diff --git a/src/__tests__/acting-account-boundary-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/acting-account-boundary-guard.test.ts
index 5a3dc2bef..ec8ebafb7 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/acting-account-boundary-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/acting-account-boundary-guard.test.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 
@@ -176,7 +180,7 @@ describe("the cookie-only helpers cannot see the acting account", () => {
   const COOKIE_ONLY = ["requireAdmin", "requireCookieAuth", "requireFreshMfa"];
 
   it.each(COOKIE_ONLY)("%s resolves the actor and nothing else", (name) => {
-    const body = functionBody(read("lib/api-handler.ts"), name);
+    const body = functionBody(readSource("src/lib/api-handler.ts", name), name);
 
     // Non-zero proof, twice over: the slice found a function, and the slice is
     // the function it claims to be. A renamed helper must fail here rather
@@ -190,7 +194,7 @@ describe("the cookie-only helpers cannot see the acting account", () => {
   });
 
   it("substitutes a data-scope user in exactly two functions", () => {
-    const src = read("lib/api-handler.ts");
+    const src = readSource("src/lib/api-handler.ts", "requireRecordAuth");
     const record = functionBody(src, "requireRecordAuth");
     expect(record).toContain("readActingCarrier");
 
@@ -291,7 +295,7 @@ describe("ending a grant and clearing the switch are one act", () => {
 
   it("runs the transition and the cleanup in one transaction", () => {
     const body = privateFunctionBody(
-      read("lib/sharing/grants.ts"),
+      readSource("src/lib/sharing/grants.ts", "endAndClear"),
       "endAndClear",
     );
     // Non-zero proof: a renamed helper fails here rather than asserting
@@ -308,7 +312,7 @@ describe("ending a grant and clearing the switch are one act", () => {
     // claim's own transaction (it takes `tx`), so the guard here is that the
     // cleanup is part of the same function as the ending.
     const body = functionBody(
-      read("lib/sharing/grants.ts"),
+      readSource("src/lib/sharing/grants.ts", "settleHandoverGuardianGrant"),
       "settleHandoverGuardianGrant",
     );
     expect(body.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
diff --git a/src/__tests__/bearer-scope-enforcement-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/bearer-scope-enforcement-guard.test.ts
index 21ab2d10a..8f38b2dc1 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/bearer-scope-enforcement-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/bearer-scope-enforcement-guard.test.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,11 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 
@@ -276,7 +280,10 @@ describe("T1 — the Bearer resolution set is frozen", () => {
   });
 
