diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-descriptors.json b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-descriptors.json
index 4b385befc09..07eb133aef7 100644
--- a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-descriptors.json
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-descriptors.json
@@ -808,6 +808,7 @@
       "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review.ts",
       "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-outcomes.ts",
       "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-probe.ts",
+      "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.ts",
       "../../packages/shared/src/validators/issue.ts",
       "chat-catalog-domains/external-provider.ts",
       "chat-catalog-domains/identity-support.ts",
diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.test.ts b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..98c8fccd3d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+import { randomUUID } from "node:crypto";
+import { mkdtemp, writeFile, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { createRequire } from "node:module";
+const { eq }: typeof import("../../../packages/db/node_modules/drizzle-orm/index.js") =
+  createRequire(new URL("../../../packages/db/package.json", import.meta.url))("drizzle-orm");
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { createDb, agents, companies, issues, heartbeatRuns, issueThreadInteractions, toolInvocations,
+  toolActionRequests, toolActionDeliveries, agentWakeupRequests } from "../../../packages/db/src/index.js";
+import { startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase } from "../../../server/src/__tests__/helpers/embedded-postgres.js";
+import { summarizeToolValue } from "../../../server/src/services/tool-content-guards.js";
+import { observeReviewAdmission, readReviewAdmissionSnapshot, reviewAdmissionSummary, type ReviewAdmissionBinding } from "./external-app-review-diagnostic.js";
+
+let database: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase>>, db: ReturnType<typeof createDb>;
+beforeAll(async () => { database = await startEmbeddedPostgresTestDatabase("review-admission-observer-"); db = createDb(database.connectionString); }, 30000);
+afterAll(async () => { await db?.$client.end({ timeout: 1 }); await database?.cleanup(); });
+const privateCanary = "synthetic-private-content-never-export";
+async function seed(wrongSourceIssue = false): Promise<ReviewAdmissionBinding> {
+  const b = Object.fromEntries(["companyId", "issueId", "agentId", "actionRequestId", "invocationId", "sourceRunId", "interactionId"].map(key => [key, randomUUID()])) as unknown as ReviewAdmissionBinding;
+  await db.insert(companies).values({ id: b.companyId, name: "Read-only review observer", issuePrefix: b.companyId.slice(0, 8).toUpperCase() });
+  await db.insert(agents).values({ id: b.agentId, companyId: b.companyId, name: "Observer fixture", adapterType: "paperclip_runner" });
+  await db.insert(issues).values({ id: b.issueId, companyId: b.companyId, title: privateCanary, assigneeAgentId: b.agentId, status: "in_review" });
+  const sourceIssueId = wrongSourceIssue ? randomUUID() : b.issueId;
+  if (wrongSourceIssue) await db.insert(issues).values({ id: sourceIssueId, companyId: b.companyId, title: "Unrelated issue", assigneeAgentId: b.agentId });
+  await db.insert(heartbeatRuns).values({ id: b.sourceRunId, companyId: b.companyId, agentId: b.agentId,
+    issueId: sourceIssueId, status: "succeeded", runtimeMode: "native", nativePhase: "committed", contextSnapshot: { issueId: sourceIssueId, private: privateCanary } });
+  await db.insert(issueThreadInteractions).values({ id: b.interactionId, companyId: b.companyId, issueId: b.issueId,
+    sourceRunId: b.sourceRunId, kind: "request_confirmation", status: "accepted", payload: { version: 1, prompt: privateCanary } });
+  await db.insert(toolInvocations).values({ id: b.invocationId, companyId: b.companyId, agentId: b.agentId,
+    issueId: b.issueId, runId: b.sourceRunId, toolName: "controlled_write", status: "failed", errorMessage: privateCanary });
+  await db.insert(toolActionRequests).values({ id: b.actionRequestId, companyId: b.companyId, issueId: b.issueId,
