diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index f045834..e690fc0 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ make test         # Run all tests
 make lint         # Run golangci-lint (.golangci.yml; fails if not installed)
 make check        # fmt + lint + test (mutating: fmt rewrites files)
 make verify       # Non-mutating, credential-free gate for read-only reviewers: tidy diff, vet, gofmt -l, exact-pin lint, non-E2E tests
-make ci           # Credential-free gate matching CI's fail-fast order (verify-static, then coverage, E2E, race, cross-build)
+make ci           # Credential-free gate matching CI's fail-fast order (verify-static, docs integrity, then coverage, E2E, race, cross-build)
 make test-cover   # Tests with HTML coverage report
 make coverage-check        # Enforce the absolute floor and committed coverage ratchet
 make test-coverage-check   # Self-test scripts/check-coverage.sh with fixture profiles
@@ -81,7 +81,9 @@ Run a single test: `go test -v -run TestName ./updex/`
 Build workflow: make code changes → `make fmt` → `make build` → smoke-test
 with `./build/updex --help`. Use `make check` for the quick development loop.
 Run `make ci` before opening a pull request. It checks module tidiness, vet,
-formatting, lint, non-E2E unit and race tests, the separate black-box E2E
+formatting, lint, docs integrity (the same `make test-docs-check` and
+`node scripts/check-docs.mjs` the `docs-gate` CI job runs, so it needs Node.js
+too), non-E2E unit and race tests, the separate black-box E2E
 suite, and Linux amd64/arm64 builds, and requires `golangci-lint`. The lint
 step first runs `make lint-version-check`, which fails unless the installed
 `golangci-lint` matches the pin in `mise.toml` (currently 2.13.1) and was
@@ -648,8 +650,8 @@ their canonical targets, never the aliases. `docs/review-rubric.md`,
 2. Keep changes focused; unrelated fixes belong in a separate PR.
 3. Use Conventional Commits for commit messages **and the pull request
    title** (see [Commits & Pull Requests](#commits--pull-requests)).
-4. Run `make fmt`, `make ci`, and `node scripts/check-docs.mjs` and make
-   sure they pass.
+4. Run `make fmt` and `make ci` (which now includes the docs-integrity
+   gate) and make sure they pass.
 5. Update the documentation and add tests for your change.
 6. Classify the change using the [risk tier guide](docs/risk-tiers.md) and
    include the tier rationale in the pull request
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 1284677..1ac6d54 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -113,8 +113,12 @@ verify: verify-static
 	@echo "==> unit tests"
 	$(GO) test $$($(GO) list ./... | grep -v '/tests/e2e$$')
 
-## ci: Run the credential-free CI gate (verify-static, then coverage, race, and cross-build)
+## ci: Run the credential-free CI gate (verify-static, docs integrity, then coverage, race, and cross-build)
 ci: verify-static
+	@echo "==> docs-integrity checker self-test"
+	$(MAKE) test-docs-check
+	@echo "==> docs integrity"
+	node scripts/check-docs.mjs
 	@echo "==> unit tests with coverage"
 	$(GO) test -v $$($(GO) list ./... | grep -v '/tests/e2e$$') -coverprofile=coverage.out -covermode=atomic
 	@echo "==> coverage floor"
diff --git a/updex/makefile_ci_docs_gate_contract_test.go b/updex/makefile_ci_docs_gate_contract_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..52cf700
--- /dev/null
+++ b/updex/makefile_ci_docs_gate_contract_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+package updex
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"regexp"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// docsGateInvocations are the two commands the `docs-gate` job in
+// .github/workflows/test.yml runs. `make ci` claims to be the credential-free
+// local equivalent of that workflow, so it must run both as well.
+var docsGateInvocations = []struct {
+	name    string
+	pattern *regexp.Regexp
+}{
+	{
+		name:    "make test-docs-check",
+		pattern: regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^\t@?(?:\$\(MAKE\)|make)(?:\s+--no-print-directory)?\s+test-docs-check\s*$`),
+	},
+	{
+		name:    "node scripts/check-docs.mjs",
+		pattern: regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)^\t@?node\s+scripts/check-docs\.mjs\s*$`),
+	},
+}
+
+// TestMakefileCIRecipeRunsDocsIntegrityGate pins the docs-integrity checks
+// into `make ci`. GitHub CI runs `make test-docs-check` and
+// `node scripts/check-docs.mjs` in its `docs-gate` job; before this guard the
+// local `ci` recipe ran neither, so a broken docs index, a dead relative link,
+// or a broken conformance alias passed the local gate and only failed after a
+// pull request was already open. The test fails if either invocation is
+// dropped from the recipe, is moved after the final "CI gate passed" line, or
+// has its failure swallowed.
+func TestMakefileCIRecipeRunsDocsIntegrityGate(t *testing.T) {
+	data, err := os.ReadFile("../Makefile")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read Makefile: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	recipe := extractRecipe(t, string(data), "ci:")
+
+	passIdx := strings.Index(recipe, "CI gate passed")
+	if passIdx < 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("Makefile ci recipe no longer prints \"CI gate passed\"; got:\n%s", recipe)
+	}
+
+	for _, invocation := range docsGateInvocations {
+		loc := invocation.pattern.FindStringIndex(recipe)
+		if loc == nil {
+			t.Errorf("Makefile ci recipe must invoke `%s` (the docs-gate CI job runs it); got:\n%s", invocation.name, recipe)
+			continue
+		}
+		if loc[0] > passIdx {
+			t.Errorf("Makefile ci recipe invokes `%s` after printing \"CI gate passed\"; move it before the success line", invocation.name)
+		}
+	}
+
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(recipe, "\n") {
+		trimmed := strings.TrimPrefix(line, "\t")
+		if !strings.Contains(trimmed, "test-docs-check") && !strings.Contains(trimmed, "check-docs.mjs") {
+			continue
+		}
+		if strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "-") || strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "@-") {
+			t.Errorf("Makefile ci recipe ignores the exit status of a docs-integrity invocation: %q", line)
+		}
+		if strings.Contains(trimmed, "||") {
+			t.Errorf("Makefile ci recipe swallows a docs-integrity failure with a `||` fallback: %q", line)
+		}
+	}
+}