diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml b/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml
index 90201c4..51d01cb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-exercise.yml
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ jobs:
           EOF
           mkdir changelog.d
           printf '# changelog.d/ — assembled at release (heavy-duty/ceremony#112); the marker keeps the directory tracked.\n' > changelog.d/README.md
-          printf -- '- The entry this release ships.\n' > changelog.d/42.md
+          printf -- '- The entry this release ships (#42).\n' > changelog.d/42.md
           git add VERSION CHANGELOG.md changelog.d
           git commit -qm "base"
           printf '0.7.0\n' > VERSION
diff --git a/BUILDER.md b/BUILDER.md
index fe2d5fb..bc57d26 100644
--- a/BUILDER.md
+++ b/BUILDER.md
@@ -203,7 +203,13 @@ triage bug, and the move is to say so on the issue, not to guess.
   a change genuinely is one. An entry is at most 300 characters — the
   fragment guard reds longer (#167) — so a genuinely long change ships
   several short entries, never one long one; wrapping an entry over
-  continuation lines is fine and never counts against it. Never edit
+  continuation lines is fine and never counts against it. Every entry
+  **ends with its issue citation**, and the same guard reds an entry
+  without one: a single `(` group of `#N`, `repo#N` or `owner/repo#N`
+  references separated by `, `, then `)`, then the final `.` and nothing
+  after it — `(#262).` locally, `(#236, #250).` when one entry honestly
+  lands two. The citation need not name the fragment's own issue, because
+  the filename already carries the authorizing one (#262). Never edit
   `CHANGELOG.md` for an entry — the
   release PR assembles the section from the fragments (#112); the monotonic
   guard still refuses anything that deletes a shipped heading.
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index dcd452c..491b733 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@ published verbatim as that release's body (lib/changelog.sh extracts it),
 so entries say what changed, cite the issue, and stop — at most 300
 characters each, guard-enforced on the PR that writes the fragment (#167);
 a genuinely long change ships several short entries, never one long one.
+The citation is guard-enforced too, and it closes the entry: one `(#N)`
+group, then the final `.` and nothing after it (#262). Sections published
+before that rule keep their prose; the guard reads fragments only.
 Entries arrive as fragments — one `changelog.d/<issue>.md` per PR, never
 an edit to this file — and the release PR assembles them into the next
 section here (`bin/changelog-assemble`, #112).
diff --git a/changelog.d/237.md b/changelog.d/237.md
index bfe9cd3..59a0d4f 100644
--- a/changelog.d/237.md
+++ b/changelog.d/237.md
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 
 - Define the doors-unchanged drill record and an executable release-path list,
   so a release may reuse live evidence only when its door bytes are unchanged
-  since the last rehearsed tag. (#237)
+  since the last rehearsed tag (#237).
diff --git a/changelog.d/253.md b/changelog.d/253.md
index 3bb9f9c..25cb78d 100644
--- a/changelog.d/253.md
+++ b/changelog.d/253.md
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 ### Added
 
-- Release epics now announce release initialization when their declared dependency gates clear. (#253)
+- Release epics now announce release initialization when their declared dependency gates clear (#253).
diff --git a/changelog.d/262.md b/changelog.d/262.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..89e90fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/262.md
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+### Added
+
+- The fragment guard now requires each entry to end with its issue
+  citation: one `(#N)` group — local, `repo#N` or `owner/repo#N`
+  references separated by `, ` — then the final `.` and nothing after it
+  (#262).
+- The refusal distinguishes an entry carrying no reference at all from one
+  whose reference is present but not terminal, and names the shape to
+  write in both (#262).
+- The 300-character bound still outranks the citation across the whole
+  fragment, and the outranked problem stays out of the message it lost
+  to: one fragment, one diagnosis, wherever in the file it sits (#262).
+
+### Changed
+
+- `BUILDER.md` and `CHANGELOG.md` state the citation as guard-enforced
+  rather than as house style, beside the 300-character bound it now sits
+  next to (#262).
+- Four fragments in flight gained a terminal citation; published sections
+  are untouched, so no shipped prose is re-opened (#262).
diff --git a/changelog.d/280.md b/changelog.d/280.md
index d4f1b2d..a3c0ca2 100644
--- a/changelog.d/280.md
+++ b/changelog.d/280.md
@@ -2,4 +2,4 @@
 
 - CONTRIBUTING.md now keeps vendored doctrine self-contained: state the rule,
   retain at most one sentence of why, cite the local record bare, and leave the
-  incident narrative in that record. (#280)
+  incident narrative in that record (#280).
diff --git a/lib/changelog.sh b/lib/changelog.sh
index 974b4a8..fb229a1 100644
--- a/lib/changelog.sh
+++ b/lib/changelog.sh
@@ -115,8 +115,22 @@ changelog_fragments() {
 #     splits the measured history: every healthy entry passes untouched,
 #     the drift cluster does not. mawk's length() counts bytes; prose here
 #     is ASCII and the fuzz is acceptable.
+#   - every entry ends with its issue citation (#262): one '(' group of
+#     '#N', 'repo#N' or 'owner/repo#N' references separated by ', ', then
+#     ')', then the final '.' and nothing after it. Stated as style and
+#     enforced by nobody, this rule cost #255 a full four-bot round on a
+#     missing '(#248)'; the fragment rules that live in this guard drew no
+#     review comment at all across the same fifteen PRs. Measured on the
+#     same normalized entry as the bound above, so a citation that wraps
+#     onto a continuation line still counts. The repo token is the one the
+#     filename rule already admits, so '<repo>-<issue>.md' and its cite
+#     cannot drift apart; the two halves of one convention. A single group
+#     is what makes 'terminal' checkable — '(#236, #250).' lands two issues
+#     in one entry, '(#236) and (#250).' does not. The citation need not
+#     name the file's own issue: the filename already carries the
+#     authorizing one, so a fragment may cite the incident beside it.
 changelog_fragment_problem() {
-  local file="$1" base problem
+  local file="$1" base problem kind detail rest
   base="${file##*/}"
 
   if ! printf '%s\n' "$base" | grep -qE '^([a-z][a-z0-9-]*-)?[0-9]+\.md$'; then
@@ -157,9 +171,35 @@ changelog_fragment_problem() {
     return 1
   fi
 