+    interactionId: b.interactionId, invocationId: b.invocationId, requestedByAgentId: b.agentId, status: "failed",
+    canonicalArgumentsHash: "a".repeat(64), canonicalArgumentsSummary: summarizeToolValue({ text: privateCanary }) });
+  return b;
+}
+
+it("observes missing/queued/native-running/settled states without writing or reading unrelated ownership", async () => {
+  const b = await seed(), foreign = await seed();
+  await db.insert(agentWakeupRequests).values({ companyId: foreign.companyId, agentId: foreign.agentId,
+    source: "automation", status: "queued", payload: { toolActionRequestIds: [b.actionRequestId], private: privateCanary } });
+  expect(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, { ...b, companyId: foreign.companyId })).toEqual({ available: false, reason: "binding_mismatch" });
+  expect(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, { ...b, sourceRunId: foreign.sourceRunId })).toEqual({ available: false, reason: "binding_mismatch" });
+  const wrongSource = await seed(true);
+  expect(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, wrongSource)).toEqual({ available: false, reason: "binding_mismatch" });
+  expect(reviewAdmissionSummary(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b))).toMatchObject({ delivery: "missing", wakes: 0, boundRuns: 0 });
+  await db.insert(toolActionDeliveries).values({ actionRequestId: b.actionRequestId, companyId: b.companyId, issueId: b.issueId, interactionId: b.interactionId });
+  const [wake] = await db.insert(agentWakeupRequests).values({ companyId: b.companyId, agentId: b.agentId,
+    source: "automation", status: "queued", coalescedCount: 2, payload: { toolActionRequestIds: [b.actionRequestId], private: privateCanary } }).returning();
+  expect(reviewAdmissionSummary(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b))).toMatchObject({ delivery: "pending", wakes: 1, wakeStates: { queued: 1 }, coalescedWakes: 1, boundRuns: 0 });
+  const [run] = await db.insert(heartbeatRuns).values({ companyId: b.companyId, agentId: b.agentId, issueId: b.issueId,
+    wakeupRequestId: wake.id, status: "queued", runtimeMode: "native", contextSnapshot: { toolActionRequestIds: [b.actionRequestId], private: privateCanary } }).returning();
+  await db.update(agentWakeupRequests).set({ runId: run.id }).where(eq(agentWakeupRequests.id, wake.id));
+  expect(reviewAdmissionSummary(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b))).toMatchObject({ boundRuns: 1, nativeRunStates: { queued: 1 } });
+  await db.update(heartbeatRuns).set({ status: "running", nativePhase: "observed" }).where(eq(heartbeatRuns.id, run.id));
+  expect(reviewAdmissionSummary(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b))).toMatchObject({ nativeRunStates: { running: 1 } });
+  await db.update(heartbeatRuns).set({ status: "succeeded", nativePhase: "committed" }).where(eq(heartbeatRuns.id, run.id));
+  await db.update(toolActionDeliveries).set({ deliveredAt: new Date() }).where(eq(toolActionDeliveries.actionRequestId, b.actionRequestId));
+  const before = await db.select().from(toolActionDeliveries).where(eq(toolActionDeliveries.actionRequestId, b.actionRequestId));
+  const snapshot = await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b);
+  expect(reviewAdmissionSummary(snapshot)).toMatchObject({ delivery: "acknowledged", nativeRunStates: { succeeded: 1 } });
+  expect(JSON.stringify(snapshot)).not.toContain(privateCanary);
+  expect(JSON.stringify(reviewAdmissionSummary(snapshot))).not.toContain(b.companyId);
+  expect(await db.select().from(toolActionDeliveries).where(eq(toolActionDeliveries.actionRequestId, b.actionRequestId))).toEqual(before);
+  await db.update(agentWakeupRequests).set({ status: privateCanary }).where(eq(agentWakeupRequests.id, wake.id));
+  const closed = reviewAdmissionSummary(await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b));
+  expect(closed).toMatchObject({ wakeStates: { other: 1 } });
+  expect(JSON.stringify(closed)).not.toContain(privateCanary);
+  await db.insert(agentWakeupRequests).values(Array.from({ length: 8 }, () => ({ companyId: b.companyId, agentId: b.agentId,
+    source: "automation", payload: { toolActionRequestIds: [b.actionRequestId] } })));
+  const bounded = await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b);
