diff --git a/.github/actions/aicr-build/action.yml b/.github/actions/aicr-build/action.yml
index c4bbee90..575bdd43 100644
--- a/.github/actions/aicr-build/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/aicr-build/action.yml
@@ -53,9 +53,14 @@ runs:
         # Load onto all nodes. The snapshot agent requests nvidia.com/gpu but
         # does not set a node selector, so it can land on any GPU-capable node
         # including the control-plane (e.g., T4 smoke test).
-        timeout 600 kind load docker-image ko.local:smoke-test --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" || {
+        #
+        # Timeout is intentionally generous (900s per attempt). H100 self-hosted
+        # runners transfer images over a shared Docker-in-Docker bridge; large
+        # CUDA base images (~250MB compressed) combined with I/O contention from
+        # parallel GPU operator pods regularly exceed the previous 600s limit.
+        timeout 900 kind load docker-image ko.local:smoke-test --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" || {
           echo "::warning::kind load attempt 1 failed for ko.local:smoke-test, retrying..."
-          timeout 600 kind load docker-image ko.local:smoke-test --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}"
+          timeout 900 kind load docker-image ko.local:smoke-test --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}"
         }
 
     - name: Build validator images and load into kind
@@ -94,9 +99,12 @@ runs:
         USER nonroot
         ENTRYPOINT ["/${phase}"]
         DOCKERFILE
-          timeout 300 kind load docker-image "ko.local/aicr-validators/${phase}:latest" --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" || {
+          # Validator images are small (~30MB distroless), but share the same
+          # Docker-in-Docker bridge as the smoke-test load above. 600s per
+          # attempt accommodates I/O queuing behind concurrent image pulls.
+          timeout 600 kind load docker-image "ko.local/aicr-validators/${phase}:latest" --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" || {
             echo "::warning::kind load attempt 1 failed for ko.local/aicr-validators/${phase}:latest, retrying..."
-            timeout 300 kind load docker-image "ko.local/aicr-validators/${phase}:latest" --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}"
+            timeout 600 kind load docker-image "ko.local/aicr-validators/${phase}:latest" --name "${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}"
           }
         done
 
diff --git a/.github/actions/gpu-snapshot-validate/action.yml b/.github/actions/gpu-snapshot-validate/action.yml
index 8a587bbd..e1ee3c14 100644
--- a/.github/actions/gpu-snapshot-validate/action.yml
+++ b/.github/actions/gpu-snapshot-validate/action.yml
@@ -59,3 +59,27 @@ runs:
           exit 1
         fi
         echo "Snapshot correctly detected ${GPU_COUNT}x ${GPU_MODEL}"
+
+    - name: Debug snapshot Job
+      if: failure()
+      shell: bash
+      run: |
+        echo "=== Snapshot Job ==="
+        kubectl --context="kind-${{ inputs.cluster_name }}" -n default get job aicr -o yaml || true
+        echo "=== Snapshot Pods ==="
+        kubectl --context="kind-${{ inputs.cluster_name }}" -n default \
+          get pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=aicr -o wide || true
+        echo "=== Snapshot Job describe ==="
+        kubectl --context="kind-${{ inputs.cluster_name }}" -n default describe job aicr || true
+        echo "=== Snapshot Pod describe ==="
+        kubectl --context="kind-${{ inputs.cluster_name }}" -n default \
+          describe pods -l app.kubernetes.io/name=aicr || true
+        echo "=== Snapshot current logs ==="
+        kubectl --context="kind-${{ inputs.cluster_name }}" -n default \
+          logs -l app.kubernetes.io/name=aicr --all-containers --tail=200 || true
+        echo "=== Snapshot previous logs ==="
+        kubectl --context="kind-${{ inputs.cluster_name }}" -n default \
+          logs -l app.kubernetes.io/name=aicr --all-containers --previous --tail=200 || true
+        echo "=== Snapshot ConfigMap ==="
+        kubectl --context="kind-${{ inputs.cluster_name }}" -n default \
+          get configmap aicr-snapshot -o yaml || true
diff --git a/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-inference-test.yaml b/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-inference-test.yaml
index 8e0e6e15..bb2fc784 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-inference-test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-inference-test.yaml
@@ -57,19 +57,11 @@ jobs:
               - 'pkg/evidence/**'
               - '.github/actions/gpu-test-cleanup/**'
               - '.github/actions/load-versions/**'
-              - 'tests/manifests/dynamo-vllm-smoke-test.yaml'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/chainsaw-config.yaml'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main.go'
+              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/**'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-common/**'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/**'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-crds.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kgateway.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dynamo.yaml'
               - 'recipes/mixins/platform-inference.yaml'
               - 'recipes/components/kgateway/**'
               - 'recipes/components/kgateway-crds/**'
@@ -166,27 +158,19 @@ jobs:
             --test-dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo \
             --config tests/chainsaw/chainsaw-config.yaml
 
