diff --git a/.changeset/quick-elks-climb.md b/.changeset/quick-elks-climb.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d1c83556f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/quick-elks-climb.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+type: Fixed
+pr: 2317
+---
+**`audit-uat` no longer reports a false-clean `total_items: 0` when real items exist** — the parsers ignored two artifact shapes: a `## Gaps` section recording open findings, and verification items declared in frontmatter (`human_verification:` array) or as `### N.`+bold-paragraph blocks. audit-uat now surfaces unresolved `## Gaps` entries and reads the frontmatter array / heading shape, so a phase with outstanding UAT/verification work is no longer waved through as clean. (#2286)
diff --git a/src/uat.cts b/src/uat.cts
index 9e271c2be..5d3b00ec8 100644
--- a/src/uat.cts
+++ b/src/uat.cts
@@ -365,14 +365,203 @@ function parseUatItems(content: string): UatItem[] {
       items.push(item);
     }
   }
+  items.push(...parseGapsItems(content));
   return items;
 }
 
+// ─── parseGapsItems ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+/**
+ * Extract unresolved entries from a UAT file's `## Gaps` section (#2286).
+ *
+ * `## Gaps` records open findings as a YAML-lite bullet list (see
+ * `templates/UAT.md`'s `## Gaps` block: `- truth: "..."` followed by indented
+ * continuation lines `status:` / `reason:` / `severity:` / `test:` / etc.,
+ * and — for `artifacts:` / `missing:` — a further-nested `- ` sub-list).
+ * `parseUatItems`'s `### N.` test-block regex never looks at this section at
+ * all, so a UAT file whose only outstanding findings live in `## Gaps` was
+ * silently invisible — the false-negative this fix addresses.
+ *
+ * Reuses the existing `collectSection` seam (already used elsewhere in this
+ * file for `## Current Test` / `## Tests`) to locate the section. Field
+ * extraction is deliberately NOT done via `iterateBullets`: that seam folds
+ * every continuation line onto ONE space-joined `text` string per bullet,
+ * which erases line boundaries — a `key:` scan against that flattened text
+ * matches the FIRST `key:`-shaped substring anywhere, including one that
+ * happens to appear inside an EARLIER field's own quoted free-text value
+ * (e.g. `truth: "The status: resolved workflow should trigger"` — a real
+ * `status: failed` on the next line would never be reached, silently
+ * DROPPING a genuinely open gap — the exact false-negative class #2286
+ * exists to fix, so the fix must not reintroduce it). `splitGapsEntries` /
+ * `extractGapEntryFields` below instead walk the section PER LINE and only
+ * recognise a field at the START of its own (trimmed) line, so a `key:`
+ * embedded inside another field's quoted value can never be mistaken for a
+ * field declaration.
+ *
+ * Every entry whose `status` is present and NOT `resolved` (case-insensitive)
+ * is surfaced — mirroring the "ignore passing/resolved" convention already
+ * used for `### N.` test blocks (`result: pass` is never surfaced) and the
+ * VERIFICATION table-row PASS/resolved skip (`hasPassResult`, below). An
+ * entry with NO parseable `status:` field is surfaced too, as `result:
+ * 'unknown'` — #2286 is a false-NEGATIVE bug, and a `## Gaps` entry only
+ * exists to record an outstanding finding (a template-conformant RESOLVED
+ * entry always carries an explicit `status: resolved`); a garbled or
+ * non-conformant entry is far more likely to be an unresolved finding whose
+ * `status:` line failed to parse than a genuinely resolved one, so the
+ * fail-safe direction is to surface it rather than silently drop it.
+ */
+function parseGapsItems(content: string): UatItem[] {
+  const gapsSection = collectSection(
+    content,
+    (h) => /^gaps$/i.test(h.text) && h.level === 2,
+    { levelBounded: true },
+  );
+  if (!gapsSection) return [];
+
+  const items: UatItem[] = [];
+
+  for (const entryLines of splitGapsEntries(gapsSection.body)) {
+    const fields = extractGapEntryFields(entryLines);
+    const rawStatus = fields.status;
+    if (rawStatus && rawStatus.toLowerCase() === 'resolved') continue;
+    // Fail-safe: missing/garbled status surfaces as 'unknown' rather than
+    // being dropped (see doc comment above).
