diff --git a/src/api/routes.ts b/src/api/routes.ts
index 3ca414ce50..2e4c545787 100644
--- a/src/api/routes.ts
+++ b/src/api/routes.ts
@@ -414,6 +414,8 @@ const slopRiskSchema = z.object({
   tests: z.array(z.string().max(400)).max(2000).optional(),
   testFiles: z.array(z.string().max(400)).max(2000).optional(),
   commitMessages: z.array(z.string().max(2000)).max(200).optional(),
+  hasLinkedIssue: z.boolean().optional(),
+  issueDiscoveryLane: z.boolean().optional(),
 });
 const issueSlopSchema = z.object({
   title: z.string().max(500).optional(),
diff --git a/src/mcp/server.ts b/src/mcp/server.ts
index eee8d411d0..fd872a8e67 100644
--- a/src/mcp/server.ts
+++ b/src/mcp/server.ts
@@ -651,6 +651,8 @@ const checkSlopRiskShape = {
   tests: z.array(z.string().max(400)).max(2000).optional(),
   testFiles: z.array(z.string().max(400)).max(2000).optional(),
   commitMessages: z.array(z.string().max(2000)).max(200).optional(),
+  hasLinkedIssue: z.boolean().optional(),
+  issueDiscoveryLane: z.boolean().optional(),
 };
 
 const checkSlopRiskOutputSchema = {
diff --git a/src/signals/engine.ts b/src/signals/engine.ts
index c541ebcc29..2fe73b76e8 100644
--- a/src/signals/engine.ts
+++ b/src/signals/engine.ts
@@ -4470,7 +4470,9 @@ export function buildPrTextLint(input: PrTextLintInput): PrTextLintReport {
   };
 }
 
-function hasClearNoIssueRationale(pr: Pick<PullRequestRecord, "title" | "body">): boolean {
+// Exported so the deterministic no-linked-issue slop signal (#562) and the public PR-panel traceability check
+// share ONE definition of a "clear no-issue rationale" (maintenance / docs-only / "no issue: …" in the PR text).
+export function hasClearNoIssueRationale(pr: Pick<PullRequestRecord, "title" | "body">): boolean {
   return /\b(no issue\s*(?:because|:)|no linked issue\s*(?:because|:)|no ticket\s*(?:because|:)|maintenance|docs? only|typo|chore|cleanup)\b/i.test([pr.title, pr.body ?? ""].join(" "));
 }
 
diff --git a/src/signals/slop.ts b/src/signals/slop.ts
index c72812235e..404f090327 100644
--- a/src/signals/slop.ts
+++ b/src/signals/slop.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { GENERIC_COMMIT_PATTERN, type SignalFinding } from "./engine";
+import { GENERIC_COMMIT_PATTERN, hasClearNoIssueRationale, type SignalFinding } from "./engine";
 import { isCodeFile, isTestFile } from "./local-branch";
 import { hasLocalTestEvidence, isTestPath } from "./test-evidence";
 import { isFocusManifestPublicSafe } from "./focus-manifest";
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@ export type SlopAssessmentInput = {
   /** True when this PR sits in a high-risk duplicate cluster (2+ open PRs) — the caller computes it from the
    *  collision report via {@link isPullRequestInDuplicateCluster}. Undefined on surfaces without repo context. */
   inDuplicateCluster?: boolean | undefined;
+  /** Whether this PR links at least one issue (caller computes from `linkedIssues.length > 0`). Only an explicit
+   *  `false` can trip the no-linked-issue-without-rationale signal; undefined means the surface has no issue data. */
+  hasLinkedIssue?: boolean | undefined;
+  /** True when the contributor/repo is in the issue-discovery lane, where PRs without a linked issue are expected
+   *  and so the no-linked-issue-without-rationale signal does not apply. */
+  issueDiscoveryLane?: boolean | undefined;
 };
 
 export type SlopAssessment = {
@@ -42,6 +48,7 @@ export const SLOP_WEIGHTS = {
   emptyDescription: 15,
   lowQualityCommitMessage: 15,
   duplicateClusterMembership: 15,
+  noLinkedIssueWithoutRationale: 15,
 } as const;
 
 export const SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN = [
@@ -59,6 +66,7 @@ export const SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN = [
   "- empty pull request description on a code change",
   "- generic or empty commit message",
   "- duplicate / overlapping pull request (high-risk collision cluster)",
+  "- no linked issue and no rationale (outside the issue-discovery lane)",
 ].join("\n");
 
 const MIN_CHURN_LINES = 40;
@@ -75,12 +83,14 @@ export function buildSlopAssessment(input: SlopAssessmentInput): SlopAssessment
   const emptyDescriptionFinding = buildEmptyDescriptionFinding(input);
   const lowQualityCommitMessageFinding = buildLowQualityCommitMessageFinding(input);
   const duplicateClusterFinding = buildDuplicateClusterFinding(input);
+  const noLinkedIssueRationaleFinding = buildNoLinkedIssueRationaleFinding(input);
   if (trivialChurnFinding) findings.push(trivialChurnFinding);
   if (missingTestEvidenceFinding) findings.push(missingTestEvidenceFinding);
   if (nonSubstantivePaddingFinding) findings.push(nonSubstantivePaddingFinding);
   if (emptyDescriptionFinding) findings.push(emptyDescriptionFinding);
   if (lowQualityCommitMessageFinding) findings.push(lowQualityCommitMessageFinding);
   if (duplicateClusterFinding) findings.push(duplicateClusterFinding);
+  if (noLinkedIssueRationaleFinding) findings.push(noLinkedIssueRationaleFinding);
 