+      # --- CNCF AI Conformance validation ---
+      # Runs after the stack health checks so gateway and metrics validators
+      # see a settled inference stack.
+
       - name: Verify expected resources exist
         run: |
           go run ./tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/ \
             --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-crds.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kgateway.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dynamo.yaml \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-common \
             --kubeconfig="${HOME}/.kube/config" \
             --debug
 
-      # --- CNCF AI Conformance validation ---
-      # Runs before Dynamo so conformance validators retain access to free GPUs.
-      # dra-support allocates a GPU via ResourceClaim, and gang-scheduling
-      # requires 2 free GPUs. Running the Dynamo smoke test first would consume
-      # GPU capacity and create avoidable test flakiness.
-
       - name: Validate CNCF AI Conformance
         id: validate-conformance
         run: |
@@ -202,146 +186,32 @@ jobs:
             --output=validation-result.yaml \
             --evidence-dir=conformance-evidence
 
-      # --- Dynamo vLLM inference smoke test ---
-      # Runs after conformance: Dynamo's DRA ResourceClaim consumes GPU
-      # capacity, so it is safer to keep the shared conformance gate first.
-
-      - name: Deploy Dynamo vLLM smoke test
-        run: |
-          # Create kai-scheduler queue for Dynamo (grove-operator sets kai.scheduler/queue=dynamo).
-          # The kai-scheduler chart creates default-parent-queue + default-queue on install,
-          # but Dynamo needs its own queue as a child of the parent.
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" apply -f - <<'EOF'
-          apiVersion: scheduling.run.ai/v2
-          kind: Queue
-          metadata:
-            name: dynamo
-          spec:
-            parentQueue: default-parent-queue
-            resources:
-              gpu:
-                quota: 0
-                limit: -1
-                overQuotaWeight: 1
-              cpu:
-                quota: 0
-                limit: -1
-                overQuotaWeight: 1
-              memory:
-                quota: 0
-                limit: -1
-                overQuotaWeight: 1
-          EOF
-
-          # Create DRA ResourceClaim for GPU allocation.
-          # Required on DRA-only clusters where device-plugin GPU requests cannot be scheduled.
-          # The kai.scheduler/queue label is required for KAI scheduler to manage the claim.
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" apply -f - <<'EOF'
-          apiVersion: resource.k8s.io/v1
-          kind: ResourceClaim
-          metadata:
-            name: vllm-smoke-gpu-claim
-            namespace: dynamo-system
-            labels:
-              kai.scheduler/queue: dynamo
-          spec:
-            devices:
-              requests:
-                - name: gpu
-                  exactly:
-                    deviceClassName: gpu.nvidia.com
-                    allocationMode: ExactCount
-                    count: 1
-          EOF
-
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" apply \
-            -f tests/manifests/dynamo-vllm-smoke-test.yaml -n dynamo-system
-
-          echo "Waiting for DynamoGraphDeployment to be reconciled..."
-          for i in $(seq 1 120); do
-            PHASE=$(kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
-              get dynamographdeployment vllm-smoke-test \
-              -o jsonpath='{.status.conditions[?(@.type=="Ready")].status}' 2>/dev/null)
-            if [[ "${PHASE}" == "True" ]]; then
-              echo "DynamoGraphDeployment is ready."
-              break
-            fi
-            echo "Waiting for DGD readiness... (${i}/120)"
-            kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system get pods 2>/dev/null || true
-            sleep 10
-          done
-
-          if [[ "${PHASE}" != "True" ]]; then
-            echo "::error::DynamoGraphDeployment did not become ready within 20 minutes"
-            kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
-              get dynamographdeployment vllm-smoke-test -o yaml 2>/dev/null || true
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-          echo "Dynamo pods:"
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system get pods
-
-      - name: Validate Dynamo inference
-        run: |
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
-            port-forward svc/vllm-smoke-test-frontend 8000:8000 &
-          PF_PID=$!
-          sleep 3
+      # Dynamo smoke is intentionally disabled for now. The vLLM runtime image
+      # adds significant latency and flakiness in Kind CI, and training has no
+      # matching smoke path yet. Reintroduce it later alongside a symmetric
+      # training smoke test if needed.
+      # --- Validation artifacts ---
 