   it("the resolver exposes exactly one authorisation arm", () => {
-    const src = read("lib/auth/bearer.ts");
+    const src = readSource(
+      "src/lib/auth/bearer.ts",
+      'permissions.includes("*")',
+    );
     // One wildcard escape hatch, guarding one deny block. If a second
     // `permissions.includes("*")` short-circuit appears, the arm has forked.
     const wildcardChecks = src.match(/permissions\.includes\("\*"\)/g) ?? [];
@@ -375,7 +382,10 @@ describe("T3 — the mint sites are frozen", () => {
     // does not contradict this: what was retired is a mint at THIS path that
     // named no scope and answered for the whole API. A child path minting one
     // named scope, listed in `MINT_SITES` above, is the shape that replaced it.
-    const tokensRoute = read("app/api/tokens/route.ts");
+    const tokensRoute = readSource(
+      "src/app/api/tokens/route.ts",
+      "export const GET",
+    );
     expect(tokensRoute).not.toMatch(/export const POST/);
     expect(tokensRoute).toMatch(/export const GET/);
   });
@@ -442,12 +452,18 @@ describe("T4b — `documents:write` opens exactly two doors", () => {
     ]);
     // Within the upload file, once: the GET list beside the POST must not
     // name it.
-    const upload = read("app/api/documents/inbound/route.ts");
+    const upload = readSource(
+      "src/app/api/documents/inbound/route.ts",
+      "DOCUMENTS_WRITE_SCOPE",
+    );
     expect(
       requireAuthScopes(upload).filter((x) => x === "DOCUMENTS_WRITE_SCOPE"),
     ).toHaveLength(1);
     // And the lookup is a read of one key and nothing else: a single GET.
-    const lookup = read("app/api/documents/inbound/source/route.ts");
+    const lookup = readSource(
+      "src/app/api/documents/inbound/source/route.ts",
+      "export const GET",
+    );
     expect(
       [...lookup.matchAll(/export const (GET|POST|PUT|PATCH|DELETE)\b/g)].map(
         (m) => m[1],
@@ -469,7 +485,10 @@ describe("T4c — `workouts:write` opens exactly one door", () => {
       );
     });
     expect(declaring).toEqual(["app/api/workouts/batch/route.ts"]);
-    const batch = read("app/api/workouts/batch/route.ts");
+    const batch = readSource(
+      "src/app/api/workouts/batch/route.ts",
+      "WORKOUTS_WRITE_SCOPE",
+    );
     expect(
       requireAuthScopes(batch).filter((x) => x === "WORKOUTS_WRITE_SCOPE"),
     ).toHaveLength(1);
@@ -524,7 +543,7 @@ describe("T5 — a delegable route naming a Bearer scope is frozen", () => {
     // it and every other leg in this file stays green while a single-purpose
     // token gains delegated write — so the refusal is asserted where it lives,
     // not only through the behaviour that depends on it.
-    const src = read("lib/api-handler.ts");
+    const src = readSource("src/lib/api-handler.ts", "narrow_scope_selector");
     expect(src).toMatch(/narrow_scope_selector/);
     expect(src).toMatch(/isScopedCredential\(auth\)/);
   });
diff --git a/src/__tests__/correlation-single-implementation-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/correlation-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
index c796e97d6..6a6b1d808 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/correlation-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/correlation-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import {
+  readSource,
   readSourceText,
   stripComments,
   walkSourceFiles,
@@ -59,8 +60,14 @@ describe("one Pearson correlation", () => {
   });
 
   it("both homes still hold their function", () => {
-    const engine = readSourceText(join(SRC, "lib/insights/correlations.ts"));
-    const wrapper = readSourceText(join(SRC, "lib/analytics/correlations.ts"));
+    const engine = readSource(
+      "src/lib/insights/correlations.ts",
+      "export function pearson",
+    );
+    const wrapper = readSource(
+      "src/lib/analytics/correlations.ts",
+      "export function significantPearsonCorrelation",
+    );
     expect(engine).toMatch(/export function pearson\s*\(/);
     expect(wrapper).toMatch(
       /export function significantPearsonCorrelation\s*\(/,
diff --git a/src/__tests__/cycle-verdict-single-decider-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/cycle-verdict-single-decider-guard.test.ts
index 48a19d200..fe0d9101e 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/cycle-verdict-single-decider-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/cycle-verdict-single-decider-guard.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ import {
   mayBeCycleContext,
   parse,
 } from "./helpers/cycle-verdict-derivation";
-import { readSourceText } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import { readSource, readSourceText } from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const ROOT = process.cwd();
 
@@ -110,19 +110,21 @@ describe("the surfaces that show the verdict actually read it", () => {
     // The BBT chart used to walk the calendar itself to find the cycle start,
     // which was a second copy of the same walk. It now takes the resolved
     // value as a prop, and the cycle page feeds it from the verdict.
-    const chart = readSourceText(
-      join(ROOT, "src/components/cycle/bbt-chart.tsx"),
+    const chart = readSource(
+      "src/components/cycle/bbt-chart.tsx",
+      "cycleStartDate",
     );
     expect(chart).toContain("cycleStartDate");
 
