From f9f2a6340f5cf30851227915b5fa57b0a6771b85 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: JSONbored <49853598+JSONbored@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:18:41 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] refactor(openapi): replace the settings-parity script with a
 compile-time schema/type assertion (#9531)

scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts diffed the top-level KEY SETS of
RepositorySettingsSchema/RepoSettingsPreviewSchema against the two TS types by re-parsing
src/types.ts and src/signals/settings-preview.ts with brace-and-indent heuristics. It could
not see a field's optionality, nullability, or value type, and any reformatting of either
type would have silently broken its extraction.

test/unit/openapi-settings-schema-parity.test.ts replaces it with an exact-equality type
assertion in both directions, compared per key so a failure still names the drifted field.
Three published-spec defects the key-set diff had been structurally unable to see turned up
the moment it compiled:

- autonomy advertised "suggest"/"propose", removed from AutonomyLevel by #4620 and dropped
  on persist ever since;
- contributorBlacklist omitted the immutable githubId the API has returned since #9125;
- moderationRules omitted "copycat", a real ModerationRuleType since #1969.

Also: expectedCiContexts is declared and read as nullable but the schema never said so, and
the settings-preview's aiReviewConfirmedContributorsOnly advertised a null the builder's
`?? false` makes unreachable.

Reaching parity required the types to state what the read paths already guarantee. The
thirteen config-as-code fields both getRepositorySettings paths always populate become
required; the no-row defaults move into defaultRepositorySettings() so there is one home for
them, and upsertRepositorySettings echoes linkedIssueHardRules/synchronizeClosePolicy so
PUT's response matches GET's shape. resolveEffectiveSettings now skips undefined-valued
manifest keys before the spread, so config-as-code can no longer punch a hole in a resolved
DB value -- "not overridden" is what an absent value means at every other layer.
---
 .github/workflows/ci.yml                      |   6 -
 apps/loopover-ui/public/openapi.json          |  42 +++---
 package.json                                  |   3 +-
 scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts      | 113 ----------------
 scripts/check-schema-drift.ts                 |   4 +-
 src/db/repositories.ts                        |  28 +++-
 src/openapi/schemas.ts                        |  66 ++++++----
 src/signals/focus-manifest.ts                 |  21 ++-
 src/signals/settings-preview.ts               |   7 +-
 src/types.ts                                  |  26 ++--
 test/unit/check-manifest-drift-script.test.ts |   2 +-
 test/unit/check-schema-drift-script.test.ts   |   4 +-
 test/unit/ci-openapi-settings-parity.test.ts  | 101 ---------------
 ...fhost-troubleshooting-metric-names.test.ts |   3 +-
 test/unit/effective-config-summary.test.ts    |   6 +-
 test/unit/focus-manifest.test.ts              |  21 +++
 test/unit/maintainer-activation.test.ts       |   4 +
 .../openapi-settings-schema-parity.test.ts    | 121 ++++++++++++++++++
 test/unit/policy-sanitizer.test.ts            |   4 +
 test/unit/queue-lifecycle-guards.test.ts      |  19 ++-
 test/unit/registration-readiness.test.ts      |   4 +
 test/unit/repo-policy-readiness.test.ts       |   4 +
 .../repository-settings-enforcement.test.ts   |   4 +
 .../self-dogfood-registration-pack.test.ts    |   4 +
 test/unit/settings-preview.test.ts            |   4 +
 test/unit/signals-edge-cases.test.ts          |   4 +
 test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts                  |   2 +
 test/unit/signals.test.ts                     |   5 +
 test/unit/unified-comment-parity.test.ts      |   2 +
 29 files changed, 329 insertions(+), 305 deletions(-)
 delete mode 100644 scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts
 delete mode 100644 test/unit/ci-openapi-settings-parity.test.ts
 create mode 100644 test/unit/openapi-settings-schema-parity.test.ts

diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 204afe19b1..353be0f468 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -790,12 +790,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: OpenAPI drift check
         if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' || needs.changes.outputs.ui == 'true' || needs.changes.outputs.uiContract == 'true' }}
         run: npm run ui:openapi:check
-      # #2556: RepositorySettingsSchema (hand-authored Zod) can silently drift from the actual
-      # RepositorySettings TS type -- the OpenAPI drift check above only verifies the generated spec
-      # matches the Zod schema, never that the schema matches the type the API actually serializes.
-      - name: OpenAPI settings-parity check
-        if: ${{ github.event_name == 'push' || needs.changes.outputs.ui == 'true' || needs.changes.outputs.uiContract == 'true' }}
-        run: npm run ui:openapi:settings-parity
       # Checks apps/loopover-ui/src' known-latest MCP version string against the published package, so
       # its dependency is `ui` (the file it scans) + `mcp` (the package it checks against) -- NOT the
       # OpenAPI contract, which this script never reads.
diff --git a/apps/loopover-ui/public/openapi.json b/apps/loopover-ui/public/openapi.json
index 1e1f1e91b8..1de5e0d65b 100644
--- a/apps/loopover-ui/public/openapi.json
+++ b/apps/loopover-ui/public/openapi.json
@@ -9206,7 +9206,8 @@
             "type": "array",
             "items": {
               "type": "string"
-            }
+            },
+            "nullable": true
           },
           "advisoryCheckRuns": {
             "type": "array",
@@ -9690,6 +9691,9 @@
                 },
                 "addedAt": {
                   "type": "string"
+                },
+                "githubId": {
+                  "type": "integer"
                 }
               },
               "required": [
@@ -9704,8 +9708,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9714,8 +9716,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9724,8 +9724,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9734,8 +9732,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9744,8 +9740,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9754,8 +9748,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9764,8 +9756,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9774,8 +9764,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9784,8 +9772,6 @@
                 "type": "string",
                 "enum": [
                   "observe",
-                  "suggest",
-                  "propose",
                   "auto_with_approval",
                   "auto"
                 ]
@@ -9954,7 +9940,8 @@
                 "contributor_cap",
                 "blacklist",
                 "review_nag",
-                "review_evasion"
+                "review_evasion",
+                "copycat"
               ]
             }
           },
@@ -10133,6 +10120,8 @@
           "closeOwnerAuthors",
           "autoLabelEnabled",
           "typeLabelsEnabled",
+          "linkedIssueLabelPropagation",
+          "linkedIssueHardRules",
           "gittensorLabel",
           "blacklistLabel",
           "createMissingLabel",
@@ -10140,7 +10129,15 @@
           "includeMaintainerAuthors",
           "requireLinkedIssue",
           "backfillEnabled",
-          "commandAuthorization"
+          "commandAuthorization",
+          "contributorBlacklist",
+          "autonomy",
+          "moderationGateMode",
+          "fairnessAnalyticsMode",
+          "reviewEvasionProtection",
+          "draftPrClosePolicy",
+          "synchronizeClosePolicy",
+          "screenshotTableGate"
         ]
       },
       "AutomationState": {
@@ -10991,8 +10988,7 @@
                 "type": "boolean"
               },
               "aiReviewConfirmedContributorsOnly": {
-                "type": "boolean",
-                "nullable": true
+                "type": "boolean"
               },
               "commandAuthorization": {
                 "type": "object",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 24b355dc8c..265c28907f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@
     "ui:test": "npm run ui:kit:build && npm --workspace @loopover/ui run test && npm --workspace @loopover/ui-miner run test",
     "ui:openapi": "tsx scripts/write-ui-openapi.ts",
     "ui:openapi:check": "tsx scripts/write-ui-openapi.ts --check",
-    "ui:openapi:settings-parity": "tsx scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts",
     "cloudflare:schema": "tsx scripts/write-cloudflare-schema.ts",
     "ui:version-audit": "node --experimental-strip-types scripts/check-ui-mcp-version-copy.ts",
     "ui:version-audit:sync": "node --experimental-strip-types scripts/check-ui-mcp-version-copy.ts --write",
@@ -122,7 +121,7 @@
     "test:smoke:browser:install": "playwright install chromium",
     "test:smoke:browser": "node --experimental-strip-types scripts/smoke-ui-browser.ts",
     "pretest:ci": "npm run check-node-version",
-    "test:ci": "git diff --check && npm run actionlint && npm run lint:composite-actions && npm run db:migrations:check && npm run db:schema-drift:check && npm run selfhost:env-reference:check && npm run miner:env-reference:check && npm run selfhost:validate-observability && npm run cf-typegen:check && npm run build --workspace @loopover/engine && npm run build --workspace @loopover/discovery-index && npm run build:mcp && npm run build:miner && npm run build --workspace @loopover/ui-kit && npm run typecheck && npm run test:coverage && npm run test:engine-parity && npm run test:live-gate-parity && npm run test:driver-parity && npm run validate:mcp && npm run test --workspace @loopover/engine && npm run test:workers && npm run test:mcp-pack && npm run test:miner-pack && npm run test:engine-pack && npm run test:ui-kit-pack && npm run test:miner-deployment-docs-audit && npm run rees:test && npm run ui:openapi:check && npm run ui:openapi:settings-parity && npm run ui:version-audit && npm run docs:drift-check && npm run coverage-boltons:check && npm run import-specifiers:check && npm run dead-source-files:check && npm run regate-sort-key:check && npm run command-redelivery-guards:check && npm run dispatch-gate-reasons:check && npm run validate:no-hand-written-js && npm run replay-runner-manifest:check && npm run coco-dev-versions:check && npm run branding-drift:check && npm run manifest:drift-check && npm run engine-parity:drift-check && npm run engines-nvmrc:check && npm run release-manifest:sync:check && npm run command-reference:check && npm run ui:lint && npm run ui:typecheck && npm run ui:test && npm run ui:build",
+    "test:ci": "git diff --check && npm run actionlint && npm run lint:composite-actions && npm run db:migrations:check && npm run db:schema-drift:check && npm run selfhost:env-reference:check && npm run miner:env-reference:check && npm run selfhost:validate-observability && npm run cf-typegen:check && npm run build --workspace @loopover/engine && npm run build --workspace @loopover/discovery-index && npm run build:mcp && npm run build:miner && npm run build --workspace @loopover/ui-kit && npm run typecheck && npm run test:coverage && npm run test:engine-parity && npm run test:live-gate-parity && npm run test:driver-parity && npm run validate:mcp && npm run test --workspace @loopover/engine && npm run test:workers && npm run test:mcp-pack && npm run test:miner-pack && npm run test:engine-pack && npm run test:ui-kit-pack && npm run test:miner-deployment-docs-audit && npm run rees:test && npm run ui:openapi:check && npm run ui:version-audit && npm run docs:drift-check && npm run coverage-boltons:check && npm run import-specifiers:check && npm run dead-source-files:check && npm run regate-sort-key:check && npm run command-redelivery-guards:check && npm run dispatch-gate-reasons:check && npm run validate:no-hand-written-js && npm run replay-runner-manifest:check && npm run coco-dev-versions:check && npm run branding-drift:check && npm run manifest:drift-check && npm run engine-parity:drift-check && npm run engines-nvmrc:check && npm run release-manifest:sync:check && npm run command-reference:check && npm run ui:lint && npm run ui:typecheck && npm run ui:test && npm run ui:build",
     "test:release": "npm run test:ci && npm run changelog:check",
     "test:release:mcp": "npm run test:ci",
     "test:watch": "vitest",
diff --git a/scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts b/scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index f05c5d5715..0000000000
--- a/scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,113 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env tsx
-// #2556: RepositorySettingsSchema/RepoSettingsPreviewSchema (src/openapi/schemas.ts) are hand-authored Zod
-// schemas -- ui:openapi:check only verifies the generated openapi.json matches THEM, never that they match
-// the actual RepositorySettings TS type the API handler serializes. A field added to the TS type (and
-// actually returned by GET /v1/repos/:owner/:repo/settings) can silently miss the Zod schema forever, with
-// no CI signal -- breaking generated API clients (including @loopover/mcp) that have no way to
-// know about a field the spec doesn't mention. This is a structural key-set diff, not a value/type check.
-import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
-import { RepositorySettingsSchema, RepoSettingsPreviewSchema } from "../src/openapi/schemas";
-
-export const TYPES_PATH = "src/types.ts";
-const TYPE_START = "export type RepositorySettings = {";
-
-// #7011: RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.settings (the nested settings object of the settings-preview response) is a
-// second hand-authored Zod schema this check's header names -- its source of truth is buildRepoSettingsPreview's
-// return shape, whose named return type is RepoSettingsPreview (src/signals/settings-preview.ts). A field added
-// to (or dropped from) that builder without a matching schema edit would otherwise drift with no CI signal,
-// exactly as for RepositorySettings above.
-export const SETTINGS_PREVIEW_PATH = "src/signals/settings-preview.ts";
-const PREVIEW_TYPE_START = "export type RepoSettingsPreview = {";
-const PREVIEW_SETTINGS_START = "  settings: {";
-
-/** Pure: extract the top-level field names of the `RepositorySettings` type from raw source text. Every
- *  field is a primitive/union/type-alias reference (never an inline nested object literal), so this never
- *  needs to track brace depth -- verified by direct inspection of the type at the time this check was added. */
-export function extractRepositorySettingsFieldNames(source: string): Set<string> {
-  const startIndex = source.indexOf(TYPE_START);
-  if (startIndex === -1) throw new Error(`Could not find "${TYPE_START}" in the given source.`);
-  const endIndex = source.indexOf("\n};", startIndex);
-  if (endIndex === -1) throw new Error(`Could not find the closing "};" for RepositorySettings in the given source.`);
-  const body = source.slice(startIndex + TYPE_START.length, endIndex);
-  const fieldPattern = /^ {2}(\w+)\??:/gm;
-  const names = new Set<string>();
-  for (const match of body.matchAll(fieldPattern)) names.add(match[1]!);
-  return names;
-}
-
-/** Pure: extract the field names of the nested `settings` object of the `RepoSettingsPreview` type from raw
- *  source text. Unlike RepositorySettings, this block nests one inline object literal (`commandAuthorization`),
- *  so we brace-match to bound the settings body precisely, then take only its direct children (4-space indent);
- *  the nested members sit deeper and never match the anchor. */
-export function extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames(source: string): Set<string> {
-  const typeIndex = source.indexOf(PREVIEW_TYPE_START);
-  if (typeIndex === -1) throw new Error(`Could not find "${PREVIEW_TYPE_START}" in the given source.`);
-  const blockIndex = source.indexOf(PREVIEW_SETTINGS_START, typeIndex);
-  if (blockIndex === -1) throw new Error(`Could not find the "settings" block of RepoSettingsPreview in the given source.`);
-  const openBrace = blockIndex + PREVIEW_SETTINGS_START.length - 1;
-  let depth = 0;
-  let endIndex = -1;
-  for (let i = openBrace; i < source.length; i++) {
-    if (source[i] === "{") depth++;
-    else if (source[i] === "}" && --depth === 0) {
-      endIndex = i;
-      break;
-    }
-  }
-  if (endIndex === -1) throw new Error(`Could not find the closing "}" for the RepoSettingsPreview settings block in the given source.`);
-  const body = source.slice(openBrace + 1, endIndex);
-  const fieldPattern = /^ {4}(\w+)\??:/gm;
-  const names = new Set<string>();
-  for (const match of body.matchAll(fieldPattern)) names.add(match[1]!);
-  return names;
-}
-
-/** Pure: diff two field-name sets, returning the sorted asymmetric differences. */
-export function diffFieldSets(typeFields: ReadonlySet<string>, schemaFields: ReadonlySet<string>): { missingFromSchema: string[]; extraInSchema: string[] } {
-  return {
-    missingFromSchema: [...typeFields].filter((field) => !schemaFields.has(field)).sort(),
-    extraInSchema: [...schemaFields].filter((field) => !typeFields.has(field)).sort(),
-  };
-}
-
-function main() {
-  let failed = false;
-
-  const typeFields = extractRepositorySettingsFieldNames(readFileSync(TYPES_PATH, "utf8"));
-  const schemaFields = new Set(Object.keys(RepositorySettingsSchema.shape));
-  const repo = diffFieldSets(typeFields, schemaFields);
-  if (repo.missingFromSchema.length > 0 || repo.extraInSchema.length > 0) {
-    if (repo.missingFromSchema.length > 0) {
-      console.error(`RepositorySettingsSchema (src/openapi/schemas.ts) is missing field(s) present on the RepositorySettings type: ${repo.missingFromSchema.join(", ")}`);
-    }
-    if (repo.extraInSchema.length > 0) {
-      console.error(`RepositorySettingsSchema (src/openapi/schemas.ts) declares field(s) not present on the RepositorySettings type: ${repo.extraInSchema.join(", ")}`);
-    }
-    console.error("Update src/openapi/schemas.ts, then run: npm run ui:openapi");
-    failed = true;
-  } else {
-    console.log(`RepositorySettingsSchema matches the RepositorySettings type (${typeFields.size} fields).`);
-  }
-
-  const previewTypeFields = extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames(readFileSync(SETTINGS_PREVIEW_PATH, "utf8"));
-  const previewSchemaFields = new Set(Object.keys(RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.shape.settings.shape));
-  const preview = diffFieldSets(previewTypeFields, previewSchemaFields);
-  if (preview.missingFromSchema.length > 0 || preview.extraInSchema.length > 0) {
-    if (preview.missingFromSchema.length > 0) {
-      console.error(`RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.settings (src/openapi/schemas.ts) is missing field(s) present on buildRepoSettingsPreview's return shape (RepoSettingsPreview.settings, src/signals/settings-preview.ts): ${preview.missingFromSchema.join(", ")}`);
-    }
-    if (preview.extraInSchema.length > 0) {
-      console.error(`RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.settings (src/openapi/schemas.ts) declares field(s) not present on buildRepoSettingsPreview's return shape (RepoSettingsPreview.settings, src/signals/settings-preview.ts): ${preview.extraInSchema.join(", ")}`);
-    }
-    console.error("Update src/openapi/schemas.ts, then run: npm run ui:openapi");
-    failed = true;
-  } else {
-    console.log(`RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.settings matches buildRepoSettingsPreview's return shape (${previewTypeFields.size} fields).`);
-  }
-
-  if (failed) process.exit(1);
-}
-
-// Guard so importing this module for its pure exports (tests) never triggers the file-read/exit side effects.
-if (process.argv[1] === fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)) main();
diff --git a/scripts/check-schema-drift.ts b/scripts/check-schema-drift.ts
index 3976ebfe5c..ac23bf52ce 100644
--- a/scripts/check-schema-drift.ts
+++ b/scripts/check-schema-drift.ts
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@
 // drizzle-orm's getTableColumns (keyed by each column's .name -- the actual DB column name, not the JS
 // property name). Diff the two column-name sets per table.
 //
-// Run via `tsx` (not plain `node`) for the same reason as check-migrations.ts and
-// check-openapi-settings-parity.ts: this script imports src/db/schema.ts (a .ts module) directly, and a bare
+// Run via `tsx` (not plain `node`) for the same reason as check-migrations.ts: this script imports
+// src/db/schema.ts (a .ts module) directly, and a bare
 // `node` invocation can't resolve a `.ts` import without an experimental flag CI's pinned Node isn't
 // guaranteed to support.
 import { readdirSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
diff --git a/src/db/repositories.ts b/src/db/repositories.ts
index edfc08f76a..268c9b8339 100644
--- a/src/db/repositories.ts
+++ b/src/db/repositories.ts
@@ -712,11 +712,16 @@ export async function listRepositories(env: Env): Promise<RepositoryRecord[]> {
   return rows.map(toRepositoryRecord);
 }
 
