diff --git a/.github/workflows/maint-coverage-guard.yml b/.github/workflows/maint-coverage-guard.yml
index 5e42e15..224c1d6 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/maint-coverage-guard.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/maint-coverage-guard.yml
@@ -181,11 +181,10 @@ jobs:
               ['success', 'neutral'].includes(run.conclusion || ''),
             );
             const runsToProbe = successfulRuns.slice(0, 10);
-            const requiredCoverageArtifactNames = new Set([
-              'gate-coverage-trend',
-              'gate-coverage-trend-history',
-              'gate-coverage',
-            ]);
+            // The payload is the only input every successful Gate run produces. Trend artifacts
+            // are best-effort enrichment: their download steps continue on error and the guard
+            // already omits their CLI arguments when they are absent.
+            const requiredCoverageArtifactNames = new Set(['gate-coverage']);
             let candidate = null;
             for (const run of runsToProbe) {
               let artifacts = [];
@@ -240,8 +239,7 @@ jobs:
               core.warning(
                 [
                   'Unable to locate a recent successful Gate workflow run with required',
-                  'coverage artifacts: gate-coverage-trend, gate-coverage-trend-history,',
-                  'gate-coverage.',
+                  'coverage payload artifact: gate-coverage.',
               ].join(' '),
               );
               core.setOutput('run_id', '');
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 718dbac..dabc0a6 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ Audits/
 # --- python / tooling noise ---
 __pycache__/
 *.py[cod]
+*.egg-info/
 .venv/
 venv/
 .pytest_cache/
diff --git a/tests/test_coverage_guard_config.py b/tests/test_coverage_guard_config.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e435d34
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_coverage_guard_config.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+"""Regression checks for the Gate-to-coverage-guard artifact contract."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+
+import paths
+
+WORKFLOW = paths.REPO_ROOT / ".github" / "workflows" / "maint-coverage-guard.yml"
+
+
+def test_coverage_guard_requires_only_the_gate_payload():
+    """Optional trend downloads must not disqualify an otherwise usable Gate payload."""
+    workflow = WORKFLOW.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    match = re.search(
+        r"const requiredCoverageArtifactNames = new Set\((.*?)\);",
+        workflow,
+        re.S,
+    )
+    assert match, "coverage-guard artifact discovery set is missing"
+
+    required = set(re.findall(r"'([^']+)'", match.group(1)))
+    assert required == {"gate-coverage"}, (
+        "the coverage payload is mandatory; trend/history artifacts are best-effort inputs "
+        "handled by the guard runner when present"
+    )
+
+    for step_name, artifact in (
+        ("Download coverage trend artifact", "gate-coverage-trend"),
+        ("Download coverage trend history artifact", "gate-coverage-trend-history"),
+    ):
+        block = workflow.split(f"- name: {step_name}", 1)[1].split("\n      - name:", 1)[0]
+        assert f"name: {artifact}" in block, f"{step_name} no longer requests {artifact}"
+        assert "continue-on-error: true" in block, f"{artifact} must remain optional"
diff --git a/tests/test_repo_artifact_hygiene.py b/tests/test_repo_artifact_hygiene.py
index e8f5db5..218fe31 100644
--- a/tests/test_repo_artifact_hygiene.py
+++ b/tests/test_repo_artifact_hygiene.py
@@ -135,6 +135,19 @@ def test_no_emitted_artifact_is_tracked():
     )
 
 
+def test_generated_package_metadata_is_ignored_and_untracked():
+    """Packaging metadata generated by autofix must not become a source-tree change."""
+    require_git()
+    artifact = "src/UNKNOWN.egg-info/PKG-INFO"
+    assert is_ignored(artifact), f"{artifact} is not ignored"
+    proc = git("ls-files", "--", "*.egg-info/*")
+    assert proc.returncode == 0, f"git ls-files failed: {proc.stderr.strip()}"
+    assert not proc.stdout.strip(), (
+        "generated package metadata is tracked; remove it from the index and keep *.egg-info/ "
+        "in .gitignore so autofix cannot add it to unrelated pull requests"
+    )
+
+
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("path", MUST_STAY_COMMITTABLE)
 def test_sources_and_docs_are_not_swallowed(path: str):
     require_git()