+    const status = rawStatus || 'unknown';
+
+    const truth = fields.truth;
+    const reason = fields.reason;
+    const testNum = fields.test;
+
+    const item: UatItem = {
+      name: truth || rawGapEntryText(entryLines),
+      result: status,
+      category: categorizeItem(status, reason, undefined),
+    };
+    if (testNum && /^\d+$/.test(testNum)) item.test = parseInt(testNum, 10);
+    if (reason) item.reason = reason;
+    items.push(item);
+  }
+
+  return items;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Split a `## Gaps` section body into per-entry line groups on TOP-LEVEL
+ * `- ` bullet openers.
+ *
+ * The indentation of the FIRST bullet line encountered establishes the
+ * "top-level" indent for the whole section; any subsequent `- `-opening line
+ * at that same indent (or shallower) starts a NEW entry, while everything
+ * more deeply indented — field continuation lines (`  status: ...`) AND
+ * nested sub-lists (`    - src/foo.ts` under `  artifacts:`) — is folded into
+ * the CURRENT entry. This keeps a `artifacts:`/`missing:` sub-list's `- `
+ * items from being mis-split into spurious standalone entries (#2286 review
+ * LOW finding).
+ *
+ * Lines before the first bullet (e.g. the `<!-- YAML format ... -->` comment
+ * the template emits) are discarded. An empty/whitespace-only section body
+ * (heading present, no bullets) returns `[]`.
+ */
+function splitGapsEntries(sectionBody: string): string[][] {
+  const lines = sectionBody.split('\n');
+  const entries: string[][] = [];
+  let current: string[] | null = null;
+  let baseIndent: number | null = null;
+
+  for (const rawLine of lines) {
+    const line = rawLine.replace(/\r$/, '');
+    const bulletMatch = line.match(/^(\s*)-\s/);
+    if (bulletMatch) {
+      const indent = bulletMatch[1].length;
+      if (baseIndent === null) baseIndent = indent;
+      if (indent <= baseIndent) {
+        if (current) entries.push(current);
+        current = [line];
+        continue;
+      }
+    }
+    if (current) current.push(line);
+    // else: pre-first-bullet content (e.g. the template's HTML comment) — discarded.
+  }
+  if (current) entries.push(current);
+
+  return entries;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Extract `key: value` fields from one Gaps entry's lines, anchored to the
+ * START of each (bullet-marker-stripped, trimmed) line — never scanning the
+ * REST of a line, so a colon-bearing phrase inside a quoted `truth`/`reason`
+ * value is never misread as a field declaration (see `parseGapsItems`'s doc
+ * comment for the false-negative this specifically guards against).
+ *
+ * Recognises a double-quoted value (`truth: "..."`, stripped of its wrapping
+ * quotes — the value may itself contain any character, including `:`) or a
+ * bare value (`status: open`, `test: 2`, `artifacts: []`) taken verbatim.
+ * The FIRST occurrence of a given key wins (top-level fields always precede
+ * any nested sub-list content in the template's field ordering); later
+ * `key:`-shaped nested-list content is captured, if it parses as one, but
+ * never overrides an already-seen top-level field.
+ */
+function extractGapEntryFields(entryLines: string[]): Record<string, string> {
+  const fields: Record<string, string> = {};
+  const fieldLineRe = /^([A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_-]*):\s*(.*)$/;
+
+  entryLines.forEach((rawLine, idx) => {
+    const line = rawLine.replace(/\r$/, '');
+    // Strip ONLY the entry-opening bullet marker (idx 0); a bullet marker on
+    // a later line belongs to a nested sub-list and is handled by
+    // `splitGapsEntries` already folding it in — it is not itself a field
+    // line unless it independently matches `key: value` after stripping.
