diff --git a/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs b/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs
index 7256cc5..83c8880 100644
--- a/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/aura-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -2487,13 +2487,16 @@ fn parse_axes(
     Ok(axes)
 }
 
-/// The two distinguishable ways `validate_and_register_axes` can fail, carrying
-/// the two distinct exit codes its four call sites (sweep/generalize/walkforward/mc)
-/// preserved before the dedup: an unknown axis name is a usage error (exit 2, echoed
-/// before the archive is touched); a registry write failure is a runtime error (exit 1).
+/// The three distinguishable ways `validate_and_register_axes` can fail: an
+/// unknown axis name is a usage error (exit 2, echoed before the archive is
+/// touched); a registry write failure is a runtime error (exit 1); running
+/// outside a project (no `Aura.toml` found up from cwd, #218's gate) is also
+/// a runtime error (exit 1) — the strategy document cannot resolve against a
+/// project store/vocabulary that doesn't exist.
 enum AxisRegisterError {
     UnknownAxis(String),
     Registry(String),
+    NoProject(String),
 }
 
 /// Validate every `--axis` name against the blueprint's WRAPPED probe namespace
@@ -2507,6 +2510,7 @@ enum AxisRegisterError {
 /// same block", rule-of-three now exceeded 4x).
 #[allow(clippy::type_complexity)]
 fn validate_and_register_axes(
+    verb: &str,
     doc: &str,
     axes: &[(String, Vec<Scalar>)],
     env: &project::Env,
@@ -2521,6 +2525,15 @@ fn validate_and_register_axes(
             )));
         }
     }
+    if env.provenance().is_none() {
+        let cwd = std::env::current_dir()
+            .map(|d| d.display().to_string())
+            .unwrap_or_default();
+        return Err(AxisRegisterError::NoProject(format!(
+            "{verb} needs a project: strategies resolve against the project \
+             store and vocabulary (no Aura.toml found up from {cwd})"
+        )));
+    }
     let blueprint = blueprint_from_json(doc, &|t| env.resolve(t))
         .expect("doc parse-validated at the dispatch boundary");
     let canonical = blueprint_to_json(&blueprint).expect("a loaded blueprint re-serializes");
@@ -2538,7 +2551,8 @@ fn validate_and_register_axes(
 /// Exit-map for a `validate_and_register_axes` failure — the stderr line and
 /// exit code every campaign dispatcher (sweep/generalize/walkforward/mc)
 /// preserves: an unknown axis is a usage error (exit 2, echoed before the
-/// archive is touched), a registry write failure a runtime error (exit 1).
+/// archive is touched); a registry write failure or a missing project (no
+/// `Aura.toml` found up from cwd, #218's gate) is a runtime error (exit 1).
 fn exit_axis_register_error(e: AxisRegisterError) -> ! {
     match e {
         AxisRegisterError::UnknownAxis(m) => {
@@ -2549,6 +2563,10 @@ fn exit_axis_register_error(e: AxisRegisterError) -> ! {
             eprintln!("aura: {m}");
             std::process::exit(1)
         }
+        AxisRegisterError::NoProject(m) => {
+            eprintln!("aura: {m}");
+            std::process::exit(1)
+        }
     }
 }
 
@@ -2702,7 +2720,7 @@ fn dispatch_generalize(a: GeneralizeCmd, env: &project::Env) {
             std::process::exit(2);
         }
     }
-    let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes(&doc, &axes, env)
+    let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes("generalize", &doc, &axes, env)
         .unwrap_or_else(|e| exit_axis_register_error(e));
     // Window: the explicit --from/--to when both present (byte-identical to the
     // retired welded path, verified by the exact-grade anchor); otherwise the
@@ -2843,7 +2861,7 @@ fn dispatch_sweep(a: SweepCmd, env: &project::Env) {
                     // Axis validation + canonicalize/register + the wrapped->raw
                     // strip are single-sourced in `validate_and_register_axes`
                     // (data-free, so this fires before the archive is touched).
-                    let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes(&doc, &axes, env)
+                    let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes("sweep", &doc, &axes, env)
                         .unwrap_or_else(|e| exit_axis_register_error(e));
                     let symbol = symbol.clone();
                     // Archive-clipped Unix-ms window; the ns->ms seam-crossing
@@ -2924,7 +2942,7 @@ fn dispatch_walkforward(a: WalkforwardCmd, env: &project::Env) {
                 // Axis validation + canonicalize/register + the wrapped->raw
                 // strip are single-sourced in `validate_and_register_axes`
                 // (data-free, so this fires before the archive is touched).
-                let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes(&doc, &axes, env)
+                let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes("walkforward", &doc, &axes, env)
                     .unwrap_or_else(|e| exit_axis_register_error(e));
                 // Unlike `dispatch_generalize` (a single run per instrument, insensitive
                 // to a day's edge shift), `blueprint_walkforward_family` sources its span
@@ -3027,7 +3045,7 @@ fn dispatch_mc(a: McCmd, env: &project::Env) {
                 // Axis validation + canonicalize/register + the wrapped->raw
                 // strip are single-sourced in `validate_and_register_axes`
                 // (data-free, so this fires before the archive is touched).
-                let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes(&doc, &axes, env)
+                let (canonical, raw_axes) = validate_and_register_axes("mc", &doc, &axes, env)
                     .unwrap_or_else(|e| exit_axis_register_error(e));
                 // `blueprint_walkforward_family` sources its span from
                 // `DataSource::wf_full_span`, which for Real ALWAYS clips `--from`/`--to`
diff --git a/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs b/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs
index afc1e5d..00d6280 100644
--- a/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs
+++ b/crates/aura-cli/tests/cli_run.rs
@@ -71,6 +71,78 @@ fn fresh_project() -> (&'static PathBuf, (RunsCleanup, MutexGuard<'static, ()>))
     (dir, (RunsCleanup(runs), lock))
 }
 
