@@ -319,6 +319,9 @@ describe('tree-scoped absence: no `api` block inside the declared radius still a
   const EXCLUDED_PREFIXES = [
     // Release-owned prose records the removal; never edited by a code PR.
     'content/docs/releases/',
+    // GITIGNORED build output (`packages/spec/json-schema/`), reached only
+    // because this is a FILESYSTEM walk. Its source is `rest-server.zod.ts`.
+    'packages/spec/json-schema/',
   ];
   /** tsup's own bundle of `tsup.config.ts`, written and deleted mid-build. */
   const TSUP_BUNDLED_CONFIG = /\.bundled_[^./]+\.mjs$/;
 
@@ -404,6 +404,9 @@ describe('tree-scoped absence: no cube member inside the declared radius still c
     // shape, not an authoring, and the two `name` rows are the ones the
     // tombstone route requires to STAY.
     'packages/spec/liveness/',
+    // GITIGNORED build output (`packages/spec/json-schema/`), reached only
+    // because this is a FILESYSTEM walk. Its source is `analytics.zod.ts`.
+    'packages/spec/json-schema/',
   ];
   /** tsup's own bundle of `tsup.config.ts`, written and deleted mid-build. */
   const TSUP_BUNDLED_CONFIG = /\.bundled_[^./]+\.mjs$/;
 
@@ -364,8 +364,16 @@ describe('tree-scoped absence: nothing inside the declared radius still authors
    * inside a fenced example is still caught.
    */
   const stripInlineCode = (text: string): string => text.replace(/`[^`\n]*`/g, '');
+  /**
+   * Every `AUTHORING` pattern requires this literal, so a stripped text that
+   * lacks it matches none of them: the patterns run only where it appears.
+   * Read on the STRIPPED text, never the raw one — stripping can join a
+   * literal across an inline code span.
+   */
+  const AUTHORING_LITERAL = 'refreshKey';
   const judge = (text: string): RegExpExecArray | null => {
     const stripped = stripInlineCode(text);
+    if (!stripped.includes(AUTHORING_LITERAL)) return null;
     for (const re of AUTHORING) {
       const m = re.exec(stripped);
       if (m) return m;
 
@@ -435,8 +435,17 @@ describe('tree-scoped absence: nothing inside the declared radius still authors
    * stripped, so an authoring inside a fenced example is still caught.
    */
   const stripInlineCode = (text: string): string => text.replace(/`[^`\n]*`/g, '');
+  /**
+   * Every alternative of every `AUTHORING` pattern requires one of these
+   * literals — a `LEAF_KEYS` or a `NAMES` alternative — so a stripped text that
+   * holds none of them matches no pattern: the patterns run only where one
+   * appears. Read on the STRIPPED text, never the raw one — stripping can join
+   * a literal across an inline code span.
+   */
+  const AUTHORING_LITERALS = [...LEAF_KEYS.split('|'), ...NAMES.split('|')];
   const judge = (text: string): RegExpExecArray | null => {
     const stripped = stripInlineCode(text);
+    if (!AUTHORING_LITERALS.some((literal) => stripped.includes(literal))) return null;
     for (const re of AUTHORING) {
       const m = re.exec(stripped);
       if (m) return m;
 
@@ -93,6 +93,9 @@ describe('tree-scoped absence: no scenario inside the declared radius still auth
   const EXCLUDED_PREFIXES = [
     // Release-owned prose records the removal; never edited by a code PR.
     'content/docs/releases/',
+    // GITIGNORED build output (`packages/spec/json-schema/`), reached only
+    // because this is a FILESYSTEM walk. Its source is `testing.zod.ts`.
+    'packages/spec/json-schema/',
   ];
   /** tsup's own bundle of `tsup.config.ts`, written and deleted mid-build. */
   const TSUP_BUNDLED_CONFIG = /\.bundled_[^./]+\.mjs$/;
 
@@ -235,9 +235,14 @@ const lineAt = (segments: Array<{ start: number; line: number }>, at: number): n
   return line;
 };
 
+type Reconstructed = ReturnType<typeof reconstruct>;
+
 /** Every `os migrate meta --from <N>` prescription in one file, with its verdict. */
 export function judgeMigrateSentences(raw: string, file = '<inline>'): JudgedSite[] {
-  const { merged, segments } = reconstruct(raw);
+  return judgeReconstructed(reconstruct(raw), file);
+}
+
+function judgeReconstructed({ merged, segments }: Reconstructed, file: string): JudgedSite[] {
   const judged: JudgedSite[] = [];
   for (const m of merged.matchAll(MARKER)) {
     const at = m.index ?? 0;
@@ -257,7 +262,10 @@ export function judgeMigrateSentences(raw: string, file = '<inline>'): JudgedSit
  * that names `--from <N>`.
  */
 export function findWithdrawnClaims(raw: string, file = '<inline>'): Array<{ file: string; line: number; excerpt: string }> {
-  const { merged, segments } = reconstruct(raw);
+  return withdrawnClaimsIn(reconstruct(raw), file);
+}
+
+function withdrawnClaimsIn({ merged, segments }: Reconstructed, file: string): Array<{ file: string; line: number; excerpt: string }> {
   return [...merged.matchAll(WITHDRAWN_CLAIM)].map((m) => {
     const at = m.index ?? 0;
     return {
@@ -276,28 +284,33 @@ function* walk(dir: string): Generator<string> {
   }
 }
 
-function judgeTree(): JudgedSite[] {
-  const all: JudgedSite[] = [];
+/**
+ * The corpora, walked, read and reconstructed ONCE per run of this file: four
+ * cases below ask `judgeTree()` or `claimTree()` about the same tree, and each
+ * used to repeat the whole walk. Only the INPUT is shared — every case still
+ * judges it for itself, with the functions the inline cases below exercise.
+ */
+let corpusMemo: Array<{ file: string; text: Reconstructed }> | undefined;
+function reconstructedCorpus(): Array<{ file: string; text: Reconstructed }> {
+  if (corpusMemo) return corpusMemo;
+  const files: Array<{ file: string; text: Reconstructed }> = [];
   for (const corpus of CORPORA) {
     for (const file of walk(corpus.root)) {
       const rel = path.relative(corpus.root, file);
       if (corpus.outOfScope.has(rel)) continue;
-      all.push(...judgeMigrateSentences(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8'), `${corpus.name}:${rel}`));
+      files.push({ file: `${corpus.name}:${rel}`, text: reconstruct(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8')) });
     }
   }
-  return all;
+  corpusMemo = files;
+  return files;
+}
+
+function judgeTree(): JudgedSite[] {
+  return reconstructedCorpus().flatMap(({ file, text }) => judgeReconstructed(text, file));
 }
 
 function claimTree(): Array<{ file: string; line: number; excerpt: string }> {
-  const all: Array<{ file: string; line: number; excerpt: string }> = [];
-  for (const corpus of CORPORA) {
-    for (const file of walk(corpus.root)) {
-      const rel = path.relative(corpus.root, file);
-      if (corpus.outOfScope.has(rel)) continue;
-      all.push(...findWithdrawnClaims(fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8'), `${corpus.name}:${rel}`));
-    }
-  }
-  return all;
+  return reconstructedCorpus().flatMap(({ file, text }) => withdrawnClaimsIn(text, file));
 }
 
 describe('`os migrate meta` sentences are the house sentence, across corpora', () => {