diff --git a/docs/adr/0016-active-session-script-publication.md b/docs/adr/0016-active-session-script-publication.md
index 6a9d21f749..b783660075 100644
--- a/docs/adr/0016-active-session-script-publication.md
+++ b/docs/adr/0016-active-session-script-publication.md
@@ -96,6 +96,20 @@ work, so the caller can retry with plain `close`. Plain `close` tears down ABORT
 writing; closing an unpublished ARMED recording retains the existing close-time publication behavior. A
 fresh session is the only re-arming boundary.
 
+> **Amendment (2026-08-02, shipped).** A session that was never armed — no recorded
+> `open --save-script` at all — has no fourth pre-ARMED state name here, but it previously fell
+> through the same close-time write path as an ARMED recording: `close --save-script` on it folded
+> the request into the authoring lifecycle at record time and published anyway. Live evidence
+> showed this produces a script whose actions carry selector fallback chains but no recording-time
+> `target-v1` evidence, with no signal to the caller that evidence capture never ran — degraded
+> replay verification is worse than a loud refusal. `close --save-script` on a never-armed session
+> is now rejected before any teardown or filesystem work, the same way ABORTED/PUBLISHED are,
+> naming `open --save-script` as the recovery; a plain `close` still tears the session down
+> without writing. This is distinct from
+> [#1533](https://github.com/callstack/agent-device/issues/1533), which is about an
+> already-ARMED-then-ABORTED session whose flag ingress re-enables `recordSession` and lets a
+> *bare* `close` (no `--save-script` on the close itself) publish; that case is unresolved here.
+
 This lifecycle is distinct from ADR 0012's repair transaction. `session save-script` rejects a session
 with `saveScriptBoundary` set and directs the caller to finish or abort the repair through its existing
 `replay --from` and teardown commit protocol. Active-session publication never marks a repair COMPLETE,
@@ -264,6 +278,9 @@ executing that script, not the artifact being saved.
 - In ABORTED/PUBLISHED, `close --save-script[=<other>]` is rejected before platform close and plain
   `close` tears down without writing; closing an unpublished ARMED recording preserves current
   close-time publication behavior.
+- On a never-armed session (2026-08-02 amendment), `close --save-script` is likewise rejected before
+  platform close or filesystem work, naming `open --save-script` as the recovery; plain `close` still
+  tears down without writing, and the session is not deleted by the rejected request.
 - Descriptor completeness tests classify every recordable request's mutation effect, including
   request-sensitive read-only/mutating subcommands, and destination-guard ordering consumes only that
   trait.
diff --git a/src/cli-schema/types.ts b/src/cli-schema/types.ts
index 4107169b2b..da303787d6 100644
--- a/src/cli-schema/types.ts
+++ b/src/cli-schema/types.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ export type CommandSchema = {
   defaults?: Partial<CliFlags>;
   usageOverride?: string;
   listUsageOverride?: string;
+  // Swaps a shared flag's usageDescription for this command only, when the flag's generic
+  // documentation (flag-definitions-*.ts) does not fit every command it is allowed on — for
+  // example `--save-script` arms authoring on open/close but a repair transaction on replay.
+  flagDescriptionOverrides?: Partial<Record<FlagKey, string>>;
 };
 
 export type CommandSchemaOverride = Partial<CommandSchema>;
diff --git a/src/cli/parser/__tests__/cli-help-command-usage.test.ts b/src/cli/parser/__tests__/cli-help-command-usage.test.ts
index 46211f8dbb..5c53abeb4e 100644
--- a/src/cli/parser/__tests__/cli-help-command-usage.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/parser/__tests__/cli-help-command-usage.test.ts
@@ -407,3 +407,35 @@ test('removed trigger aliases are no longer documented as commands', async () =>
   const help = await usageForCommand('trigger-screenshot-notification');
   assert.equal(help, null);
 });
+
+// #1558 follow-up: replay's --save-script arms an ADR 0012 repair transaction, not the
+// open/close authoring lifecycle (arm-on-open, publish-on-close) the shared flag describes.
+// `flagDescriptionOverrides` (CommandSchema) swaps the text for replay only; open/close keep the
+// shared FlagDefinition description unchanged.
