diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 8f2ca7d2a..b88b4d280 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
     "check:env-parity": "node scripts/check-env-parity.mjs",
     "sweep:branch-ledger": "node scripts/sweep-branch-ledger.mjs",
     "docs:check-links": "node scripts/check-docs-links.mjs",
+    "docs:check-scripts": "node scripts/check-docs-script-refs.mjs",
     "sitemap:update": "node scripts/run-tsx.mjs scripts/generate-site-map.ts",
     "sitemap:check": "node scripts/run-tsx.mjs scripts/generate-site-map.ts --check",
     "brand:update": "node scripts/run-tsx.mjs scripts/generate-brand-assets.ts",
diff --git a/scripts/check-docs-script-refs.mjs b/scripts/check-docs-script-refs.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1dd1e0fdd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-docs-script-refs.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/**
+ * check-docs-script-refs.mjs — verify that every `npm run <script>` mentioned in
+ * the maintained docs corresponds to a real script in package.json.
+ *
+ * check-docs-links.mjs validates file PATHS referenced in docs, but nothing checks
+ * the hundreds of `npm run <script>` references — so a renamed/removed script leaves
+ * stale instructions that the agents (Codex/Claude/Cursor) then follow. This closes
+ * that gap.
+ *
+ * Only references inside inline code spans (`npm run x`) and fenced code blocks are
+ * scanned, so prose like "npm run the build" is never misread. Placeholder tokens
+ * (containing <…>) and an explicit allowlist are skipped.
+ *
+ * Scans README.md, AGENTS.md, and docs/**\/*.md excluding docs/archive, docs/audit,
+ * and dated point-in-time filenames (historical records). Pass --all to include them.
+ *
+ * Advisory: run `npm run docs:check-scripts` before doc handoffs. Deliberately NOT
+ * in verify:cheap/CI so historical docs cannot block unrelated PRs.
+ */
+import { readdirSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
+
+const repoRoot = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..");
+const scanAll = process.argv.includes("--all");
+
+const DATED_DOC = /\b20\d{2}-\d{2}(-\d{2})?\b/;
+const HISTORICAL_DIRS = new Set(["archive", "audit"]);
+
+// Script tokens that appear in docs as illustrative placeholders, or real scripts
+// that were renamed but are legitimately referenced in historical records (e.g. the
+// branch-review-ledger "Checks" cells record what was run at the time).
+const ALLOWLIST = new Set([
+  "<script>",
+  "<name>",
+  "your-script",
+  "test:e2e:advisory", // renamed to test:e2e:regression (2026-07); kept for historical ledger accuracy
+]);
+
+/** Script names defined in package.json. */
+export function parsePackageScripts(pkgJsonText) {
+  const pkg = JSON.parse(pkgJsonText);
+  return new Set(Object.keys(pkg.scripts ?? {}));
+}
+
+/**
+ * Extract `npm run <script>` tokens that appear inside inline code spans or fenced
+ * code blocks. Returns the unique script names referenced. `pnpm run` / `yarn run`
+ * are matched too for completeness.
+ */
+export function extractScriptRefs(markdown) {
+  const codeRegions = [];
+  for (const m of markdown.matchAll(/```[\s\S]*?```/g)) codeRegions.push(m[0]);
+  for (const m of markdown.matchAll(/`[^`\n]+`/g)) codeRegions.push(m[0]);
+
+  const names = new Set();
+  for (const region of codeRegions) {
+    for (const m of region.matchAll(/\b(?:npm|pnpm|yarn)\s+run\s+([A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9:_-]*)/g)) {
+      names.add(m[1]);
+    }
+  }
+  return [...names];
+}
+
+/** Referenced script names that are neither defined nor allowlisted. */
+export function findStaleRefs(refs, validScripts, allowlist = ALLOWLIST) {
+  return refs.filter((name) => !validScripts.has(name) && !allowlist.has(name) && !name.includes("<"));
+}
+
+function collectDocs(dirRelative, targets) {
+  for (const entry of readdirSync(path.join(repoRoot, dirRelative), { withFileTypes: true })) {
+    const entryRelative = path.posix.join(dirRelative, entry.name);
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+      if (HISTORICAL_DIRS.has(entry.name) && !scanAll) continue;
+      collectDocs(entryRelative, targets);
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (!entry.isFile() || !entry.name.endsWith(".md")) continue;
+    if (!scanAll && DATED_DOC.test(entry.name)) continue;
+    targets.push(entryRelative);
+  }
+}
+
+function main() {
+  const validScripts = parsePackageScripts(readFileSync(path.join(repoRoot, "package.json"), "utf8"));
+  const targets = ["README.md", "AGENTS.md"];
+  collectDocs("docs", targets);
+
+  let stale = 0;
+  let checked = 0;
+  for (const target of targets) {
+    let markdown;
+    try {
+      markdown = readFileSync(path.join(repoRoot, target), "utf8");
+    } catch {
+      continue;
+    }
+    const refs = extractScriptRefs(markdown);
+    checked += refs.length;
+    const bad = findStaleRefs(refs, validScripts);
+    if (bad.length > 0) {
+      stale += bad.length;
+      console.error(`\n${target}:`);
+      for (const name of bad) console.error(`  STALE  npm run ${name}  (no such script in package.json)`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (stale > 0) {
+    console.error(`\ndocs script-ref check FAILED: ${stale} stale reference(s) across ${checked} checked.`);
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  console.log(`docs script-ref check passed: ${checked} npm-run reference(s) resolve to real scripts.`);
+}
+
+const invokedDirectly = process.argv[1] && import.meta.url === pathToFileURL(process.argv[1]).href;
+if (invokedDirectly) main();
diff --git a/tests/docs-script-refs.test.ts b/tests/docs-script-refs.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ca68e827f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/docs-script-refs.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { extractScriptRefs, findStaleRefs, parsePackageScripts } from "../scripts/check-docs-script-refs.mjs";
+
+describe("parsePackageScripts", () => {
+  it("returns the set of script names", () => {
+    const set = parsePackageScripts(JSON.stringify({ scripts: { build: "x", "verify:cheap": "y" } }));
+    expect(set.has("build")).toBe(true);
+    expect(set.has("verify:cheap")).toBe(true);
+    expect(set.size).toBe(2);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("extractScriptRefs", () => {
+  it("extracts npm run tokens from inline code spans and fenced blocks", () => {
+    const md = ["Run `npm run verify:cheap` first.", "```bash", "npm run build", "pnpm run lint", "```"].join("\n");
+    const refs = extractScriptRefs(md);
+    expect(refs).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining(["verify:cheap", "build", "lint"]));
+  });
+
+  it("ignores npm run mentions in prose (outside code)", () => {
+    expect(extractScriptRefs("just npm run the thing normally")).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("captures the script name with flags following it", () => {
+    expect(extractScriptRefs("`npm run eval:quality -- --rag-only`")).toEqual(["eval:quality"]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("findStaleRefs", () => {
+  const valid = new Set(["build", "verify:cheap"]);
+  it("flags references with no matching script", () => {
+    expect(findStaleRefs(["build", "verify:gone"], valid)).toEqual(["verify:gone"]);
+  });
+  it("skips allowlisted and placeholder tokens", () => {
+    expect(findStaleRefs(["<script>", "your-script"], valid)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+  it("returns empty when everything resolves", () => {
+    expect(findStaleRefs(["build", "verify:cheap"], valid)).toEqual([]);
+  });
+});