+  # One walk of the entries, two rules, and the order between them is
+  # deliberate: an over-long entry anywhere outranks a citation problem
+  # anywhere, so the length diagnosis a fragment already draws is the same
+  # one it drew before the citation rule existed. Both read the entry the
+  # same normalizer produces, which is the whole reason they share a pass.
   problem="$(
     awk -v max=300 '
-      function flush(   len, e) {
+      # cite_problem <entry> — "", "uncited" or "misplaced". Counting the
+      # groups is what distinguishes the two admitted shapes: one group
+      # closing the entry passes however many references it carries, and a
+      # second group anywhere means no single group is terminal.
+      function cite_problem(e,   rest, groups, consumed, group_end) {
+        rest = e
+        groups = 0
+        consumed = 0
+        while (match(rest, /\((([A-Za-z0-9._-]+\/)?[a-z][a-z0-9-]*)?#[0-9]+(, (([A-Za-z0-9._-]+\/)?[a-z][a-z0-9-]*)?#[0-9]+)*\)/)) {
+          groups++
+          group_end = consumed + RSTART + RLENGTH - 1
+          consumed = group_end
+          rest = substr(rest, RSTART + RLENGTH)
+        }
+        if (groups == 0) return e ~ /#[0-9]/ ? "misplaced" : "uncited"
+        if (groups > 1) return "misplaced"
+        return (group_end == length(e) - 1 && substr(e, group_end + 1) == ".") ? "" : "misplaced"
+      }
+      function excerpt(e) {
+        return length(e) > 60 ? substr(e, 1, 60) "…" : e
+      }
+      function flush(   len, e, kind) {
         if (entry == "") return 0
         e = entry
         entry = ""
@@ -168,9 +208,15 @@ changelog_fragment_problem() {
         sub(/ $/, "", e)
         len = length(e)
         if (len > max) {
-          printf "%d\t%s\n", len, substr(e, 1, 60)
+          reported = 1
+          printf "long\t%d\t%s\n", len, excerpt(e)
           return 1
         }
+        kind = cite_problem(e)
+        if (kind != "" && cite_kind == "") {
+          cite_kind = kind
+          cite_excerpt = excerpt(e)
+        }
         return 0
       }
       /^### / { if (flush()) exit; next }
@@ -182,12 +228,37 @@ changelog_fragment_problem() {
       }
       /^[[:space:]]*$/ { next }
       entry != "" { entry = entry " " $0 }
-      END { flush() }
+      # An exit from a main rule still runs END, so a length row printed
+      # mid-file would be followed by the citation row it outranks — two
+      # lines spliced into one diagnosis, the internal protocol row landing
+      # inside the human-facing excerpt (#262 round 1). The reported flag is
+      # the same guard the empty-heading walk above uses, for the same
+      # reason: one diagnosis per fragment is the contract.
+      END {
+        if (flush()) exit
+        if (!reported && cite_kind != "") printf "%s\t\t%s\n", cite_kind, cite_excerpt
+      }
     ' "$file"
   )"
   if [ -n "$problem" ]; then
-    printf "fragment '%s' has a %s-character entry — '%s…' — the bound is 300: split it into multiple '- ' entries in this same fragment\n" \
-      "$file" "${problem%%$'\t'*}" "${problem#*$'\t'}"
+    kind="${problem%%$'\t'*}"
+    rest="${problem#*$'\t'}"
+    detail="${rest%%$'\t'*}"
+    rest="${rest#*$'\t'}"
+    case "$kind" in
+      long)
+        printf "fragment '%s' has a %s-character entry — '%s' — the bound is 300: split it into multiple '- ' entries in this same fragment\n" \
+          "$file" "$detail" "$rest"
+        ;;
+      uncited)
+        printf "fragment '%s' has an entry with no issue citation — '%s' — end it with the issue it comes from: '(#N).'\n" \
+          "$file" "$rest"
+        ;;
+      *)
+        printf "fragment '%s' has an entry whose issue citation is not terminal — '%s' — exactly one '(#N)' group ends the entry, the final '.' after it\n" \
+          "$file" "$rest"
+        ;;
+    esac
     return 1
   fi
 }
diff --git a/test/changelog-armed.test.sh b/test/changelog-armed.test.sh
index 66c0f88..f9bb57f 100644
--- a/test/changelog-armed.test.sh
+++ b/test/changelog-armed.test.sh
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@ fragment_tree fragments-dev-flat 1.2.4-dev <<'EOF'
 
 - The shipped entry.
 EOF
-printf '%s\n' "- Added fragment mode." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flat/changelog.d/115.md"
+printf '%s\n' "- Added fragment mode (#115)." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flat/changelog.d/115.md"
 check "fragment -dev + well-formed flat fragment passes" 0 "fragment mode" \
   in_tree fragments-dev-flat
 
@@ -298,6 +298,38 @@ check "fragment mode over-bound refusal names the bound and the split fix" 1 \
   "the bound is 300: split it into multiple '- ' entries in this same fragment" \
   in_tree fragments-dev-over-bound
 
+# The terminal cite (#262) reds the PR that writes the fragment, through the
+# same shared predicate — which is the whole point of the rule living there
+# rather than in prose a reviewer has to remember.
+fragment_tree fragments-dev-uncited 1.2.4-dev <<'EOF'
+# Changelog
+
+## 1.2.3 — 2026-07-20
+
+- The shipped entry.
+EOF
+printf '%s\n' "- An entry that never learned to cite its issue." \
+  >"$TMP/fragments-dev-uncited/changelog.d/115.md"
+check "fragment mode refuses an uncited entry, fragment named" 1 \
+  "115.md' has an entry with no issue citation" \
+  in_tree fragments-dev-uncited
+check "fragment mode uncited refusal names the shape to write" 1 \
+  "end it with the issue it comes from: '(#N).'" \
+  in_tree fragments-dev-uncited
+
+fragment_tree fragments-dev-misplaced-cite 1.2.4-dev <<'EOF'
+# Changelog
+
+## 1.2.3 — 2026-07-20
+
+- The shipped entry.
+EOF
+printf '%s\n' "- The citation trails the period. (#115)" \
+  >"$TMP/fragments-dev-misplaced-cite/changelog.d/115.md"
+check "fragment mode refuses a non-terminal citation, fragment named" 1 \
+  "115.md' has an entry whose issue citation is not terminal" \
+  in_tree fragments-dev-misplaced-cite
+
 fragment_tree fragments-dev-grouped 1.2.4-dev <<'EOF'
 # Changelog
 
@@ -310,7 +342,7 @@ EOF
 cat >"$TMP/fragments-dev-grouped/changelog.d/115.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Changed
 
