diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 5197143..7523425 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -157,6 +157,12 @@ jobs:
       - name: Test the update manifest builder
         run: scripts/test-build-update-manifest.sh
 
+      # The security gate has to tell "nothing found" from "could not look":
+      # a missing jq, no report, or a report that does not parse once read as
+      # a pass (#729).
+      - name: Test the cargo-audit gate
+        run: scripts/test-cargo-audit-check.sh
+
   # ARCHITECTURE section 5 is the reference for the Tauri command surface, and
   # it had drifted into describing ten commands that were never written — a
   # reader following it wrote calls that fail at runtime with "command not
@@ -228,17 +234,12 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
-      - name: Read pinned Rust version
-        id: rust-toolchain-file
-        # bash explicitly: the default shell on a Windows runner is PowerShell,
-        # where `$(...)` and `$GITHUB_OUTPUT` mean nothing, so the step passes
-        # having written no output — and the toolchain action then fails with
-        # "toolchain is a required input", eight steps from the real cause.
+      # rustup ships on GitHub-hosted runners and reads rust-toolchain.toml
+      # itself, so the version and components live in that one file and no
+      # third-party action sits between it and the build.
+      - name: Install Rust toolchain
         shell: bash
-        run: echo "channel=$(sed -n 's/^channel *= *"\(.*\)"/\1/p' rust-toolchain.toml)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-      - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@02cb101ec7c40f2c49e1d9714d64511d8e1b74de # v1
-        with:
-          toolchain: ${{ steps.rust-toolchain-file.outputs.channel }}
+        run: rustup toolchain install --profile minimal --no-self-update
       - name: Install jq
         run: sudo apt-get install -y jq
       - name: Install cargo-audit
@@ -294,18 +295,12 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
-      - name: Read pinned Rust version
-        id: rust-toolchain-file
-        # bash explicitly: the default shell on a Windows runner is PowerShell,
-        # where `$(...)` and `$GITHUB_OUTPUT` mean nothing, so the step passes
-        # having written no output — and the toolchain action then fails with
-        # "toolchain is a required input", eight steps from the real cause.
+      # rustup ships on GitHub-hosted runners and reads rust-toolchain.toml
+      # itself, so the version and components live in that one file and no
+      # third-party action sits between it and the build.
+      - name: Install Rust toolchain
         shell: bash
-        run: echo "channel=$(sed -n 's/^channel *= *"\(.*\)"/\1/p' rust-toolchain.toml)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-      - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@02cb101ec7c40f2c49e1d9714d64511d8e1b74de # v1
-        with:
-          toolchain: ${{ steps.rust-toolchain-file.outputs.channel }}
-          components: rustfmt, clippy
+        run: rustup toolchain install --profile minimal --no-self-update
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@6323deb102c322ba6fcbdcafc7e3dddab59af2b6 # v2.9.2
         with:
           workspaces: src-tauri
@@ -340,17 +335,12 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
-      - name: Read pinned Rust version
-        id: rust-toolchain-file
-        # bash explicitly: the default shell on a Windows runner is PowerShell,
-        # where `$(...)` and `$GITHUB_OUTPUT` mean nothing, so the step passes
-        # having written no output — and the toolchain action then fails with
-        # "toolchain is a required input", eight steps from the real cause.
+      # rustup ships on GitHub-hosted runners and reads rust-toolchain.toml
+      # itself, so the version and components live in that one file and no
+      # third-party action sits between it and the build.
+      - name: Install Rust toolchain
         shell: bash
-        run: echo "channel=$(sed -n 's/^channel *= *"\(.*\)"/\1/p' rust-toolchain.toml)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-      - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@02cb101ec7c40f2c49e1d9714d64511d8e1b74de # v1
-        with:
-          toolchain: ${{ steps.rust-toolchain-file.outputs.channel }}
+        run: rustup toolchain install --profile minimal --no-self-update
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@6323deb102c322ba6fcbdcafc7e3dddab59af2b6 # v2.9.2
         with:
           workspaces: src-tauri
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 77e9f98..f322c08 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -83,17 +83,12 @@ jobs:
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1 # v7.0.1
-      - name: Read pinned Rust version
-        id: rust-toolchain-file
-        # bash explicitly: the default shell on a Windows runner is PowerShell,
-        # where `$(...)` and `$GITHUB_OUTPUT` mean nothing, so the step passes
-        # having written no output — and the toolchain action then fails with
-        # "toolchain is a required input", eight steps from the real cause.
+      # rustup ships on GitHub-hosted runners and reads rust-toolchain.toml
+      # itself, so the version and components live in that one file and no
+      # third-party action sits between it and the build.
+      - name: Install Rust toolchain
         shell: bash
-        run: echo "channel=$(sed -n 's/^channel *= *"\(.*\)"/\1/p' rust-toolchain.toml)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-      - uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@02cb101ec7c40f2c49e1d9714d64511d8e1b74de # v1
-        with:
-          toolchain: ${{ steps.rust-toolchain-file.outputs.channel }}
+        run: rustup toolchain install --profile minimal --no-self-update
       - uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@6323deb102c322ba6fcbdcafc7e3dddab59af2b6 # v2.9.2
         with:
           workspaces: src-tauri
@@ -181,22 +176,16 @@ jobs:
           node-version-file: ".node-version"
           cache: "npm"
 
