diff --git a/src/review/content-lane/registry-logic.ts b/src/review/content-lane/registry-logic.ts
index 0cbb1d3605..a74d779614 100644
--- a/src/review/content-lane/registry-logic.ts
+++ b/src/review/content-lane/registry-logic.ts
@@ -679,13 +679,17 @@ export interface RegistryScopeResult {
 
 /**
  * Generic surface-model scope classifier: in scope when the PR edits exactly ONE entry file (or, entry-free,
- * one flat provider file); the spec's provider + artifact files are allowed companions; any other path —
- * including a retired candidate path the registry no longer accepts — makes it mixed-files.
+ * one flat provider file); the spec's provider + artifact files are allowed companions. A registry-looking
+ * submission with too many entry/provider files is malformed and stays in the lane as mixed-files; an unrelated
+ * PR with no direct registry files remains not-direct-submission.
  */
 export function classifyRegistryPrScope(spec: RegistryLaneSpec, changedFiles: string[]): RegistryScopeResult {
   const files = (changedFiles ?? []).map((f) => String(f || "").trim()).filter(Boolean);
   const entryFiles = files.filter((f) => spec.entryFilePattern.test(f));
   const providerFiles = spec.providerFilePattern ? files.filter((f) => spec.providerFilePattern!.test(f)) : [];
+  if (entryFiles.length > 1 || (entryFiles.length === 0 && providerFiles.length > 1)) {
+    return { scope: "mixed-files", directFile: null, isProvider: false };
+  }
   const isEntryPr = entryFiles.length === 1;
   const isProviderPr = entryFiles.length === 0 && providerFiles.length === 1;
   if (!isEntryPr && !isProviderPr) {
diff --git a/test/unit/content-lane-orchestrator.test.ts b/test/unit/content-lane-orchestrator.test.ts
index 861233ca46..8915092aa4 100644
--- a/test/unit/content-lane-orchestrator.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/content-lane-orchestrator.test.ts
@@ -48,6 +48,20 @@ describe("runSurfaceReview (deterministic + decisive: merge/close, rarely manual
     expect((await review([SUBNET, "src/index.ts"], {}))?.verdict).toBe("close");
   });
 
+  it("closes a multi-entry registry submission instead of deferring to the generic gate", async () => {
+    const calls: string[] = [];
+    const result = await runSurfaceReview(METAGRAPHED_LANE_SPEC, {
+      changedFiles: [SUBNET, "registry/subnets/bar.json"],
+      loadFile: (path, ref) => {
+        calls.push(`${ref}:${path}`);
+        return Promise.resolve(null);
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(result?.verdict).toBe("close");
+    expect(calls).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
   it("merges a valid provider submission and CLOSES an invalid one (never manual)", async () => {
     const okProvider = { [`head:${PROVIDER}`]: JSON.stringify({ provider: { id: "acme", name: "Acme", website_url: "https://acme.example" } }) };
     expect((await review([PROVIDER], okProvider))?.verdict).toBe("merge");
diff --git a/test/unit/content-lane-registry-logic.test.ts b/test/unit/content-lane-registry-logic.test.ts
index 4907703401..7e8505bc95 100644
--- a/test/unit/content-lane-registry-logic.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/content-lane-registry-logic.test.ts
@@ -300,9 +300,10 @@ describe("classifyRegistryPrScope (generic surface model, metagraphed spec)", ()
     expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(spec, ["registry/subnets/actual.json", "registry/candidates/community/foo.json"]).scope).toBe("mixed-files");
   });
 
-  it("is not-direct for no submission, and >1 entry file", () => {
+  it("is not-direct for no submission, but mixed for too many direct registry files", () => {
     expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(spec, ["README.md"]).scope).toBe("not-direct-submission");
-    expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(spec, ["registry/subnets/a.json", "registry/subnets/b.json"]).scope).toBe("not-direct-submission");
+    expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(spec, ["registry/subnets/a.json", "registry/subnets/b.json"]).scope).toBe("mixed-files");
+    expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(spec, ["registry/providers/a.json", "registry/providers/b.json"]).scope).toBe("mixed-files");
     expect(isRegistrySubmissionScope("not-direct-submission")).toBe(false);
   });
 
@@ -314,7 +315,7 @@ describe("classifyRegistryPrScope (generic surface model, metagraphed spec)", ()
   it("works for a minimal spec with no provider/artifact patterns (a bare registry)", () => {
     const bare: RegistryLaneSpec = { entryFilePattern: /^data\/[a-z]+\.json$/, collectionField: "entries" };
     expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(bare, ["data/x.json"]).scope).toBe("entry-submission");
-    expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(bare, ["data/x.json", "data/y.json"]).scope).toBe("not-direct-submission");
+    expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(bare, ["data/x.json", "data/y.json"]).scope).toBe("mixed-files");
     expect(classifyRegistryPrScope(bare, ["data/x.json", "other.json"]).scope).toBe("mixed-files");
   });
 });