-- Added fragment mode.
+- Added fragment mode (#115).
 EOF
 check "fragment -dev + well-formed grouped fragment passes" 0 "fragment mode" \
   in_tree fragments-dev-grouped
@@ -322,11 +354,11 @@ fragment_tree fragments-dev-mixed 1.2.4-dev <<'EOF'
 
 - The shipped entry.
 EOF
-printf '%s\n' "- Flat fragment." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-mixed/changelog.d/114.md"
+printf '%s\n' "- Flat fragment (#115)." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-mixed/changelog.d/114.md"
 cat >"$TMP/fragments-dev-mixed/changelog.d/115.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#115).
 EOF
 check "fragment mode refuses mixed shapes with the shared assembler diagnosis" 1 \
   "fragment 'changelog.d/115.md' is grouped but fragment 'changelog.d/114.md' is not" \
@@ -342,7 +374,7 @@ EOF
 cat >"$TMP/fragments-dev-all-grouped-over-flat/changelog.d/115.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#115).
 EOF
 check "fragment mode refuses an all-grouped set over a flat published section" 1 \
   "changelog.d/115.md' is grouped but newest published section '1.2.3'" \
@@ -357,7 +389,7 @@ fragment_tree fragments-dev-flat-over-grouped 1.2.4-dev <<'EOF'
 
 - The shipped entry.
 EOF
-printf '%s\n' "- Flat fragment." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flat-over-grouped/changelog.d/115.md"
+printf '%s\n' "- Flat fragment (#115)." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flat-over-grouped/changelog.d/115.md"
 check "fragment mode refuses a flat set over a grouped published section" 1 \
   "changelog.d/115.md' is flat but newest published section '1.2.3'" \
   in_tree fragments-dev-flat-over-grouped
@@ -376,14 +408,14 @@ printf '%s\n' "grouped" >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/shape"
 cat >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/115.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#115).
 EOF
 check "fragment mode: 'grouped' sentinel admits the flip tree over a flat published section" 0 \
   "fragment mode" in_tree fragments-dev-flip
 
 # Post-flip drift is refused on its own PR: a flat probe fragment atop the
 # flip tree goes red — beside grouped fragments the mix rule names it first.
-printf '%s\n' "- Flat probe." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/116.md"
+printf '%s\n' "- Flat probe (#116)." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/116.md"
 check "fragment mode: a flat probe atop the flip tree is refused" 1 \
   "changelog.d/115.md' is grouped but fragment 'changelog.d/116.md' is not" \
   in_tree fragments-dev-flip
@@ -393,7 +425,7 @@ rm "$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/116.md"
 # holds the shape: an all-flat set under 'grouped' is refused, sentinel
 # named — the published-section inference never gets a say.
 rm "$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/115.md"
-printf '%s\n' "- Flat probe." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/116.md"
+printf '%s\n' "- Flat probe (#116)." >"$TMP/fragments-dev-flip/changelog.d/116.md"
 check "fragment mode: a flat set under the 'grouped' sentinel refused, sentinel named" 1 \
   "changelog.d/116.md' is flat but 'changelog.d/shape' declares grouped" \
   in_tree fragments-dev-flip
@@ -417,7 +449,7 @@ EOF
 cat >"$TMP/fragments-dev-no-published/changelog.d/115.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#115).
 EOF
 check "fragment mode accepts a consistent set with no published section" 0 \
   "fragment mode" in_tree fragments-dev-no-published
@@ -484,7 +516,7 @@ check "fragment bare + stamped section + consumed directory passes" 0 \
   "fragment mode" in_tree fragments-bare-stamped
 
 cp -R "$TMP/fragments-bare-stamped" "$TMP/fragments-bare-survivor"
-printf '%s\n' "- This entry was not consumed." \
+printf '%s\n' "- This entry was not consumed (#115)." \
   >"$TMP/fragments-bare-survivor/changelog.d/115.md"
 check "fragment bare refuses and lists surviving fragments" 1 \
   "these fragments were not consumed: changelog.d/115.md" \
diff --git a/test/changelog-assemble.test.sh b/test/changelog-assemble.test.sh
index de008b9..f87a00f 100644
--- a/test/changelog-assemble.test.sh
+++ b/test/changelog-assemble.test.sh
@@ -55,13 +55,13 @@ tree flat-one <<EOF
 $BASE_CHANGELOG
 EOF
 frag flat-one 12.md <<'EOF'
-- Twelve landed.
+- Twelve landed (#12).
 EOF
 check "flat: one fragment assembles and stamps" 0 "consumed 1 fragment" \
   in_tree flat-one 0.2.0 2026-07-24
 check "flat: preamble and shipped section stay byte-identical around the insert" 0 "" \
   assert_file "$TMP/flat-one/CHANGELOG.md" \
-  $'# Changelog\n\nPreamble prose belongs to no section.\n\n## 0.2.0 — 2026-07-24\n\n- Twelve landed.\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-01\n\n- The shipped entry.'
+  $'# Changelog\n\nPreamble prose belongs to no section.\n\n## 0.2.0 — 2026-07-24\n\n- Twelve landed (#12).\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-01\n\n- The shipped entry.'
 check "flat: the consumed fragment is deleted" 1 "" \
   test -e "$TMP/flat-one/changelog.d/12.md"
 check "flat: README.md survives consumption" 0 "" \
@@ -73,17 +73,17 @@ tree flat-many <<EOF
 $BASE_CHANGELOG
 EOF
 frag flat-many 2.md <<'EOF'
-- Two.
+- Two (#2).
 EOF
 frag flat-many 9.md <<'EOF'
-- Nine.
+- Nine (#9).
 EOF
 frag flat-many 10.md <<'EOF'
-- Ten.
+- Ten (#10).
 EOF
 frag flat-many ceremony-14.md <<'EOF'
 - Fourteen crossed over — naïve reflows would mangle this café's
-  continuation line, so it must survive verbatim.
+  continuation line, so it must survive verbatim (#14).
 EOF
 
 assert_check() {
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@ assert_check() {
   }
 }
 check "flat: numeric-descending order (10.md before 9.md), cross-repo name beside local" 0 "" \
-  assert_check flat-many $'- Fourteen crossed over — naïve reflows would mangle this café'"'"$'s\n  continuation line, so it must survive verbatim.\n- Ten.\n- Nine.\n- Two.'
+  assert_check flat-many $'- Fourteen crossed over — naïve reflows would mangle this café'"'"$'s\n  continuation line, so it must survive verbatim (#14).\n- Ten (#10).\n- Nine (#9).\n- Two (#2).'
 