-          cleanup() { kill "${PF_PID}" 2>/dev/null || true; }
-          trap cleanup EXIT
-
-          echo "=== Waiting for /v1/models (model registration may take time after worker ready) ==="
-          for i in $(seq 1 30); do
-            MODELS=$(curl -sf http://localhost:8000/v1/models 2>/dev/null || echo '{"data":[]}')
-            if echo "${MODELS}" | jq -e '.data | length > 0' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-              echo "Models available after ${i} attempt(s)."
-              break
-            fi
-            echo "Waiting for model registration... (${i}/30)"
-            sleep 10
-          done
-          echo "${MODELS}" | jq .
-          if ! echo "${MODELS}" | jq -e '.data | length > 0' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            echo "::error::No models reported by frontend after 5 minutes"
-            exit 1
-          fi
-
-          echo "=== Sending chat completion ==="
-          RESPONSE=$(curl -sf http://localhost:8000/v1/chat/completions \
-            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-            -d '{"model":"Qwen/Qwen3-0.6B","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"What is 2+2?"}],"max_tokens":30,"stream":false}')
-          echo "${RESPONSE}" | jq .
-
-          CONTENT=$(echo "${RESPONSE}" | jq -r '.choices[0].message.content')
-          if [[ -z "${CONTENT}" || "${CONTENT}" == "null" ]]; then
-            echo "::error::Empty response from vLLM"
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          echo "Dynamo vLLM inference smoke test passed."
-
-      # --- Evidence collection ---
-
-      - name: Collect AI conformance evidence
+      # Collect a post-run resource snapshot regardless of whether conformance
+      # validation ran, so triage always has a cluster-state artifact.
+      - name: Collect validation artifacts
         if: >-
-          !cancelled()
+          always()
+          && !cancelled()
           && steps.bundle-install.outcome == 'success'
-          && (steps.validate-conformance.outcome == 'success' || steps.validate-conformance.outcome == 'failure')
+        continue-on-error: true
+        shell: bash
         run: |
+          set -o pipefail
+          mkdir -p conformance-evidence
           go run ./tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/ \
             --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-crds.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kgateway.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dynamo.yaml \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-common \
             --kubeconfig="${HOME}/.kube/config" \
-            --debug
+            --debug | tee conformance-evidence/resource-existence-post.txt
 
-      - name: Upload conformance evidence
+      - name: Upload validation artifacts
         if: always()
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a  # v7.0.1
         with:
@@ -364,20 +234,6 @@ jobs:
           kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n gpu-operator get events --sort-by='.lastTimestamp' 2>/dev/null | tail -30 || true
           echo "=== Dynamo pods ==="
           kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system get pods -o wide 2>/dev/null || true
-          echo "=== DynamoGraphDeployment status ==="
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system get dynamographdeployment -o yaml 2>/dev/null || true
-          echo "=== Dynamo vLLM frontend logs ==="
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
-            logs deployment/vllm-smoke-test-frontend --tail=200 2>/dev/null || true
-          echo "=== Dynamo vLLM frontend previous logs ==="
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
-            logs deployment/vllm-smoke-test-frontend --previous --tail=200 2>/dev/null || true
-          echo "=== Dynamo vLLM worker logs ==="
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
-            logs deployment/vllm-smoke-test-vllmdecodeworker --tail=200 2>/dev/null || true
-          echo "=== Dynamo vLLM worker previous logs ==="
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
-            logs deployment/vllm-smoke-test-vllmdecodeworker --previous --tail=200 2>/dev/null || true
           echo "=== Dynamo operator logs ==="
           kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" -n dynamo-system \
             logs deployment/dynamo-operator-controller-manager --tail=100 -c manager 2>/dev/null || true
@@ -419,17 +275,6 @@ jobs:
           echo "=== Node status ==="
           kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" get nodes -o wide 2>/dev/null || true
 
