diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g.md b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g.md
deleted file mode 100644
index fba8237b..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
----
-type: is
-id: is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g
-title: "Spec: Table row validation — empty row dropping, cell-level warnings, minRows/maxRows enforcement"
-kind: epic
-status: closed
-priority: 2
-version: 7
-spec_path: docs/project/specs/active/plan-2026-02-20-validate-form-rows.md
-labels: []
-dependencies: []
-child_order_hints:
-  - is-01khx9y5kgsweghjsdnt8wze22
-  - is-01khx9yd02anf0w14rkt37mcej
-  - is-01khx9ym9e1d2dyb3nh3dqs7qe
-  - is-01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s
-  - is-01khx9z3qgwx2s3gfnwbsnv45j
-created_at: 2026-02-20T10:36:03.162Z
-updated_at: 2026-02-20T17:28:14.954Z
-closed_at: 2026-02-20T17:28:14.954Z
-close_reason: "All phases complete: doc updates, empty row dropping in parse+apply, mostly-empty warnings, minRows enforcement, full test coverage"
----
diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9y5kgsweghjsdnt8wze22.md b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9y5kgsweghjsdnt8wze22.md
deleted file mode 100644
index ddfc19e9..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9y5kgsweghjsdnt8wze22.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,21 +0,0 @@
----
-type: is
-id: is-01khx9y5kgsweghjsdnt8wze22
-title: "Phase 1: Update markform-spec.md and markform-reference.md with empty row handling and sparseness warning docs"
-kind: task
-status: closed
-priority: 1
-version: 5
-spec_path: docs/project/specs/active/plan-2026-02-20-validate-form-rows.md
-labels: []
-dependencies:
-  - type: blocks
-    target: is-01khx9yd02anf0w14rkt37mcej
-  - type: blocks
-    target: is-01khx9ym9e1d2dyb3nh3dqs7qe
-parent_id: is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g
-created_at: 2026-02-20T10:36:12.271Z
-updated_at: 2026-02-20T17:17:04.687Z
-closed_at: 2026-02-20T17:17:04.686Z
-close_reason: Updated markform-spec.md and markform-reference.md with empty row handling, minRows/maxRows semantics, and sparseness warning docs
----
diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9yd02anf0w14rkt37mcej.md b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9yd02anf0w14rkt37mcej.md
deleted file mode 100644
index a0b13e86..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9yd02anf0w14rkt37mcej.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
----
-type: is
-id: is-01khx9yd02anf0w14rkt37mcej
-title: "Phase 2a: Add isRowFullyEmpty() helper and empty row filtering in parseMarkdownTable()"
-kind: task
-status: closed
-priority: 1
-version: 4
-spec_path: docs/project/specs/active/plan-2026-02-20-validate-form-rows.md
-labels: []
-dependencies:
-  - type: blocks
-    target: is-01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s
-parent_id: is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g
-created_at: 2026-02-20T10:36:19.841Z
-updated_at: 2026-02-20T17:20:25.083Z
-closed_at: 2026-02-20T17:20:25.081Z
-close_reason: Added isRowFullyEmpty() helper and empty row filtering in parseMarkdownTable() and parseInlineTable() with full TDD coverage
----
diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9ym9e1d2dyb3nh3dqs7qe.md b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9ym9e1d2dyb3nh3dqs7qe.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 09314fdb..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9ym9e1d2dyb3nh3dqs7qe.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
----
-type: is
-id: is-01khx9ym9e1d2dyb3nh3dqs7qe
-title: "Phase 2b: Filter empty rows in set_table and append_table patch handlers in apply.ts"
-kind: task
-status: closed
-priority: 1
-version: 4
-spec_path: docs/project/specs/active/plan-2026-02-20-validate-form-rows.md
-labels: []
-dependencies:
-  - type: blocks
-    target: is-01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s
-parent_id: is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g
-created_at: 2026-02-20T10:36:27.310Z
-updated_at: 2026-02-20T17:22:27.541Z
-closed_at: 2026-02-20T17:22:27.540Z
-close_reason: Filtered empty rows in set_table and append_table patch handlers with unanswered edge case, full TDD coverage
----
diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s.md b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 18a7d9ad..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
----
-type: is
-id: is-01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s
-title: "Phase 3: Add mostly-empty row warning in validateTableRow() with strict-majority threshold"
-kind: task
-status: closed
-priority: 1
-version: 4
-spec_path: docs/project/specs/active/plan-2026-02-20-validate-form-rows.md
-labels: []
-dependencies:
-  - type: blocks
-    target: is-01khx9z3qgwx2s3gfnwbsnv45j
-parent_id: is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g
-created_at: 2026-02-20T10:36:35.087Z
-updated_at: 2026-02-20T17:25:14.221Z
-closed_at: 2026-02-20T17:25:14.221Z
-close_reason: Added mostly-empty row warning in validateTableRow() with strict-majority threshold, moved minRows check before isEmpty early return, full TDD coverage
----
diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9z3qgwx2s3gfnwbsnv45j.md b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9z3qgwx2s3gfnwbsnv45j.md
deleted file mode 100644
index e7596b4d..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khx9z3qgwx2s3gfnwbsnv45j.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
----
-type: is
-id: is-01khx9z3qgwx2s3gfnwbsnv45j
-title: "Phase 4: Verify example forms and run full test suite for regressions"
-kind: task
-status: closed
-priority: 2
-version: 3
-spec_path: docs/project/specs/active/plan-2026-02-20-validate-form-rows.md
-labels: []
-dependencies: []
-parent_id: is-01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g
-created_at: 2026-02-20T10:36:43.119Z
-updated_at: 2026-02-20T17:28:07.041Z
-closed_at: 2026-02-20T17:28:07.040Z
-close_reason: "All quality gates pass: typecheck, lint, build, publint, 2256 unit tests, 44 golden tests"
----
diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khy5qjtzdbp2189eh4x1xkea.md b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khy5qjtzdbp2189eh4x1xkea.md
deleted file mode 100644
index cd18a794..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/issues/is-01khy5qjtzdbp2189eh4x1xkea.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,15 +0,0 @@
----
-type: is
-id: is-01khy5qjtzdbp2189eh4x1xkea
-title: Code review fixes for table row validation feature
-kind: task
-status: closed
-priority: 1
-version: 3
-labels: []
-dependencies: []
-created_at: 2026-02-20T18:41:56.574Z
-updated_at: 2026-02-20T18:48:08.151Z
-closed_at: 2026-02-20T18:48:08.150Z
-close_reason: Simplified isRowFullyEmpty logic, consolidated redundant tests, removed obvious comments
----
diff --git a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/mappings/ids.yml b/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/mappings/ids.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index 7e1916dc..00000000
--- a/.tbd/workspaces/outbox/mappings/ids.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-2h7f: 01khx9yd02anf0w14rkt37mcej
-ds98: 01khx9xwpv03xfg2cc5aqtwn8g
-iyg4: 01khx9yvwgs8af6m7q1yp8jb6s
-osok: 01khx9y5kgsweghjsdnt8wze22
-s6wk: 01khx9ym9e1d2dyb3nh3dqs7qe
-tq4r: 01khy5qjtzdbp2189eh4x1xkea
-xg2p: 01khx9z3qgwx2s3gfnwbsnv45j
diff --git a/docs/markform-reference.md b/docs/markform-reference.md
index ec30f421..8d3431e9 100644
--- a/docs/markform-reference.md
+++ b/docs/markform-reference.md
@@ -450,8 +450,9 @@ A row with at least one non-empty cell is retained.
 | `min` / `max` | `number`, `year`, `date` | Value bounds |
 | `integer` | `number` | Must be integer |
 
