diff --git a/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh b/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh
index faf6c8d..1d00b4c 100644
--- a/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh
+++ b/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh
@@ -208,14 +208,14 @@ claim_reclaim_marker() { # $1 = last activity epoch
 refs_references() { # PR body on stdin -> local issue numbers named by Refs
   awk '
     {
-      line = $0
-      lower = tolower(line)
-      if (match(lower, /(^|[^[:alnum:]_-])refs[[:space:]:]+/)) {
-        line = substr(line, RSTART + RLENGTH)
-        if (line ~ /^(#|([[:alnum:]_.-]+\/)?[[:alnum:]_.-]+#)[0-9]+/) {
-          sub(/[.(;].*/, "", line)
-          print line
-        }
+      rest = tolower($0)
+      while (match(rest, /(^|[^[:alnum:]_-])refs[[:space:]:]+(#|([[:alnum:]_.-]+\/)?[[:alnum:]_.-]+#)[0-9]+/)) {
+        token = substr(rest, RSTART, RLENGTH)
+        sub(/^.*refs[[:space:]:]+/, "", token)
+        print token
+        # Retain the token final byte so ^ cannot turn a concatenated
+        # alphanumeric suffix into a fresh keyword boundary (#234).
+        rest = substr(rest, RSTART + RLENGTH - 1)
       }
     }
   ' | issue_references \
diff --git a/changelog.d/234.md b/changelog.d/234.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bbc2ed5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/234.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+### Fixed
+
+- Refs-based issue-flow transitions now bind each declaration to its immediately following reference token, so later issue prose cannot release or preserve unrelated claims (#234).
diff --git a/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh b/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh
index 0d0d8ed..b09a8ff 100644
--- a/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh
+++ b/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh
@@ -101,6 +101,28 @@ check "empty labels do not exempt a claimed issue" 0 "SWEEP" claim_clock_exempt
 refs_body=$'Refs #12\nAlso refs: #8 and heavy-duty/rig#4.\nCloses #99\nNot refs-ish #7\nfix refs parsing from #200\nCloses #40; refs: none\nRefs #175 (split from #150)'
 check "Refs parser returns only references owned by a valid Refs marker" 0 "" \
   test "$(refs_references <<<"$refs_body")" = $'8\n12\n175'
+# A Refs declaration binds one token, never the prose that follows it; every
+# later occurrence starts a fresh declaration (#234).
+# shellcheck disable=SC2016 # backticks are the fixture's literal Markdown
+crew_round_line='- **Claude verified the safe `Refs #52`, TDD provenance, and inherited #65 CI failure.**'
+check "Refs parser ignores issue prose after the bound token" 0 "" \
+  test "$(refs_references <<<"$crew_round_line")" = 52
+check "Refs comma-list narrowing is deliberate" 0 "" \
+  test "$(refs_references <<<'Refs #8, #9')" = 8
+check "a cross-repo Refs token stays non-local" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$(refs_references <<<'Refs heavy-duty/rig#4')"
+check "prose after a cross-repo Refs token stays non-local" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$(refs_references <<<'Refs heavy-duty/rig#4, #12')"
+check "parenthesized prose after a local Refs token is ignored" 0 "" \
+  test "$(refs_references <<<'Refs #175 (split from #150)')" = 175
+check "every Refs occurrence on one line contributes its bound token" 0 "" \
+  test "$(refs_references <<<'Refs #8. Refs #9.')" = $'8\n9'
+check "a concatenated Refs spelling is not a second keyword occurrence" 0 "" \
+  test "$(refs_references <<<'Refs #8Refs #9')" = 8
+check "lowercase refs in unrelated prose declares nothing" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$(refs_references <<<'fix refs parsing from #200')"
+check "Refs without a following token declares nothing" 0 "" \
+  test -z "$(refs_references <<<'Closes #40; refs: none')"
 open_records=$'BODY\tRefs #5\nCLOSING\t9\nBODY\tRefs heavy-duty/rig#112\nBODY\tRefs #5\nCLOSING\t5'
 check "open PR linkage unions closing and local Refs body references" 0 $'5\n9' \
   open_pr_issues <<<"$open_records"