-      - name: Read pinned Rust version
-        id: rust-toolchain-file
-        # bash explicitly: the default shell on a Windows runner is PowerShell,
-        # where `$(...)` and `$GITHUB_OUTPUT` mean nothing, so the step passes
-        # having written no output — and the toolchain action then fails with
-        # "toolchain is a required input", eight steps from the real cause.
-        shell: bash
-        run: echo "channel=$(sed -n 's/^channel *= *"\(.*\)"/\1/p' rust-toolchain.toml)" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-
+      # From rust-toolchain.toml, so releases build on the same version CI
+      # tests against. rustup ships on GitHub-hosted runners and reads the
+      # file itself; bash, because the Windows default shell is PowerShell.
       - name: Install Rust toolchain
-        uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@02cb101ec7c40f2c49e1d9714d64511d8e1b74de # v1
-        with:
-          # From rust-toolchain.toml, so releases build on the same version
-          # CI tests against.
-          toolchain: ${{ steps.rust-toolchain-file.outputs.channel }}
-          targets: ${{ matrix.rust_target }}
+        shell: bash
+        env:
+          RUST_TARGET: ${{ matrix.rust_target }}
+        run: |
+          rustup toolchain install --profile minimal --no-self-update
+          rustup target add "$RUST_TARGET"
 
       - name: Rust cache
         uses: swatinem/rust-cache@6323deb102c322ba6fcbdcafc7e3dddab59af2b6 # v2.9.2
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index 0af82b0..e9cc56b 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ lint-workflows:
     actionlint -no-color -oneline
     ./scripts/check-action-pins.sh
     ./scripts/test-check-action-pins.sh
+    ./scripts/test-cargo-audit-check.sh
 
 # Format Rust and everything dprint owns.
 fmt:
diff --git a/mise.toml b/mise.toml
index 54f3d4a..ff970b1 100644
--- a/mise.toml
+++ b/mise.toml
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 # contributor runs before `just <task>`.
 #
 # CI does NOT depend on mise — it reads .node-version and rust-toolchain.toml
-# directly via actions/setup-node and dtolnay/rust-toolchain, so those two
-# files stay the source of truth and nothing here can drift from them.
+# directly via actions/setup-node and rustup, so those two files stay the
+# source of truth and nothing here can drift from them.
 #
 # Note: mise can read those idiomatic files itself, but that is off by
 # default (idiomatic_version_file_enable_tools), so the versions are
diff --git a/rust-toolchain.toml b/rust-toolchain.toml
index cf5a3ab..c4d89be 100644
--- a/rust-toolchain.toml
+++ b/rust-toolchain.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Single source of truth for the Rust toolchain.
 #
-# Read natively by rustup, by dtolnay/rust-toolchain in CI, and by mise.
+# Read natively by rustup (locally and in CI) and by mise.
 # Pinned to an exact version rather than "stable": SQLPilot is an
 # application, not a published library, so a reproducible build matters
 # more than a wide MSRV — and an unpinned toolchain means a new stable
diff --git a/scripts/cargo-audit-check.sh b/scripts/cargo-audit-check.sh
index d230482..5d60f4c 100755
--- a/scripts/cargo-audit-check.sh
+++ b/scripts/cargo-audit-check.sh
@@ -82,10 +82,30 @@ if ! echo "$JSON_OUTPUT" | jq -e 'type == "object" and has("vulnerabilities")' >
   exit 2
 fi
 
