diff --git a/internal/check-done-evidence.mjs b/internal/check-done-evidence.mjs
index 27e76949e..a3f54b47c 100644
--- a/internal/check-done-evidence.mjs
+++ b/internal/check-done-evidence.mjs
@@ -75,6 +75,30 @@ let checked = 0, done = 0
 const offenders = []
 const staleBaseline = []
 
+// What counts as evidence on a done card, by schema family:
+//   1. `bluf` or a non-empty `fields` object (the original schema);
+//   2. `one_line` or `verify` (the second schema; see the note in the loop below);
+//   3. a non-empty `evidence` LIST with at least one non-blank entry. 44 cards record their proof
+//      this way, and 12 of them carry none of the other fields, so each false-failed on closing
+//      (DESIGN-TEAM-ROLES-MEMBER-DESIGNER-ADMIN did, with its proof sitting in the list).
+function carriesEvidence(c) {
+  const str = (v) => String(v || '').trim().length > 0
+  if (str(c.bluf) || str(c.one_line) || str(c.verify)) return true
+  if (c.fields && Object.keys(c.fields).length > 0) return true
+  if (Array.isArray(c.evidence) && c.evidence.some((e) => str(typeof e === 'string' ? e : JSON.stringify(e ?? '')))) return true
+  return false
+}
+// Self-test, both sides: a non-empty list passes; an empty list, or one of blanks, still fails.
+{
+  const ok = carriesEvidence({ status: 'done', evidence: ['check:x PASS 12/12'] })
+  const empty = carriesEvidence({ status: 'done', evidence: [] })
+  const blanks = carriesEvidence({ status: 'done', evidence: ['', '  '] })
+  if (!ok || empty || blanks) {
+    console.error('DONE-EVIDENCE: SELF-TEST FAILED — an evidence list is not judged by its content')
+    process.exit(1)
+  }
+}
+
 for (const rel of BACKLOGS) {
   const p = join(QA, rel)
   if (!existsSync(p)) continue
@@ -84,8 +108,6 @@ for (const rel of BACKLOGS) {
     checked++
     if (c.status !== 'done') continue
     done++
-    const hasBluf = String(c.bluf || '').trim().length > 0
-    const hasFields = c.fields && Object.keys(c.fields).length > 0
     // ★ THE BOARD USES TWO CARD SCHEMAS, and this gate only knew one. Older cards carry
     // `bluf` + `fields`; a second family carries `one_line` (what was done), `why`, and
     // `verify` (the artifact and how it was checked). MEASURED 2026-09-24 across 443 done
@@ -96,9 +118,7 @@ for (const rel of BACKLOGS) {
     // which is exactly what "evidence" means here. Demanding a redundant `bluf` alongside
     // it would have taught the next agent to pad the field the checker reads rather than
     // write the record — the gate training the behaviour it exists to prevent.
-    const hasVerify = String(c.verify || '').trim().length > 0
-    const hasOneLine = String(c.one_line || '').trim().length > 0
-    if (hasBluf || hasFields || hasVerify || hasOneLine) {
+    if (carriesEvidence(c)) {
       // A baselined id that now HAS evidence is stale — report it so the list shrinks.
       if (BASELINE.has(c.id)) staleBaseline.push(`${c.id} (${rel})`)
       continue
@@ -119,11 +139,11 @@ if (offenders.length) {
   for (const o of offenders) console.error(`  ✗ ${o}`)
   console.error(
     '\n  Add ONE of: `bluf` or `one_line` saying what was done, `verify` naming how it was checked,\n' +
-    '  or a `fields` entry naming the artifact. Any ONE of the four is enough — the point is a\n' +
+    '  a `fields` entry naming the artifact, or an `evidence` list. Any ONE is enough — the point is a\n' +
     '  record a reader can reconcile against the code, not a particular field name.\n' +
     '  it was verified. Write it now, while the work is fresh — reconstructing it later produces a\n' +
     '  plausible story indistinguishable from a real record.'
   )
   process.exit(1)
 }
-console.log('DONE-EVIDENCE: PASS — every done card carries evidence (bluf, one_line, verify or fields).')
+console.log('DONE-EVIDENCE: PASS — every done card carries evidence (bluf, one_line, verify, fields or an evidence list).')