-    const paths = accessPaths(parseFile("src/components/cycle/cycle-view.tsx"));
+    const view = "src/components/cycle/cycle-view.tsx";
+    const paths = accessPaths(parse(view, readSource(view, "verdict")));
     expect([...paths]).toContain("verdict.cycleStartDate");
   });
 
   it("the calendar response type declares the verdict as always present", () => {
     // An optional verdict is a plausible default that lets a client fall back
     // to deriving its own.
-    const types = readSourceText(join(ROOT, "src/components/cycle/types.ts"));
+    const types = readSource("src/components/cycle/types.ts", "CycleVerdict");
     expect(types).toContain("verdict: CycleVerdict;");
     expect(types).not.toContain("verdict?:");
   });
diff --git a/src/__tests__/external-id-stability-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/external-id-stability-guard.test.ts
index 09b03fc17..3d3d27425 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/external-id-stability-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/external-id-stability-guard.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,11 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 const VALIDATOR_MODULE = "@/lib/validations/external-id";
@@ -280,9 +284,9 @@ describe("identities derived outside a Zod schema stay inside the floor", () =>
     const b = body("lib/import/csv-measurements.ts");
     expect(b).toContain("isStableExternalId");
     expect(b).toContain('skip("unstable_external_id")');
-    expect(read("lib/import/csv-measurements.ts")).toContain(
-      '| "unstable_external_id"',
-    );
+    expect(
+      readSource("src/lib/import/csv-measurements.ts", "unstable_external_id"),
+    ).toContain('| "unstable_external_id"');
   });
 
   it("the MCP write path checks the key BEFORE it is hashed into an identity", () => {
diff --git a/src/__tests__/linear-fit-single-implementation-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/linear-fit-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
index ca5b7888a..2f149383e 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/linear-fit-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/linear-fit-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 
@@ -65,7 +69,12 @@ describe("one least-squares line", () => {
     // The implementation itself matches, so the sweep read real files.
     expect(
       HAND_ROLLED_SLOPE.test(
-        stripComments(readSourceText(join(SRC, "lib/stats/linear-fit.ts"))),
+        stripComments(
+          readSource(
+            "src/lib/stats/linear-fit.ts",
+            "export function linearFit",
+          ),
+        ),
       ),
     ).toBe(true);
   });
diff --git a/src/__tests__/memory-block-egress-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/memory-block-egress-guard.test.ts
index 7c0fa8bd7..22ae40339 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/memory-block-egress-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/memory-block-egress-guard.test.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,11 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 const MEMORY = "lib/ai/coach/memory";
@@ -59,18 +63,21 @@ function checksBeforeRead(body: string, check: RegExp): boolean {
 
 describe("memory block egress guard", () => {
   const block = functionBody(
-    read(`${MEMORY}/context-block.ts`),
+    readSource(`src/${MEMORY}/context-block.ts`, "buildMemoryContextBlock"),
     "buildMemoryContextBlock",
   );
   const lines = functionBody(
-    read(`${MEMORY}/plan-progress.ts`),
+    readSource(`src/${MEMORY}/plan-progress.ts`, "buildPlanProgressLines"),
     "buildPlanProgressLines",
   );
 
   it("the memory block checks egress before it reads anything", () => {
     expect(block.length).toBeGreaterThan(200);
     expect(checksBeforeRead(block, /egressAllowed\(/)).toBe(true);
-    const helper = read(`${MEMORY}/context-block.ts`);
+    const helper = readSource(
+      `src/${MEMORY}/context-block.ts`,
+      "aiEgressRefusal",
+    );
     expect(helper).toMatch(/aiEgressRefusal\(\s*"coach"/);
     expect(helper).toMatch(/aiCapabilityForRecord\(args\.userId, "coach"\)/);
     // Broken on purpose: the check moved below the reads.
diff --git a/src/__tests__/recent-proof-surface-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/recent-proof-surface-guard.test.ts
index 9e1838b78..4b0acd796 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/recent-proof-surface-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/recent-proof-surface-guard.test.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 
@@ -181,7 +185,10 @@ describe("the recent-proof gate", () => {
   });
 
   it("the gate reads the session's own stamps, and only a second factor on an enrolled account", () => {
-    const src = read("lib/api-handler.ts");
+    const src = readSource(
+      "src/lib/api-handler.ts",
+      "export async function assertRecentCookieProof(",
+    );
     const start = src.indexOf("export async function assertRecentCookieProof(");
     expect(start).toBeGreaterThan(-1);
     const body = src.slice(start, src.indexOf("\nexport ", start + 1));
diff --git a/src/__tests__/record-session-fence-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/record-session-fence-guard.test.ts
index e6cacd6a0..eed7928bc 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/record-session-fence-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/record-session-fence-guard.test.ts
@@ -41,7 +41,11 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 
@@ -80,7 +84,10 @@ function functionBody(src: string, name: string): string {
   return "";
 }
 