-**Row sparseness warning:** When a non-empty row has the majority of its cells empty
-(strictly more than half), a validation warning is emitted.
+**Row sparseness warning:** When a non-empty row has more than half of its cells empty
+(e.g., 1 of 3 filled, or 1 of 4 filled; even splits like 2 of 4 don’t trigger this), a
+validation warning is emitted.
 This helps catch cases where an agent produced sparse or incomplete data.
 
 **Sentinel values in cells:** Use `%SKIP%` or `%ABORT%` with optional reasons:
diff --git a/docs/markform-spec.md b/docs/markform-spec.md
index 06dff8d3..2d1f60fb 100644
--- a/docs/markform-spec.md
+++ b/docs/markform-spec.md
@@ -493,8 +493,9 @@ columnTypes=[{type: "string", required: true}, "number", "url"]
 | `max` | `number`, `year`, `date` | Maximum value |
 | `integer` | `number` | Value must be an integer |
 
-**Row sparseness warning:** When a non-empty row has the majority of its cells empty
-(strictly more than half), a validation warning is emitted.
+**Row sparseness warning:** When a non-empty row has more than half of its cells empty
+(e.g., 1 of 3 filled, or 1 of 4 filled; even splits like 2 of 4 don’t trigger this), a
+validation warning is emitted.
 This helps catch cases where an agent produced sparse or incomplete data.
 
 **Example with per-column constraints:**
diff --git a/packages/markform/src/engine/table/parseTable.ts b/packages/markform/src/engine/table/parseTable.ts
index 685fb9a1..e2ce5456 100644
--- a/packages/markform/src/engine/table/parseTable.ts
+++ b/packages/markform/src/engine/table/parseTable.ts
@@ -137,23 +137,35 @@ export function parseCellValue(rawValue: string, columnType: ColumnTypeName): Ce
 }
 
 // =============================================================================
-// Empty Row Detection
+// Empty Cell Detection
 // =============================================================================
 
+/**
+ * Check if a single cell is empty.
+ * Used by both row normalization and validation to ensure consistent logic.
+ *
+ * - Skipped cells are empty
+ * - Aborted cells are NOT empty (they carry intentional signal)
+ * - Answered cells are empty only if value is undefined/null/empty string
+ * - Unknown states are treated conservatively as NOT empty
+ */
+export function isCellEmpty(cell: CellResponse | undefined): boolean {
+  if (!cell || cell.state === 'skipped') return true;
+  if (cell.state === 'aborted') return false;
+  // Only 'answered' cells can be empty based on value check
+  if (cell.state === 'answered') {
+    return cell.value === undefined || cell.value === null || cell.value === '';
+  }
+  // Unknown state - treat conservatively as NOT empty
+  return false;
+}
+
 /**
  * Check if a table row is fully empty (all cells skipped/empty).
  * Used during normalization to drop rows that carry no data.
- *
- * Aborted cells are NOT considered empty — they carry intentional signal
- * (the agent explicitly declined to fill them, possibly with a reason).
  */
 export function isRowFullyEmpty(row: TableRowResponse): boolean {
-  return Object.values(row).every((cell) => {
-    if (!cell || cell.state === 'skipped') return true;
-    if (cell.state === 'aborted') return false;
-    // 'answered' cell with no meaningful value
-    return cell.value === undefined || cell.value === null || cell.value === '';
-  });
+  return Object.values(row).every(isCellEmpty);
 }
 
 // =============================================================================
diff --git a/packages/markform/src/engine/validate.ts b/packages/markform/src/engine/validate.ts
index cc72690f..d8e8c2a4 100644
--- a/packages/markform/src/engine/validate.ts
+++ b/packages/markform/src/engine/validate.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ import type {
   YearField,
   YearValue,
 } from './coreTypes.js';
+import { isCellEmpty } from './table/parseTable.js';
 
 // =============================================================================
 // Validation Options and Results
@@ -975,15 +976,7 @@ function validateTableRow(
 
   // Check for mostly-empty rows (more than half of cells empty in a non-empty row)
   const totalCells = columns.length;
-  const filledCells = columns.filter((col) => {
-    const cell = row[col.id];
-    return (
-      cell?.state === 'answered' &&
-      cell.value !== undefined &&
-      cell.value !== null &&
-      cell.value !== ''
-    );
-  }).length;
+  const filledCells = columns.filter((col) => !isCellEmpty(row[col.id])).length;
 
   if (filledCells > 0 && filledCells < totalCells && totalCells - filledCells > totalCells / 2) {
     issues.push({
diff --git a/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/parseTable.test.ts b/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/parseTable.test.ts
index 7853189b..f7266318 100644
--- a/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/parseTable.test.ts
+++ b/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/parseTable.test.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   extractColumnsFromTable,
   parseInlineTable,
   isRowFullyEmpty,
+  isCellEmpty,
 } from '../../../src/engine/table/parseTable.js';
 import type {
   TableColumn,
@@ -19,6 +20,35 @@ import type {
 } from '../../../src/engine/coreTypes.js';
 
