diff --git a/gitnexus/test/fixtures/cross-file-binding/php-consumer-before-provider/app/BProvider.php b/gitnexus/test/fixtures/cross-file-binding/php-consumer-before-provider/app/Models/User.php
similarity index 100%
rename from gitnexus/test/fixtures/cross-file-binding/php-consumer-before-provider/app/BProvider.php
rename to gitnexus/test/fixtures/cross-file-binding/php-consumer-before-provider/app/Models/User.php
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/registry-primary-flag.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/registry-primary-flag.test.ts
index 9e8be3455..864754b7f 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/registry-primary-flag.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/registry-primary-flag.test.ts
@@ -148,17 +148,20 @@ describe('primaryLanguages', () => {
 
   it('returns exactly the flipped languages (env opts in unmigrated, opts out migrated)', () => {
     // Migrated languages are default-on; each must be opted out here when
-    // testing explicit env overrides. Java (unmigrated) opts in; Go stays off.
-    process.env['REGISTRY_PRIMARY_PYTHON'] = 'false';
-    process.env['REGISTRY_PRIMARY_CSHARP'] = 'false';
-    process.env['REGISTRY_PRIMARY_TYPESCRIPT'] = 'false';
-    process.env['REGISTRY_PRIMARY_GO'] = 'false';
-    process.env['REGISTRY_PRIMARY_C'] = 'false';
+    // testing explicit env overrides. Java (unmigrated) opts in.
+    // Opt out every member of MIGRATED_LANGUAGES dynamically so this test
+    // does not have to be updated each time a new language ships its
+    // Ring 3 migration (PHP joined the set in commit 69786b16; future
+    // Ring 3 additions land here without test churn).
+    for (const lang of MIGRATED_LANGUAGES) {
+      process.env[envVarNameFor(lang)] = 'false';
+    }
     process.env['REGISTRY_PRIMARY_JAVA'] = '1';
     const enabled = primaryLanguages();
     expect(enabled.has(SupportedLanguages.Python)).toBe(false);
     expect(enabled.has(SupportedLanguages.CSharp)).toBe(false);
     expect(enabled.has(SupportedLanguages.Go)).toBe(false);
+    expect(enabled.has(SupportedLanguages.PHP)).toBe(false);
     expect(enabled.has(SupportedLanguages.Java)).toBe(true);
     // Only Java is on: migrated defaults overridden off, Java explicitly on.
     expect(enabled.size).toBe(1);
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/overload-narrowing.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/overload-narrowing.test.ts
index 810c3a79b..9a14fdddd 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/overload-narrowing.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/overload-narrowing.test.ts
@@ -69,11 +69,26 @@ describe('narrowOverloadCandidates — arity filtering', () => {
     expect(result.map((d) => d.nodeId)).toEqual(['v:1']);
   });
 
-  it('falls back to the full overload list when arity filter empties it', () => {
+  it('returns empty when arity filter empties the set AND every candidate had definite bounds', () => {
     // argCount=5 doesn't match any overload (none variadic, all have max < 5).
+    // Post-commit af9af4a9 (PR #1497 / U1): the empty result is now authoritative
+    // because every rejected candidate had defined `parameterCount` /
+    // `requiredParameterCount`. The old "always fall back to full list" rescue
+    // was deliberately removed so resolvers actually drop calls that are
+    // definitively arity-incompatible (e.g., PHP `f(int $req, ...$rest)`
+    // called with zero args).
     const result = narrowOverloadCandidates([add1, add2, add3], 5, undefined);
-    expect(result.map((d) => d.nodeId)).toEqual(['add:1', 'add:2', 'add:3']);
+    expect(result.map((d) => d.nodeId)).toEqual([]);
   });
+
+  // Note: the `anyUnknownBounds ? overloads : []` branch in
+  // narrowOverloadCandidates is structurally unreachable in this caller's
+  // shape — a candidate with both `parameterCount` and `requiredParameterCount`
+  // undefined always passes the arity filter (neither `argCount > max` nor
+  // `argCount < min` can fire), so `arityMatches.length` is always > 0
+  // whenever `anyUnknownBounds` is true. The branch is preserved in the
+  // source as a defensive guard for future refactors that might add
+  // additional rejection criteria in the filter.
 });
 
 describe('narrowOverloadCandidates — type narrowing', () => {
diff --git a/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/registries.test.ts b/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/registries.test.ts
index b204287b5..2681af69f 100644
--- a/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/registries.test.ts
+++ b/gitnexus/test/unit/scope-resolution/registries.test.ts
@@ -250,7 +250,13 @@ describe('Step 5: arity filter', () => {
     );
   });
 
-  it('keeps incompatible candidates when no compatible candidate exists (soft penalty)', () => {
+  it('drops every candidate when ALL are incompatible AND none unknown (hard rejection)', () => {
+    // Post-commit af9af4a9 (PR #1497 / U1): the old soft-penalty fallback
+    // that kept incompatible candidates with `arityMatchIncompatible`
+    // weight was deliberately removed at this layer too. When every
+    // candidate is definitively arity-incompatible, the registry returns
+    // no resolution — matching the PHP variadic case `f(int $req, ...$rest)`
+    // called with zero args.
     const save3 = mkDef({
       nodeId: 'def:save-three',
       type: 'Method',
@@ -268,8 +274,41 @@ describe('Step 5: arity filter', () => {
     const results = buildMethodRegistry(ctx).lookup('save', 'scope:m', {
       callsite: { arity: 1 },
     });
-    expect(results).toHaveLength(1);
-    expect(evidenceOfKind(results[0]!, 'arity-match')?.weight).toBe(
+    expect(results).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+
+  it('keeps incompatible candidates when at least one verdict is unknown (soft penalty)', () => {
+    // The soft-rescue path is still active when at least one candidate's
+    // arity verdict is 'unknown' — that signals missing metadata rather
+    // than a definitive mismatch, so all candidates (including incompatible
+    // ones) are preserved with their evidence weights for downstream
+    // tie-breaking.
+    const save3 = mkDef({
+      nodeId: 'def:save-three',
+      type: 'Method',
+      qualifiedName: 'User.save',
+      parameterCount: 3,
+    });
+    const saveUnknown = mkDef({
+      nodeId: 'def:save-unknown',
+      type: 'Method',
+      qualifiedName: 'User.save',
+    });
+    const mod = mkScope({
+      id: 'scope:m',
+      parent: null,
+      bindings: { save: [mkBinding(save3, 'local'), mkBinding(saveUnknown, 'local')] },
+    });
+    const ctx = makeCtx([mod], [save3, saveUnknown], {
+      arity: (_callsite, def) => (def.nodeId === 'def:save-unknown' ? 'unknown' : 'incompatible'),
+    });
+    const results = buildMethodRegistry(ctx).lookup('save', 'scope:m', {
+      callsite: { arity: 1 },
+    });
+    expect(results).toHaveLength(2);
+    const incompat = results.find((r) => r.def.nodeId === 'def:save-three');
+    expect(incompat).toBeDefined();
+    expect(evidenceOfKind(incompat!, 'arity-match')?.weight).toBe(
       EvidenceWeights.arityMatchIncompatible,
     );
   });