diff --git a/.github/workflows/test-github-action.yml b/.github/workflows/test-github-action.yml
index 1491b3f..7a7665d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test-github-action.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test-github-action.yml
@@ -346,6 +346,64 @@ jobs:
           [ "$FAIL" -eq 0 ] && echo "PASS: counts are exactly the report's (3/1/1/0/1)."
           exit $FAIL
 
+  # sable-1drb — the threshold gate is now unit-tested against the real
+  # lib/severity.sh, but a unit test cannot prove action.yml WIRES it: that
+  # the counts reach the gate and the gate's verdict reaches the job. One
+  # end-to-end run with real findings and a threshold they exceed does.
+  test-threshold-gate-end-to-end:
+    name: "Threshold gate: real findings above the threshold fail the build"
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Start mock backend (report has 1 critical, 1 high, 1 low)
+        env:
+          PORT: '8793'
+          FAIL_COUNT: '0'
+          COMPLETE_AFTER: '1'
+          RESULTS_SHAPE: 'with-findings'
+        run: |
+          nohup python3 github-action/tests/mock-rafter-api.py > mock.log 2>&1 &
+          for _ in $(seq 1 30); do
+            curl -sf -X POST -d '{}' http://127.0.0.1:8793/api/static/scan >/dev/null && break
+            sleep 1
+          done
+          curl -sf -X POST -d '{}' http://127.0.0.1:8793/api/static/scan >/dev/null || {
+            echo "FAIL: mock backend never started"; cat mock.log; exit 1; }
+
+      - name: Run the action with severity-threshold high
+        id: scan
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: ./github-action
+        with:
+          api-key: 'not-a-real-key'
+          rafter-url: 'http://127.0.0.1:8793'
+          timeout-minutes: '2'
+          upload-sarif: 'false'
+          comment-on-pr: 'false'
+          severity-threshold: 'high'
+
+      - name: Assert the gate, not an error, failed the build
+        run: |
+          cat mock.log
+          FAIL=0
+          # status=completed AND outcome=failure is the gate's signature: the
+          # report was read and counted, then the threshold rejected it.
+          if [ "${{ steps.scan.outputs.status }}" != "completed" ]; then
+            echo "FAIL: expected status=completed (report read), got '${{ steps.scan.outputs.status }}'"
+            FAIL=1
+          fi
+          if [ "${{ steps.scan.outcome }}" != "failure" ]; then
+            echo "FAIL: 1 critical + 1 high with severity-threshold=high must fail the build (outcome='${{ steps.scan.outcome }}')"
+            FAIL=1
+          fi
+          if [ "${{ steps.scan.outputs.findings-count }}" != "3" ]; then
+            echo "FAIL: findings-count expected 3, got '${{ steps.scan.outputs.findings-count }}'"
+            FAIL=1
+          fi
+          [ "$FAIL" -eq 0 ] && echo "PASS: counts reached the gate and the gate failed the build."
+          exit $FAIL
+
   test-yaml-validity:
     name: action.yml is valid YAML
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
diff --git a/github-action/action.yml b/github-action/action.yml
index 8193cc9..8fe5ee3 100644
--- a/github-action/action.yml
+++ b/github-action/action.yml
@@ -356,6 +356,9 @@ runs:
         LOW_COUNT: ${{ steps.results.outputs.low_count }}
         SEVERITY_THRESHOLD: ${{ inputs.severity-threshold }}
       run: |
+        # Shared with the tests under tests/ — see lib/severity.sh (sable-1drb).
+        source "${{ github.action_path }}/lib/severity.sh"
+
         MD_REPORT=$(jq -r '.markdown // empty' "${{ runner.temp }}/rafter-results.md" 2>/dev/null || cat "${{ runner.temp }}/rafter-results.md")
 