-const API_HANDLER = read("lib/api-handler.ts");
+const API_HANDLER = readSource("src/lib/api-handler.ts", [
+  "requireRecordAuth",
+  "requireGuardianAuth",
+]);
 
 /** The two helpers that resolve a record and therefore must consult the fence. */
 const FENCED_RESOLVERS = ["requireRecordAuth", "requireGuardianAuth"] as const;
@@ -180,8 +187,11 @@ describe("the fence runs in exactly two auth helpers", () => {
     // client's context is unknown; the switch endpoint is the way out of a
     // context that cannot be proved. Fencing either would make an unprovable
     // context unrecoverable.
-    const me = read("app/api/auth/me/route.ts");
-    const sw = read("app/api/account/switch/route.ts");
+    const me = readSource("src/app/api/auth/me/route.ts", "requireActorAuth");
+    const sw = readSource(
+      "src/app/api/account/switch/route.ts",
+      "requireActorAuth",
+    );
     expect(me).toContain("requireActorAuth");
     expect(sw).toContain("requireActorAuth");
     expect(me).not.toContain("assertRecordSessionFence");
@@ -228,7 +238,10 @@ describe("the epoch has one writer and a closed reader set", () => {
   });
 
   it("is consulted by the idempotency wrapper, above the cache", () => {
-    const src = read("lib/idempotency.ts");
+    const src = readSource(
+      "src/lib/idempotency.ts",
+      "refuseStaleRecordSessionClaim(claim)",
+    );
     const fence = src.indexOf("refuseStaleRecordSessionClaim(claim)");
     const cache = src.indexOf("findCached(ctx)");
     const claimRow = src.indexOf("claimKey(ctx)");
diff --git a/src/__tests__/spread-single-implementation-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/spread-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
index 815f3cb9c..434e49f7d 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/spread-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/spread-single-implementation-guard.test.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 
 import {
+  readSource,
   readSourceText,
   stripComments,
   walkSourceFiles,
@@ -87,10 +88,17 @@ describe("one standard deviation", () => {
   });
 
   it("the series API and the AI and MCP payload report the same spread", () => {
-    expect(read("app/api/measurements/series/route.ts")).toMatch(
-      /standardDeviation\(\s*values,\s*READING_SPREAD\s*\)/,
+    expect(
+      stripComments(
+        readSource(
+          "src/app/api/measurements/series/route.ts",
+          "READING_SPREAD",
+        ),
+      ),
+    ).toMatch(/standardDeviation\(\s*values,\s*READING_SPREAD\s*\)/);
+    const features = stripComments(
+      readSource("src/lib/insights/features.ts", "READING_SPREAD"),
     );
-    const features = read("lib/insights/features.ts");
     expect(
       features.match(/roundedSpread\(\s*vals,\s*READING_SPREAD\s*\)/g),
     ).toHaveLength(2);
diff --git a/src/__tests__/sql-now-utc-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/sql-now-utc-guard.test.ts
index 096f85055..ce1f2e423 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/sql-now-utc-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/sql-now-utc-guard.test.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 import { readdirSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join, relative } from "node:path";
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
-import { readSourceText } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import { readSource, readSourceText } from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const ROOT = join(__dirname, "..", "..");
 const SRC = join(ROOT, "src");
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ function bareReads(): string[] {
 describe("raw SQL clock reads are anchored to UTC", () => {
   it("finds the anchored form across the swept files", () => {
     // The matcher must see something, or a broken walk would pass.
-    const passkey = readSourceText(join(SRC, "lib/auth/passkey.ts"));
+    const passkey = readSource("src/lib/auth/passkey.ts", ANCHORED);
     expect(passkey.match(ANCHORED)?.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3);
     expect(SQL_CLOCK.test("AND expires_at > NOW()")).toBe(true);
     expect(SQL_CLOCK.test("updated_at = now()")).toBe(true);
diff --git a/src/__tests__/step-up-elevation-guard.test.ts b/src/__tests__/step-up-elevation-guard.test.ts
index e295dba3b..250f9bb83 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/step-up-elevation-guard.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/step-up-elevation-guard.test.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,11 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
-import { readSourceText, walkSourceFiles } from "./helpers/source-files";
+import {
+  readSource,
+  readSourceText,
+  walkSourceFiles,
+} from "./helpers/source-files";
 
 const SRC = join(process.cwd(), "src");
 