 # --- grouped write: canonical order, unnamed group appended ------------------
 
@@ -113,28 +113,28 @@ EOF
 frag grouped 21.md <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Fixed twenty-one.
+- Fixed twenty-one (#21).
 EOF
 frag grouped 20.md <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Added twenty.
-- Added twenty, second bullet.
+- Added twenty (#20).
+- Added twenty, second bullet (#20).
 
 ### Docs
 
-- Docs twenty.
+- Docs twenty (#20).
 EOF
 frag grouped 19.md <<'EOF'
 ### Security
 
-- Security nineteen.
+- Security nineteen (#19).
 
 ### Added
 
-- Added nineteen.
+- Added nineteen (#19).
 EOF
-GROUPED_BODY=$'### Added\n\n- Added twenty.\n- Added twenty, second bullet.\n- Added nineteen.\n\n### Fixed\n\n- Fixed twenty-one.\n\n### Security\n\n- Security nineteen.\n\n### Docs\n\n- Docs twenty.'
+GROUPED_BODY=$'### Added\n\n- Added twenty (#20).\n- Added twenty, second bullet (#20).\n- Added nineteen (#19).\n\n### Fixed\n\n- Fixed twenty-one (#21).\n\n### Security\n\n- Security nineteen (#19).\n\n### Docs\n\n- Docs twenty (#20).'
 check "grouped: --check shows canonical order, multi-bullet group, unnamed group last" 0 "" \
   assert_check grouped "$GROUPED_BODY"
 check "grouped: write mode assembles the same section" 0 "consumed 3 fragment" \
@@ -156,13 +156,13 @@ printf 'grouped\n' >"$TMP/flip/changelog.d/shape"
 frag flip 40.md <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Forty landed.
+- Forty landed (#40).
 EOF
 check "sentinel: the flip release assembles grouped over a flat published section" 0 \
   "consumed 1 fragment" in_tree flip 0.2.0 2026-07-24
 check "sentinel: the written flip section is exact" 0 "" \
   assert_file "$TMP/flip/CHANGELOG.md" \
-  $'# Changelog\n\nPreamble prose belongs to no section.\n\n## 0.2.0 — 2026-07-24\n\n### Added\n\n- Forty landed.\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-01\n\n- The shipped entry.'
+  $'# Changelog\n\nPreamble prose belongs to no section.\n\n## 0.2.0 — 2026-07-24\n\n### Added\n\n- Forty landed (#40).\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-01\n\n- The shipped entry.'
 check "sentinel: changelog.d/shape survives consumption" 0 "" \
   test -e "$TMP/flip/changelog.d/shape"
 
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ $BASE_CHANGELOG
 EOF
 printf 'grouped\n' >"$TMP/flip-flat-frag/changelog.d/shape"
 frag flip-flat-frag 41.md <<'EOF'
-- Flat forty-one.
+- Flat forty-one (#41).
 EOF
 check "sentinel: a flat fragment under 'grouped' refuses, sentinel named" 1 \
   "changelog.d/shape' declares grouped" in_tree flip-flat-frag 0.2.0 2026-07-24
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ printf 'Grouped\n' >"$TMP/flip-malformed/changelog.d/shape"
 frag flip-malformed 42.md <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Forty-two.
+- Forty-two (#42).
 EOF
 check "sentinel: a malformed sentinel refuses, file named" 1 \
   "changelog.d/shape' declares neither shape" in_tree flip-malformed 0.2.0 2026-07-24
@@ -196,13 +196,45 @@ tree preamble-only <<'EOF'
 Only preamble so far.
 EOF
 frag preamble-only 1.md <<'EOF'
-- The first entry ever.
+- The first entry ever (#1).
 EOF
 check "a changelog with no section yet gets the section after the preamble" 0 "" \
   in_tree preamble-only 0.1.0 2026-07-24
 check "preamble-only write is exact" 0 "" \
   assert_file "$TMP/preamble-only/CHANGELOG.md" \
-  $'# Changelog\n\nOnly preamble so far.\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-24\n\n- The first entry ever.'
+  $'# Changelog\n\nOnly preamble so far.\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-24\n\n- The first entry ever (#1).'
+
+# --- the fragment predicate at release time (#262) ---------------------------
+
+# The cite rule joins changelog_fragment_problem, so it binds both callers:
+# the arming guard at PR time and this assembler at release time. Asserted
+# rather than assumed — a release that publishes an uncited entry is the
+# failure the PR-time guard exists to have already caught.
+
+tree uncited-release <<EOF
+$BASE_CHANGELOG
+EOF
+frag uncited-release 60.md <<'EOF'
+- An entry that never learned to cite its issue.
+EOF
+check "release time: an uncited fragment refuses the release, fragment named" 1 \
+  "changelog.d/60.md' has an entry with no issue citation" \
+  in_tree uncited-release 0.2.0 2026-07-24
+check "release time: the uncited refusal survives --check too" 1 \
+  "has an entry with no issue citation" \
+  in_tree uncited-release 0.2.0 2026-07-24 --check
+check "release time: the refused release wrote nothing" 0 "" \
+  test -e "$TMP/uncited-release/changelog.d/60.md"
+
+tree misplaced-release <<EOF
+$BASE_CHANGELOG
+EOF
+frag misplaced-release 61.md <<'EOF'
+- The citation trails the period. (#61)
+EOF
+check "release time: a non-terminal citation refuses the release" 1 \
+  "changelog.d/61.md' has an entry whose issue citation is not terminal" \
+  in_tree misplaced-release 0.2.0 2026-07-24
 
