diff --git a/scripts/persistence-changes.spec.ts b/scripts/persistence-changes.spec.ts
index f831de0a76..0cd7c2a37c 100644
--- a/scripts/persistence-changes.spec.ts
+++ b/scripts/persistence-changes.spec.ts
@@ -1031,6 +1031,26 @@ function reviewFile(root: string, review: unknown = COMPATIBILITY_REVIEW): strin
 }
 
 describe('authored same-version compatibility review', () => {
+  it('records and reloads evidence containing todo event names and test paths', () => {
+    const root = fixture()
+    baseline(root)
+    const review = {
+      oldReaders: 'Unknown event:todo/write records are refused before resume.',
+      newReaders: 'Historical event:todo/write records retain their meaning.',
+      verification: 'pnpm exec vitest run packages/todo/tool-todo/tests/tool-todo.spec.ts: passed.',
+    }
+    const after = inventory({ value: 'number' })
+    runPersistenceChanges(['--record', NEXT_ID, '--review', reviewFile(root, review), '--prose', proseFile(root)], root, () => after)
+    expect(loadPersistenceHistory(root).entries.find(entry => entry.record.id === NEXT_ID)?.record.review).toEqual(review)
+    expect(runPersistenceChanges(['--check'], root, () => after)).toContain('roots match')
+  })
+
+  it.each(['TODO', 'tbd', 'FIXME: run tests', 'Evidence:\n  todo: run tests', 'Reader behavior is TBD.'])(
+    'rejects standalone placeholder evidence: %s', (verification) => {
+      expect(() => parsePersistenceReview({ ...COMPATIBILITY_REVIEW, verification })).toThrow('without placeholders')
+    },
+  )
+
   it.each(['optional header', 'removed field', 'changed field'] as const)('admits a reviewed %s after finalization', (kind) => {
     const root = fixture()
     finalize(root)
diff --git a/scripts/persistence-changes.ts b/scripts/persistence-changes.ts
index 090a54c646..12fc380360 100644
--- a/scripts/persistence-changes.ts
+++ b/scripts/persistence-changes.ts
@@ -775,6 +775,7 @@ function scaffold(change: PersistenceChangeRecord, chinese: boolean, prose?: Per
 }
 
 /** Parse authored compatibility evidence for the exact schemas in an acknowledgement.
+ * Placeholder checks exclude marker names embedded in event identifiers and paths.
  * @param value - decoded JSON supplied through --review or a saved machine record.
  * @returns validated evidence with canonical field ordering.
  */
@@ -783,7 +784,7 @@ export function parsePersistenceReview(value: unknown): PersistenceCompatibility
   keys(input, ['oldReaders', 'newReaders', 'verification'], 'compatibility review')
   const authored = (name: string): string => {
     const text = textValue(input[name], `compatibility review ${name}`)
-    if (text.trim().length === 0 || /\b(?:TODO|TBD|FIXME)\b/iu.test(text)) {
+    if (text.trim().length === 0 || /(?:^|\s)(?:TODO|TBD|FIXME)(?=$|[\s:;,.!?])/iu.test(text)) {
       throw new Error(`compatibility review ${name} requires authored text without placeholders`)
     }
     return text