diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/cfg/emit.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/cfg/emit.ts
index 246baa1d4..0b5b6d130 100644
--- a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/cfg/emit.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/cfg/emit.ts
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import {
   isExitReachableFromAllBlocks,
   NO_IPDOM,
 } from './post-dominators.js';
+import { augmentForPostDom } from './synthetic-escape.js';
 import type { BindingEntry, FunctionCfg } from './types.js';
 
 /**
@@ -511,12 +512,24 @@ export function emitFileCdg(
 
   for (const cfg of cfgs) {
     const { filePath, functionStartLine, functionStartColumn } = cfg;
+    // Synthetic-escape pass (#2197 U1): restore EXIT reverse-reachability for a
+    // genuine exit-unreachable CYCLE (an unconditional `goto`-cycle / infinite
+    // loop) so the post-dom / CDG pass runs instead of being withheld. A no-op
+    // (returns `cfg` unchanged) for terminating functions and properly-escaped
+    // loops — those stay byte-identical. The synthetic edges are ANALYSIS-ONLY:
+    // they live on the returned shallow clone, never on the persisted `cfg`, so
+    // CFG / REACHING_DEF and the byte-identical-off golden are unaffected. Both
+    // the gate below AND the post-dom / CDG passes must see the augmented view
+    // (KTD7 — the Ferrante walk re-reads `cfg.edges`).
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
     // Sound post-dominance requires EXIT reachable from every entry-reachable
-    // block (#2188 review). A CFG that violates it — a future visitor's
-    // multi-terminal / non-terminating shape — would yield a CDG that both
-    // drops real and invents spurious dependences, so skip CDG for it. CFG and
-    // REACHING_DEF (emitted elsewhere, independent of post-dominance) are kept.
-    if (!isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)) {
+    // block (#2188 review). The synthetic-escape pass recovers genuine cycles;
+    // anything STILL unreachable after it is a residual non-cycle anomaly (a
+    // dangling/dead-end block, a branch-less trapping spin, or a construction
+    // error) — NOT something we bridge (that would mask the bug). Skip CDG for
+    // it and surface the skip. CFG and REACHING_DEF (emitted elsewhere,
+    // independent of post-dominance) are kept.
+    if (!isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)) {
       result.skippedUnsoundFunctions++;
       onWarn?.(
         `[cdg] ${filePath}:${functionStartLine}: EXIT not reachable from all ` +
@@ -525,13 +538,16 @@ export function emitFileCdg(
       continue;
     }
     // Compute the post-dom tree once and feed it to the control-dependence
-    // pass (avoids recomputing it) and to the optional POST_DOMINATE emit.
-    const tree = computePostDominators(cfg);
+    // pass (avoids recomputing it) and to the optional POST_DOMINATE emit. The
+    // CDG edges reference BLOCK INDICES, which are identical in `view` and `cfg`
+    // (the augmentation only appends edges), so persisting them keyed off the
+    // original block ids is correct.
+    const tree = computePostDominators(view);
     // Bound the pre-dedup materialization (heap parity with REACHING_DEF). The
     // fixed ceiling is a catastrophe backstop; the per-function edge cap below
     // remains the reporting authority. A ceiling hit is surfaced, not silent.
     const { edges: cdgEdges, truncated } = computeControlDependence(
-      cfg,
+      view,
       tree,
       DEFAULT_PDG_MAX_CDG_MATERIALIZATION_PER_FUNCTION,
     );
diff --git a/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.ts b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3f69e1a70
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitnexus/src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,335 @@
+/**
+ * Synthetic-escape pass for CDG soundness (#2197 U1).
+ *
+ * THE PROBLEM. Control dependence is computed over the post-dominator tree
+ * (control-dependence.ts), which is only sound when EXIT is reverse-reachable
+ * from every entry-reachable block (post-dominators.ts §
+ * {@link isExitReachableFromAllBlocks}). Loop visitors keep that invariant by
+ * giving every loop a structural `header → loopExit` `cond-false` edge — so an
+ * ordinary `while`/`for` always has a path to EXIT. The `goto` handlers
+ * (C/C++/C#/Go), however, wire an UNCONDITIONAL back-edge as plain `seq` with no
+ * such escape:
+ *
+ *   void handler(int a){ start: if (a > 0) { work(); } goto start; }
+ *
+ * Here every body block sits in a trapping cycle (`start … goto start`) with no
+ * path to EXIT, so EXIT is non-reverse-reachable and {@link emitFileCdg} (the
+ * soundness gate) WITHHOLDS all control dependence for the whole function —
+ * silent CDG coverage loss for an entire (common) class of functions.
+ *
+ * THE FIX (nontermination-sensitive control dependence — Ranganath et al.,
+ * TOPLAS 2007). For a genuinely exit-unreachable *cycle* (an infinite loop), add
+ * an ANALYSIS-ONLY virtual escape edge from the cycle's controlling branch to
+ * EXIT, making the post-dom tree well-defined again. The synthetic edge is inert
+ * in the Ferrante walk (EXIT post-dominates its source, so the post-dom guard
+ * skips it) — it only restores reverse-reachability so the REAL control points
+ * inside the loop get their dependences.
+ *
+ * ANALYSIS-ONLY (load-bearing — KTD7). The pass NEVER mutates the input. The
+ * persisted CFG / REACHING_DEF graph and the byte-identical-off golden depend on
+ * `cfg.edges` staying faithful, so the augmentation lives on a shallow-cloned
+ * {@link FunctionCfg} whose `edges` is `[...cfg.edges, ...synthetic]`. Because
+ * both {@link computePostDominators} AND {@link computeControlDependence}
+ * (its Ferrante walk + `buildArmSenses`) re-read `cfg.edges` directly, the
+ * augmented view must be passed to BOTH — feeding only an augmented post-dom
+ * tree would leave the walk on the un-augmented edges (KTD7).
