Phase complete — ready for verification', null), 'verifying');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Planning complete', null), 'planning');
+  });
+
+  test('rows 29-30: unknown fallback and the pausedAt force are unchanged', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus(null, null), 'unknown');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('', null), 'unknown');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Executing Phase 5', '2026-09-01'), 'paused');
+  });
+
+  test('row 31: statuses with no branch today stay verbatim', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Awaiting next milestone', null), 'Awaiting next milestone');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Defining requirements', null), 'Defining requirements');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Active', null), 'Active');
+  });
+
+  test('row 32: trailing prose after a vocabulary form is executor-authored and passes through', () => {
+    // Same discipline as #1070's KNOWN_STATUS_PATTERNS: "Complete but needs
+    // manual QA" is NOT a template default. The anchored vocabulary only
+    // recognizes the whole-field value.
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Executing Phase 5 — final stretch', null), 'Executing Phase 5 — final stretch');
+    assert.strictEqual(normalizeStateStatus('Complete but needs manual QA', null), 'Complete but needs manual QA');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/tests/state.test.cjs b/tests/state.test.cjs
index 64e7b2c3c..0e7daf716 100644
--- a/tests/state.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/state.test.cjs
@@ -788,10 +788,16 @@ stopped_at: Plan 2 of Phase 3
   });
 
   test('normalizes various status values', () => {
+    // #4186: recognition is an ANCHORED whole-field vocabulary match. The
+    // vocabulary's own values normalize to their token; prefix/suffix NARRATIVE
+    // prose ('Paused at Plan 3') passes through verbatim — a visible paragraph
+    // beats a guessed token — and the legacy bare `Milestone complete` stays
+    // recognized (reader-side legacy vocabulary, ADR-2207 removed the writers).
     const statusTests = [
       { input: 'In progress', expected: 'executing' },
       { input: 'Ready to execute', expected: 'executing' },
-      { input: 'Paused at Plan 3', expected: 'paused' },
+      { input: 'Paused', expected: 'paused' },
+      { input: 'Paused at Plan 3', expected: 'Paused at Plan 3' },
       { input: 'Ready to plan', expected: 'planning' },
       { input: 'Phase complete — ready for verification', expected: 'verifying' },
       { input: 'Milestone complete', expected: 'completed' },
@@ -1140,7 +1146,9 @@ current_phase: 3
 `
     );
 
-    runGsdTools('state update Status "Executing Plan 5"', tmpDir);
+    // #4186: use the handler vocabulary's real form (`Executing Phase N`,
+    // state-transition.cts:1216) — narrative variants are no longer guessed.
+    runGsdTools('state update Status "Executing Phase 5"', tmpDir);
 
     const result = runGsdTools('state json', tmpDir);
     assert.ok(result.success, `state json failed: ${result.error}`);
@@ -3262,22 +3270,39 @@ describe('cmdStateRecordSession (state record-session)', () => {
     assert.ok(updated.includes(PINNED_ISO), `Last session should be the pinned ISO timestamp ${PINNED_ISO}`);
   });
 
-  test('updates Last session timestamp even with no other options', () => {
+  // #4186: `state record-session` with NO arguments used to execute and write
+  // `Last session` / `last_updated` to STATE.md (this test previously pinned
+  // that bare-invocation write). It now follows the house pattern every other
+  // required-arg verb uses (`state update`: `error('field and value required
+  // for state update')`) — a bare invocation is a usage error, not a
+  // heartbeat write. Documented signature (docs/CLI-TOOLS.md):
+  // `state record-session --stopped-at "..." [--resume-file path]`.
+  test('#4186: no args errors instead of writing (STATE.md byte-unchanged)', () => {
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), sessionFixture);
+    const before = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), 'utf-8');
+
+    const result = runGsdTools('state record-session', tmpDir);
+
+    assert.ok(!result.success, 'bare record-session must exit non-zero');
+    assert.match(
+      result.error,
+      /stopped-at or resume-file required for state record-session/,
+      'stderr must name the required flags',
+    );
+    const after = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), 'utf-8');
+    assert.strictEqual(after, before, 'STATE.md must be byte-unchanged by a rejected bare call');
+  });
+
+  // #4186: validation precedes the STATE.md existence check (same ordering as
+  // cmdStateUpdate), and a lone --resume-file still carries an explicit value.
+  test('#4186: --resume-file alone is a valid explicit value and persists', () => {
     fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), sessionFixture);
 