@@ -256,7 +260,10 @@ describe("S6 — the erasure routes accept a fresh-factor elevation", () => {
     // A password-proved elevation must not erase an account, and the gate
     // must not grow a second, inline factor check beside the elevation: one
     // mint surface, one redemption path.
-    const src = read("lib/api-handler.ts");
+    const src = readSource(
+      "src/lib/api-handler.ts",
+      "export async function requireFreshMfaOrElevationIfEnrolled(",
+    );
     const start = src.indexOf(
       "export async function requireFreshMfaOrElevationIfEnrolled(",
     );
@@ -307,7 +314,10 @@ describe("S2 — mint and redeem happen in exactly one place each", () => {
 
 describe("S3 — requireAdmin stays cookie-only", () => {
   it("resolves through getSession and nothing else", () => {
-    const src = read("lib/api-handler.ts");
+    const src = readSource("src/lib/api-handler.ts", [
+      "export async function requireAdmin(",
+      "export async function requireCookieAuth(",
+    ]);
     const body = src.slice(
       src.indexOf("export async function requireAdmin("),
       src.indexOf("export async function requireCookieAuth("),
@@ -335,7 +345,10 @@ describe("S4 — the mint surface refuses a cookie", () => {
   });
 
   it("requireBearerAuth never consults the session cookie", () => {
-    const src = read("lib/api-handler.ts");
+    const src = readSource("src/lib/api-handler.ts", [
+      "export async function requireBearerAuth(",
+      "export const STEP_UP_ELEVATION_HEADER",
+    ]);
     const body = src.slice(
       src.indexOf("export async function requireBearerAuth("),
       src.indexOf("export const STEP_UP_ELEVATION_HEADER"),
@@ -372,7 +385,10 @@ describe("S5 — a password proof cannot satisfy a fresh-factor gate", () => {
   });
 
