diff --git a/.github/workflows/repo-required-gate.yml b/.github/workflows/repo-required-gate.yml
index 67ac85e..cf33534 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/repo-required-gate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/repo-required-gate.yml
@@ -523,12 +523,19 @@ jobs:
               core.warning(`pr-template: ${report}`);
             }
 
+  # The validation/language lanes below are intentionally DECOUPLED from
+  # pr-contract: they run on detect classification alone and are never gated on
+  # contract success. A failing PR body must not suppress real CI. Coupling them
+  # caused every lane to skip on a body failure, after which the decision job
+  # reported a misleading "node ci ... required but result was skipped" while no
+  # CI had actually run (ArchonVII/archon#200). The decision job still requires
+  # BOTH the contract and the lanes, so a malformed body still blocks merge —
+  # now with real lane signal instead of a phantom skip.
   workflow-validation:
     name: workflow and hook validation
     needs:
       - detect
-      - pr-contract
-    if: always() && inputs.run-workflow-validation && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-workflow-validation == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success')
+    if: always() && inputs.run-workflow-validation && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-workflow-validation == 'true'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: read
@@ -559,8 +566,7 @@ jobs:
     name: policy validation
     needs:
       - detect
-      - pr-contract
-    if: always() && inputs.run-policy-validation && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-policy-validation == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success')
+    if: always() && inputs.run-policy-validation && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-policy-validation == 'true'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: read
@@ -579,8 +585,7 @@ jobs:
     name: dependency review
     needs:
       - detect
-      - pr-contract
-    if: always() && inputs.run-dependency-review && github.event_name == 'pull_request' && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-dependency-review == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success')
+    if: always() && inputs.run-dependency-review && github.event_name == 'pull_request' && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-dependency-review == 'true'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: read
@@ -598,8 +603,7 @@ jobs:
     name: node ci
     needs:
       - detect
-      - pr-contract
-    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-node-ci == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success')
+    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-node-ci == 'true'
     uses: ArchonVII/github-workflows/.github/workflows/node-ci.yml@v1
     with:
       node-versions: ${{ inputs.node-versions }}
@@ -615,8 +619,7 @@ jobs:
     name: python ci
     needs:
       - detect
-      - pr-contract
-    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-python-ci == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success')
+    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-python-ci == 'true'
     uses: ArchonVII/github-workflows/.github/workflows/python-ci.yml@v1
     with:
       python-versions: ${{ inputs.python-versions }}
@@ -632,8 +635,7 @@ jobs:
     name: go ci
     needs:
       - detect
-      - pr-contract
-    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-go-ci == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success')
+    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-go-ci == 'true'
     uses: ArchonVII/github-workflows/.github/workflows/go-ci.yml@v1
     with:
       go-versions: ${{ inputs.go-versions }}
@@ -651,8 +653,7 @@ jobs:
     name: snapshot validation
     needs:
       - detect
-      - pr-contract
-    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-snapshot-validation == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success')
+    if: always() && needs.detect.outputs.ok == 'true' && needs.detect.outputs.run-snapshot-validation == 'true'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
       contents: read
diff --git a/scripts/workflow-structure.test.mjs b/scripts/workflow-structure.test.mjs
index 992a9cd..1b252eb 100644
--- a/scripts/workflow-structure.test.mjs
+++ b/scripts/workflow-structure.test.mjs
@@ -49,44 +49,42 @@ describe('repo-required-gate workflow node delegation', () => {
     expect(body).not.toContain('cache: "npm"');
   });
 
-  it('gates expensive PR jobs on the cheap PR contract', () => {
+  it('decouples the language and validation lanes from the PR contract', () => {
     const body = readWorkflow('repo-required-gate');
 
+    // A failing PR body must NEVER skip real CI: every lane depends on `detect`
+    // alone and is never gated on contract success. Coupling them skipped all
+    // CI on a body failure and surfaced a misleading "node ci ... skipped" from
+    // the decision job (ArchonVII/archon#200). Contract enforcement lives in
+    // the decision job, asserted in the next test.
     for (const job of [
       'workflow-validation',
       'policy-validation',
       'dependency-review',
       'node-ci',
       'python-ci',
+      'go-ci',
       'snapshot-validation',
     ]) {
       const block = workflowJobBlock(body, job);
 
       expect(block, `${job} job exists`).not.toBe('');
-      expect(block, `${job} waits for pr-contract`).toContain('pr-contract');
-      expect(block, `${job} skips when pull-request contract failed`).toContain(
+      expect(block, `${job} does not wait for pr-contract`).not.toContain('pr-contract');
+      expect(block, `${job} is not gated on contract success`).not.toContain(
         "needs.pr-contract.result == 'success'",
       );
     }
   });
 
-  it('lets explicit pr-contract opt-outs continue to downstream jobs', () => {
+  it('still enforces the PR contract in the decision job after decoupling', () => {
     const body = readWorkflow('repo-required-gate');
+    const decision = workflowJobBlock(body, 'decision');
 
-    for (const job of [
-      'workflow-validation',
-      'policy-validation',
-      'dependency-review',
-      'node-ci',
-      'python-ci',
-      'snapshot-validation',
-    ]) {
-      const block = workflowJobBlock(body, job);
-
-      expect(block, `${job} respects run-pr-contract=false`).toContain(
-        "github.event_name != 'pull_request' || inputs.run-pr-contract == false || needs.pr-contract.result == 'success'",
-      );
-    }
+    // Decoupling the lanes must not drop contract enforcement — the decision
+    // job stays the single aggregator that requires the contract.
+    expect(decision, 'decision waits for pr-contract').toContain('- pr-contract');
+    expect(decision).toContain("CONTRACT_RESULT: ${{ needs.pr-contract.result }}");
+    expect(decision).toContain('require_success "pr contract" "$CONTRACT_RESULT"');
   });
 
   it('honors optional validation inputs in the decision job', () => {