   const slopRisk = clamp(
     (trivialChurnFinding ? SLOP_WEIGHTS.trivialWhitespaceChurn : 0) +
@@ -88,7 +98,8 @@ export function buildSlopAssessment(input: SlopAssessmentInput): SlopAssessment
       (nonSubstantivePaddingFinding ? SLOP_WEIGHTS.nonSubstantivePadding : 0) +
       (emptyDescriptionFinding ? SLOP_WEIGHTS.emptyDescription : 0) +
       (lowQualityCommitMessageFinding ? SLOP_WEIGHTS.lowQualityCommitMessage : 0) +
-      (duplicateClusterFinding ? SLOP_WEIGHTS.duplicateClusterMembership : 0),
+      (duplicateClusterFinding ? SLOP_WEIGHTS.duplicateClusterMembership : 0) +
+      (noLinkedIssueRationaleFinding ? SLOP_WEIGHTS.noLinkedIssueWithoutRationale : 0),
     0,
     100,
   );
@@ -208,6 +219,26 @@ export function buildDuplicateClusterFinding(input: SlopAssessmentInput): Signal
   };
 }
 
+// Fires when the caller reports NO linked issue (#562), the PR body carries no clear no-issue rationale, and the
+// repo is not in the issue-discovery lane (where unlinked PRs are expected). High-precision: only an explicit
+// `hasLinkedIssue: false` trips it — absent data (undefined) is not a signal — and any clear rationale
+// (maintenance / docs-only / "no issue: …") clears it. Reuses engine.ts `hasClearNoIssueRationale` so this signal
+// and the public PR-panel traceability check agree on what counts as a rationale. Static, public-safe text.
+export function buildNoLinkedIssueRationaleFinding(input: SlopAssessmentInput): SignalFinding | null {
+  if (input.hasLinkedIssue !== false) return null;
+  if (input.issueDiscoveryLane === true) return null;
+  if (hasClearNoIssueRationale({ title: "", body: input.description ?? "" })) return null;
+  const detail = "This pull request links no issue and gives no rationale for working without one.";
+  return {
+    code: "no_linked_issue_without_rationale",
+    title: "No linked issue and no rationale",
+    severity: "warning",
+    detail,
+    action: "Link the issue this addresses, or explain in the description why no issue applies (e.g. a typo, docs-only, or maintenance change).",
+    publicText: detail,
+  };
+}
+
 export function buildMissingTestEvidenceFinding(input: SlopAssessmentInput): SignalFinding | null {
   const changedFiles = input.changedFiles ?? [];
   const changedPaths = changedFiles.map((file) => file.path).filter(Boolean);
diff --git a/test/unit/slop.test.ts b/test/unit/slop.test.ts
index 1b64d47c17..600dacbebe 100644
--- a/test/unit/slop.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/slop.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   buildIssueSlopAssessment,
   buildLowQualityCommitMessageFinding,
   buildMissingTestEvidenceFinding,
+  buildNoLinkedIssueRationaleFinding,
   buildNonSubstantivePaddingFinding,
   buildSlopAssessment,
   buildTrivialWhitespaceChurnFinding,
@@ -23,6 +24,7 @@ describe("buildSlopAssessment", () => {
     expect(SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN).toContain("missing test evidence");
     expect(SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN).toContain("trivial / whitespace-only churn");
     expect(SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN).toContain("generic or empty commit message");
+    expect(SLOP_RUBRIC_MARKDOWN).toContain("no linked issue and no rationale");
 
     const clean = buildSlopAssessment({});
     expect(clean).toEqual({ slopRisk: 0, band: "clean", findings: [] });
@@ -60,6 +62,28 @@ describe("buildSlopAssessment", () => {
     expect(buildLowQualityCommitMessageFinding({ commitMessages: ["", "update"] })?.detail).toMatch(/generic/i);
   });
 
+  it("raises no-linked-issue-without-rationale slop when there is no issue and no rationale (#562)", () => {
+    const result = buildSlopAssessment({ hasLinkedIssue: false });
+    expect(result.slopRisk).toBe(SLOP_WEIGHTS.noLinkedIssueWithoutRationale);
+    expect(result.band).toBe("low");
+    expect(result.findings).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ code: "no_linked_issue_without_rationale", severity: "warning" })]);
+    expect(JSON.stringify(result)).not.toMatch(FORBIDDEN_PUBLIC_TERMS);
+  });
+
+  it("does not raise no-linked-issue slop when an issue is linked, a rationale is present, the lane is issue-discovery, or no data is supplied (#562)", () => {
+    expect(buildSlopAssessment({ hasLinkedIssue: true }).findings).toEqual([]);
+    expect(buildSlopAssessment({ hasLinkedIssue: false, description: "Docs only: fix a typo in the README." }).findings).toEqual([]);
+    expect(buildSlopAssessment({ hasLinkedIssue: false, issueDiscoveryLane: true }).findings).toEqual([]);
+    expect(buildSlopAssessment({}).findings).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("reuses the shared no-issue rationale helper and treats absent linked-issue data as no signal (#562)", () => {
+    expect(buildNoLinkedIssueRationaleFinding({ hasLinkedIssue: undefined })).toBeNull();
+    // a maintenance/cleanup rationale in the body clears the signal even with no linked issue
+    expect(buildNoLinkedIssueRationaleFinding({ hasLinkedIssue: false, description: "Routine maintenance; no issue needed." })).toBeNull();
+    expect(buildNoLinkedIssueRationaleFinding({ hasLinkedIssue: false, description: "" })).toMatchObject({ code: "no_linked_issue_without_rationale" });
+  });
+
   it("raises duplicate-cluster slop when the PR is flagged as in a duplicate cluster (#563)", () => {
     const result = buildSlopAssessment({ inDuplicateCluster: true });
     expect(result.slopRisk).toBe(SLOP_WEIGHTS.duplicateClusterMembership);