diff --git a/src/local/entrypoint.test.ts b/src/local/entrypoint.test.ts
index a44dd13f..3964882f 100644
--- a/src/local/entrypoint.test.ts
+++ b/src/local/entrypoint.test.ts
@@ -2206,6 +2206,32 @@ describe('runLocal', () => {
     expect(result.logs.some((l) => l.includes('[local] workflow generation'))).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  it('routes a non-executable CLI specFile to generate even when the spec body mentions a workflow path', async () => {
+    const localExecutor = memoryLocalExecutorOptions();
+    const designDoc = [
+      '# Relay-backed review runtime',
+      '',
+      'The durable deep-review path in `workflows/runtime/deep-review-pr.ts` is the foundation we want to extend.',
+      'Run, launch, and start references are scattered through the runtime narrative below.',
+      'Author a workflow that wires the new runtime end-to-end.',
+    ].join('\n');
+    const result = await runLocal(
+      {
+        source: 'cli',
+        spec: designDoc,
+        specFile: '/specs/relay-backed-review-runtime-spec.md',
+        stageMode: 'generate',
+        cliMetadata: { argv: ['ricky', '--mode', 'local', '--spec-file', '/specs/relay-backed-review-runtime-spec.md'] },
+      },
+      { localExecutor },
+    );
+
+    expect(result.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.logs.some((l) => l.includes('[local] spec intake route: generate'))).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.logs.some((l) => l.includes('[local] spec intake route: clarify'))).toBe(false);
+    expect(result.logs.some((l) => l.includes('[local] workflow generation: passed'))).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it('returns local artifact and runtime log shape for an injected runtime adapter', async () => {
     const localExecutor = memoryLocalExecutorOptions({
       stdout: ['local workflow completed'],
diff --git a/src/local/entrypoint.ts b/src/local/entrypoint.ts
index c12ed108..4567aed8 100644
--- a/src/local/entrypoint.ts
+++ b/src/local/entrypoint.ts
@@ -1375,13 +1375,19 @@ function toRawSpecPayload(
     };
   }
 
-  // Explicit CLI description handoff — the user handed over prose, not a
-  // workflow path. Bypass the keyword-based intent classifier (which
+  // Explicit CLI description handoff — the user handed Ricky prose (or a
+  // spec file) rather than an executable workflow path, so the request is
+  // to author one. Bypass the keyword-based intent classifier, which
   // over-fires on words like "run" / "execute" that appear naturally in
-  // feature specs) and route straight to generate. Only applies when the
-  // spec text contains no workflow file reference; otherwise the spec is
-  // a "run X" request and the natural-language classifier handles it.
-  if (request.source === 'cli' && !mentionsWorkflowFile(request.spec)) {
+  // feature specs.
+  //
+  // When --spec-file points at a non-executable path, force generate
+  // regardless of what the file mentions: a workflow path inside a design
+  // doc is context, not an invocation target (executable specPaths are
+  // already handled above). For inline --spec prose, keep the older guard
+  // so "run workflows/foo.ts" still flows to the natural-language
+  // classifier.
+  if (request.source === 'cli' && (request.specPath || !mentionsWorkflowFile(request.spec))) {
     return {
       ...base,
       kind: 'structured_json',