diff --git a/src/signals/engine.ts b/src/signals/engine.ts
index c5b6e6b7b3..4bf27301c2 100644
--- a/src/signals/engine.ts
+++ b/src/signals/engine.ts
@@ -1480,8 +1480,9 @@ export function buildRoleContext(args: {
 // Derive solved / valid-solved issue-discovery counts from cached issues using the same
 // lifecycle classifier as buildIssueDiscoveryLifecycleReport. Used as the cache fallback for
 // official solvedIssues / validSolvedIssues so a contributor without official Gittensor data
-// still gets credit for issues their own merged PRs solved. (Contributor-wide recent-merged
-// solver PRs are not loaded here, so detection uses the cached pull_requests set.)
+// still gets solved credit from merged PR evidence while self-solved issue loops do not
+// inflate valid issue-discovery credit. (Contributor-wide recent-merged solver PRs are not
+// loaded here, so detection uses the cached pull_requests set.)
 function cachedSolvedIssueCounts(issues: IssueRecord[], pullRequests: PullRequestRecord[], lane: LaneAdvice): { solvedIssues: number; validSolvedIssues: number } {
   let solvedIssues = 0;
   let validSolvedIssues = 0;
@@ -2869,9 +2870,10 @@ function classifyIssueDiscoveryLifecycle(
 ): IssueDiscoveryLifecycleReport["states"][number] {
   const linkedOpenPrs = pullRequests.filter((pr) => pr.linkedIssues.includes(issue.number));
   const linkedMergedPrs = recentMergedPullRequests.filter((pr) => pr.linkedIssues.includes(issue.number));
-  const solvedByPullRequests = [...new Set([...linkedOpenPrs.filter((pr) => pr.mergedAt || pr.state === "merged").map((pr) => pr.number), ...linkedMergedPrs.map((pr) => pr.number)])].sort(
-    (left, right) => left - right,
-  );
+  const mergedSolverPrs = [...linkedOpenPrs.filter((pr) => pr.mergedAt || pr.state === "merged"), ...linkedMergedPrs];
+  const solvedByPullRequests = [...new Set(mergedSolverPrs.map((pr) => pr.number))].sort((left, right) => left - right);
+  const issueAuthorLogin = issue.authorLogin;
+  const selfSolvedLoop = Boolean(issueAuthorLogin && mergedSolverPrs.length > 0 && mergedSolverPrs.every((pr) => sameLogin(pr.authorLogin, issueAuthorLogin)));
   const labels = issue.labels.map((label) => label.toLowerCase());
   const stale = daysSince(issue.updatedAt ?? issue.createdAt) > 90;
   const duplicate = labels.some((label) => /duplicate/.test(label));
@@ -2881,7 +2883,7 @@ function classifyIssueDiscoveryLifecycle(
     : invalid
       ? "invalid"
       : solvedByPullRequests.length > 0
-        ? lane.lane === "issue_discovery" || lane.lane === "split"
+        ? (lane.lane === "issue_discovery" || lane.lane === "split") && !selfSolvedLoop
           ? "valid_solved"
           : "solved"
         : issue.state !== "open"
@@ -2893,6 +2895,7 @@ function classifyIssueDiscoveryLifecycle(
     ...(duplicate ? ["Issue carries duplicate labeling."] : []),
     ...(invalid ? ["Issue carries invalid or not-planned labeling."] : []),
     ...(solvedByPullRequests.length > 0 ? [`Linked solver PR(s): ${solvedByPullRequests.map((number) => `#${number}`).join(", ")}.`] : []),
+    ...(selfSolvedLoop ? ["Linked solver PR author matches the issue reporter; cache treats this as solved but not valid issue-discovery evidence."] : []),
     ...(issue.state !== "open" && solvedByPullRequests.length === 0 ? ["Issue is closed without cached solver PR evidence."] : []),
     ...(stale && issue.state === "open" ? ["Issue is stale in cached metadata."] : []),
     ...(lane.lane === "direct_pr" ? ["Repo is direct-PR first; lifecycle should not encourage issue filing."] : []),
diff --git a/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts b/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
