diff --git a/.conductor/registry/workflows/actionable.yaml b/.conductor/registry/workflows/actionable.yaml
index fb7ad55f..905dce29 100644
--- a/.conductor/registry/workflows/actionable.yaml
+++ b/.conductor/registry/workflows/actionable.yaml
@@ -783,7 +783,7 @@ agents:
       - "-NoProfile"
       - "-Command"
       - >-
-        $prNumber = {{ open_evidence_pr.output.pr_number }};
+        $prNumber = [int]'{{ open_evidence_pr.output.pr_number }}';
         $prUrl = '{{ open_evidence_pr.output.pr_url }}';
         try {
             gh pr merge $prNumber --squash --auto --delete-branch 2>&1 | Out-Null;
diff --git a/.conductor/registry/workflows/apex-driver.yaml b/.conductor/registry/workflows/apex-driver.yaml
index f496ce06..921801d4 100644
--- a/.conductor/registry/workflows/apex-driver.yaml
+++ b/.conductor/registry/workflows/apex-driver.yaml
@@ -608,8 +608,8 @@ agents:
       - "-NoProfile"
       - "-Command"
       - >-
-        $failed = {{ wave_dispatch_loop.errors | length }};
-        $total  = {{ wave_dispatch_loop.count }};
+        $failed = [int]'{{ wave_dispatch_loop.errors | length }}';
+        $total  = [int]'{{ wave_dispatch_loop.count }}';
         [ordered]@{
           total_waves   = $total;
           failed_waves  = $failed;
diff --git a/.conductor/registry/workflows/implement-merge-group.yaml b/.conductor/registry/workflows/implement-merge-group.yaml
index 8aea895d..48270ca7 100644
--- a/.conductor/registry/workflows/implement-merge-group.yaml
+++ b/.conductor/registry/workflows/implement-merge-group.yaml
@@ -606,7 +606,7 @@ agents:
       - >-
         $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop';
         $PSNativeCommandUseErrorActionPreference = $true;
-        $taskId = {{ primary_router.output.primary_id }};
+        $taskId = [int]'{{ primary_router.output.primary_id }}';
         twig set $taskId;
         twig note --text 'Item implementation merged into MG branch via impl PR';
         twig sync;
diff --git a/.conductor/registry/workflows/plan-level.yaml b/.conductor/registry/workflows/plan-level.yaml
index 38a09944..7a91cb73 100644
--- a/.conductor/registry/workflows/plan-level.yaml
+++ b/.conductor/registry/workflows/plan-level.yaml
@@ -665,7 +665,7 @@ agents:
       - "-NoProfile"
       - "-Command"
       - |
-        $count = {{ context.history | select('eq', 'research_dispatch') | list | length }}
+        $count = [int]'{{ context.history | select('eq', 'research_dispatch') | list | length }}'
         $maxLoops = 3
         $capReached = $count -ge $maxLoops
         $hasTopics = '{{ (architect.output.research_needs.topics | default([]) | length > 0) | string | lower }}' -eq 'true'
@@ -784,8 +784,8 @@ agents:
       - "-NoProfile"
       - "-Command"
       - |
-        $count = {{ context.history | select('eq', 'open_questions_gate') | list | length }}
-        $maxLoops = {{ open_questions_policy.output.max_question_loops }}
+        $count = [int]'{{ context.history | select('eq', 'open_questions_gate') | list | length }}'
+        $maxLoops = [int]'{{ open_questions_policy.output.max_question_loops }}'
         $capReached = $count -ge $maxLoops
         @{ iteration = $count; max_loops = $maxLoops; cap_reached = $capReached } | ConvertTo-Json
     routes:
@@ -1494,7 +1494,7 @@ agents:
       - "-Command"
       - |
         $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
-        $prNumber = {{ poll_status.output.pr_number }}
+        $prNumber = [int]'{{ poll_status.output.pr_number }}'
         $headSha  = '{{ poll_status.output.head_sha }}'
         $repoSlug = '{{ poll_status.output.repo_slug }}'
         $body     = "polyphony:approve $headSha"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 1575eb04..637fddf6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -148,6 +148,23 @@ jobs:
           $result = Invoke-Pester -Path .conductor/registry/tests/lint-strict-undefined.Tests.ps1 -Output Detailed -PassThru
           if ($result.FailedCount -gt 0) { exit 1 }
 
+      - name: Lint workflow YAMLs (PowerShell + Jinja bareword booleans)
+        # Catches the AB#3156 Bug 1 class: a `command: pwsh` script body
+        # that assigns a Jinja render unquoted (`$x = {{ … }}`). When
+        # Jinja emits `true` / `false` (Python bool → lowercase string),
+        # PowerShell parses the bareword as a cmdlet name, errors silently,
+        # and leaves `$x = $null` — which downstream Jinja then treats as
+        # `null != false`, routing to the wrong branch (killed an AB#3127
+        # dogfood relaunch). PR #354 fixed plan-level.yaml; this lint stops
+        # the pattern from coming back across every workflow YAML. Required
+        # form: `$x = '{{ … }}' -eq 'true'` (or, for a numeric render,
+        # `[int]'{{ … }}'`). Sequenced after `Install powershell-yaml` so
+        # the YAML parser is available.