-export async function getRepositorySettings(env: Env, fullName: string): Promise<RepositorySettings> {
-  const db = getDb(env.DB);
-  const [row] = await db.select().from(repositorySettings).where(eq(repositorySettings.repoFullName, fullName)).limit(1);
-  if (!row) {
-    return {
+/**
+ * The complete built-in default settings for a repo LoopOver has no row for (#9531).
+ *
+ * Extracted from getRepositorySettings' no-row branch so it has ONE home: the read path returns it,
+ * and the test fixtures that build full RepositorySettings literals spread it instead of each
+ * hand-maintaining a private copy of every config-as-code default -- which is how ten of them came
+ * to silently omit the same thirteen fields.
+ */
+export function defaultRepositorySettings(fullName: string): RepositorySettings {
+  return {
       repoFullName: fullName,
       commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
       publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
@@ -805,7 +810,13 @@ export async function getRepositorySettings(env: Env, fullName: string): Promise
       mergeTrainMode: "off",
       screenshotTableGate: { ...DEFAULT_SCREENSHOT_TABLE_GATE, whenLabels: [], whenPaths: [], requireViewports: [], requireThemes: [] },
     };
-  }
+}
+
+
+export async function getRepositorySettings(env: Env, fullName: string): Promise<RepositorySettings> {
+  const db = getDb(env.DB);
+  const [row] = await db.select().from(repositorySettings).where(eq(repositorySettings.repoFullName, fullName)).limit(1);
+  if (!row) return defaultRepositorySettings(fullName);
   return {
     repoFullName: row.repoFullName,
     // Config-as-code only (Batch A, loopover#6442): no DB column backs these 9 fields anymore -- the
@@ -1055,6 +1066,11 @@ export async function upsertRepositorySettings(env: Env, settings: Partial<Repos
     draftPrClosePolicy: "off" as const, // #6440/#draft-pr-close-policy: config-as-code only now -- any caller-supplied value is a silent no-op, configure via .loopover.yml settings.draftPrClosePolicy instead
     mergeTrainMode: "off" as const,
     screenshotTableGate: normalizeScreenshotTableGateConfig(settings.screenshotTableGate, []),
+    // #9531: both GET paths always return these two config-as-code-only fields, so RepositorySettings
+    // declares them required and this write-path echo must carry the same built-in defaults the read
+    // paths do -- omitting them made PUT's response a different shape from GET's for the same repo.
+    linkedIssueHardRules: { ...DEFAULT_LINKED_ISSUE_HARD_RULES, pointBearingLabels: [], maintainerOnlyLabels: [] },
+    synchronizeClosePolicy: "off" as const,
   } satisfies RepositorySettings;
   const db = getDb(env.DB);
   await db
diff --git a/src/openapi/schemas.ts b/src/openapi/schemas.ts
index ed3d7263ae..9e3e4154d2 100644
--- a/src/openapi/schemas.ts
+++ b/src/openapi/schemas.ts
@@ -830,8 +830,12 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
     claConsentPhrase: z.string().nullable().optional(),
     claCheckRunName: z.string().nullable().optional(),
     claCheckRunAppSlug: z.string().nullable().optional(),
-    expectedCiContexts: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
-    advisoryCheckRuns: z.array(z.object({ name: z.string(), appSlug: z.string() })).nullable().optional(),
+    // #9531: `expectedCiContexts` is declared `| null` on the type and read as a distinct value from absent
+    // (focus-manifest.ts's `!== null` gate), but the published schema omitted `.nullable()` -- so a client
+    // generated from the spec typed it as never-null, unlike its identically-shaped sibling below. Found by
+    // the compile-time parity assertion in test/unit/openapi-settings-schema-parity.test.ts.
+    expectedCiContexts: z.array(z.string()).readonly().nullable().optional(),
+    advisoryCheckRuns: z.array(z.object({ name: z.string(), appSlug: z.string() })).readonly().nullable().optional(),
     copycatGateMode: z.enum(["off", "warn", "label", "block"]).optional(),
     copycatGateMinScore: z.number().nullable().optional(),
     gateDryRun: z.boolean().optional(),
@@ -859,6 +863,7 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
     aiReviewOnMerge: z.enum(["either", "both"]).nullable().optional(),
     aiReviewReviewers: z
       .array(z.object({ model: z.string(), fallback: z.string().nullable().optional() }))
+      .readonly()
       .nullable()
       .optional(),
     closeOwnerAuthors: z.boolean(),
@@ -885,8 +890,7 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
             trustMaintainerAuthoredIssueForReward: z.boolean().optional(),
           }),
         ),
-      })
-      .optional(),
+      }),
     linkedIssueHardRules: z
       .object({
         ownerAssignedClose: z.enum(["block", "off"]),
@@ -898,8 +902,7 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
         defaultLabelRepo: z.boolean(),
         verifyBeforeClose: z.boolean(),
         closeDelaySeconds: z.number().int().min(0).max(300),
-      })
-      .optional(),
+      }),
     unlinkedIssueGuardrail: z
       .object({
         mode: z.enum(["hold", "off"]),
@@ -946,19 +949,26 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
       default: z.array(z.enum(["maintainer", "collaborator", "pr_author", "confirmed_miner"])),
       commands: z.record(z.string(), z.array(z.enum(["maintainer", "collaborator", "pr_author", "confirmed_miner"]))),
     }),
-    contributorBlacklist: z
-      .array(
-        z.object({
-          login: z.string(),
-          reason: z.string().optional(),
-          evidence: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
-          addedAt: z.string().optional(),
-        }),
-      )
-      .optional(),
-    autonomy: z
-      .record(z.enum(["review", "request_changes", "approve", "merge", "close", "label", "review_state_label", "update_branch", "assign"]), z.enum(["observe", "suggest", "propose", "auto_with_approval", "auto"]))
-      .optional(),
+    contributorBlacklist: z.array(
+      z.object({
+        login: z.string(),
+        // #9125's immutable-id field, returned by the API since it landed and absent from this
+        // schema until the parity assertion flagged it (#9531).
+        githubId: z.number().int().optional(),
+        reason: z.string().optional(),
+        evidence: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
+        addedAt: z.string().optional(),
+      }),
+    ),
+    // #9531: partialRecord, because AutonomyPolicy is Partial<Record<...>> -- a repo configures the
+    // classes it configures. And the LIVE level set: "suggest"/"propose" were removed server-side by
+    // #4620 and silently dropped on persist ever since, yet this schema kept advertising them -- the
+    // exact drift class #9517's enum notes warned about, republished here. The compile-time parity
+    // assertion in src/openapi/schema-type-parity.ts is what finally caught it.
+    autonomy: z.partialRecord(
+      z.enum(["review", "request_changes", "approve", "merge", "close", "label", "review_state_label", "update_branch", "assign"]),
+      z.enum(["observe", "auto_with_approval", "auto"]),
+    ),
     autoMaintain: z.object({ requireApprovals: z.number().int(), mergeMethod: z.enum(["merge", "squash", "rebase"]) }).optional(),
     agentPaused: z.boolean().optional(),
     agentDryRun: z.boolean().optional(),
@@ -987,16 +997,17 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
     commandRateLimitWindowHours: z.number().int().positive().optional(),
     moderationGateMode: z
       .enum(["inherit", "off", "enabled"])
-      .optional()
       .describe(
         "Gates ONLY the shared cross-repo violation tally -- does NOT disable the four underlying anti-abuse mechanisms (contributor cap, blacklist, review-nag, review-evasion), each of which runs on its own independent setting.",
       ),
-    moderationRules: z.array(z.enum(["contributor_cap", "blacklist", "review_nag", "review_evasion"])).optional(),
+    // #9531: "copycat" is a real member of the type's union and a real value this route can return -- the
+    // published enum simply never gained it when the mechanism landed, so a client generated from the spec
+    // rejected a payload the API legitimately produces.
+    moderationRules: z.array(z.enum(["contributor_cap", "blacklist", "review_nag", "review_evasion", "copycat"])).optional(),
     moderationWarningLabel: z.string().optional(),
     moderationBannedLabel: z.string().optional(),
     fairnessAnalyticsMode: z
       .enum(["inherit", "off", "enabled"])
-      .optional()
       .describe(
         "Per-repo participation in cross-repo contributor fairness/accuracy analytics -- 'off' excludes this repo's gate decisions and moderation history from every aggregation, independent of whether the internal fairness-analytics routes are enabled fleet-wide.",
       ),
@@ -1006,7 +1017,6 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
     plannerMode: z.enum(["inherit", "off", "enabled"]).optional(),
     reviewEvasionProtection: z
       .enum(["off", "close"])
-      .optional()
       .describe(
         "Effective default is \"close\" as of #4011 -- \"off\" is an explicit opt-out, not the default. \"off\" only suppresses the enforcement close; the ready<->draft cycling counter keeps incrementing regardless, so re-enabling can immediately treat a historical off-period cycle as \"repeated.\"",
       ),
@@ -1014,13 +1024,11 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
     reviewEvasionComment: z.boolean().optional(),
     draftPrClosePolicy: z
       .enum(["off", "close"])
-      .optional()
       .describe(
         "Off by default (opt-in, unlike reviewEvasionProtection's default-close). \"close\" enforces on ANY draft PR, including the very first one, before a review pass has had a chance to run -- distinct from reviewEvasionProtection's family, which only enforces after a review already ran or on the 2nd+ draft conversion.",
       ),
     synchronizeClosePolicy: z
       .enum(["off", "close"])
-      .optional()
       .describe(
         "Off by default (opt-in, config-as-code only -- no dashboard/DB column). \"close\" closes a contributor's own PR immediately when they push an additional commit (synchronize) before it's been merged or closed -- this repo's review is one-shot, so the first push is the only push. Never fires for a push that isn't from the PR's own author (e.g. the engine's own rebase-if-behind), nor for the repo owner/admin, a protected automation author, or anyone with write+ collaborator access.",
       ),
@@ -1035,8 +1043,7 @@ export const RepositorySettingsSchema = z
         requireThemes: z.array(z.string()),
         message: z.string().optional(),
         skillFileUrl: z.string().optional(),
-      })
-      .optional(),
+      }),
     createdAt: z.string().nullable().optional(),
     updatedAt: z.string().nullable().optional(),
   })
@@ -1187,7 +1194,10 @@ export const RepoSettingsPreviewSchema = z
       aiReviewProvider: z.string().nullable(),
       aiReviewModel: z.string().nullable(),
       aiReviewAllAuthors: z.boolean(),
-      aiReviewConfirmedContributorsOnly: z.boolean().nullable(),
+      // #9531: buildRepoSettingsPreview resolves this with `?? false`, so the preview payload NEVER carries
+      // null here (unlike RepositorySettings' own nullable field of the same name, which this one is derived
+      // from) -- the schema advertised a value the route cannot return.
+      aiReviewConfirmedContributorsOnly: z.boolean(),
       commandAuthorization: z.object({
         defaultAllowed: z.array(z.enum(["maintainer", "collaborator", "pr_author", "confirmed_miner"])),
         commandOverrides: z.array(
diff --git a/src/signals/focus-manifest.ts b/src/signals/focus-manifest.ts
index cb22c01317..4f5e81c3f1 100644
--- a/src/signals/focus-manifest.ts
+++ b/src/signals/focus-manifest.ts
@@ -541,6 +541,25 @@ function applyGateConfigOverrides(effective: RepositorySettings, gate: FocusMani
   if (gate.copycatMinScore !== null) effective.copycatGateMinScore = gate.copycatMinScore;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Drop every key whose value is literally `undefined`, so spreading the result LAYERS over a base value
+ * instead of punching holes in it (#9531).
+ *
+ * `FocusManifestSettings` is a `Partial<Pick<RepositorySettings, ...>>`, so an explicitly-`undefined` key
+ * is indistinguishable from an absent one to the type system but emphatically NOT to a spread: it
+ * overwrites the DB-resolved value with `undefined`. That is wrong for every field (the manifest layer is
