diff --git a/.config/hooks/pre-push b/.config/hooks/pre-push
index 2241c909f..9a91001b3 100755
--- a/.config/hooks/pre-push
+++ b/.config/hooks/pre-push
@@ -191,10 +191,17 @@ else
 fi
 
 # --- Clerk review (D-221) ---
-# Spawns the clerk agent to check D-record consistency against the diff.
-# Optional: only runs if tooling/clerk-review exists and is executable.
-# Set SR_SKIP_CLERK=1 to bypass (e.g. for trivial doc-only pushes).
-if [ -x "$REPO_ROOT/tooling/clerk-review" ] && [ "${SR_SKIP_CLERK:-0}" != "1" ]; then
+# DISABLED 2026-05-23 (#965) pending rework. Two problems made it net-negative:
+#   1. Non-exhaustive — a single run reports ~the first contradiction it finds
+#      and stops, so distinct real issues surfaced only on the 2nd/3rd/4th
+#      re-push. An APPROVED verdict therefore can't be trusted as "clean".
+#   2. Re-reviews the entire origin/main..HEAD range on every push (token burn);
+#      no per-commit verdict cache.
+# Off by default until reworked (exhaustive enumeration + holistic decisions/
+# diff check + a SHA-keyed verdict cache invalidated on decisions/ change, with
+# skip tracked in the cache rather than a commit-message trailer — see #965).
+# Force-run with SR_RUN_CLERK=1.
+if [ -x "$REPO_ROOT/tooling/clerk-review" ] && [ "${SR_RUN_CLERK:-0}" = "1" ]; then
     echo "pre-push: running clerk review..."
     CLERK_VERDICT=$("$REPO_ROOT/tooling/clerk-review" 2>&1 | tee /dev/stderr | tail -1)
     if [ "$CLERK_VERDICT" = "APPROVED" ]; then
@@ -211,7 +218,7 @@ if [ -x "$REPO_ROOT/tooling/clerk-review" ] && [ "${SR_SKIP_CLERK:-0}" != "1" ];
         ERRORS=$((ERRORS + 1))
     fi
 else
-    echo "pre-push: clerk review — skipped (not installed or SR_SKIP_CLERK=1)"
+    echo "pre-push: clerk review — DISABLED (#965; force-run with SR_RUN_CLERK=1)"
 fi
 
 if [ "$ERRORS" -gt 0 ]; then