         if [ "$FINDINGS_COUNT" -eq 0 ]; then
@@ -394,10 +397,7 @@ runs:
           echo ""
           echo "</details>"
           echo ""
-          if [ "$FINDINGS_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && [ "$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD" = "none" ]; then
-            echo "> :information_source: This run is report-only. To fail the build on critical/high findings, set \`severity-threshold: high\` in your workflow."
-            echo ""
-          fi
+          rafter_report_only_tip "$FINDINGS_COUNT" "$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD"
           echo "---"
           echo "<sub>Scan ID: ${SCAN_ID} | Powered by [Rafter](https://rafter.so)</sub>"
         } >> "$COMMENT_FILE"
@@ -432,31 +432,11 @@ runs:
         MEDIUM_COUNT: ${{ steps.results.outputs.medium_count }}
         LOW_COUNT: ${{ steps.results.outputs.low_count }}
       run: |
-        FAIL=0
-
-        case "$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD" in
-          critical)
-            [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-            ;;
-          high)
-            [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-            ;;
-          medium)
-            [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$MEDIUM_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-            ;;
-          low)
-            [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$MEDIUM_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$LOW_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-            ;;
-          none)
-            FAIL=0
-            ;;
-          *)
-            echo "::warning::Unknown severity threshold '${SEVERITY_THRESHOLD}', defaulting to 'high'"
-            [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-            ;;
-        esac
+        # The case statement lives in lib/severity.sh so the unit tests under
+        # tests/ run the same code, not a transcription of it (sable-1drb).
+        source "${{ github.action_path }}/lib/severity.sh"
 
-        if [ "$FAIL" -eq 1 ]; then
+        if rafter_threshold_fails "$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD" "$CRITICAL_COUNT" "$HIGH_COUNT" "$MEDIUM_COUNT" "$LOW_COUNT"; then
           echo "::error::Security findings exceed severity threshold '${SEVERITY_THRESHOLD}'"
           exit 1
         fi
diff --git a/github-action/lib/severity.sh b/github-action/lib/severity.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab38d2f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/github-action/lib/severity.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# Severity-threshold logic shared by github-action/action.yml and the tests
+# under github-action/tests/. ONE copy, sourced by both, so the tests exercise
+# the code the action runs rather than a transcription of it (sable-1drb).
+#
+# Sourced, never executed: no `set -e`, no side effects at load time. Every
+# function takes explicit arguments so a test can call it without staging
+# environment variables, and prints only what the action wants in its log.
+
+# rafter_threshold_fails THRESHOLD CRITICAL HIGH MEDIUM LOW
+#
+# Returns 0 when the findings exceed THRESHOLD (the build should fail) and 1
+# otherwise. 'none' never fails. An unrecognised threshold behaves like
+# 'high' and says so with a ::warning:: annotation.
+rafter_threshold_fails() {
+  local threshold="$1" critical="$2" high="$3" medium="$4" low="$5"
+  local fail=0
+  case "$threshold" in
+    critical)
+      [ "$critical" -gt 0 ] && fail=1
+      ;;
+    high)
+      [ "$critical" -gt 0 ] || [ "$high" -gt 0 ] && fail=1
+      ;;
+    medium)
+      [ "$critical" -gt 0 ] || [ "$high" -gt 0 ] || [ "$medium" -gt 0 ] && fail=1
+      ;;
+    low)
+      [ "$critical" -gt 0 ] || [ "$high" -gt 0 ] || [ "$medium" -gt 0 ] || [ "$low" -gt 0 ] && fail=1
+      ;;
+    none)
+      fail=0
+      ;;
+    *)
+      echo "::warning::Unknown severity threshold '${threshold}', defaulting to 'high'"
+      [ "$critical" -gt 0 ] || [ "$high" -gt 0 ] && fail=1
+      ;;
+  esac
+  [ "$fail" -eq 1 ]
+}
+
+# rafter_report_only_tip FINDINGS_COUNT THRESHOLD
+#
+# Prints the report-only tip block for the PR comment iff there are findings
+# AND the threshold is 'none' (the default), i.e. the run reported problems
+# but was configured never to fail on them. Prints nothing otherwise.
+rafter_report_only_tip() {
+  local findings="$1" threshold="$2"
+  if [ "$findings" -gt 0 ] && [ "$threshold" = "none" ]; then
+    echo "> :information_source: This run is report-only. To fail the build on critical/high findings, set \`severity-threshold: high\` in your workflow."
+    echo ""
+  fi
+}
diff --git a/github-action/tests/test-action-yml-defaults.sh b/github-action/tests/test-action-yml-defaults.sh
index 5bc8740..d68b446 100755
--- a/github-action/tests/test-action-yml-defaults.sh
+++ b/github-action/tests/test-action-yml-defaults.sh
@@ -45,25 +45,49 @@ else
   failures=$((failures+1))
 fi
 
