diff --git a/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.md b/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.md
index c6182569..00690c1a 100644
--- a/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.md
+++ b/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.md
@@ -58,6 +58,11 @@ uses: owner/action@<40-char-sha> # <version>
 - Local workflow references (e.g., `uses: ./.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml`) — these reference the same repository and do not carry supply chain risk
 - Local composite actions (e.g., `uses: ./.github/actions/my-action`) — same repository, same trust boundary
 - Docker container references (e.g., `uses: docker://image:tag`) — governed by separate container image policies
+- The SLSA reusable workflow `slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/*` — see "Carved-out exceptions" below
+
+**Carved-out exceptions:**
+
+- **`slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/*`** — The SLSA generator's bootstrap script (`generate-builder.sh`) extracts the version from the workflow ref to download the prebuilt builder binary from a GitHub release. It explicitly rejects non-tag refs with `Invalid ref: ... Expected ref of the form refs/tags/vX.Y.Z`. This is documented upstream as [slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator#150](https://github.com/slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/issues/150). The reusable workflow MUST therefore be referenced by tag (e.g., `@v2.1.0`). Trust is anchored in the SLSA project's own signing/verification chain rather than in SHA pinning at the call site. Confirmed empirically: pinning by SHA broke the `v0.31.0` release pipeline (run [25107195589](https://github.com/archgate/cli/actions/runs/25107195589)).
 
 **Version comment format:** The comment after the SHA MUST contain the human-readable version that the SHA corresponds to (e.g., `# v6`, `# v2.4.3`, `# v2.1.0`). This enables:
 
@@ -110,8 +115,8 @@ uses: owner/action@<40-char-sha> # <version>
   - **Mitigation**: Renovate is configured in the repository and understands SHA-pinned GitHub Action references. The `renovate.json` configuration includes GitHub Actions as an update target. Regular Renovate PRs ensure pins stay current.
 - **Incorrect SHA resolution**: A contributor might resolve the SHA for the wrong tag, or the tag might be an annotated tag whose SHA differs from the commit SHA.
   - **Mitigation**: The automated rule checks that all third-party `uses:` references match the `@<40-char-hex>` pattern. Code review MUST verify that the SHA matches the intended version by cross-referencing the action's releases page. For annotated tags, resolve the underlying commit via `gh api repos/<owner>/<repo>/git/ref/tags/<tag>` and follow the `object` if `type` is `"tag"`.
-- **Reusable workflow compatibility**: Some reusable workflow providers (e.g., SLSA framework) have historically recommended tag references for verifier compatibility. SHA pinning may not be forward-compatible with all verification tools.
-  - **Mitigation**: The SLSA GitHub Generator v2.x explicitly supports SHA-based builder identity verification. Test SLSA provenance verification after pinning by running `slsa-verifier verify-artifact` against a release built with the SHA-pinned workflow.
+- **Reusable workflow compatibility**: Some reusable workflow providers cannot be referenced by SHA. The SLSA GitHub Generator (`slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/*`) is the known case for this project — its bootstrap script reads the workflow ref to fetch the prebuilt builder from a GitHub release and rejects non-tag refs (upstream issue [#150](https://github.com/slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/issues/150)). This was confirmed empirically when the `v0.31.0` release failed after SHA pinning.
+  - **Mitigation**: The SLSA reusable workflow is carved out as a documented exception (see "Scope" above). It is referenced by tag (`@v2.1.0`). The automated `no-unpinned-actions` rule allowlists this specific path so the exception is enforced rather than being a silent gap. Any other provider claiming SHA pinning is unsupported MUST be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and added to the allowlist with an explicit justification before merging.
 
 ## Compliance and Enforcement
 
@@ -131,7 +136,9 @@ Code reviewers MUST verify:
 
 Local workflow and action references (`uses: ./.github/workflows/...` or `uses: ./.github/actions/...`) are exempt — they reference code in the same repository and are governed by the repository's own access controls. Docker container references (`uses: docker://...`) are also exempt from this ADR.
 
-No exceptions for third-party references. If an upstream provider claims SHA pinning is unsupported, escalate to the project maintainer for evaluation before merging.
+The SLSA reusable workflow (`slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/*`) is exempt because its bootstrap script requires a tag-format ref to fetch the builder binary; see "Carved-out exceptions" under Decision. The `no-unpinned-actions` rule explicitly allowlists this path.
+
+For any other third-party reference where an upstream provider claims SHA pinning is unsupported: escalate to the project maintainer, document the upstream limitation in this ADR's "Carved-out exceptions" list, and update the rule allowlist before merging. Silent exceptions are not permitted.
 
 ## References
 
diff --git a/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.rules.ts b/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.rules.ts
index 882dfe37..85630a1e 100644
--- a/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.rules.ts
+++ b/.archgate/adrs/CI-001-pin-github-actions-by-hash.rules.ts
@@ -13,11 +13,28 @@ const USES_PATTERN = /uses:\s+(?!\.\/|docker:\/\/)(\S+@\S+)/g;
  */
 const PINNED_SHA_PATTERN = /^.+@[0-9a-f]{40}\b/;
 