+test('replay --save-script help describes arming a repair transaction, not open/close authoring', async () => {
+  const help = await usageForCommand('replay');
+  if (help === null) throw new Error('Expected replay help text');
+  assert.match(help, /Arm a repair transaction from this replay \(ADR 0012\)/);
+  assert.match(help, /commits when the repair-armed session tears down/);
+  assert.doesNotMatch(help, /Arm evidence capture on open, publish the armed recording on close/);
+});
+
+test('open --save-script help keeps the shared open\\/close authoring description', async () => {
+  const help = await usageForCommand('open');
+  if (help === null) throw new Error('Expected open help text');
+  assert.match(
+    help,
+    /Arm evidence capture on open, publish the armed recording on close; close --save-script alone \(without an armed open\) is rejected/,
+  );
+  assert.doesNotMatch(help, /Arm a repair transaction from this replay/);
+});
+
+test('close --save-script help keeps the shared open\\/close authoring description', async () => {
+  const help = await usageForCommand('close');
+  if (help === null) throw new Error('Expected close help text');
+  assert.match(
+    help,
+    /Arm evidence capture on open, publish the armed recording on close; close --save-script alone \(without an armed open\) is rejected/,
+  );
+  assert.doesNotMatch(help, /Arm a repair transaction from this replay/);
+});
diff --git a/src/cli/parser/cli-help.ts b/src/cli/parser/cli-help.ts
index 3891f1f46a..979e6c6850 100644
--- a/src/cli/parser/cli-help.ts
+++ b/src/cli/parser/cli-help.ts
@@ -1243,6 +1243,21 @@ function listHelpFlags(keys: ReadonlySet<FlagKey>): FlagDefinition[] {
   );
 }
 
+// Command-specific override for a shared flag's help text (see CommandSchema.flagDescriptionOverrides):
+// keeps the FlagDefinition registry as one shared row per flag while letting a command whose
+// semantics genuinely differ (e.g. `replay --save-script` arms a repair transaction, not the
+// open/close authoring lifecycle) show its own description without duplicating the flag entry.
+function applyFlagDescriptionOverrides(
+  definitions: FlagDefinition[],
+  overrides: Partial<Record<FlagKey, string>> | undefined,
+): FlagDefinition[] {
+  if (!overrides) return definitions;
+  return definitions.map((definition) => {
+    const override = overrides[definition.key];
+    return override === undefined ? definition : { ...definition, usageDescription: override };
+  });
+}
+
 function renderFlagSection(title: string, definitions: FlagDefinition[]): string {
   return renderAlignedSection(
     title,
@@ -1302,7 +1317,10 @@ export function buildCommandUsageText(commandName: string): string | null {
   const schema = getCommandSchema(commandName);
   if (!schema) return null;
   const usage = buildCommandUsage(commandName, schema);
-  const commandFlags = listHelpFlags(new Set<FlagKey>(schema.allowedFlags ?? []));
+  const commandFlags = applyFlagDescriptionOverrides(
+    listHelpFlags(new Set<FlagKey>(schema.allowedFlags ?? [])),
+    schema.flagDescriptionOverrides,
+  );
   const sections: string[] = [];
   if (commandFlags.length > 0) {
     sections.push(renderFlagSection('Command flags:', commandFlags));
diff --git a/src/commands/cli-grammar/flag-definitions-action.ts b/src/commands/cli-grammar/flag-definitions-action.ts
index 9b274bdb7c..c688c6444a 100644
--- a/src/commands/cli-grammar/flag-definitions-action.ts
+++ b/src/commands/cli-grammar/flag-definitions-action.ts
@@ -248,7 +248,8 @@ export const ACTION_FLAG_DEFINITIONS: readonly FlagDefinition[] = [
     names: ['--save-script'],
     type: 'booleanOrString',
     usageLabel: '--save-script [path]',
-    usageDescription: 'Save session script (.ad) on close; optional custom output path',
+    usageDescription:
+      'Arm evidence capture on open, publish the armed recording on close; close --save-script alone (without an armed open) is rejected — start with open --save-script, or use session save-script mid-session. Optional custom output path.',
   },
   {
     key: 'networkInclude',
diff --git a/src/commands/command-explain.ts b/src/commands/command-explain.ts
index e0c768423a..fb190abefa 100644
--- a/src/commands/command-explain.ts
+++ b/src/commands/command-explain.ts
@@ -280,22 +280,26 @@ function describeCliSurface(command: string, schema: CommandSchema): CommandExpl
   return {
     usage: buildCommandUsage(command, schema),
     positionalArgs: schema.positionalArgs ?? [],
-    commandFlags: describeFlags(schema.allowedFlags ?? []),
-    supportedFlags: describeFlags(schema.supportedFlags ?? []),
+    commandFlags: describeFlags(schema.allowedFlags ?? [], schema.flagDescriptionOverrides),
+    supportedFlags: describeFlags(schema.supportedFlags ?? [], schema.flagDescriptionOverrides),
     globalFlags: describeFlags([...GLOBAL_FLAG_KEYS]),
   };
 }
 
-function describeFlags(keys: readonly FlagKey[]): CommandFlagExplanation[] {
+function describeFlags(
+  keys: readonly FlagKey[],
+  overrides?: Partial<Record<FlagKey, string>>,
+): CommandFlagExplanation[] {
   return [...new Set(keys)].sort().map((key) => {
     const definitions = flagDefinitionsByKey.get(key) ?? [];
     const preferred = definitions.find((definition) => definition.usageLabel) ?? definitions[0];
+    const description = overrides?.[key] ?? preferred?.usageDescription;
     return {
       key,
       syntax:
         preferred?.usageLabel ??
