diff --git a/desktop/scripts/check-web-pal-coverage.mjs b/desktop/scripts/check-web-pal-coverage.mjs
index 9b3cecb2366..1eb646cefee 100644
--- a/desktop/scripts/check-web-pal-coverage.mjs
+++ b/desktop/scripts/check-web-pal-coverage.mjs
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ function coverageClaimsFromFile(coverage) {
     invalid.push(`${PENDING_FIELD} must be an object of name -> owner`);
   } else {
     for (const [name, owner] of Object.entries(pendingEntries)) {
-      if (typeof owner !== "string" || owner.length === 0) {
+      if (typeof owner !== "string" || owner.trim().length === 0) {
         invalid.push(`${PENDING_FIELD}.${name} must name an owning lane`);
         continue;
       }
diff --git a/desktop/scripts/web-pal-census.mjs b/desktop/scripts/web-pal-census.mjs
index 38d1197b2f7..527b3b1e233 100644
--- a/desktop/scripts/web-pal-census.mjs
+++ b/desktop/scripts/web-pal-census.mjs
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@ function modulePathForImport(specifier, sourcePath) {
   }
   if (!specifier.startsWith(".")) return null;
 
-  const candidate = path.resolve(path.dirname(sourcePath), specifier);
+  const absoluteSourcePath = path.isAbsolute(sourcePath)
+    ? sourcePath
+    : path.resolve(REPO_DIR, sourcePath);
+  const candidate = path.resolve(path.dirname(absoluteSourcePath), specifier);
   const candidates = [
     candidate,
     `${candidate}.ts`,
@@ -521,16 +524,58 @@ export function buildManifest(renderer, rustCommands) {
   };
 }
 
-export async function generateManifest({ outputPath = MANIFEST_PATH } = {}) {
+export async function createManifest() {
   const [renderer, rustCommands] = await Promise.all([
     extractRendererCommands(),
     extractRustCommands(),
   ]);
-  const manifest = buildManifest(renderer, rustCommands);
+  return buildManifest(renderer, rustCommands);
+}
+
+export async function generateManifest({ outputPath = MANIFEST_PATH } = {}) {
+  const manifest = await createManifest();
   await writeFile(outputPath, `${JSON.stringify(manifest, null, 2)}\n`, "utf8");
   return manifest;
 }
 
+function namesForSection(manifest, section) {
+  const commands = manifest?.[section]?.commands;
+  if (!Array.isArray(commands)) {
+    throw new Error(`Manifest is missing ${section}.commands`);
+  }
+  return commands.map((command) =>
+    typeof command === "string" ? command : command?.name,
+  );
+}
+
+function describeNameDrift(section, committedNames, currentNames) {
+  const committed = new Set(committedNames);
+  const current = new Set(currentNames);
+  const added = currentNames.filter((name) => !committed.has(name));
+  const removed = committedNames.filter((name) => !current.has(name));
+  return `${section} command drift (added: ${added.join(", ") || "none"}; removed: ${removed.join(", ") || "none"})`;
+}
+
+export async function checkCommittedManifest({
+  manifestPath = MANIFEST_PATH,
+} = {}) {
+  const [committed, current] = await Promise.all([
+    readFile(manifestPath, "utf8").then(JSON.parse),
+    createManifest(),
+  ]);
+  for (const section of ["renderer", "rust"]) {
+    const committedNames = namesForSection(committed, section);
+    const currentNames = namesForSection(current, section);
+    if (
+      committedNames.length !== currentNames.length ||
+      committedNames.some((name, index) => name !== currentNames[index])
+    ) {
+      throw new Error(describeNameDrift(section, committedNames, currentNames));
+    }
+  }
+  return current;
+}
+
 function printSummary(manifest) {
   const rendererCount = manifest.renderer.commandCount;
   const rustCount = manifest.rust.commandCount;
@@ -560,10 +605,21 @@ const isMain =
   process.argv[1] &&
   pathToFileURL(path.resolve(process.argv[1])).href === import.meta.url;
 if (isMain) {
-  generateManifest()
-    .then(printSummary)
-    .catch((error) => {
-      console.error(error instanceof Error ? error.message : error);
-      process.exitCode = 1;
-    });
+  const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+  const unknownArgs = args.filter((argument) => argument !== "--check");
+  const action =
+    unknownArgs.length > 0
+      ? Promise.reject(
+          new Error(`Unknown argument(s): ${unknownArgs.join(", ")}`),
+        )
+      : args.includes("--check")
+        ? checkCommittedManifest().then((manifest) => {
+            printSummary(manifest);
+            console.log("Committed manifest matches current command names");
+          })
+        : generateManifest().then(printSummary);
+  action.catch((error) => {
+    console.error(error instanceof Error ? error.message : error);
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+  });
 }
diff --git a/desktop/src/platform/web/coverage-guard.test.mjs b/desktop/src/platform/web/coverage-guard.test.mjs
index db169900d00..25367caee9f 100644
--- a/desktop/src/platform/web/coverage-guard.test.mjs
+++ b/desktop/src/platform/web/coverage-guard.test.mjs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import assert from "node:assert/strict";
 import { readFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import test from "node:test";
 import { checkCoverage } from "../../../scripts/check-web-pal-coverage.mjs";
+import { createManifest } from "../../../scripts/web-pal-census.mjs";
 