+ *
+ * PURE AND DETERMINISTIC (mirrors post-dominators.ts / reaching-defs.ts). The
+ * SCC routine sorts every adjacency list and emits SCCs root-deterministically,
+ * so the chosen representative — hence the augmented edge set and any downstream
+ * snapshot — is identical across runs.
+ *
+ * WHICH SCCs ARE BRIDGED (KTD2 / KTD6, and the anti-masking guarantee R2). The
+ * decision is gated on the WHOLE entry-reachable trapped region (the union of
+ * the entry-reachable blocks that cannot reach EXIT): the pass bridges only when
+ * that region contains at least one *control point* — a block with ≥2 successors
+ * (a branch terminator). A region with a control point is a real, recoverable
+ * loop (a `goto`-cycle always carries the `if` predicate from its guard); a
+ * region with NO control point is a branch-less infinite spin that carries no
+ * control dependence to recover AND is indistinguishable from a genuine
+ * CFG-construction anomaly (e.g. a disconnected EXIT block), so it is
+ * deliberately LEFT UNBRIDGED — the existing soundness gate then skips the
+ * function and surfaces the skip (R2 / R3). In practice a branch-less trapping
+ * region never comes from a real loop visitor (loops emit the structural escape
+ * edge) — it signals a construction error, exactly what we must not paper over.
+ *
+ * When the region is bridged, EACH exit-less SCC gets one synthetic escape edge
+ * from its *controlling representative*: the entry-reachable member with a branch
+ * terminator (≥2 successors), highest out-degree, lowest-index tie-break. That
+ * branch is the predicate deciding stay-in-loop vs. leave, the faithful escape
+ * representative; attaching the escape anywhere else invents or drops CDG edges
+ * while still passing the AC2 post-dominance property test, so the choice is
+ * pinned by an exact-edge-set test, not `CDG>0`. When an exit-less SCC has NO
+ * internal branch (e.g. the body of an irreducible loop whose control point sits
+ * OUTSIDE the cycle), its escape attaches to the lowest-index member — the
+ * choice is semantically immaterial (the SCC has no internal control point so it
+ * contributes no internal CDG), and a deterministic index keeps snapshots
+ * stable. This per-SCC bridging restores reverse-reachability for the whole
+ * region in one batch, then the gate re-checks (KTD2).
+ *
+ * GRANULARITY OF A MIXED cycle + dead-end FUNCTION. {@link emitFileCdg} is
+ * all-or-nothing per function: it computes CDG only when EXIT is reverse-
+ * reachable from EVERY entry-reachable block. So if a function contains a
+ * recoverable goto-cycle AND a *separate* residual block that is still
+ * exit-unreachable after all escapes (a dangling/dead-end block not in any
+ * bridgeable cycle), the pass restores the cycle but the residual block keeps
+ * EXIT non-reverse-reachable → the WHOLE function is still skipped and surfaced.
+ * We do NOT bridge the residual (that would mask the construction error), and we
+ * do NOT emit partial per-cycle CDG (the emit layer has no partial mode). This
+ * is the documented, intentional trade-off: recover the common goto-cycle case;
+ * surface anything with a genuine residual anomaly rather than guess.
+ */
+import {
+  isExitReachableFromAllBlocks,
+  type PostDomTree,
+} from './post-dominators.js';
+import type { CfgEdgeData, FunctionCfg } from './types.js';
+
+/**
+ * The synthetic escape edge kind. Reuses the existing `cond-false` kind (the
+ * same kind every loop's structural `header → loopExit` escape carries — see the
+ * module doc), so the augmented view is structurally indistinguishable from a
+ * normally-escaped loop and `buildArmSenses`/`labelFor` treat it identically.
+ * The edge is analysis-only and never persisted.
+ */
+const SYNTHETIC_ESCAPE_KIND: CfgEdgeData['kind'] = 'cond-false';
+
+/** Forward / reverse reachability over a CFG's in-range edges. */
+interface Reachability {
+  /** `fromEntry[b]` — block `b` is forward-reachable from ENTRY. */
+  readonly fromEntry: Uint8Array;
+  /** `canReachExit[b]` — block `b` can reach EXIT (reverse-reachable from it). */
+  readonly canReachExit: Uint8Array;
+  /** Forward adjacency (sorted, in-range). */
+  readonly succ: readonly number[][];
+}
+
+function reach(start: number, adj: readonly number[][], n: number): Uint8Array {
+  const seen = new Uint8Array(n);
+  if (start < 0 || start >= n) return seen;
+  const stack = [start];
+  seen[start] = 1;
+  while (stack.length > 0) {
+    const b = stack.pop() as number;
+    for (const next of adj[b]) {
+      if (!seen[next]) {
+        seen[next] = 1;
+        stack.push(next);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return seen;
+}
+
+function computeReachability(cfg: FunctionCfg): Reachability {
+  const n = cfg.blocks.length;
+  const succ: number[][] = Array.from({ length: n }, () => []);
+  const pred: number[][] = Array.from({ length: n }, () => []);
+  for (const e of cfg.edges) {
+    if (e.from < 0 || e.from >= n || e.to < 0 || e.to >= n) continue;
+    succ[e.from].push(e.to);
+    pred[e.to].push(e.from);
+  }
+  // Sorted adjacency — determinism (mirrors post-dominators.ts).
