diff --git a/.github/workflows/navigation-links.yml b/.github/workflows/navigation-links.yml
index bc918f88d..aaa99e776 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/navigation-links.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/navigation-links.yml
@@ -26,15 +26,16 @@ jobs:
       - uses: actions/setup-python@a26af69be951a213d495a4c3e4e4022e16d87065
         with:
           python-version: '3.11.16'
-      - name: Resolve every link from the containing document and check every file-sourced quotation, in both interpreter modes
+      - name: Resolve every link from the containing document and authenticate every navigation quotation, in both interpreter modes
         env:
           PYTHONDONTWRITEBYTECODE: '1'
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           python -B -S tools/check_doc_links.py PROOF_INDEX.md docs/integration/*.md
           python -B -O -S tools/check_doc_links.py PROOF_INDEX.md docs/integration/*.md
-          python -B -S tools/check_doc_quotes.py PROOF_INDEX.md docs/integration/2026-09-29-navigation-refresh.md
-          python -B -O -S tools/check_doc_quotes.py PROOF_INDEX.md docs/integration/2026-09-29-navigation-refresh.md
+          python -B -S tools/check_doc_quotes.py --github --require-online PROOF_INDEX.md docs/integration/2026-09-29-navigation-refresh.md
+          python -B -O -S tools/check_doc_quotes.py --github --require-online PROOF_INDEX.md docs/integration/2026-09-29-navigation-refresh.md
           python -B -S -m unittest -v tests.test_navigation_links tests.test_navigation_quotes
           python -B -O -S -m unittest -v tests.test_navigation_links tests.test_navigation_quotes
           git diff --exit-code
diff --git a/tests/test_navigation_quotes.py b/tests/test_navigation_quotes.py
index 9063797e3..0e0de0141 100644
--- a/tests/test_navigation_quotes.py
+++ b/tests/test_navigation_quotes.py
@@ -89,6 +89,25 @@ def test_github_link_is_unchecked_offline_not_failed(self):
         self.assertEqual(report['failures'], [])
         self.assertEqual((report['checked'], report['unchecked_offline']), (0, 1))
 
+
+    def test_require_online_rejects_unchecked_github_link(self):
+        doc = self.root / 'docs' / 'nested' / 'a.md'
+        doc.write_text(HEADER + '| #1 | [c](https://github.com/o/r/pull/1#issuecomment-2) — “anything at all” |\n', encoding='utf-8')
+        rc = check_doc_quotes.main([str(doc), '--root', self.tmp, '--require-online'])
+        self.assertEqual(rc, 1)
+
+    def test_github_transport_failure_is_not_counted_as_offline(self):
+        doc = self.root / 'docs' / 'nested' / 'a.md'
+        doc.write_text(HEADER + '| #1 | [c](https://github.com/o/r/pull/1#issuecomment-2) — “anything at all” |\n', encoding='utf-8')
+        original = check_doc_quotes.Sources._fetch
+        try:
+            check_doc_quotes.Sources._fetch = lambda self, match: (None, 'unreachable')
+            report = check_doc_quotes.check_document(str(doc), self.tmp, github=True, token='x')
+        finally:
+            check_doc_quotes.Sources._fetch = original
+        self.assertEqual(report['unchecked_offline'], 0)
+        self.assertEqual([f[0] for f in report['failures']], ['source-unreachable'])
+
     def test_nearest_preceding_link_governs_each_passage(self):
         (self.root / 'reviews' / 's.md').write_text('Disposition: AMEND the ledger.\n', encoding='utf-8')
         row = ('| #1 | [r](../../reviews/r.md) — “No defect was found.”'
@@ -103,5 +122,101 @@ def test_header_row_quotation_marks_are_ignored(self):
         self.assertEqual((report['quotes'], report['summaries']), (0, 1))
 
 
+class VerdictWordStart(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Vocabulary membership only: not negation, suffix equality or entailment."""