   it("the claim re-checks the factor rather than trusting the validation", () => {
-    const src = read("lib/auth/step-up.ts");
+    const src = readSource(
+      "src/lib/auth/step-up.ts",
+      "export async function claimStepUpElevation(",
+    );
     const claim = src.slice(
       src.indexOf("export async function claimStepUpElevation("),
     );
diff --git a/src/__tests__/test-realism-ratchet.test.ts b/src/__tests__/test-realism-ratchet.test.ts
index e35e78a9c..9fbd4c0dc 100644
--- a/src/__tests__/test-realism-ratchet.test.ts
+++ b/src/__tests__/test-realism-ratchet.test.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@
  *     assertion then passes for the wrong reason. New ones go through
  *     `readSource(path, anchors)` or `readSourceFolder(dir, { floor })` in
  *     `helpers/source-files.ts`, which this count does not include.
+ *     `readSourceText` is the unanchored reader the sweeps use; called with a
+ *     fixed source path, directly or through a local wrapper that is, it is
+ *     the same read without the anchors, and it counts.
  *
  * A new offender fails; one that disappears (or loses casts) fails until
  * the lower number is written back with
@@ -29,7 +32,10 @@
  * the Prisma client entry itself, or a spy on every delegate, is not a
  * pattern in use and is not matched. The source-read check is a text
  * heuristic: a file that calls `readFileSync`/`readFile` and names a source
- * path (a literal ending in `.ts`, `.tsx`, `.js` or `.mjs`).
+ * path (a literal ending in `.ts`, `.tsx`, `.js` or `.mjs`), or that calls
+ * `readSourceText` with such a literal, or calls a local one-parameter wrapper
+ * of `readSourceText` with one. A wrapper fed from a list of paths is not
+ * matched.
  */
 import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
 import ts from "typescript";
@@ -45,6 +51,26 @@ const DB_MOCK =
 const HANDLER_STUB = /vi\.(?:do)?[mM]ock\(\s*["'`]@\/lib\/api-handler["'`]/;
 const READS_FILE = /\b(?:readFileSync|readFile)\s*\(/;
 const SOURCE_PATH = /["'`][^"'`\n]*\.(?:tsx?|mjs|js)["'`]/;
+/** `readSourceText(...)` whose argument names a source path literal. */
+const READ_SOURCE_TEXT_FIXED = new RegExp(
+  String.raw`\breadSourceText\(\s*(?:join\([^)]*?)?` + SOURCE_PATH.source,
+);
+/** A local wrapper whose one parameter becomes the `readSourceText` path. */
+const READ_SOURCE_TEXT_WRAPPER =
+  /(?:function\s+(\w+)|(?:const|let)\s+(\w+)\s*=\s*(?:async\s*)?)\s*\(\s*(\w+)\s*(?::\s*string)?[^)]*\)[^{=]*(?:=>|\{)[\s\S]{0,160}?readSourceText\(\s*(?:join\([^)]*?\b\3\b|\3\b)/g;
+
+/** Whether a test reads a fixed source path through `readSourceText`. */
+function readsSourceTextByPath(text: string): boolean {
+  if (!text.includes("readSourceText")) return false;
+  if (READ_SOURCE_TEXT_FIXED.test(text)) return true;
+  for (const m of text.matchAll(READ_SOURCE_TEXT_WRAPPER)) {
+    const name = m[1] ?? m[2];
+    if (new RegExp(`\\b${name}\\(\\s*` + SOURCE_PATH.source).test(text)) {
+      return true;
+    }
+  }
+  return false;
+}
 
 function asNeverCount(rel: string, text: string): number {
   if (!text.includes("as never")) return 0;
@@ -68,7 +94,9 @@ function classifyTest(rel: string, text: string) {
     dbMock: routeTest && DB_MOCK.test(text),
     handlerStub: routeTest && HANDLER_STUB.test(text),
     asNever: asNeverCount(rel, text),
-    sourceRead: READS_FILE.test(text) && SOURCE_PATH.test(text),
+    sourceRead:
+      (READS_FILE.test(text) && SOURCE_PATH.test(text)) ||
+      readsSourceTextByPath(text),
   };
 }
 
@@ -143,6 +171,8 @@ describe("test realism ratchet", () => {
 });
 
 const READ_CALL = ["read", "File", "Sync"].join("");
+// Split for the same reason: this file must not match its own pattern.
+const READ_TEXT = ["read", "Source", "Text"].join("");
 
 describe("the classifier", () => {
   it("sees the shapes it counts", () => {
@@ -182,6 +212,32 @@ describe("the classifier", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("counts a fixed path read through the unanchored reader", () => {
+    const direct = `const src = ${READ_TEXT}(join(SRC, "lib/x.ts"));`;
+    const wrapped = [
+      `function read(rel: string): string {`,
+      `  return ${READ_TEXT}(join(SRC, rel));`,
+      `}`,
+      `const src = read("lib/api-handler.ts");`,
+    ].join("\n");
+    expect(classifyTest("__tests__/a.test.ts", direct).sourceRead).toBe(true);
+    expect(classifyTest("__tests__/a.test.ts", wrapped).sourceRead).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("leaves an anchored read and a sweep through the reader alone", () => {
+    const anchored = 'const src = readSource("src/lib/x.ts", "anchor");';
+    const sweep = [
+      `function read(rel: string): string {`,
+      `  return ${READ_TEXT}(join(SRC, rel));`,
+      `}`,
+      `for (const rel of walkSourceFiles(SRC, { floor: 10 })) read(rel);`,
+    ].join("\n");
+    expect(classifyTest("__tests__/a.test.ts", anchored).sourceRead).toBe(
+      false,
+    );
+    expect(classifyTest("__tests__/a.test.ts", sweep).sourceRead).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   it("counts a relative database mock and only under app/api", () => {
     expect(
       classifyTest(