+        if: always()
+        shell: pwsh
+        working-directory: polyphony
+        run: pwsh -NoProfile -File tests/lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.ps1 -Format github
+
       - name: Lint workflow YAMLs (Jinja2 resolver)
         # Resolves every `{{ <step>.output.<path> }}` reference in workflow
         # YAMLs against the verb-output schema registry (#173 / PR #184).
diff --git a/tests/lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.Tests.ps1 b/tests/lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.Tests.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7a5f693d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.Tests.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,303 @@
+BeforeAll {
+    $script:LintScript = Join-Path $PSScriptRoot 'lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.ps1'
+
+    function New-TempWorkflowsDir {
+        $dir = Join-Path ([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) `
+            "lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword-$([guid]::NewGuid().ToString('N').Substring(0,8))"
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $dir -Force | Out-Null
+        return $dir
+    }
+
+    function Invoke-Lint {
+        param([string] $WorkflowsDir, [string] $Format = 'human')
+        $output = pwsh -NoProfile -File $script:LintScript `
+            -WorkflowsDir $WorkflowsDir -Format $Format 2>&1
+        return @{ Output = ($output -join "`n"); ExitCode = $global:LASTEXITCODE }
+    }
+}
+
+Describe 'lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.ps1' {
+
+    BeforeEach {
+        $script:WorkflowsDir = New-TempWorkflowsDir
+        $global:LASTEXITCODE = 0
+    }
+
+    AfterEach {
+        Remove-Item $script:WorkflowsDir -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+    }
+
+    Context 'Clean inputs (exit 0)' {
+
+        It 'Passes on an empty workflows directory' {
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+
+        It 'Passes when workflows directory does not exist' {
+            $missing = Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'does-not-exist'
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $missing
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+
+        It 'Passes a single-quoted Jinja render compared to a string (the canonical safe form)' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: ok-quoted-bool
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-NoProfile"
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $hasTopics = '{{ (architect.output.topics | default([]) | length > 0) | string | lower }}' -eq 'true'
+        Write-Host $hasTopics
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'ok.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+
+        It 'Passes a double-quoted Jinja render' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: ok-double-quote
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-NoProfile"
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $name = "{{ architect.output.name }}"
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'ok-double.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+
+        It 'Passes Jinja renders embedded inside an array literal of quoted strings' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: ok-array
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-NoProfile"
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $arr = @('{{ architect.output.a }}', '{{ architect.output.b }}')
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'ok-array.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+
+        It 'Passes the quote-and-cast pattern: $count = [int]''{{ ... }}''' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: ok-int-cast
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-NoProfile"
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $count = [int]'{{ context.history | length }}'
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'ok-int.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+
+        It 'Ignores agents whose command is not pwsh' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: a-twig-step
+    type: script
+    command: twig
+    args:
+      - "set"
+      - "{{ workflow.input.id }}"
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'twig.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context 'Violations (exit 1)' {
+
+        It 'Flags $hasTopics = {{ ... }} (the AB#3156 Bug 1 shape)' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: bad-bool
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-NoProfile"
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $hasTopics = {{ (architect.output.topics | default([]) | length > 0) | string | lower }}
+        Write-Host $hasTopics
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'bad-bool.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 1
+            $r.Output | Should -Match '\$hasTopics'
+            $r.Output | Should -Match 'bad-bool\.yaml'
+        }
+
+        It 'Flags $count = {{ items | length }} (integer bareword)' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: bad-int
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-NoProfile"
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $count = {{ items | length }}
+        Write-Host $count
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'bad-int.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 1
+            $r.Output | Should -Match '\$count'
+        }
+
+        It 'Flags a bareword statement inside a folded (>-) block scalar with semicolons' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: bad-folded
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-NoProfile"
+      - "-Command"
+      - >-
+        $prNumber = {{ poll.output.pr_number }};
+        Write-Host $prNumber
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'bad-folded.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 1
+            $r.Output | Should -Match '\$prNumber'
+        }
+
+        It 'Aggregates violations across multiple agents in the same file' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: bad-a
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $a = {{ x.output.a }}
+  - name: bad-b
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $b = {{ x.output.b }}
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'multi.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 1
+            $r.Output | Should -Match '\$a'
+            $r.Output | Should -Match '\$b'
+        }
+
+        It 'Reports the source line number of the violation' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: bad-line
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $hasTopics = {{ x.output.topics | length > 0 }}
+'@
+            $path = Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'bad-line.yaml'
+            Set-Content -Path $path -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 1
+            # The body line `$hasTopics = …` lives on line 8 of the file
+            # (1-based). Match against the file:line snippet pattern the
+            # human formatter emits.
