diff --git a/.github/actions/log-api-budget/action.yml b/.github/actions/log-api-budget/action.yml
index d0863463f1a..14adac8f67c 100644
--- a/.github/actions/log-api-budget/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/log-api-budget/action.yml
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ description: >
   counter every concurrent job shares) is not, and M its 304 answers, which
   GitHub does not count. Then one line for the job's content-creating writes
   (count and most in any 60 s). Also writes each line and a `<name>-cost=N`
-  line to the step summary. A token with no reading gets no line. Never fails
-  the job.
+  line to the step summary. A token with no reading gets only its api-calls
+  line, at 0. Never fails the job.
 
 inputs:
   tokens:
@@ -39,14 +39,16 @@ runs:
         for name in $TOKENS; do
           [[ $name =~ ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{0,39}$ ]] || { echo "::warning::api-budget: skipped a token name that is not lower-case kebab case"; continue; }
           lines=$(api_budget_emit "$name")
-          [[ -n $lines ]] || continue
-          printf '%s\n' "$lines"
-          sed 's/^::notice title=api-budget::/api-budget: /' <<<"$lines" >>"$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          if [[ -n $lines ]]; then
+            printf '%s\n' "$lines"
+            sed 's/^::notice title=api-budget::/api-budget: /' <<<"$lines" >>"$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          fi
           # This job's own calls, one reading each: unlike cost, no other job's.
-          # A notice, as the hub reads annotations, not the log.
+          # A notice, as the hub reads annotations, not the log; 0 with no reading.
           calls=$(api_budget_emit_calls "$name")
           printf '%s\n' "$calls"
           echo "api-calls ${calls#*title=api-calls::}" >>"$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          [[ -n $lines ]] || continue
           cost=${lines##*cost=}
           costs+=("$name-cost=${cost/na/unknown}")
         done
diff --git a/.github/actions/log-api-budget/api-budget.bash b/.github/actions/log-api-budget/api-budget.bash
index ef0d35abef6..81c6ae6ef21 100644
--- a/.github/actions/log-api-budget/api-budget.bash
+++ b/.github/actions/log-api-budget/api-budget.bash
@@ -71,10 +71,10 @@
 #   api_budget_emit_content     the notice for the job's content-creating
 #                               writes: count and most in any 60 s
 #   api_budget_emit_calls <token>...
-#                               the hub's api-calls notice for each token with
-#                               a reading, `<token>=N not-modified=M`: N is
-#                               the job's own calls, M its 304 answers, which
-#                               GitHub does not count
+#                               the hub's api-calls notice for each token,
+#                               `<token>=N not-modified=M`: N is the job's own
+#                               calls, M its 304 answers, which GitHub does not
+#                               count; 0 for a token with no reading
 #
 # pr-require-checks.yml's ci-status job carries this file verbatim in its
 # API_BUDGET_SH env (it has no checkout of this directory);
@@ -377,7 +377,8 @@ api_budget_emit_calls() {
   local token file
   for token; do
     file=${RUNNER_TEMP:-}/api-budget/$token
-    [[ -n ${RUNNER_TEMP:-} && $token =~ ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{0,39}$ && -s $file ]] || continue
+    [[ -n ${RUNNER_TEMP:-} && $token =~ ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{0,39}$ ]] || continue
+    [[ -s $file ]] || file=/dev/null
     awk '$1 != 304 { n++ } $1 == 304 { m++ } END { printf "::notice title=api-calls::%s=%d not-modified=%d\n", token, n, m }' token="$token" "$file"
   done
   return 0
diff --git a/.github/actions/log-api-budget/log-api-budget.test.mjs b/.github/actions/log-api-budget/log-api-budget.test.mjs
index c73303261d3..3f2fdb1539d 100644
--- a/.github/actions/log-api-budget/log-api-budget.test.mjs
+++ b/.github/actions/log-api-budget/log-api-budget.test.mjs
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ test("recordReading appends the same line shape, na for a missing or malformed v
     assert.equal(existsSync(join(dir, "api-budget", "lanes-app")), false);
   }));
 
-test("the action emits each named token, the call count as an api-calls notice the hub reads, the summary and the costs output, and reads no /rate_limit", () =>
+test("the action emits each named token, the call count as an api-calls notice the hub reads (0 with no reading), the summary and the costs output, and reads no /rate_limit", () =>
   withDir((dir) => {
     // Two calls GitHub counted, then a conditional GET answered 304.