+  for (const l of succ) l.sort((a, b) => a - b);
+  return {
+    fromEntry: reach(cfg.entryIndex, succ, n),
+    canReachExit: reach(cfg.exitIndex, pred, n),
+    succ,
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Strongly-connected components of a CFG via an ITERATIVE Tarjan over the
+ * forward edges. Pure and deterministic: nodes are visited in ascending index
+ * and every successor list is iterated in sorted order, so the component
+ * partition (and the per-component member order) is identical across runs.
+ *
+ * Returns `compOf[b]` = the component id of block `b`, plus `members[c]` = the
+ * (ascending-index) members of component `c`. Component ids are assigned in
+ * Tarjan completion order (a reverse-topological order over the condensation),
+ * which is deterministic but not relied upon — callers key on `compOf`.
+ */
+export interface SccResult {
+  readonly compOf: readonly number[];
+  readonly members: readonly (readonly number[])[];
+}
+
+export function computeScc(succ: readonly number[][], n: number): SccResult {
+  const compOf = new Array<number>(n).fill(-1);
+  const members: number[][] = [];
+
+  const index = new Array<number>(n).fill(-1);
+  const lowlink = new Array<number>(n).fill(0);
+  const onStack = new Uint8Array(n);
+  const tarjanStack: number[] = [];
+  let nextIndex = 0;
+
+  // Explicit work stack: each frame tracks the node and how far through its
+  // (sorted) successor list we have iterated, so recursion depth never blows the
+  // JS stack on a large per-function CFG.
+  for (let root = 0; root < n; root++) {
+    if (index[root] !== -1) continue;
+    const work: { node: number; childIdx: number }[] = [{ node: root, childIdx: 0 }];
+    while (work.length > 0) {
+      const frame = work[work.length - 1];
+      const v = frame.node;
+      if (frame.childIdx === 0) {
+        // First visit to v.
+        index[v] = nextIndex;
+        lowlink[v] = nextIndex;
+        nextIndex += 1;
+        tarjanStack.push(v);
+        onStack[v] = 1;
+      }
+      const succs = succ[v];
+      if (frame.childIdx < succs.length) {
+        const w = succs[frame.childIdx];
+        frame.childIdx += 1;
+        if (index[w] === -1) {
+          // Descend into the unvisited child; resume v afterwards.
+          work.push({ node: w, childIdx: 0 });
+        } else if (onStack[w]) {
+          if (index[w] < lowlink[v]) lowlink[v] = index[w];
+        }
+        continue;
+      }
+      // All successors of v processed: propagate lowlink to the parent, and if v
+      // is a component root, pop its component off the Tarjan stack.
+      if (lowlink[v] === index[v]) {
+        const comp: number[] = [];
+        for (;;) {
+          const w = tarjanStack.pop() as number;
+          onStack[w] = 0;
+          comp.push(w);
+          if (w === v) break;
+        }
+        comp.sort((a, b) => a - b); // ascending member order — determinism
+        const id = members.length;
+        for (const w of comp) compOf[w] = id;
+        members.push(comp);
+      }
+      work.pop();
+      if (work.length > 0) {
+        const parent = work[work.length - 1].node;
+        if (lowlink[v] < lowlink[parent]) lowlink[parent] = lowlink[v];
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return { compOf, members };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Restore EXIT reverse-reachability for genuine exit-unreachable cycles so the
+ * post-dom / CDG pass runs on a well-defined tree, WITHOUT masking construction
+ * errors or perturbing sound functions. See the module doc for the full
+ * contract.
+ *
+ * Returns the input `cfg` UNCHANGED (referential no-op) when EXIT is already
+ * reverse-reachable from every entry-reachable block — terminating functions and
+ * properly-escaped loops are byte-identical (zero synthetic edges). Otherwise
+ * returns a SHALLOW-CLONED {@link FunctionCfg} whose `edges` is the original
+ * edges followed by the synthetic escapes; the input's `edges` is never mutated.
+ *
+ * Pass the returned view to BOTH {@link computePostDominators} and
+ * {@link computeControlDependence} (KTD7).
+ */
+export function augmentForPostDom(cfg: FunctionCfg): FunctionCfg {
+  const n = cfg.blocks.length;
+  const { entryIndex, exitIndex } = cfg;
+  if (n === 0 || entryIndex < 0 || entryIndex >= n || exitIndex < 0 || exitIndex >= n) {
+    return cfg; // degenerate — leave to the existing gate
+  }
+
+  const { fromEntry, canReachExit, succ } = computeReachability(cfg);
+
+  // No-op fast path: every entry-reachable block already reaches EXIT.
+  let allReach = true;
+  for (let b = 0; b < n; b++) {
+    if (fromEntry[b] && !canReachExit[b]) {
+      allReach = false;
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+  if (allReach) return cfg;
+
+  // Anti-masking gate (R2): only bridge when the entry-reachable TRAPPED REGION
+  // (the union of entry-reachable blocks that cannot reach EXIT) holds at least
+  // one control point — a block with ≥2 successors. A branch-less trapped region
+  // is a degenerate spin / construction anomaly we refuse to mask; the existing
+  // soundness gate skips it and surfaces the skip. A real `goto`-cycle always
+  // carries its guard's `if`, so it is recovered; a disconnected/dangling EXIT
+  // (no branch anywhere in the trap) is left to skip. See the module doc.
+  let regionHasControlPoint = false;
+  for (let b = 0; b < n; b++) {
+    if (fromEntry[b] && !canReachExit[b] && succ[b].length >= 2) {
+      regionHasControlPoint = true;
+      break;
+    }
+  }
+  if (!regionHasControlPoint) return cfg;
+
+  // Condense into SCCs over the real edges.
