diff --git a/test/release-path.test.sh b/test/release-path.test.sh
index 2ba304a..9f5a30e 100755
--- a/test/release-path.test.sh
+++ b/test/release-path.test.sh
@@ -97,6 +97,17 @@ path_check() {
   [ -z "$missing" ] && [ -z "$extra" ]
 }
 
+path_check_reports_only() {
+  local tree="$1" expected="$2" output rc
+  output="$(path_check "$tree" 2>&1)"
+  rc=$?
+  if [ "$rc" -ne 1 ] || [ "$output" != "$expected" ]; then
+    printf 'expected only: %s\ngot (exit %s): %s\n' \
+      "$expected" "$rc" "$output" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+}
+
 readme_has_no_path_enumeration() {
   local token found=no
   for token in \
@@ -119,6 +130,7 @@ fixture() {
     "\$ROOT/lib/changelog.sh" >"$tree/bin/assemble"
   printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\n' >"$tree/lib/changelog.sh"
   printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\n' >"$tree/lib/decide.sh"
+  printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\n' >"$tree/lib/preflight.sh"
   # facts.sh sources BOTH on this tree: version.sh, and the forge shim #191
   # put on the doors' path so a Forgejo consumer can publish (#198). The
   # synthetic tree mirrors the real one, or every fixture below reports
@@ -134,7 +146,7 @@ fixture() {
 
 # Exact output is the record author's copy-paste source.
 check "manifest prints the specified ordered release path" 0 \
-  $'.github/workflows/release.yml\nbin/\nlib/version.sh\nlib/decide.sh\nlib/facts.sh\nlib/changelog.sh\nlib/forge.sh' \
+  $'.github/workflows/release.yml\nbin/\nlib/version.sh\nlib/decide.sh\nlib/preflight.sh\nlib/facts.sh\nlib/changelog.sh\nlib/forge.sh' \
   bash "$PATH_SCRIPT"
 check "real workflow and transitive dependencies match the manifest" 0 "" \
   path_check "$ROOT"
@@ -143,54 +155,56 @@ check "drill doctrine does not duplicate the executable release path" 0 "" \
 
 # A door growing a dependency must name the missing path (#237 D7).
 tree="$(fixture missing)"
-printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
+printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
   "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/facts.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/decide.sh" \
-  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/version.sh" \
-  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/ruling.sh" \
+  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/preflight.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" \
+  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/version.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/ruling.sh" \
   >"$tree/.github/workflows/release.yml"
 printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\n' >"$tree/lib/ruling.sh"
-check "a new workflow library fails with its missing path" 1 \
-  "missing dependency: lib/ruling.sh" path_check "$tree"
+check "a new workflow library fails with only its missing path" 0 "" \
+  path_check_reports_only "$tree" \
+  "release-path: missing dependency: lib/ruling.sh"
 
 # A library growing a sibling dependency in the production idiom must also
 # name the missing path; a literal lib/ marker in a comment is not evidence.
 tree="$(fixture missing-transitive)"
-printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
+printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
   "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/facts.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/decide.sh" \
-  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" \
+  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/preflight.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" \
   >"$tree/.github/workflows/release.yml"
 printf '# shellcheck source=lib/ruling.sh\n. "%s"\n' \
   "\$(cd \"\$(dirname \"\${BASH_SOURCE[0]}\")\" && pwd)/ruling.sh" \
   >>"$tree/lib/facts.sh"
 printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\n' >"$tree/lib/ruling.sh"
-check "a new sibling library fails with its missing path" 1 \
-  "missing dependency: lib/ruling.sh" path_check "$tree"
+check "a new sibling library fails with only its missing path" 0 "" \
+  path_check_reports_only "$tree" \
+  "release-path: missing dependency: lib/ruling.sh"
 
 # A manifest may not rot into a safe-looking superset.
 tree="$(fixture extra)"
-printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
+printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
   "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/facts.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/decide.sh" \
-  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" \
+  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/preflight.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" \
   >"$tree/.github/workflows/release.yml"
-sed -i 's|  lib/forge.sh$|  lib/forge.sh \\|' \
+sed -i '$ s|$| \\|' \
   "$tree/.github/scripts/release-path.sh"
 printf '  lib/ruling.sh\n' >>"$tree/.github/scripts/release-path.sh"
 printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\n' >"$tree/lib/ruling.sh"
-check "a path no door reads fails as stale" 1 "stale path: lib/ruling.sh" \
-  path_check "$tree"
+check "a path no door reads fails with only its stale path" 0 "" \
+  path_check_reports_only "$tree" "release-path: stale path: lib/ruling.sh"
 
 # Transitive sourcing is part of the derivation, not decoration.
 tree="$(fixture transitive)"
-printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
+printf 'run: bash "%s"\nrun: bash "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\nrun: . "%s"\n' \
   "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/facts.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/decide.sh" \
-  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" \
+  "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/preflight.sh" "\$CEREMONY_DIR/lib/changelog.sh" \
   >"$tree/.github/workflows/release.yml"
 # Only the version source is dropped; the forge source #191 added stays, or
 # the fixture reports two stale paths and proves neither of them (#198).
 printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\n# shellcheck source=lib/forge.sh\n. "%s"\n' \
   "\$(cd \"\$(dirname \"\${BASH_SOURCE[0]}\")\" && pwd)/forge.sh" \
   >"$tree/lib/facts.sh"
-check "removing facts' version source fails as a stale path" 1 \
-  "stale path: lib/version.sh" path_check "$tree"
+check "removing facts' version source fails with only its stale path" 0 "" \
+  path_check_reports_only "$tree" "release-path: stale path: lib/version.sh"
 
 summary