-    const PINNED_MS = Date.parse('2020-08-01T08:30:00.000Z');
-    const PINNED_ISO = '2020-08-01T08:30:00.000Z';
-    const result = runGsdTools('state record-session', tmpDir, {
-      GSD_TEST_MODE: '1',
-      GSD_NOW_MS: String(PINNED_MS),
-    });
+    const result = runGsdTools('state record-session --resume-file ".continue-here.md"', tmpDir);
     assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
 
-    const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
-    assert.strictEqual(output.recorded, true, 'recorded should be true');
-
     const updated = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), 'utf-8');
-    assert.ok(updated.includes(PINNED_ISO), `Last session should contain the pinned ISO timestamp ${PINNED_ISO}`);
+    assert.ok(updated.includes('.continue-here.md'), 'Resume file should be updated');
   });
 
   test('sets Resume file to None when not specified', () => {
@@ -3295,7 +3320,9 @@ describe('cmdStateRecordSession (state record-session)', () => {
   });
 
   test('returns error when STATE.md missing', () => {
-    const result = runGsdTools('state record-session', tmpDir);
+    // #4186: supply a value so this test keeps exercising the STATE.md-missing
+    // decline rather than the (now earlier) no-args usage error.
+    const result = runGsdTools('state record-session --stopped-at "somewhere"', tmpDir);
     assert.ok(result.success, `Command should exit 0: ${result.error}`);
 
     const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
@@ -3303,18 +3330,20 @@ describe('cmdStateRecordSession (state record-session)', () => {
     assert.ok(output.error.includes('STATE.md'), 'error should mention STATE.md');
   });
 
-  test('returns recorded false when no session fields found', () => {
+  // #4186: a STATE.md with no session labels is no longer reachable bare
+  // (the no-args usage error fires first, before the existence check even) —
+  // the bare-call contract this test used to pin (recorded:false decline) is
+  // now the error contract pinned above; this variant proves the validation
+  // fires regardless of the body's shape.
+  test('#4186: no args errors even against a STATE.md with no session fields', () => {
     fs.writeFileSync(
       path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'),
       '# Project State\n\n**Status:** Active\n**Phase:** 03\n'
     );
 
     const result = runGsdTools('state record-session', tmpDir);
-    assert.ok(result.success, `Command should exit 0: ${result.error}`);
-
-    const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
-    assert.strictEqual(output.recorded, false, 'recorded should be false when no session fields found');
-    assert.ok(output.reason !== undefined, 'should have a reason');
+    assert.ok(!result.success, 'bare record-session must exit non-zero');
+    assert.match(result.error, /stopped-at or resume-file required for state record-session/);
   });
 
   // #3374 Variant B: stateReplaceField returns the replaced string on any label
@@ -3398,6 +3427,175 @@ describe('cmdStateRecordSession (state record-session)', () => {
   });
 });
 