+  const { members } = computeScc(succ, n);
+
+  // Bridge EACH exit-less SCC (a trapping cycle: no member can reach EXIT, so
+  // `canReachExit` is false for the whole SCC). `canReachExit` already encodes
+  // the transitive closure, so a single member's flag answers it for the SCC.
+  const synthetic: CfgEdgeData[] = [];
+  for (const comp of members) {
+    if (comp.length === 0) continue;
+    const rep = comp[0]; // ascending-order members → comp[0] is the lowest index
+    if (canReachExit[rep]) continue; // SCC escapes to EXIT — nothing to bridge
+    // Only genuine CYCLES trap. A singleton SCC with no self-edge is an ordinary
+    // acyclic block (ENTRY / the spine) that is exit-unreachable only because it
+    // FEEDS a trap downstream; it gets its path to EXIT for free once the trap is
+    // bridged, so it is never bridged on its own.
+    const isCycle =
+      comp.length > 1 || cfg.edges.some((e) => e.from === rep && e.to === rep);
+    if (!isCycle) continue;
+
+    // Controlling representative: the entry-reachable member with a branch
+    // terminator (≥2 successors), highest out-degree, lowest-index tie-break.
+    // When the SCC has no internal branch (its control point sits outside, e.g.
+    // an irreducible loop body), fall back to the lowest-index member — the
+    // choice is immaterial (no internal control point ⇒ no internal CDG) and a
+    // deterministic index keeps snapshots stable (KTD6).
+    let controller = -1;
+    let bestOutDeg = 1; // require ≥2 to qualify as a branch
+    for (const b of comp) {
+      if (!fromEntry[b]) continue;
+      const outDeg = succ[b].length;
+      if (outDeg >= 2 && outDeg > bestOutDeg) {
+        bestOutDeg = outDeg;
+        controller = b;
+      }
+    }
+    if (controller === -1) {
+      // No internal branch — attach at the lowest entry-reachable member (or the
+      // lowest member if none is entry-reachable, a defensive fallback).
+      controller = comp.find((b) => fromEntry[b]) ?? rep;
+    }
+
+    synthetic.push({ from: controller, to: exitIndex, kind: SYNTHETIC_ESCAPE_KIND });
+  }
+
+  if (synthetic.length === 0) return cfg; // nothing bridgeable — gate will skip
+
+  // Shallow clone with the augmented edge set; the input's `edges` is untouched.
+  return { ...cfg, edges: [...cfg.edges, ...synthetic] };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Convenience: `true` iff {@link augmentForPostDom} returned a DIFFERENT object
+ * (i.e. at least one synthetic escape edge was added). Useful for tests
+ * asserting the no-op path. Reference equality is exact: the no-op path returns
+ * the input unchanged.
+ */
+export function wasAugmented(cfg: FunctionCfg, view: FunctionCfg): boolean {
+  return view !== cfg;
+}
+
+// Re-export so callers can build the augmented view and gate it in one import.
+export { isExitReachableFromAllBlocks };
+export type { PostDomTree };
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/c-cpp-visitor.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/c-cpp-visitor.test.ts
index 359171082..80c8eefa1 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/c-cpp-visitor.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/c-cpp-visitor.test.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ import {
 } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/visitors/c-cpp.js';
 import type { FunctionCfg, SiteRecord } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/types.js';
 import { makeCfgHarness, type CfgHarness } from '../../helpers/cfg-harness.js';
+import { isExitReachableFromAllBlocks } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/post-dominators.js';
+import { augmentForPostDom } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.js';
+import { computeControlDependence } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/control-dependence.js';
 
 // U2 — the C/C++ CfgVisitor, one hazard per test (KTD5: real-parser regression,
 // NOT snapshot-pinning). Each fixture's distinctive statement text (step(),
@@ -219,6 +222,27 @@ describe('C CfgVisitor — goto / labels', () => {
       warn.mockRestore();
     }
   });
+
+  // #2197 U1 — an UNCONDITIONAL goto-cycle traps EXIT (the `goto start` has no
+  // exit path), so without the synthetic-escape pass `emitFileCdg` would withhold
+  // ALL control dependence. After the pass the cycle is bridged and CDG is
+  // emitted. The conditional goto tests above already had an exit path (the
+  // if-false arm reaches `done()`), so they did NOT exercise this gap.
+  it('unconditional goto-cycle: bridged → EXIT reachable AND CDG emitted (C)', () => {
+    const cfg = c.cfgOf(`void handler(int a){ start: if(a>0){work();} goto start; }`);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)).toBe(false); // trapped without the pass
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true);
+    expect(computeControlDependence(view).edges.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+
+  it('unconditional goto-cycle: bridged → EXIT reachable AND CDG emitted (C++)', () => {
+    const cfg = cpp.cfgOf(`void handler(int a){ start: if(a>0){work();} goto start; }`);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)).toBe(false);
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true);
+    expect(computeControlDependence(view).edges.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
 });
 
 describe('C CfgVisitor — def/use harvest', () => {
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/control-dependence.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/control-dependence.test.ts
index e307fb69b..3c3a29e9b 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/control-dependence.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/control-dependence.test.ts
@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ import {
 } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/control-dependence.js';
 import {
   computePostDominators,
+  isExitReachableFromAllBlocks,
   postDominates,
 } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/post-dominators.js';
+import { augmentForPostDom } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.js';
 import type {
   BasicBlockData,
   CfgEdgeData,
@@ -76,8 +78,10 @@ function succsOf(cfg: FunctionCfg): number[][] {
  * post-dominates `b` iff every path from `b` to EXIT passes through `p`:
  * reflexive (`p === b`), else true exactly when EXIT is unreachable from `b`
  * once `p` is removed (AND `b` can reach EXIT at all). Defined only for the
- * exit-reachable fixtures used below — the exit-unreachable case is the known
- * unsound region (#2188 F2) and is deliberately excluded from the AC2 set.