+            $r.Output | Should -Match 'bad-line\.yaml:8'
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context 'Whitelist marker' {
+
+        It 'Suppresses a violation when # bareword-ok appears on the preceding line' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: ok-whitelisted
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        # bareword-ok: integer used in arithmetic; render is always digits
+        $count = {{ items | length }}
+        Write-Host $count
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'wl.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+
+        It 'Suppresses a violation when # bareword-ok appears on the same line' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: ok-same-line
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $count = {{ items | length }} # bareword-ok: integer literal
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'wl-same.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 0
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context 'GitHub Actions output format' {
+
+        It 'Emits ::error annotations under -Format github' {
+            $body = @'
+agents:
+  - name: gha-bad
+    type: script
+    command: pwsh
+    args:
+      - "-Command"
+      - |
+        $hasTopics = {{ x.output.topics | length > 0 }}
+'@
+            Set-Content -Path (Join-Path $script:WorkflowsDir 'gha.yaml') -Value $body
+            $r = Invoke-Lint -WorkflowsDir $script:WorkflowsDir -Format 'github'
+            $r.ExitCode | Should -Be 1
+            $r.Output | Should -Match '::error file=\.conductor/registry/workflows/gha\.yaml,line=\d+::'
+            $r.Output | Should -Match '\$hasTopics'
+        }
+    }
+
+    Context 'Live tree' {
+
+        It 'The real .conductor/registry/workflows/ tree passes the lint' {
+            # Defense: this test is the gate that catches a real workflow
+            # introducing the bareword pattern. If it ever fails, fix the
+            # workflow — do not loosen the lint.
+            $r = pwsh -NoProfile -File $script:LintScript 2>&1
+            $global:LASTEXITCODE | Should -Be 0
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.ps1 b/tests/lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.ps1
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d9262b8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.ps1
@@ -0,0 +1,240 @@
+<#
+.SYNOPSIS
+    CI lint — bans the bareword Jinja boolean trap in `command: pwsh` script
+    bodies inside conductor workflow YAMLs.
+
+.DESCRIPTION
+    Rooted in AB#3156 Bug 1 (PR #354 / commit e48a31d). A pwsh script in
+    plan-level.yaml had:
+
+        $hasTopics = {{ (architect.output.research_needs.topics
+                         | default([]) | length > 0) | string | lower }}
+
+    Jinja renders `true` / `false` (Python bool → lowercase string). PowerShell
+    parses bareword `true` as a cmdlet name, finds nothing, errors silently —
+    `$hasTopics` ends up `$null`. Serialized to JSON as `null`; downstream
+    Jinja then evaluates `null != false` and routes to the wrong branch.
+    Killed an AB#3127 dogfood relaunch.
+
+    The fix is to quote the rendered token and string-compare it:
+
+        $hasTopics = '{{ (...) | string | lower }}' -eq 'true'
+
+    The result is `[bool]` regardless of what Jinja emits. Same pattern works
+    for any value (string, int, bool) where the safe form is to wrap the
+    Jinja render in a string literal: `'{{ ... }}'`, `"{{ ... }}"`, or
+    `@('{{ a }}', '{{ b }}')`.
+
+    This lint scans every `.conductor/registry/workflows/*.yaml`. For every
+    `command: pwsh` agent it walks the `args:` list, splits each string arg
+    into lines, and flags any line containing:
+
+        $<var> = {{ ... }}                      # bareword Jinja render
+
+    The intentional "bareword Jinja render" case (e.g. an integer rendered
+    directly into an arithmetic expression) can be opted out via a comment
+    marker on the same or preceding line:
+
+        # bareword-ok: integer render — pr_number is always int
+        $prNumber = {{ poll_status.output.pr_number }}
+
+    Use sparingly — defense-in-depth says cast and let the cast fail loudly
+    instead.
