diff --git a/.github/scripts/intake-triage/admit.mjs b/.github/scripts/intake-triage/admit.mjs
index dbb571a83f..bfe2ebee54 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/intake-triage/admit.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/intake-triage/admit.mjs
@@ -655,7 +655,7 @@ export async function sayWhy(github, repository, base, comments, text) {
 // The body, the comment count and the first 100 comments, each with its
 // author, last editor and edit time: the first 100 comments are what pr-verify
 // reads, and it stops on an issue with more.
-const SPEC_COMMENTS = 100;
+export const SPEC_COMMENTS = 100;
 const SPEC_QUERY = `query($owner: String!, $name: String!, $number: Int!) {
   repository(owner: $owner, name: $name) { issue(number: $number) {
     body lastEditedAt author { ...actor } editor { ...actor }
diff --git a/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.mjs b/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.mjs
index 782283a0e0..39052e5cad 100755
--- a/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.mjs
@@ -27,8 +27,9 @@
 // criteria as a task list. On an issue a listed human filed, admit.mjs and
 // pr-verify count the newest refinement as spec while it is unedited (owner
 // decision Q78); on any other issue its criteria count only once a listed
-// human posts them as their own. Only when that text already holds a task list
-// (admit.mjs hasTrustedCriteria) does it ask for one more triage, which runs
+// human posts them as their own. Only when that text, with this refinement
+// counted as posted, holds a task list (admit.mjs hasTrustedCriteria) does it
+// ask for one more triage, which runs
 // admission again: it takes the lanes App's `status: needs-decision` off, or,
 // for a `status: ready` issue admission has not taken, keeps the labels, adds
 // `needs-triage`, and sets the job's `redispatch` output. Otherwise the labels
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ import { appendFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { writeOutputs } from "../../actions/check-kill-switch/check-kill-switch.mjs";
 import { createGitHub, GitHubError, loadTrustedList, paginate } from "../../actions/check-trusted-trigger/check-trusted-trigger.mjs";
 import { selectTrustedIssueComments } from "../../actions/select-trusted-text/select-trusted-text.mjs";
-import { ADMIT_MARKER, decisionStays, hasTrustedCriteria, loadRules, REFINE_FOOTERS, REFINE_MARKER, refusalText, specOf, taskItems, unrunnableCriteria, unrunnableReason } from "./admit.mjs";
+import { ADMIT_MARKER, decisionStays, hasTrustedCriteria, loadRules, REFINE_FOOTERS, REFINE_MARKER, refusalText, SPEC_COMMENTS, specOf, taskItems, unrunnableCriteria, unrunnableReason } from "./admit.mjs";
 import { LANES_APP_LOGIN, MARKER } from "./apply-verdict.mjs";
 import { linesDigest, renderSplitRecord, SIZE_SPLIT_MARKER, SIZE_SPLIT_PENDING, SPLIT_CHILD_MARKER, splitChildHeader, splitRecord, splitSourceLine, splitTaskLines } from "./admit.mjs";
 
@@ -577,8 +578,8 @@ export function splitBody(body, taskList, moved) {
 // edit leaves the held items in place for the next triage to hold and split
 // again, reusing that comment.
 // `humans` and `rules` decide whether an exact refinement asks for a
-// re-triage (admit.mjs hasTrustedCriteria); a failed read of the spec throws
-// before any label write.
+// re-triage (admit.mjs hasTrustedCriteria, over the spec with this refinement
+// posted); a failed read of the spec throws before any label write.
 export async function applyRefinement({ github, repository, number, appId, humans, rules, output, context, log = console.log }) {
   const base = `/repos/${repository}/issues/${number}`;
   const issue = await github("GET", base);
@@ -622,14 +623,20 @@ export async function applyRefinement({ github, repository, number, appId, human
     return { outcome: "split", redispatch: true };
   }
   const post = (retriage = false) => github("POST", `${base}/comments`, { body: render(output, { body: issue.body, retriage }) });
-  // Admission reads criteria only from a listed human's text, so a re-triage
-  // without them would refuse again: one read, before any label write.
+  // Admission reads criteria only from a listed human's text and, on an issue
+  // a listed human filed, the newest unedited refinement, so a re-triage
+  // without them would refuse again. It judges the spec as it will read once
+  // this refinement is posted, as the newest comment: one read, before any
+  // label write. Past admission's comment window the refinement is unread
+  // and admission refuses, so it asks for no triage.
   const untrusted = async () => {
-    if (hasTrustedCriteria(await specOf(github, repository, number), humans, rules["task-list"], appId)) {
+    const spec = await specOf(github, repository, number);
+    const refinement = { body: render(output, { body: issue.body, retriage: true }), lastEditedAt: null, author: { __typename: "Bot", databaseId: appId } };
+    if (spec.commentCount < SPEC_COMMENTS && hasTrustedCriteria({ ...spec, comments: [...spec.comments, refinement] }, humans, rules["task-list"], appId)) {
       return false;
     }
     await post();
-    log(`refine: #${number} is exact; no listed human's text holds a task list yet, so the labels stay and no triage is asked`);
+    log(`refine: #${number} is exact; no text admission counts holds a task list yet, so the labels stay and no triage is asked`);
     return true;
   };
   if (!output.exact) {
@@ -644,7 +651,8 @@ export async function applyRefinement({ github, repository, number, appId, human
     return { outcome: "needs-decision", redispatch: false };
   }
   // A `status: ready` issue admission has not taken (no needs-decision, no
-  // agent-ready) is triaged again when a listed human's text holds criteria.
+  // agent-ready) is triaged again when the text admission counts, with this
+  // refinement posted, holds criteria.
   if (!labels.includes(NEEDS_DECISION)) {
     if (!labels.includes(READY) || labels.includes(AGENT_READY)) {
       await post();
diff --git a/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.test.mjs b/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.test.mjs
index bc4388d5fa..49ac1d7e73 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.test.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/intake-triage/refine.test.mjs
@@ -418,8 +418,10 @@ describe("applyRefinement", () => {
     );
   });
 