-      - name: Dynamo vLLM cleanup
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" delete \
-            -f tests/manifests/dynamo-vllm-smoke-test.yaml \
-            -n dynamo-system --ignore-not-found 2>/dev/null || true
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" delete resourceclaim \
-            vllm-smoke-gpu-claim -n dynamo-system --ignore-not-found 2>/dev/null || true
-          kubectl --context="kind-${KIND_CLUSTER_NAME}" delete queue \
-            dynamo --ignore-not-found 2>/dev/null || true
-
       - name: GPU Test Cleanup
         if: always()
         uses: ./.github/actions/gpu-test-cleanup
diff --git a/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-training-test.yaml b/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-training-test.yaml
index 25e58cee..90e518fa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-training-test.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/gpu-h100-training-test.yaml
@@ -59,13 +59,8 @@ jobs:
               - '.github/actions/load-versions/**'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/chainsaw-config.yaml'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main.go'
+              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/**'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-common/**'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml'
-              - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml'
               - 'tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow/**'
               - 'recipes/overlays/kind.yaml'
               - 'recipes/overlays/h100-kind-training.yaml'
@@ -160,23 +155,19 @@ jobs:
             --test-dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow \
             --config tests/chainsaw/chainsaw-config.yaml
 
+      # --- CNCF AI Conformance validation ---
+      # Runs last to ensure the DCGM → Prometheus → adapter pipeline
+      # has had time to bootstrap (pod-autoscaling check needs live metric data).
+
       - name: Verify expected resources exist
         run: |
           go run ./tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/ \
             --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-common \
             --kubeconfig="${HOME}/.kube/config" \
             --debug
 
-      # --- CNCF AI Conformance validation ---
-      # Runs last to ensure the DCGM → Prometheus → adapter pipeline
-      # has had time to bootstrap (pod-autoscaling check needs live metric data).
-
       - name: Validate CNCF AI Conformance
         id: validate-conformance
         run: |
@@ -192,26 +183,28 @@ jobs:
             --output=validation-result.yaml \
             --evidence-dir=conformance-evidence
 
-      # --- Evidence collection ---
+      # --- Validation artifacts ---
 
-      - name: Collect AI conformance evidence
+      # Collect a post-run resource snapshot regardless of whether conformance
+      # validation ran, so triage always has a cluster-state artifact.
+      - name: Collect validation artifacts
         if: >-
-          !cancelled()
+          always()
+          && !cancelled()
           && steps.bundle-install.outcome == 'success'
-          && (steps.validate-conformance.outcome == 'success' || steps.validate-conformance.outcome == 'failure')
+        continue-on-error: true
+        shell: bash
         run: |
+          set -o pipefail
+          mkdir -p conformance-evidence
           go run ./tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/ \
             --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml \
-            --file tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common \
+            --dir tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-common \
             --kubeconfig="${HOME}/.kube/config" \
-            --debug
+            --debug | tee conformance-evidence/resource-existence-post.txt
 
-      - name: Upload conformance evidence
+      - name: Upload validation artifacts
         if: always()
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a  # v7.0.1
         with:
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/README.md b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/README.md
index 3c2bd2ba..a3e2d7e6 100644
--- a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/README.md
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/README.md
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ This directory contains the Chainsaw suites used to validate AI conformance flow
 
