diff --git a/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.mjs b/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.mjs
index ea2457e6d14..162802a226c 100755
--- a/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.mjs
@@ -1452,6 +1452,19 @@ export function evidenceHold(report, head) {
 }
 
 // The evidence file's verdict, a file that does not read included.
+// The reader's refusal of this head's pass (one of PASS_REFUSALS), or null.
+// A refusal the workflow step got before reading any pass names leaves
+// verdictHold no pass to read, so the hold names that refusal, not a missing
+// pass. Any other refusal is evidenceHold's.
+export function passRefusalOf(evidence, head) {
+  return evidence?.head === head && PASS_REFUSALS.includes(evidence.refusal) ? evidence.refusal : null;
+}
+
+// Owner decision (2026-11-04, "Hold until re-judged"): a pass the linked issue
+// changed after holds in the queue too, read or not, until pr-verify judges
+// the head again (the lost-run reconciler re-runs it) or an approval lifts it.
+const STALE = "verify:spec-changed";
+
 function evidenceOf(file, head) {
   try {
     return evidenceHold(JSON.parse(readFileSync(file, "utf8")), head);
@@ -1676,7 +1689,21 @@ export async function main(argv = process.argv.slice(2), { env = process.env, gi
     // (VERIFIER_TITLE): they share this step with the path holds.
     const verifier = [];
     if (verdictsFile) {
-      const unverified = verdictHold(lines(verdictsFile).map((line) => JSON.parse(line)), env.GITHUB_REPOSITORY);
+      const records = lines(verdictsFile).map((line) => JSON.parse(line));
+      let unverified = verdictHold(records, env.GITHUB_REPOSITORY);
+      let refused = null;
+      if (evidenceFile) {
+        try {
+          refused = passRefusalOf(JSON.parse(readFileSync(evidenceFile, "utf8")), head);
+        } catch {
+          refused = null;
+        }
+      }
+      if (refused === STALE) {
+        unverified = `pr-verify's pass on this head is stale (${STALE}): its linked issue changed after pr-verify judged it`;
+      } else if (unverified && records.length === 0 && refused) {
+        unverified = `pr-verify's reader refuses this head's pass (${refused})`;
+      }
       // An approval lifts the verifier hold whole, the link with it.
       const relinked = unverified || approved.length ? null : linkFile ? linkOf(linkFile, body, repo) : "its issue link could not be checked against its verifier pass";
       if (!unverified && !relinked) {
diff --git a/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.test.mjs b/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.test.mjs
index 58e64e595cc..1c842dc0a7f 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.test.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/pr-merge/merge-holds.test.mjs
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 import { test } from "node:test";
 
 import * as holdsModule from "./merge-holds.mjs";
-import { BODY_WRITERS_QUERY, CARRY_REFUSES, COMMENT_EDITED_QUERY, approvalCarry, ungatedSince, HOLD_PATH_CLASSES, HOLD_PATH_FLOOR, PULL_OPENED_QUERY, REVIEW_FLOOR, baseMergeCarry, baseMergesOnly, changeOf, mergedParents, costDecision, costHold, costNotices, decidedHead, evidenceHold, laneChange, linkHold, main, pathHold, sameNetChange, unranHead } from "./merge-holds.mjs";
+import { BODY_WRITERS_QUERY, CARRY_REFUSES, COMMENT_EDITED_QUERY, approvalCarry, ungatedSince, HOLD_PATH_CLASSES, HOLD_PATH_FLOOR, PULL_OPENED_QUERY, REVIEW_FLOOR, baseMergeCarry, baseMergesOnly, changeOf, mergedParents, costDecision, costHold, costNotices, decidedHead, evidenceHold, laneChange, linkHold, main, passRefusalOf, pathHold, sameNetChange, unranHead } from "./merge-holds.mjs";
 import { tempDir } from "../../../lib/test-tmp.mjs";
 
 const REPO = "owner/repo";
@@ -967,10 +967,39 @@ test("in the merge queue, a reader with no FAIL hold lets a passed head through"
   assert.match(out, /^#99: no verifier hold: pr-verify passed this head\.$/m);
 });
 