+    const bulletStripped = line.match(/^(\s*)-\s+(.*)$/);
+    const content = idx === 0 && bulletStripped ? bulletStripped[2] : line.trim();
+
+    const m = fieldLineRe.exec(content);
+    if (!m) return;
+    const key = m[1];
+    let value = m[2].trim();
+    if (value.startsWith('"') && value.endsWith('"') && value.length >= 2) {
+      value = value.slice(1, -1);
+    }
+    if (!(key in fields)) fields[key] = value;
+  });
+
+  return fields;
+}
+
+/** Fallback display text for a Gaps entry with no parseable `truth:` field. */
+function rawGapEntryText(entryLines: string[]): string {
+  return entryLines
+    .map((l, i) => (i === 0 ? l.replace(/^(\s*)-\s+/, '') : l.trim()))
+    .join(' ')
+    .trim();
+}
+
 // ─── parseVerificationItems ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 function parseVerificationItems(content: string, status: string): UatItem[] {
   const items: UatItem[] = [];
   if (status === 'human_needed') {
+    // #2286: the frontmatter's structured `human_verification:` YAML array
+    // (extractFrontmatter) is the PRIMARY source of truth when present and
+    // non-empty — it fully bypasses the body-shape scan below, so a file
+    // whose frontmatter declares the array doesn't require any particular
+    // `## Human Verification` body shape at all. An absent or empty array
+    // (length 0) falls back to the body scan unchanged.
+    const frontmatter = extractFrontmatter(content);
+    const humanVerification = frontmatter.human_verification;
+    if (Array.isArray(humanVerification) && humanVerification.length > 0) {
+      humanVerification.forEach((entry, idx) => {
+        items.push({
+          test: idx + 1,
+          name: normalizeHumanVerificationEntry(entry),
+          result: 'human_needed',
+          category: 'human_uat',
+        });
+      });
+      return items;
+    }
+
     // Use the seam to locate the ## Human Verification section (ADR-1372 T5).
     const hvSection = collectSection(
       content,
@@ -459,12 +648,75 @@ function parseVerificationItems(content: string, status: string): UatItem[] {
           });
         }
       }
+
+      // #2286: fall back to the `### N. <label>` heading + bold-led paragraph
+      // shape (the canonical form emitted by `templates/verification-report.md`
+      // — `### 1. {Test Name}` followed by `**Test:** ... **Expected:** ...
+      // **Why human:** ...`), which the table/bullet/numbered per-line scan
+      // above never recognises (a `###`-prefixed line matches none of those
+      // three patterns). Uses the same `tokenizeHeadings` seam
+      // `parseFirstPendingTest` already uses for `### N.` sub-headings,
+      // applied here to the Human Verification section body. Runs in
+      // addition to (a union with) the scan above — the two shapes don't
+      // collide, so this only adds items a `###` heading page would have
+      // silently produced zero for.
+      const hvSubHeadings = tokenizeHeadings(hvSection.body).filter(
+        (h) => h.level === 3 && /^\d+\.\s+/.test(h.text),
+      );
+      for (let i = 0; i < hvSubHeadings.length; i += 1) {
+        const current = hvSubHeadings[i];
+        const next = hvSubHeadings[i + 1];
+        const block = next
+          ? hvSection.body.slice(current.offset, next.offset)
+          : hvSection.body.slice(current.offset);
+        const bodyAfterHeading = block.slice(block.indexOf('\n') + 1);
+        // Require a bold-led paragraph body (`**Test:** ...`) to distinguish
+        // a genuine verification item from an unrelated numbered heading.
+        if (!/^\s*\*\*/.test(bodyAfterHeading)) continue;
+
+        const headingParts = current.text.match(/^(\d+)\.\s+(.+)$/);
+        if (!headingParts) continue;
+        items.push({
+          test: parseInt(headingParts[1], 10),
+          name: headingParts[2].trim(),
+          result: 'human_needed',
+          category: 'human_uat',
+        });
+      }
     }
   }
   // gaps_found items are already handled by plan-phase --gaps pipeline
   return items;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Normalize a single `human_verification:` frontmatter array entry (#2286)
+ * into a display-ready name.
+ *
+ * #2286 review (LOW finding): `extractFrontmatter`'s generic array-item
+ * parser (`src/frontmatter.cts`, the `line.trim().startsWith('- ')` branch)
+ * has NO notion of nested key/value objects — regardless of whether the
+ * source YAML was authored as `- test: "..."` (an implied-but-unsupported
+ * shorthand) or `- "plain string"`, it ALWAYS pushes the raw post-`- ` text
+ * (with only a single layer of wrapping quotes stripped) as a plain string.