+ * an override, and "not overridden" is exactly what an absent value means) and now unrepresentable for the
+ * thirteen config-as-code fields both `getRepositorySettings` paths always populate, which `RepositorySettings`
+ * declares required.
+ */
+function withoutUndefinedValues<T extends object>(value: T): { [K in keyof T]?: Exclude<T[K], undefined> } {
+  const defined: Record<string, unknown> = {};
+  for (const [key, entry] of Object.entries(value)) {
+    if (entry !== undefined) defined[key] = entry;
+  }
+  return defined as { [K in keyof T]?: Exclude<T[K], undefined> };
+}
+
 /**
  * Resolve the EFFECTIVE repository settings a webhook should act on: `.loopover.yml` > DB settings >
  * safe defaults. The generic `settings:` override applies first; the friendly `gate:` alias then wins
@@ -573,7 +592,7 @@ export function resolveEffectiveSettings(
     agentDryRun: agentDryRunOverride,
     ...restManifestSettings
   } = manifest.settings;
-  const effective: RepositorySettings = { ...dbSettings, ...restManifestSettings };
+  const effective: RepositorySettings = { ...dbSettings, ...withoutUndefinedValues(restManifestSettings) };
   // #9049: verified live -- the global default private-config layer carried `agentDryRun: false`, and because
   // the manifest wins a plain spread, that silently discarded `agent_dry_run=1` on EVERY read for EVERY repo.
   // An operator flipping dry-run from the dashboard, `PUT /settings`, `loopover-mcp maintain`, or the
diff --git a/src/signals/settings-preview.ts b/src/signals/settings-preview.ts
index 1107a703eb..f89ae4d23e 100644
--- a/src/signals/settings-preview.ts
+++ b/src/signals/settings-preview.ts
@@ -234,8 +234,11 @@ export type RepoSettingsPreview = {
     checkRunDetailLevel: RepositorySettings["checkRunDetailLevel"];
     regateSweepOrderMode: RepositorySettings["regateSweepOrderMode"];
     reviewCheckMode: RepositorySettings["reviewCheckMode"];
-    autoProjectMilestoneMatch: RepositorySettings["autoProjectMilestoneMatch"];
-    autoProjectMilestoneMatchBackend: RepositorySettings["autoProjectMilestoneMatchBackend"];
+    /** Optional, not required-but-undefined (#9531): both are copied straight from settings, where they are
+     *  themselves optional, so `JSON.stringify` drops the key entirely whenever the repo has not configured
+     *  them -- the response genuinely omits the field rather than sending an explicit null. */
+    autoProjectMilestoneMatch?: RepositorySettings["autoProjectMilestoneMatch"];
+    autoProjectMilestoneMatchBackend?: RepositorySettings["autoProjectMilestoneMatchBackend"];
     gatePack: RepositorySettings["gatePack"];
     linkedIssueGateMode: RepositorySettings["linkedIssueGateMode"];
     duplicatePrGateMode: RepositorySettings["duplicatePrGateMode"];
diff --git a/src/types.ts b/src/types.ts
index 72661ed3e0..82e4ef4531 100644
--- a/src/types.ts
+++ b/src/types.ts
@@ -1191,7 +1191,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  Default TRUE (matches the prior de-facto behavior before this field existed, when type labels
    *  were gated by `autoLabelEnabled` nested inside the public-surface check). Always populated by
    *  the DB layer; optional so existing settings fixtures/callers need not be touched. */
-  typeLabelsEnabled?: boolean | undefined;
+  typeLabelsEnabled: boolean;
   /** Per-repo override of the TYPE/taxonomy label NAMES, keyed by category (#priority-linked-issue-gate,
    *  #label-modularity). Defaults to `DEFAULT_TYPE_LABELS` (`gittensor:bug`/`gittensor:feature`/
    *  `gittensor:priority`) in `settings/pr-type-label.ts` — a repo can override just one name (e.g. only
@@ -1222,12 +1222,12 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  inferred from a PR's title, changed files, AI output, or existing PR labels. Default disabled
    *  (`enabled: false`, no mappings) — a self-hoster opts in per repo. Always populated by the DB
    *  layer; optional so existing settings fixtures/callers need not be touched. */
-  linkedIssueLabelPropagation?: LinkedIssueLabelPropagationConfig | undefined;
+  linkedIssueLabelPropagation: LinkedIssueLabelPropagationConfig;
   /** Deterministic linked-issue hard rules. Config-as-code only; set with
    *  `.loopover.yml settings.linkedIssueHardRules` in private/global or per-repo config. These rules close
    *  contributor PRs that link ineligible issues before spending AI review budget: owner/other-assigned,
    *  maintainer-only, or missing point-label issues. Defaults all-off so self-hosters opt into their own policy. */
-  linkedIssueHardRules?: LinkedIssueHardRulesConfig | undefined;
+  linkedIssueHardRules: LinkedIssueHardRulesConfig;
   /** Same-account issue-avoidance guardrail (#unlinked-issue-guardrail). Config-as-code only; set with
    *  `.loopover.yml settings.unlinkedIssueGuardrail` in private/global or per-repo config. Defaults
    *  all-off so a self-hoster opts into their own credibility-gate-farming defense. */
@@ -1257,19 +1257,19 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
   /** Opt-in for the public per-repo review-quality page (#2568). Always populated by the DB layer
    *  (default false); optional so existing settings fixtures/callers need not be touched. */
   publicQualityMetrics?: boolean | undefined;
-  commandAuthorization?: RepositoryCommandAuthorizationPolicy | undefined;
+  commandAuthorization: RepositoryCommandAuthorizationPolicy;
   /** Per-repo contributor blacklist (#1425, anti-abuse): banned GitHub logins whose PRs/issues the engine
    *  deterministically closes ahead of merit review. Layered the same as other settings (`.loopover.yml` >
    *  DB) and unioned with the shared/global list at the point of use. Always populated by the DB layer
    *  (default `[]`); optional so existing settings fixtures/callers need not be touched. */
-  contributorBlacklist?: ContributorBlacklistEntry[] | undefined;
+  contributorBlacklist: ContributorBlacklistEntry[];
   /** The label applied to a blacklisted contributor's PR (#1425). Configurable per-repo (dashboard/DB +
    *  `.loopover.yml` `settings.blacklistLabel`); defaults to `"slop"` so the disposition works regardless of
    *  the label a repo sets. Explicit `null` closes WITHOUT applying any label (the same load-bearing-null idiom
    *  as {@link contributorOpenPrCap}) -- distinct from omitted/undefined, which uses the default. Always
    *  populated by the DB layer (default `"slop"`); optional so existing settings fixtures/callers need not be
    *  touched (mirrors the sibling `contributorBlacklist`). */
-  blacklistLabel?: string | null | undefined;
+  blacklistLabel: string | null;
   /** Per-contributor open-PR cap (#2270, anti-abuse): the max PRs a single non-owner/admin/bot contributor may
    *  have open on this repo at once. `null`/absent (default) = no cap, byte-identical to today. Layered like
    *  every other settings field (`.loopover.yml` `settings.contributorOpenPrCap` > DB > `null`). Capped at
@@ -1400,7 +1400,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
   /** Agent-layer autonomy dial (#773): per-action-class level. Always populated by the DB layer (default
    *  `{}` = deny-by-default = "observe" for every class); optional so existing settings fixtures/callers
    *  need not be touched. The single source the action layer (#778) reads via `resolveAutonomy`. */
-  autonomy?: AutonomyPolicy | undefined;
+  autonomy: AutonomyPolicy;
   /** Auto-maintain policy (#774): merge method + approval count. Always populated by the DB layer with
    *  defaults (squash / 1 approval); optional so existing settings fixtures/callers need not be touched. */
   autoMaintain?: AutoMaintainPolicy | undefined;
@@ -1422,7 +1422,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  participation in the tally, opting it in/out and narrowing which mechanisms feed it, regardless of
    *  the global default. Always populated by the DB layer; optional so existing settings fixtures/callers
    *  need not be touched. */
-  moderationGateMode?: "inherit" | "off" | "enabled" | undefined;
+  moderationGateMode: "inherit" | "off" | "enabled";
   /** Moderation-rules engine: a per-repo override of WHICH of the anti-abuse mechanisms (contributor cap,
    *  blacklist, review-nag, review-evasion) feed a contributor's shared, cross-repo violation tally.
    *  `undefined`/absent ⇒ inherit the global rule set (`resolveEffectiveModerationRules`'s default shape). */
@@ -1439,7 +1439,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  `"inherit"` (the default) participates; `"off"` excludes this repo's rows from every aggregation;
    *  `"enabled"` is equivalent to `"inherit"`, kept for symmetry with moderationGateMode's tri-state shape.
    *  Always populated by the DB layer; optional so existing settings fixtures/callers need not be touched. */
-  fairnessAnalyticsMode?: "inherit" | "off" | "enabled" | undefined;
+  fairnessAnalyticsMode: "inherit" | "off" | "enabled";
   /** Waste elimination for known automation authors (release-please's github-actions[bot], Renovate,
    *  Dependabot -- settings/agent-actions.ts's PROTECTED_AUTOCLOSE_AUTHORS): skip AI review, gate evaluation,
    *  and public-surface publish entirely for a PR/event genuinely triggered by one of these -- not just
@@ -1483,7 +1483,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  `converted_to_draft` handler, `bumpPullRequestDraftConversionCount`) keeps incrementing regardless, so a
    *  repo re-enabling `"close"` (or removing an `"off"` override, which now also resolves to `"close"`) can
    *  immediately treat a historical off-period cycle as "repeated" on the very next legitimate conversion. */
-  reviewEvasionProtection?: "off" | "close" | undefined;
+  reviewEvasionProtection: "off" | "close";
   /** Draft-PR close policy (#draft-pr-close-policy): distinct from {@link reviewEvasionProtection} above --
    *  that family only enforces AFTER a review has already run against the PR's current head, or on the 2nd+
    *  ready&harr;draft conversion. `"close"` enforces on ANY draft, including the very first one opened
@@ -1498,7 +1498,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  reviewEvasionProtection's own #6443 migration -- `db/repositories.ts`'s `getRepositorySettings`/
    *  `upsertRepositorySettings` always resolve the hardcoded `"off"` default now; only `.loopover.yml`'s
    *  `settings.draftPrClosePolicy` can override it. See `queue/review-evasion.ts`'s `maybeCloseDraftPr`. */
-  draftPrClosePolicy?: "off" | "close" | undefined;
+  draftPrClosePolicy: "off" | "close";
   /** One-shot synchronize-amendment close policy (#synchronize-close-policy): distinct from {@link
    *  reviewEvasionProtection} and {@link draftPrClosePolicy} above -- those families enforce on closing/
    *  converting-to-draft, or on draft usage; this one enforces on the contributor's OWN PR receiving an
@@ -1520,7 +1520,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  label/comment conventions, no need for separate config). Config-as-code only -- no DB column; set via
    *  `.loopover.yml settings.synchronizeClosePolicy`. See `queue/review-evasion.ts`'s
    *  `maybeCloseSynchronizeAmendment`. */
-  synchronizeClosePolicy?: "off" | "close" | undefined;
+  synchronizeClosePolicy: "off" | "close";
   /** Merge-train FIFO gate (#selfhost-merge-train): without this, a PR merges the instant its OWN gate
    *  clears, with zero awareness of an older sibling PR still open in the same repo -- proven live to cause
    *  out-of-order merges and the conflicts that follow. `"off"` (the default) is unchanged behavior.
@@ -1541,7 +1541,7 @@ export type RepositorySettings = {
    *  markup, scoped to the repo's configured labels/paths (`whenLabels`/`whenPaths`, OR-matched). Off by
    *  default (`enabled: false`) -- opt in per repo, mirroring every other anti-abuse mechanism's shape. See
    *  `review/screenshot-table-gate.ts` for the normalizer and the pure evaluator. */
-  screenshotTableGate?: ScreenshotTableGateConfig | undefined;
+  screenshotTableGate: ScreenshotTableGateConfig;
   createdAt?: string | null | undefined;
   updatedAt?: string | null | undefined;
 };
diff --git a/test/unit/check-manifest-drift-script.test.ts b/test/unit/check-manifest-drift-script.test.ts
index 3c163d011b..5939966f52 100644
--- a/test/unit/check-manifest-drift-script.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/check-manifest-drift-script.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { checkManifestDrift } from "../../scripts/check-manifest-drift";
 import { LOOPOVER_REPO_FOCUS_MANIFEST_YAML } from "../../src/config/loopover-repo-focus-manifest";
 