-# 3. The report-only tip block must be present and gated on both conditions.
-if grep -qE '\[ "\$FINDINGS_COUNT" -gt 0 \] && \[ "\$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD" = "none" \]' "$ACTION_YML"; then
-  echo "PASS: report-only tip block gated on (findings > 0) AND (threshold == 'none')"
+# The threshold case statement and the report-only tip live in lib/severity.sh
+# (sable-1drb), sourced by action.yml AND by the unit tests, so checks 3, 4
+# and 17 look there. Check 17 is what stops a "simplification" from inlining
+# a copy back into action.yml, which would silently detach the tests again.
+SEVERITY_LIB="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)/lib/severity.sh"
+if [ ! -f "$SEVERITY_LIB" ]; then
+  echo "FAIL: $SEVERITY_LIB not found"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# 3. The report-only tip must be gated on both conditions.
+if grep -qE '\[ "\$findings" -gt 0 \] && \[ "\$threshold" = "none" \]' "$SEVERITY_LIB"; then
+  echo "PASS: report-only tip gated on (findings > 0) AND (threshold == 'none')"
 else
-  echo "FAIL: report-only tip block missing or mis-gated in $ACTION_YML"
+  echo "FAIL: report-only tip missing or mis-gated in $SEVERITY_LIB"
   failures=$((failures+1))
 fi
 
-# 4. The threshold-eval step must still handle 'none' as a no-op
-#    (no FAIL=1 in the none branch).
+# 4. The threshold-eval must still handle 'none' as a no-op
+#    (no fail=1 in the none branch).
 if awk '
   /none\)/ { in_none=1; next }
   in_none && /;;/ { in_none=0; next }
   in_none { print }
-' "$ACTION_YML" | grep -qE "FAIL *= *1"; then
-  echo "FAIL: 'none' branch of threshold-eval sets FAIL=1 — that would break the default"
+' "$SEVERITY_LIB" | grep -qE "fail *= *1"; then
+  echo "FAIL: 'none' branch of threshold-eval sets fail=1 — that would break the default"
   failures=$((failures+1))
 else
-  echo "PASS: 'none' branch of threshold-eval does not set FAIL=1"
+  echo "PASS: 'none' branch of threshold-eval does not set fail=1"
+fi
+
+# 17. action.yml must SOURCE the library in both steps that use it, and must
+#     not carry its own copy of the case statement. If either regresses, the
+#     unit tests go back to testing a transcription.
+lib_sources=$(grep -cF 'source "${{ github.action_path }}/lib/severity.sh"' "$ACTION_YML" || true)
+inline_cases=$(grep -cE '^\s*(critical|medium|low)\)\s*$' "$ACTION_YML" || true)
+if [ "$lib_sources" -ge 2 ] && [ "$inline_cases" -eq 0 ] \
+   && grep -q 'rafter_threshold_fails "\$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD"' "$ACTION_YML" \
+   && grep -q 'rafter_report_only_tip "\$FINDINGS_COUNT" "\$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD"' "$ACTION_YML"; then
+  echo "PASS: action.yml sources lib/severity.sh in both steps and carries no inline copy"
+else
+  echo "FAIL: action.yml sources=${lib_sources} (need >=2), inline case branches=${inline_cases} (need 0), or a call site is missing"
+  failures=$((failures+1))
 fi
 
 # ── sable-l10k: poll-path retry contract ─────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/github-action/tests/test-pr-comment-tip.sh b/github-action/tests/test-pr-comment-tip.sh
index 01e8ba6..1ac97a1 100755
--- a/github-action/tests/test-pr-comment-tip.sh
+++ b/github-action/tests/test-pr-comment-tip.sh
@@ -1,39 +1,38 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 #
-# Unit test for the new PR-comment "report-only tip" block in
-# github-action/action.yml. Re-implements the if block verbatim and
-# exercises every input combination.
+# Unit test for the PR-comment "report-only tip" block in
+# github-action/action.yml. Sources github-action/lib/severity.sh — the SAME
+# file action.yml sources at run time — and exercises every input
+# combination of rafter_report_only_tip.
 #
 # The tip should appear iff (FINDINGS_COUNT > 0) AND (SEVERITY_THRESHOLD == 'none').
+#
+# This test used to carry its own copy of the if block (sable-1drb). It now
+# runs the code the action runs.
 
 set -u
 
+# shellcheck source=../lib/severity.sh
+source "$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)/lib/severity.sh"
+
 failures=0
 total=0
 
-# Mirror of the new block under the "Comment on PR" step's COMMENT_FILE builder.
-emit_tip_if_applicable() {
-  if [ "$FINDINGS_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && [ "$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD" = "none" ]; then
-    echo "> :information_source: This run is report-only. To fail the build on critical/high findings, set \`severity-threshold: high\` in your workflow."
-    echo ""
-  fi
-}
-
 TIP_NEEDLE="report-only"
 