+# Say how fresh the advisory database is. cargo audit fetches it before each
+# run, but a --no-fetch run or `fetch = false` in audit.toml answers from
+# whatever copy is on disk, and an old copy reports clean.
+DB_UPDATED="$(echo "$JSON_OUTPUT" | jq -r '.database."last-updated" // empty')"
+if [ -z "$DB_UPDATED" ]; then
+  echo "::warning::cargo-audit-check: the report does not say when the advisory database was last updated." >&2
+elif DB_EPOCH="$(date -d "$DB_UPDATED" +%s 2>/dev/null)"; then
+  DB_AGE_DAYS=$(( ($(date +%s) - DB_EPOCH) / 86400 ))
+  echo "Advisory database last updated $DB_UPDATED ($DB_AGE_DAYS day(s) ago)."
+  if [ "$DB_AGE_DAYS" -gt 7 ]; then
+    echo "::warning::cargo-audit-check: the advisory database is $DB_AGE_DAYS days old, so newer advisories are not checked. Run without --no-fetch to update it." >&2
+  fi
+else
+  # BSD date (macOS) has no -d; show the timestamp and let the reader judge.
+  echo "Advisory database last updated $DB_UPDATED."
+fi
+echo ""
+
 # Pretty-print the full advisory list to job logs (visible, not hidden).
 echo "=== cargo audit findings ==="
 
-echo "$JSON_OUTPUT" | jq -r '
+# Parse first, then print: a parse failure must stop the gate, while the
+# display pipeline below may legitimately end early (head closing the pipe).
+if ! FINDINGS="$(echo "$JSON_OUTPUT" | jq -r '
   (.vulnerabilities.list // []) as $vulns |
   (.warnings.unmaintained // []) as $unm |
   (.warnings.unsound // []) as $uns |
@@ -96,7 +116,13 @@ echo "$JSON_OUTPUT" | jq -r '
     (.advisory.package // "?"),
     .advisory.title
   ] | @tsv
-' | column -t -s $'\t' 2>/dev/null | head -50 || echo "(parse failed)"
+')"; then
+  echo "::error::cargo-audit-check: could not parse the cargo audit report; refusing to call this a pass." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+if [ -n "$FINDINGS" ]; then
+  printf '%s\n' "$FINDINGS" | column -t -s $'\t' 2>/dev/null | head -50 || true
+fi
 
