diff --git a/assets/agents/code-reviewer/graph.yaml b/assets/agents/code-reviewer/graph.yaml
index 39a6623..0a2eb5a 100644
--- a/assets/agents/code-reviewer/graph.yaml
+++ b/assets/agents/code-reviewer/graph.yaml
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ settings:
 
 initial_state:
   project_dir_in: ''
+  verify_retries: 0
   diff_spec: auto
   intent: ''
   rigor_in: ''
@@ -522,6 +523,14 @@ nodes:
     state_updates:
       verifier_output: '{{output}}'
     fallback: verdict
+    next: verify_gate
+
+  verify_gate:
+    id: verify_gate
+    type: script
+    description: Local verifier-fault retry — when the verifier completed but its output carries PIPELINE-FAULT markers (or the verifier died), re-run the cheap finding-verifier ONCE instead of letting the fault escalate into a full lane re-run at the gauntlet. Falls through to verdict when clean or out of retries; a gate crash falls forward on the declared edge.
+    script: scripts/verify_gate.py
+    timeout: 60
     next: verdict
 
   verdict:
diff --git a/assets/agents/code-reviewer/scripts/verdict.py b/assets/agents/code-reviewer/scripts/verdict.py
index 1eeea61..1718400 100644
--- a/assets/agents/code-reviewer/scripts/verdict.py
+++ b/assets/agents/code-reviewer/scripts/verdict.py
@@ -165,14 +165,32 @@ def main():
         if v.get("id") == "pipeline-fault"
         or (isinstance(v.get("note"), str) and v["note"].lstrip().startswith("PIPELINE-FAULT:"))
     ]
-    if fv_faults:
-        first = fv_faults[0].get("note")
+    # parse_fault's sentinel = the verifier verified NOTHING (hard fault, lane-
+    # degrading). Per-finding verify_fault / crash-guard notes = those findings
+    # simply stand UNVERIFIED (soft: proportionate NEEDS-HUMAN attention — a
+    # ~1 h lane re-run to re-check a few findings is the wrong trade, and the
+    # verify_gate node already retried the verifier locally once).
+    hard_fv = [v for v in fv_faults if v.get("id") == "pipeline-fault"]
+    soft_fv = [v for v in fv_faults if v.get("id") != "pipeline-fault"]
+
+    def _fv_detail(entries):
+        first = entries[0].get("note")
         detail = first.strip().replace("\n", " ") if isinstance(first, str) else ""
         if len(detail) > MAX_DETAIL_CHARS:
             detail = detail[: MAX_DETAIL_CHARS - 1] + "…"
+        return detail
+
+    soft_notes = []
+    if hard_fv:
         faults.append(
-            f"PIPELINE-FAULT: finding verification degraded — {len(fv_faults)} verifier "
-            f"verdict(s) carry a pipeline fault ({detail})"
+            "PIPELINE-FAULT: finding verification degraded — the verifier verified "
+            f"nothing ({_fv_detail(hard_fv)})"
+        )
+    if soft_fv:
+        soft_notes.append(
+            f"Verifier: {len(soft_fv)} finding(s) could not be verified (verifier "
+            f"branch fault: {_fv_detail(soft_fv)}) — they stand above UNVERIFIED; "
+            "verify them manually"
         )
     # Keyed off synth_failure + a non-empty diff, NEVER off findings == [] —
     # a clean review legitimately has zero findings and stays MERGE-READY.
@@ -190,7 +208,7 @@ def main():
     # faults go FIRST and uncapped so the display cap can never hide one;
     # the trigger reason keys off the human-facing triggers alone
     has_triggers = bool(attention)
-    attention = faults + attention[:5]
+    attention = faults + soft_notes + attention[:5]
 