 # assert_tip <name> <expected: yes|no> <findings> <threshold>
 assert_tip() {
   local name="$1"; local expected="$2"
-  FINDINGS_COUNT="$3"; SEVERITY_THRESHOLD="$4"
+  local findings="$3" threshold="$4"
   total=$((total+1))
 
   local out
-  out=$(emit_tip_if_applicable)
+  out=$(rafter_report_only_tip "$findings" "$threshold")
   local has_tip="no"
   if echo "$out" | grep -q "$TIP_NEEDLE"; then has_tip="yes"; fi
 
   if [ "$has_tip" != "$expected" ]; then
-    echo "FAIL: $name — findings=$FINDINGS_COUNT threshold=$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD → expected tip=$expected got $has_tip"
+    echo "FAIL: $name — findings=$findings threshold=$threshold → expected tip=$expected got $has_tip"
     failures=$((failures+1))
   else
     echo "PASS: $name (tip=$has_tip)"
@@ -53,6 +52,15 @@ assert_tip "findings + low"           no   5  low
 assert_tip "no findings + high"       no   0  high
 assert_tip "no findings + critical"   no   0  critical
 
+echo "── the tip must tell the reader what to set ─────────────────────────"
+total=$((total+1))
+if rafter_report_only_tip 5 none | grep -q 'severity-threshold: high'; then
+  echo "PASS: tip names the input to set"
+else
+  echo "FAIL: tip no longer names severity-threshold: high"
+  failures=$((failures+1))
+fi
+
 echo ""
 echo "── results ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
 echo "Total: $total   Failures: $failures"
diff --git a/github-action/tests/test-threshold-eval.sh b/github-action/tests/test-threshold-eval.sh
index 99dbfc3..eddb5c6 100755
--- a/github-action/tests/test-threshold-eval.sh
+++ b/github-action/tests/test-threshold-eval.sh
@@ -1,108 +1,95 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 #
 # Unit test for the "Evaluate severity threshold" step in
-# github-action/action.yml. Re-implements the case statement verbatim and
-# exercises every branch with deliberate inputs.
+# github-action/action.yml. Sources github-action/lib/severity.sh — the SAME
+# file action.yml sources at run time — and exercises every branch of
+# rafter_threshold_fails with deliberate inputs.
 #
-# If you change the case body in action.yml, you MUST change it here too —
-# the test-action-yml-defaults check enforces drift detection on the default
-# value, but the case body itself is duplicated by design (sourcing bash out
-# of YAML at test time is fragile).
+# This test used to carry its own copy of the case statement, so it could
+# pass in full while action.yml was broken (sable-1drb). It now runs the code
+# the action runs. The drift detector (test-action-yml-defaults.sh) separately
+# asserts that action.yml still sources the library rather than inlining a
+# copy again.
 #
 # Exit 0 = all cases pass. Exit 1 = at least one case failed.
 
 set -u
 
+# shellcheck source=../lib/severity.sh
+source "$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)/lib/severity.sh"
+
 failures=0
 total=0
 
-# Mirror of the case body in github-action/action.yml under the
-# "Evaluate severity threshold" step. Returns 1 if the threshold would
-# fail the build given the current *_COUNT envs, else 0.
-evaluate_threshold() {
-  local FAIL=0
-  case "$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD" in
-    critical)
-      [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-      ;;
-    high)
-      [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-      ;;
-    medium)
-      [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$MEDIUM_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-      ;;
-    low)
-      [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$MEDIUM_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$LOW_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-      ;;
-    none)
-      FAIL=0
-      ;;
-    *)
-      [ "$CRITICAL_COUNT" -gt 0 ] || [ "$HIGH_COUNT" -gt 0 ] && FAIL=1
-      ;;
-  esac
-  return $FAIL
-}
-
-# assert_threshold <name> <expected_exit> <severity> <crit> <high> <med> <low>
+# assert_threshold <name> <expected: fail|pass> <severity> <crit> <high> <med> <low>
 assert_threshold() {
   local name="$1"; local expected="$2"
-  SEVERITY_THRESHOLD="$3"
-  CRITICAL_COUNT="$4"; HIGH_COUNT="$5"; MEDIUM_COUNT="$6"; LOW_COUNT="$7"
+  local threshold="$3" crit="$4" high="$5" med="$6" low="$7"
   total=$((total+1))
 
