diff --git a/packages/gittensory-engine/src/index.ts b/packages/gittensory-engine/src/index.ts
index eb72564dbc..0bf70e93ea 100644
--- a/packages/gittensory-engine/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/gittensory-engine/src/index.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 // focus-manifest parse/compile core, duplicate-winner adjudication, and their engine-parity fixtures).
 // More modules land in follow-up issues.
 export {
+  pickTopRankedOpportunities,
   rankOpportunityScore,
   rankOpportunities,
   type OpportunityRankInput,
diff --git a/packages/gittensory-engine/src/opportunity-ranker.ts b/packages/gittensory-engine/src/opportunity-ranker.ts
index 69ad70c01d..4e0f566484 100644
--- a/packages/gittensory-engine/src/opportunity-ranker.ts
+++ b/packages/gittensory-engine/src/opportunity-ranker.ts
@@ -80,3 +80,17 @@ export function rankOpportunities<T>(
     .sort((a, b) => b.rankScore - a.rankScore || a.index - b.index)
     .map(({ candidate, rankScore }) => ({ ...candidate, rankScore }));
 }
+
+/**
+ * Rank candidates and return the top `limit` entries. Non-finite or negative limits return an empty list.
+ * Pure — delegates to {@link rankOpportunities} for ordering and tie-breaking.
+ */
+export function pickTopRankedOpportunities<T>(
+  candidates: Array<T & OpportunityRankInput>,
+  limit: number,
+): Array<Omit<T, "rankScore"> & OpportunityRankInput & { rankScore: number }> {
+  if (!Number.isFinite(limit)) return [];
+  const safeLimit = Math.max(0, Math.trunc(limit));
+  if (safeLimit === 0 || candidates.length === 0) return [];
+  return rankOpportunities(candidates).slice(0, safeLimit);
+}
diff --git a/packages/gittensory-engine/test/opportunity-ranker.test.ts b/packages/gittensory-engine/test/opportunity-ranker.test.ts
index 17ec0e0545..27ff3f3c2a 100644
--- a/packages/gittensory-engine/test/opportunity-ranker.test.ts
+++ b/packages/gittensory-engine/test/opportunity-ranker.test.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,12 @@
 // (dist/index.js) so the export contract itself is exercised. Pure module — no network, never flakes.
 import { test } from "node:test";
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
-import { rankOpportunityScore, rankOpportunities } from "../dist/index.js";
+import { rankOpportunityScore, rankOpportunities, pickTopRankedOpportunities } from "../dist/index.js";
 
 test("barrel: the public entrypoint re-exports the ranker API", () => {
   assert.equal(typeof rankOpportunityScore, "function");
   assert.equal(typeof rankOpportunities, "function");
+  assert.equal(typeof pickTopRankedOpportunities, "function");
 });
 
 const full = { potential: 1, feasibility: 1, laneFit: 1, freshness: 1, dupRisk: 0 };
@@ -103,3 +104,19 @@ test("rankOpportunities: a stale rankScore on the input is overwritten with the
 test("rankOpportunities: an empty list ranks to an empty list", () => {
   assert.deepEqual(rankOpportunities([]), []);
 });
+
+test("pickTopRankedOpportunities: returns the top N ranked candidates", () => {
+  const candidates = [
+    { id: "low", potential: 0.2, feasibility: 1, laneFit: 1, freshness: 1, dupRisk: 0 },
+    { id: "high", potential: 0.9, feasibility: 1, laneFit: 1, freshness: 1, dupRisk: 0 },
+    { id: "mid", potential: 0.5, feasibility: 1, laneFit: 1, freshness: 1, dupRisk: 0 },
+  ];
+  const topTwo = pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, 2);
+  assert.deepEqual(topTwo.map((entry) => entry.id), ["high", "mid"]);
+});
+
+test("pickTopRankedOpportunities: rejects non-finite limits", () => {
+  const candidates = [{ id: "only", ...full }];
+  assert.deepEqual(pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, Number.NaN), []);
+  assert.deepEqual(pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY), []);
+});
diff --git a/test/unit/opportunity-ranker.test.ts b/test/unit/opportunity-ranker.test.ts
index 1cb0df8ec7..d79285f2b8 100644
--- a/test/unit/opportunity-ranker.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/opportunity-ranker.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { rankOpportunities, rankOpportunityScore, type OpportunityRankInput } from "../../packages/gittensory-engine/src/opportunity-ranker";
+import { pickTopRankedOpportunities, rankOpportunities, rankOpportunityScore, type OpportunityRankInput } from "../../packages/gittensory-engine/src/opportunity-ranker";
 
 // A neutral, all-passing candidate (every factor 1, no contention → score 1); tests override one field at a time.
 function input(over: Partial<OpportunityRankInput> = {}): OpportunityRankInput {
@@ -137,3 +137,52 @@ describe("rankOpportunities", () => {
     expect(rankOpportunities([])).toEqual([]);
   });
 });
+
+describe("pickTopRankedOpportunities", () => {
+  const candidates = [
+    { id: "mid", ...input({ potential: 0.5 }) },
+    { id: "top", ...input() },
+    { id: "low", ...input({ freshness: 0.25 }) },
+  ];
+
+  it("returns the highest-scoring candidates up to the limit", () => {
+    const topTwo = pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, 2);
+    expect(topTwo.map((entry) => entry.id)).toEqual(["top", "mid"]);
+    expect(topTwo.map((entry) => entry.rankScore)).toEqual([1, 0.5]);
+  });
+
+  it("returns every candidate when the limit exceeds the list size", () => {
+    expect(pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, 10).map((entry) => entry.id)).toEqual([
+      "top",
+      "mid",
+      "low",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("returns an empty array for a zero, negative, or non-finite limit", () => {
+    expect(pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, 0)).toEqual([]);
+    expect(pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, -1)).toEqual([]);
+    expect(pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, Number.NaN)).toEqual([]);
+    expect(pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("returns an empty array for no candidates", () => {
+    expect(pickTopRankedOpportunities([], 3)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("preserves rankOpportunities tie-breaking within the slice", () => {
+    const tie = input({ potential: 0.5 });
+    const tied = [
+      { id: "first", ...tie },
+      { id: "second", ...tie },
+      { id: "winner", ...input() },
+    ];
+    expect(pickTopRankedOpportunities(tied, 2).map((entry) => entry.id)).toEqual(["winner", "first"]);
+  });
+
+  it("is exported from the package barrel", async () => {
+    const barrel = await import("../../packages/gittensory-engine/src/index");
+    expect(typeof barrel.pickTopRankedOpportunities).toBe("function");
+    expect(barrel.pickTopRankedOpportunities(candidates, 1).map((entry) => entry.id)).toEqual(["top"]);
+  });
+});