 // Enforces that every renderer-invoked Tauri command has an explicit browser
 // classification (implemented / noop / capability-off). Adding a new invoke()
@@ -16,6 +17,12 @@ test("web PAL coverage: every renderer command is classified", async () => {
   const coverage = JSON.parse(
     await readFile(new URL("./coverage.json", import.meta.url), "utf8"),
   );
+  const currentManifest = await createManifest();
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    currentManifest.renderer.commands.map((command) => command.name),
+    manifest.renderer.commands.map((command) => command.name),
+    "renderer command census drift; regenerate docs/web-pal-commands.json",
+  );
   const result = checkCoverage(manifest, coverage);
   assert.deepEqual(result.missing, [], "unaccounted renderer commands");
   assert.deepEqual(
@@ -27,3 +34,18 @@ test("web PAL coverage: every renderer command is classified", async () => {
   assert.deepEqual(result.invalid, [], "invalid coverage entries");
   assert.equal(result.ok, true);
 });
+
+test("web PAL coverage rejects blank and unknown pending owners", () => {
+  const result = checkCoverage(
+    { renderer: { commands: [{ name: "known" }] } },
+    {
+      implemented: [],
+      noop: [],
+      "capability-off": [],
+      pending: { known: "   ", unknown: "lane" },
+    },
+  );
+  assert.deepEqual(result.invalid, ["pending.known must name an owning lane"]);
+  assert.deepEqual(result.unknown, ["unknown"]);
+  assert.equal(result.ok, false);
+});
diff --git a/desktop/src/platform/web/web-pal-census.test.mjs b/desktop/src/platform/web/web-pal-census.test.mjs
index cfa1cb798f6..e749746dca2 100644
--- a/desktop/src/platform/web/web-pal-census.test.mjs
+++ b/desktop/src/platform/web/web-pal-census.test.mjs
@@ -1,11 +1,24 @@
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
-import { readFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { execFile } from "node:child_process";
+import { mkdtemp, readFile, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
 import test from "node:test";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { promisify } from "node:util";
 import {
+  checkCommittedManifest,
   extractRendererCommandsFromSource,
   extractRustCommandsFromSource,
 } from "../../../scripts/web-pal-census.mjs";
 
+const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
+const DESKTOP_DIR = fileURLToPath(new URL("../../../", import.meta.url));
+const REPO_DIR = path.resolve(DESKTOP_DIR, "..");
+const CENSUS_SCRIPT = fileURLToPath(
+  new URL("../../../scripts/web-pal-census.mjs", import.meta.url),
+);
+
 test("AST census extracts single-line, multi-line, aliased, and raw invocations", async () => {
   const fixture = await readFile(
     new URL(
@@ -55,3 +68,36 @@ test("Rust command extraction handles module paths and cfg attributes", () => {
   `);
   assert.deepEqual(commands, ["first_command", "second_command"]);
 });
+
+test("census check is independent of the caller working directory", async () => {
+  for (const cwd of [REPO_DIR, DESKTOP_DIR]) {
+    const { stdout } = await execFileAsync(
+      process.execPath,
+      [CENSUS_SCRIPT, "--check"],
+      { cwd },
+    );
+    assert.match(stdout, /Renderer commands: 294 distinct/);
+    assert.match(stdout, /Committed manifest matches current command names/);
+  }
+});
+
+test("census check rejects committed command-name drift", async () => {
+  const directory = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "buzz-census-test-"));
+  const manifestPath = path.join(directory, "web-pal-commands.json");
+  try {
+    const manifest = JSON.parse(
+      await readFile(
+        path.join(DESKTOP_DIR, "docs/web-pal-commands.json"),
+        "utf8",
+      ),
+    );
+    manifest.renderer.commands.pop();
+    await writeFile(manifestPath, JSON.stringify(manifest), "utf8");
+    await assert.rejects(
+      checkCommittedManifest({ manifestPath }),
+      /renderer command drift/,
+    );
+  } finally {
+    await rm(directory, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+});