diff --git a/actions/labels-reconcile/labels-reconcile.sh b/actions/labels-reconcile/labels-reconcile.sh
index 72e8375..e154f13 100755
--- a/actions/labels-reconcile/labels-reconcile.sh
+++ b/actions/labels-reconcile/labels-reconcile.sh
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ set_required_bots() { # the PR author is recused by construction
 #   HEAD_SHA     the PR's current head commit
 #   BASE_SHA     the PR's base branch head (the release-shape guard's ref)
 #   REQUESTED    newline-separated logins with a review currently requested
-#   REVIEWS_JSON JSON array of submitted (non-PENDING) reviews
+#   REVIEWS_JSON JSON array of submitted, gradeable reviews
 #   MERGEABLE    MERGEABLE | CONFLICTING | UNKNOWN  (GitHub's own verdict)
 #   CHECKS       SUCCESS | FAILURE | PENDING | NONE (the check rollup)
 #   LABELS       newline-separated labels currently on the PR
@@ -444,18 +444,25 @@ bot_verdict() { # $1 = login → MISSING | BLOCK | APPROVE | STALE | FEEDBACK
   if [ -z "$review" ]; then echo MISSING; return; fi
   state="$(jq -r '.state' <<<"$review")"
   commit="$(jq -r '.commit_id' <<<"$review")"
+  # This case grades a submitted verdict. The ingestion allow-list answers the
+  # separate question of whether a row is a submitted review at all (#235).
   case "$state" in
-    CHANGES_REQUESTED)
-      # blocks at ANY head — GitHub's own semantic: only a newer review
-      # from the same reviewer clears it
+    CHANGES_REQUESTED | REQUEST_CHANGES)
+      # blocks at ANY head — both forges' semantic: only a newer review from
+      # the same reviewer clears it
       echo BLOCK ;;
     APPROVED)
       if [ "$commit" = "$HEAD_SHA" ]; then echo APPROVE; else echo STALE; fi ;;
-    *)
-      # COMMENTED and anything else: a non-verdict. The machine does not
-      # read bodies — if the comment is really an agreement, the AUTHOR
-      # says so by requesting the human's review.
+    COMMENTED | COMMENT)
+      # A comment is a non-verdict. The machine does not read bodies — if the
+      # comment is really an agreement, the AUTHOR says so by requesting the
+      # human's review.
       echo FEEDBACK ;;
+    *)
+      # An unknown state is not evidence that a reviewer answered. Keep the
+      # round open and make the next forge vocabulary surprise visible (#235).
+      log "$1: unrecognised review state $state" >&2
+      echo MISSING ;;
   esac
 }
 
@@ -1054,9 +1061,15 @@ main() {
       HEAD_SHA="$(jq -r '.head.sha' <<<"$PR_JSON")"
       BASE_SHA="$(jq -r '.base.sha' <<<"$PR_JSON")"
       LABELS="$(jq -r '.labels[].name' <<<"$PR_JSON")"
-      # PENDING reviews are unsubmitted drafts in someone's browser — not a verdict
+      # This allow-list answers whether a row is a submitted, gradeable review;
+      # bot_verdict separately answers what that submitted verdict says (#235).
+      # PENDING drafts and Forgejo REQUEST_REVIEW request rows are not reviews.
       REVIEWS_JSON="$(forge_api --paginate "repos/$REPO/pulls/$n/reviews" --jq '.[]' \
-        | jq -s '[.[] | select(.state != "PENDING")]')"
+        | jq -s '[.[] | select(.state == "APPROVED"
+                               or .state == "CHANGES_REQUESTED"
+                               or .state == "REQUEST_CHANGES"
+                               or .state == "COMMENTED"
+                               or .state == "COMMENT")]')"
       # Read AFTER the reviews, because the raw field is not portable: Forgejo
       # never clears it, so it is intersected with who still owes a verdict on
       # this head (#188 term 4). A no-op on GitHub, which clears it itself.
diff --git a/changelog.d/235.md b/changelog.d/235.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..49f9123
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/235.md
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+### Fixed
+
+- Forgejo review requests no longer count as verdicts, while its blocking and comment states now grade like their GitHub equivalents (#235).
diff --git a/test/labels-reconcile.test.sh b/test/labels-reconcile.test.sh
index 3f009b0..86869f4 100755
--- a/test/labels-reconcile.test.sh
+++ b/test/labels-reconcile.test.sh
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ REVIEWS_JSON="$(reviews \
   "$(rev "$BOT3" REQUEST_REVIEW "" "" t3)")"
 REQUESTED="$(outstanding_requests "$BOT1
 $BOT2
-$BOT3")"
+$BOT3" 2>"$RTMP/request-round-log")"
 expect "three Forgejo request rows keep the opening round with the panel" \
   state:bots-reviewing "$(round_state)"
 
@@ -1709,7 +1709,7 @@ expect "a reviewer who never reviewed still owes one" "nobody" \
 REVIEWS_JSON="$(reviews \
   "$(rev "$BOT1" REQUEST_REVIEW "" "" 2026-08-22T00:46:05Z)")"
 expect "a Forgejo request row is not an answer and leaves the login outstanding" \
-  "$BOT1" "$(outstanding_requests "$BOT1")"
+  "$BOT1" "$(outstanding_requests "$BOT1" 2>"$RTMP/request-outstanding-log")"
 REVIEWS_JSON="$(reviews \
   "$(rev "$BOT1" APPROVED head1 "" 2026-08-01T00:00:00Z)" \
   "$(rev "$BOT2" CHANGES_REQUESTED head1 "" 2026-08-01T00:00:00Z)" \