         [...new Set(definitions.flatMap((definition) => definition.names))].join('/'),
-      ...(preferred?.usageDescription ? { description: preferred.usageDescription } : {}),
+      ...(description ? { description } : {}),
     };
   });
 }
diff --git a/src/commands/replay/index.ts b/src/commands/replay/index.ts
index c507d4969f..eb0c1743b6 100644
--- a/src/commands/replay/index.ts
+++ b/src/commands/replay/index.ts
@@ -112,6 +112,13 @@ const replayCliSchema = {
     'saveScript',
     'force',
   ],
+  // ADR 0012 decision 6: on replay, --save-script arms a repair transaction from step 1 (not the
+  // open/close authoring lifecycle the shared flag description documents) and the healed script
+  // commits on that transaction's own teardown, not on a plain close.
+  flagDescriptionOverrides: {
+    saveScript:
+      'Arm a repair transaction from this replay (ADR 0012): recording starts at step 1, and the healed script commits when the repair-armed session tears down (close, close --save-script, or idle-reap). Independent of the open/close authoring arm-on-open. Optional custom output path.',
+  },
 } as const satisfies CommandSchemaOverride;
 
 const testCliSchema = {
diff --git a/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/session-close-shutdown.test.ts b/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/session-close-shutdown.test.ts
index 7434422c99..99669b7472 100644
--- a/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/session-close-shutdown.test.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/handlers/__tests__/session-close-shutdown.test.ts
@@ -1097,7 +1097,11 @@ test('targeted close skips platform dispatch and preserves the error when the re
     reason: 'runner_stop_failed',
     hint: 'Retry once the runner is reachable.',
   });
-  mockStopIosRunnerSession.mockRejectedValue(preCloseError);
+  // Scoped to this test's own two internal calls (pre-close stop, then the later
+  // independent-cleanup retry) — a persistent `mockRejectedValue` here would leak into every
+  // later test that exercises an Apple-platform runner stop, since `vi.clearAllMocks()` in
+  // `beforeEach` clears call history but not a mock's implementation.
+  mockStopIosRunnerSession.mockRejectedValueOnce(preCloseError);
 
   await expect(
     handleSessionCommands({
@@ -1131,3 +1135,117 @@ test('targeted close skips platform dispatch and preserves the error when the re
   expect(mockStopIosRunnerSession.mock.calls.length).toBeGreaterThan(1);
   expect(sessionStore.get(sessionName)).toBeUndefined();
 });
+
+// Live evidence (2026-08-02): a plain `open` followed by `close --save-script` used to fold the
+// never-armed session into the authoring lifecycle and publish anyway, producing a script with
+// selector fallback chains but no recording-time `target-v1` evidence. These two tests prove the
+// daemon-seam fix: the rejection fires before ANY teardown work (no dispatch mock needed — a
+// no-target close on Android never reaches `dispatchCommand`), the session survives so the agent
+// can retry, and no script file is written.
+test('close --save-script on a never-armed session is rejected before teardown, with no script written', async () => {
+  const sessionStore = makeSessionStore();
+  const sessionName = 'ios-unarmed-close-save-script-session';
+  const scriptPath = path.join(os.tmpdir(), `agent-device-unarmed-close-${Date.now()}.ad`);
+  // The fixture must carry real cleanup-bearing state (here: an active recording, like
+  // `makeIosSimulatorRecordingSession`'s other consumers) so this test can actually prove the
+  // guard runs *before* `stopBestEffortSessionResources` — not just that the response rejects.