-  evaluate_threshold
-  local actual=$?
+  local actual="pass"
+  if rafter_threshold_fails "$threshold" "$crit" "$high" "$med" "$low" >/dev/null; then
+    actual="fail"
+  fi
 
   if [ "$actual" != "$expected" ]; then
-    echo "FAIL: $name — threshold=$SEVERITY_THRESHOLD crit=$CRITICAL_COUNT high=$HIGH_COUNT med=$MEDIUM_COUNT low=$LOW_COUNT → expected exit=$expected got $actual"
+    echo "FAIL: $name — threshold=$threshold crit=$crit high=$high med=$med low=$low → expected build=$expected got $actual"
     failures=$((failures+1))
   else
     echo "PASS: $name"
   fi
 }
 
-echo "── 'none' threshold (the new default) — must never fail ─────────────"
-assert_threshold "none + no findings"          0  none      0 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "none + low only"             0  none      0 0 0 7
-assert_threshold "none + medium only"          0  none      0 0 3 0
-assert_threshold "none + high only"            0  none      0 5 0 0
-assert_threshold "none + critical only"        0  none      2 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "none + everything"           0  none      9 9 9 9
+echo "── 'none' threshold (the default) — must never fail ────────────────"
+assert_threshold "none + no findings"          pass  none      0 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "none + low only"             pass  none      0 0 0 7
+assert_threshold "none + medium only"          pass  none      0 0 3 0
+assert_threshold "none + high only"            pass  none      0 5 0 0
+assert_threshold "none + critical only"        pass  none      2 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "none + everything"           pass  none      9 9 9 9
 
 echo "── 'critical' threshold — fail only on critical ────────────────────"
-assert_threshold "critical + clean"            0  critical  0 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "critical + only high"        0  critical  0 4 0 0
-assert_threshold "critical + only medium"      0  critical  0 0 4 0
-assert_threshold "critical + only low"         0  critical  0 0 0 4
-assert_threshold "critical + critical=1"       1  critical  1 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "critical + critical+high"    1  critical  1 5 0 0
+assert_threshold "critical + clean"            pass  critical  0 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "critical + only high"        pass  critical  0 4 0 0
+assert_threshold "critical + only medium"      pass  critical  0 0 4 0
+assert_threshold "critical + only low"         pass  critical  0 0 0 4
+assert_threshold "critical + critical=1"       fail  critical  1 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "critical + critical+high"    fail  critical  1 5 0 0
 
 echo "── 'high' threshold — fail on critical or high ─────────────────────"
-assert_threshold "high + clean"                0  high      0 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "high + only medium"          0  high      0 0 4 0
-assert_threshold "high + only low"             0  high      0 0 0 4
-assert_threshold "high + critical only"        1  high      1 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "high + high only"            1  high      0 1 0 0
-assert_threshold "high + critical+high"        1  high      1 1 0 0
+assert_threshold "high + clean"                pass  high      0 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "high + only medium"          pass  high      0 0 4 0
+assert_threshold "high + only low"             pass  high      0 0 0 4
+assert_threshold "high + critical only"        fail  high      1 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "high + high only"            fail  high      0 1 0 0
+assert_threshold "high + critical+high"        fail  high      1 1 0 0
 
 echo "── 'medium' threshold — fail on crit/high/medium ───────────────────"
-assert_threshold "medium + clean"              0  medium    0 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "medium + only low"           0  medium    0 0 0 4
-assert_threshold "medium + critical only"      1  medium    1 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "medium + high only"          1  medium    0 1 0 0
-assert_threshold "medium + medium only"        1  medium    0 0 1 0
+assert_threshold "medium + clean"              pass  medium    0 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "medium + only low"           pass  medium    0 0 0 4
+assert_threshold "medium + critical only"      fail  medium    1 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "medium + high only"          fail  medium    0 1 0 0
+assert_threshold "medium + medium only"        fail  medium    0 0 1 0
 
 echo "── 'low' threshold — fail on anything ──────────────────────────────"
-assert_threshold "low + clean"                 0  low       0 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "low + only low"              1  low       0 0 0 1
-assert_threshold "low + critical only"         1  low       1 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "low + clean"                 pass  low       0 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "low + only low"              fail  low       0 0 0 1
+assert_threshold "low + critical only"         fail  low       1 0 0 0
 
