diff --git a/crates/squabble-cli/src/zero_job.rs b/crates/squabble-cli/src/zero_job.rs
index a36ea3b..a1e568e 100644
--- a/crates/squabble-cli/src/zero_job.rs
+++ b/crates/squabble-cli/src/zero_job.rs
@@ -352,8 +352,9 @@ impl GhRuns {
             let jobs_path = format!("repos/{slug}/actions/runs/{}/jobs?per_page=1", run.id);
             if let Ok(jobs) = transport.get(&jobs_path) {
                 if (200..300).contains(&jobs.status) {
-                    // Absence of a count is recorded as `None`, not as zero.
-                    run.jobs = parse_job_count(&jobs.body).ok();
+                    let count = parse_job_count(&jobs.body)
+                        .map_err(|err| format!("invalid job evidence for `{jobs_path}`: {err}"))?;
+                    run.jobs = Some(count);
                 }
             }
         }
diff --git a/crates/squabble-fight/src/startup.rs b/crates/squabble-fight/src/startup.rs
index 91d899b..9311fcc 100644
--- a/crates/squabble-fight/src/startup.rs
+++ b/crates/squabble-fight/src/startup.rs
@@ -227,13 +227,21 @@ pub fn parse_startup_runs(body: &str) -> Result<Vec<ZeroJobRun>, String> {
 /// # Errors
 ///
 /// Returns an error for invalid JSON or when `total_count` is absent or is not
-/// an unsigned integer. Zero is a valid count.
+/// an unsigned integer, or when a present `jobs` field is not an array or has
+/// more entries than `total_count`. Zero is a valid count.
 pub fn parse_job_count(body: &str) -> Result<u64, String> {
     let v: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(body)
         .map_err(|e| format!("could not parse actions/jobs response: {e}"))?;
-    v.get("total_count")
+    let count = v.get("total_count")
         .and_then(serde_json::Value::as_u64)
-        .ok_or_else(|| "actions/jobs response has no `total_count`".to_string())
+        .ok_or_else(|| "actions/jobs response has no `total_count`".to_string())?;
+    if let Some(jobs) = v.get("jobs") {
+        let jobs = jobs.as_array().ok_or("actions/jobs response has invalid `jobs`")?;
+        if jobs.len() as u64 > count {
+            return Err("actions/jobs response lists more jobs than its total_count".to_string());
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(count)
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
@@ -510,6 +518,7 @@ jobs:
             parse_job_count("{\"total_count\":0,\"jobs\":[]}").unwrap(),
             0
         );
+        assert!(parse_job_count(r#"{"total_count":0,"jobs":[{"id":1}]}"#).is_err());
         assert!(parse_job_count("{}").is_err());
         assert!(parse_job_count("[]").is_err());
     }