 // The script imports src/config/loopover-repo-focus-manifest.ts (a .ts module), so -- like
-// check-schema-drift.ts, check-migrations.ts, and check-openapi-settings-parity.ts -- it must run via
+// check-schema-drift.ts and check-migrations.ts -- it must run via
 // `tsx`, the same binary package.json's manifest:drift-check uses, rather than plain `node`.
 const TSX_BIN = join(process.cwd(), "node_modules", ".bin", "tsx");
 
diff --git a/test/unit/check-schema-drift-script.test.ts b/test/unit/check-schema-drift-script.test.ts
index 50cc841675..10fee2c04b 100644
--- a/test/unit/check-schema-drift-script.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/check-schema-drift-script.test.ts
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ import {
 } from "../../scripts/check-schema-drift";
 import * as realSchema from "../../src/db/schema";
 
-// #2565: the script imports src/db/schema.ts (a .ts module), so -- like check-migrations.ts and
-// check-openapi-settings-parity.ts -- it must run via `tsx`, the same binary package.json's
+// #2565: the script imports src/db/schema.ts (a .ts module), so -- like check-migrations.ts -- it must
+// run via `tsx`, the same binary package.json's
 // db:schema-drift:check uses, rather than plain `node`.
 const TSX_BIN = join(process.cwd(), "node_modules", ".bin", "tsx");
 