 # --- --check is provably read-only -------------------------------------------
 
@@ -210,10 +242,10 @@ tree check-readonly <<EOF
 $BASE_CHANGELOG
 EOF
 frag check-readonly 5.md <<'EOF'
-- Five.
+- Five (#5).
 EOF
 cp -R "$TMP/check-readonly" "$TMP/check-readonly.before"
-check "--check prints the assembled body" 0 "Five." \
+check "--check prints the assembled body" 0 "Five (#5)." \
   in_tree check-readonly 0.2.0 2026-07-24 --check
 check "--check is read-only: the tree is byte-identical before and after" 0 "" \
   diff -r "$TMP/check-readonly.before" "$TMP/check-readonly"
@@ -229,11 +261,11 @@ check "the defaulted stamp is a UTC date" 0 "" \
 
 mkdir -p "$TMP/flagged/frags"
 printf '# Changelog\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-01\n\n- Shipped.\n' >"$TMP/flagged/NOTES.md"
-printf -- '- Flagged entry.\n' >"$TMP/flagged/frags/2.md"
+printf -- '- Flagged entry (#2).\n' >"$TMP/flagged/frags/2.md"
 check "--changelog and --dir override the defaults" 0 "" \
   "$TOOL" 0.2.0 2026-07-24 --changelog "$TMP/flagged/NOTES.md" --dir "$TMP/flagged/frags"
 check "the flag-driven write landed in the named changelog" 0 "" \
-  grep -qF -- "- Flagged entry." "$TMP/flagged/NOTES.md"
+  grep -qF -- "- Flagged entry (#2)." "$TMP/flagged/NOTES.md"
 
 # --- refusals: each names the file responsible -------------------------------
 
@@ -292,7 +324,7 @@ tree stray-txt <<EOF
 $BASE_CHANGELOG
 EOF
 frag stray-txt 7.md <<'EOF'
-- Seven.
+- Seven (#7).
 EOF
 frag stray-txt notes.txt <<'EOF'
 A stray scratchpad.
@@ -322,12 +354,12 @@ tree mixed <<EOF
 $BASE_CHANGELOG
 EOF
 frag mixed 5.md <<'EOF'
-- Flat five.
+- Flat five (#5).
 EOF
 frag mixed 6.md <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Grouped six.
+- Grouped six (#6).
 EOF
 check "grouped + flat mixed refuses, both files named" 1 "6.md" \
   in_tree mixed 0.2.0
@@ -340,7 +372,7 @@ EOF
 frag grouped-over-flat 6.md <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Grouped six.
+- Grouped six (#6).
 EOF
 check "an all-grouped set over a flat published section refuses before assembly" 1 \
   "fragment 'changelog.d/6.md' is grouped but newest published section '0.1.0'" \
@@ -354,7 +386,7 @@ tree already <<'EOF'
 - Already shipped.
 EOF
 frag already 4.md <<'EOF'
-- A late fragment.
+- A late fragment (#4).
 EOF
 check "an already-present section refuses — the ceremony was already run" 1 \
   "already has a section for '0.2.0'" \
@@ -370,13 +402,13 @@ tree rc-present <<'EOF'
 - The candidate's entry.
 EOF
 frag rc-present 8.md <<'EOF'
-- The real release entry.
+- The real release entry (#8).
 EOF
 check "an rc section does not block assembling the bare version" 0 "" \
   in_tree rc-present 0.2.0 2026-07-24
 
 mkdir -p "$TMP/no-changelog/changelog.d"
-printf -- '- Entry.\n' >"$TMP/no-changelog/changelog.d/2.md"
+printf -- '- Entry (#2).\n' >"$TMP/no-changelog/changelog.d/2.md"
 check "a missing changelog refuses" 1 "no such file" \
   in_tree no-changelog 0.2.0
 
@@ -404,12 +436,12 @@ frag round-trip 30.md <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
 - Thirty — wraps onto a
-  continuation line with a naïve café.
+  continuation line with a naïve café (#30).
 EOF
 frag round-trip 29.md <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Fixed twenty-nine.
+- Fixed twenty-nine (#29).
 EOF
 CHECKED="$(in_tree round-trip 0.2.0 2026-07-24 --check)"
 check "round trip: write mode succeeds after --check" 0 "" \
diff --git a/test/changelog-assembled.test.sh b/test/changelog-assembled.test.sh
index d43e18b..79a69f1 100644
--- a/test/changelog-assembled.test.sh
+++ b/test/changelog-assembled.test.sh
@@ -58,8 +58,8 @@ Preamble prose belongs to no section.
 - The shipped entry.
 EOF
   printf '0.1.1-dev\n' >"$dir/VERSION"
-  printf -- '- Twelve landed.\n' >"$dir/changelog.d/12.md"
-  printf -- '- Nine landed, and its prose wraps onto a\n  continuation line.\n' >"$dir/changelog.d/9.md"
+  printf -- '- Twelve landed (#12).\n' >"$dir/changelog.d/12.md"
+  printf -- '- Nine landed, and its prose wraps onto a\n  continuation line (#9).\n' >"$dir/changelog.d/9.md"
   commit_base "$name"
 }
 
@@ -86,8 +86,8 @@ check "faithful flat ceremony: the section is byte-for-byte the assembly" 0 \
 
 seed_flat faithful-grouped
 sed -i '/^- The shipped entry/i ### Fixed\\\n' "$TMP/faithful-grouped/CHANGELOG.md"
-printf -- '### Fixed\n\n- Fixed twenty-one.\n' >"$TMP/faithful-grouped/changelog.d/21.md"
-printf -- '### Added\n\n- Added twenty.\n\n### Docs\n\n- Docs twenty.\n' >"$TMP/faithful-grouped/changelog.d/20.md"
+printf -- '### Fixed\n\n- Fixed twenty-one (#21).\n' >"$TMP/faithful-grouped/changelog.d/21.md"
+printf -- '### Added\n\n- Added twenty (#20).\n\n### Docs\n\n- Docs twenty (#20).\n' >"$TMP/faithful-grouped/changelog.d/20.md"
 rm "$TMP/faithful-grouped/changelog.d/12.md" "$TMP/faithful-grouped/changelog.d/9.md"
 git -C "$TMP/faithful-grouped" add -A
 git -C "$TMP/faithful-grouped" commit -qm regroup
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ check "the stamp's date never enters the comparison" 0 "byte-for-byte" \
 # --- inapplicable trees: green NOTICE, never a silent skip -------------------
 
 seed_flat ordinary-add
-printf -- '- Thirteen incoming.\n' >"$TMP/ordinary-add/changelog.d/13.md"
+printf -- '- Thirteen incoming (#13).\n' >"$TMP/ordinary-add/changelog.d/13.md"
 commit_head ordinary-add
 check "-dev PR adding a fragment: green NOTICE" 0 "NOTICE" run ordinary-add base
 
@@ -195,8 +195,8 @@ Preamble prose belongs to no section.
 ## 0.2.0 — 2026-07-24
 
 - Nine landed, and its prose wraps onto a
-  continuation line.
-- Twelve landed.
+  continuation line (#9).
+- Twelve landed (#12).
 
 ## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-01
 
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ check "re-ordered entries fail" 1 "NOT what the fragments" run reordered base
 # directory is not — only the survivor refusal fires.
 seed_flat survivor
 ceremony survivor 0.2.0 2026-07-24
-printf -- '- Nine landed, and its prose wraps onto a\n  continuation line.\n' >"$TMP/survivor/changelog.d/9.md"
+printf -- '- Nine landed, and its prose wraps onto a\n  continuation line (#9).\n' >"$TMP/survivor/changelog.d/9.md"
 commit_head survivor
 check "a surviving fragment with its entry present fails" 1 "STILL PRESENT" \
   run survivor base
@@ -318,7 +318,7 @@ init_repo env-tree
 mkdir -p "$TMP/env-tree/frags"
 printf '# Changelog\n\n## 0.1.0 — 2026-07-01\n\n- Shipped.\n' >"$TMP/env-tree/NOTES.md"
 printf '0.1.1-dev\n' >"$TMP/env-tree/VERSION"
-printf -- '- Flagged entry.\n' >"$TMP/env-tree/frags/2.md"
+printf -- '- Flagged entry (#2).\n' >"$TMP/env-tree/frags/2.md"
 git -C "$TMP/env-tree" add -A
 git -C "$TMP/env-tree" commit -qm base
 git -C "$TMP/env-tree" branch fixture-base
diff --git a/test/changelog.test.sh b/test/changelog.test.sh
index 0c9979d..47e9ac9 100755
--- a/test/changelog.test.sh
+++ b/test/changelog.test.sh
@@ -182,11 +182,11 @@ printf 'marker\n' >"$FRAG/README.md"
 check "fragments: README.md is the directory marker, never a fragment" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragments "$FRAG"
 
-printf -- '- Two.\n' >"$FRAG/2.md"
-printf -- '- Nine.\n' >"$FRAG/9.md"
-printf -- '- Ten.\n' >"$FRAG/10.md"
-printf -- '- Cross.\n' >"$FRAG/ceremony-14.md"
-printf -- '- Local fourteen.\n' >"$FRAG/14.md"
+printf -- '- Two (#2).\n' >"$FRAG/2.md"
+printf -- '- Nine (#9).\n' >"$FRAG/9.md"
+printf -- '- Ten (#10).\n' >"$FRAG/10.md"
+printf -- '- Cross (#14).\n' >"$FRAG/ceremony-14.md"
+printf -- '- Local fourteen (#14).\n' >"$FRAG/14.md"
 
 assert_fragments_order() {
   local expected="$1" actual
@@ -205,19 +205,19 @@ check "fragments: issue number descending (numeric, 10 before 9), filename tie-b
 PF="$TMP/frag-problems"
 mkdir -p "$PF"
 
-printf -- '- Fine.\n' >"$PF/7.md"
+printf -- '- Fine (#7).\n' >"$PF/7.md"
 check "fragment predicate: a flat fragment passes" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/7.md"
 
 cat >"$PF/8.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Grouped fine.
+- Grouped fine (#8).
 EOF
 check "fragment predicate: a grouped fragment passes" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/8.md"
 
-printf -- '- Cross-repo.\n' >"$PF/ceremony-14.md"
+printf -- '- Cross-repo (#14).\n' >"$PF/ceremony-14.md"
 check "fragment predicate: a cross-repo name passes" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/ceremony-14.md"
 
@@ -274,14 +274,14 @@ check "length bound: the refusal names the bound and the split fix" 1 \
   "the bound is 300: split it into multiple '- ' entries in this same fragment" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/30.md"
 
-printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 300)" >"$PF/31.md"
+printf -- '- %s (#31).\n' "$(mkchars 293)" >"$PF/31.md"
 check "length bound: an entry of exactly 300 passes" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/31.md"
 
 {
-  printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 150)"
-  printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 150)"
-  printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 150)"
+  printf -- '- %s (#32).\n' "$(mkchars 143)"
+  printf -- '- %s (#32).\n' "$(mkchars 143)"
+  printf -- '- %s (#32).\n' "$(mkchars 143)"
 } >"$PF/32.md"
 check "length bound: several within-bound entries pass though the file totals over 300" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/32.md"
@@ -291,14 +291,14 @@ check "length bound: several within-bound entries pass though the file totals ov
   printf '  %s\n' "$(mkchars 50)"
   printf '  %s\n' "$(mkchars 50)"
   printf '  %s\n' "$(mkchars 50)"
-  printf '  %s\n' "$(mkchars 50)"
+  printf '  %s (#33).\n' "$(mkchars 50)"
 } >"$PF/33.md"
 check "length bound: a ~250-character entry wrapped over four continuation lines passes" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/33.md"
 
 {
   printf '### Added\n\n'
-  printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 300)"
+  printf -- '- %s (#34).\n' "$(mkchars 293)"
 } >"$PF/34.md"
 check "length bound: a '### ' heading counts toward no entry — 300 under it still passes" 0 "" \
   changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/34.md"
@@ -331,6 +331,151 @@ check "length bound: published sections stay unvalidated — 0.3.0's over-bound
 check "length bound: published sections stay unvalidated — 0.2.0 reds nothing either" 0 "" \
   changelog_section_problem "$ROOT/CHANGELOG.md" 0.2.0
 