+ * exit-reachable fixtures used below. A raw exit-unreachable cycle (#2188 F2)
+ * would be unsound, so the AC2 set now feeds the synthetic-escape pass's
+ * AUGMENTED view of every goto-cycle fixture (#2197 U1) — once bridged it IS
+ * exit-reachable and the Ferrante walk must equal this independent reference.
  */
 function independentPostDom(cfg: FunctionCfg, succs: number[][], p: number, b: number): boolean {
   if (p === b) return true;
@@ -255,10 +259,42 @@ describe('computeControlDependence — Ferrante §3.1.1', () => {
         [2, 1, 'loop-back'],
         [1, 3, 'cond-false'],
       ]),
-      // NOTE: the exit-unreachable case is deliberately NOT an AC2 fixture — its
-      // dependence set is unsound (#2188 F2), so asserting walk == independent
-      // reference would (correctly) fail. It has its own characterization test
-      // above that documents the degenerate behavior.
+      // Escaped `goto`-cycle (#2197 U1): after the synthetic-escape pass the
+      // exit-unreachable cycle is bridged and the dependence set becomes a SOUND
+      // over-approximation, so it now joins the AC2 set (the obsolete
+      // exit-unreachable exclusion is lifted — see the AUGMENTED-view note below).
+      // Repro shape: ENTRY=0, EXIT=1, b2=`(a>0)` predicate, b3=`work()`,
+      // b4=`goto start`; the `if` predicate (b2) is the only control point.
+      gotoCycle: augmentForPostDom(
+        mkCfg(
+          5,
+          [
+            [0, 2, 'seq'],
+            [2, 3, 'cond-true'],
+            [2, 4, 'seq'],
+            [3, 4, 'seq'],
+            [4, 2, 'seq'],
+          ],
+          { entry: 0, exit: 1 },
+        ),
+      ),
+      // Spine before the goto label — ENTRY + straight-line stmts are in the
+      // exit-unreachable closure but must reach EXIT after the bridge.
+      gotoCycleSpine: augmentForPostDom(
+        mkCfg(
+          7,
+          [
+            [0, 2, 'seq'],
+            [2, 3, 'seq'],
+            [3, 4, 'seq'],
+            [4, 5, 'cond-true'],
+            [4, 6, 'seq'],
+            [5, 6, 'seq'],
+            [6, 4, 'seq'],
+          ],
+          { entry: 0, exit: 1 },
+        ),
+      ),
       // nested if: outer branch (0) → inner branch (1) or outer-else (5);
       // inner branch → 2/3 → inner join (4); 4 and 5 → outer join (6, exit).
       nestedIf: mkCfg(
@@ -286,6 +322,15 @@ describe('computeControlDependence — Ferrante §3.1.1', () => {
       ]),
     };
 
+    it.each(Object.keys(fixtures))(
+      '%s: is exit-reachable from all blocks (the AC2 reference is well-defined)',
+      (name) => {
+        // Every AC2 fixture — including the AUGMENTED goto-cycle ones (#2197 U1)
+        // — must be exit-reachable, else the node-removal reference is undefined.
+        expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(fixtures[name])).toBe(true);
+      },
+    );
+
     it.each(Object.keys(fixtures))(
       '%s: tree-walk pair set equals the brute-force reference',
       (name) => {
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/csharp-visitor.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/csharp-visitor.test.ts
index 7cdc96405..020708245 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/csharp-visitor.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/csharp-visitor.test.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ import { createRequire } from 'node:module';
 import { createCsharpCfgVisitor } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/visitors/csharp.js';
 import type { FunctionCfg, SiteRecord } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/types.js';
 import { makeCfgHarness, type CfgHarness } from '../../helpers/cfg-harness.js';
+import { isExitReachableFromAllBlocks } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/post-dominators.js';
+import { augmentForPostDom } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.js';
+import { computeControlDependence } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/control-dependence.js';
 
 // U3 — the C# CfgVisitor, one hazard per test (KTD5: real-parser regression,
 // NOT snapshot-pinning). Each fixture's distinctive statement text (step(),
@@ -319,6 +322,17 @@ describe('C# CfgVisitor — goto / labels', () => {
     expect(reaches(cfg, gotoB, label)).toBe(true);
     expect(reachable(cfg, block(cfg, 'work();'))).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  // #2197 U1 — an UNCONDITIONAL goto-cycle traps EXIT (the `goto start` has no
+  // exit path); the synthetic-escape pass bridges it so CDG is emitted instead
+  // of withheld. The conditional goto tests above already had an exit path.