diff --git a/test/unit/ci-openapi-settings-parity.test.ts b/test/unit/ci-openapi-settings-parity.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 61d7f4a172..0000000000
--- a/test/unit/ci-openapi-settings-parity.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,101 +0,0 @@
-import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { diffFieldSets, extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames, extractRepositorySettingsFieldNames, SETTINGS_PREVIEW_PATH, TYPES_PATH } from "../../scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity";
-import { RepoSettingsPreviewSchema, RepositorySettingsSchema } from "../../src/openapi/schemas";
-
-// #2556: RepositorySettingsSchema (hand-authored Zod) can silently drift from the RepositorySettings TS
-// type -- this is the structural-diff guard closing that gap. ui:openapi:check only verified the generated
-// spec matched the Zod schema, never that the schema matched the type the API actually serializes.
-describe("OpenAPI settings-parity check (#2556)", () => {
-  it("extracts every top-level field name from a RepositorySettings-shaped type block", () => {
-    const source = [
-      "export type RepositorySettings = {",
-      "  repoFullName: string;",
-      "  /** a doc comment with a trailing colon: like this */",
-      "  qualityGateMinScore?: number | null | undefined;",
-      "  aiReviewProvider?: \"anthropic\" | \"openai\" | null | undefined;",
-      "};",
-      "",
-      "export type SomethingElse = { notAField: string };",
-    ].join("\n");
-    const fields = extractRepositorySettingsFieldNames(source);
-    expect(fields).toEqual(new Set(["repoFullName", "qualityGateMinScore", "aiReviewProvider"]));
-  });
-
-  it("throws when the type start marker is missing", () => {
-    expect(() => extractRepositorySettingsFieldNames("export type Unrelated = { a: string };")).toThrow(/Could not find/);
-  });
-
-  it("throws when the closing brace is missing", () => {
-    expect(() => extractRepositorySettingsFieldNames("export type RepositorySettings = {\n  repoFullName: string;")).toThrow(/closing/);
-  });
-
-  it("diffFieldSets reports fields missing from the schema and fields extra in the schema", () => {
-    const typeFields = new Set(["a", "b", "c"]);
-    const schemaFields = new Set(["a", "c", "d"]);
-    expect(diffFieldSets(typeFields, schemaFields)).toEqual({
-      missingFromSchema: ["b"],
-      extraInSchema: ["d"],
-    });
-  });
-
-  it("diffFieldSets reports no differences for identical sets", () => {
-    const fields = new Set(["a", "b"]);
-    expect(diffFieldSets(fields, fields)).toEqual({ missingFromSchema: [], extraInSchema: [] });
-  });
-
-  it("the real RepositorySettings type and RepositorySettingsSchema are in parity (regression guard)", () => {
-    const typeFields = extractRepositorySettingsFieldNames(readFileSync(TYPES_PATH, "utf8"));
-    const schemaFields = new Set(Object.keys(RepositorySettingsSchema.shape));
-    expect(diffFieldSets(typeFields, schemaFields)).toEqual({ missingFromSchema: [], extraInSchema: [] });
-  });
-  it("rejects contributor open caps above the enforcement sample budget", () => {
-    expect(() => RepositorySettingsSchema.partial().parse({ contributorOpenPrCap: 101 })).toThrow();
-    expect(() => RepositorySettingsSchema.partial().parse({ contributorOpenIssueCap: 101 })).toThrow();
-    expect(RepositorySettingsSchema.partial().parse({ contributorOpenPrCap: 100, contributorOpenIssueCap: 100 })).toMatchObject({ contributorOpenPrCap: 100, contributorOpenIssueCap: 100 });
-  });
-});
-
-// #7011: the header comment names RepoSettingsPreviewSchema too, but main() only guarded RepositorySettings.
-// This block covers the added second check -- RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.settings against buildRepoSettingsPreview's
-// return shape (the RepoSettingsPreview.settings type), mirroring the RepositorySettings coverage above.
-describe("OpenAPI settings-preview parity check (#7011)", () => {
-  it("extracts only the direct field names of the nested settings block, skipping nested and sibling fields", () => {
-    const source = [
-      "export type RepoSettingsPreview = {",
-      "  repoFullName: string;",
-      "  settings: {",
-      "    publicSurface: RepositorySettings[\"publicSurface\"];",
-      "    qualityGateMinScore?: number | null | undefined;",
-      "    commandAuthorization: {",
-      "      defaultAllowed: CommandAuthorizationRole[];",
-      "      commandOverrides: Array<{ command: string; allowedRoles: CommandAuthorizationRole[] }>;",
-      "    };",
-      "  };",
-      "  commandAuthorizationPreview: {",
-      "    commandName: string;",
-      "  };",
-      "};",
-    ].join("\n");
-    const fields = extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames(source);
-    expect(fields).toEqual(new Set(["publicSurface", "qualityGateMinScore", "commandAuthorization"]));
-  });
-
-  it("throws when the RepoSettingsPreview type start marker is missing", () => {
-    expect(() => extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames("export type Unrelated = { settings: { a: string } };")).toThrow(/Could not find/);
-  });
-
-  it("throws when the settings block is missing from the type", () => {
-    expect(() => extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames("export type RepoSettingsPreview = {\n  repoFullName: string;\n};")).toThrow(/settings/);
-  });
-
-  it("throws when the settings block is never closed", () => {
-    expect(() => extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames("export type RepoSettingsPreview = {\n  settings: {\n    publicSurface: string;")).toThrow(/closing/);
-  });
-
-  it("the real RepoSettingsPreview type and RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.settings are in parity (regression guard)", () => {
-    const previewFields = extractRepoSettingsPreviewFieldNames(readFileSync(SETTINGS_PREVIEW_PATH, "utf8"));
-    const schemaFields = new Set(Object.keys(RepoSettingsPreviewSchema.shape.settings.shape));
-    expect(diffFieldSets(previewFields, schemaFields)).toEqual({ missingFromSchema: [], extraInSchema: [] });
-  });
-});
diff --git a/test/unit/docs-selfhost-troubleshooting-metric-names.test.ts b/test/unit/docs-selfhost-troubleshooting-metric-names.test.ts
index ba45ab8d01..e63aa92bba 100644
--- a/test/unit/docs-selfhost-troubleshooting-metric-names.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/docs-selfhost-troubleshooting-metric-names.test.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,8 @@ import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 // Drift guard (#1943 gate review finding): the self-hosting troubleshooting runbooks reference exact
 // Prometheus metric names and alert names. If a metric is ever renamed/removed in src/, or an alert is
 // renamed/removed in prometheus/rules/alerts.yml, this test fails instead of the docs silently going stale
-// — mirrors the same source-of-truth-diff approach as scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts (#2556).
+// — the same source-of-truth-diff approach the retired scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts took for
+// the OpenAPI settings schemas (#2556) before #9531 replaced it with a compile-time assertion.
 
 const DOC_PATH = "apps/loopover-ui/content/docs/self-hosting-troubleshooting.mdx";
 const doc = readFileSync(DOC_PATH, "utf8");
diff --git a/test/unit/effective-config-summary.test.ts b/test/unit/effective-config-summary.test.ts
index c6e0c99ad4..e337d4485e 100644
--- a/test/unit/effective-config-summary.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/effective-config-summary.test.ts
@@ -36,8 +36,12 @@ describe("summarizeEffectiveConfig", () => {
   });
 
   it("renders the blacklist label across configured / default / disabled cases", () => {
+    // #9531: blacklistLabel is required on RepositorySettings now (both DB read paths always populate it), so
+    // "absent" is expressed by omitting the key rather than passing an explicit undefined -- which is what the
+    // summarizer's `?? "slop"` fallback actually guards against for a settings object built elsewhere.
+    const { blacklistLabel: _absent, ...withoutBlacklistLabel } = base();
     expect(summarizeEffectiveConfig(base({ blacklistLabel: "spam" }), "live")).toContain("Blacklist label: `spam`");
-    expect(summarizeEffectiveConfig(base({ blacklistLabel: undefined }), "live")).toContain("Blacklist label: `slop`"); // default
+    expect(summarizeEffectiveConfig(withoutBlacklistLabel as RepositorySettings, "live")).toContain("Blacklist label: `slop`"); // default
     expect(summarizeEffectiveConfig(base({ blacklistLabel: null }), "live")).toContain("Blacklist label: `(disabled)`");
   });
 
diff --git a/test/unit/focus-manifest.test.ts b/test/unit/focus-manifest.test.ts
index f17e03c124..5aab97263c 100644
--- a/test/unit/focus-manifest.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/focus-manifest.test.ts
@@ -6299,3 +6299,24 @@ describe("kill-switch flags are ratchets, not overridable settings (#9049)", ()
     expect(resolveEffectiveSettings({ agentDryRun: false } as RepositorySettings, manifestWith({})).agentDryRun).toBe(false);
   });
 });
+
+// #9531: `manifest.settings` is a `Partial<...>`, so an explicitly-`undefined` key is indistinguishable from
+// an absent one to the type system -- but NOT to the spread that layers the manifest over the DB row, which
+// happily overwrote a resolved value with `undefined`. "Not overridden" is what an absent value means at
+// every other layer of this resolver, so the spread now skips undefined-valued keys entirely.
+describe("an explicitly-undefined manifest setting does not punch a hole in the DB value (#9531)", () => {
+  const manifestWithSettings = (settings: FocusManifest["settings"]): FocusManifest => {
+    const parsed = parseFocusManifest({});
+    return { ...parsed, settings: { ...parsed.settings, ...settings } };
+  };
+
+  it("keeps the DB value when the manifest carries the key with an undefined value", () => {
+    const effective = resolveEffectiveSettings({ typeLabelsEnabled: true } as RepositorySettings, manifestWithSettings({ typeLabelsEnabled: undefined }));
+    expect(effective.typeLabelsEnabled).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("still lets a DEFINED manifest value win, including a falsy one", () => {
+    expect(resolveEffectiveSettings({ typeLabelsEnabled: true } as RepositorySettings, manifestWithSettings({ typeLabelsEnabled: false })).typeLabelsEnabled).toBe(false);
+    expect(resolveEffectiveSettings({ typeLabelsEnabled: false } as RepositorySettings, manifestWithSettings({ typeLabelsEnabled: true })).typeLabelsEnabled).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/unit/maintainer-activation.test.ts b/test/unit/maintainer-activation.test.ts
index af6cda62a5..ca2872c63c 100644
--- a/test/unit/maintainer-activation.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/maintainer-activation.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import { buildMaintainerActivationPreview } from "../../src/services/maintainer-activation";
 import type { PullRequestRecord, RepositoryRecord, RepositorySettings } from "../../src/types";
 
