diff --git a/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md b/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md
index 79f386b04..8f3738213 100644
--- a/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md
+++ b/.agents/scripts/commands/pulse.md
@@ -122,7 +122,7 @@ Then skip to the next PR. The next pulse cycle will retry the permission check 
   - `SKIP` means the PR has a `skip-review-gate` label — it bypasses the bot gate only, NOT the review count requirement.
   - Skip the PR when the formal review count is 0, regardless of bot gate status.
 - **Green CI + zero reviews** → skip this cycle. Zero reviews means "not yet reviewed", NOT "clean to merge". Review bots typically post within 2-5 minutes. The next pulse will pick it up once a review exists.
-- **Failing CI or changes requested** → dispatch a worker to fix it (counts against worker slots)
+- **Failing CI or changes requested** → before dispatching a fix worker, check whether this is a systemic failure (see "CI failure pattern detection" below). If systemic, skip the per-PR dispatch — the workflow-level issue covers it. If per-PR, dispatch a worker to fix it (counts against worker slots).
 
 **For all PRs (regardless of author):**