 # Always show the known-accepted list — even after they clear from
 # cargo audit output, the list serves as a reminder of past accepted.
diff --git a/scripts/test-cargo-audit-check.sh b/scripts/test-cargo-audit-check.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..e931216
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/test-cargo-audit-check.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# scripts/test-cargo-audit-check.sh
+#
+# Tests for cargo-audit-check.sh.
+#
+# The gate's job is to tell "nothing found" from "could not look" (#729), so
+# most cases here are ways of not looking: a missing tool, no report, a report
+# that does not parse, a stale advisory database. A fake `cargo` on PATH plays
+# back a canned `cargo audit --json` report per case, so no network or real
+# advisory database is needed.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+script_dir="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+checker="$script_dir/cargo-audit-check.sh"
+work="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$work"' EXIT
+
+passed=0
+failed=0
+ok() { printf '  ok   %s\n' "$1"; passed=$((passed + 1)); }
+bad() { printf '  FAIL %s\n     %s\n' "$1" "$2"; failed=$((failed + 1)); }
+
+# A bin directory holding every tool on the real PATH except jq, so the
+# "jq is missing" case can be run without uninstalling anything.
+nojq_bin="$work/nojq-bin"
+mkdir -p "$nojq_bin"
+IFS=: read -r -a path_dirs <<< "$PATH"
+for dir in "${path_dirs[@]}"; do
+  [[ -d "$dir" ]] || continue
+  for tool in "$dir"/*; do
+    name="${tool##*/}"
+    if [[ "$name" != jq && ! -e "$nojq_bin/$name" && -x "$tool" ]]; then
+      ln -s "$tool" "$nojq_bin/$name"
+    fi
+  done
+done
+
+# Fakes for cargo and cargo-audit: `cargo audit --json` prints $REPORT_FILE.
+fake_bin="$work/fake-bin"
+mkdir -p "$fake_bin"
+cat > "$fake_bin/cargo" <<'EOF'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+[[ "${1:-}" == audit ]] || { echo "fake cargo: only 'audit' is faked" >&2; exit 99; }
+cat "$REPORT_FILE"
+exit "${AUDIT_EXIT:-0}"
+EOF
+printf '#!/usr/bin/env bash\nexit 0\n' > "$fake_bin/cargo-audit"
+chmod +x "$fake_bin/cargo" "$fake_bin/cargo-audit"
+
+# Run the checker against report `$2`, with `$3` as the base PATH.
+run_case() {
+  local name="$1" report="$2" base_path="${3:-$PATH}"
+  local dir="$work/$name"
+  mkdir -p "$dir/ws"
+  printf '%s' "$report" > "$dir/report.json"
+  (
+    cd "$dir"
+    unset GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+    REPORT_FILE="$dir/report.json" CARGO_WORKSPACE_DIR=ws \
+      PATH="$fake_bin:$base_path" bash "$checker" 2>&1
+  )
+}
+
+expect_status() {
+  local name="$1" want="$2" report="$3" needle="$4" base_path="${5:-$PATH}" output status
+  output=$(run_case "$name" "$report" "$base_path") && status=0 || status=$?
+  if [[ $status -ne $want ]]; then
+    bad "$name" "expected exit $want, got $status: $output"
+  elif [[ "$output" != *"$needle"* ]]; then
+    bad "$name" "expected the output to mention '$needle', got: $output"
+  else
+    ok "$name"
+  fi
+}
+
+today="$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"
+old="2020-01-01T00:00:00Z"
+
+report() { # report <last-updated> <vulnerabilities list> <unmaintained list>
+  printf '{"database":{"last-updated":"%s"},"vulnerabilities":{"found":false,"count":0,"list":%s},"warnings":{"unmaintained":%s}}' \
+    "$1" "$2" "$3"
+}
+advisory() { # advisory <id>
+  printf '{"advisory":{"id":"%s","package":"pkg","title":"a title"}}' "$1"
+}
+
+many_warnings="[$(for i in $(seq 1 80); do advisory "RUSTSEC-0000-$i"; if [[ $i -lt 80 ]]; then printf ','; fi; done)]"
+
+echo "cargo-audit-check.sh"
+
+expect_status "a clean report passes" 0 \
+  "$(report "$today" '[]' '[]')" "0 real vulnerabilities"
+
+expect_status "a real vulnerability fails" 1 \
+  "$(report "$today" "[$(advisory RUSTSEC-2099-0001)]" '[]')" "RUSTSEC-2099-0001"
+
+expect_status "warnings alone do not fail" 0 \
+  "$(report "$today" '[]' "[$(advisory RUSTSEC-2099-0002)]")" "1 non-blocking"
+
+expect_status "more findings than the display shows still passes" 0 \
+  "$(report "$today" '[]' "$many_warnings")" "80 non-blocking"
+
+expect_status "jq missing fails" 2 \
+  "$(report "$today" '[]' '[]')" "'jq' is not installed" "$nojq_bin"
+
+expect_status "no report fails" 2 \
+  "" "did not produce a report"
+
+expect_status "a report that is not JSON fails" 2 \
+  "error: failed to fetch advisory database" "did not produce a report"
+
+expect_status "a report whose findings do not parse fails" 2 \
+  "$(report "$today" '"not-a-list"' '[]')" "could not parse"
+
+expect_status "a stale advisory database warns" 0 \
+  "$(report "$old" '[]' '[]')" "days old"
+
+expect_status "the database age is shown" 0 \
+  "$(report "$today" '[]' '[]')" "0 day(s) ago"
+
+echo ""
+echo "$passed passed, $failed failed"
+[[ $failed -eq 0 ]]