     readEach(dir, "github-token", head({ used: 13 }), head({ used: 41 }), head({ status: 304, used: 41 }));
@@ -177,12 +177,14 @@ test("the action emits each named token, the call count as an api-calls notice t
     });
     assert.equal(
       out,
-      `${NOTICE}token=github-token ${WHERE} limit=5000 remaining=4959 used=41 reset=1792748042 resource=core cost=28\n` +
+      "::notice title=api-calls::lanes-app=0 not-modified=0\n" +
+        `${NOTICE}token=github-token ${WHERE} limit=5000 remaining=4959 used=41 reset=1792748042 resource=core cost=28\n` +
         "::notice title=api-calls::github-token=2 not-modified=1\n",
     );
     assert.equal(
       readFileSync(join(dir, "summary"), "utf8"),
-      `api-budget: token=github-token ${WHERE} limit=5000 remaining=4959 used=41 reset=1792748042 resource=core cost=28\n` +
+      "api-calls lanes-app=0 not-modified=0\n" +
+        `api-budget: token=github-token ${WHERE} limit=5000 remaining=4959 used=41 reset=1792748042 resource=core cost=28\n` +
         "api-calls github-token=2 not-modified=1\ngithub-token-cost=28\n",
     );
     assert.equal(readFileSync(join(dir, "output"), "utf8"), "costs=github-token-cost=28\n");
@@ -203,9 +205,12 @@ test("ci-status ends with the same api-budget and api-calls notices the action w
       `${NOTICE}token=github-token ${WHERE} limit=5000 remaining=4959 used=41 reset=1792748042 resource=core cost=28\n` +
         "::notice title=api-calls::github-token=2 not-modified=1\n",
     );
-    // With no reading, no line, as the action skips a token with none.
+    // With no reading, no api-budget line and an api-calls count of 0, as the action writes.
     rmSync(join(dir, "api-budget"), { recursive: true });
-    assert.equal(execFileSync("bash", ["-c", block[1]], { encoding: "utf8", env: { PATH: process.env.PATH, RUNNER_TEMP: dir, API_BUDGET_SH: readFileSync(LIB, "utf8") } }), "");
+    assert.equal(
+      execFileSync("bash", ["-c", block[1]], { encoding: "utf8", env: { PATH: process.env.PATH, RUNNER_TEMP: dir, API_BUDGET_SH: readFileSync(LIB, "utf8") } }),
+      "::notice title=api-calls::github-token=0 not-modified=0\n",
+    );
   }));
 
 // The shell port of the rate guard decides every shared vector as
@@ -633,8 +638,11 @@ test("the action writes the content-creation notice after the token lines", () =
         TOKENS: "github-token",
       },
     });
-    assert.equal(out, `${NOTICE}content-creation ${WHERE} count=1 max-per-minute=1\n`);
-    assert.equal(readFileSync(join(dir, "summary"), "utf8"), `api-budget: content-creation ${WHERE} count=1 max-per-minute=1\n`);
+    assert.equal(out, `::notice title=api-calls::github-token=0 not-modified=0\n${NOTICE}content-creation ${WHERE} count=1 max-per-minute=1\n`);
+    assert.equal(
+      readFileSync(join(dir, "summary"), "utf8"),
+      `api-calls github-token=0 not-modified=0\napi-budget: content-creation ${WHERE} count=1 max-per-minute=1\n`,
+    );
   }));
 
 // Every lane job that calls GitHub through the rate guard names its token and
@@ -671,6 +679,31 @@ test("each heavy lane job names its API_BUDGET_TOKEN and ends with the log-api-b
   }
 });
 
+// Jobs that hold the job token but call GitHub only through actions the
+// counter cannot see still end by logging it, so each run carries its
+// api-calls line, 0 when no step of the job's own called GitHub.
+test("each job that holds the job token and calls no guarded client ends with the log-api-budget step", () => {
+  const windows = ["select-tests-windows", ...["rename-1", "rename-2", "secrets", "guards", "hooks", "lib", "worktree"].map((s) => `test-windows-${s}`), "test-macos-planning-shared"];
+  const jobs = {
+    "pr-test-windows.yml": Object.fromEntries(windows.map((job) => [job, "./"])),
+    "post-merge-detect-silent-revert.yml": { "detect-silent-revert": "./" },
+    "release-publish-plugins.yml": { merge: "./", build: "./" },
+  };
+  for (const [file, byJob] of Object.entries(jobs)) {
+    const text = readFileSync(new URL(`../../workflows/${file}`, import.meta.url), "utf8");
+    for (const [job, root] of Object.entries(byJob)) {
+      const block = new RegExp(`\\n  ${job}:\\n([\\s\\S]*?)(?=\\n  [a-z0-9-]+:\\n|$)`).exec(text)?.[1] ?? "";
+      const last = block.split(/\n {6}- name: /).at(-1).replace(/(\n *(#[^\n]*)?)+$/, "");
+      assert.equal(
+        last,
+        "Log the API budget at the end\n        if: always()\n        continue-on-error: true\n        timeout-minutes: 1\n" +
+          `        uses: ${root}.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]\n        with:\n          tokens: github-token`,
+        `${file} ${job}`,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+});
+
 // 950 used of a header limit of 5000 leaves 50 of a planned 1000, under a
 // floor of 100; without the cap the same reading is far over its floor.