+  // Without it, moving the guard after teardown would still pass: there would be nothing for
+  // teardown to observably touch.
+  const session = makeIosSimulatorRecordingSession(sessionName);
+  const kill = recordingKillMock(session);
+  sessionStore.set(sessionName, session);
+
+  await expect(
+    handleSessionCommands({
+      req: {
+        token: 't',
+        session: sessionName,
+        command: 'close',
+        positionals: [],
+        flags: { saveScript: scriptPath },
+      },
+      sessionName,
+      logPath: path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'daemon.log'),
+      sessionStore,
+      invoke: noopInvoke,
+    }),
+  ).rejects.toMatchObject({
+    code: 'INVALID_ARGS',
+    message: expect.stringMatching(/not armed/),
+    details: expect.objectContaining({
+      hint: expect.stringMatching(/open <app> --save-script/),
+    }),
+  });
+
+  // The rejection does not tear down the session — it stays retryable/recoverable.
+  expect(sessionStore.get(sessionName)).toBeDefined();
+  expect(fs.existsSync(scriptPath)).toBe(false);
+  // No teardown hook ran: the recording is still live (recorder never signaled) and the runner
+  // was never told to stop. This is the assertion that goes red if the guard moves after
+  // `stopBestEffortSessionResources` — see the counterfactual in the PR description.
+  expect(kill).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  expect(session.recording).toBeDefined();
+  expect(mockStopIosRunnerSession).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+
+  // A plain close (no --save-script) still closes the same session cleanly afterward, and now
+  // teardown genuinely does run: the recorder is signaled and the session deleted.
+  const plainClose = await handleSessionCommands({
+    req: {
+      token: 't',
+      session: sessionName,
+      command: 'close',
+      positionals: [],
+      flags: {},
+    },
+    sessionName,
+    logPath: path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'daemon.log'),
+    sessionStore,
+    invoke: noopInvoke,
+  });
+  expect(plainClose?.ok).toBe(true);
+  expect(kill).toHaveBeenCalledWith('SIGINT');
+  expect(session.recording).toBeUndefined();
+  expect(mockStopIosRunnerSession).toHaveBeenCalledWith(session.device.id);
+  expect(sessionStore.get(sessionName)).toBeUndefined();
+});
+
+test('close --save-script on a session with an active .ad repair transaction is unaffected by the unarmed-authoring guard', async () => {
+  const sessionStore = makeSessionStore();
+  const sessionName = 'android-repair-close-save-script-session';
+  const session = {
+    ...makeSession(sessionName, {
+      platform: 'android',
+      id: 'emulator-5554',
+      name: 'Pixel_9_API_35',
+      kind: 'emulator',
+      booted: true,
+    }),
+    recordSession: true,
+    scriptPublication: {
+      kind: 'repair' as const,
+      status: 'complete' as const,
+      target: { kind: 'default' as const, force: false },
+      boundary: 0,
+    },
+  };
+  sessionStore.set(sessionName, session);
+
+  const response = await handleSessionCommands({
+    req: {
+      token: 't',
+      session: sessionName,
+      command: 'close',
+      positionals: [],
+      flags: { saveScript: true },
+    },
+    sessionName,
+    logPath: path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'daemon.log'),
+    sessionStore,
+    invoke: noopInvoke,
+  });
+
+  // Repair transactions are a disjoint lifecycle (ADR 0012) with their own arming and close-time
+  // commit protocol; the new unarmed-authoring guard must not intercept them.
+  expect(response?.ok).toBe(true);
+  expect(sessionStore.get(sessionName)).toBeUndefined();
+});
diff --git a/src/daemon/handlers/session-close.ts b/src/daemon/handlers/session-close.ts
index 1fa738e98c..f652fb844a 100644
--- a/src/daemon/handlers/session-close.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/handlers/session-close.ts
@@ -285,11 +285,29 @@ async function stopOrRetainAppleRunnerAfterClose(
   scheduleIosRunnerIdleStop(session.device.id);
 }
 
+// Live evidence (2026-08-02): a plain `open` followed by `close --save-script` used to fold into
+// the authoring lifecycle at close time (`applyRecordedSaveScriptFlags`'s `none -> authoring`
+// branch) and publish anyway. That silently produces a script whose actions carry selector
+// fallback chains but no `target-v1` recording-time evidence — degraded replay verification with
+// no signal to the caller. Recording-time evidence can only be captured from action zero
+// (`armAuthoringOnOpen`), so an unarmed session has nothing to retroactively arm; the only
+// correct response is refusal, before any teardown or publication work runs. This intentionally
+// does not resolve #1533 (aborted-mid-recording close --save-script); that is a distinct,
+// already-armed case with its own resolution.