 - `offline/`: no-cluster recipe and bundle generation checks
 - `cluster/`: deployed inference-stack health checks for the external cluster flow
+- `common/`: cross-environment shared assertions used by the cluster suite and both Kind GPU suites
 - `kind-inference-dynamo/`: H100 Kind inference leaf-suite checks used by GPU CI
 - `kind-training-kubeflow/`: H100 Kind training leaf-suite checks used by GPU CI
 - `kind-common/`: shared Kind-only assertions consumed by both GPU CI leaf suites
@@ -68,16 +69,26 @@ The Kind GPU workflows use these leaf recipes instead:
 ```
 tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/
 ├── README.md
+├── common/                              # Shared across cluster + Kind GPU suites
+│   ├── assert-cert-manager.yaml         # cert-manager healthy
+│   ├── assert-dra-driver.yaml           # DRA driver healthy
+│   ├── assert-kai-scheduler.yaml        # KAI scheduler healthy
+│   ├── assert-monitoring.yaml           # Prometheus stack healthy
+│   └── assert-skyhook.yaml              # Skyhook operator healthy
 ├── kind-common/                         # Shared Kind-only assertions
 │   ├── assert-gpu-operator.yaml         # GPU operator healthy on kind
 │   ├── assert-network-operator.yaml     # Network operator healthy on kind
 │   └── assert-nvsentinel.yaml           # NVSentinel healthy on kind
 ├── kind-inference-dynamo/               # Kind + H100 + inference + dynamo leaf suite
 │   ├── chainsaw-test.yaml               # Inference leaf health check orchestration
+│   ├── assert-crds.yaml                 # Inference-specific CRDs installed
+│   ├── assert-dynamo.yaml               # Dynamo platform healthy on kind
+│   ├── assert-kgateway.yaml             # kgateway healthy on kind
 │   └── assert-namespaces.yaml           # Inference-specific namespaces exist
 ├── kind-training-kubeflow/              # Kind + H100 + training + kubeflow leaf suite
 │   ├── chainsaw-test.yaml               # Training leaf health check orchestration
 │   ├── assert-crds.yaml                 # Training-specific CRDs installed
+│   ├── assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml     # Kubeflow trainer healthy on kind
 │   └── assert-namespaces.yaml           # Training-specific namespaces exist
 ├── offline/                             # No cluster needed
 │   ├── chainsaw-test.yaml               # Recipe + bundle generation
@@ -86,18 +97,21 @@ tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/
     ├── chainsaw-test.yaml               # Cluster health check orchestration
     ├── assert-namespaces.yaml           # 9 namespaces exist
     ├── assert-crds.yaml                 # Critical CRDs installed
-    ├── assert-cert-manager.yaml         # cert-manager healthy
     ├── assert-gpu-operator.yaml         # GPU operator + DaemonSets healthy
-    ├── assert-monitoring.yaml           # Prometheus stack healthy
     ├── assert-kube-system.yaml          # AWS EFA healthy
     ├── assert-kgateway.yaml             # kgateway healthy
-    ├── assert-skyhook.yaml              # Skyhook operator healthy
     ├── assert-nvsentinel.yaml           # NVSentinel healthy
-    ├── assert-dra-driver.yaml           # DRA driver healthy
-    ├── assert-kai-scheduler.yaml        # KAI scheduler healthy
     └── assert-dynamo.yaml               # Dynamo platform healthy
 ```
 
+Ownership model:
+
+- `common/`: shared across the external cluster suite and both Kind GPU suites
+- `kind-common/`: shared only by the Kind GPU suites
+- `kind-inference-dynamo/`: inference-only Kind assertions
+- `kind-training-kubeflow/`: training-only Kind assertions
+- `cluster/`: external-cluster-only assertions
+
 ## Prerequisites
 
 ### Offline tests
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/chainsaw-test.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/chainsaw-test.yaml
index 44613dae..1cc8018c 100644
--- a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/chainsaw-test.yaml
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/chainsaw-test.yaml
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ spec:
       description: Verify cert-manager controller, webhook, and cainjector are available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: assert-cert-manager.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-cert-manager.yaml
 
     # ── GPU Operator ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-gpu-operator
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ spec:
       description: Verify kube-prometheus-stack, ephemeral storage metrics, and prometheus-adapter.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: assert-monitoring.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-monitoring.yaml
 
     # ── kube-system (AWS EFA) ──────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-kube-system
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ spec:
       description: Verify Skyhook operator controller-manager is available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: assert-skyhook.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-skyhook.yaml
 
     # ── NVSentinel ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-nvsentinel
@@ -105,14 +105,14 @@ spec:
         assert: 600s
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: assert-dra-driver.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-dra-driver.yaml
 
     # ── KAI Scheduler ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-kai-scheduler
       description: Verify KAI scheduler is available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
 
