diff --git a/internal/check-one-palette.mjs b/internal/check-one-palette.mjs
index f0edc87be..3c7366901 100644
--- a/internal/check-one-palette.mjs
+++ b/internal/check-one-palette.mjs
@@ -63,17 +63,61 @@ if (!existsSync(BUILT)) {
   process.exit(0)
 }
 
+/**
+ * The hexes of the PALETTE export ONLY: from `export const PALETTE` to its matching closing brace, and
+ * only inside string literals. It used to match every hex from the export to the END OF THE FILE,
+ * comments included, so a later note such as "REJECTED #AF7AC5, scored 2.95, under the 3.0 floor"
+ * (affinity-block.js) obliged every consumer to ship a colour rejected on WCAG grounds.
+ * Returns null when the module has no PALETTE export.
+ */
+export function paletteHexes(src) {
+  const at = src.indexOf('export const PALETTE')
+  if (at < 0) return null
+  const open = src.indexOf('{', at), openArr = src.indexOf('[', at)
+  const start = [open, openArr].filter((i) => i >= 0).sort((a, b) => a - b)[0]
+  if (start === undefined) return []
+  const close = { '{': '}', '[': ']' }[src[start]]
+  let depth = 0, i = start, quote = null
+  const strings = []
+  let cur = ''
+  for (; i < src.length; i++) {
+    const c = src[i], n = src[i + 1]
+    if (quote) {
+      if (c === '\\') { cur += c + n; i++; continue }
+      if (c === quote) { strings.push(cur); cur = ''; quote = null; continue }
+      cur += c; continue
+    }
+    if (c === '/' && n === '/') { i = src.indexOf('\n', i); if (i < 0) break; continue }
+    if (c === '/' && n === '*') { i = src.indexOf('*/', i + 2) + 1; if (i <= 0) break; continue }
+    if (c === "'" || c === '"' || c === '`') { quote = c; continue }
+    if (c === src[start]) depth++
+    else if (c === close && --depth === 0) break
+  }
+  return [...new Set(strings.flatMap((t) => [...t.matchAll(/#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}\b/g)].map((m) => m[0].toLowerCase())))]
+}
+
+if (process.argv.includes('--self-test')) {
+  const src = [
+    "export const PALETTE = {",
+    "  a: '#112233', // not #445566 (a comment inside the export)",
+    "  /* nor #778899 */ b: \"#aabbcc\",",
+    "}",
+    "// REJECTED #af7ac5, scored 2.95, under the 3.0 floor",
+    "export const OTHER = { c: '#ddeeff' }",
+  ].join('\n')
+  const got = paletteHexes(src).join(',')
+  if (got !== '#112233,#aabbcc') { console.error(`ONE-PALETTE: SELF-TEST FAIL — read ${got}, want #112233,#aabbcc`); process.exit(1) }
+  console.log('ONE-PALETTE: SELF-TEST PASS — only the PALETTE export\'s string values are read; comments and later code are not.')
+  process.exit(0)
+}
+
 // ── the expected palettes, read from the strategy modules the MAP uses ────────────────────────
 const strategies = {}
 for (const f of readdirSync(COLORS)) {
   if (!f.endsWith('.js') || f.startsWith('_') || f.startsWith('.')) continue
   const src = readFileSync(join(COLORS, f), 'utf8')
-  // Only the PALETTE export — a module may also contain incidental hexes (a default, a comment)
-  // that no consumer is obliged to ship.
-  const at = src.indexOf('export const PALETTE')
-  if (at < 0) continue
-  const hexes = [...new Set([...src.slice(at).matchAll(/#[0-9a-fA-F]{6}/g)].map((m) => m[0].toLowerCase()))]
-  if (hexes.length) strategies[f.replace(/\.js$/, '')] = hexes
+  const hexes = paletteHexes(src)
+  if (hexes && hexes.length) strategies[f.replace(/\.js$/, '')] = hexes
 }
 
 // ── the consumers that must agree ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index ab16932c8..9c0621745 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@
     "check:no-orphan-gates": "node internal/check-no-orphan-gates.mjs",
     "check:no-public-binds": "node internal/check-no-public-binds.mjs",
     "check:one-palette": "node internal/check-one-palette.mjs",
+    "check:one-palette:self-test": "node internal/check-one-palette.mjs --self-test",
     "check:packet-browser": "node internal/check-packet-browser.mjs",
     "check:packet-fixture": "node internal/generate-packet-fixture.mjs --check",
     "check:packet-render": "node internal/check-packet-render.mjs",
@@ -199,7 +200,7 @@
     "dev": "bun x vite",
     "fix:sri": "node internal/fix-sri.mjs",
     "gallery": "node internal/generate-gallery.mjs",
-    "gates:post": "node internal/run-parallel.mjs --label=post -- check:drop check:parse verify check:sri check:public-hygiene check:label-joins check:facet-cascade check:facet-one-field check:heartbeat check:kpi-unit check:composite-reg check:descriptions check:no-abs-paths check:no-codename check:dep-names check:composite-srcs check:embed-targets check:nested-token check:i18n-parity check:tabs-localized check:packets-all check:packet-strings-parity check:zone-census check:share-policy check:library-index check:csv-shape check:capability-citations check:catalog-identity check:no-orphan-gates check:quoted-scripts check:done-evidence check:script-flags check:backlog-status check:capability-exemplars check:packet-fixture check:packet-browser check:provider-switch check:locale-reachable check:url-resolver check:manifest-covers check:one-palette check:pin-dim-slider check:legend-source check:backlog-refs check:clustering-modes check:composite-embed-knobs check:composite-locale-leaks check:linked-vocabulary check:wp-embed check:dashboard-geocoder-provider check:leaf-engine-per-provider check:map-props-unit check:composites-mount check:composite-interop check:no-free-identifiers check:map-fly-reduced-motion check:mst-clustering check:list-prop-unit check:profiles-mount check:cdn-pins check:no-eval check:popup-escaping check:i18n-treeshake check:pinned-umd",
+    "gates:post": "node internal/run-parallel.mjs --label=post -- check:drop check:parse verify check:sri check:public-hygiene check:label-joins check:facet-cascade check:facet-one-field check:heartbeat check:kpi-unit check:composite-reg check:descriptions check:no-abs-paths check:no-codename check:dep-names check:composite-srcs check:embed-targets check:nested-token check:i18n-parity check:tabs-localized check:packets-all check:packet-strings-parity check:zone-census check:share-policy check:library-index check:csv-shape check:capability-citations check:catalog-identity check:no-orphan-gates check:quoted-scripts check:done-evidence check:script-flags check:backlog-status check:capability-exemplars check:packet-fixture check:packet-browser check:provider-switch check:locale-reachable check:url-resolver check:manifest-covers check:one-palette check:pin-dim-slider check:legend-source check:backlog-refs check:clustering-modes check:composite-embed-knobs check:composite-locale-leaks check:linked-vocabulary check:wp-embed check:dashboard-geocoder-provider check:leaf-engine-per-provider check:map-props-unit check:composites-mount check:composite-interop check:no-free-identifiers check:map-fly-reduced-motion check:mst-clustering check:list-prop-unit check:profiles-mount check:cdn-pins check:no-eval check:popup-escaping check:i18n-treeshake check:pinned-umd check:one-palette:self-test",
     "gates:pre": "node internal/run-parallel.mjs --label=pre -- check:template-literal check:mjs-parse check:sfc-parse check:tab-radius check:synced-css check:doc-scripts",
     "library-index": "node internal/generate-library-index.mjs",
     "lists": "node library/scripts/people-groups/build-lists.mjs",