diff --git a/lib/rules/research_extensions.ex b/lib/rules/research_extensions.ex
index 1be54388..fb54af0d 100644
--- a/lib/rules/research_extensions.ex
+++ b/lib/rules/research_extensions.ex
@@ -626,9 +626,11 @@ defmodule Hypatia.Rules.ResearchExtensions do
         # is decided before the EXIT trap runs, and a failing handler command
         # under `set -e` (e.g. `kill` of an already-exited PID) would itself
         # turn a PASSING step red, so the `|| true` is what keeps it honest.
+        # Only the quoted handler is dropped, so a command after it on the
+        # same line (`trap '…' EXIT; cargo test || true`) is still judged.
         has_or_true? =
           stripped_body
-          |> String.replace(~r/^[ \t]*trap[ \t].*$/m, "")
+          |> String.replace(~r/\btrap[ \t]+(?:'[^'\n]*'|"[^"\n]*")/, "trap")
           |> then(&Regex.match?(~r/\|\|\s*true\b/, &1))
 
         # A step carrying `hypatia:ignore RE005 -- <reason>` (or the
diff --git a/lib/rules/workflow_hardening.ex b/lib/rules/workflow_hardening.ex
index 06de1874..cb36b57e 100644
--- a/lib/rules/workflow_hardening.ex
+++ b/lib/rules/workflow_hardening.ex
@@ -1259,10 +1259,33 @@ defmodule Hypatia.Rules.WorkflowHardening do
 
   @doc """
   Return true when a write operation's failure is masked, so a denied write
-  cannot turn the job red.
+  cannot turn the job red: a shell mask on the write itself, or a STEP-level
+  `continue-on-error: true` in text that performs a write. The step flag is
+  judged per job body, so it may belong to a sibling step. A job-level
+  `continue-on-error` is not counted: it is a deliberate, visible job setting
+  (standards' github-backup-mirror-reusable.yml documents and surfaces it).
   """
   def masked_write?(content) when is_binary(content) do
-    Enum.any?(@write_masks, &Regex.match?(&1, content))
+    Enum.any?(@write_masks, &Regex.match?(&1, content)) or
+      (step_continue_on_error?(content) and performs_contents_write?(content))
+  end
+
+  # `continue-on-error: true` indented under a `steps:` key, i.e. on a step.
+  defp step_continue_on_error?(content) do
+    lines = String.split(content, "\n")
+
+    case Enum.find(lines, &Regex.match?(~r/^[ \t]*steps:[ \t]*$/, &1)) do
+      nil ->
+        false
+
+      steps_line ->
+        steps_indent = indent_of(steps_line)
+
+        Enum.any?(lines, fn line ->
+          Regex.match?(~r/^[ \t]*(?:-[ \t]+)?continue-on-error:[ \t]*true\b/, line) and
+            indent_of(line) > steps_indent
+        end)
+    end
   end
 
   # ─── Internals ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -1399,7 +1422,9 @@ defmodule Hypatia.Rules.WorkflowHardening do
 
             _ ->
               cond do
-                line == "" or indent_of(line) >= jobs_indent + 1 ->
+                # A comment between jobs (`  # Publish`) does not end `jobs:`.
+                line == "" or indent_of(line) >= jobs_indent + 1 or
+                    String.starts_with?(String.trim_leading(line), "#") ->
                   {acc, true, jobs_indent, append_line(current, line)}
 