+  expect(bounded.available && bounded.wakes).toHaveLength(8);
+  expect(bounded).toMatchObject({ rowLimitReached: true });
+});
+
+it("keeps absent owned configuration explicitly unavailable", async () => {
+  const b = await seed();
+  expect(await observeReviewAdmission(b, {})).toEqual({ available: false, reason: "owned_config_unavailable" });
+});
+
+it("uses the launcher's owned config and rejects a config outside that root", async () => {
+  const b = await seed(), root = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "review-admission-config-"));
+  const filename = path.join(root, "config.json");
+  try {
+    await writeFile(filename, JSON.stringify({ $meta: { version: 1, updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(), source: "onboard" },
+      database: { mode: "postgres", connectionString: database.connectionString }, logging: { mode: "file" }, server: {}, telemetry: {} }), { mode: 0o600 });
+    const snapshot = await observeReviewAdmission(b, { PAPERCLIP_CONFIG: filename, PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_TEMP_ROOT: root });
+    expect(snapshot).toMatchObject({ available: true, binding: b, wakes: [], runs: [] });
+    expect(await observeReviewAdmission(b, { PAPERCLIP_CONFIG: filename, PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_TEMP_ROOT: path.join(root, "missing") }))
+      .toEqual({ available: false, reason: "observation_unavailable" });
+    const sibling = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "review-admission-other-"));
+    try { expect(await observeReviewAdmission(b, { PAPERCLIP_CONFIG: filename, PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_TEMP_ROOT: sibling }))
+      .toEqual({ available: false, reason: "owned_config_unavailable" }); }
+    finally { await rm(sibling, { recursive: true, force: true }); }
+  } finally { await rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true }); }
+});
diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.ts b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4edd5ed51a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+import { readFile, realpath } from "node:fs/promises";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { createRequire } from "node:module";
+import { createDb, type Db } from "../../../packages/db/src/index.js";
+import { agents, issues, heartbeatRuns, toolActionRequests, toolInvocations, toolActionDeliveries, agentWakeupRequests } from "../../../packages/db/src/index.js";
+import { paperclipConfigSchema } from "../../../packages/shared/src/config-schema.js";
+const { and, eq, or, inArray, sql }: typeof import("../../../packages/db/node_modules/drizzle-orm/index.js") =
+  createRequire(new URL("../../../packages/db/package.json", import.meta.url))("drizzle-orm");
+
+export interface ReviewAdmissionBinding {
+  companyId: string; issueId: string; agentId: string; actionRequestId: string;
+  invocationId: string; sourceRunId: string; interactionId: string;
+}
+/** Failure evidence only. No payloads, tool arguments, provider text or credentials. */
+export async function readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db: Db, b: ReviewAdmissionBinding) {
+  if (Object.keys(b).length !== 7 || Object.values(b).some(value => !/^[a-f0-9]{8}(?:-[a-f0-9]{4}){3}-[a-f0-9]{12}$/i.test(value)))
+    return { available: false as const, reason: "invalid_binding" as const };
+  return db.transaction(async tx => {
+    await tx.execute(sql`set local statement_timeout = '3000ms'`);
+    const [owner] = await tx.select({ actionStatus: toolActionRequests.status, invocationStatus: toolInvocations.status,
+      sourceStatus: heartbeatRuns.status, sourceNativePhase: heartbeatRuns.nativePhase,
+      issueStatus: issues.status, conversationState: issues.conversationState, agentStatus: agents.status,
+    }).from(toolActionRequests).innerJoin(toolInvocations, eq(toolInvocations.id, toolActionRequests.invocationId))
+      .innerJoin(heartbeatRuns, eq(heartbeatRuns.id, toolInvocations.runId)).innerJoin(issues, eq(issues.id, toolActionRequests.issueId))
+      .innerJoin(agents, eq(agents.id, toolInvocations.agentId)).where(and(
+        eq(toolActionRequests.id, b.actionRequestId), eq(toolActionRequests.companyId, b.companyId),