     reasons = []
     if counts["🔴"]:
@@ -200,6 +218,11 @@ def main():
     if faults:
         # CONTRACT: review-gauntlet/verdict_gate.py anchors on this wording
         reasons.append("pipeline fault(s) recorded — degraded run")
+    if soft_notes:
+        # Deliberately does NOT match the gauntlet's degraded-run anchors:
+        # unverified findings are a human-attention item, not a re-runnable
+        # lane fault.
+        reasons.append(f"{len(soft_fv)} finding(s) unverified (verifier branch fault)")
     if has_triggers:
         reasons.append("always-human trigger(s) fired")
     verdict = "NEEDS-HUMAN" if reasons else "MERGE-READY"
diff --git a/assets/agents/code-reviewer/scripts/verify_gate.py b/assets/agents/code-reviewer/scripts/verify_gate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3e02efa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/assets/agents/code-reviewer/scripts/verify_gate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Local verifier-fault retry gate for the code-reviewer graph.
+
+finding-verifier converts its own branch faults into DATA (UNVERIFIABLE
+verdicts with a PIPELINE-FAULT: note, or parse_fault's pipeline-fault
+sentinel), so the verify agent node completes "successfully" and its
+max_attempts never fires. Without this gate the fault escalates all the
+way to the gauntlet, which re-runs the ENTIRE code-review lane (~1 h) to
+recover a ~4-minute verifier — the wrong trade. This gate re-runs just
+the verifier ONCE; if faults persist, verdict.py downgrades them to a
+proportionate NEEDS-HUMAN (findings stand, unverified).
+
+Anchored detection only: the JSON-encoded note prefix and the sentinel id
+— a finding merely QUOTING the marker mid-text does not trip it. Always
+exits 0 with valid JSON; a crash falls forward on the declared edge.
+"""
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+
+
+def load_state():
+    if path := os.environ.get("GRAPH_STATE_FILE"):
+        with open(path) as f:
+            return json.load(f)
+    return json.loads(os.environ.get("GRAPH_STATE", "{}"))
+
+
+try:
+    state = load_state()
+    raw = state.get("verifier_output")
+    text = raw if isinstance(raw, str) else (json.dumps(raw) if raw is not None else "")
+    faulted = (
+        text.lstrip().startswith("Agent node failed:")
+        or '"note": "PIPELINE-FAULT:' in text
+        or "'note': 'PIPELINE-FAULT:" in text
+        or '"id": "pipeline-fault"' in text
+    )
+    try:
+        retries = int(state.get("verify_retries") or 0)
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        retries = 0
+    if faulted and retries < 1:
+        sys.stderr.write(
+            "WARN: verifier output carries pipeline-fault markers — re-running "
+            "finding-verifier locally (attempt 2/2) before computing the verdict.\n"
+        )
+        print(json.dumps({"_next": "verify", "verify_retries": retries + 1}))
+    else:
+        print(json.dumps({"verify_retries": retries}))
+except Exception as e:  # never block the verdict
+    print(json.dumps({"verify_gate_error": f"verify_gate crashed: {e}"}))
diff --git a/assets/agents/finding-verifier/graph.yaml b/assets/agents/finding-verifier/graph.yaml
index cebc2c6..2e03f57 100644
--- a/assets/agents/finding-verifier/graph.yaml
+++ b/assets/agents/finding-verifier/graph.yaml
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ nodes:
       - fs_read
       - fs_cat
       - fs_grep
-    max_iterations: 8
+    max_iterations: 14
     max_attempts: 2
     state_updates:
       verdict: '{{output}}'
diff --git a/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/graph.yaml b/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/graph.yaml
index cc58f67..7b4ffc0 100644
--- a/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/graph.yaml
+++ b/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/graph.yaml
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ settings:
   timeout: 69600
 
 initial_state:
+  retry_notes: []
   diff_spec: worktree
   plan_context: ''
   rigor: production
diff --git a/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/retry_gate.py b/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/retry_gate.py
index 8346a56..c3d79da 100644
--- a/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/retry_gate.py
+++ b/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/retry_gate.py
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ hard rules:
 import json
 import os
 import re
+import sys
 import time
 
 # 69600 (graph timeout) − 2 × 11400 (largest lane envelope) − 1200 (script stages)
@@ -184,6 +185,26 @@ def main():
             "review_incomplete": incomplete,
         }
     )
+    prior_notes = state.get("retry_notes")
+    notes = [n for n in prior_notes if isinstance(n, str)] if isinstance(prior_notes, list) else []
+    for lane in declined:
+        notes.append(
+            f"lane {lane} faulted and was NOT re-run "
+            f"(attempts {attempts.get(lane, '?')}/{MAX_ATTEMPTS}"
+            + ("" if within_budget else "; wall-clock budget exhausted")
+            + ") — recorded in review_incomplete"
+        )
+    for lane in retry:
+        notes.append(
+            f"lane {lane} faulted (missing / sentinel-less / degraded report) — "
+            f"re-running: attempt {attempts.get(lane, 0) + 1}/{MAX_ATTEMPTS}"
+        )
+    if retry or declined:
+        # stderr is discarded on success by today's engine but is the
+        # forward-compatible live-visibility channel; retry_notes carries the
+        # same lines into the final report either way.
+        sys.stderr.write("WARN: " + " | ".join(notes[-(len(retry) + len(declined)):]) + "\n")
+    out["retry_notes"] = notes
     if retry:
         out["_next"] = "build_items"
     print(json.dumps(out))
diff --git a/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/verdict_gate.py b/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/verdict_gate.py
index 5f496bc..d86dfe2 100644
--- a/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/verdict_gate.py
+++ b/assets/agents/review-gauntlet/scripts/verdict_gate.py
@@ -360,6 +360,11 @@ def main():
         + [f"| {lane} | {status} | {detail} |" for lane, (status, detail) in rows.items()]
     )
     md += "\n\n## Lane selection\n" + (state.get("lanes_summary") or "(none recorded)")
+    _notes = state.get("retry_notes")
+    if isinstance(_notes, list):
+        _shown = [n for n in _notes if isinstance(n, str)][:8]
+        if _shown:
+            md += "\n\n## Pipeline notes\n" + "\n".join(f"- {n}" for n in _shown)
     if blockers:
         md += "\n\n## Blockers\n" + "\n".join(f"- {b}" for b in blockers)
     if attention: