diff --git a/.github/workflows/contributor-check-external-template.yml b/.github/workflows/contributor-check-external-template.yml
index 92f8fd3..62e7f79 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/contributor-check-external-template.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/contributor-check-external-template.yml
@@ -48,7 +48,11 @@ jobs:
         uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10 # v6.0.3
         with:
           repository: agentrust-io/.github
-          ref: main
+          # Pinned to a specific commit of agentrust-io/.github: this workflow
+          # runs on pull_request_target with a write-capable token, so the
+          # code it pulls in must not be a mutable ref. Bump this SHA
+          # deliberately (after review) when the org action changes.
+          ref: 8a2b77bc35057566fd675f0a24e814564cf5322f # main as of 2026-06-10
           persist-credentials: false
           sparse-checkout: |
             scripts
diff --git a/.github/workflows/require-maintainer-approval.yml b/.github/workflows/require-maintainer-approval.yml
index f3a2600..c62b6aa 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/require-maintainer-approval.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/require-maintainer-approval.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,12 @@ on:
   pull_request_target:
     types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
     branches: [main]
+  # Re-evaluate the gate when a review is submitted or dismissed so an
+  # approval clears the failing status without waiting for a new push.
+  # Note: pull_request_review does not support a branches filter, so the
+  # base-branch check lives in the job-level `if` below.
+  pull_request_review:
+    types: [submitted, dismissed]
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -19,6 +25,7 @@ jobs:
       contents: read
       pull-requests: read
     if: >-
+      github.event.pull_request.base.ref == 'main' &&
       github.event.pull_request.author_association != 'MEMBER' &&
       github.event.pull_request.author_association != 'OWNER'
     steps:
@@ -28,25 +35,55 @@ jobs:
           script: |
             const MAINTAINERS = ['imran-siddique'];
 
-            const reviews = await github.rest.pulls.listReviews({
+            // Both pull_request_target and pull_request_review payloads
+            // carry the PR at context.payload.pull_request.
+            const prNumber = context.payload.pull_request.number;
+
+            // Re-fetch the PR so we compare against the head SHA at
+            // evaluation time, not a possibly stale SHA from the payload.
+            const { data: pr } = await github.rest.pulls.get({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              pull_number: prNumber,
+            });
+            const headSha = pr.head.sha;
+
+            // Paginate: listReviews otherwise returns only the first 30.
+            const reviews = await github.paginate(github.rest.pulls.listReviews, {
               owner: context.repo.owner,
               repo: context.repo.repo,
-              pull_number: context.payload.pull_request.number,
+              pull_number: prNumber,
             });
 
-            const maintainerApproval = reviews.data.find(
-              (r) =>
-                r.state === 'APPROVED' &&
-                MAINTAINERS.includes(r.user.login) &&
-                r.user.type === 'User'
+            // Only a maintainer's most recent non-comment review counts,
+            // and it must approve the current head commit. An approval of
+            // an older commit does not clear the gate after a later push
+            // (prevents approve-then-swap).
+            const latestByMaintainer = new Map();
+            for (const review of reviews) {
+              if (
+                review.user &&
+                review.user.type === 'User' &&
+                MAINTAINERS.includes(review.user.login) &&
+                review.state !== 'COMMENTED'
+              ) {
+                latestByMaintainer.set(review.user.login, review);
+              }
+            }
+
+            const maintainerApproval = [...latestByMaintainer.values()].find(
+              (r) => r.state === 'APPROVED' && r.commit_id === headSha
             );
 
             if (!maintainerApproval) {
               core.setFailed(
-                'This PR is awaiting a named-maintainer review.\n' +
+                'This PR is awaiting a named-maintainer review of the current head commit.\n' +
                 'This is a policy gate, not a CI failure: the PR is mergeable once a named maintainer approves.\n' +
+                'Approvals of earlier commits do not count after new pushes.\n' +
                 'See CODEOWNERS or MAINTAINERS.md for the list of maintainers.'
               );
             } else {
-              core.info(`Maintainer @${maintainerApproval.user.login} approved this PR.`);
+              core.info(
+                `Maintainer @${maintainerApproval.user.login} approved this PR at head ${headSha}.`
+              );
             }