diff --git a/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh b/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh
index fa30c6b..f5cca51 100644
--- a/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh
+++ b/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ ISSUEFLOW_STALE_HOURS="${ISSUEFLOW_STALE_HOURS:-48}"
 }
 NOW="$ISSUEFLOW_NOW"
 STALE_AFTER=$((ISSUEFLOW_STALE_HOURS * 3600))
-QUEUE_LABELS=(ready claimed blocked)
+QUEUE_LABELS=(ready claimed blocked post-merge)
 TRIAGE_ACTORS=()
 
 # The needs-ruling invariants (#52) — one implementation for both surfaces.
@@ -122,6 +122,25 @@ claim_reclaim_marker() { # $1 = last activity epoch
   printf 'claim-reclaimed-%s\n' "$1"
 }
 
+refs_references() { # PR body on stdin -> local issue numbers named by Refs
+  awk '
+    tolower($0) ~ /(^|[^[:alnum:]_-])refs([[:space:]]|:)/ { print }
+  ' | issue_references \
+    | awk -F '\t' '$1 == "LOCAL" { print $2 }' | sort -nu
+}
+
+unchecked_criteria() { # issue body on stdin -> unchecked task-list lines verbatim
+  awk '/^[[:space:]]*[-*][[:space:]]+\[[[:space:]]\]/ { print }'
+}
+
+post_merge_decision() { # $1 merged Refs-linked PR, unchecked criteria on stdin
+  local merged="$1" unchecked
+  unchecked="$(cat)"
+  if [ "$merged" = true ] && [ -n "$unchecked" ]; then echo TRANSITION
+  else echo KEEP
+  fi
+}
+
 issue_references() { # text on stdin -> LOCAL/CROSS<TAB>reference
   # A qualified reference belongs to another repository. Classify the whole
   # token before extracting numbers so rig#112 can never become local #112.
@@ -262,6 +281,7 @@ last_issue_activity() {
 
