diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules.go
index 46931311..6db28dad 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules.go
@@ -3984,8 +3984,8 @@ func processAccountProblems(m catalogue.Manifest, processID, user string) []stri
 }
 
 // busKeeps says the process resource r's bus declares `keeps` (novox/hq ADR 0626 §1): read from the resource as
-// written, since catalogue.ProcessBus does not carry the key yet (a request to mesh-sdk). Any value but false or absent
-// counts, so a refusal is never dodged by its spelling.
+// written rather than through catalogue.ProcessBus, so any value but false or absent counts and a refusal is never dodged
+// by its spelling.
 func busKeeps(r map[string]any) bool {
 	b, _ := r["bus"].(map[string]any)
 	v, present := b["keeps"]
@@ -4050,6 +4050,11 @@ func toolsBusProblems(m catalogue.Manifest) []string {
 			continue
 		}
 		b := *a.Bus
+		if b.Keeps {
+			problems = append(problems, fmt.Sprintf("%s's tools bundle %s's bus keeps the bus's entries; only the keeper, the "+
+				"process of the module holding %s with its own bus account, may (novox/hq ADR 0626 §1, §3)", m.Module, a.Name,
+				catalogue.BrokerSeat))
+		}
 		if len(b.Queues) > 0 || b.Asks {
 			problems = append(problems, fmt.Sprintf("%s's tools bundle %s's bus consumes a queue or reads asks; a tools "+
 				"bundle runs per call and holds no consumer (novox/hq ADR 0564 Limits 4)", m.Module, a.Name))
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules_test.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules_test.go
index c18ab3bf..3368d42f 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-indexer/judge/rules_test.go
@@ -2484,6 +2484,8 @@ func TestAProcessDeclaresItsBusAndIsAccepted(t *testing.T) {
 		{name: "a removal outside the set", manifest: tools(broker, `{"removes":["EVENTS.a_m"]}`), refused: "not one of"},
 		{name: "a removal beside a grant", manifest: tools(broker, `{"removes":["mesh-host_acts"],"invokes":["nats.nats_streams"]}`), refused: "with nothing else"},
 		{name: "another module's tools removing", manifest: tools(`[]`, `{"removes":["mesh-host_acts"]}`), refused: "only the bus module"},
+		// ADR 0626 §1, §3: only the keeper process keeps the bus's entries, never a tools bundle, the bus module's included.
+		{name: "the bus module's tools keeping", manifest: tools(broker, `{"keeps":true}`), refused: "only the keeper"},
 		{name: "a tools bundle consuming a queue", manifest: tools(broker, `{"queues":["x"]}`), refused: "holds no consumer"},
 		{name: "a process removing", manifest: mailSenderProcessManifest(t, `{"removes":["mesh-host_acts"]}`), refused: "only a tools bundle"},
 		// The runtime's account reads the account's secret: it lies where others may pass (the host agent, 2026-10-29).