+        eq(toolActionRequests.issueId, b.issueId), eq(toolActionRequests.interactionId, b.interactionId), eq(toolActionRequests.requestedByAgentId, b.agentId),
+        eq(toolInvocations.id, b.invocationId), eq(toolInvocations.companyId, b.companyId), eq(toolInvocations.issueId, b.issueId),
+        eq(toolInvocations.agentId, b.agentId), eq(heartbeatRuns.id, b.sourceRunId), eq(heartbeatRuns.companyId, b.companyId),
+        eq(heartbeatRuns.agentId, b.agentId),
+        or(eq(heartbeatRuns.issueId, b.issueId), eq(heartbeatRuns.nativeIssueId, b.issueId), sql`${heartbeatRuns.contextSnapshot}->>'issueId' = ${b.issueId}`),
+        eq(issues.companyId, b.companyId), eq(agents.companyId, b.companyId),
+      )).limit(1);
+    if (!owner) return { available: false as const, reason: "binding_mismatch" as const };
+    const [delivery] = await tx.select({ createdAt: toolActionDeliveries.createdAt, deliveredAt: toolActionDeliveries.deliveredAt })
+      .from(toolActionDeliveries).where(and(eq(toolActionDeliveries.companyId, b.companyId), eq(toolActionDeliveries.actionRequestId, b.actionRequestId),
+        eq(toolActionDeliveries.issueId, b.issueId), eq(toolActionDeliveries.interactionId, b.interactionId))).limit(1);
+    const wakeRows = await tx.select({ id: agentWakeupRequests.id, status: agentWakeupRequests.status,
+      runId: agentWakeupRequests.runId, coalescedCount: agentWakeupRequests.coalescedCount,
+      requestedAt: agentWakeupRequests.requestedAt, finishedAt: agentWakeupRequests.finishedAt,
+    }).from(agentWakeupRequests).where(and(eq(agentWakeupRequests.companyId, b.companyId), eq(agentWakeupRequests.agentId, b.agentId),
+      or(eq(agentWakeupRequests.idempotencyKey, `tool-action-response:${b.actionRequestId}`),
+        sql`${agentWakeupRequests.payload}->'toolActionRequestIds' @> ${JSON.stringify([b.actionRequestId])}::jsonb`)))
+      .orderBy(agentWakeupRequests.createdAt, agentWakeupRequests.id).limit(8);
+    const wakes = wakeRows.slice(0, 8), ids = wakes.flatMap(wake => wake.runId ? [wake.runId] : []);
+    const runRows = await tx.select({ id: heartbeatRuns.id, status: heartbeatRuns.status, runtimeMode: heartbeatRuns.runtimeMode,
+      nativePhase: heartbeatRuns.nativePhase, wakeupRequestId: heartbeatRuns.wakeupRequestId,
+      startedAt: heartbeatRuns.startedAt, finishedAt: heartbeatRuns.finishedAt,
+    }).from(heartbeatRuns).where(and(eq(heartbeatRuns.companyId, b.companyId), eq(heartbeatRuns.agentId, b.agentId),
+      or(eq(heartbeatRuns.issueId, b.issueId), eq(heartbeatRuns.nativeIssueId, b.issueId), sql`${heartbeatRuns.contextSnapshot}->>'issueId' = ${b.issueId}`),
+      or(ids.length ? inArray(heartbeatRuns.id, ids) : sql`false`,
+        sql`${heartbeatRuns.contextSnapshot}->'toolActionRequestIds' @> ${JSON.stringify([b.actionRequestId])}::jsonb`)))
+      .orderBy(heartbeatRuns.createdAt, heartbeatRuns.id).limit(8);
+    return { available: true as const, observedAt: new Date().toISOString(), binding: b, owner,
+      delivery: delivery ?? null, wakes, runs: runRows.slice(0, 8), rowLimitReached: wakeRows.length === 8 || runRows.length === 8 };
+  }, { isolationLevel: "repeatable read", accessMode: "read only" });
+}
+
+/** Same owned-config database pattern as controller-recovery-observer.ts. */
+export async function observeReviewAdmission(b: ReviewAdmissionBinding, env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env) {
+  let db: Db | undefined;
+  try {
+    if (!env.PAPERCLIP_CONFIG || !env.PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_TEMP_ROOT) return { available: false as const, reason: "owned_config_unavailable" as const };
+    const [root, filename] = await Promise.all([realpath(env.PAPERCLIP_RUNNER_E2E_TEMP_ROOT), realpath(env.PAPERCLIP_CONFIG)]);
+    if (!filename.startsWith(`${root}${path.sep}`)) return { available: false as const, reason: "owned_config_unavailable" as const };
+    const config = paperclipConfigSchema.parse(JSON.parse(await readFile(filename, "utf8")));
+    const url = config.database.mode === "postgres" ? config.database.connectionString
+      : `postgres://paperclip:paperclip@127.0.0.1:${config.database.embeddedPostgresPort}/paperclip`;
+    if (!url) return { available: false as const, reason: "owned_config_unavailable" as const };