 reconcile_issue() {
   local n="$1" decision refs cross_refs states age assignees open_pr=false label owners
+  local merged_ref=false unchecked=""
   decision="$(queue_decision <<<"$ISSUE_LABELS")"
   case "$decision" in
     ADD_NEEDS_TRIAGE)
@@ -269,7 +289,7 @@ reconcile_issue() {
       log "#$n: needs-triage (no queue state)" ;;
     FLAG_CONFLICT)
       ensure_comment "$n" queue-conflict \
-        'The issue-flow sweep found conflicting queue labels. It cannot infer intent safely; triage must leave exactly one of `needs-triage`, `epic`, `ready`, `claimed`, or `blocked`.'
+        'The issue-flow sweep found conflicting queue labels. It cannot infer intent safely; triage must leave exactly one of `needs-triage`, `epic`, `ready`, `claimed`, `blocked`, or `post-merge`.'
       log "#$n: conflicting queue labels; flagged"
       return ;;
   esac
@@ -277,46 +297,73 @@ reconcile_issue() {
   if has_issue_label claimed; then
     assignees="$(jq '.assignees | length' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
     grep -qxF "$n" <<<"${OPEN_PR_ISSUES:-}" && open_pr=true
-    age="$(last_issue_activity "$n" "$(jq -r '.created_at' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
-    if [ "$(claim_clock_exempt <<<"$ISSUE_LABELS")" = EXEMPT ]; then
-      # Legitimately quiet work does not run the reclaim clock. Only the
-      # clock stops: an unassigned claim is still a repair the decision must
-      # see, so it runs on a zero age rather than being skipped.
-      decision="$(claim_decision "$assignees" "$open_pr" 0)"
+    grep -qxF "$n" <<<"${MERGED_REF_PR_ISSUES:-}" && merged_ref=true
+    unchecked="$(unchecked_criteria <<<"$(jq -r '.body // ""' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
+    if [ "$(post_merge_decision "$merged_ref" <<<"$unchecked")" = TRANSITION ]; then
+      ensure_comment "$n" post-merge-transition \
+        "The Refs-linked PR merged with these acceptance criteria still unchecked:
+
+$unchecked
+
+The merge releases the claim; no builder owes a draft. Triage owes completion in a follow-up comment that names the owner and wake condition."
+      owners="$(jq -r '[.assignees[].login] | join(",")' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+      if [ -n "$owners" ]; then
+        run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-assignee "$owners" \
+          --remove-label claimed --add-label post-merge >/dev/null
+      else
+        run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" \
+          --remove-label claimed --add-label post-merge >/dev/null
+      fi
+      log "#$n: merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released"
     else
-      decision="$(claim_decision_at "$assignees" "$open_pr" "$age")"
-    fi
-    case "$decision" in
-      FLAG_UNASSIGNED)
-        ensure_comment "$n" claimed-unassigned \
-          'This issue is `claimed` but has no assignee. The sweep cannot infer an owner; triage must repair the claim.' ;;
-      RECLAIM)
-        # The last-activity epoch identifies a claim episode. A fixed marker
-        # hid the required comment when the same issue was later claimed and
-        # reclaimed again.
-        ensure_comment "$n" "$(claim_reclaim_marker "$age")" \
-          'This claim has no linked open PR and no activity for 48 hours. The sweep is reclaiming it for the ready queue.'
-        owners="$(jq -r '[.assignees[].login] | join(",")' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
-        if [ -n "$owners" ]; then
-          run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-assignee "$owners" \
-            --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
-        else
-          run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
-        fi
-        log "#$n: stale claim reclaimed -> ready" ;;
-    esac
-    if has_issue_label offsite; then
-      local timeline
-      if timeline="$(offsite_timeline "$n")"; then
-        refs="$(offsite_cross_referenced_prs <<<"$timeline")"
-        states="$(offsite_pr_states <<<"$refs")"
-        if [ "$(offsite_resolved_decision <<<"$states")" = NUDGE ]; then
-          ensure_comment "$n" offsite-resolved \
-            "$(tr '\n' ' ' <<<"$refs" | sed 's/[[:space:]]*$//') is closed; this issue's \`offsite\` flag is still up. Clear it and close the issue, or say what is still outstanding. @$(jq -r '.assignees[0].login' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
-          log "#$n: resolved offsite PRs nudged"
+      age="$(last_issue_activity "$n" "$(jq -r '.created_at' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
+      if [ "$(claim_clock_exempt <<<"$ISSUE_LABELS")" = EXEMPT ]; then
+        # Legitimately quiet work does not run the reclaim clock. Only the
+        # clock stops: an unassigned claim is still a repair the decision must
+        # see, so it runs on a zero age rather than being skipped.
+        decision="$(claim_decision "$assignees" "$open_pr" 0)"
+      else
+        decision="$(claim_decision_at "$assignees" "$open_pr" "$age")"
+      fi
+      case "$decision" in
+        FLAG_UNASSIGNED)
+          ensure_comment "$n" claimed-unassigned \
+            'This issue is `claimed` but has no assignee. The sweep cannot infer an owner; triage must repair the claim.' ;;
+        RECLAIM)
+          # The last-activity epoch identifies a claim episode. A fixed marker
+          # hid the required comment when the same issue was later claimed and
+          # reclaimed again.
+          ensure_comment "$n" "$(claim_reclaim_marker "$age")" \
+            'This claim has no linked open PR and no activity for 48 hours. The sweep is reclaiming it for the ready queue.'
+          owners="$(jq -r '[.assignees[].login] | join(",")' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+          if [ -n "$owners" ]; then
+            run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-assignee "$owners" \
+              --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
+          else
+            run gh issue edit "$n" -R "$REPO" --remove-label claimed --add-label ready >/dev/null
+          fi
+          log "#$n: stale claim reclaimed -> ready" ;;
+      esac
+      if has_issue_label offsite; then
+        local timeline
+        if timeline="$(offsite_timeline "$n")"; then
+          refs="$(offsite_cross_referenced_prs <<<"$timeline")"
+          states="$(offsite_pr_states <<<"$refs")"
+          if [ "$(offsite_resolved_decision <<<"$states")" = NUDGE ]; then
+            ensure_comment "$n" offsite-resolved \
+              "$(tr '\n' ' ' <<<"$refs" | sed 's/[[:space:]]*$//') is closed; this issue's \`offsite\` flag is still up. Clear it and close the issue, or say what is still outstanding. @$(jq -r '.assignees[0].login' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+            log "#$n: resolved offsite PRs nudged"
+          fi
         fi
       fi
     fi
+  elif has_issue_label post-merge; then
+    assignees="$(jq '.assignees | length' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")"
+    if [ "$assignees" -gt 0 ]; then
+      ensure_comment "$n" post-merge-assigned \
+        'This `post-merge` issue has an assignee. The sweep will not undo a hand-assignment; triage must either clear it or move the issue back into buildable queue state.'
+      log "#$n: assigned post-merge issue flagged"
+    fi
   elif has_issue_label blocked; then
     refs="$(blocked_references <<<"$(jq -r '.body // ""' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
     cross_refs="$(blocked_cross_references <<<"$(jq -r '.body // ""' <<<"$ISSUE_JSON")")"
@@ -406,6 +453,16 @@ main() {
       }
     }' --jq '.data.repository.pullRequests.nodes[].closingIssuesReferences.nodes[].number' \
     | sort -nu)"
+  MERGED_REF_PR_ISSUES="$(gh api graphql --paginate -f owner="$owner" -f name="$name" -f query='
+    query($owner: String!, $name: String!, $endCursor: String) {
+      repository(owner: $owner, name: $name) {
+        pullRequests(first: 100, states: MERGED, after: $endCursor) {
+          nodes { body }
+          pageInfo { hasNextPage endCursor }
+        }
+      }
+    }' --jq '.data.repository.pullRequests.nodes[].body' \
+    | refs_references)"
 