 test("gh guard: API_BUDGET_LIMIT_CAP plans the floor to the cap, and only the header's remaining stops", () =>
diff --git a/.github/scripts/pr-merge/workflow.test.mjs b/.github/scripts/pr-merge/workflow.test.mjs
index 0c7a91f4ce1..993a2f49e4a 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/pr-merge/workflow.test.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/pr-merge/workflow.test.mjs
@@ -500,7 +500,7 @@ test("enable-auto-merge logs both tokens' readings at job end, before the token
 // sees. Every such job carries the log-api-budget step, run whatever failed
 // or stopped before it, naming github-token: under `always()` alone, so a job
 // that ends before it mints a lane token still logs the job token's calls. A
-// token with no reading gets no line (log-api-budget.test.mjs).
+// token with no reading logs 0 (log-api-budget.test.mjs).
 test("every job that calls GitHub with the job token logs its api-calls", () => {
   const ids = [...jobs.matchAll(/\n {2}([a-z-]+):\n/g)].map((m) => m[1]);
   const callers = ids.filter((id) => job(id).includes("${{ github.token }}"));
@@ -649,7 +649,7 @@ for (const jobId of ["merge", "enable-auto-merge"]) {
         env: { ...base, GITHUB_ACTION_PATH: fileURLToPath(new URL("../../actions/log-api-budget/", import.meta.url)), TOKENS: /\n {10}tokens: (.*)\n/.exec(log)[1] },
       });
       assert.match(out.stdout, /^::notice title=api-calls::github-token=3 not-modified=0$/m);
-      assert.doesNotMatch(out.stdout, /lanes-app/);
+      assert.match(out.stdout, /^::notice title=api-calls::lanes-app=0 not-modified=0$/m);
     } finally {
       server.close();
       rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
diff --git a/.github/workflows/post-merge-detect-silent-revert.yml b/.github/workflows/post-merge-detect-silent-revert.yml
index f8120c00c36..a3c3accb46e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/post-merge-detect-silent-revert.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/post-merge-detect-silent-revert.yml
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ jobs:
       # exited 0 with the content gone: it answered the other question. Two
       # re-lands each missed it, and a hand audit found it, not this lane.
       #
-      # ORDER IS LOAD-BEARING, and this step is deliberately LAST.
+      # ORDER IS LOAD-BEARING, and this step is deliberately the LAST check.
       #
       # A step with no status function carries an implicit `success() &&`, so a
       # step that fails SKIPS every later step in the job. Placed before the
@@ -162,3 +162,11 @@ jobs:
       - name: Assert the recorded incidents' content is restored
         if: success() || failure()
         run: scripts/check-silent-revert.sh --verify-restoration
+
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml
index 5bc8c179b82..7ddb4ce48c0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml
@@ -3366,10 +3366,10 @@ jobs:
         #   api_budget_emit_content     the notice for the job's content-creating
         #                               writes: count and most in any 60 s
         #   api_budget_emit_calls <token>...
-        #                               the hub's api-calls notice for each token with
-        #                               a reading, `<token>=N not-modified=M`: N is
-        #                               the job's own calls, M its 304 answers, which
-        #                               GitHub does not count
+        #                               the hub's api-calls notice for each token,
+        #                               `<token>=N not-modified=M`: N is the job's own
+        #                               calls, M its 304 answers, which GitHub does not
+        #                               count; 0 for a token with no reading
         #
         # pr-require-checks.yml's ci-status job carries this file verbatim in its
         # API_BUDGET_SH env (it has no checkout of this directory);
@@ -3672,7 +3672,8 @@ jobs:
           local token file
           for token; do
             file=${RUNNER_TEMP:-}/api-budget/$token
-            [[ -n ${RUNNER_TEMP:-} && $token =~ ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{0,39}$ && -s $file ]] || continue
+            [[ -n ${RUNNER_TEMP:-} && $token =~ ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{0,39}$ ]] || continue
+            [[ -s $file ]] || file=/dev/null
             awk '$1 != 304 { n++ } $1 == 304 { m++ } END { printf "::notice title=api-calls::%s=%d not-modified=%d\n", token, n, m }' token="$token" "$file"
           done
           return 0
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-test-windows.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-test-windows.yml
index 50b36160077..87617011c78 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-test-windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-test-windows.yml
@@ -93,6 +93,14 @@ jobs:
           [ -n "$base" ] || echo "::notice::A $GITHUB_EVENT_NAME run with no usable base runs every Windows step."