-  // Owner decision Q9: admission reads criteria only from a listed human's
-  // text, so a re-triage on the App's text alone would only refuse again.
+  // Owner decisions Q9 and Q78: admission reads criteria from a listed
+  // human's text and, on an issue a listed human filed, the newest unedited
+  // refinement, this one once posted; a re-triage on other text would only
+  // refuse again.
   for (const [branch, setup] of [
     ["the App's needs-decision", { issue: issueOf(), events: labeledBy(APP) }],
     ["a status: ready issue awaiting admission", { issue: issueOf({ labels: [{ name: "status: ready" }] }), events: [] }],
@@ -440,6 +442,45 @@ describe("applyRefinement", () => {
       assert.match(writes(fake.calls).at(-1).body.body, /triages the issue again/);
     });
 
+    // A listed human filed it with no task list, so the refinement this
+    // run posts is the spec admission reads.
+    test(`an exact refinement of ${branch} re-triages when a listed human filed it and only this refinement will hold the task list`, async () => {
+      const fake = fakeGitHub({ ...setup, comments: [laneComment()], spec: specOf() });
+      assert.deepEqual(await apply(fake, EXACT), { outcome: "exact", redispatch: true });
+      const done = writes(fake.calls).map(({ method, path }) => `${method} ${path}`);
+      const lifted = setup.events.length > 0 ? ["DELETE /repos/o/r/issues/7/labels/status%3A%20needs-decision"] : [];
+      assert.deepEqual(done, ["POST /repos/o/r/issues/7/labels", ...lifted, "POST /repos/o/r/issues/7/comments"]);
+      assert.deepEqual(writes(fake.calls)[0].body, { labels: ["needs-triage"] });
+      assert.match(writes(fake.calls).at(-1).body.body, /triages the issue again/);
+    });
+
+    test(`an exact refinement of ${branch} re-triages over an older unedited refinement with no task list: the newest counts`, async () => {
+      const older = { body: `${REFINE_MARKER}\nAn earlier refinement with no criteria.`, lastEditedAt: null, author: actor(APP), editor: null };
+      const spec = { ...specOf(), comments: { totalCount: 1, nodes: [older] } };
+      const fake = fakeGitHub({ ...setup, comments: [laneComment()], spec });
+      assert.deepEqual(await apply(fake, EXACT), { outcome: "exact", redispatch: true });
+    });
+
+    test(`an exact refinement of ${branch} past admission's comment window keeps the labels: admission would not read it`, async () => {
+      const spec = { ...specOf(), comments: { totalCount: 100, nodes: [] } };
+      const fake = fakeGitHub({ ...setup, comments: [laneComment()], spec });
+      assert.deepEqual(await apply(fake, EXACT), { outcome: "exact", redispatch: false });
+      assert.deepEqual(
+        writes(fake.calls).map(({ method, path }) => `${method} ${path}`),
+        ["POST /repos/o/r/issues/7/comments"],
+      );
+    });
+
+    test(`an exact refinement of ${branch} the lanes App filed with no task list keeps the labels: its refinement is no one's spec`, async () => {
+      const fake = fakeGitHub({ ...setup, comments: [laneComment()], spec: { ...specOf(), author: actor(APP) } });
+      assert.deepEqual(await apply(fake, EXACT), { outcome: "exact", redispatch: false });
+      assert.deepEqual(
+        writes(fake.calls).map(({ method, path }) => `${method} ${path}`),
+        ["POST /repos/o/r/issues/7/comments"],
+      );
+      assert.match(writes(fake.calls)[0].body.body, /post them as your own comment/);
+    });
+
     test(`an exact refinement of ${branch} reads the spec before its first label write and re-triages on a listed human's task list`, async () => {
       const fake = fakeGitHub({ ...setup, comments: [laneComment()], spec: specOf("The README is wrong.\n\n- [ ] The README count matches the plugin count") });
       const result = await apply(fake, EXACT);