 echo "── unknown threshold — falls back to 'high' behavior ───────────────"
-assert_threshold "unknown + clean"             0  badvalue  0 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "unknown + critical"          1  badvalue  1 0 0 0
-assert_threshold "unknown + high"              1  badvalue  0 1 0 0
-assert_threshold "unknown + medium only"       0  badvalue  0 0 3 0
+assert_threshold "unknown + clean"             pass  badvalue  0 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "unknown + critical"          fail  badvalue  1 0 0 0
+assert_threshold "unknown + high"              fail  badvalue  0 1 0 0
+assert_threshold "unknown + medium only"       pass  badvalue  0 0 3 0
+
+echo "── unknown threshold — must say so in the log ──────────────────────"
+total=$((total+1))
+if rafter_threshold_fails badvalue 0 0 0 0 | grep -q "::warning::Unknown severity threshold 'badvalue'"; then
+  echo "PASS: unknown threshold emits a ::warning:: naming the value"
+else
+  echo "FAIL: unknown threshold no longer warns"
+  failures=$((failures+1))
+fi
 
 echo ""
 echo "── results ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────"
diff --git a/node/src/commands/issues/from-scan.ts b/node/src/commands/issues/from-scan.ts
index f73f2ba..aca9f0f 100644
--- a/node/src/commands/issues/from-scan.ts
+++ b/node/src/commands/issues/from-scan.ts
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ async function draftsFromBackendScan(
   return vulnerabilitiesFromPayload(data, scanId).map(buildFromBackendVulnerability);
 }
 
-function draftsFromLocalScan(filePath: string): IssueDraft[] {
+export function draftsFromLocalScan(filePath: string): IssueDraft[] {
   const raw = fs.readFileSync(filePath, "utf-8");
   const parsed = JSON.parse(raw);
   // New shape: { _note, scan_mode, triage_applied, results: [...] }
diff --git a/node/src/commands/issues/from-text.ts b/node/src/commands/issues/from-text.ts
index 1298263..947f2e0 100644
--- a/node/src/commands/issues/from-text.ts
+++ b/node/src/commands/issues/from-text.ts
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ async function readInput(opts: {
  * - File paths → mentioned in body
  * - Security keywords → security label
  */
-function parseNaturalText(text: string): ParsedIssue {
+export function parseNaturalText(text: string): ParsedIssue {
   const lines = text.trim().split("\n");
   const labels: string[] = [];
 
diff --git a/node/src/commands/issues/issue-builder.ts b/node/src/commands/issues/issue-builder.ts
index 04853ab..b9209d5 100644
--- a/node/src/commands/issues/issue-builder.ts
+++ b/node/src/commands/issues/issue-builder.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ export interface LocalScanResult {
   }>;
 }
 
-function severityLabel(level: string): string {
+export function severityLabel(level: string): string {
   const map: Record<string, string> = {
     error: "critical",
     critical: "critical",
diff --git a/node/tests/issues.test.ts b/node/tests/issues.test.ts
index aca114f..77fe6a4 100644
--- a/node/tests/issues.test.ts
+++ b/node/tests/issues.test.ts
@@ -1,47 +1,29 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
-import crypto from "crypto";
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
 import fs from "fs";
-import { execFileSync } from "child_process";
-// The real function, not a mirror: these tests exist to fail when the source
-// changes (sable-fgk7, sable-d2x2).
-import { vulnerabilitiesFromPayload } from "../src/commands/issues/from-scan.js";
-
-// ── dedup logic (mirrored from src/commands/issues/dedup.ts) ─────────
-
-const FINGERPRINT_PREFIX = "<!-- rafter-fingerprint:";
-const FINGERPRINT_SUFFIX = " -->";
-
-function fingerprint(file: string, ruleId: string): string {
-  return crypto
-    .createHash("sha256")
-    .update(`${file}:${ruleId}`)
-    .digest("hex")
-    .slice(0, 12);
-}
-
-function embedFingerprint(body: string, fp: string): string {
-  return `${body}\n\n${FINGERPRINT_PREFIX}${fp}${FINGERPRINT_SUFFIX}`;
-}
-
-function extractFingerprint(body: string): string | null {
-  const idx = body.indexOf(FINGERPRINT_PREFIX);
-  if (idx === -1) return null;
-  const start = idx + FINGERPRINT_PREFIX.length;
-  const end = body.indexOf(FINGERPRINT_SUFFIX, start);
-  if (end === -1) return null;
-  return body.slice(start, end);
-}
-
-type GHIssue = { number: number; title: string; body: string; labels: string[]; html_url: string; state: string };
-
-function findDuplicates(existingIssues: GHIssue[], newFingerprints: string[]): Set<string> {
-  const existingFps = new Set<string>();
-  for (const issue of existingIssues) {
-    const fp = extractFingerprint(issue.body);
-    if (fp) existingFps.add(fp);
-  }
-  return new Set(newFingerprints.filter((fp) => existingFps.has(fp)));
-}
+// The real functions, not mirrors. This file used to carry hand-copied
+// re-implementations of dedup, issue-builder, from-text and from-scan and
+// tested those; it could pass in full while the source was broken
+// (sable-1drb, specimen 11 of sable-d2x2). Every describe below now
+// exercises the code the CLI ships.
+import {
+  fingerprint,
+  embedFingerprint,
+  extractFingerprint,
+  findDuplicates,
+} from "../src/commands/issues/dedup.js";
+import type { GitHubIssue as GHIssue } from "../src/commands/issues/github-client.js";
+import {
+  severityLabel,
+  buildFromBackendVulnerability,
+  buildFromLocalMatch,
+  type IssueDraft,
+  type BackendVulnerability,
+  type LocalScanResult,
+} from "../src/commands/issues/issue-builder.js";
+import { parseNaturalText } from "../src/commands/issues/from-text.js";
+import { vulnerabilitiesFromPayload, draftsFromLocalScan } from "../src/commands/issues/from-scan.js";
+
+type LocalMatch = LocalScanResult["matches"][number];
 