 function assertTerminalRecordingCloseAllowed(req: DaemonRequest, session: SessionState): void {
   if (!req.flags?.saveScript) return;
   if (isAuthoringArmedSession(session)) return;
   const state = session.scriptPublication;
-  if (state?.kind !== 'authoring') return;
+  if (state?.kind === 'repair') return;
+  if (state === undefined || state.kind === 'none') {
+    throw new AppError(
+      'INVALID_ARGS',
+      'close --save-script cannot publish this session: recording was not armed before this journey began, so there is no recording-time target evidence to publish.',
+      {
+        hint: 'Retry with plain close (it tears down without writing). To capture a publishable recording, start a fresh session with open <app> --save-script[=<path>].',
+      },
+    );
+  }
   throw new AppError(
     'INVALID_ARGS',
     `close --save-script cannot ${state.status === 'published' ? 're-publish' : 'publish'} this terminal recording. Retry with plain close; it will tear down the session without writing.`,
diff --git a/src/daemon/session-script-publication-capability.ts b/src/daemon/session-script-publication-capability.ts
index 7d8fcdd6c3..088d378a06 100644
--- a/src/daemon/session-script-publication-capability.ts
+++ b/src/daemon/session-script-publication-capability.ts
@@ -61,11 +61,14 @@ export function abortAuthoringOnSecondOpen(session: SessionState): void {
  * other command's raw flag closed at the router). Arms recording and applies target/force to
  * whichever lifecycle the session is in:
  *
- * - `none` -> ordinary authoring armed. This is how a never-armed `close --save-script`
- *   publishes the whole log: the close request arms at record time and publishes moments later
- *   in the same request, folding the former "third mode" into the authoring lifecycle. The
- *   session is deleted by every close path that gets this far, so the transient armed state is
- *   unobservable to `session save-script` eligibility.
+ * - `none` -> ordinary authoring armed. This branch is UNREACHABLE for `close`: live evidence
+ *   (2026-08-02) showed it used to let a never-armed `close --save-script` fold into the
+ *   authoring lifecycle and publish moments later in the same request — a script with selector
+ *   fallback chains but no recording-time `target-v1` evidence, and no signal to the caller.
+ *   `session-close.ts`'s `assertTerminalRecordingCloseAllowed` now rejects an unarmed
+ *   `close --save-script` before any action recording runs, so this arm only fires for a
+ *   future non-close caller of the shared ingress; it is kept as that caller's safety net, not
+ *   as a documented close-time behavior.
  * - `authoring` -> retarget under the #1258 per-target force rule (`resolveScriptTarget`).
  * - `repair` -> retarget the repair target the same way (a replayed step may carry the flag).
  */
diff --git a/test/integration/provider-scenarios/active-session-script-publication.test.ts b/test/integration/provider-scenarios/active-session-script-publication.test.ts
index 21f6bfe00c..2503657c07 100644
--- a/test/integration/provider-scenarios/active-session-script-publication.test.ts
+++ b/test/integration/provider-scenarios/active-session-script-publication.test.ts
@@ -194,6 +194,68 @@ test('a second successful open aborts publication and terminal save flags fail b
   });
 }, 20_000);
 
+// Live evidence (2026-08-02): a plain `open` (no arming) followed by `close --save-script` used to
+// silently publish anyway — the close request armed authoring at record time and published moments
+// later in the same request, producing a script with selector fallback chains but NO recording-time
+// `target-v1` evidence and no signal to the caller that the evidence was missing. The daemon now
+// rejects this before any teardown or filesystem work, and the session stays open so a plain close
+// still completes cleanly (it just does not publish).
+test('an unarmed session refuses close --save-script and closes cleanly on plain close', async () => {
+  await withProviderScenarioResource(createAndroidSettingsWorld, async (world) => {
+    const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'agent-device-unarmed-close-provider-'));
+    const scriptPath = path.join(root, 'unarmed.ad');
+    try {
+      const opened = await world.daemon.callCommand('open', ['settings'], { ...world.selection });
+      assertRpcOk(opened);
+      assert.equal(authoringPublicationStatus(world), undefined);
+
+      const flaggedClose = await world.daemon.callCommand('close', [], { saveScript: scriptPath });
+      assertRpcError(flaggedClose, 'INVALID_ARGS', /not armed/);
+      assert.ok(world.daemon.session(), 'flagged close must not tear down the unarmed session');
+      assert.equal(fs.existsSync(scriptPath), false);
+
+      const plainClose = await world.daemon.callCommand('close');
+      assertRpcOk(plainClose);
+      assert.equal(world.daemon.session(), undefined);
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+}, 20_000);
+
+// The counterpart to the unarmed refusal above: an `open --save-script`-armed session must still
+// publish through the ordinary close-time route (not just through `session save-script`), and the
+// published script must carry the same recording-time `target-v1` evidence.