+ * There is therefore no reliable signal here to distinguish a genuine
+ * `key: value`-shaped pseudo-field from a legitimate plain string that
+ * itself happens to start with a word and a colon (e.g. `"Confirm: the
+ * button responds"`). A prior version of this function stripped a leading
+ * `word:` prefix on the assumption it was always a flattened nested-object
+ * key — that assumption is false, and it silently truncated real plain-string
+ * content. No such stripping is applied: any residual wrapping-quote noise
+ * left by `extractFrontmatter`'s own (anchor-only) quote handling is cleaned
+ * up, and everything else is preserved verbatim.
+ */
+function normalizeHumanVerificationEntry(raw: unknown): string {
+  if (typeof raw !== 'string') {
+    return raw === null || raw === undefined ? '' : JSON.stringify(raw);
+  }
+  const s = raw.trim().replace(/^["']+|["']+$/g, '').trim();
+  return s || raw.trim();
+}
+
 // ─── categorizeItem ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 function categorizeItem(result: string, reason?: string, blockedBy?: string): UatCategory {
diff --git a/tests/uat.test.cjs b/tests/uat.test.cjs
index 2db573b40..79c3b4f30 100644
--- a/tests/uat.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/uat.test.cjs
@@ -423,6 +423,399 @@ All checks passed.
       `status: passed file should produce 0 outstanding items, got ${output.summary.total_items}`);
     assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_files, 0);
   });
+
+  // Regression: #2286 — parseUatItems never scanned a `## Gaps` section, so a
+  // *-UAT.md file recording its only outstanding findings there returned
+  // total_items: 0 (false-clean). Boundary: 0 / 1 / 2+ unresolved entries.
+  describe('Gaps section scanning (#2286)', () => {
+    test('a Gaps-only UAT file with 0 unresolved entries (all resolved) yields no items', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '01-foundation');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '01-UAT.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: partial',
+        'phase: 01-foundation',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Gaps',
+        '',
+        '<!-- YAML format for plan-phase --gaps consumption -->',
+        '- truth: "SC1: Widget renders with data"',
+        '  status: resolved',
+        '  reason: "Fixed in follow-up commit"',
+        '',
+        '- truth: "SC2: Second finding also fixed"',
+        '  status: resolved',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 0,
+        'resolved Gaps entries must not be counted as outstanding items');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_files, 0);
+    });
+
+    test('a Gaps-only UAT file with exactly 1 unresolved entry and zero ### N. test blocks yields 1 item', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '01-foundation');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '01-UAT.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: partial',
+        'phase: 01-foundation',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Gaps',
+        '',
+        '<!-- YAML format for plan-phase --gaps consumption -->',
+        '- truth: "SC1: Widget renders with data"',
+        '  status: open',
+        '  reason: "Missing data binding"',
+        '  severity: major',
+        '  test: 2',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 1, 'total_items must be > 0, not the false-clean 0');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].type, 'uat');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].name, 'SC1: Widget renders with data');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].result, 'open');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].reason, 'Missing data binding');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].test, 2);
+    });
+
+    test('a Gaps section with 2+ unresolved entries surfaces all of them and skips the resolved one', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '02-api');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '02-UAT.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: partial',
+        'phase: 02-api',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Gaps',
+        '',
+        '<!-- YAML format for plan-phase --gaps consumption -->',
+        '- truth: "SC1: First outstanding gap"',
+        '  status: failed',
+        '  reason: "Endpoint returns 500"',
+        '',
+        '- truth: "SC2: Second outstanding gap"',
+        '  status: open',
+        '',
+        '- truth: "SC3: Already fixed gap"',
+        '  status: resolved',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 2,
+        'exactly the 2 unresolved gaps should be counted, resolved gap excluded');
+      const names = output.results[0].items.map((item) => item.name).sort();
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(names, ['SC1: First outstanding gap', 'SC2: Second outstanding gap']);
+    });
+
+    // Regression: #2286 review HIGH finding — a naive whole-string `key:`
+    // scan over a Gaps entry's flattened text matches the FIRST `key:`-shaped
+    // substring anywhere, including one embedded inside an EARLIER field's
+    // own quoted free-text value. A `truth`/`reason` value that itself
+    // contains the literal text "status: resolved" (or "reason:"/"test:")
+    // must never hijack the real, later `status:`/`reason:`/`test:` field —
+    // the fix parses each field anchored to the START of its own line.
