diff --git a/skill/scripts/build-phase.mjs b/skill/scripts/build-phase.mjs
index d57a31f9b..71cf7b744 100644
--- a/skill/scripts/build-phase.mjs
+++ b/skill/scripts/build-phase.mjs
@@ -586,7 +586,17 @@ export function forceAllowed(reason) {
   // translation is what the gate measures; it is not a downgrade.
   const aboutComp = /\b(comp|mock|mockup|composition|fidelity|plate|region)\b/i.test(reason);
   const isTranslationDodge = /truthful|semantic|pixel-level|prioriti[sz]e (facts|semantics|accessibility)/i.test(reason) && !/(drop|skip|remove|without|not needed|don't need|do not need|ignore) (the )?(comp|plate|region|fidelity)/i.test(reason);
-  return namesUser && aboutComp && !isTranslationDodge;
+  // The user's words have to be a downgrade of the comp, said as such: a
+  // brief line quoted back ("should feel like an extension of her artwork")
+  // is the direction the comp already serves, not permission to leave it.
+  // One session forced two gates on that sentence. Ask for a downgrade verb
+  // in the same reason as the comp noun.
+  const downgrades = /\b(don't|do not|doesn't|does not|no longer|not) (need|have to|want|care|require|match|follow|hold)|\b(drop|skip|remove|ignore|waive|relax|override|approve|approved|accept|accepted|fine|okay|ok|good enough|ship it|move on|proceed|go ahead|instead of|rather than)\b/i.test(reason);
+  // and the user's words are quoted or reported, not paraphrased into a
+  // principle ("the user made the artwork binding" is the model's reading)
+  const reported = /["'\u201c\u2018].{6,}["'\u201d\u2019]|\b(user|they|paul) (said|says|asked|asks|told|wrote|replied|answered|chose|picked|approved|confirmed)\b/i.test(reason);
+  const briefQuoteOnly = /\b(should feel|feel like|not a .* page|extension of)\b/i.test(reason) && !/\b(comp|mock|fidelity|gate|plate)\b.*\b(approved|accept|fine|ok|okay|skip|drop|waive|relax|override|move on|proceed)\b/i.test(reason);
+  return namesUser && aboutComp && downgrades && reported && !isTranslationDodge && !briefQuoteOnly;
 }
 
 export function advance(state, { force = false, reason = null, gateOpts = {} } = {}) {
diff --git a/skill/scripts/lib/font-fingerprint.mjs b/skill/scripts/lib/font-fingerprint.mjs
index 46707d532..52a7f7322 100644
--- a/skill/scripts/lib/font-fingerprint.mjs
+++ b/skill/scripts/lib/font-fingerprint.mjs
@@ -88,8 +88,17 @@ function binarize(img) {
 /** Text lines from the row-ink profile (same rules as font-match v1). */
 function findLines(bin) {
   const { W, H, ink } = bin;
+  // Columns inked top to bottom (a rule, a black margin, a page edge) span
+  // every line and would fuse them into one run: leave them out of the row
+  // profile. Lettering never fills a column for more than ~85% of the crop.
+  const colInk = new Uint32Array(W);
+  for (let y = 0; y < H; y++) { const o = y * W; for (let x = 0; x < W; x++) colInk[x] += ink[o + x]; }
+  const colOk = new Uint8Array(W);
+  let okCount = 0;
+  for (let x = 0; x < W; x++) { if (colInk[x] < H * 0.85) { colOk[x] = 1; okCount++; } }
+  if (!okCount) return { lines: [], rowInk: new Uint32Array(H) };
   const rowInk = new Uint32Array(H);
-  for (let y = 0; y < H; y++) { let c = 0; const o = y * W; for (let x = 0; x < W; x++) c += ink[o + x]; rowInk[y] = c; }
+  for (let y = 0; y < H; y++) { let c = 0; const o = y * W; for (let x = 0; x < W; x++) if (colOk[x]) c += ink[o + x]; rowInk[y] = c; }
   const floor = Math.max(1, W * 0.004);
   const runs = [];
   let y = 0;