+test('an armed session still publishes target-v1 evidence through close --save-script', async () => {
+  await withProviderScenarioResource(createAndroidSettingsWorld, async (world) => {
+    const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'agent-device-armed-close-provider-'));
+    const scriptPath = path.join(root, 'armed-close.ad');
+    const client = world.daemon.client();
+    try {
+      await client.apps.open({
+        app: 'settings',
+        saveScript: scriptPath,
+        ...world.selection,
+      });
+      assert.equal(authoringPublicationStatus(world), 'armed');
+
+      const snapshot = await client.capture.snapshot({ interactiveOnly: true, ...world.selection });
+      const search = snapshot.nodes.find((node) => node.label === 'Search');
+      assert.ok(search?.ref, JSON.stringify(snapshot.nodes));
+      await client.interactions.click({ ref: `@${search.ref}`, ...world.selection });
+
+      const close = await world.daemon.callCommand('close', [], { saveScript: scriptPath });
+      assertRpcOk(close);
+      assert.equal(fs.existsSync(scriptPath), true);
+      const script = fs.readFileSync(scriptPath, 'utf8');
+      assert.match(script, /agent-device:target-v1/);
+      assert.equal(world.daemon.session(), undefined);
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  });
+}, 20_000);
+
 test('parameterized fill publishes only ${VAR} and replay resolves it immediately before fill', async () => {
   const secret = 'OpaqueProviderValue1348';
   let injectedText: string | undefined;
diff --git a/test/integration/provider-scenarios/android-lifecycle.test.ts b/test/integration/provider-scenarios/android-lifecycle.test.ts
index 52139225f0..6af601164d 100644
--- a/test/integration/provider-scenarios/android-lifecycle.test.ts
+++ b/test/integration/provider-scenarios/android-lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -1325,7 +1325,22 @@ async function runAndroidCaptureInteractionAndReplayWorkflow(
   assert.equal(beforeCloseOpen.appBundleId, 'com.example.demo');
   const logsBeforeClose = await client.observability.logs({ action: 'start', ...selection });
   assert.equal(logsBeforeClose.started, true);
+
+  // close --save-script now requires the session to have been armed at open (recording-time
+  // target-v1 evidence cannot be reconstructed retroactively for a session that never recorded
+  // it). End this long-lived unarmed session plainly, then arm a fresh one before exercising
+  // close --save-script + shutdown below.
+  const plainCloseBeforeArm = await daemon.callCommand('close');
+  assert.equal(plainCloseBeforeArm.statusCode, 200, JSON.stringify(plainCloseBeforeArm.json));
+  assert.equal(daemon.session(), undefined);
+
   const savedReplayPath = path.join(tempRoot, 'saved-session.ad');
+  const armedOpen = await client.apps.open({
+    app: 'com.example.demo',
+    saveScript: savedReplayPath,
+    ...selection,
+  });
+  assert.equal(armedOpen.appBundleId, 'com.example.demo');
   const close = await daemon.callCommand('close', [], {
     saveScript: savedReplayPath,
     shutdown: true,
diff --git a/website/docs/docs/migrating-gestures.md b/website/docs/docs/migrating-gestures.md
index a9503fc5c0..fe0b2217ed 100644
--- a/website/docs/docs/migrating-gestures.md
+++ b/website/docs/docs/migrating-gestures.md
@@ -148,7 +148,9 @@ grep -rnE "\\bgesture[[:space:]]+rotate([[:space:]]+$num){4}" --include='*.ad' .
 ```
 
 Re-recording also produces a migrated script: the recorder writes the canonical form, so a fresh
-`open` → interact → `close --save-script` run is a valid alternative to editing by hand.
+`open --save-script` → interact → `close` run is a valid alternative to editing by hand. Recording
+evidence is only captured from action zero, so arm at `open`; a bare `close --save-script` on a
+session that was not armed at `open` is rejected.
 
 ### Maestro flows