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.tmp = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(prefix='verdict-boundary-')
+        self.addCleanup(self.tmp.cleanup)
+        self.root = pathlib.Path(self.tmp.name)
+        self.source = self.root / 'record.md'
+        self.doc = self.root / 'navigation.md'
+
+    def _report(self, source, passage):
+        self.source.write_text(source, encoding='utf-8')
+        self.doc.write_text(HEADER + '| #1 | [r](record.md) — summary: ' + passage + '|\n',
+                            encoding='utf-8')
+        return check_doc_quotes.check_document(str(self.doc), str(self.root))
+
+    def test_prefixed_source_words_do_not_supply_verdict_roots(self):
+        for word in check_doc_quotes.VERDICT:
+            for prefix in ('UN', 'NON_', 'x', '_', '0', 'é'):
+                with self.subTest(word=word, prefix=prefix):
+                    report = self._report(prefix + word, word)
+                    self.assertEqual(report['failures'],
+                        [['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', word + ': ' + word]])
+                    self.assertEqual((report['checked'], report['unchecked_offline']), (1, 0))
+
+    def test_scoped_summary_cannot_use_a_prefixed_source_word(self):
+        report = self._report('UNVERIFIED_SCOPED', 'VERIFIED_SCOPED')
+        self.assertEqual(report['failures'],
+            [['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', 'VERIFIED: VERIFIED_SCOPED']])
+
+    def test_existing_word_start_families_and_punctuation_remain_supported(self):
+        for word, family in zip(check_doc_quotes.VERDICT,
+                ('ACCEPTED', 'AMEND_REQUIRED', 'HOLD_PENDING', 'CONFIRMED_SCOPED',
+                 'VERIFIED_SCOPED', 'REJECTED')):
+            for source in (word, family, '**' + word + '**.', '`' + family + '`',
+                           'Disposition:\n(' + family + ');'):
+                with self.subTest(word=word, source=source):
+                    self.assertEqual(self._report(source, word)['failures'], [])
+                    self.assertEqual(self._report(source, family)['failures'], [])
+
+    def test_missing_roots_and_multiple_failures_keep_exact_diagnostics(self):
+        for word in check_doc_quotes.VERDICT:
+            with self.subTest(word=word):
+                self.assertEqual(self._report('No disposition.', word)['failures'],
+                    [['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', word + ': ' + word]])
+        passage = 'ACCEPT HOLD VERIFIED'
+        self.assertEqual(self._report('ACCEPT UNVERIFIED', passage)['failures'],
+            [['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', 'HOLD: ' + passage],
+             ['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', 'VERIFIED: ' + passage]])
+
+    def test_embedded_summary_words_are_not_new_verdict_claims(self):
+        # Preserve the existing left-boundary policy on the summary side.
+        for word in check_doc_quotes.VERDICT:
+            with self.subTest(word=word):
+                self.assertEqual(self._report('No disposition.', 'UN' + word)['failures'], [])
+
+    def test_case_sensitivity_and_semantic_limits_are_explicit(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self._report('verified', 'VERIFIED')['failures'],
+            [['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', 'VERIFIED: VERIFIED']])
+        self.assertEqual(self._report('No disposition.', 'verified')['failures'], [])
+        # Presence does not establish entailment or equality of scoped verdicts.