+  it('unconditional goto-cycle: bridged → EXIT reachable AND CDG emitted', () => {
+    const cfg = cs.cfgOf(`class K { void handler(int a){ start: if(a>0){work();} goto start; } }`);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)).toBe(false); // trapped without the pass
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true);
+    expect(computeControlDependence(view).edges.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
 });
 
 describe('C# CfgVisitor — yield', () => {
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/go-visitor.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/go-visitor.test.ts
index 8b0ba715b..2795b5ba1 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/go-visitor.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/go-visitor.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import type { FunctionCfg, SiteRecord } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/ty
 import { makeCfgHarness, type CfgHarness } from '../../helpers/cfg-harness.js';
 import { isExitReachableFromAllBlocks } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/post-dominators.js';
 import { computeControlDependence } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/control-dependence.js';
+import { augmentForPostDom } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.js';
 
 // U5 — the Go CfgVisitor, one hazard per test (KTD5: real-parser regression,
 // NOT snapshot-pinning). Each fixture's distinctive statement text (step(),
@@ -342,6 +343,17 @@ describe('Go CfgVisitor — labeled break / continue / goto', () => {
     expect(reaches(cfg, gotoB, label)).toBe(true);
     expect(reachable(cfg, block(cfg, 'work()'))).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  // #2197 U1 — an UNCONDITIONAL goto-cycle traps EXIT (the `goto start` has no
+  // exit path); the synthetic-escape pass bridges it so CDG is emitted instead
+  // of withheld. The forward goto above had an exit path (it skips to `done()`).
+  it('unconditional goto-cycle: bridged → EXIT reachable AND CDG emitted', () => {
+    const cfg = go.cfgOf(pkg(`func handler(a int){ start: if a>0 { work() }\n goto start }`));
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)).toBe(false); // trapped without the pass
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true);
+    expect(computeControlDependence(view).edges.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
 });
 
 describe('Go CfgVisitor — go statement (spawned flow not followed inline)', () => {
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/synthetic-escape.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/synthetic-escape.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ee02e01c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/cfg/synthetic-escape.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,357 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import {
+  augmentForPostDom,
+  computeScc,
+  wasAugmented,
+} from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/synthetic-escape.js';
+import {
+  computePostDominators,
+  isExitReachableFromAllBlocks,
+} from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/post-dominators.js';
+import { computeControlDependence } from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/control-dependence.js';
+import type {
+  BasicBlockData,
+  CfgEdgeData,
+  CfgEdgeKind,
+  FunctionCfg,
+} from '../../../src/core/ingestion/cfg/types.js';
+
+// #2197 U1 — the synthetic-escape pass for CDG soundness. Hand-built CFGs (no
+// tree-sitter). The pass restores EXIT reverse-reachability for a genuine
+// exit-unreachable CYCLE (an unconditional `goto`-cycle / infinite loop) so the
+// post-dom / CDG pass runs, WITHOUT masking construction errors (a branch-less
+// trapping spin / a dangling dead-end block stays skipped) or perturbing sound
+// functions (a no-op referential identity for terminating fns + escaped loops).
+//
+// The exact-edge-set pin is load-bearing: a WRONG escape representative still
+// yields `CDG>0` and still passes the AC2 post-dominance property test, so each
+// regression asserts the EXACT control-dependence set, not merely a non-empty one.
+
+// ── hand-built CFG helper (edges carry a kind so CDG labels can be asserted) ──
+
+function mkCfg(
+  blockCount: number,
+  edges: [number, number, CfgEdgeKind?][],
+  opts: { entry?: number; exit?: number } = {},
+): FunctionCfg {
+  const entry = opts.entry ?? 0;
+  const exit = opts.exit ?? blockCount - 1;
+  const blocks: BasicBlockData[] = Array.from({ length: blockCount }, (_, i) => ({
+    index: i,
+    startLine: i + 1,
+    endLine: i + 1,
+    text: '',
+    kind: i === entry ? 'entry' : i === exit ? 'exit' : 'normal',
+  }));
+  const cfgEdges: CfgEdgeData[] = edges.map(([from, to, kind]) => ({
+    from,
+    to,
+    kind: kind ?? 'seq',
+  }));
+  return {
+    filePath: 't.ts',
+    functionStartLine: 1,
+    functionStartColumn: 0,
+    entryIndex: entry,
+    exitIndex: exit,
+    blocks,
+    edges: cfgEdges,
+  };
+}
+
+const cdgSet = (cfg: FunctionCfg): string[] =>
+  computeControlDependence(cfg)
+    .edges.map((e) => `${e.controllerBlock}->${e.dependentBlock}:${e.label}`)
+    .sort();
+
+const syntheticEdges = (cfg: FunctionCfg, view: FunctionCfg): string[] =>
+  view === cfg ? [] : view.edges.slice(cfg.edges.length).map((e) => `${e.from}->${e.to}`);
+
+/**
+ * The repro CFG, identical across C / C++ / C# / Go (verified by probe):
+ *
+ *   void handler(int a){ start: if (a > 0) { work(); } goto start; }
+ *
+ *   ENTRY=0  EXIT=1  b2 = `(a>0)` predicate  b3 = `work()`  b4 = `goto start`
+ *   0→2 seq | 2→3 cond-true | 2→4 seq (false arm skips work) | 3→4 seq | 4→2 seq
+ *
+ * EXIT(1) has no predecessor — the back-edge 4→2 traps blocks 2,3,4 in a cycle
+ * and EXIT is non-reverse-reachable, so without the pass `emitFileCdg` withholds
+ * ALL control dependence for the whole function.