   local n
   for n in $(gh api --paginate "repos/$REPO/issues?state=open&per_page=100" \
diff --git a/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh b/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh
index 8d867c6..9a89551 100644
--- a/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh
+++ b/test/issueflow-reconcile.test.sh
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ check "one ready queue label is valid" 0 "KEEP" queue_decision <<<"ready"
 check "zero queue labels is derivably needs-triage" 0 "ADD_NEEDS_TRIAGE" queue_decision <<<"enhancement"
 check "multiple queue labels are ambiguous" 0 "FLAG_CONFLICT" queue_decision <<< $'ready\nblocked'
 check "needs-triage plus queue is a conflict" 0 "FLAG_CONFLICT" queue_decision <<< $'needs-triage\nready'
+check "claimed plus post-merge is a conflict" 0 "FLAG_CONFLICT" \
+  queue_decision <<< $'claimed\npost-merge'
+check "post-merge plus needs-ruling is healthy" 0 "KEEP" \
+  queue_decision <<< $'post-merge\nneeds-ruling'
 
 # Invariant 2: claims have an owner and either a PR or recent activity.
 check "claim with open PR stays claimed" 0 "KEEP" claim_decision 1 true 999999
@@ -78,6 +82,18 @@ check "attention does not exempt a claimed issue" 0 "SWEEP" \
   claim_clock_exempt <<<"attention"
 check "ready does not exempt a claimed issue" 0 "SWEEP" claim_clock_exempt <<<"ready"
 check "empty labels do not exempt a claimed issue" 0 "SWEEP" claim_clock_exempt </dev/null
+refs_body=$'Refs #12\nAlso refs: #8 and heavy-duty/rig#4.\nCloses #99\nNot refs-ish #7'
+check "Refs parser returns only local issues on Refs lines" 0 $'8\n12' \
+  refs_references <<<"$refs_body"
+check "unchecked criteria preserve their source lines verbatim" 0 \
+  $'- [ ] first criterion\n  * [ ] indented criterion' \
+  unchecked_criteria <<< $'- [x] done\n- [ ] first criterion\n  * [ ] indented criterion'
+check "merged Refs with unchecked criteria transitions" 0 "TRANSITION" \
+  post_merge_decision true <<<"- [ ] verify after merge"
+check "open Refs does not transition" 0 "KEEP" \
+  post_merge_decision false <<<"- [ ] verify after merge"
+check "merged Refs with all criteria checked does not transition" 0 "KEEP" \
+  post_merge_decision true </dev/null
 check "one closed offsite PR nudges" 0 "NUDGE" offsite_resolved_decision <<<"CLOSED"
 check "two closed offsite PRs nudge" 0 "NUDGE" offsite_resolved_decision <<< $'CLOSED\nCLOSED'
 check "one open offsite PR keeps quiet" 0 "QUIET" offsite_resolved_decision <<< $'CLOSED\nOPEN'
@@ -234,16 +250,18 @@ issue_stub_gh() {
   fi
 }
 
-issue_probe() { # $1 issue, $2 labels, $3 assignees (default 1), $4 open PR
+issue_probe() { # $1 issue, $2 labels, $3 assignees, $4 open PR, $5 merged Refs, $6 body
   (
-    local assignees="${3:-1}" open_pr="${4:-false}" assignee_json='[]'
+    local assignees="${3:-1}" open_pr="${4:-false}" merged_ref="${5:-false}"
+    local body="${6:-}" assignee_json='[]'
     [ "$assignees" -eq 0 ] || assignee_json='[{"login":"owner-bot"}]'
     REPO=owner/repo NOW="$INOW"
     ISSUE_LABELS="$2"
     ISSUE_JSON="$(jq -n --arg at "$(iso_at $((INOW - 10 * 86400)))" \
-      --argjson assignees "$assignee_json" \
-      '{created_at: $at, assignees: $assignees, body: ""}')"
+      --argjson assignees "$assignee_json" --arg body "$body" \
+      '{created_at: $at, assignees: $assignees, body: $body}')"
     if [ "$open_pr" = true ]; then OPEN_PR_ISSUES="$1"; else OPEN_PR_ISSUES=""; fi
+    if [ "$merged_ref" = true ]; then MERGED_REF_PR_ISSUES="$1"; else MERGED_REF_PR_ISSUES=""; fi
     run() { "$@"; }
     gh() { issue_stub_gh "$@"; }
     reconcile_issue "$1" 2>&1
@@ -291,6 +309,34 @@ control="$(issue_probe 22 claimed)"
 check "the flag-free control is reclaimed (the clock still runs elsewhere)" 0 "" \
   grep -q 'stale claim reclaimed -> ready' <<<"$control"
 
