diff --git a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/discover-cli.ts b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/discover-cli.ts
index f7014cf7f..c5b8acfa3 100644
--- a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/discover-cli.ts
+++ b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/discover-cli.ts
@@ -292,6 +292,72 @@ function initDefaultSignalTrackingStore(): SignalStore {
   return createSignalTrackingStore({ appendEvent, readEvents });
 }
 
+// #8544: bounded raw context for eligibility-exclusion backtest replay — mirrors ORB's #8129/#8130 posture.
+// Caps are fixed so a captured exclusion can be re-evaluated under a candidate ContributionProfile without
+// storing whole candidate objects or unbounded label/assignee lists.
+export const ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_LABELS = 50;
+export const ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_ASSIGNEES = 25;
+export const ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_STRING_CHARS = 200;
+
+type EligibilityExclusionCaptureCandidate = {
+  labels?: string[];
+  assignees?: string[];
+  owner?: string;
+};
+
+function truncateEligibilityMetadataString(value: string): { value: string; truncated: boolean } {
+  if (value.length <= ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_STRING_CHARS) {
+    return { value, truncated: false };
+  }
+  return {
+    value: value.slice(0, ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_STRING_CHARS),
+    truncated: true,
+  };
+}
+
+function boundedEligibilityMetadataStrings(
+  items: string[] | undefined,
+  maxCount: number,
+): { values: string[] | undefined; truncated: boolean } {
+  if (items === undefined) return { values: undefined, truncated: false };
+  const strings = items.filter((entry): entry is string => typeof entry === "string");
+  if (strings.length === 0) return { values: undefined, truncated: false };
+  let truncated = strings.length > maxCount;
+  const bounded = strings.slice(0, maxCount);
+  const values: string[] = [];
+  for (const entry of bounded) {
+    const next = truncateEligibilityMetadataString(entry);
+    if (next.truncated) truncated = true;
+    values.push(next.value);
+  }
+  return { values, truncated };
+}
+
+/** Build bounded metadata for an eligibility-exclusion fired event (#8544). Omits absent/empty fields; adds
+ *  `truncated: true` only when an array-length or string-length cap actually clamped input. */
+export function buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata(
+  candidate: EligibilityExclusionCaptureCandidate,
+): Record<string, unknown> | undefined {
+  let truncated = false;
+  const metadata: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+  if (typeof candidate.owner === "string" && candidate.owner) {
+    const owner = truncateEligibilityMetadataString(candidate.owner);
+    if (owner.truncated) truncated = true;
+    metadata.owner = owner.value;
+  }
+  const labels = boundedEligibilityMetadataStrings(candidate.labels, ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_LABELS);
+  if (labels.values !== undefined) metadata.labels = labels.values;
+  if (labels.truncated) truncated = true;
+  const assignees = boundedEligibilityMetadataStrings(
+    candidate.assignees,
+    ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_ASSIGNEES,
+  );
+  if (assignees.values !== undefined) metadata.assignees = assignees.values;
+  if (assignees.truncated) truncated = true;
+  if (truncated) metadata.truncated = true;
+  return Object.keys(metadata).length > 0 ? metadata : undefined;
+}
+
 // #7982: records each real-run eligibility exclusion as a rule-fired signal (ruleId = the exclusion reason,
 // e.g. "missing_eligibility_label"), so it can later be scored for precision. Best-effort: a store-open
 // failure or a single write failure never aborts discovery -- same discipline as the caches/stores in
@@ -299,7 +365,16 @@ function initDefaultSignalTrackingStore(): SignalStore {
 // branch: a dry run previews what a real run would do (including its own noopQueueStore for the portfolio
 // queue) and must not itself contribute real data to a precision report.