+
+.PARAMETER WorkflowsDir
+    Directory of workflow YAMLs to scan. Defaults to
+    `<repo>/.conductor/registry/workflows`.
+
+.PARAMETER Format
+    Output format: `human` (default) or `github` (Actions annotations).
+
+    Exits 0 if clean, 1 if any violations are found, 2 on configuration error.
+#>
+[CmdletBinding()]
+param(
+    [string] $WorkflowsDir,
+    [ValidateSet('human', 'github')]
+    [string] $Format = 'human'
+)
+
+$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
+
+$repoRoot = (Resolve-Path (Join-Path $PSScriptRoot '..')).Path
+
+if (-not $WorkflowsDir) {
+    $WorkflowsDir = Join-Path $repoRoot '.conductor/registry/workflows'
+}
+
+if (-not (Test-Path $WorkflowsDir)) {
+    Write-Host "SKIP: workflows dir not found: $WorkflowsDir" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    exit 0
+}
+
+# ── Module dependency ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if (-not (Get-Module -ListAvailable -Name powershell-yaml)) {
+    Write-Host "FATAL: the powershell-yaml module is required by lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword.ps1." -ForegroundColor Red
+    Write-Host "Install with: Install-Module -Name powershell-yaml -Force -SkipPublisherCheck -Scope CurrentUser" -ForegroundColor Cyan
+    exit 2
+}
+Import-Module powershell-yaml -ErrorAction Stop
+
+# ── Detection regex ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Match `$<var> = {{ ... }}` where the `{{` is NOT preceded by a quote
+# character. The negative form is always `=\s*\{\{`; the safe form has
+# `=\s*['"]\{\{` (or any other non-whitespace char between `=` and `{{`),
+# which `\s*\{\{` cannot match.
+$BarewordPattern = '\$\w+\s*=\s*\{\{[^}]+\}\}'
+$WhitelistPattern = '#\s*bareword-ok\s*:'
+
+# ── Helpers ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+function Split-IntoLines {
+    <#
+        Split a script body into lines, normalizing CRLF. Each returned
+        element is one logical script line as the YAML literal-block scalar
+        preserved it. We do NOT split on `;` — the whitelist marker check
+        must be able to look at the previous *line*, and a `;` inside a
+        comment must not start a new "statement" for whitelist purposes.
+        Multiple violations on the same line are still found because the
+        regex scan uses [regex]::Matches per line.
+
+        Always returns an array (the leading `,` defeats PowerShell's
+        single-element unwrap, which would otherwise turn the result into a
+        bare string and make `$lines.Count` report the string length).
+    #>
+    param([string] $Body)
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrEmpty($Body)) { return ,@() }
+    $arr = ($Body -replace "`r`n", "`n") -split "`n"
+    return ,$arr
+}
+
+function Find-FileLine {
+    <#
+        Search a file's raw line array for the first line (at or after
+        $StartIndex) whose trimmed text contains the trimmed needle.
+        Returns the 1-based line number, or 0 if not found. Used to map
+        a violation back to its source line in the YAML file.
