diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6b9a83d..20014a5 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -136,6 +136,18 @@ All notable changes to EigenScript are documented here.
     (the one legitimate empty-expression position) still yields `null` (#494).
 
 ### Fixed
+- **`args` now rides the trace tape (#471).** The `args` builtin returned
+  `argv` directly, unwrapped — the last un-taped nondeterminism source
+  reachable by a pure script, and a hole in the closed-world invariant behind
+  deterministic replay. A program that branched on `args` recorded a tape
+  under one invocation and silently diverged when replayed under a different
+  argv (the exact class chaos-mode `--seed N` scheduling for the #408 task
+  layer would hit). The recorded argument list now rides the tape as one `N`
+  record and replay serves it regardless of the live argv. Because `args`
+  *builds* its list before returning, it uses the `TRACE_NONDET_TAKE` /
+  `TRACE_NONDET_RECORD` pair (not `TRACE_NONDET_RET`), so under replay the
+  live list is neither built nor leaked. Regression: `tests/test_replay.sh`
+  (record under `A B`, replay under `X Y Z`, recorded args win).
 - **Circular `import` / `load_file` no longer crashes (#496).** A mutual or
   self-referential `import` (a→b→a) or `load_file` used to recurse through
   `vm_execute` until the C stack overflowed — SIGSEGV, `rc=139`, uncatchable.
diff --git a/docs/TRACE.md b/docs/TRACE.md
index 1740a19..aebe039 100644
--- a/docs/TRACE.md
+++ b/docs/TRACE.md
@@ -57,12 +57,19 @@ perspective lands on the tape as an `N` record:
 - **Time:** `monotonic_ns`, `monotonic_ms`
 - **Environment / files:** `env_get`, `read_text`, `read_bytes`,
   `read_bytes_buf`
+- **Process:** `args` (command-line arguments — differ across
+  invocations, so the recorded list is served on replay regardless of
+  the live argv; #471)
 - **HTTP extension:** `http_post` (success and all error paths),
   `http_request_body`, `http_session_id`, `http_request_headers`
 
 The hook is the `TRACE_NONDET_RET` macro in `src/trace.h`, used at
 every nondet return site — adding a new nondet builtin means wrapping
-its return in the same macro.
+its return in the same macro. A builtin that *builds* its return value
+(a list, buffer, or dict) before returning uses the `TRACE_NONDET_TAKE`
+/ `TRACE_NONDET_RECORD` pair instead (`args` does): the early `TAKE`
+short-circuits under replay before the value is built, so the live
+construction is neither run nor leaked.
 
 ## Non-Replayable Builtins (issue #148)
 
diff --git a/src/builtins.c b/src/builtins.c
index 65c5662..7530845 100644
--- a/src/builtins.c
+++ b/src/builtins.c
@@ -1915,15 +1915,26 @@ void eigenscript_set_args(int argc, char **argv) {
     g_argv = argv;
 }
 
-/* args of null → list of command-line arguments (after the script name) */
+/* args of null → list of command-line arguments (after the script name).
+ *
+ * argv is a nondeterminism source across invocations (the closed-world
+ * replay invariant, #471): a program that branches on args records under
+ * one argv and would silently diverge when replayed under another. So the
+ * built list rides the tape as one N record and replay serves the recorded
+ * list regardless of the live argv. The construction happens before the
+ * return value exists, so this uses the TAKE/RECORD pair rather than
+ * TRACE_NONDET_RET — under replay the early TAKE short-circuits before the
+ * list is built, avoiding both the wasted work and the abandoned (leaked)
+ * live list. */
 Value* builtin_args(Value *arg) {
     (void)arg;
+    TRACE_NONDET_TAKE("args");
     Value *list = make_list(g_argc > 2 ? g_argc - 2 : 0);
     /* g_argv[0] = eigenscript, g_argv[1] = script.eigs, g_argv[2..] = user args */
     for (int i = 2; i < g_argc; i++) {
         list_append_owned(list, make_str(g_argv[i]));
     }
-    return list;
+    TRACE_NONDET_RECORD("args", list);
 }
 
 /* ---- Path manipulation ---- */
diff --git a/tests/test_replay.sh b/tests/test_replay.sh
index 6fa9429..35d92c4 100755
--- a/tests/test_replay.sh
+++ b/tests/test_replay.sh
@@ -290,6 +290,26 @@ else
     fail "stale EIGS_REPLAY --version" "rc=$VRC out='$VOUT'"
 fi
 
+# ---- #471: args (argv) is a taped nondeterminism source ----
+# Record the tape under one argv, then replay the SAME script under a
+# DIFFERENT argv. The recorded args must win — a program that branches on
+# args would otherwise silently diverge on replay (the closed-world hole).
+cat > "$TMPDIR/p_args.eigs" <<'EOF'
+print of (args of null)
+EOF
+
+TAPE_A="$TMPDIR/args.tape"
+REC_A=$(EIGS_TRACE="$TAPE_A" "$EIGS" "$TMPDIR/p_args.eigs" A B 2>&1)
+# Live (no replay) under the mutated argv — proves the tape actually overrides.
+LIVE_A=$(EIGS_TRACE=/dev/null "$EIGS" "$TMPDIR/p_args.eigs" X Y Z 2>&1)
+REP_A=$(EIGS_REPLAY="$TAPE_A" "$EIGS" "$TMPDIR/p_args.eigs" X Y Z 2>&1)
+
+if [ "$REC_A" = '["A", "B"]' ] && [ "$REP_A" = '["A", "B"]' ] && [ "$LIVE_A" = '["X", "Y", "Z"]' ]; then
+    ok "args replay: recorded argv wins under EIGS_REPLAY with a mutated argv"
+else
+    fail "args replay" "rec='$REC_A' live='$LIVE_A' rep='$REP_A'"
+fi
+
 echo
 echo "REPLAY: $PASS passed, $FAIL failed"
 [ "$FAIL" = "0" ] && exit 0 || exit 1