                 true ->
diff --git a/scripts/open-data-pr.sh b/scripts/open-data-pr.sh
index 80b3aeb5..ff5d54bb 100644
--- a/scripts/open-data-pr.sh
+++ b/scripts/open-data-pr.sh
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 #
 # Usage: open-data-pr.sh <branch-suffix> <title> <path>...
 #
-# Commits <path>... on a new branch `inbox-steward/<run_id>-<suffix>`, pushes
+# Commits <path>... on a new branch `inbox-steward/<run_id>-<attempt>-<suffix>`, pushes
 # it, opens a PR against main and queues a squash auto-merge. Used by
 # inbox-steward-intake.yml instead of `git push origin HEAD` to main, which
 # bypassed review and signing and was masked so a refusal stayed green.
@@ -29,7 +29,9 @@ if git diff --cached --quiet; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
-branch="inbox-steward/${GITHUB_RUN_ID}-${suffix}"
+# The attempt number keeps a re-run from colliding with a branch an earlier
+# attempt already pushed (same run id, different history).
+branch="inbox-steward/${GITHUB_RUN_ID}-${GITHUB_RUN_ATTEMPT:-1}-${suffix}"
 git switch -c "$branch"
 git commit -m "$title"
 git push origin "HEAD:refs/heads/${branch}"
diff --git a/test/research_extensions_test.exs b/test/research_extensions_test.exs
index f81872b3..f00d9273 100644
--- a/test/research_extensions_test.exs
+++ b/test/research_extensions_test.exs
@@ -450,6 +450,21 @@ defmodule Hypatia.Rules.ResearchExtensionsTest do
       File.rm_rf!(repo)
     end
 
+    test "a swallow after a trap on the same line is still reported" do
+      repo =
+        create_repo_with_workflow("""
+        jobs:
+          x:
+            steps:
+              - name: run tests
+                run: |
+                  trap 'kill "$PID" 2>/dev/null || true' EXIT; cargo test || true
+        """)
+
+      assert [%{rule: "RE005"}] = ResearchExtensions.re005_test_swallows_exit(repo)
+      File.rm_rf!(repo)
+    end
+
     test "ignores non-test steps with continue-on-error" do
       repo =
         create_repo_with_workflow("""
diff --git a/test/workflow_hardening_test.exs b/test/workflow_hardening_test.exs
index aabd3f0e..69f30ec8 100644
--- a/test/workflow_hardening_test.exs
+++ b/test/workflow_hardening_test.exs
@@ -1046,6 +1046,70 @@ defmodule Hypatia.Rules.WorkflowHardeningTest do
       File.rm_rf!(repo)
     end
 
+    test "a comment between jobs does not hide the later jobs" do
+      repo =
+        create_repo_with_workflow("""
+        name: CI
+        permissions:
+          contents: read
+        jobs:
+          test:
+            runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+            steps:
+              - run: mix test
+          # Publish
+          publish:
+            runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+            steps:
+              - run: git push origin HEAD
+        """)
+
+      assert [%{severity: :high}] = WorkflowHardening.wh013_permission_starved_write(repo)
+      File.rm_rf!(repo)
+    end
+
+    test "continue-on-error on a credentialed write counts as masked" do
+      repo =
+        create_repo_with_workflow("""
+        name: Release
+        permissions:
+          contents: read
+        jobs:
+          publish:
+            runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+            steps:
+              - continue-on-error: true
+                env:
+                  GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_PAT }}
+                run: gh release create v1 dist/*
+        """)
+
+      assert [%{fix_recipe: "unmask-credentialed-write"}] =
+               WorkflowHardening.wh013_permission_starved_write(repo)
+
+      File.rm_rf!(repo)
+    end
+
+    test "a job-level continue-on-error is a deliberate setting, not a mask" do
+      repo =
+        create_repo_with_workflow("""
+        name: Backup
+        permissions:
+          contents: read
+        jobs:
+          mirror:
+            runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+            continue-on-error: true
+            steps:
+              - env:
+                  GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.BACKUP_PAT }}
+                run: git push backup HEAD:refs/heads/main && gh pr create --repo o/b --title x --body y
+        """)
+
+      assert [] = WorkflowHardening.wh013_permission_starved_write(repo)
+      File.rm_rf!(repo)
+    end
+
     test "a masked credentialed gh release is reported" do
       repo =
         create_repo_with_workflow("""