           scripts/plan-test-lanes.sh ${base:+--base "$base"} >>"$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   # Every suite runs on Linux too. A suite is here because a Linux runner cannot
   # exercise part of what it tests:
   #
@@ -206,6 +214,14 @@ jobs:
         if: contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.steps), 'plugins/guardrails/hooks/run-guards.test.sh')
         run: bash plugins/guardrails/hooks/run-guards.test.sh
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   test-windows-rename-2:
     needs: [select-tests-windows]
     if: ${{ contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.jobs || '[]'), 'test-windows-rename-2') }}
@@ -253,6 +269,14 @@ jobs:
         shell: pwsh
         run: pwsh -NoProfile -NonInteractive -File plugins/machine-health/skills/audit/scripts/run-tests.ps1
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   test-windows-secrets:
     needs: [select-tests-windows]
     if: ${{ contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.jobs || '[]'), 'test-windows-secrets') }}
@@ -290,6 +314,14 @@ jobs:
         working-directory: plugins/disk-hygiene/skills/clean/scripts
         run: python -m unittest -v test_hygiene.GuardTests
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   test-windows-guards:
     needs: [select-tests-windows]
     if: ${{ contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.jobs || '[]'), 'test-windows-guards') }}
@@ -311,6 +343,14 @@ jobs:
         if: contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.steps), 'plugins/guardrails/hooks/hardcoded-path-check.test.sh')
         run: bash plugins/guardrails/hooks/hardcoded-path-check.test.sh
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   test-windows-hooks:
     needs: [select-tests-windows]
     if: ${{ contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.jobs || '[]'), 'test-windows-hooks') }}
@@ -373,6 +413,14 @@ jobs:
         if: contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.steps), 'plugins/developer-experience/skills/setup/scripts/pointer-line.test.sh')
         run: bash plugins/developer-experience/skills/setup/scripts/pointer-line.test.sh
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   test-windows-lib:
     needs: [select-tests-windows]
     if: ${{ contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.jobs || '[]'), 'test-windows-lib') }}
@@ -430,6 +478,14 @@ jobs:
           $config.Output.Verbosity = 'Detailed'
           Invoke-Pester -Configuration $config
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   test-windows-worktree:
     needs: [select-tests-windows]
     if: ${{ contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.jobs || '[]'), 'test-windows-worktree') }}
@@ -477,6 +533,14 @@ jobs:
         if: contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.steps), 'plugins/planning/shared/tests/test_server.py')
         run: python -m unittest discover -v -s plugins/planning/shared/tests -p 'test_tunnel.py'
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   # The planning shared-session suites on macOS, the third platform
   # plugins/planning/shared/README.md names. detached.py's POSIX branches, file
   # modes and the bash-run fake cloudflared run here as on Linux, but on Darwin:
@@ -539,3 +603,11 @@ jobs:
         if: contains(fromJSON(needs.select-tests-windows.outputs.steps), 'plugins/planning/shared/tests/test_tunnel.py')
         timeout-minutes: 3
         run: python -m unittest discover -v -s plugins/planning/shared/tests -p 'test_tunnel.py'
+
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-publish-plugins.yml b/.github/workflows/release-publish-plugins.yml
index 40af823d2f9..83cb02a3bbe 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release-publish-plugins.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-publish-plugins.yml
@@ -139,6 +139,14 @@ jobs:
             echo "Merged release pull request #$PR_NUMBER at $HEAD_SHA."
           fi
 
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token
+
   build:
     needs: [merge]
     if: ${{ !cancelled() && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' && ((inputs.action || 'merge') != 'merge' || needs.merge.outputs.rebuild == 'true') }}
@@ -324,3 +332,11 @@ jobs:
             printf '\n%s\n' "$line" >>"$body"
             gh pr edit "$number" --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --body-file "$body"
           fi
+
+      - name: Log the API budget at the end
+        if: always()
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 1
+        uses: ./.github/actions/log-api-budget # zizmor: ignore[self-repository]
+        with:
+          tokens: github-token