     # ── Dynamo Platform ────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-dynamo
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-cert-manager.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml
rename to tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-cert-manager.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-dra-driver.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml
rename to tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-dra-driver.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
rename to tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-monitoring.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml
rename to tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-monitoring.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-skyhook.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml
rename to tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/common/assert-skyhook.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-crds.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-crds.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..62db5bbe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-crds.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2026, NVIDIA CORPORATION.  All rights reserved.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# Assert that critical CRDs are installed for the kind inference + Dynamo stack.
+
+# GPU Operator
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: clusterpolicies.nvidia.com
+---
+# cert-manager
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: certificates.cert-manager.io
+---
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: issuers.cert-manager.io
+---
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: clusterissuers.cert-manager.io
+---
+# kgateway-crds (Gateway API + Inference Extension)
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: gateways.gateway.networking.k8s.io
+---
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: httproutes.gateway.networking.k8s.io
+---
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: inferencepools.inference.networking.x-k8s.io
+---
+# dynamo-crds
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: dynamocomponentdeployments.nvidia.com
+---
+# Skyhook
+apiVersion: apiextensions.k8s.io/v1
+kind: CustomResourceDefinition
+metadata:
+  name: skyhooks.skyhook.nvidia.com
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-dynamo.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-dynamo.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d1f09f60
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-dynamo.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2026, NVIDIA CORPORATION.  All rights reserved.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# Assert Dynamo platform components are healthy on the kind inference stack.
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: dynamo-platform-dynamo-operator-controller-manager
+  namespace: dynamo-system
+status:
+  (conditions[?type == 'Available']):
+    - status: "True"
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: grove-operator
+  namespace: dynamo-system
+status:
+  (conditions[?type == 'Available']):
+    - status: "True"
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-kgateway.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-kgateway.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b3569f9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/assert-kgateway.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+# Copyright (c) 2026, NVIDIA CORPORATION.  All rights reserved.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+# Assert kgateway controller is available on the kind inference + Dynamo stack.
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: kgateway
+  namespace: kgateway-system
+status:
+  (conditions[?type == 'Available']):
+    - status: "True"
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: inference-gateway
+  namespace: kgateway-system
+status:
+  (conditions[?type == 'Available']):
+    - status: "True"
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/chainsaw-test.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/chainsaw-test.yaml
index 0428d39c..1b1f701a 100644
--- a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/chainsaw-test.yaml
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-inference-dynamo/chainsaw-test.yaml
@@ -45,14 +45,14 @@ spec:
         assert: 120s
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-crds.yaml
+            file: assert-crds.yaml
 
     # ── cert-manager ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-cert-manager
       description: Verify cert-manager controller, webhook, and cainjector are available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-cert-manager.yaml
 
     # ── GPU Operator ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-gpu-operator
@@ -68,21 +68,21 @@ spec:
       description: Verify kube-prometheus-stack, ephemeral storage metrics, and prometheus-adapter.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-monitoring.yaml
 
     # ── kgateway ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-kgateway
       description: Verify kgateway controller is available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-kgateway.yaml
+            file: assert-kgateway.yaml
 
     # ── Skyhook ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-skyhook
       description: Verify Skyhook operator controller-manager is available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-skyhook.yaml
 
     # ── NVSentinel ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-nvsentinel
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ spec:
         assert: 600s
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-dra-driver.yaml
 
     # ── Network Operator ───────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-network-operator
@@ -112,11 +112,11 @@ spec:
       description: Verify KAI scheduler is available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
 
     # ── Dynamo Platform ────────────────────────────────────────────────
     - name: assert-dynamo
       description: Verify Dynamo operator, etcd, and NATS are healthy.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-dynamo.yaml
+            file: assert-dynamo.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/cluster/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml
rename to tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow/chainsaw-test.yaml b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow/chainsaw-test.yaml
index 6dd22ece..382d9910 100644
--- a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow/chainsaw-test.yaml
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/kind-training-kubeflow/chainsaw-test.yaml
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ spec:
       description: Verify cert-manager controller, webhook, and cainjector are available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-cert-manager.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-cert-manager.yaml
 
     - name: assert-gpu-operator
       description: Verify GPU operator and managed components are healthy (kind profile — no driver DaemonSet).
@@ -63,19 +63,19 @@ spec:
       description: Verify kube-prometheus-stack, ephemeral storage metrics, and prometheus-adapter.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-monitoring.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-monitoring.yaml
 
     - name: assert-skyhook
       description: Verify Skyhook operator controller-manager is available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-skyhook.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-skyhook.yaml
 
     - name: assert-kubeflow-trainer
       description: Verify Kubeflow Trainer controller, validating webhook, and TrainJob CRD are available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml
+            file: assert-kubeflow-trainer.yaml
 
     - name: assert-nvsentinel
       description: Verify NVSentinel controller and platform connector are healthy (kind profile).
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ spec:
         assert: 600s
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-dra-driver.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-dra-driver.yaml
 