 describe("fingerprint", () => {
   it("produces deterministic 12-char hex hash", () => {
@@ -111,91 +93,6 @@ describe("findDuplicates", () => {
   });
 });
 
-// ── issue-builder logic (mirrored from src/commands/issues/issue-builder.ts) ──
-
-function severityLabel(level: string): string {
-  const map: Record<string, string> = {
-    error: "critical",
-    critical: "critical",
-    warning: "high",
-    high: "high",
-    note: "medium",
-    medium: "medium",
-    low: "low",
-  };
-  return map[level.toLowerCase()] || "medium";
-}
-
-function severityEmoji(level: string): string {
-  const sev = severityLabel(level);
-  const emojis: Record<string, string> = {
-    critical: "\u{1F534}",
-    high: "\u{1F7E0}",
-    medium: "\u{1F7E1}",
-    low: "\u{1F7E2}",
-  };
-  return emojis[sev] || "\u{1F7E1}";
-}
-
-interface IssueDraft {
-  title: string;
-  body: string;
-  labels: string[];
-  fingerprint: string;
-}
-
-interface BackendVulnerability {
-  ruleId: string;
-  level: string;
-  message: string;
-  file: string;
-  line?: number;
-}
-
-function buildFromBackendVulnerability(vuln: BackendVulnerability): IssueDraft {
-  const sev = severityLabel(vuln.level);
-  const emoji = severityEmoji(vuln.level);
-  const fp = fingerprint(vuln.file, vuln.ruleId);
-  const title = `${emoji} [${sev.toUpperCase()}] ${vuln.ruleId}: ${vuln.message.length > 80 ? vuln.message.slice(0, 77) + "..." : vuln.message}`;
-  let body = `## Security Finding\n\n`;
-  body += `**Rule:** \`${vuln.ruleId}\`\n`;
-  body += `**Severity:** ${sev}\n`;
-  body += `**File:** \`${vuln.file}\``;
-  if (vuln.line) body += ` (line ${vuln.line})`;
-  body += `\n\n`;
-  body += `### Description\n\n${vuln.message}\n\n`;
-  body += `### Remediation\n\nReview and fix the finding in \`${vuln.file}\`.\n`;
-  body += `\n---\n*Created by [Rafter CLI](https://rafter.so) — security for AI builders*\n`;
-  const labels = ["security", `severity:${sev}`, `rule:${vuln.ruleId}`];
-  return { title, body: embedFingerprint(body, fp), labels, fingerprint: fp };
-}
-
-type LocalMatch = { pattern: { name: string; severity: string; description?: string }; line?: number; column?: number; redacted?: string };
-
-function buildFromLocalMatch(file: string, match: LocalMatch): IssueDraft {
-  const sev = severityLabel(match.pattern.severity);
-  const emoji = severityEmoji(match.pattern.severity);
-  const fp = fingerprint(file, match.pattern.name);
-  const basename = file.split("/").pop() || file;
-  const title = `${emoji} [${sev.toUpperCase()}] Secret detected: ${match.pattern.name} in ${basename}`;
-  let body = `## Secret Detection\n\n`;
-  body += `**Pattern:** \`${match.pattern.name}\`\n`;
-  body += `**Severity:** ${sev}\n`;
-  body += `**File:** \`${file}\``;
-  if (match.line) body += ` (line ${match.line})`;
-  body += `\n`;
-  if (match.redacted) body += `**Match:** \`${match.redacted}\`\n`;
-  body += `\n`;
-  if (match.pattern.description) body += `### Description\n\n${match.pattern.description}\n\n`;
-  body += `### Remediation\n\n`;
-  body += `1. Rotate the exposed credential immediately\n`;
-  body += `2. Remove the secret from source code\n`;
-  body += `3. Use environment variables or a secrets manager instead\n`;
-  body += `\n---\n*Created by [Rafter CLI](https://rafter.so) — security for AI builders*\n`;
-  const labels = ["security", "secret-detected", `severity:${sev}`];
-  return { title, body: embedFingerprint(body, fp), labels, fingerprint: fp };
-}
-
 describe("severityLabel", () => {
   it("maps error to critical", () => expect(severityLabel("error")).toBe("critical"));
   it("maps warning to high", () => expect(severityLabel("warning")).toBe("high"));
@@ -288,63 +185,6 @@ describe("buildFromLocalMatch", () => {
   });
 });
 
