diff --git a/crates/aura-bench/baselines/cli_fixed_cost.json b/crates/aura-bench/baselines/cli_fixed_cost.json
index d6e90b9..f6e45b0 100644
--- a/crates/aura-bench/baselines/cli_fixed_cost.json
+++ b/crates/aura-bench/baselines/cli_fixed_cost.json
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
 {
   "surface": "cli_fixed_cost",
   "metrics": {
-    "help_ms": 1.53201,
-    "run_ms": 3.37904
+    "help_ms": 1.5094509999999999,
+    "run_ms": 3.679743
   },
-  "fingerprint": "run_line_fnv=ef791827583f616b",
+  "fingerprint": "run_line_fnv=792dc4434f8e3dee",
   "reps": 3,
   "host": {
     "hostname": "Raki",
     "nproc": 24
   },
   "profile": "release",
-  "commit": "d62dede",
+  "commit": "13d8500",
   "date": "2026-07-17"
 }
diff --git a/crates/aura-bench/src/surfaces/fixed_cost.rs b/crates/aura-bench/src/surfaces/fixed_cost.rs
index f64e289..4a3ae01 100644
--- a/crates/aura-bench/src/surfaces/fixed_cost.rs
+++ b/crates/aura-bench/src/surfaces/fixed_cost.rs
@@ -11,6 +11,25 @@ use std::collections::BTreeMap;
 use std::path::Path;
 use std::time::Instant;
 
+/// Fingerprint of an `aura run` record line, invariant across rebuilds: the
+/// line's `manifest.commit` is the aura binary's compile-time build sha
+/// (crates/aura-cli/build.rs — the invariant-8 audit trail), so hashing the
+/// raw line would flip the fingerprint on EVERY new commit and report a
+/// phantom correctness change at each cycle close. Parse, blank that one
+/// volatile field, re-serialize (serde_json's map is sorted — deterministic
+/// bytes), then hash.
+pub fn run_line_fingerprint(line: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
+    let mut v: serde_json::Value =
+        serde_json::from_str(line).map_err(|e| format!("run record line parses: {e}"))?;
+    let commit = v
+        .get_mut("manifest")
+        .and_then(|m| m.get_mut("commit"))
+        .ok_or("run record line carries manifest.commit")?;
+    *commit = serde_json::Value::String(String::new());
+    let canonical = serde_json::to_string(&v).expect("re-serializing a parsed Value cannot fail");
+    Ok(format!("run_line_fnv={:016x}", fnv1a(canonical.as_bytes())))
+}
+
 /// Spawn samples folded into one repetition: single-digit-millisecond spawns
 /// jitter well past the 10% NOTICE threshold, so each repetition reports the
 /// median over a batch instead of one throw of the scheduler dice.
@@ -60,5 +79,44 @@ pub fn rep(bin: &Path) -> Result<RepOutcome, String> {
     let mut metrics = BTreeMap::new();
     metrics.insert("help_ms".to_string(), median(help_walls));
     metrics.insert("run_ms".to_string(), median(run_walls));
-    Ok(RepOutcome { metrics, fingerprint: format!("run_line_fnv={:016x}", fnv1a(line.as_bytes())) })
+    Ok(RepOutcome { metrics, fingerprint: run_line_fingerprint(&line)? })
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    /// The symptom this fixes, pinned: two record lines that differ ONLY in
+    /// `manifest.commit` (a rebuild at a new commit) must fingerprint
+    /// identically — the raw-line hash flipped here and reported a phantom
+    /// correctness change on the first post-commit bench run.
+    #[test]
+    fn run_line_fingerprint_is_invariant_across_build_commits() {
+        let at_a = r#"{"manifest":{"commit":"aaaa","seed":0},"metrics":{"total_pips":0.5}}"#;
+        let at_b = r#"{"manifest":{"commit":"bbbb","seed":0},"metrics":{"total_pips":0.5}}"#;
+        assert_eq!(
+            run_line_fingerprint(at_a).expect("parses"),
+            run_line_fingerprint(at_b).expect("parses"),
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// The fingerprint still catches what it exists for: a computed-result
+    /// change (any non-provenance byte) yields a different hash.
+    #[test]
+    fn run_line_fingerprint_still_detects_result_changes() {
+        let base = r#"{"manifest":{"commit":"aaaa","seed":0},"metrics":{"total_pips":0.5}}"#;
+        let drifted = r#"{"manifest":{"commit":"aaaa","seed":0},"metrics":{"total_pips":0.6}}"#;
+        assert_ne!(
+            run_line_fingerprint(base).expect("parses"),
+            run_line_fingerprint(drifted).expect("parses"),
+        );
+    }
+
+    /// A line without the provenance field is malformed input, not a silent
+    /// pass — the guard that keeps the blanking honest if the record schema
+    /// ever moves.
+    #[test]
+    fn run_line_fingerprint_rejects_a_line_without_manifest_commit() {
+        assert!(run_line_fingerprint(r#"{"metrics":{"total_pips":0.5}}"#).is_err());
+    }
 }