+        self.assertEqual(self._report('NOT VERIFIED', 'VERIFIED')['failures'], [])
+        self.assertEqual(self._report('VERIFIED_A', 'VERIFIED_B')['failures'], [])
+
+    def test_other_source_segments_cannot_supply_the_missing_verdict(self):
+        self.source.write_text('UNVERIFIED', encoding='utf-8')
+        (self.root / 'other.md').write_text('VERIFIED', encoding='utf-8')
+        self.doc.write_text(HEADER + '| #1 | [r](record.md) summary: VERIFIED'
+                            '<br>[s](other.md) summary: VERIFIED |\n', encoding='utf-8')
+        report = check_doc_quotes.check_document(str(self.doc), str(self.root))
+        self.assertEqual(report['failures'],
+            [['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', 'VERIFIED: VERIFIED']])
+        self.assertEqual((report['checked'], report['summaries']), (2, 2))
+
+    def test_cli_reports_boundary_failure_and_genuine_success(self):
+        import json
+        import subprocess
+        flags = ['-B', '-S'] if not sys.flags.optimize else ['-B', '-O', '-S']
+        for source, expected_exit in (('UNVERIFIED', 1), ('VERIFIED_SCOPED', 0)):
+            with self.subTest(source=source):
+                self._report(source, 'VERIFIED')
+                process = subprocess.run(
+                    [sys.executable, *flags, str(ROOT / 'tools/check_doc_quotes.py'),
+                     str(self.doc), '--root', str(self.root), '--require-online'],
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15)
+                self.assertEqual(process.returncode, expected_exit, process.stderr)
+                self.assertEqual(process.stderr, '')
+                report = json.loads(process.stdout)
+                self.assertIs(report['passed'], expected_exit == 0)
+                result = report['documents'][str(self.doc)]
+                self.assertEqual((result['checked'], result['unchecked_offline']), (1, 0))
+                expected = [] if expected_exit == 0 else [
+                    ['verdict-word-not-in-source', 'record.md', 'VERIFIED: VERIFIED']]
+                self.assertEqual(result['failures'], expected)
+
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     unittest.main()
diff --git a/tools/check_doc_quotes.py b/tools/check_doc_quotes.py
index 1e25a80ba..0a3e43909 100644
--- a/tools/check_doc_quotes.py
+++ b/tools/check_doc_quotes.py
@@ -14,7 +14,10 @@
   ``--github`` (token read from ``GITHUB_TOKEN``); without it the passage is reported as
   ``unchecked_offline`` and does not fail the check;
 * a ``summary:`` passage must not use a verdict word (ACCEPT, AMEND, HOLD, CONFIRMED,
-  VERIFIED, REJECT) that the linked record does not use, under the same offline rule;
+  VERIFIED, REJECT) that the linked record does not use, under the same offline rule.
+  Both sides use the existing case-sensitive word-start rule: ACCEPTED and
+  AMEND_REQUIRED retain their root, but UNVERIFIED does not supply VERIFIED.
+  Root presence does not check negation, scoped-suffix equality or entailment;
 * a passage with no preceding link in its segment fails (``no-source-link``).
 
 Header and separator rows are skipped. Exit status 0 only when no checked passage fails;
@@ -177,7 +180,7 @@ def check_document(doc_path, root, github=False, token=None):
                             report['failures'].append(['not-verbatim', source, prefix])
                     else:
                         for word in VERDICT:
-                            if re.search(r'\b' + word, passage) and word not in body:
+                            if re.search(r'\b' + word, passage) and not re.search(r'\b' + word, body):
                                 report['failures'].append(['verdict-word-not-in-source', source, word + ': ' + prefix])
     return report
 
@@ -187,14 +190,18 @@ def main(argv=None):
     parser.add_argument('documents', nargs='+')
     parser.add_argument('--root', default=os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))))
     parser.add_argument('--github', action='store_true', help='also check GitHub review/comment links (GITHUB_TOKEN)')
+    parser.add_argument('--require-online', action='store_true', help='fail if any linked GitHub/HTTP source is left unchecked offline')
     args = parser.parse_args(argv)
     token = os.environ.get('GITHUB_TOKEN')
-    report = {'root': os.path.realpath(args.root), 'github': args.github, 'documents': {}, 'passed': True}
+    report = {'root': os.path.realpath(args.root), 'github': args.github, 'require_online': args.require_online, 'documents': {}, 'passed': True}
     for doc in args.documents:
         result = check_document(doc, args.root, args.github, token)
         report['documents'][doc] = result
         if result['failures']:
             report['passed'] = False
+        if args.require_online and result['unchecked_offline']:
+            result['failures'].append(['unchecked-offline-required', '', str(result['unchecked_offline'])])
+            report['passed'] = False
     print(json.dumps(report, indent=2, sort_keys=True))
     return 0 if report['passed'] else 1