+    test('a truth value containing the literal substring "status: resolved" does not suppress the real open status', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '01-foundation');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '01-UAT.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: partial',
+        'phase: 01-foundation',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Gaps',
+        '',
+        '<!-- YAML format for plan-phase --gaps consumption -->',
+        '- truth: "The status: resolved workflow should trigger a banner"',
+        '  status: failed',
+        '  reason: "Contains a reason: field embedded phrase, and test: 9 too"',
+        '  test: 3',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 1,
+        'the genuinely open gap must be surfaced, not dropped because its truth text contains "status: resolved"');
+      const item = output.results[0].items[0];
+      assert.strictEqual(item.name, 'The status: resolved workflow should trigger a banner');
+      assert.strictEqual(item.result, 'failed', 'the REAL status: field must win, not the embedded phrase inside truth');
+      assert.strictEqual(item.reason, 'Contains a reason: field embedded phrase, and test: 9 too',
+        'the reason value is taken verbatim, including its own embedded colon-bearing phrases');
+      assert.strictEqual(item.test, 3, 'the REAL test: field (3) must win, not the "test: 9" phrase embedded in reason');
+    });
+
+    // Regression: #2286 review LOW finding — a nested `artifacts:` sub-list
+    // (per templates/UAT.md's `## Gaps` schema) must be folded into its
+    // parent entry, not mis-split into spurious standalone items.
+    test('a Gaps entry with a nested artifacts sub-list parses as exactly one item', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '01-foundation');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '01-UAT.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: partial',
+        'phase: 01-foundation',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Gaps',
+        '',
+        '<!-- YAML format for plan-phase --gaps consumption -->',
+        '- truth: "SC1: Some behavior"',
+        '  status: failed',
+        '  reason: "reason text"',
+        '  severity: major',
+        '  test: 1',
+        '  root_cause: ""',
+        '  artifacts:',
+        '    - src/foo.ts',
+        '    - src/bar.ts',
+        '  missing: []',
+        '  debug_session: ""',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 1,
+        'the nested artifacts sub-list items must not spawn spurious extra Gaps items');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].name, 'SC1: Some behavior');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].category, 'unknown',
+        'a Gaps item with no dedicated category mapping falls back to unknown');
+    });
+
+    // Regression: #2286 review item 5 (fail-safe direction) — #2286 is a
+    // false-NEGATIVE bug, so a Gaps entry with no parseable `status:` field
+    // is surfaced (as result: 'unknown') rather than silently dropped.
+    test('a Gaps entry with no status field is surfaced as an unknown-status item (fail-safe)', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '01-foundation');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '01-UAT.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: partial',
+        'phase: 01-foundation',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Gaps',
+        '',
+        '- truth: "SC1: Missing status field entirely"',
+        '  reason: "why it is open"',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 1,
+        'a garbled/missing status must SURFACE the entry, not silently drop it');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].result, 'unknown');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].name, 'SC1: Missing status field entirely');
+    });
+
+    test('an empty Gaps section (heading present, no bullets) yields 0 items without throwing', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '01-foundation');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '01-UAT.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: partial',
+        'phase: 01-foundation',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Gaps',
+        '',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 0);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_files, 0);
+    });
+  });
+
+  // Regression: #2286 — parseVerificationItems never read the frontmatter's
+  // structured `human_verification:` YAML array, and never recognized the
+  // `### N. <label>` + bold-paragraph body shape shipped by
+  // templates/verification-report.md. Boundary: array length 0 / 1 / 2+.