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// #4186 — the write path must not derive the frontmatter `status` token from
+// SUBSTRINGS of the free-prose body Status field. Every STATE.md write funnels
+// through readModifyWriteStateMd → syncStateFrontmatter →
+// buildStateFrontmatter → normalizeStateStatus, so exercising `state update`
+// here covers the shared seam for all write paths.
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('#4186: state update does not rewrite status from prose substrings', () => {
+  let tmpDir;
+
+  function writeStateMd(statusValue) {
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), [
+      '---',
+      "gsd_state_version: '1.0'",
+      'status: unknown',
+      '---',
+      '',
+      '# Project State',
+      '',
+      '## Current Position',
+      '',
+      'Phase: 1 of 2 (Fondamenta)',
+      'Status: ' + statusValue,
+      'Last activity: 2026-09-02 — aggiornato lo stato',
+      '',
+    ].join('\n') + '\n');
+  }
+
+  function frontmatterStatus() {
+    const text = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), 'utf-8');
+    const fm = text.split('---')[1] || '';
+    const m = fm.match(/^status:(.*)$/m);
+    assert.ok(m, 'frontmatter must still carry a status key');
+    return m[1].trim().replace(/^['"]|['"]$/g, '');
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    tmpDir = createFixture();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup(tmpDir);
+  });
+
+  test('row 33: Italian prose mentioning .planning/ keeps the visible prose token', () => {
+    writeStateMd('Lavoro sospeso, vedi .planning/STATE.md');
+    const r = runGsdTools(['state', 'update', 'Last activity', '2026-09-03 — verifica del defect'], tmpDir);
+    assert.ok(r.success, `state update failed: ${r.error}`);
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      frontmatterStatus(),
+      'Lavoro sospeso, vedi .planning/STATE.md',
+      'prose containing a .planning/ path must pass through verbatim, not become `planning`',
+    );
+  });
+
+  test('row 34: a recognized handler status still lands its canonical token', () => {
+    writeStateMd('Executing Phase 5');
+    const r = runGsdTools(['state', 'update', 'Last activity', '2026-09-03 — executing'], tmpDir);
+    assert.ok(r.success, `state update failed: ${r.error}`);
+    assert.strictEqual(frontmatterStatus(), 'executing');
+  });
+});
+
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// #4186 — progress recount pin (#1988, PR #2016): a *-SUMMARY.md without a
+// plan twin must not inflate progress.completed_plans on any recount trigger
+// (the issue measured `34-TRIAGE-SUMMARY.md` → completed_plans 62 → 63 on
+// GSD 1.5.0; the pairing fix landed after). These rows pin the correct
+// behavior so it cannot regress, composed with the #4129/#4359 ratchet.
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('#4186: progress recount ignores stray summaries (pin of #1988)', () => {
+  let tmpDir;
+
+  function seedStrayFixture() {
+    const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '34-triage');
+    fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+    for (const n of ['01', '02', '03']) fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, `34-${n}-PLAN.md`), '# plan\n');
+    // Two PAIRED summaries + one stray with no plan twin.
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '34-01-SUMMARY.md'), '# summary\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '34-02-SUMMARY.md'), '# summary\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '34-TRIAGE-SUMMARY.md'), '# stray\n');
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), [
+      '---',
+      "gsd_state_version: '1.0'",
+      'status: executing',
+      'progress:',
+      '  total_phases: 1',
+      '  completed_phases: 0',
+      '  total_plans: 3',
+      '  completed_plans: 0',
+      '  percent: 0',
+      '---',
+      '',
+      '# Project State',
+      '',
+      '## Current Position',
+      '',
+      'Phase: 34 of 34 (Triage)',
+      'Plan: 3 of 3 in current phase',
+      'Status: Executing Phase 34',
+      'Last activity: 2026-09-02 — executing',
+      '',
+      'Progress: [..........] 0%',
+      'Total Plans in Phase: 3',
+      '',
+    ].join('\n') + '\n');
+  }
+
+  function completedPlans() {
+    const text = fs.readFileSync(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), 'utf-8');
+    // Bounded scan (#2128 class): the progress block sits within a few hundred
+    // bytes of its opening key in every fixture this suite writes.
+    const m = text.match(/^progress:[\s\S]{0,400}?completed_plans:\s*(\d+)/m);
+    assert.ok(m, 'progress.completed_plans must be present after a recount write');
+    return Number(m[1]);
+  }
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    tmpDir = createFixture();
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    cleanup(tmpDir);
+  });
+
+  test('row 36: update on the Progress field recounts paired summaries only', () => {
+    seedStrayFixture();
+    const r = runGsdTools(['state', 'update', 'Progress', '[..........] 0%'], tmpDir);
+    assert.ok(r.success, `state update failed: ${r.error}`);
+    assert.strictEqual(completedPlans(), 2,
+      'the stray 34-TRIAGE-SUMMARY.md (no plan twin) must not inflate completed_plans');
+  });
+
+  test('row 37: record-session (the issue trigger) recounts paired summaries only', () => {
+    seedStrayFixture();
+    const r = runGsdTools(['state', 'record-session', '--stopped-at', 'after plan 34-02'], tmpDir);
+    assert.ok(r.success, `record-session failed: ${r.error}`);
+    assert.strictEqual(completedPlans(), 2,
+      'record-session must derive completed_plans from plan-paired summaries, not raw *-SUMMARY.md counts');
+  });
+
+  test('row 38: scanPhasePlans keeps listing the stray file but does not count it', () => {
+    seedStrayFixture();
+    const scanPhasePlans = require('../gsd-core/bin/lib/plan-scan.cjs');
+    const scan = scanPhasePlans(path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '34-triage'));
+    assert.strictEqual(scan.planCount, 3);
+    assert.strictEqual(scan.summaryCount, 2, 'paired summaries only');
+    assert.ok(scan.summaryFiles.includes('34-TRIAGE-SUMMARY.md'),
+      'the stray file stays visible in summaryFiles for callers that list summaries');
+  });
+
+  test('row 39: ratchet still preserves an existing higher completed_plans (#4129/#4359 semantics)', () => {
+    seedStrayFixture();
+    // Poison the frontmatter with a value ABOVE the derived paired count (2).
+    // `state update Progress` EXPLICITLY names a progress field, which by
+    // design (#3242 / ADR-3473 §8.6 early-out) makes the fresh derivation
+    // authoritative — so the ratchet row must use an INCIDENTAL resync write
+    // (record-session) instead: the curated higher counter survives there.
+    const statePath = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md');
+    fs.writeFileSync(statePath, fs.readFileSync(statePath, 'utf-8').replace('completed_plans: 0', 'completed_plans: 9'));
+    const r = runGsdTools(['state', 'record-session', '--stopped-at', 'after plan 34-02'], tmpDir);
+    assert.ok(r.success, `record-session failed: ${r.error}`);
+    assert.strictEqual(completedPlans(), 9,
+      'the progress ratchet (monotonic completed counts on incidental resyncs) is unchanged by #4186');
+  });
+});
+
 // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 // Milestone-scoped phase counting in frontmatter
 // ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -10052,17 +10250,19 @@ describe('T6 section-splice characterization — record-session', () => {
     '',
   ].join('\n');
 