+ */
+const reproGotoCycle = (): FunctionCfg =>
+  mkCfg(
+    5,
+    [
+      [0, 2, 'seq'],
+      [2, 3, 'cond-true'],
+      [2, 4, 'seq'],
+      [3, 4, 'seq'],
+      [4, 2, 'seq'],
+    ],
+    { entry: 0, exit: 1 },
+  );
+
+describe('computeScc — pure deterministic SCC routine', () => {
+  it('partitions a simple cycle and singletons; member lists are ascending', () => {
+    // 0 → 1 ⇄ 2 → 3 ; SCCs: {0}, {1,2}, {3}
+    const succ = [[1], [2], [1, 3], []];
+    const { compOf, members } = computeScc(succ, 4);
+    expect(compOf[1]).toBe(compOf[2]); // 1 and 2 share a component
+    expect(compOf[0]).not.toBe(compOf[1]);
+    expect(compOf[3]).not.toBe(compOf[1]);
+    // the {1,2} component lists members ascending
+    const cyc = members[compOf[1]];
+    expect([...cyc]).toEqual([1, 2]);
+  });
+
+  it('is deterministic across runs (sorted adjacency)', () => {
+    const succ = [[2, 1], [2], [1, 3], [4], []];
+    const a = computeScc(succ, 5);
+    const b = computeScc(succ, 5);
+    expect(a.compOf).toEqual(b.compOf);
+    expect(a.members.map((m) => [...m])).toEqual(b.members.map((m) => [...m]));
+  });
+
+  it('handles a self-loop as a singleton component', () => {
+    const succ = [[1], [1], []]; // 1 self-loops
+    const { members } = computeScc(succ, 3);
+    expect(members.some((m) => m.length === 1 && m[0] === 1)).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('augmentForPostDom — the goto-cycle repro (exact CDG edge set)', () => {
+  it('bridges the cycle so EXIT is reachable and the EXACT CDG set is emitted', () => {
+    const cfg = reproGotoCycle();
+    // Before the pass: EXIT is unreachable from the trapped blocks.
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)).toBe(false);
+
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(wasAugmented(cfg, view)).toBe(true);
+    // ONE synthetic escape, from the loop's controlling predicate (block 2) to
+    // EXIT (block 1) — the `if (a>0)` branch is the only control point.
+    expect(syntheticEdges(cfg, view)).toEqual(['2->1']);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true);
+
+    // EXACT source-faithful CDG set — NOT merely `CDG>0` (a wrong representative
+    // would still give a non-empty set). The `if` predicate (block 2) controls:
+    //   work() (b3) on its TRUE arm;
+    //   the goto (b4), reached on BOTH arms (2→3→4 and 2→4) → T and F;
+    //   its OWN re-execution (b2), reached on both arms via the back-edge → T,F.
+    expect(cdgSet(view)).toEqual(['2->2:F', '2->2:T', '2->3:T', '2->4:F', '2->4:T']);
+  });
+
+  it('the controller is the branch predicate, not an arbitrary cycle member', () => {
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(reproGotoCycle());
+    const synth = view.edges.slice(reproGotoCycle().edges.length);
+    expect(synth).toHaveLength(1);
+    // block 2 is the only block with ≥2 successors (the if-branch) — it must be
+    // the escape source, not b3/b4 (the straight-line body / goto).
+    expect(synth[0].from).toBe(2);
+    expect(synth[0].to).toBe(1); // EXIT
+  });
+});
+
+describe('augmentForPostDom — no-op for sound functions (referential identity)', () => {
+  it('a terminating straight-line function is returned UNCHANGED (zero synthetic edges)', () => {
+    const cfg = mkCfg(3, [
+      [0, 1, 'seq'],
+      [1, 2, 'seq'],
+    ]);
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(view).toBe(cfg); // referential no-op
+    expect(wasAugmented(cfg, view)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('an ordinary escaped while-loop is returned UNCHANGED', () => {
+    // 0(entry) → 1(header); 1 → 2(body, T); 2 → 1 (back); 1 → 3(exit, F escape)
+    const cfg = mkCfg(
+      4,
+      [
+        [0, 1, 'seq'],
+        [1, 2, 'cond-true'],
+        [2, 1, 'loop-back'],
+        [1, 3, 'cond-false'],
+      ],
+      { entry: 0, exit: 3 },
+    );
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(view).toBe(cfg);
+    // post-dom + CDG identical with and without the pass (the pass did nothing).
+    expect(computePostDominators(view).ipdom).toEqual(computePostDominators(cfg).ipdom);
+    expect(cdgSet(view)).toEqual(cdgSet(cfg));
+  });
+
+  it('a for-loop with a body branch is returned UNCHANGED', () => {
+    // header(1) → body(2) → if(3) → {then(4)|else(5)} → back to header; 1→6 exit
+    const cfg = mkCfg(
+      7,
+      [
+        [0, 1, 'seq'],
+        [1, 2, 'cond-true'],
+        [2, 3, 'seq'],
+        [3, 4, 'cond-true'],
+        [3, 5, 'cond-false'],
+        [4, 1, 'loop-back'],
+        [5, 1, 'loop-back'],
+        [1, 6, 'cond-false'],
+      ],
+      { entry: 0, exit: 6 },
+    );
+    expect(augmentForPostDom(cfg)).toBe(cfg);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('augmentForPostDom — multi-SCC diverging switch (batch bridge)', () => {
+  it('bridges BOTH exit-less SCCs in one batch → exit-reachable, CDG emitted', () => {
+    // dispatch(2) → arm A goto-loop {3,4,5} | arm B goto-loop {6,7,8}; EXIT=1.
+    // Each arm is a separate exit-less SCC with its own `if` branch (3 and 6).
+    const cfg = mkCfg(
+      9,
+      [
+        [0, 2, 'seq'],
+        [2, 3, 'switch-case'],
+        [2, 6, 'switch-case'],
+        [3, 4, 'cond-true'],
+        [3, 5, 'seq'],
+        [4, 5, 'seq'],
+        [5, 3, 'seq'],
+        [6, 7, 'cond-true'],
+        [6, 8, 'seq'],
+        [7, 8, 'seq'],
+        [8, 6, 'seq'],
+      ],
+      { entry: 0, exit: 1 },
+    );
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)).toBe(false);
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    // both arm predicates (3 and 6) escape to EXIT — neither arm left trapped.