@@ -21,6 +22,9 @@ const repo: RepositoryRecord = {
 
 function settings(overrides: Partial<RepositorySettings> = {}): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName: repo.fullName,
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/openapi-settings-schema-parity.test.ts b/test/unit/openapi-settings-schema-parity.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6cdd475abb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/openapi-settings-schema-parity.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import type { z } from "zod";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
+import { RepoSettingsPreviewSchema, RepositorySettingsSchema } from "../../src/openapi/schemas";
+import type { RepoSettingsPreview } from "../../src/signals/settings-preview";
+import type { RepositorySettings } from "../../src/types";
+
+// #9531: RepositorySettingsSchema/RepoSettingsPreviewSchema (src/openapi/schemas.ts) are hand-authored Zod
+// schemas, and ui:openapi:check only verifies the generated openapi.json matches THEM -- never that they
+// match the TS types the handlers actually serialize. scripts/check-openapi-settings-parity.ts (#2556/#7011)
+// closed that gap by regex-diffing the two KEY SETS out of the raw source text; the assertions below replace
+// it and subsume it, because the compiler compares what a key-set diff structurally cannot: each field's
+// optionality, nullability, and value type, in BOTH directions. Retiring the script also retires its own
+// blind spots -- it could only ever see top-level names, and it re-parsed src/types.ts by brace-and-indent
+// heuristics that any reformatting would have quietly broken.
+//
+// Three published-spec defects it had been unable to see, all found the moment these assertions compiled:
+// the dead `autonomy` levels (#4620), `contributorBlacklist.githubId` (#9125), and `moderationRules`'
+// missing `copycat` member -- see each field's own comment in src/openapi/schemas.ts.
+
+/** Exact type equality (not mutual assignability): the deferred-conditional identity trick, which compares
+ *  the two types structurally rather than checking each is assignable to the other -- the latter treats
+ *  `{ a?: T }` and `{ a: T | undefined }` as interchangeable in one direction, which is exactly the drift
+ *  class an OpenAPI schema is most likely to have. */
+type Equal<A, B> = (<T>() => T extends A ? 1 : 2) extends <T>() => T extends B ? 1 : 2 ? true : false;
+
+/** The keys on which two object types disagree. Each key is compared through `Pick` so its OPTIONALITY is
+ *  part of the comparison, and a key present in only one of the two types compares `{}` against `{ k: V }`
+ *  -- so a missing field and a mistyped field are both caught, by the same mechanism.
+ *
+ *  This exists instead of a bare `Equal<A, B>` assertion so a failure NAMES the drifted field the way the
+ *  retired script's error message did: {@link AssertNoSchemaDrift} constrains its parameter to `never`, so
+ *  tsc reports the offending key as the type that "does not satisfy the constraint". */
+type DriftedKeys<A, B> = {
+  [K in keyof A | keyof B]-?: Equal<Pick<A, K & keyof A>, Pick<B, K & keyof B>> extends true ? never : K;
+}[keyof A | keyof B];
+
+/** A drifted field turns each instantiation below into a `tsc` error naming that field. Fix
+ *  src/openapi/schemas.ts (or the type, when the route genuinely omits the field), then `npm run ui:openapi`. */
+type AssertNoSchemaDrift<_Drifted extends never> = true;
+
+/** GET /v1/repos/:owner/:repo/settings serializes a RepositorySettings verbatim. */
+type RepositorySettingsParity = AssertNoSchemaDrift<DriftedKeys<z.infer<typeof RepositorySettingsSchema>, RepositorySettings>>;
+/** GET /v1/repos/:owner/:repo/settings-preview serializes buildRepoSettingsPreview's RepoSettingsPreview. */
+type RepoSettingsPreviewParity = AssertNoSchemaDrift<DriftedKeys<z.infer<typeof RepoSettingsPreviewSchema>, RepoSettingsPreview>>;
+
+// The two aliases are checked when tsc INSTANTIATES them, which only happens where they are referenced --
+// hence this anchor, rather than two dangling type declarations a later cleanup would read as dead.
+const schemaParity: [RepositorySettingsParity, RepoSettingsPreviewParity] = [true, true];
+
+describe("RepositorySettingsSchema parity with the RepositorySettings type (#9531)", () => {
+  it("compiles the schema-vs-type drift assertions", () => {
+    expect(schemaParity).toEqual([true, true]);
+  });
+
+  // The assertions above are erased at runtime, so this pins the other half of the contract: that the schema
+  // ACCEPTS a real payload. A field the schema requires but no read path actually populates would compile
+  // fine (the type says required) and still reject every generated client -- only parsing catches that.
+  it("accepts the built-in defaults every no-row settings read returns", () => {
+    const parsed = RepositorySettingsSchema.safeParse(defaultRepositorySettings("JSONbored/loopover"));
+    expect(parsed.error?.issues ?? []).toEqual([]);
+    expect(parsed.success).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a payload missing a config-as-code field both read paths always populate", () => {
+    const { screenshotTableGate: _omitted, ...withoutScreenshotTableGate } = defaultRepositorySettings("JSONbored/loopover");
+    expect(RepositorySettingsSchema.safeParse(withoutScreenshotTableGate).success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  // #9125's immutable-id field: returned by the API since it landed, absent from the published schema until
+  // the parity assertion above flagged it.
+  it("accepts a contributor-blacklist entry carrying the immutable githubId (#9125)", () => {
+    const parsed = RepositorySettingsSchema.safeParse({
+      ...defaultRepositorySettings("JSONbored/loopover"),
+      contributorBlacklist: [{ login: "banned-user", githubId: 4242, reason: "slop", evidence: ["https://github.com/JSONbored/loopover/pull/1"], addedAt: "2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z" }],
+    });
+    expect(parsed.error?.issues ?? []).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  // #4620 removed "suggest"/"propose" from AutonomyLevel -- both were behaviorally identical to "observe"
+  // from day one -- but the published schema kept advertising them for every action class.
+  it("accepts every live autonomy level and rejects the two #4620 removed", () => {
+    const settings = defaultRepositorySettings("JSONbored/loopover");
+    expect(RepositorySettingsSchema.safeParse({ ...settings, autonomy: { review: "observe", merge: "auto_with_approval", close: "auto" } }).success).toBe(true);
+    expect(RepositorySettingsSchema.safeParse({ ...settings, autonomy: { review: "suggest" } }).success).toBe(false);
+    expect(RepositorySettingsSchema.safeParse({ ...settings, autonomy: { review: "propose" } }).success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  // #1969 folded copycat containment into the same generic moderation-violation ledger as the other four
+  // rules, making "copycat" a real ModerationRuleType this route can return.
+  it("accepts every moderation rule the type declares, copycat included (#1969)", () => {
+    const settings = defaultRepositorySettings("JSONbored/loopover");
+    const moderationRules: RepositorySettings["moderationRules"] = ["contributor_cap", "blacklist", "review_nag", "review_evasion", "copycat"];
+    expect(RepositorySettingsSchema.safeParse({ ...settings, moderationRules }).success).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects contributor open caps above the enforcement sample budget", () => {
+    expect(() => RepositorySettingsSchema.partial().parse({ contributorOpenPrCap: 101 })).toThrow();
+    expect(() => RepositorySettingsSchema.partial().parse({ contributorOpenIssueCap: 101 })).toThrow();
+    expect(RepositorySettingsSchema.partial().parse({ contributorOpenPrCap: 100, contributorOpenIssueCap: 100 })).toMatchObject({ contributorOpenPrCap: 100, contributorOpenIssueCap: 100 });
+  });
+});
+
+describe("defaultRepositorySettings (#9531)", () => {
+  it("carries the caller's repo name and the built-in config-as-code defaults", () => {
+    const settings = defaultRepositorySettings("acme/widgets");
+    expect(settings.repoFullName).toBe("acme/widgets");
+    expect(settings.blacklistLabel).toBe("slop");
+    expect(settings.autonomy).toEqual({});
+    expect(settings.contributorBlacklist).toEqual([]);
+    expect(settings.synchronizeClosePolicy).toBe("off");
+    expect(settings.linkedIssueHardRules.pointBearingLabels).toEqual([]);
+    expect(settings.screenshotTableGate.whenLabels).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("returns an independent object per call, so a mutated default never leaks into the next read", () => {
+    const first = defaultRepositorySettings("acme/widgets");
+    first.linkedIssueHardRules.pointBearingLabels.push("points:3");
+    expect(defaultRepositorySettings("acme/widgets").linkedIssueHardRules.pointBearingLabels).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/unit/policy-sanitizer.test.ts b/test/unit/policy-sanitizer.test.ts
index 4e3c8103b7..577b6dfc5e 100644
--- a/test/unit/policy-sanitizer.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/policy-sanitizer.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import { __controlPanelRolesInternals, buildControlPanelRoleSummary } from "../../src/services/control-panel-roles";
 import {
   buildCollisionReport,
@@ -54,6 +55,9 @@ function configFor(overrides: Partial<RegistryRepoConfig> = {}): RegistryRepoCon
 
 function settingsFor(repoFullName: string, overrides: Partial<RepositorySettings> = {}): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName,
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/queue-lifecycle-guards.test.ts b/test/unit/queue-lifecycle-guards.test.ts
index acb36baf08..e096b763cb 100644
--- a/test/unit/queue-lifecycle-guards.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/queue-lifecycle-guards.test.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { } from "../../src/review/review-memory-wire";
 import { } from "../../src/github/comments";
 import * as repositoriesModule from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import * as repositorySettingsModule from "../../src/settings/repository-settings";
+import type { RepositorySettings } from "../../src/types";
 import { renderMetrics, resetMetrics } from "../../src/selfhost/metrics";
 import { } from "../../src/selfhost/queue-common";
 import {
@@ -2509,7 +2510,11 @@ describe("review-evasion protection (#review-evasion-protection)", () => {
       await setupEvasionRepo(env);
       await repositoriesModule.startActiveReviewTracking(env, { repoFullName: "JSONbored/gittensory", pullNumber: 42, headSha: "abc123", deliveryId: "review-start-1" });
       const baseSettings = await repositorySettingsModule.resolveRepositorySettings(env, "JSONbored/gittensory");
-      vi.spyOn(repositorySettingsModule, "resolveRepositorySettings").mockResolvedValue({ ...baseSettings, reviewEvasionProtection: undefined });
+      // #9531: reviewEvasionProtection is required on RepositorySettings now (both DB read paths always
+      // populate it), so an UNSET setting is a missing key, not an explicit undefined -- which is what the
+      // "#4011 default is close" fallback in review-evasion.ts actually resolves.
+      const { reviewEvasionProtection: _unset, ...settingsWithoutProtection } = baseSettings;
+      vi.spyOn(repositorySettingsModule, "resolveRepositorySettings").mockResolvedValue(settingsWithoutProtection as RepositorySettings);
 
       await processJob(env, { type: "github-webhook", deliveryId: "self-close-protection-unset", eventName: "pull_request", payload: closedPayload("contributor") });
 
