diff --git a/plugin/dist/hook.mjs b/plugin/dist/hook.mjs
index 3af6799..9a74635 100644
--- a/plugin/dist/hook.mjs
+++ b/plugin/dist/hook.mjs
@@ -5718,7 +5718,9 @@ function extractClaims(message, limits = CLAIM_LIMITS) {
   }
   const onlyFile = files.length > 0 && new Set(files.map((f) => f.path)).size === 1 ? files[0].path : void 0;
   if (onlyFile !== void 0) {
-    for (const ident of idents) if (ident.file === void 0) ident.file = onlyFile;
+    for (const ident of idents) {
+      if (ident.file === void 0 && CHANGE_VERB.test(ident.sentence)) ident.file = onlyFile;
+    }
   }
   return { files, idents, claims };
 }
@@ -5752,9 +5754,10 @@ function checkReferences(extracted, ctx) {
     if (!isProjectRelative(ref.file)) return { ...ref, verdict: "unlocated" };
     const segment = ref.name.split(".").pop() ?? ref.name;
     const read2 = ctx.readFile(ref.file);
-    const inFile = read2.kind === "text" && read2.text.includes(segment);
     const inDiff = added.includes(segment);
     if (read2.kind === "refused") return { ...ref, verdict: "refused" };
+    if (read2.kind !== "text") return { ...ref, verdict: inDiff ? "present" : "unlocated" };
+    const inFile = read2.text.includes(segment);
     return inFile || inDiff ? { ...ref, verdict: "present" } : { ...ref, verdict: "fabricated" };
   });
   return { files, idents };
diff --git a/src/hooks/claims.ts b/src/hooks/claims.ts
index d05c3cb..8c72915 100644
--- a/src/hooks/claims.ts
+++ b/src/hooks/claims.ts
@@ -135,10 +135,13 @@ export function extractClaims(message: string, limits: ExtractLimits = CLAIM_LIM
     }
   }
 
-  // An identifier with no file of its own borrows the message's only file.
+  // An identifier in a change sentence with no file of its own borrows the
+  // message's only file. Descriptive prose must not inherit an unrelated file.
   const onlyFile = files.length > 0 && new Set(files.map((f) => f.path)).size === 1 ? files[0]!.path : undefined;
   if (onlyFile !== undefined) {
-    for (const ident of idents) if (ident.file === undefined) ident.file = onlyFile;
+    for (const ident of idents) {
+      if (ident.file === undefined && CHANGE_VERB.test(ident.sentence)) ident.file = onlyFile;
+    }
   }
 
   return { files, idents, claims };
@@ -221,9 +224,10 @@ export function checkReferences(
     if (!isProjectRelative(ref.file)) return { ...ref, verdict: "unlocated" };
     const segment = ref.name.split(".").pop() ?? ref.name;
     const read = ctx.readFile(ref.file);
-    const inFile = read.kind === "text" && (read as { text: string }).text.includes(segment);
     const inDiff = added.includes(segment);
     if (read.kind === "refused") return { ...ref, verdict: "refused" };
+    if (read.kind !== "text") return { ...ref, verdict: inDiff ? "present" : "unlocated" };
+    const inFile = (read as { text: string }).text.includes(segment);
     return inFile || inDiff ? { ...ref, verdict: "present" } : { ...ref, verdict: "fabricated" };
   });
 
diff --git a/tests/hooks/claims.test.ts b/tests/hooks/claims.test.ts
index bb04293..9525810 100644
--- a/tests/hooks/claims.test.ts
+++ b/tests/hooks/claims.test.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,19 @@ describe("extractClaims", () => {
     const out = extractClaims("Ran `npm` and touched `ab`.");
     expect(out.idents).toHaveLength(0);
   });
+
+  it("does not bind descriptive identifiers to an unrelated only file", () => {
+    const out = extractClaims(
+      "The plugin exposes `route_prompts`, `jev_evaluate`, and `jev_rank`. Updated CLAUDE.md with setup notes.",
+    );
+    expect(out.idents).toHaveLength(3);
+    for (const ident of out.idents) expect(ident.file).toBeUndefined();
+  });
+
+  it("still binds a changed identifier to the message's only file", () => {
+    const out = extractClaims("Added `retryWithBackoff` for transient failures. The implementation is in src/client.ts.");
+    expect(out.idents[0]?.file).toBe("src/client.ts");
+  });
 });
 
 function context(overrides: Partial<Stage1Context>): Stage1Context {
@@ -90,6 +103,24 @@ describe("checkReferences (stage 1)", () => {
     expect(idents[0]!.verdict).toBe("present");
   });
 
+  it("does not fabricate an identifier when its bound file cannot be read", () => {
+    const extracted = extractClaims("Added `retryWithBackoff` to src/client.ts.");
+    const stage1 = checkReferences(
+      extracted,
+      context({
+        fileExists: () => "yes",
+        readFile: () => ({ kind: "missing" }),
+        diffText: "",
+      }),
+    );
+    expect(stage1.idents[0]!.verdict).toBe("unlocated");
+
+    const result = stopClaimsPolicy(stage1, undefined, 0.85);
+    expect(result.block).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.counts.fabricated).toBe(0);
+    expect(result.counts.unlocated).toBe(1);
+  });
+
   it("does not fabricate a bare basename that lives deeper in the tree", () => {
     // `workspace.ts` in prose is a reference by name, not a path claim; it must
     // not block just because it is not at the project root.