-// ── from-text parsing logic (mirrored from src/commands/issues/from-text.ts) ──
-
-interface ParsedIssue {
-  title: string;
-  body: string;
-  labels: string[];
-}
-
-function parseNaturalText(text: string): ParsedIssue {
-  const lines = text.trim().split("\n");
-  const labels: string[] = [];
-  let title = "";
-  let bodyStart = 0;
-  for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
-    const line = lines[i].trim();
-    if (line) {
-      title = line.replace(/^#+\s*/, "").trim();
-      bodyStart = i + 1;
-      break;
-    }
-  }
-  if (!title) title = "Security issue reported via Rafter CLI";
-  if (title.length > 120) title = title.slice(0, 117) + "...";
-  const bodyLines = lines.slice(bodyStart);
-  let body = bodyLines.join("\n").trim();
-  if (!body) body = text.trim();
-  const textLower = text.toLowerCase();
-  if (textLower.includes("critical") || textLower.includes("p0")) {
-    labels.push("severity:critical");
-  } else if (textLower.includes("high severity") || textLower.includes("high risk") || textLower.includes("p1")) {
-    labels.push("severity:high");
-  } else if (textLower.includes("medium") || textLower.includes("p2")) {
-    labels.push("severity:medium");
-  } else if (textLower.includes("low") || textLower.includes("p3")) {
-    labels.push("severity:low");
-  }
-  const securityKeywords = [
-    "security", "vulnerability", "cve", "cwe", "owasp", "secret",
-    "credential", "token", "password", "injection", "xss", "csrf", "ssrf", "exploit",
-  ];
-  if (securityKeywords.some((kw) => textLower.includes(kw))) {
-    labels.push("security");
-  }
-  const fileRefs = text.match(/(?:^|\s)([a-zA-Z0-9_./-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{1,10})(?::(\d+))?/gm);
-  if (fileRefs && fileRefs.length > 0) {
-    const files = fileRefs.map((f) => f.trim()).filter((f) => f.includes("/") || f.includes("."));
-    if (files.length > 0) {
-      body += `\n\n### Referenced Files\n\n`;
-      for (const f of files.slice(0, 10)) {
-        body += `- \`${f}\`\n`;
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  body += `\n\n---\n*Created by [Rafter CLI](https://rafter.so) — security for AI builders*\n`;
-  return { title, body, labels: [...new Set(labels)] };
-}
-
 describe("parseNaturalText", () => {
   it("extracts first line as title", () => {
     const result = parseNaturalText("SQL injection in login form\nDetails here");
@@ -416,20 +256,6 @@ describe("parseNaturalText", () => {
   });
 });
 
-// ── from-scan command logic (mirrored from src/commands/issues/from-scan.ts) ──
-
-function draftsFromLocalScan(filePath: string): IssueDraft[] {
-  const raw = fs.readFileSync(filePath, "utf-8");
-  const results: Array<{ file: string; matches: LocalMatch[] }> = JSON.parse(raw);
-  const drafts: IssueDraft[] = [];
-  for (const result of results) {
-    for (const match of result.matches) {
-      drafts.push(buildFromLocalMatch(result.file, match));
-    }
-  }
-  return drafts;
-}
-
 describe("from-scan: draftsFromLocalScan", () => {
   const sampleScanJson: Array<{ file: string; matches: LocalMatch[] }> = [
     {