diff --git a/src/signals/engine.ts b/src/signals/engine.ts
index a8af3c19f5..2ced7adc7d 100644
--- a/src/signals/engine.ts
+++ b/src/signals/engine.ts
@@ -4953,7 +4953,11 @@ export function buildPrTextLint(input: PrTextLintInput): PrTextLintReport {
 // Exported so the deterministic no-linked-issue slop signal (#562) and the public PR-panel traceability check
 // share ONE definition of a "clear no-issue rationale" (maintenance / docs-only / "no issue: …" in the PR text).
 export function hasClearNoIssueRationale(pr: Pick<PullRequestRecord, "title" | "body">): boolean {
-  return /\b(?:no issue\s*(?:because\b|:)|no linked issue\s*(?:because\b|:)|no ticket\s*(?:because\b|:)|(?:maintenance|docs? only|typo|chore|cleanup)\b)/i.test([pr.title, pr.body ?? ""].join(" "));
+  // `docs?[\s-]+only` matches the space form ("docs only") AND the hyphenated "docs-only" / "doc-only"
+  // spelling this function's own docstring uses — the dominant GitHub/Conventional-Commits form. A bare
+  // `docs? only` missed the hyphen, so a docs-only PR with no linked issue was wrongly denied a clear
+  // no-issue rationale and hard-blocked under `linkedIssueGateMode === "block"`.
+  return /\b(?:no issue\s*(?:because\b|:)|no linked issue\s*(?:because\b|:)|no ticket\s*(?:because\b|:)|(?:maintenance|docs?[\s-]+only|typo|chore|cleanup)\b)/i.test([pr.title, pr.body ?? ""].join(" "));
 }
 
 function hasValidationNote(value: string): boolean {
diff --git a/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts b/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
index b6f6e22caa..1f1a44f0d7 100644
--- a/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/signals-v2.test.ts
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   buildRegistryChangeReport,
   buildRepoFitRecommendation,
   buildRoleContext,
+  hasClearNoIssueRationale,
   type ContributorFit,
   type ContributorOutcomeHistory,
   type ContributorScoringProfile,
@@ -1710,6 +1711,23 @@ describe("v2 signal builders", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("hasClearNoIssueRationale docs-only spelling", () => {
+  it("recognizes the hyphenated docs-only rationale, not only the space form", () => {
+    // The space form already worked; these hyphenated forms (the dominant GitHub / Conventional-Commits
+    // spelling, and the one this function's own docstring uses) were wrongly missed, hard-blocking a
+    // docs-only PR with no linked issue under linkedIssueGateMode === "block".
+    expect(hasClearNoIssueRationale({ title: "docs only: clarify README", body: "" })).toBe(true);
+    expect(hasClearNoIssueRationale({ title: "docs-only: clarify README", body: "" })).toBe(true);
+    expect(hasClearNoIssueRationale({ title: "doc-only update", body: "" })).toBe(true);
+    expect(hasClearNoIssueRationale({ title: "Improve install steps", body: "This is a docs-only change." })).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it("still rejects PR text with no clear no-issue rationale", () => {
+    expect(hasClearNoIssueRationale({ title: "Improve install steps", body: "Adds a new option." })).toBe(false);
+    expect(hasClearNoIssueRationale({ title: "Add documentation site", body: "" })).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
 function snapshot(
   id: string,
   repositories: Array<{