+# --- the terminal issue cite (#262) ------------------------------------------
+
+# cite_case <number> <entry-line...> — a fragment holding exactly the given
+# lines, so a case reads as the entry it is about.
+cite_case() {
+  local num="$1"
+  shift
+  printf '%s\n' "$@" >"$PF/$num.md"
+}
+
+cite_case 40 '- Local (#262).'
+check "cite: the canonical '(#N).' passes" 0 "" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/40.md"
+cite_case 41 '- Sibling repo (crew#309).'
+check "cite: a sibling-repo reference passes" 0 "" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/41.md"
+cite_case 42 '- Fully qualified (heavy-duty/crew#309).'
+check "cite: an owner/repo reference passes" 0 "" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/42.md"
+cite_case 43 '- Two issues, one entry (#236, #250).'
+check "cite: one group carrying two references passes" 0 "" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/43.md"
+
+# The cite is measured on the normalized entry, so a citation that lands on
+# a continuation line still closes the entry — the #167 lesson, repeated:
+# wrapping alone must never red a compliant entry.
+cite_case 44 '- An entry whose prose wraps onto a' '  continuation line, cite and all (#262).'
+check "cite: a citation on a continuation line passes — the entry is normalized first" 0 "" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/44.md"
+
+cite_case 45 '### Added' '' '- Added one (#101).' '- Added two (#102).' '' \
+  '### Changed' '' '- Changed one (#103).' '' '### Fixed' '' '- Fixed one (#104).'
+check "cite: a grouped fragment, three headings, every entry compliant, passes" 0 "" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/45.md"
+
+# The two diagnoses are distinct by construction (D5): a builder who reads
+# one must not be told the other's fix.
+cite_case 50 '- No cite here.'
+check "cite: an entry with no reference at all is refused" 1 \
+  "50.md' has an entry with no issue citation" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/50.md"
+check "cite: the uncited refusal names the shape to write" 1 \
+  "end it with the issue it comes from: '(#N).'" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/50.md"
+
+cite_case 51 '- Cite before the period. (#262)'
+check "cite: a citation trailing the period is refused — the 248.md shape" 1 \
+  "51.md' has an entry whose issue citation is not terminal" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/51.md"
+check "cite: the misplaced refusal names the shape to write" 1 \
+  "exactly one '(#N)' group ends the entry, the final '.' after it" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/51.md"
+
+cite_case 52 '- Trailing prose (#262) and then more.'
+check "cite: a citation with prose after it is refused" 1 \
+  "has an entry whose issue citation is not terminal" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/52.md"
+
+cite_case 53 '- Two groups (#236) and (#250).'
+check "cite: two citation groups are refused — one terminal group, or none (D2)" 1 \
+  "has an entry whose issue citation is not terminal" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/53.md"
+
+cite_case 54 '- Bad token (#abc).'
+check "cite: a reference with no digits is no reference" 1 \
+  "has an entry with no issue citation" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/54.md"
+cite_case 55 '- Bad token (#).'
+check "cite: an empty reference is no reference" 1 \
+  "has an entry with no issue citation" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/55.md"
+
+# The citation need not name the file's own issue (D3): the filename already
+# carries the authorizing one, so an entry may cite the incident beside it.
+cite_case 56 '- Cites another issue entirely (#101).'
+check "cite: the reference need not match the filename" 0 "" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/56.md"
+
+# Ordering: the bound outranks the cite across the whole fragment, so a
+# fragment that reds today draws the diagnosis it drew before this rule
+# existed. The uncited entry comes FIRST here on purpose — the other order
+# would pass whatever the precedence is.
+{
+  printf -- '- Uncited, and it comes first.\n'
+  printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 301)"
+} >"$PF/57.md"
+check "cite: an over-bound entry outranks an earlier uncited one" 1 \
+  "57.md' has a 301-character entry" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/57.md"
+assert_one_diagnosis() {
+  local count
+  count="$(changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/$1.md" | wc -l)"
+  [ "$count" = 1 ] || {
+    printf 'wanted one diagnosis, got %s\n' "$count"
+    return 1
+  }
+}
+check "cite: the outranked citation problem is not reported beside it" 0 "" \
+  assert_one_diagnosis 57
+
+# The axis 57.md cannot test: its over-bound entry is LAST, so the only
+# flush that can print is END's, which exits immediately. A flush from a
+# main rule exits too — but awk runs END on the way out, so the citation
+# row a mid-file length row outranks would print after it unless END is
+# guarded. Both ways out of the walk, a bullet and a heading.
+{
+  printf -- '- Uncited, and it comes first.\n'
+  printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 301)"
+  printf -- '- A later entry the walk never reaches (#57).\n'
+} >"$PF/58.md"
+check "cite: an over-bound entry that is not the last one still reports the bound" 1 \
+  "58.md' has a 301-character entry" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/58.md"
+check "cite: and it is still one diagnosis, not the protocol row spliced into it" 0 "" \
+  assert_one_diagnosis 58
+{
+  printf '### Fixed\n'
+  printf -- '- Misplaced, and it comes first. (#59)\n'
+  printf -- '- %s\n' "$(mkchars 301)"
+  printf '### Changed\n'
+  printf -- '- The heading is the other way out of the walk (#59).\n'
+} >"$PF/59.md"
+check "cite: a heading after the over-bound entry is the same one diagnosis" 1 \
+  "59.md' has a 301-character entry" \
+  changelog_fragment_problem "$PF/59.md"
+check "cite: the misplaced row does not ride along with it either" 0 "" \
+  assert_one_diagnosis 59
+
+# Published sections keep their pre-rule prose (D4): reddening history is a
+# wall, not a guard. Every shipped section predates the cite.
+check "cite: a published section with uncited entries still reds nothing" 0 "" \
+  changelog_section_problem "$ROOT/CHANGELOG.md" 0.3.0
+
+# The fragments this repo carries right now are the rule's own first
+# constituency — the guard is worth nothing if the tree it ships in fails it.
+assert_tree_fragments() {
+  local f
+  while IFS= read -r f; do
+    [ -n "$f" ] || continue
+    changelog_fragment_problem "$f" || return 1
+  done <<<"$(changelog_fragments "$ROOT/changelog.d")"
+}
+check "cite: every fragment in this tree passes the rule it ships" 0 "" \
+  assert_tree_fragments
+
 # --- the assembler (#114) ----------------------------------------------------
 
 assert_assemble() {
@@ -347,11 +492,11 @@ mkdir -p "$AF"
 printf 'marker\n' >"$AF/README.md"
 cat >"$AF/3.md" <<'EOF'
 - Three — an em dash, and prose that
-  wraps onto a continuation line.
+  wraps onto a continuation line (#3).
 EOF
-printf -- '- Ten.\n- Ten again.\n' >"$AF/10.md"
+printf -- '- Ten (#10).\n- Ten again (#10).\n' >"$AF/10.md"
 check "assemble: flat fragments, newest issue first, prose verbatim" 0 "" \
-  assert_assemble "$AF" $'- Ten.\n- Ten again.\n- Three — an em dash, and prose that\n  wraps onto a continuation line.'
+  assert_assemble "$AF" $'- Ten (#10).\n- Ten again (#10).\n- Three — an em dash, and prose that\n  wraps onto a continuation line (#3).'
 
 check "assemble: an empty directory is empty output — refusing is the caller's stance" 0 "" \
   changelog_assemble "$TMP/no-such-dir"
@@ -361,36 +506,36 @@ mkdir -p "$AG"
 cat >"$AG/21.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Fixed twenty-one.
+- Fixed twenty-one (#21).
 EOF
 cat >"$AG/20.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Added twenty.
+- Added twenty (#20).
 