+# -- merged Refs work releases the claim before the reclaim clock ------------
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 35)"
+transition="$(issue_probe 35 claimed 1 false true $'- [x] built\n- [ ] verify dispatch\n  * [ ] confirm warning clears')"
+check "merged Refs + unchecked criteria transitions in the sweep body" 0 "" \
+  grep -q 'merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released' <<<"$transition"
+check "...names every remaining criterion verbatim in the comment" 0 "" \
+  bash -c 'grep -qF -- "- [ ] verify dispatch" "$1" &&
+    grep -qF -- "  * [ ] confirm warning clears" "$1"' _ "$TMP/posted-35"
+check "...states triage owes completion with owner and wake condition" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF 'Triage owes completion in a follow-up comment that names the owner and wake condition.' \
+  "$TMP/posted-35"
+check "...unassigns and swaps claimed to post-merge" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF -- '--remove-assignee owner-bot --remove-label claimed --add-label post-merge' \
+  "$TMP/issue-edits"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 36)"
+post_merge_quiet="$(issue_probe 36 post-merge 0)"
+check "quiet unassigned post-merge work is not reclaimed" 1 "" \
+  grep -q 'reclaimed' <<<"$post_merge_quiet"
+check "...and causes no comment or edit" 1 "" test -f "$TMP/posted-36"
+
+printf '[]\n' >"$(cfix 37)"
+issue_probe 37 post-merge 1 >/dev/null
+check "assigned post-merge is flagged" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF '<!-- issueflow:post-merge-assigned -->' "$TMP/posted-37"
+check "...and the hand-assignment is not repaired" 1 "" \
+  grep -qF -- 'issue edit 37' "$TMP/issue-edits"
+
 # -- offsite stops only the reclaim clock ------------------------------------
 offsite="$(issue_probe 25 $'claimed\noffsite')"
 check "a 10-day-quiet offsite claim is not reclaimed" 1 "" \
@@ -475,6 +521,33 @@ check "...stands down without minting" 1 "" test -s "$ARRIVAL/fixtures/edits"
 check "...and the sweep still runs" 0 "" \
   grep -qF 'issueflow: reconciled.' <<<"$pr_out"
 
+# The merged-Refs transition must survive the executable's set -e path too.
+# Keep this at main() granularity: the GraphQL gather and loop are the code
+# a sourced decision probe cannot exercise (#91's lesson).
+printf '%s\n' \
+  '{"data":{"repository":{"pullRequests":{"nodes":[{"body":"Refs #40","closingIssuesReferences":{"nodes":[]}}],"pageInfo":{"hasNextPage":false,"endCursor":null}}}}}' \
+  >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/graphql.json"
+printf '[{"number":40}]\n' \
+  >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_state_open_per_page_100.json"
+jq -n --arg at "$(iso_at "$INOW")" \
+  '{number:40,user:{login:"triage-one"},created_at:$at,body:"- [x] built\n- [ ] verify live label",labels:[{name:"claimed"}],assignees:[{login:"builder"}]}' \
+  >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_40.json"
+printf '[]\n' >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_40_comments.json"
+: >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/edits"
+subprocess_out="$(
+  env PATH="$ARRIVAL/stub:$PATH" GH_FIXTURES="$ARRIVAL/fixtures" \
+    REPO=owner/repo LABELS_CONF="$ARRIVAL/labels.conf" \
+    bash "$ROOT/actions/issueflow-reconcile/issueflow-reconcile.sh" 2>&1
+)"
+subprocess_rc=$?
+check "executable sweep transitions merged Refs work" 0 "" \
+  test "$subprocess_rc" -eq 0
+check "...reaches the transition through GraphQL and the issue loop" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF '#40: merged Refs PR -> post-merge; claim released' <<<"$subprocess_out"
+check "...and performs the release edit from the executable path" 0 "" \
+  grep -qF -- 'issue edit 40 -R owner/repo --remove-assignee builder --remove-label claimed --add-label post-merge' \
+  "$ARRIVAL/fixtures/edits"
+
 # D2 preserved: only the deliberate stand-downs changed; a genuine failure on
 # the arrival path still kills the run loudly.
 : >"$ARRIVAL/fixtures/repos_owner_repo_issues_91.json.error"