-  test('record-session no-op: no session fields → recorded:false, STATE.md byte-unchanged', () => {
+  test('record-session no-op: bare call rejected, STATE.md byte-unchanged (#4186)', () => {
+    // #4186: the bare call that used to reach the recorded:false decline is
+    // now a usage error (stopped-at or resume-file required). The byte-
+    // unchanged assertion below keeps guarding the #952 no-op posture — a
+    // rejected call must not trample anything, milestone_name included.
     const d = createTempProject();
     try {
       fs.writeFileSync(path.join(d, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), STATE_NO_SESSION_LABELS);
       const result = runGsdTools(['state', 'record-session'], d);
-      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
-      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
-      assert.strictEqual(output.recorded, false, 'recorded must be false when no session fields exist');
-      // milestone_name must NOT be trampled (#952 no-op guard)
+      assert.ok(!result.success, 'bare record-session must exit non-zero');
+      assert.match(result.error, /stopped-at or resume-file required for state record-session/);
       const after = fs.readFileSync(path.join(d, '.planning', 'STATE.md'), 'utf-8');
-      assert.strictEqual(after, STATE_NO_SESSION_LABELS, 'STATE.md must be byte-unchanged on no-op');
+      assert.strictEqual(after, STATE_NO_SESSION_LABELS, 'STATE.md must be byte-unchanged by the rejected call');
     } finally {
       cleanup(d);
     }
@@ -13964,19 +14164,21 @@ describe('#944: record-session persists values even when body lacks session labe
       '--resume-file value must be present in STATE.md');
   });
 