+  describe('human_verification frontmatter array + heading shape (#2286)', () => {
+    test('an empty human_verification array (length 0) falls back to the body scan', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '04-auth');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '04-VERIFICATION.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: human_needed',
+        'phase: 04-auth',
+        'human_verification: []',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Human Verification',
+        '',
+        '1. Test SSO login with Google account',
+        '2. Test password reset flow end-to-end',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 2,
+        'an empty structured array must fall back to the existing body scan, not report 0');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].name, 'Test SSO login with Google account');
+    });
+
+    test('a populated human_verification array of length 1 is sourced from frontmatter as primary', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '04-auth');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '04-VERIFICATION.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: human_needed',
+        'phase: 04-auth',
+        'human_verification:',
+        '  - test: "Confirm the widget renders correctly"',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Human Verification',
+        '',
+        'None — see frontmatter human_verification array.',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 1,
+        'total_items must reflect the frontmatter array, not the unstructured body prose');
+      // #2286 review LOW finding: extractFrontmatter's generic array-item
+      // parser has no notion of nested key/value objects — a `- test: "..."`
+      // entry is ALWAYS flattened to the raw post-"- " text, verbatim (only
+      // its own wrapping quote is stripped, and only at the string's outer
+      // edges). normalizeHumanVerificationEntry deliberately does NOT strip
+      // a leading "key:"-shaped prefix (see its doc comment) because doing
+      // so is indistinguishable from truncating a legitimate plain string
+      // that starts with a word and a colon — so this documented, slightly
+      // ugly artifact is the CORRECT (non-data-lossy) output for this shape.
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].name, 'test: "Confirm the widget renders correctly');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].category, 'human_uat');
+    });
+
+    // Regression: #2286 review LOW finding — a plain-string human_verification
+    // entry that itself starts with "Word: " must be preserved verbatim, not
+    // truncated by a (removed) leading-key-prefix strip.
+    test('a plain-string human_verification entry beginning with "Word: " is preserved verbatim', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '04-auth');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '04-VERIFICATION.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: human_needed',
+        'phase: 04-auth',
+        'human_verification:',
+        '  - "Confirm: the button responds"',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Human Verification',
+        '',
+        'None.',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 1);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].name, 'Confirm: the button responds',
+        'a plain string beginning with a word and a colon must not be truncated');
+    });
+
+    test('a populated human_verification array of length 2+ takes priority over a differently-shaped body', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '04-auth');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '04-VERIFICATION.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: human_needed',
+        'phase: 04-auth',
+        'human_verification:',
+        '  - "Confirm SSO login works end to end"',
+        '  - "Confirm MFA enrollment banner appears"',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Human Verification',
+        '',
+        '1. A body-scan item that must NOT be double-counted',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 2,
+        'the structured array is the PRIMARY source and must not union with the body scan');
+      const names = output.results[0].items.map((item) => item.name).sort();
+      assert.deepStrictEqual(names, ['Confirm MFA enrollment banner appears', 'Confirm SSO login works end to end']);
+    });
+
+    test('recognizes the ### N. <label> + bold-paragraph Human Verification body shape', () => {
+      const phaseDir = path.join(tmpDir, '.planning', 'phases', '05-widgets');
+      fs.mkdirSync(phaseDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      fs.writeFileSync(path.join(phaseDir, '05-VERIFICATION.md'), [
+        '---',
+        'status: human_needed',
+        'phase: 05-widgets',
+        '---',
+        '',
+        '## Human Verification Required',
+        '',
+        '### 1. Widget render check',
+        '**Test:** Confirm the widget appears as expected on the dashboard.',
+        '**Expected:** Widget renders with live data within 2 seconds.',
+        '**Why human:** Visual rendering cannot be verified by static analysis.',
+        '',
+        '### 2. Notification banner check',
+        '**Test:** Trigger a new notification and confirm the banner appears.',
+        '**Expected:** Banner appears within 1 second and auto-dismisses after 5 seconds.',
+        '**Why human:** Timing-based UI behavior requires visual confirmation.',
+      ].join('\n'));
+
+      const result = runGsdTools('audit-uat --raw', tmpDir);
+      assert.ok(result.success, `Command failed: ${result.error}`);
+
+      const output = JSON.parse(result.output);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.summary.total_items, 2,
+        'the ### N. + bold-paragraph shape must be recognized instead of returning 0 items');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].test, 1);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].name, 'Widget render check');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[1].test, 2);
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[1].name, 'Notification banner check');
+      assert.strictEqual(output.results[0].items[0].category, 'human_uat');
+    });
+  });
 });
 
 describe('uat render-checkpoint', () => {