index 6bd0169fbf..0aab5a7273 100644
--- a/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
@@ -524,6 +524,28 @@ describe("v2 signal builders", () => {
     );
     expect(lifecycle.states.map((state) => [state.number, state.state])).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([[23, "valid_solved"], [24, "duplicate"], [25, "closed_not_solved"]]));
 
+    const selfSolvedLifecycle = buildIssueDiscoveryLifecycleReport(
+      { ...repo, registryConfig: { ...repo.registryConfig!, issueDiscoveryShare: 0.5 } },
+      [{ repoFullName: repo.fullName, number: 26, title: "Self solved", state: "closed", authorLogin: "selfdev", body: "I will fix this.", labels: [], linkedPrs: [46] }],
+      [
+        {
+          repoFullName: repo.fullName,
+          number: 46,
+          title: "Fix self solved report",
+          state: "merged",
+          mergedAt: "2026-05-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+          linkedIssues: [26],
+          labels: ["bug"],
+          authorLogin: "selfdev",
+          body: "Fixes #26",
+          updatedAt: "2026-05-01T00:00:00.000Z",
+        },
+      ],
+      repo.fullName,
+    );
+    expect(selfSolvedLifecycle.states[0]).toMatchObject({ number: 26, state: "solved", solvedByPullRequests: [46] });
+    expect(selfSolvedLifecycle.states[0]?.reasons.join(" ")).toMatch(/not valid issue-discovery evidence/);
+
     const unverifiedMentionLifecycle = buildIssueDiscoveryLifecycleReport(
       { ...repo, registryConfig: { ...repo.registryConfig!, issueDiscoveryShare: 0.5 } },
       [{ repoFullName: repo.fullName, number: 26, title: "Mentioned PR", state: "closed", body: "Maybe PR #123 helps.", labels: [], linkedPrs: [123] }],
@@ -822,7 +844,7 @@ describe("v2 signal builders", () => {
       body: `Fixes #${issueNumber}`,
       updatedAt: "2026-05-21T00:00:00.000Z",
     });
-    // acme/widgets is an issue-discovery lane (valid_solved); acme/tools is direct-PR (solved).
+    // acme/widgets is an issue-discovery lane, but self-solved loops only get solved credit; acme/tools is direct-PR (solved).
     const repositories = [mkRepo("acme/widgets", 1), mkRepo("acme/tools", 0)];
     const poisonedIssue: IssueRecord = {
       ...mkIssue("acme/widgets", 9, 102),
@@ -844,12 +866,12 @@ describe("v2 signal builders", () => {
     // Without the cache fallback these were hardcoded to 0 even though the contributor's own
     // merged PRs solved their issues. Open issues with only contributor-controlled issue-body
     // PR text must not inflate the cached solved evidence.
-    expect(discovery).toMatchObject({ solvedIssues: 1, validSolvedIssues: 1, openIssues: 1 });
+    expect(discovery).toMatchObject({ solvedIssues: 1, validSolvedIssues: 0, openIssues: 1 });
     expect(direct).toMatchObject({ solvedIssues: 1, validSolvedIssues: 0 });
     expect(history.totals.solvedIssues).toBe(2);
-    expect(history.totals.validSolvedIssues).toBe(1);
-    expect(history.reconciliation?.repos.find((entry) => entry.repoFullName === "acme/widgets")?.cached).toMatchObject({ solvedIssues: 1, validSolvedIssues: 1, openIssues: 1 });
-    expect(discovery?.strengths.join(" ")).toMatch(/valid solved issue-discovery report/);
+    expect(history.totals.validSolvedIssues).toBe(0);
+    expect(history.reconciliation?.repos.find((entry) => entry.repoFullName === "acme/widgets")?.cached).toMatchObject({ solvedIssues: 1, validSolvedIssues: 0, openIssues: 1 });
+    expect(discovery?.strengths.join(" ")).not.toMatch(/valid solved issue-discovery report/);
   });
 
   it("keeps cached reconciliation stats separate from official profile counts", () => {