+    expect(syntheticEdges(cfg, view).sort()).toEqual(['3->1', '6->1']);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true);
+    expect(computeControlDependence(view).edges.length).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('augmentForPostDom — spine/ENTRY in the unreachable closure is not mis-skipped', () => {
+  it('straight-line statements before the goto label still reach EXIT after the pass', () => {
+    // ENTRY 0 → stmtA(2) → stmtB(3) → predicate(4) → {work(5)|goto(6)} → back(4)
+    // The spine {0,2,3} is exit-unreachable too (it feeds the trap), but it must
+    // NOT be flagged an anomaly — it reaches EXIT for free through the bridge.
+    const cfg = mkCfg(
+      7,
+      [
+        [0, 2, 'seq'],
+        [2, 3, 'seq'],
+        [3, 4, 'seq'],
+        [4, 5, 'cond-true'],
+        [4, 6, 'seq'],
+        [5, 6, 'seq'],
+        [6, 4, 'seq'],
+      ],
+      { entry: 0, exit: 1 },
+    );
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(syntheticEdges(cfg, view)).toEqual(['4->1']); // bridge at the predicate
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true); // spine + ENTRY all reach EXIT
+  });
+});
+
+describe('augmentForPostDom — anti-masking (R2): construction anomalies stay skipped', () => {
+  it('a dangling dead-end block (not in a cycle, no control point) is NOT bridged', () => {
+    // ENTRY 0 → dead-end(1) with no out-edge; EXIT 2 unreachable from ENTRY.
+    // No control point in the trapped region → not bridged → still unsound.
+    const cfg = mkCfg(3, [[0, 1, 'seq']], { entry: 0, exit: 2 });
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(view).toBe(cfg); // refused to bridge
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(false); // skip path stays correct
+  });
+
+  it('a branch-less infinite spin (the disconnected-EXIT fixture shape) is NOT bridged', () => {
+    // ENTRY 0 → 1 ⇄ 2 (branch-less spin); EXIT 3 disconnected. No control point
+    // anywhere in the trap → refuse to bridge (indistinguishable from a real
+    // construction error) → the existing soundness gate skips it.
+    const cfg = mkCfg(
+      4,
+      [
+        [0, 1, 'seq'],
+        [1, 2, 'seq'],
+        [2, 1, 'seq'],
+      ],
+      { entry: 0, exit: 3 },
+    );
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(view).toBe(cfg);
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('a MIXED cycle + separate dead-end: cycle bridged, residual dead-end keeps the whole fn skipped', () => {
+    // ENTRY 0 branches to a recoverable goto-cycle {2,3,4} (branch at 2) AND to a
+    // separate dead-end block 5. The cycle is bridged, but block 5 stays
+    // exit-unreachable → the all-or-nothing gate skips the whole function (the
+    // documented granularity decision: recover the cycle, surface the residual).
+    const cfg = mkCfg(
+      6,
+      [
+        [0, 2, 'cond-true'],
+        [0, 5, 'cond-false'],
+        [2, 3, 'cond-true'],
+        [2, 4, 'seq'],
+        [3, 4, 'seq'],
+        [4, 2, 'seq'],
+      ],
+      { entry: 0, exit: 1 },
+    );
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    // the cycle WAS bridged (block 2 → EXIT)...
+    expect(syntheticEdges(cfg, view)).toEqual(['2->1']);
+    // ...but block 5 is still exit-unreachable → the whole function is skipped.
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('augmentForPostDom — irreducible 2-entry loop (characterization)', () => {
+  it('bridges the irreducible cycle reachability-sound (control point feeds it from outside)', () => {
+    // ENTRY 0 → branch(2) → {3 | 4}; 3 ⇄ 4 form an irreducible 2-entry cycle with
+    // NO internal branch. The control point (block 2) sits OUTSIDE the cycle, so
+    // the escape attaches to the lowest-index cycle member (block 3). EXIT=1.
+    const cfg = mkCfg(
+      5,
+      [
+        [0, 2, 'seq'],
+        [2, 3, 'cond-true'],
+        [2, 4, 'seq'],
+        [3, 4, 'seq'],
+        [4, 3, 'seq'],
+      ],
+      { entry: 0, exit: 1 },
+    );
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(cfg)).toBe(false);
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    expect(syntheticEdges(cfg, view)).toEqual(['3->1']); // lowest-index member
+    expect(isExitReachableFromAllBlocks(view)).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('augmentForPostDom — persistence (analysis-only, never mutates input)', () => {
+  it('does not mutate the input cfg.edges', () => {
+    const cfg = reproGotoCycle();
+    const before = cfg.edges.map((e) => `${e.from}->${e.to}:${e.kind}`);
+    const beforeLen = cfg.edges.length;
+    const view = augmentForPostDom(cfg);
+    // the view carries the extra edge...
+    expect(view.edges.length).toBe(beforeLen + 1);
+    // ...but the ORIGINAL edges array is byte-identical (length + contents).
+    expect(cfg.edges.length).toBe(beforeLen);
+    expect(cfg.edges.map((e) => `${e.from}->${e.to}:${e.kind}`)).toEqual(before);
+    // and the view is a distinct array (not aliasing the input).
+    expect(view.edges).not.toBe(cfg.edges);
+  });
+
+  it('the no-op path returns the SAME object (no clone allocated)', () => {
+    const cfg = mkCfg(3, [
+      [0, 1, 'seq'],
+      [1, 2, 'seq'],
+    ]);
+    expect(augmentForPostDom(cfg)).toBe(cfg);
+  });
+});