+    db = createDb(url, { maxConnections: 1, connectTimeoutSeconds: 3 });
+    return await readReviewAdmissionSnapshot(db, b);
+  } catch { return { available: false as const, reason: "observation_unavailable" as const }; }
+  finally { await db?.$client.end({ timeout: 1 }).catch(() => {}); }
+}
+
+export function reviewAdmissionSummary(snapshot: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof observeReviewAdmission>>) {
+  if (!snapshot.available) return { available: false, reason: snapshot.reason };
+  const states = ["queued", "running", "claimed", "completed", "coalesced", "deferred", "deferred_issue_execution", "succeeded", "failed", "cancelled", "timed_out", "skipped", "interrupted", "other"];
+  const counts = (values: string[]) => Object.fromEntries(states.map(state => [state,
+    values.filter(value => (states.includes(value) ? value : "other") === state).length]));
+  return { available: true, delivery: !snapshot.delivery ? "missing" : snapshot.delivery.deliveredAt ? "acknowledged" : "pending",
+    wakes: snapshot.wakes.length, wakeStates: counts(snapshot.wakes.map(row => row.status)),
+    coalescedWakes: snapshot.wakes.filter(row => row.coalescedCount > 0).length,
+    boundRuns: snapshot.wakes.filter(wake => snapshot.runs.some(run => run.id === wake.runId)).length,
+    runStates: counts(snapshot.runs.map(row => row.status)),
+    nativeRunStates: counts(snapshot.runs.filter(row => row.runtimeMode === "native").map(row => row.status)), rowLimitReached: snapshot.rowLimitReached };
+}
diff --git a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review.ts b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review.ts
index bf977d1abed..49af0878e89 100644
--- a/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review.ts
+++ b/tests/runner-e2e/chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
 } from "./external-provider.js";
 import { probeReviewApproval } from "./external-app-review-probe.js";
 import { reviewOutcomeReply } from "./external-app-review-outcomes.js";
+import { observeReviewAdmission, reviewAdmissionSummary } from "./external-app-review-diagnostic.js";
 import { openStandingChat } from "./identity-support.js";
 import {
   definition,
@@ -356,6 +357,7 @@ export const appReviewExternalCases = [
         "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review.ts",
         "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-outcomes.ts",
         "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-probe.ts",
+        "chat-catalog-domains/external-app-review-diagnostic.ts",
         "../../packages/shared/src/validators/issue.ts",
         "chat-catalog-domains/external-provider.ts",
         "chat-catalog-domains/identity-support.ts",
@@ -544,8 +546,21 @@ export const appReviewExternalCases = [
               );
             await option.click();
           }
-          const runs = await settled(ctx, index * 2 + 2),
-            reply = runs.find(
+          let runs: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof settled>>;
+          try { runs = await settled(ctx, index * 2 + 2); }
+          catch (error) {
+            // Observe only the exact failed review phase. This cannot resume,
+            // settle or regrade it; the original wait failure remains authoritative.
+            try {
+              const snapshot = await observeReviewAdmission({ companyId: String(state.companyId), issueId: String(state.sourceId),
+                agentId: String(state.leadId), actionRequestId: phase.actionRequestId, invocationId: phase.invocationId,
+                interactionId: phase.interactionId, sourceRunId: phase.requestRunId });
+              await ctx.input.evidence(`chat-catalog-app-review-admission-${index + 1}.json`, snapshot).catch(() => {});
+              console.log("App review admission diagnostic", JSON.stringify(reviewAdmissionSummary(snapshot)));
+            } catch { /* Diagnostic failure cannot replace the original failure. */ }
+            throw error;
+          }
+          const reply = runs.find(
               (row) =>
                 row.contextSnapshot?.source === "tool_action_review" &&
                 Array.isArray(row.contextSnapshot.toolActionRequestIds) &&