diff --git a/rigforge.sh b/rigforge.sh
index 174bc7f..73ef954 100755
--- a/rigforge.sh
+++ b/rigforge.sh
@@ -359,6 +359,12 @@ parse_config() {
     # attribute in-string program lines, and the patch-coverage gate needs every new line hittable.
     POOLS_JSON=$(jq -c --argjson base "$POOLS_JSON" '[$base, [.pools[] | ."tls-fingerprint"]] | transpose | map(.[0] + (if (.[1] // null) != null then {"tls-fingerprint": .[1]} else {} end))' "$CONFIG_JSON") || error "Could not parse 'pools' in $CONFIG_JSON."
 
+    # #265: jq's `//` treats an explicit false like null/missing, so the map above rewrites an
+    # operator's "keepalive": false / "enabled": false to the true default. Restore explicit falses
+    # from the raw config in another single-line pass (same kcov rationale as #115 above). Only a
+    # boolean false matches `== false`; non-boolean junk flows through `//` untouched to validation.
+    POOLS_JSON=$(jq -c --argjson base "$POOLS_JSON" '[$base, [.pools[] | [(.keepalive == false), (.enabled == false)]]] | transpose | map(.[0] + (if .[1][0] then {"keepalive": false} else {} end) + (if .[1][1] then {"enabled": false} else {} end))' "$CONFIG_JSON") || error "Could not parse 'pools' in $CONFIG_JSON."
+
     # Validate every pool field — fail fast with a clear message rather than writing a config XMRig
     # would choke on. url must be host:port: a valid hostname / IPv4 / bracketed-IPv6 host and a port
     # in 1-65535; user/pass reject whitespace and shell/control characters; keepalive/tls/enabled
@@ -2436,10 +2442,10 @@ _gridsearch() {
 # from what the generated config actually uses (both default false). Shared by the seeds.
 _seed_hj() { jq -r '.cpu."huge-pages-jit" // false' "$TUNE_BASE"; }
 _seed_cq() { jq -r '.randomx.cache_qos // false' "$TUNE_BASE"; }
-_seed_g() { jq -r '.randomx."1gb-pages" // true' "$TUNE_BASE"; } # base 1gb-pages value (default true)
+_seed_g() { jq -r '.randomx | if has("1gb-pages") then ."1gb-pages" else true end' "$TUNE_BASE"; } # base 1gb-pages value (default true)
 # wrmsr seed: the base config's value as a single token (true/false/number). An array (advanced custom
 # MSRs) isn't a sweepable scalar, so seed from the safe default 'true' and let the operator set TUNE_WRMSR.
-_seed_wr() { jq -r '(.randomx.wrmsr // true) | if (type=="boolean" or type=="number") then tostring else "true" end' "$TUNE_BASE"; }
+_seed_wr() { jq -r '(.randomx | if has("wrmsr") then .wrmsr else true end) | if (type=="boolean" or type=="number") then tostring else "true" end' "$TUNE_BASE"; }
 
 # Seed the state with XMRig's auto baseline (the generated config's own values; threads left to auto).
 _seed_auto() {
diff --git a/tests/run.sh b/tests/run.sh
index 24b9e9a..d95d553 100644
--- a/tests/run.sh
+++ b/tests/run.sh
@@ -269,6 +269,10 @@ c="$(mkconf p_full "{ \"pools\": [{\"url\":\"pool.example:443\",\"tls\":true,\"p
 assert_eq "explicit url kept" "$(PJ "$c" | jq -r '.[0].url')" "pool.example:443"
 assert_eq "explicit tls kept" "$(PJ "$c" | jq -c '.[0].tls')" "true"
 assert_eq "explicit pass kept" "$(PJ "$c" | jq -r '.[0].pass')" "w"
+# #265: jq `//` treats explicit false the same as null/missing — an operator's false must survive.
+c="$(mkconf p_falsebool "{ \"pools\": [{\"url\":\"h:3333\",\"enabled\":false,\"keepalive\":false}] }")"
+assert_eq "explicit enabled:false kept (#265)" "$(PJ "$c" | jq -c '.[0].enabled')" "false"
+assert_eq "explicit keepalive:false kept (#265)" "$(PJ "$c" | jq -c '.[0].keepalive')" "false"
 # A Pithead stratum password (p2pool.stratum_password) flows through verbatim as the pool pass — the
 # cross-repo contract for an authenticated stack. Covers an auto-generated hex secret and a literal
 # with the punctuation Pithead allows (. _ : @ -); both are valid XMRig passes.
@@ -378,6 +382,16 @@ assert_rc "non-boolean keepalive rejected" "$?" "1"
 c="$(mkconf p_baden "{ \"pools\": [{\"url\":\"h:3333\",\"enabled\":1}] }")"
 parse_rc "$c" "$ROOT"
 assert_rc "non-boolean enabled rejected" "$?" "1"
+# #265: the has() guard must still let bogus values through to validation, not swallow them.
+c="$(mkconf p_enstr "{ \"pools\": [{\"url\":\"h:3333\",\"enabled\":\"yes\"}] }")"
+out="$( (
+    source "$SCRIPT"
+    CONFIG_JSON="$c"
+    SCRIPT_DIR="$ROOT"
+    set +e
+    parse_config 2>&1
+))"
+assert_contains "non-boolean string enabled still rejected by validation (#265)" "$out" "Pool enabled must be true or false"
 # HOME_DIR must be DYNAMIC_HOME or a clean absolute path.
 c="$(mkconf hd_rel "{ \"HOME_DIR\": \"relative/path\", $POOL }")"
 parse_rc "$c" "$ROOT"
@@ -4292,6 +4306,23 @@ assert_eq "throttled faster candidate not adopted (#62)" "$(J "$OVR" '.randomx.s
 out="$(throttle_run 0)"
 assert_eq "TUNE_MIN_FREQ_MHZ=0 disables the throttle skip (#62 control)" "$(J "$OVR" '.randomx.scratchpad_prefetch_mode')" "2"
 
+# #265: _seed_wr / _seed_g must keep an explicit base-config false instead of jq `//` flipping it to
+# the true default; with the key absent, the true default still applies.
+echo "== unit: tune seeds keep explicit false (#265) =="
+seed_base() { # <fn> <TUNE_BASE json>
+    local f="$SANDBOX/seed_base.json"
+    printf '%s' "$2" >"$f"
+    (
+        source "$SCRIPT"
+        TUNE_BASE="$f"
+        "$1"
+    )
+}
+assert_eq "_seed_wr keeps explicit wrmsr:false (#265)" "$(seed_base _seed_wr '{"randomx":{"wrmsr":false}}')" "false"
+assert_eq "_seed_g keeps explicit 1gb-pages:false (#265)" "$(seed_base _seed_g '{"randomx":{"1gb-pages":false}}')" "false"
+assert_eq "_seed_wr defaults to true when wrmsr absent (#265)" "$(seed_base _seed_wr '{"randomx":{}}')" "true"
+assert_eq "_seed_g defaults to true when 1gb-pages absent (#265)" "$(seed_base _seed_g '{"randomx":{}}')" "true"
+
 # #66: the opt-in wrmsr knob sweeps MSR presets. A fake whose hashrate depends on randomx.wrmsr proves the
 # knob is swept and the winner pinned; a single value leaves it off (not pinned, but still recorded).
 echo "== black-box: tune wrmsr knob (#66) =="