diff --git a/.github/workflows/research-package-batch.yml b/.github/workflows/research-package-batch.yml
index c8d9ea264e..27bc647c06 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/research-package-batch.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/research-package-batch.yml
@@ -31,4 +31,6 @@ jobs:
       - name: Explicit bounded package replay
         run: python -B scripts/research_package.py --package "$RESEARCH_PACKAGE" --install-deps
       - name: Committed inputs remain unchanged
-        run: git diff --exit-code
+        run: |
+          git diff --exit-code
+          git diff --cached --exit-code
diff --git a/tests/test_research_ci_drift.py b/tests/test_research_ci_drift.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..7c646a9455
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_research_ci_drift.py
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+"""Execute the registered replay's actual CI drift gate on real Git states."""
+from pathlib import Path
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+import tempfile
+import textwrap
+import unittest
+
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+WORKFLOW = ROOT / '.github/workflows/research-package-batch.yml'
+
+
+def drift_script():
+    """Read this simple run step without adding a YAML dependency to the suite."""
+    marker = '      - name: Committed inputs remain unchanged\n'
+    text = WORKFLOW.read_text()
+    if text.count(marker) != 1:
+        raise ValueError('expected one registered replay drift gate')
+    step = text.split(marker, 1)[1].split('\n      - ', 1)[0].rstrip('\n')
+    lines = step.splitlines()
+    prefix = '        run: '
+    if not lines or not lines[0].startswith(prefix):
+        raise ValueError('unsupported drift gate step')
+    run = lines[0][len(prefix):]
+    if run == '|':
+        if not lines[1:] or any(not line.startswith('          ') for line in lines[1:]):
+            raise ValueError('unsupported drift gate run block')
+        return textwrap.dedent('\n'.join(lines[1:]))
+    if len(lines) != 1:
+        raise ValueError('unsupported drift gate step fields')
+    return run
+
+
+@unittest.skipUnless(shutil.which('bash') and shutil.which('git'), 'requires bash and Git')
+class RegisteredReplayDriftTests(unittest.TestCase):
+    @classmethod
+    def setUpClass(cls):
+        cls.script = drift_script()
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        temporary = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
+        self.addCleanup(temporary.cleanup)
+        self.root = Path(temporary.name)
+        self.git('init', '-q')
+        self.git('config', 'user.name', 'Fixture')
+        self.git('config', 'user.email', 'fixture@example.invalid')
+        self.git('config', 'core.autocrlf', 'false')
+        self.input = self.root / 'input.txt'
+        self.input.write_text('original\n')
+        self.git('add', 'input.txt')
+        self.git('commit', '-qm', 'fixture')
+
+    def git(self, *args):
+        return subprocess.check_output(['git', *args], cwd=self.root, stderr=subprocess.PIPE)
+
+    def gate(self):
+        # Match the fail-fast shell behavior of a GitHub Actions run step.
+        return subprocess.run(['bash', '--noprofile', '--norc', '-e', '-o', 'pipefail',
+                               '-c', self.script], cwd=self.root, capture_output=True,
+                              timeout=10).returncode
+
+    def test_unchanged_checkout_passes(self):
+        self.assertEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+    def test_untracked_replay_output_is_allowed(self):
+        (self.root / 'receipt.json').write_text('{"verified": true}\n')
+        self.assertEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+    def test_unstaged_input_edit_is_rejected(self):
+        self.input.write_text('regenerated\n')
+        self.assertNotEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+    def test_unstaged_input_deletion_is_rejected(self):
+        self.input.unlink()
+        self.assertNotEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+    def test_staged_input_edit_is_rejected(self):
+        self.input.write_text('regenerated\n')
+        self.git('add', 'input.txt')
+        self.assertNotEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+    def test_staged_input_deletion_is_rejected(self):
+        self.git('rm', '-q', 'input.txt')
+        self.assertNotEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+    def test_staged_new_file_is_rejected(self):
+        (self.root / 'added.txt').write_text('new tracked content\n')
+        self.git('add', 'added.txt')
+        self.assertNotEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+    def test_staged_edit_with_worktree_restored_to_head_is_rejected(self):
+        self.input.write_text('regenerated\n')
+        self.git('add', 'input.txt')
+        self.input.write_text('original\n')
+        # Comparing only the working tree to HEAD would miss this dirty index.
+        self.assertEqual(self.git('diff', '--exit-code', 'HEAD', '--'), b'')
+        self.assertNotEqual(self.gate(), 0)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    unittest.main()