 async function recordEligibilityExclusionSignals(
-  excluded: ReadonlyArray<{ candidate: { repoFullName: string; issueNumber: number }; reason: string }>,
+  excluded: ReadonlyArray<{
+    candidate: {
+      repoFullName: string;
+      issueNumber: number;
+      labels?: string[];
+      assignees?: string[];
+      owner?: string;
+    };
+    reason: string;
+  }>,
   options: Pick<RunDiscoverOptions, "initSignalTrackingStore" | "nowMs">,
 ): Promise<void> {
   if (excluded.length === 0) return;
@@ -312,12 +387,14 @@ async function recordEligibilityExclusionSignals(
   if (!store) return;
   const occurredAt = new Date(options.nowMs ?? Date.now()).toISOString();
   for (const entry of excluded) {
+    const metadata = buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata(entry.candidate);
     await store
       .recordRuleFired({
         ruleId: entry.reason,
         targetKey: `${entry.candidate.repoFullName}#issue-${entry.candidate.issueNumber}`,
         outcome: "exclude",
         occurredAt,
+        ...(metadata ? { metadata } : {}),
       })
       .catch(() => undefined);
   }
diff --git a/test/unit/miner-discover-cli-eligibility-metadata.test.ts b/test/unit/miner-discover-cli-eligibility-metadata.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5571a770c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/miner-discover-cli-eligibility-metadata.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+// Import the .ts SOURCE via a non-literal specifier so CI's `--coverage.all=false` run grades discover-cli.ts,
+// not a stale post-build .js artifact (#8544, same pattern as miner-replay-snapshot.test.ts / #8510).
+const DISCOVER_CLI_MODULE = "../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/discover-cli.ts";
+const {
+  ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_ASSIGNEES,
+  ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_LABELS,
+  ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_STRING_CHARS,
+  buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata,
+} = (await import(DISCOVER_CLI_MODULE)) as typeof import("../../packages/loopover-miner/lib/discover-cli.js");
+
+function labelList(count: number, prefix = "label"): string[] {
+  return Array.from({ length: count }, (_, index) => `${prefix}-${index}`);
+}
+
+describe("buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata (#8544)", () => {
+  it("records labels, assignees, and owner when all three are present", () => {
+    expect(
+      buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({
+        owner: "acme",
+        labels: ["help wanted", "bug"],
+        assignees: ["alice", "bob"],
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({
+      owner: "acme",
+      labels: ["help wanted", "bug"],
+      assignees: ["alice", "bob"],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("omits each field when absent from the candidate", () => {
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({})).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ labels: [] })).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ assignees: [] })).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ owner: "" })).toBeUndefined();
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ labels: ["bug"] })).toEqual({ labels: ["bug"] });
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ assignees: ["alice"] })).toEqual({ assignees: ["alice"] });
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ owner: "acme" })).toEqual({ owner: "acme" });
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ labels: [null as unknown as string, "bug"] })).toEqual({
+      labels: ["bug"],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("keeps exactly-max label and assignee counts without a truncated key", () => {
+    expect(
+      buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({
+        labels: labelList(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_LABELS),
+        assignees: labelList(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_ASSIGNEES, "user"),
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({
+      labels: labelList(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_LABELS),
+      assignees: labelList(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_ASSIGNEES, "user"),
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("clamps one-over-max label and assignee counts and sets truncated", () => {
+    const metadata = buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({
+      labels: labelList(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_LABELS + 1),
+      assignees: labelList(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_ASSIGNEES + 1, "user"),
+    });
+    expect(metadata?.labels).toHaveLength(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_LABELS);
+    expect(metadata?.assignees).toHaveLength(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_ASSIGNEES);
+    expect(metadata?.truncated).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("keeps exactly-max-length strings without truncated", () => {
+    const exact = "x".repeat(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_STRING_CHARS);
+    expect(
+      buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({
+        owner: exact,
+        labels: [exact],
+        assignees: [exact],
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({
+      owner: exact,
+      labels: [exact],
+      assignees: [exact],