 describe('parseTable', () => {
+  describe('isCellEmpty', () => {
+    it('returns true for undefined cell', () => {
+      expect(isCellEmpty(undefined)).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('returns true for skipped cell', () => {
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'skipped' })).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('returns false for aborted cell', () => {
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'aborted' })).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('returns true for answered cell with empty value', () => {
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'answered', value: '' })).toBe(true);
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'answered', value: undefined })).toBe(true);
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'answered', value: null as any })).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('returns false for answered cell with meaningful value', () => {
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'answered', value: 'test' })).toBe(false);
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'answered', value: 0 })).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('returns false for unknown state (conservative)', () => {
+      expect(isCellEmpty({ state: 'unknown' as any })).toBe(false);
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('parseCellValue', () => {
     // [rawValue, columnType, expectedState, expectedValue]
     type CellCase = [
@@ -462,6 +492,23 @@ describe('parseTable', () => {
         false,
       );
     });
+
+    it('treats malformed cell with unknown state conservatively (not empty)', () => {
+      // Simulate a malformed/corrupted cell with an unexpected state
+      // This should be treated as NOT empty (conservative approach)
+      const malformedRow = {
+        name: { state: 'unknown' as any, value: 'test' },
+      };
+      expect(isRowFullyEmpty(malformedRow)).toBe(false);
+    });
+
+    it('treats malformed cell with unknown state and no value conservatively (not empty)', () => {
+      // Even with no value, unknown state should be treated conservatively
+      const malformedRow = {
+        name: { state: 'unknown' as any, value: undefined },
+      };
+      expect(isRowFullyEmpty(malformedRow)).toBe(false);
+    });
   });
 
   describe('empty row filtering in parseMarkdownTable', () => {
diff --git a/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/validate.test.ts b/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/validate.test.ts
index e290cad9..7bee49d2 100644
--- a/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/validate.test.ts
+++ b/packages/markform/tests/unit/engine/validate.test.ts
@@ -1445,8 +1445,9 @@ markform:
       expect(result.isValid).toBe(true);
     });
 
-    it('warns on mostly-empty row (1 of 4 cells filled)', () => {
-      const markdown = `---
+    describe('mostly-empty row warnings', () => {
+      it('warns on mostly-empty row (1 of 4 cells filled)', () => {
+        const markdown = `---
 markform:
   spec: MF/0.1
 ---
@@ -1463,19 +1464,19 @@ markform:
 
 {% /form %}
 `;
-      const form = parseForm(markdown);
-      const result = validate(form);
+        const form = parseForm(markdown);
+        const result = validate(form);
 
-      const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
-      expect(warnings).toHaveLength(1);
-      expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('most cells empty');
-      expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('1 of 4 filled');
-      expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('Items');
-      expect(warnings[0]?.ref).toBe('items[0]');
-    });
+        const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
+        expect(warnings).toHaveLength(1);
+        expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('most cells empty');
+        expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('1 of 4 filled');
+        expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('Items');
+        expect(warnings[0]?.ref).toBe('items[0]');
+      });
 
-    it('does not warn when half cells are filled (2 of 4)', () => {
-      const markdown = `---
+      it('does not warn when half cells are filled (2 of 4)', () => {
+        const markdown = `---
 markform:
   spec: MF/0.1
 ---
@@ -1492,15 +1493,15 @@ markform:
 
 {% /form %}
 `;
-      const form = parseForm(markdown);
-      const result = validate(form);
+        const form = parseForm(markdown);
+        const result = validate(form);
 
-      const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
-      expect(warnings).toHaveLength(0);
-    });
+        const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
+        expect(warnings).toHaveLength(0);
+      });
 
-    it('warns on mostly-empty row (1 of 3 cells filled)', () => {
-      const markdown = `---
+      it('warns on mostly-empty row (1 of 3 cells filled)', () => {
+        const markdown = `---
 markform:
   spec: MF/0.1
 ---
@@ -1517,16 +1518,16 @@ markform:
 
 {% /form %}
 `;
-      const form = parseForm(markdown);
-      const result = validate(form);
+        const form = parseForm(markdown);
+        const result = validate(form);
 
-      const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
-      expect(warnings).toHaveLength(1);
-      expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('1 of 3 filled');
-    });
+        const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
+        expect(warnings).toHaveLength(1);
+        expect(warnings[0]?.message).toContain('1 of 3 filled');
+      });
 
-    it('does not warn on 1 of 2 cells filled (even split)', () => {
-      const markdown = `---
+      it('does not warn on 1 of 2 cells filled (even split)', () => {
+        const markdown = `---
 markform:
   spec: MF/0.1
 ---
@@ -1543,11 +1544,12 @@ markform:
 
 {% /form %}
 `;
-      const form = parseForm(markdown);
-      const result = validate(form);
+        const form = parseForm(markdown);
+        const result = validate(form);
 
-      const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
-      expect(warnings).toHaveLength(0);
+        const warnings = result.issues.filter((i) => i.severity === 'warning');
+        expect(warnings).toHaveLength(0);
+      });
     });
 
     it('minRows fails when only empty rows are provided', () => {