diff --git a/.github/workflows/actions.lock b/.github/workflows/actions.lock
index 779b73296..a28bbd2e2 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/actions.lock
+++ b/.github/workflows/actions.lock
@@ -215,6 +215,13 @@ dependencies:
         repo_id: 496012378
         uses:
             - 'actions/upload-artifact@bbbca2ddaa5d8feaa63e36b76fdaad77386f024f'
+    'asana/push-signed-commits@d615ca88d8e1a946734c24970d1e7a6c56f34897':
+        ref: 'v1.3'
+        commit: 'sha1-d615ca88d8e1a946734c24970d1e7a6c56f34897'
+        owner_id: 1472111
+        repo_id: 772313726
+        uses:
+            - 'actions/setup-python@v2'
     'dtolnay/rust-toolchain@7e38f4b43b4db5c8dd498af069a4f6196df1d067':
         ref: 'v1'
         commit: 'sha1-7e38f4b43b4db5c8dd498af069a4f6196df1d067'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml b/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml
index 6150c2b2a..b02ce9792 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml
@@ -977,7 +977,11 @@ jobs:
               if [ -n "$canon" ] && [ "$f_" = "$canon" ]; then continue; fi
               [ -f "$f_" ] || continue
               for pat in "${pats[@]}"; do
-                out=$(grep -nE -e "$pat" -- "$f_" 2>"$err"); rc=$?
+                # The step runs under `bash -e`: a bare `out=$(grep …)` that matches nothing
+                # returns 1 and kills the step silently before rc is read. `|| rc=$?` keeps
+                # the status without tripping -e.
+                rc=0
+                out=$(grep -nE -e "$pat" -- "$f_" 2>"$err") || rc=$?
                 if [ "$rc" -eq 0 ]; then
                   while IFS= read -r line; do
                     echo "::error file=$f_,line=${line%%:*}::[R5:$rid] ${line#*:}  →  route to ${canon:-drop or move to a canonical source}"
diff --git a/tests/test_governance_r5_bash_e.sh b/tests/test_governance_r5_bash_e.sh
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..63baf2b05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_governance_r5_bash_e.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,80 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell
+#
+# test_governance_r5_bash_e.sh — runs the R5 canonical-reference drift step of
+# .github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml exactly as a runner does: the step's
+# `run:` text, extracted with yq, under `bash -e` (a step with no `shell:` runs
+# as `bash -e {0}` on ubuntu runners).
+#
+# Regression: under `-e`, `out=$(grep …)` on an include file with no match
+# returned 1 and aborted the step before `rc=$?` — exit 1, no output, no
+# annotation. echidna#410 went red on clean content. The planted-hit cases are
+# the positive control: a real drift must still fail and name the line.
+#
+# Run: bash tests/test_governance_r5_bash_e.sh
+set -uo pipefail
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+F="$ROOT/.github/workflows/governance-reusable.yml"
+STEP='Canonical-reference drift (R5 generic)'
+WORK="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$WORK"' EXIT
+pass=0; fail=0
+
+# Print the R5 step's run: text; fail the suite if the step cannot be found.
+extract_step() {
+  yq -r ".jobs.\"security-policy\".steps[] | select(.name == \"$STEP\") | .run" "$F"
+}
+
+# Build a fixture repo in $1 with one rule over the given include files.
+# Remaining args are "path:content" pairs written into the fixture.
+make_fixture() {
+  local dir="$1"; shift
+  mkdir -p "$dir/.github/canonical-references"
+  cat > "$dir/.github/canonical-references/drift.yml" <<'RULE'
+id: test-drift
+description: planted drift marker
+canonical_pointer: CANON.md
+patterns:
+  - "DRIFT_MARKER_[0-9]+"
+scope:
+  include: [a.md, b.md]
+RULE
+  local pair
+  for pair in "$@"; do printf '%s\n' "${pair#*:}" > "$dir/${pair%%:*}"; done
+}
+
+# assert <label> <want-exit> <needle> <fixture-dir>: run the step under bash -e.
+assert() {
+  local label="$1" want="$2" needle="$3" dir="$4" out status
+  out="$(cd "$dir" && bash -e "$WORK/r5.sh" 2>&1)"; status=$?
+  if [ "$status" != "$want" ]; then
+    echo "FAIL: $label — expected exit $want, got $status; output: $(printf '%s' "$out" | head -3 | tr '\n' '|')"
+    fail=$((fail + 1)); return
+  fi
+  if ! printf '%s' "$out" | grep -qF -- "$needle"; then
+    echo "FAIL: $label — output lacks '$needle'; output: $(printf '%s' "$out" | head -3 | tr '\n' '|')"
+    fail=$((fail + 1)); return
+  fi
+  echo "PASS: $label"; pass=$((pass + 1))
+}
+
+extract_step > "$WORK/r5.sh"
+if [ ! -s "$WORK/r5.sh" ] || [ "$(head -c 4 "$WORK/r5.sh")" = "null" ]; then
+  echo "FAIL: step '$STEP' not found in security-policy"; exit 1
+fi
+
+make_fixture "$WORK/clean" "a.md:nothing to see" "b.md:still nothing"
+assert "no match in any include file passes" 0 "clean across 1 rule(s)" "$WORK/clean"
+
+make_fixture "$WORK/hit" "a.md:nothing here" "b.md:see DRIFT_MARKER_42 here"
+assert "hit after a no-match file still fails" 1 "::error file=b.md,line=1::[R5:test-drift]" "$WORK/hit"
+
+make_fixture "$WORK/first" "a.md:DRIFT_MARKER_7 first" "b.md:nothing"
+assert "hit in the first file fails" 1 "❌ [R5] 1 canonical-reference drift hit(s)" "$WORK/first"
+
+mkdir -p "$WORK/optout"
+assert "repo without the directory is skipped" 0 "skipped (repo has not opted in)" "$WORK/optout"
+
+echo "R5 bash -e: $pass passed, $fail failed"
+[ "$fail" -eq 0 ]