     - name: assert-network-operator
       description: Verify NVIDIA Network Operator is available.
@@ -101,4 +101,4 @@ spec:
       description: Verify KAI scheduler is available.
       try:
         - assert:
-            file: ../cluster/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
+            file: ../common/assert-kai-scheduler.yaml
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main.go b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main.go
index dee42293..99bb8ed6 100644
--- a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main.go
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main.go
@@ -80,6 +80,26 @@ type checkResult struct {
 	Version  string // container image, label version, or CRD versions (best-effort)
 }
 
+type chainsawTestFile struct {
+	Spec struct {
+		Steps []chainsawStep `yaml:"steps"`
+	} `yaml:"spec"`
+}
+
+type chainsawStep struct {
+	Try     []chainsawOperation `yaml:"try"`
+	Catch   []chainsawOperation `yaml:"catch"`
+	Finally []chainsawOperation `yaml:"finally"`
+}
+
+type chainsawOperation struct {
+	Assert *chainsawAssert `yaml:"assert"`
+}
+
+type chainsawAssert struct {
+	File string `yaml:"file"`
+}
+
 func main() {
 	cmd := &cli.Command{
 		Name:  "ai-conformance-check",
@@ -214,16 +234,33 @@ func parseAssertFiles(dir string) ([]resourceIdentity, error) {
 	}
 
 	var resources []resourceIdentity
+	parsedFiles := make(map[string]bool)
 	for _, entry := range entries {
 		name := entry.Name()
 		if !strings.HasPrefix(name, "assert-") || !strings.HasSuffix(name, ".yaml") {
 			continue
 		}
 
-		path := filepath.Join(dir, name)
-		parsed, err := parseYAMLFile(path, name)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+		path := filepath.Clean(filepath.Join(dir, name))
+		parsedFiles[path] = true
+		parsed, parseErr := parseYAMLFile(path, name)
+		if parseErr != nil {
+			return nil, parseErr
+		}
+		resources = append(resources, parsed...)
+	}
+
+	referencedFiles, err := referencedAssertFiles(dir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	for _, path := range referencedFiles {
+		if parsedFiles[path] {
+			continue
+		}
+		parsed, parseErr := parseYAMLFile(path, filepath.Base(path))
+		if parseErr != nil {
+			return nil, parseErr
 		}
 		resources = append(resources, parsed...)
 	}
@@ -234,6 +271,60 @@ func parseAssertFiles(dir string) ([]resourceIdentity, error) {
 	return resources, nil
 }
 
