diff --git a/.github/review-ownership/README.md b/.github/review-ownership/README.md
index 78d96a1f62..16c4a435e1 100644
--- a/.github/review-ownership/README.md
+++ b/.github/review-ownership/README.md
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ The [`weighted-approval` workflow](../workflows/weighted-approval.yml) publishes
 
 ## Approval scoring
 
-The weighted approval workflow publishes the `weighted approval` commit status on the pull request head. Branch rules must require this status with GitHub Actions as its expected source; a context-only requirement can accept a same-named status from another integration. The status succeeds at two approval points, remains pending below two points or while the pull request is a draft, fails while a write-capable reviewer has an effective `CHANGES_REQUESTED` review, and reports an error when policy evaluation fails.
+The weighted approval workflow publishes the `weighted approval` commit status on the pull request head. Branch rules must require this status with GitHub Actions as its expected source; a context-only requirement can accept a same-named status from another integration. A completed evaluation returns `success` at two approval points and `pending` below two points, while the pull request is a draft, or while a write-capable reviewer has an effective `CHANGES_REQUESTED` review. If evaluation fails, the publisher writes an `error` status.
 
 Reviewers whose calculated base repository permission is `write` or `admin` count. The [approval policy](approval-policy.json) gives `@07akioni`, `@imccyu`, `@tianyicui`, `@tianyicui-bot`, `@turtle1999`, and `@turtle2099` two points each; every other write-capable reviewer gets one point. The pull-request author and reviewers without write permission do not count.
 
diff --git a/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.mjs b/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.mjs
index 78f81acb56..d8e40f7731 100644
--- a/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.mjs
+++ b/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.mjs
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ export async function listPullRequestReviews(api, repository, pullNumber) {
 /**
  * Evaluate approval points from current reviews and repository permissions.
  * @param {{event: unknown, policySource: string, api: (path: string, options?: {method?: string, body?: unknown}) => Promise<unknown>}} options Runtime inputs.
- * @returns {Promise<{pull: {repository: string, number: number, headSha: string}, state: 'failure' | 'pending' | 'success', description: string, points: number, requiredPoints: number, approvals: Array<{login: string, points: number}>, blockers: string[], ignoredReviewers: string[]}>} Approval decision and status payload fields.
+ * @returns {Promise<{pull: {repository: string, number: number, headSha: string}, state: 'pending' | 'success', description: string, points: number, requiredPoints: number, approvals: Array<{login: string, points: number}>, blockers: string[], ignoredReviewers: string[]}>} Approval decision and status payload fields.
  */
 export async function evaluateApproval({ event, policySource, api }) {
   const pull = pullRequestFromEvent(event)
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ export async function evaluateApproval({ event, policySource, api }) {
     return next
   }, 0)
   if (blockers.length > 0) {
-    return approvalResult(pull, policy.requiredPoints, approvals, blockers, ignoredReviewers, 'failure',
+    return approvalResult(pull, policy.requiredPoints, approvals, blockers, ignoredReviewers, 'pending',
       `${blockers.length} blocking change request${blockers.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}`)
   }
   const state = points >= policy.requiredPoints ? 'success' : 'pending'
diff --git a/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.test.mjs b/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.test.mjs
index da8bc6ee4d..a79454273d 100644
--- a/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.test.mjs
+++ b/.github/review-ownership/check-approval.test.mjs
@@ -206,11 +206,13 @@ test('ignores a reviewer whose collaborator permission lookup returns 404', asyn
   assert.deepEqual(result.ignoredReviewers, ['former-writer'])
 })
 
-test('blocks on a write-capable change request but ignores the author and read-only blockers', async () => {
-  const result = await evaluateApproval({
+test('keeps a write-capable change request pending but ignores the author and read-only blockers', async () => {
+  const statuses = []
+  const result = await runApprovalCheck({
     event: pullRequestEvent({ author: 'author' }),
     policySource,
-    api: async (path) => {
+    runUrl: 'https://github.example/actions/runs/1',
+    api: async (path, options = {}) => {
       if (path.includes('/reviews?')) {
         return [
           review('turtle1999', 'APPROVED'),
@@ -222,13 +224,25 @@ test('blocks on a write-capable change request but ignores the author and read-o
       if (path.includes('/collaborators/turtle1999/permission')) return { permission: 'admin' }
       if (path.includes('/collaborators/blocker/permission')) return { permission: 'write' }
       if (path.includes('/collaborators/reader/permission')) return { permission: 'read' }
+      if (path.includes('/statuses/')) {
+        statuses.push(options.body)
+        return {}
+      }
       throw new Error(`unexpected API path ${path}`)
     },
+    write: () => {},
   })
-  assert.equal(result.state, 'failure')
+  assert.equal(result.state, 'pending')
+  assert.equal(result.description, '1 blocking change request.')
   assert.equal(result.points, 2)
   assert.deepEqual(result.blockers, ['blocker'])
   assert.deepEqual(result.ignoredReviewers, ['reader'])
+  assert.deepEqual(statuses, [{
+    state: 'pending',
+    context: 'weighted approval',
+    description: '1 blocking change request.',
+    target_url: 'https://github.example/actions/runs/1',
+  }])
 })
 
 test('keeps drafts pending without reading reviews', async () => {