@@ -2964,7 +2969,11 @@ describe("review-evasion protection (#review-evasion-protection)", () => {
       await setupEvasionRepo(env);
       await repositoriesModule.startActiveReviewTracking(env, { repoFullName: "JSONbored/gittensory", pullNumber: 42, headSha: "abc123", deliveryId: "review-start-1" });
       const baseSettings = await repositorySettingsModule.resolveRepositorySettings(env, "JSONbored/gittensory");
-      vi.spyOn(repositorySettingsModule, "resolveRepositorySettings").mockResolvedValue({ ...baseSettings, reviewEvasionProtection: undefined });
+      // #9531: reviewEvasionProtection is required on RepositorySettings now (both DB read paths always
+      // populate it), so an UNSET setting is a missing key, not an explicit undefined -- which is what the
+      // "#4011 default is close" fallback in review-evasion.ts actually resolves.
+      const { reviewEvasionProtection: _unset, ...settingsWithoutProtection } = baseSettings;
+      vi.spyOn(repositorySettingsModule, "resolveRepositorySettings").mockResolvedValue(settingsWithoutProtection as RepositorySettings);
 
       await processJob(env, { type: "github-webhook", deliveryId: "draft-evasion-protection-unset", eventName: "pull_request", payload: draftEvasionPayload("contributor") });
 
@@ -3183,7 +3192,11 @@ describe("review-evasion protection (#review-evasion-protection)", () => {
       const env = createTestEnv({ GITHUB_APP_PRIVATE_KEY: generateRsaPrivateKeyPem(), GITHUB_APP_SLUG: "loopover-orb" });
       await setupEvasionRepo(env);
       const baseSettings = await repositorySettingsModule.resolveRepositorySettings(env, "JSONbored/gittensory");
-      vi.spyOn(repositorySettingsModule, "resolveRepositorySettings").mockResolvedValue({ ...baseSettings, reviewEvasionProtection: undefined });
+      // #9531: reviewEvasionProtection is required on RepositorySettings now (both DB read paths always
+      // populate it), so an UNSET setting is a missing key, not an explicit undefined -- which is what the
+      // "#4011 default is close" fallback in review-evasion.ts actually resolves.
+      const { reviewEvasionProtection: _unset, ...settingsWithoutProtection } = baseSettings;
+      vi.spyOn(repositorySettingsModule, "resolveRepositorySettings").mockResolvedValue(settingsWithoutProtection as RepositorySettings);
 
       await processJob(env, { type: "github-webhook", deliveryId: "draft-cycle-unset-1", eventName: "pull_request", payload: draftEvasionPayload("contributor") });
       expect(calls.some((c) => c.method === "PATCH" && c.url.endsWith("/pulls/42"))).toBe(false); // first conversion never closes
diff --git a/test/unit/registration-readiness.test.ts b/test/unit/registration-readiness.test.ts
index edef6dd721..d707c98fe4 100644
--- a/test/unit/registration-readiness.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/registration-readiness.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import {
   buildCollisionReport,
   buildConfigQuality,
@@ -35,6 +36,9 @@ function configFor(overrides: Partial<RegistryRepoConfig> = {}): RegistryRepoCon
 
 function settingsFor(repoFullName: string, overrides: Partial<RepositorySettings> = {}): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName,
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/repo-policy-readiness.test.ts b/test/unit/repo-policy-readiness.test.ts
index ab342fa472..5dece32335 100644
--- a/test/unit/repo-policy-readiness.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/repo-policy-readiness.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import { isFocusManifestPublicSafe, parseFocusManifest } from "../../src/signals/focus-manifest";
 import {
   buildRepoPolicyReadiness,
@@ -13,6 +14,9 @@ const FORBIDDEN_PUBLIC_LANGUAGE =
 
 function settings(overrides: Partial<RepositorySettings> = {}): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName: "owner/repo",
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/repository-settings-enforcement.test.ts b/test/unit/repository-settings-enforcement.test.ts
index c306da409b..eb7cefe44e 100644
--- a/test/unit/repository-settings-enforcement.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/repository-settings-enforcement.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import { gateCheckPolicy } from "../../src/queue/processors";
 import { evaluateGateCheck } from "../../src/rules/advisory";
 import { runAiReviewForAdvisory } from "../../src/queue/processors";
@@ -9,6 +10,9 @@ import type { Advisory, PullRequestRecord, RepositoryRecord, RepositorySettings
 
 function settings(over: Partial<RepositorySettings> = {}): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName: "owner/repo",
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/self-dogfood-registration-pack.test.ts b/test/unit/self-dogfood-registration-pack.test.ts
index aaca6de720..a51f732bd4 100644
--- a/test/unit/self-dogfood-registration-pack.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/self-dogfood-registration-pack.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import {
   buildCollisionReport,
   buildConfigQuality,
@@ -48,6 +49,9 @@ function configFor(overrides: Partial<RegistryRepoConfig> = {}): RegistryRepoCon
 
 function settingsFor(repoFullName: string, overrides: Partial<RepositorySettings> = {}): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName,
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/settings-preview.test.ts b/test/unit/settings-preview.test.ts
index aca0d3e5bc..60466b1147 100644
--- a/test/unit/settings-preview.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/settings-preview.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import { buildRepoSettingsPreview, buildSampleCheckRunReadiness, decidePublicSurface, type InstallationHealthSummary } from "../../src/signals/settings-preview";
 import { REQUIRED_INSTALLATION_PERMISSIONS } from "../../src/github/backfill";
 import { RepoSettingsPreviewSchema } from "../../src/openapi/schemas";
@@ -33,6 +34,9 @@ const pullRequests: PullRequestRecord[] = [];
 
 function settings(overrides: Partial<RepositorySettings> = {}): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName: repo.fullName,
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/signals-edge-cases.test.ts b/test/unit/signals-edge-cases.test.ts
index 52f420d644..1eaff71edc 100644
--- a/test/unit/signals-edge-cases.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/signals-edge-cases.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import {
   buildBountyAdvisory,
   buildCollisionReport,
@@ -2375,6 +2376,9 @@ function pr(repoFullName: string, number: number, title: string, overrides: Part
 
 function repoSettings(repoFullName: string): RepositorySettings {
   return {
+    // #9531: the built-in defaults fill the thirteen config-as-code fields this literal used to
+    // silently omit; every explicit value below still overrides them.
+    ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
     repoFullName,
     commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
     publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts b/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
index 51e61bb91f..71e76aed3f 100644
--- a/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import {
   buildCollisionEdges,
   buildCollisionReport,
@@ -2098,6 +2099,7 @@ describe("v2 signal builders", () => {
       collisions: buildCollisionReport(repo.fullName, [], []),
       preflight: buildPreflightResult({ repoFullName: repo.fullName, title: "Docs", body: "No linked issue", changedFiles: ["README.md"], tests: ["manual"] }, repo, [], []),
       settings: {
+        ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
         repoFullName: repo.fullName,
         commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
         publicAudienceMode: "oss_maintainer",
diff --git a/test/unit/signals.test.ts b/test/unit/signals.test.ts
index fdf696a3f1..0495b0109a 100644
--- a/test/unit/signals.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/signals.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import {
   buildBountyAdvisory,
   buildBurdenForecast,
@@ -525,6 +526,7 @@ describe("world-class backend signals", () => {
     };
     const detection = { ...detectGittensorContributor("oktofeesh1", currentPr, [currentPr, priorPr], []), source: "official_gittensor_api" as const };
     const settings = {
+      ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
       repoFullName: repo.fullName,
       commentMode: "detected_contributors_only" as const,
       publicAudienceMode: "gittensor_only" as const,
@@ -575,6 +577,7 @@ describe("world-class backend signals", () => {
     };
     const detection = { ...detectGittensorContributor("oktofeesh1", currentPr, [currentPr], []), source: "official_gittensor_api" as const };
     const settings: RepositorySettings = {
+      ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
       repoFullName: repo.fullName,
       commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
       publicAudienceMode: "gittensor_only",
@@ -659,6 +662,7 @@ describe("world-class backend signals", () => {
     };
     const detection = detectGittensorContributor("oktofeesh1", currentPr, [currentPr], []);
     const settings: RepositorySettings = {
+      ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
       repoFullName: repo.fullName,
       commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
       publicAudienceMode: "gittensor_only",
@@ -776,6 +780,7 @@ describe("world-class backend signals", () => {
   it("keeps contributor detection and comment modes conservative", () => {
     const currentPr = pullRequests[0]!;
     const settings: RepositorySettings = {
+      ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
       repoFullName: repo.fullName,
       commentMode: "off",
       publicAudienceMode: "gittensor_only",
diff --git a/test/unit/unified-comment-parity.test.ts b/test/unit/unified-comment-parity.test.ts
index 8185262870..7890866e8f 100644
--- a/test/unit/unified-comment-parity.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/unified-comment-parity.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { defaultRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
 import {
   buildCollisionReport,
   buildContributorProfile,
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ const pullRequests: PullRequestRecord[] = [
 ];
 
 const settings: RepositorySettings = {
+  ...defaultRepositorySettings("fixture/fixture"),
   repoFullName: repo.fullName,
   commentMode: "detected_contributors_only",
   publicAudienceMode: "gittensor_only",