+func referencedAssertFiles(dir string) ([]string, error) {
+	path := filepath.Join(dir, "chainsaw-test.yaml")
+	f, err := os.Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		if os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(errors.ErrCodeInvalidRequest, fmt.Sprintf("failed to open %s", path), err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+
+	seen := make(map[string]bool)
+	var files []string
+	dec := yaml.NewDecoder(f)
+	for {
+		var testFile chainsawTestFile
+		if err := dec.Decode(&testFile); err != nil {
+			if stderrors.Is(err, io.EOF) {
+				break
+			}
+			return nil, errors.Wrap(errors.ErrCodeInvalidRequest, fmt.Sprintf("failed to parse %s", path), err)
+		}
+		for _, step := range testFile.Spec.Steps {
+			files = appendReferencedAssertFiles(files, seen, dir, step.Try)
+			files = appendReferencedAssertFiles(files, seen, dir, step.Catch)
+			files = appendReferencedAssertFiles(files, seen, dir, step.Finally)
+		}
+	}
+
+	return files, nil
+}
+
+func appendReferencedAssertFiles(files []string, seen map[string]bool, dir string, ops []chainsawOperation) []string {
+	for _, op := range ops {
+		if op.Assert == nil || op.Assert.File == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		name := filepath.Base(op.Assert.File)
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(name, "assert-") || !strings.HasSuffix(name, ".yaml") {
+			continue
+		}
+
+		path := filepath.Clean(filepath.Join(dir, op.Assert.File))
+		if seen[path] {
+			continue
+		}
+		seen[path] = true
+		files = append(files, path)
+	}
+
+	return files
+}
+
 // parseYAMLFile decodes a multi-document YAML file into resource identities.
 func parseYAMLFile(path, sourceFile string) ([]resourceIdentity, error) {
 	f, err := os.Open(path)
diff --git a/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main_test.go b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ca703965
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/chainsaw/ai-conformance/main_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,228 @@
+// Copyright (c) 2026, NVIDIA CORPORATION.  All rights reserved.
+//
+// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+// You may obtain a copy of the License at
+//
+//     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+//
+// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+// limitations under the License.
+
+package main
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestParseAssertFilesIncludesReferencedAssertions(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	clusterDir := filepath.Join(root, "cluster")
+	sharedDir := filepath.Join(root, "common")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(clusterDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir cluster: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(sharedDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir common: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(clusterDir, "assert-local.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Namespace
+metadata:
+  name: local
+`)
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(sharedDir, "assert-shared.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: shared
+  namespace: shared-ns
+`)
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(clusterDir, "chainsaw-test.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: chainsaw.kyverno.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Test
+spec:
+  steps:
+    - try:
+        - assert:
+            file: assert-local.yaml
+        - assert:
+            file: ../common/assert-shared.yaml
+`)
+
+	resources, err := parseAssertFiles(clusterDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse assert files: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(resources) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("resource count = %d, want 2", len(resources))
+	}
+
+	got := map[string]string{}
+	for _, resource := range resources {
+		got[resource.Metadata.Name] = resource.SourceFile
+	}
+	if got["local"] != "assert-local.yaml" {
+		t.Fatalf("local source = %q, want assert-local.yaml", got["local"])
+	}
+	if got["shared"] != "assert-shared.yaml" {
+		t.Fatalf("shared source = %q, want assert-shared.yaml", got["shared"])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseAssertFilesWithoutChainsawTestKeepsDirectoryScanning(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "assert-only.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Namespace
+metadata:
+  name: only
+`)
+
+	resources, err := parseAssertFiles(dir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse assert files: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(resources) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("resource count = %d, want 1", len(resources))
+	}
+	if resources[0].Metadata.Name != "only" {
+		t.Fatalf("resource name = %q, want only", resources[0].Metadata.Name)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseAssertFilesMultiDocumentChainsawTest(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	suiteDir := filepath.Join(root, "suite")
+	sharedDir := filepath.Join(root, "common")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(suiteDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir suite: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(sharedDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir common: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(sharedDir, "assert-first.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Namespace
+metadata:
+  name: first
+`)
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(sharedDir, "assert-second.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Namespace
+metadata:
+  name: second
+`)
+	// Multi-document chainsaw-test.yaml: two Test documents referencing different files.
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(suiteDir, "chainsaw-test.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: chainsaw.kyverno.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Test
+spec:
+  steps:
+    - try:
+        - assert:
+            file: ../common/assert-first.yaml
+---
+apiVersion: chainsaw.kyverno.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Test
+spec:
+  steps:
+    - try:
+        - assert:
+            file: ../common/assert-second.yaml
+`)
+
+	resources, err := parseAssertFiles(suiteDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse assert files: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(resources) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("resource count = %d, want 2", len(resources))
+	}
+
+	got := map[string]bool{}
+	for _, r := range resources {
+		got[r.Metadata.Name] = true
+	}
+	if !got["first"] {
+		t.Fatal("missing resource 'first' from first YAML document")
+	}
+	if !got["second"] {
+		t.Fatal("missing resource 'second' from second YAML document")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseAssertFilesInvalidAssertionYAML(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "assert-bad.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Namespace
+metadata:
+  name: [invalid yaml
+`)
+
+	if _, err := parseAssertFiles(dir); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for invalid assertion YAML, got nil")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestReferencedAssertFilesInvalidChainsawYAML(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "chainsaw-test.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: chainsaw.kyverno.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Test
+spec:
+  steps:
+    - try:
+        - assert:
+            file: [invalid yaml
+`)
+
+	if _, err := referencedAssertFiles(dir); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for invalid chainsaw-test.yaml, got nil")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseAssertFilesMissingReferencedAssertion(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	writeTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "chainsaw-test.yaml"), `
+apiVersion: chainsaw.kyverno.io/v1alpha1
+kind: Test
+spec:
+  steps:
+    - try:
+        - assert:
+            file: assert-missing.yaml
+`)
+
+	if _, err := parseAssertFiles(dir); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error for missing referenced assertion file, got nil")
+	}
+}
+
+func writeTestFile(t *testing.T, path, content string) {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(content), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write %s: %v", path, err)
+	}
+}