 ### Docs
 
-- Docs twenty.
+- Docs twenty (#20).
 EOF
 cat >"$AG/19.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Security
 
-- Security nineteen.
+- Security nineteen (#19).
 
 ### Added
 
-- Added nineteen.
+- Added nineteen (#19).
 EOF
 check "assemble: canonical group order, unnamed group appended, fragment order inside a group" 0 "" \
-  assert_assemble "$AG" $'### Added\n\n- Added twenty.\n- Added nineteen.\n\n### Fixed\n\n- Fixed twenty-one.\n\n### Security\n\n- Security nineteen.\n\n### Docs\n\n- Docs twenty.'
+  assert_assemble "$AG" $'### Added\n\n- Added twenty (#20).\n- Added nineteen (#19).\n\n### Fixed\n\n- Fixed twenty-one (#21).\n\n### Security\n\n- Security nineteen (#19).\n\n### Docs\n\n- Docs twenty (#20).'
 
 AM="$TMP/assemble-mixed"
 mkdir -p "$AM"
-printf -- '- Flat five.\n' >"$AM/5.md"
+printf -- '- Flat five (#5).\n' >"$AM/5.md"
 cat >"$AM/6.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Grouped six.
+- Grouped six (#6).
 EOF
 check "assemble: mixed shapes refused, grouped side named" 1 "6.md" \
   changelog_assemble "$AM"
@@ -400,11 +545,11 @@ check "assemble: mixed shapes refused, flat side named too" 1 "5.md" \
 AX="$TMP/assemble-selfmixed"
 mkdir -p "$AX"
 cat >"$AX/7.md" <<'EOF'
-- Ungrouped lead.
+- Ungrouped lead (#7).
 
 ### Added
 
-- Grouped follow.
+- Grouped follow (#7).
 EOF
 check "assemble: one fragment mixing both shapes is refused, file named" 1 \
   "'$AX/7.md' mixes grouped headings and ungrouped bullets" \
@@ -429,14 +574,14 @@ cat >"$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" <<'EOF'
 
 - Older section is grouped.
 EOF
-printf -- '- Flat fragment.\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md"
+printf -- '- Flat fragment (#1).\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md"
 check "shape: flat set matches newest flat published section" 0 "" \
   changelog_shape_problem "$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" "$SHAPE_DIR"
 
 cat >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#1).
 EOF
 check "shape: grouped set names its conflict with newest flat published section" 1 \
   "fragment '$SHAPE_DIR/1.md' is grouped but newest published section '2.0.0' in '$SHAPE_CHANGELOG' is flat" \
@@ -451,7 +596,7 @@ cat >"$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" <<'EOF'
 
 - Newest section is grouped.
 EOF
-printf -- '- Flat fragment.\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md"
+printf -- '- Flat fragment (#1).\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md"
 check "shape: flat set names its conflict with newest grouped published section" 1 \
   "fragment '$SHAPE_DIR/1.md' is flat but newest published section '2.0.0' in '$SHAPE_CHANGELOG' is grouped" \
   changelog_shape_problem "$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" "$SHAPE_DIR"
@@ -459,7 +604,7 @@ check "shape: flat set names its conflict with newest grouped published section"
 cat >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#1).
 EOF
 check "shape: grouped set matches newest grouped published section" 0 "" \
   changelog_shape_problem "$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" "$SHAPE_DIR"
@@ -484,7 +629,7 @@ EOF
 cat >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#1).
 EOF
 printf 'grouped\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/shape"
 check "shape: 'grouped' sentinel admits a grouped set over a flat published section" 0 "" \
@@ -492,7 +637,7 @@ check "shape: 'grouped' sentinel admits a grouped set over a flat published sect
 check "shape: the sentinel binds with no changelog at all — the assembler's call" 0 "" \
   changelog_shape_problem "" "$SHAPE_DIR"
 
-printf -- '- Flat fragment.\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md"
+printf -- '- Flat fragment (#1).\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md"
 check "shape: flat fragment under a 'grouped' sentinel refused, fragment and sentinel named" 1 \
   "fragment '$SHAPE_DIR/1.md' is flat but '$SHAPE_DIR/shape' declares grouped" \
   changelog_shape_problem "$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" "$SHAPE_DIR"
@@ -512,14 +657,14 @@ check "shape: 'flat' sentinel admits a flat set over a grouped published section
 cat >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#1).
 EOF
 check "shape: grouped fragment under a 'flat' sentinel refused, fragment and sentinel named" 1 \
   "fragment '$SHAPE_DIR/1.md' is grouped but '$SHAPE_DIR/shape' declares flat" \
   changelog_shape_problem "$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" "$SHAPE_DIR"
 
 printf 'grouped\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/shape"
-printf -- '- Flat two.\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/2.md"
+printf -- '- Flat two (#2).\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/2.md"
 check "shape: a mixed set is refused regardless of the sentinel" 1 \
   "fragment '$SHAPE_DIR/1.md' is grouped but fragment '$SHAPE_DIR/2.md' is not" \
   changelog_shape_problem "$SHAPE_CHANGELOG" "$SHAPE_DIR"
@@ -558,7 +703,7 @@ printf 'grouped\n' >"$SHAPE_DIR/shape"
 cat >"$SHAPE_DIR/1.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Grouped fragment.
+- Grouped fragment (#1).
 EOF
 assert_fragments_exclude_sentinel() {
   local out
@@ -579,17 +724,17 @@ printf 'grouped\n' >"$AS/shape"
 cat >"$AS/30.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Fixed
 
-- Fixed thirty.
+- Fixed thirty (#30).
 EOF
 cat >"$AS/31.md" <<'EOF'
 ### Added
 
-- Added thirty-one.
+- Added thirty-one (#31).
 EOF
 check "assemble: the sentinel never assembles, and canonical order holds under it" 0 "" \
-  assert_assemble "$AS" $'### Added\n\n- Added thirty-one.\n\n### Fixed\n\n- Fixed thirty.'
+  assert_assemble "$AS" $'### Added\n\n- Added thirty-one (#31).\n\n### Fixed\n\n- Fixed thirty (#30).'
 rm "$AS/30.md" "$AS/31.md"
-printf -- '- Flat probe.\n' >"$AS/29.md"
+printf -- '- Flat probe (#29).\n' >"$AS/29.md"
 check "assemble: a flat set under a 'grouped' sentinel refuses to assemble" 1 \
   "declares grouped" \
   changelog_assemble "$AS"