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("truncates one-over-max-length owner, label, and assignee strings and sets truncated", () => {
+    const over = "y".repeat(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_STRING_CHARS + 1);
+    const expected = "y".repeat(ELIGIBILITY_EXCLUSION_METADATA_MAX_STRING_CHARS);
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ owner: over })).toEqual({
+      owner: expected,
+      truncated: true,
+    });
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ labels: [over] })).toEqual({
+      labels: [expected],
+      truncated: true,
+    });
+    expect(buildEligibilityExclusionMetadata({ assignees: [over] })).toEqual({
+      assignees: [expected],
+      truncated: true,
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/unit/miner-discover-cli.test.ts b/test/unit/miner-discover-cli.test.ts
index 9f9403607..7977cf577 100644
--- a/test/unit/miner-discover-cli.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/miner-discover-cli.test.ts
@@ -1644,12 +1644,27 @@ describe("runDiscover onResult hook (#6522)", () => {
 
     describe("eligibility-exclusion signal tracking (#7982)", () => {
       function fakeSignalStore() {
-        const fired: Array<{ ruleId: string; targetKey: string; outcome: string }> = [];
+        const fired: Array<{
+          ruleId: string;
+          targetKey: string;
+          outcome: string;
+          metadata?: Record<string, unknown>;
+        }> = [];
         return {
           fired,
           store: {
-            recordRuleFired: vi.fn(async (event: { ruleId: string; targetKey: string; outcome: string }) => {
-              fired.push({ ruleId: event.ruleId, targetKey: event.targetKey, outcome: event.outcome });
+            recordRuleFired: vi.fn(async (event: {
+              ruleId: string;
+              targetKey: string;
+              outcome: string;
+              metadata?: Record<string, unknown>;
+            }) => {
+              fired.push({
+                ruleId: event.ruleId,
+                targetKey: event.targetKey,
+                outcome: event.outcome,
+                ...(event.metadata ? { metadata: event.metadata } : {}),
+              });
             }),
             recordHumanOverride: vi.fn(async () => undefined),
             queryRuleHistory: vi.fn(async () => ({ fired: [], overrides: [] })),
@@ -1669,8 +1684,18 @@ describe("runDiscover onResult hook (#6522)", () => {
         const exitCode = await runDiscover(["acme/widgets", "--json"], { ...opts, initSignalTrackingStore: () => store });
         expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
         expect(fired).toEqual([
-          { ruleId: "exclusion_label", targetKey: "acme/widgets#issue-2", outcome: "exclude" },
-          { ruleId: "missing_eligibility_label", targetKey: "acme/widgets#issue-3", outcome: "exclude" },
+          {
+            ruleId: "exclusion_label",
+            targetKey: "acme/widgets#issue-2",
+            outcome: "exclude",
+            metadata: { owner: "acme", labels: ["blocked"] },
+          },
+          {
+            ruleId: "missing_eligibility_label",
+            targetKey: "acme/widgets#issue-3",
+            outcome: "exclude",
+            metadata: { owner: "acme", labels: ["bug"] },
+          },
         ]);
       });
 
@@ -1742,6 +1767,56 @@ describe("runDiscover onResult hook (#6522)", () => {
         expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
         expect(recordRuleFired).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
       });
+
+      it("captures bounded candidate context in fired-event metadata on a real run (#8544)", async () => {
+        const issues = [
+          fanOutIssue({
+            issueNumber: 2,
+            labels: ["blocked"],
+            assignees: ["alice"],
+            owner: "acme",
+          }),
+        ];
+        const { opts } = discoverWith(issues, new Map([["acme/widgets", trustworthyProfile]]));
+        const { fired, store } = fakeSignalStore();
+        const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+        const exitCode = await runDiscover(["acme/widgets", "--json"], { ...opts, initSignalTrackingStore: () => store });
+        expect(exitCode).toBe(0);
+        expect(fired).toEqual([
+          {
+            ruleId: "exclusion_label",
+            targetKey: "acme/widgets#issue-2",
+            outcome: "exclude",
+            metadata: {
+              owner: "acme",
+              labels: ["blocked"],
+              assignees: ["alice"],
+            },
+          },
+        ]);
+      });
+
+      it("omits metadata entirely when the excluded candidate has no capturable context (#8544)", async () => {
+        const issues = [
+          fanOutIssue({
+            issueNumber: 3,
+            labels: [123 as unknown as string],
+            owner: undefined,
+            assignees: undefined,
+          }),
+        ];
+        const { opts } = discoverWith(issues, new Map([["acme/widgets", trustworthyProfile]]));
+        const { fired, store } = fakeSignalStore();
+        const log = vi.spyOn(console, "log").mockImplementation(() => undefined);
+        await runDiscover(["acme/widgets", "--json"], { ...opts, initSignalTrackingStore: () => store });
+        expect(fired).toEqual([
+          {
+            ruleId: "missing_eligibility_label",
+            targetKey: "acme/widgets#issue-3",
+            outcome: "exclude",
+          },
+        ]);
+      });
     });
 
     it("SAFE DEFAULT: filters nothing for a low-confidence/empty profile", async () => {