-  test('record-session with no args against a body-less file returns recorded:false (no regression)', () => {
-    // When NO values are supplied and no session fields can be found/updated,
-    // recorded:false is the correct behaviour — we only changed the contract
-    // when the caller supplies values.
+  test('record-session with no args against a body-less file errors (#4186 usage contract)', () => {
+    // #4186 superseded the bare-call contract this test used to pin
+    // (recorded:false decline): a no-values invocation is now a usage error
+    // for every STATE.md shape, handler-side, before any read. The
+    // value-supplied decline paths keep their own dedicated tests above
+    // (#3374 Variant B, #3957).
     const statePath = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'STATE.md');
     fs.writeFileSync(statePath, buildStateMdWithoutSessionSection());
+    const before = fs.readFileSync(statePath, 'utf-8');
 
     const result = runGsdTools('state record-session', tmpDir);
-    assert.ok(result.success, `should exit 0: ${result.error}`);
-
-    const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
-    assert.strictEqual(output.recorded, false,
-      'recorded should still be false when no session fields exist AND no values were supplied');
+    assert.ok(!result.success, 'should exit non-zero: usage error');
+    assert.match(result.error, /stopped-at or resume-file required for state record-session/);
+    assert.strictEqual(fs.readFileSync(statePath, 'utf-8'), before,
+      'a rejected bare call must not touch the file');
   });
 
   test('canonical session section still updates in place (no regression)', () => {
@@ -20203,21 +20405,26 @@ describe('#3957 (epic #3473 B9): no-op decline reports the real condition', () =
       if (tmpDir) cleanup(tmpDir);
     });
 
-    // Row 8
-    test('record-session: nothing to update reports no-fields-found', () => {
+    // Row 8 — #4186 repurposed: the empty-options call that used to reach
+    // the no-fields-found decline is now a usage error (handler-side guard,
+    // same contract as cmdStateUpdate). The decline itself remains covered
+    // for value-supplied calls by the matched-but-unchanged row below; what
+    // this row now pins is that the SDK-level contract matches the CLI's and
+    // that a rejected call never touches the file.
+    test('record-session: no values supplied is a usage error, STATE.md unchanged (#4186)', () => {
       tmpDir = createFixture();
       const statePath = writeState(tmpDir, '# Project State\n\n## Decisions\n\n- none yet\n');
       const before = fs.readFileSync(statePath, 'utf-8');
 
-      const { stdout, stderr } = captureCliIO(() => {
-        stateLib.cmdStateRecordSession(tmpDir, {}, false);
-      });
-
-      const out = JSON.parse(stdout);
-      assert.strictEqual(out.recorded, false);
-      assert.strictEqual(out.reason, 'no session fields found in STATE.md to update');
+      // error() writes the user-facing message to stderr and throws a bare
+      // ExitError (v1: message 'process exit <code>' — the message itself is
+      // NOT on the exception; asserted via the CLI-level tests above).
+      assert.throws(
+        () => stateLib.cmdStateRecordSession(tmpDir, {}, false),
+        (err) => err && err.name === 'ExitError' && err.code === 1,
+        'empty options must be rejected before any read or write',
+      );
       assert.strictEqual(fs.readFileSync(statePath, 'utf-8'), before, 'STATE.md must be unchanged');
-      assert.match(stderr, /^\[gsd-tools\] WARNING: state record-session skipped — no session fields found in STATE\.md to update\./);
     });
 
     // Row 9 (hardest — signature B, collapsed reconciliation). A frozen clock