+/// #218: a well-formed dissolved verb run outside a project refuses up front
+/// (exit 1, "needs a project") and leaves no store — parity with `campaign run`.
+/// The refusal names the INVOKED verb, not a copy-pasted generic string — a
+/// per-verb literal shared across four call sites (`validate_and_register_axes`
+/// takes `verb` as a parameter) is exactly the kind of edit that silently
+/// regresses to one hardcoded verb name; this pins that each call site still
+/// threads its own name through.
+#[test]
+fn sweep_outside_project_refuses_and_leaves_no_store() {
+    let cwd = temp_cwd("sweep-outside-project-refuses");
+    let bp = format!("{}/examples/r_sma_open.json", env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"));
+    let out = std::process::Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_aura"))
+        .args(["sweep", &bp, "--real", "GER40", "--axis", "sma_signal.fast.length=2,4"])
+        .current_dir(&cwd)
+        .output()
+        .expect("spawn aura");
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "stderr: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr));
+    assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).contains("sweep needs a project"));
+    assert!(!cwd.join("runs").exists(), "a refused run must leave no store");
+}
+
+/// #218: same refusal as `sweep_outside_project_refuses_and_leaves_no_store`,
+/// for `generalize`'s instrument-list form — the message names `generalize`,
+/// not `sweep` (see that test's doc comment for the property).
+#[test]
+fn generalize_outside_project_refuses_and_leaves_no_store() {
+    let cwd = temp_cwd("generalize-outside-project-refuses");
+    let bp = format!("{}/examples/r_sma_open.json", env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"));
+    let out = std::process::Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_aura"))
+        .args(["generalize", &bp, "--real", "GER40,USDJPY", "--axis", "sma_signal.fast.length=2"])
+        .current_dir(&cwd)
+        .output()
+        .expect("spawn aura");
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "stderr: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr));
+    assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).contains("generalize needs a project"));
+    assert!(!cwd.join("runs").exists(), "a refused run must leave no store");
+}
+
+/// #218: same refusal as `sweep_outside_project_refuses_and_leaves_no_store`,
+/// for `walkforward`'s valid `--axis` form — the message names `walkforward`,
+/// not `sweep` (see that test's doc comment for the property).
+#[test]
+fn walkforward_outside_project_refuses_and_leaves_no_store() {
+    let cwd = temp_cwd("walkforward-outside-project-refuses");
+    let bp = format!("{}/examples/r_sma_open.json", env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"));
+    let out = std::process::Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_aura"))
+        .args(["walkforward", &bp, "--real", "GER40", "--axis", "sma_signal.fast.length=2,4"])
+        .current_dir(&cwd)
+        .output()
+        .expect("spawn aura");
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "stderr: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr));
+    assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).contains("walkforward needs a project"));
+    assert!(!cwd.join("runs").exists(), "a refused run must leave no store");
+}
+
+/// #218: same refusal as `sweep_outside_project_refuses_and_leaves_no_store`,
+/// for `mc`'s valid `--axis` form — the message names `mc`, not `sweep` (see
+/// that test's doc comment for the property).
+#[test]
+fn mc_outside_project_refuses_and_leaves_no_store() {
+    let cwd = temp_cwd("mc-outside-project-refuses");
+    let bp = format!("{}/examples/r_sma_open.json", env!("CARGO_MANIFEST_DIR"));
+    let out = std::process::Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_aura"))
+        .args(["mc", &bp, "--real", "GER40", "--axis", "sma_signal.fast.length=2,4"])
+        .current_dir(&cwd)
+        .output()
+        .expect("spawn aura");
+    assert_eq!(out.status.code(), Some(1), "stderr: {}", String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr));
+    assert!(String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr).contains("mc needs a project"));
+    assert!(!cwd.join("runs").exists(), "a refused run must leave no store");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn run_prints_json_and_exits_zero() {
     // `run` is blueprint-only now (#159 cut 4 retired the bare built-in default);