diff --git a/.githooks/pre-push b/.githooks/pre-push
index 409ea1fa..d6512026 100755
--- a/.githooks/pre-push
+++ b/.githooks/pre-push
@@ -5,14 +5,16 @@
 # Bypass: never. If this runs slowly, fix the slow test; don't reach
 # for --no-verify (git-commit skill forbids it).
 #
-# Fast path (T-348): run the full ~2min test suite only when the push touches
-# lib/ (app + runtime Dart source) or pubspec.* (deps / version). test/,
-# assets/, docs, and tooling changes ride along with a lib change in practice,
-# and an otherwise-skipped push is covered by the next one that does touch lib.
-# The full suite is always available via `make push-check`, and the release CI
-# runs it forced on a tagged version. So a lib/pubspec-free push runs just the
-# instant decisions + changelog gates. A state we can't classify (unfetched
-# remote, new branch) runs the full gate.
+# Fast path (T-348, widened T-393): run the full ~2min test suite when the push
+# touches lib/ (app + runtime Dart source), pubspec.* (deps / version), or the
+# things that can themselves break the suite or this gate — test/, ci/, and
+# .githooks/. (The old regex matched only lib/ and pubspec.*, so a push that
+# ONLY changed a test, a ci/ gate script, or this hook skipped the whole suite.)
+# Pure assets/docs changes still ride along with the next lib-touching push.
+# There is no release CI — the full suite is only ever run here or via
+# `make push-check`. So a push touching none of the above runs just the instant
+# decisions + changelog gates. A state we can't classify (unfetched remote, new
+# branch) runs the full gate.
 set -euo pipefail
 
 cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
@@ -40,16 +42,22 @@ while read -r _local_ref local_sha _remote_ref remote_sha; do
   changed+=$'\n'"$(git diff --name-only "$base" "$local_sha")"
 done
 
-# Run the full gate when lib/ (app + runtime source) or pubspec.* (deps /
-# version) is touched, or when we couldn't classify above.
+# Paths that force the full gate: source (lib/), deps/version (pubspec.*), and
+# the dirs that can themselves break the suite or this gate (test/, ci/,
+# .githooks/). Single source of truth — test/tooling/pre_push_hook_test.dart
+# reads this exact pattern, so narrowing it fails that test (the T-393 guard).
+trigger_re='^(lib/|test/|ci/|\.githooks/|pubspec\.)'
+
+# Run the full gate when a trigger path is touched, or when we couldn't classify
+# above.
 needs_gate=1
 if [[ "$force_full" -eq 0 ]]; then
-  trigger_files="$(printf '%s\n' "$changed" | grep -E '^(lib/|pubspec\.)' || true)"
+  trigger_files="$(printf '%s\n' "$changed" | grep -E "$trigger_re" || true)"
   [[ -z "$trigger_files" ]] && needs_gate=0
 fi
 
 if [[ "$needs_gate" -eq 0 ]]; then
-  echo "==> pre-push: no lib/ or pubspec change — decisions + changelog gates, skipping tests"
+  echo "==> pre-push: no source/test/ci/hook/pubspec change — decisions + changelog gates, skipping tests"
   make decisions-validate changelog-gate
 else
   echo "==> pre-push: make push-check"
diff --git a/test/tooling/pre_push_hook_test.dart b/test/tooling/pre_push_hook_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..978126bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/tooling/pre_push_hook_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+/// T-393: guard the pre-push fast-path classifier.
+///
+/// The hook runs the full ~2min gate only when the pushed diff touches a
+/// "trigger" path; everything else rides along on the next triggering push.
+/// The regex once matched ONLY `lib/` + `pubspec.*`, so a push that ONLY
+/// changed a test, a ci/ gate script, or the hook itself skipped the entire
+/// suite. This test reads the live `trigger_re` from `.githooks/pre-push` (the
+/// single source of truth) and asserts the load-bearing dirs force the gate, so
+/// the regex can't be silently narrowed back.
+@TestOn('vm')
+library;
+
+import 'dart:io';
+
+import 'package:test/test.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  final hook = File('.githooks/pre-push');
+
+  test('the pre-push hook exists', () {
+    expect(hook.existsSync(), isTrue, reason: 'expected .githooks/pre-push at the repo root');
+  });
+
+  // Extract `trigger_re='...'` from the hook and apply it the way grep -E does.
+  final src = hook.readAsStringSync();
+  final m = RegExp(r"""trigger_re='([^']*)'""").firstMatch(src);
+
+  test('the hook defines a trigger_re pattern', () {
+    expect(m, isNotNull, reason: 'could not find trigger_re=\'...\' in .githooks/pre-push');
+  });
+
+  final pattern = RegExp(m!.group(1)!);
+  bool forcesGate(String path) => pattern.hasMatch(path);
+
+  group('forces the full gate', () {
+    const triggers = [
+      'lib/main.dart',
+      'lib/src/editor/registry.dart',
+      'test/foo_test.dart',
+      'test/a11y/contrast_test.dart',
+      'ci/test.sh',
+      'ci/changelog_gate.sh',
+      '.githooks/pre-push',
+      'pubspec.yaml',
+      'pubspec.lock',
+    ];
+    for (final p in triggers) {
+      test(p, () => expect(forcesGate(p), isTrue, reason: '$p must run the full gate'));
+    }
+  });
+
+  group('rides along (no full gate)', () {
+    // Docs, assets, governance, and top-level notes can ride along with the
+    // next lib-touching push — they cannot break the test suite or the gate.
+    const ridesAlong = ['docs/initial-plan.md', 'assets/logo/logo.svg', 'governance/decisions/process.md', 'README.md', 'CHANGELOG.md'];
+    for (final p in ridesAlong) {
+      test(p, () => expect(forcesGate(p), isFalse, reason: '$p should not force the full gate'));
+    }
+  });
+}