-test("in the merge queue, a reader that refuses only on the pass leaves that to verdictHold", async () => {
+// Owner decision 2026-11-04, "Hold until re-judged": a stale pass holds in the
+// queue even when the pass is read; an approval of the head lifts it.
+test("in the merge queue, a pass the linked issue changed after holds until pr-verify judges the head again", async () => {
   const { code, out } = await queued(report("verify:spec-changed"));
-  assert.equal(code, 0, out);
+  assert.equal(code, 1, out);
   assert.match(out, /^#99: no pr-verify FAIL hold: the reader refuses this head only on its pass \(verify:spec-changed\)\.$/m);
+  assert.match(out, /#99: pr-verify's pass on this head is stale \(verify:spec-changed\): its linked issue changed after pr-verify judged it; wait for pr-verify to pass it/);
+  // The other pass refusals still leave a read pass standing.
+  for (const refusal of ["verify:missing", "verify:untrusted-spec"]) {
+    const read = await queued(report(refusal));
+    assert.equal(read.code, 0, `${refusal}: ${read.out}`);
+  }
+});
+
+test("in the merge queue, a pass refusal with no pass names read holds on that refusal, not on a missing pass", async () => {
+  const refused = await ci(["docs/a.md"], { queue: { verdicts: [], link: QUEUE_LINK, evidence: report("verify:untrusted-spec") } });
+  assert.equal(refused.code, 1, refused.out);
+  assert.match(refused.out, /#99: pr-verify's reader refuses this head's pass \(verify:untrusted-spec\); wait for pr-verify to pass it/);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(refused.out, /pr-verify has not passed this head/);
+  const stale = await ci(["docs/a.md"], { queue: { verdicts: [], link: QUEUE_LINK, evidence: report("verify:spec-changed") } });
+  assert.match(stale.out, /pr-verify's pass on this head is stale \(verify:spec-changed\)/);
+  // No refusal, one for another head, or a FAIL class (evidenceHold's) keeps
+  // the missing-pass text and never calls a FAIL a pass refusal.
+  for (const evidence of [report(null), report("verify:spec-changed", { head: OLD }), report("verify:fail")]) {
+    const missing = await ci(["docs/a.md"], { queue: { verdicts: [], link: QUEUE_LINK, evidence } });
+    assert.equal(missing.code, 1, missing.out);
+    assert.match(missing.out, /pr-verify has not passed this head/);
+    assert.doesNotMatch(missing.out, /refuses this head's pass/);
+  }
+  assert.equal(passRefusalOf(report("verify:missing"), HEAD), "verify:missing");
+  assert.equal(passRefusalOf(report("verify:fail"), HEAD), null);
+  assert.equal(passRefusalOf(report(null), HEAD), null);
+  assert.equal(passRefusalOf(null, HEAD), null);
 });
 
 test("in the merge queue, a FAIL the reader counts holds a passed head", async () => {
diff --git a/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh b/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh
index 44e19da5985..fedb7ba9a62 100755
--- a/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh
@@ -878,7 +878,9 @@ evidence() { jq -nc --arg refusal "$1" --arg head "${2:-$SHA}" '{refusal: $refus
 for refusal in verify:fail verify:earlier-fail verify:repeated-fail verify:unreadable verify:too-old; do
   STUB_EVIDENCE="$(evidence "$refusal")" expect "in the merge queue, the reader's $refusal holds a passed head" 1 3 "::error title=pr-verify hold::#7: pr-verify's reader refuses this head ($refusal: why)"
 done
-STUB_EVIDENCE="$(evidence verify:spec-changed)" expect "in the merge queue, a refusal a pass decides is left to the pass checks" 0 3 "#7: no pr-verify FAIL hold: the reader refuses this head only on its pass (verify:spec-changed)."
+# Owner decision 2026-11-04, "Hold until re-judged": a stale pass holds even when read.
+STUB_EVIDENCE="$(evidence verify:spec-changed)" expect "in the merge queue, a stale pass holds until pr-verify judges the head again" 1 3 "#7: pr-verify's pass on this head is stale (verify:spec-changed)"
+STUB_EVIDENCE="$(evidence verify:untrusted-spec)" expect "in the merge queue, another pass refusal is left to the pass checks" 0 3 "#7: no pr-verify FAIL hold: the reader refuses this head only on its pass (verify:untrusted-spec)."
 STUB_EVIDENCE="$(evidence verify:fail)" STUB_REVIEWS="[$(approval kyle-sexton 153232337 APPROVED 2026-10-23T11:00:00Z "$SHA")]" \
   expect "in the merge queue, a trusted approval of the head lifts the reader's FAIL hold" 0 3 "no pr-verify FAIL hold: kyle-sexton approved this head"
 STUB_EVIDENCE="$(evidence verify:fail)" STUB_REVIEWS="[$(approval kyle-sexton 153232337 APPROVED 2026-10-23T11:00:00Z "$OLD")]" \