+    #>
+    param(
+        [string[]] $Lines,
+        [int] $StartIndex,
+        [string] $Needle
+    )
+    $needleTrim = $Needle.Trim()
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrEmpty($needleTrim)) { return 0 }
+    for ($i = $StartIndex; $i -lt $Lines.Count; $i++) {
+        if ($Lines[$i].Trim().Contains($needleTrim)) {
+            return $i + 1
+        }
+    }
+    return 0
+}
+
+function Find-AgentLine {
+    param([string[]] $Lines, [string] $AgentName)
+    $escaped = [regex]::Escape($AgentName)
+    for ($i = 0; $i -lt $Lines.Count; $i++) {
+        if ($Lines[$i] -match "^\s*-\s+name:\s+$escaped\s*$") {
+            return $i
+        }
+    }
+    return 0
+}
+
+# ── Main scan ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+$yamlFiles = @(Get-ChildItem -Path $WorkflowsDir -Filter '*.yaml' -File)
+$violations = @()
+
+foreach ($file in $yamlFiles) {
+    $rawText = Get-Content -LiteralPath $file.FullName -Raw
+    $rawLines = @(Get-Content -LiteralPath $file.FullName)
+
+    try {
+        $yaml = ConvertFrom-Yaml $rawText
+    } catch {
+        Write-Host "FATAL: failed to parse $($file.Name) as YAML: $($_.Exception.Message)" -ForegroundColor Red
+        exit 2
+    }
+
+    if ($null -eq $yaml -or -not $yaml.ContainsKey('agents')) { continue }
+
+    foreach ($agent in $yaml['agents']) {
+        if ($null -eq $agent) { continue }
+        if (-not $agent.ContainsKey('command')) { continue }
+        if ([string]$agent['command'] -ne 'pwsh') { continue }
+        if (-not $agent.ContainsKey('args')) { continue }
+
+        $agentName = if ($agent.ContainsKey('name')) { [string]$agent['name'] } else { '<unnamed>' }
+        $agentLineIdx = Find-AgentLine -Lines $rawLines -AgentName $agentName
+
+        foreach ($arg in $agent['args']) {
+            if ($null -eq $arg) { continue }
+            if ($arg -isnot [string]) { continue }
+
+            # Tracks the raw-arg lines so we can spot a `# bareword-ok:`
+            # marker on the immediately preceding line.
+            $lines = Split-IntoLines -Body $arg
+            for ($k = 0; $k -lt $lines.Count; $k++) {
+                $line = $lines[$k]
+                if ($line -match $WhitelistPattern) { continue }
+                if ($k -gt 0 -and $lines[$k - 1] -match $WhitelistPattern) { continue }
+
+                $matchList = [regex]::Matches($line, $BarewordPattern)
+                foreach ($m in $matchList) {
+                    # `=\s*\{\{` matches both `= {{` (unsafe) and we need to
+                    # confirm the char before `{{` (after the `=`) is whitespace,
+                    # not a quote — defensive check in case the [^}]+ inside
+                    # absorbed something weird.
+                    $matchText = $m.Value
+                    $bracesIdx = $matchText.IndexOf('{{')
+                    if ($bracesIdx -gt 0) {
+                        $charBefore = $matchText[$bracesIdx - 1]
+                        if ($charBefore -eq "'" -or $charBefore -eq '"') { continue }
+                    }
+
+                    $fileLine = Find-FileLine -Lines $rawLines -StartIndex $agentLineIdx -Needle $matchText
+                    $violations += [PSCustomObject]@{
+                        File      = $file.Name
+                        Line      = $fileLine
+                        Agent     = $agentName
+                        Snippet   = $matchText.Trim()
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+# ── Report ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+if ($violations.Count -eq 0) {
+    Write-Host "[OK] lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword passed ($($yamlFiles.Count) workflow(s) scanned)" -ForegroundColor Green
+    exit 0
+}
+
+$message = "PowerShell bareword Jinja render — Jinja bool/string `true`/`false` parses as a cmdlet name and silently nulls the variable. Wrap in quotes and string-compare: " + "``" + "`$x = '{{ ... }}' -eq 'true'" + "``" + " (or for non-bool: " + "``" + "`$x = '{{ ... }}'" + "``" + " / " + "``" + "[int]'{{ ... }}'" + "``" + "). See AB#3156 / PR #354."
+
+if ($Format -eq 'github') {
+    foreach ($v in $violations) {
+        $msg = "lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword [$($v.Agent)] $($v.Snippet) — $message"
+        # GitHub annotations are single-line.
+        $msg = $msg -replace "`r?`n", ' '
+        $relPath = ".conductor/registry/workflows/$($v.File)"
+        if ($v.Line -gt 0) {
+            Write-Output "::error file=$relPath,line=$($v.Line)::$msg"
+        } else {
+            Write-Output "::error file=$relPath::$msg"
+        }
+    }
+} else {
+    Write-Host "`n[FAIL] lint-pwsh-jinja-bareword failed ($($violations.Count) violation(s)):`n" -ForegroundColor Red
+    foreach ($v in $violations) {
+        $loc = if ($v.Line -gt 0) { "$($v.File):$($v.Line)" } else { "$($v.File):?" }
+        Write-Host "  $loc  [agent: $($v.Agent)]" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host "    $($v.Snippet)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+    }
+    Write-Host "`nFix: $message" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    Write-Host "Or, for an intentional bareword render (rare — e.g. integer in arithmetic), add" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    Write-Host "  # bareword-ok: <reason>" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    Write-Host "on the line above the assignment.`n" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+}
+
+exit 1