+/**
+ * Carved-out exceptions where the upstream provider does not support SHA pinning.
+ * Each entry is matched against the part of the `uses:` value before the `@`.
+ * See CI-001 "Carved-out exceptions" for the rationale per entry.
+ */
+const SHA_PIN_EXEMPT_PREFIXES = [
+  // SLSA generator reads the workflow ref to download the prebuilt builder from
+  // a GitHub release; rejects non-tag refs. Upstream issue:
+  // https://github.com/slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/issues/150
+  "slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/",
+];
+
+function isShaPinExempt(ref: string): boolean {
+  const beforeAt = ref.split("@")[0];
+  return SHA_PIN_EXEMPT_PREFIXES.some((prefix) => beforeAt.startsWith(prefix));
+}
+
 export default {
   rules: {
     "no-unpinned-actions": {
       description:
-        "Third-party GitHub Actions and reusable workflows must be pinned by full commit SHA",
+        "Third-party GitHub Actions and reusable workflows must be pinned by full commit SHA (with documented exceptions)",
       async check(ctx) {
         const matches = await ctx.grepFiles(
           USES_PATTERN,
@@ -32,6 +49,7 @@ export default {
           if (!usesMatch) continue;
 
           const ref = usesMatch[1];
+          if (isShaPinExempt(ref)) continue;
           if (!PINNED_SHA_PATTERN.test(ref)) {
             ctx.report.violation({
               message: `Unpinned action reference: "${ref}". Pin by full 40-character commit SHA with a version comment (e.g., \`actions/checkout@<sha> # v6\`).`,
diff --git a/.claude/agent-memory/archgate-developer/MEMORY.md b/.claude/agent-memory/archgate-developer/MEMORY.md
index 50d7b1d1..0fc9c5bf 100644
--- a/.claude/agent-memory/archgate-developer/MEMORY.md
+++ b/.claude/agent-memory/archgate-developer/MEMORY.md
@@ -41,6 +41,7 @@ Skipping steps 2 or 3 is a workflow violation. The user should NEVER have to inv
 - **Module-level `{ ...Bun.env }` captures env at import time** — Spreading `Bun.env` into a module-level constant freezes the env snapshot. Tests that override `Bun.env.HOME` after import won't affect the constant. Fix: use a function that returns `{ ...Bun.env, ... }` on each call so it picks up test-time overrides. Applied in `src/helpers/credential-store.ts`.
 - **`Bun.Glob.scan({ dot: false })` silently drops dot-prefixed segments — even on explicit paths** — `dot: false` (the default) skips matches whose path contains a `.`-prefixed segment, including patterns that explicitly name the dir (e.g. `.github/workflows/release.yml`). Behavior also varies across platforms — Windows reliably drops the match while Linux can match the same pattern, so a rule appears to "work in CI" but no-ops locally. For code repos where `.github/`, `.husky/`, `.vscode/` are first-class source dirs, ALWAYS pass `dot: true` to `Bun.Glob.scan()`. Applied in `src/engine/runner.ts` (`ctx.glob`, `ctx.grepFiles`) and `src/engine/git-files.ts` (`resolveScopedFiles`). See archgate/cli#222.
 - **PowerShell 5.1 reads BOM-less `.ps1` files as ANSI — never use non-ASCII chars in `install.ps1`** — `install.ps1` has no UTF-8 BOM (first bytes are `# A...`). On Windows PowerShell 5.1, this means the file is decoded as the system codepage (Windows-1252), so multi-byte UTF-8 characters like em-dash (`—`, `\xE2\x80\x94`) get split into garbage bytes that break later string parsing — the parser reports cryptic errors like "string is missing the terminator" on lines that look fine. ALWAYS stick to ASCII (`-`, `--`, straight quotes) in comments and string literals in `install.ps1`. To verify after editing: `[System.Management.Automation.Language.Parser]::ParseFile((Resolve-Path .\install.ps1).Path, [ref]$null, [ref]$errs)`. Same caveat applies to any unsigned `.ps1` file the project distributes.
+- **SLSA reusable workflow MUST be tag-pinned, not SHA-pinned** — `slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/*` looks like it should follow CI-001 (SHA pin), but the SLSA generator's `generate-builder.sh` reads the workflow ref to download the prebuilt builder from a GitHub release and rejects non-tag refs (`Invalid ref: ... Expected ref of the form refs/tags/vX.Y.Z`, exit 2). Pinning by SHA broke the v0.31.0 release ([run 25107195589](https://github.com/archgate/cli/actions/runs/25107195589)). The CI-001 rule allowlists this path so it does NOT block a SHA repin — meaning a future agent could "fix" the tag pin and the rule would be silent until the next release fails. ALWAYS keep `@v2.x.y` for `release-binaries.yml:165` and read the inline comment + CI-001 "Carved-out exceptions" before changing. Upstream issue: [slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator#150](https://github.com/slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/issues/150).
 
 ## Validation Pipeline
 
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml b/.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml
index 15452788..e8052ad8 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-binaries.yml
@@ -162,7 +162,11 @@ jobs:
       actions: read
       id-token: write
       contents: write
-    uses: slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/generator_generic_slsa3.yml@f7dd8c54c2067bafc12ca7a55595d5ee9b75204a # v2.1.0
+    # SLSA reusable workflow MUST be referenced by tag, not SHA — the generator's
+    # generate-builder.sh extracts the version from the ref to download the builder
+    # binary from a GitHub release and rejects non-tag refs. See CI-001 exception
+    # and slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator#150.
+    uses: slsa-framework/slsa-github-generator/.github/workflows/generator_generic_slsa3.yml@v2.1.0
     with:
       base64-subjects: "${{ needs.combine-hashes.outputs.digests }}"
       upload-assets: true