diff --git a/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs b/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs
index 960708a..c76f8cd 100644
--- a/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs
+++ b/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs
@@ -26,6 +26,53 @@ fn run_prints_json_and_exits_zero() {
     assert!(line.ends_with("\"exposure_sign_flips\":1}}"), "got: {line}");
 }
 
+/// Property: the RunManifest is self-identifying — its `commit` carries the
+/// real code identity that produced the run, not a placeholder. C8/C18 audit
+/// trail (this run = this commit): once runs are archived, `manifest.commit`
+/// must point back at the source. The build captures the current git HEAD at
+/// compile time; the `"unknown"` literal survives only when there is no git.
+///
+/// Structural assertion (not exact-equality) on purpose: the working tree may
+/// be dirty when this runs (e.g. this very test file uncommitted), so a build
+/// that appends a `-dirty` suffix would not equal `rev-parse HEAD` verbatim.
+/// The honest contract is: the field CONTAINS the current HEAD sha AND is not
+/// the bare `"unknown"` placeholder — true regardless of dirtiness/suffix.
+#[test]
+fn run_manifest_commit_carries_real_git_head() {
+    // The current HEAD sha, obtained the same way the build is expected to.
+    let head = Command::new("git")
+        .args(["rev-parse", "HEAD"])
+        .output()
+        .expect("spawn git rev-parse HEAD");
+    assert!(head.status.success(), "git rev-parse HEAD failed");
+    let head_sha = String::from_utf8(head.stdout).expect("utf-8 sha");
+    let head_sha = head_sha.trim();
+    assert!(!head_sha.is_empty(), "empty HEAD sha");
+
+    // Drive the binary and pull `manifest.commit` out of the single JSON line.
+    let out = Command::new(BIN).arg("run").output().expect("spawn aura run");
+    assert!(out.status.success(), "exit status: {:?}", out.status);
+    let stdout = String::from_utf8(out.stdout).expect("utf-8 stdout");
+    let line = stdout.trim_end();
+
+    // Locate the `"commit":"<value>"` value without a JSON dependency (the
+    // sibling tests parse this output by substring too).
+    let key = "\"commit\":\"";
+    let start = line.find(key).expect("manifest has a commit field") + key.len();
+    let rest = &line[start..];
+    let end = rest.find('"').expect("commit field is a closed string");
+    let commit = &rest[..end];
+
+    assert_ne!(
+        commit, "unknown",
+        "manifest.commit is still the placeholder: {line}"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        commit.contains(head_sha),
+        "manifest.commit {commit:?} should contain the current HEAD sha {head_sha:?}; line: {line}"
+    );
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn no_args_prints_usage_and_exits_two() {
     let out = Command::new(BIN).output().expect("spawn aura");