diff --git a/.github/workflows/changeset-check.yml b/.github/workflows/changeset-check.yml
index 4100637f..5687a0c5 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/changeset-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/changeset-check.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ name: changeset-check
 #      cases the allowlist doesn't anticipate).
 #   3. All changed files are in the path allowlist → skip.
 #   4. Otherwise: require at least one added .changeset/<name>.md file.
+#
+# Layer 3 is decided before Changesets runs, because `changeset status`
+# reports "packages have been changed but no changesets were found" for
+# any diff inside a package — a docs-only PR included. Validating the
+# queue first therefore failed exactly the PRs the allowlist exempts.
 
 on:
   pull_request:
@@ -71,29 +76,8 @@ jobs:
       - name: Validate package and lockfile metadata
         run: node --test web/release-metadata.test.mjs
 
-      # Presence alone is not enough: a Changeset can reference a package that
-      # no longer exists after a rename. Validate the complete pending queue
-      # with Changesets itself so an invalid entry fails on the PR instead of
-      # breaking every release run after it reaches master.
-      - name: Setup Node for Changesets validation
-        if: steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true' && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        uses: actions/setup-node@v7
-        with:
-          node-version: '22'
-          cache: npm
-          cache-dependency-path: package-lock.json
-
-      - name: Install Changesets dependencies
-        if: steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true' && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        run: npm ci --prefer-offline --no-audit --no-fund
-
-      - name: Validate pending Changesets
-        if: steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true' && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        # pull_request workflows run on a detached merge ref. Compare against
-        # the fetched remote base because no local `master` branch exists.
-        run: npx changeset status --since="origin/${{ github.base_ref }}"
-
       - name: Verify changeset present (or PR is allowlisted)
+        id: gate
         if: steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true' && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'
         env:
           BASE_SHA: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}
@@ -104,7 +88,26 @@ jobs:
           git fetch --no-tags origin "${BASE_SHA}" "${HEAD_SHA}"
 
           CHANGED="$(git diff --name-only "${BASE_SHA}"..."${HEAD_SHA}")"
+
+          # Accept any added or modified changeset file. Exclude
+          # deletions (--diff-filter=d) so a PR that *deletes* a
+          # changeset can't satisfy the rule. Exclude the README +
+          # config files which are infrastructure, not real entries.
+          # Computed up front: the verdict below and the Changesets
+          # validation that follows need the same answer.
+          CHANGESETS="$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d "${BASE_SHA}"..."${HEAD_SHA}" \
+              | grep -E '^\.changeset/[^/]+\.md$' \
+              | grep -vE '^\.changeset/(README)\.md$' \
+              || true)"
+
+          if [ -n "${CHANGESETS}" ]; then
+            echo "has_changesets=true" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+          else
+            echo "has_changesets=false" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+          fi
+
           if [ -z "${CHANGED}" ]; then
+            echo "exempt=true" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
             echo "No file changes — passing."
             exit 0
           fi
@@ -131,6 +134,7 @@ jobs:
               || true)"
 
           if [ -z "${REQUIRES_CHANGESET}" ]; then
+            echo "exempt=true" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
             echo "✓ PR changes only docs / repo config / CI tooling (allowlist) — changeset not required."
             echo ""
             echo "Files in this PR:"
@@ -138,14 +142,7 @@ jobs:
             exit 0
           fi
 
-          # Accept any added or modified changeset file. Exclude
-          # deletions (--diff-filter=d) so a PR that *deletes* a
-          # changeset can't satisfy the rule. Exclude the README +
-          # config files which are infrastructure, not real entries.
-          CHANGESETS="$(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=d "${BASE_SHA}"..."${HEAD_SHA}" \
-              | grep -E '^\.changeset/[^/]+\.md$' \
-              | grep -vE '^\.changeset/(README)\.md$' \
-              || true)"
+          echo "exempt=false" >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
 
           if [ -n "${CHANGESETS}" ]; then
             echo "✓ Found changeset(s):"
@@ -167,3 +164,39 @@ jobs:
           echo "  - apply the 'no-changeset' label to skip the gate, or"
           echo "  - expand the allowlist in .github/workflows/changeset-check.yml in the same PR."
           exit 1
+
+      # Presence alone is not enough: a Changeset can reference a package that
+      # no longer exists after a rename. Validate the complete pending queue
+      # with Changesets itself so an invalid entry fails on the PR instead of
+      # breaking every release run after it reaches master.
+      #
+      # Runs when the PR needs a changeset, and also when an allowlisted PR
+      # carries one anyway — a `.changeset/*.md` file matches the markdown
+      # allowlist, so a changeset-only PR is exempt from the gate and would
+      # otherwise ship its entry unvalidated.
+      - name: Setup Node for Changesets validation
+        if: >-
+          steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true'
+          && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'
+          && (steps.gate.outputs.exempt != 'true' || steps.gate.outputs.has_changesets == 'true')
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v7
+        with:
+          node-version: '22'
+          cache: npm
+          cache-dependency-path: package-lock.json
+
+      - name: Install Changesets dependencies
+        if: >-
+          steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true'
+          && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'
+          && (steps.gate.outputs.exempt != 'true' || steps.gate.outputs.has_changesets == 'true')
+        run: npm ci --prefer-offline --no-audit --no-fund
+
+      - name: Validate pending Changesets
+        if: >-
+          steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true'
+          && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'
+          && (steps.gate.outputs.exempt != 'true' || steps.gate.outputs.has_changesets == 'true')
+        # pull_request workflows run on a detached merge ref. Compare against
+        # the fetched remote base because no local `master` branch exists.
+        run: npx changeset status --since="origin/${{ github.base_ref }}"
diff --git a/web/release-metadata.test.mjs b/web/release-metadata.test.mjs
index 4518e275..24fbb831 100644
--- a/web/release-metadata.test.mjs
+++ b/web/release-metadata.test.mjs
@@ -169,17 +169,32 @@ describe("release metadata", () => {
     const presence = changesetCheckWorkflow.indexOf(
       "- name: Verify changeset present (or PR is allowlisted)",
     );
-    const guard =
-      "if: steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true' && steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'";
+    // Checked as two separate conditions rather than one exact string: a
+    // step may carry a further guard of its own — the allowlist verdict
+    // does — and matching the concatenation would read that as a removed
+    // short-circuit.
+    const guards = [
+      "steps.version_pr.outputs.skip != 'true'",
+      "steps.label.outputs.skip != 'true'",
+    ];
 
     assert.ok(labelDecision >= 0, "workflow must resolve the label exemption");
     assert.ok(labelDecision < setup && setup < install && install < validate);
+    // `changeset status` fails whenever a package changed and no changeset
+    // was added, which is true of a docs-only PR. Reaching it before the
+    // allowlist verdict failed exactly the PRs the allowlist exempts.
+    assert.ok(
+      presence >= 0 && presence < setup,
+      "the allowlist verdict must be resolved before Changesets validation runs",
+    );
     for (const step of [setup, install, validate, presence]) {
-      assert.equal(
-        changesetCheckWorkflow.slice(step, step + 240).includes(guard),
-        true,
-        "every Changesets validation step must use the label guard",
-      );
+      for (const guard of guards) {
+        assert.equal(
+          changesetCheckWorkflow.slice(step, step + 320).includes(guard),
+          true,
+          `every Changesets validation step must keep the guard: ${guard}`,
+        );
+      }
     }
     assert.match(changesetCheckWorkflow, /GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY/);
     assert.match(changesetCheckWorkflow, /npx changeset status/);