diff --git a/.github/workflows/static-guards.yml b/.github/workflows/static-guards.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..864e6d957
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/static-guards.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+name: static guards
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches: [main, DEV]
+
+# Runs the static guard suite on every PR and push to main/DEV.
+# This includes build collisions, icon/UI5 imports, srv-qa parity,
+# slug-lookup canonicalization, CSRF, GraphQL breaking-changes, etc.
+#
+# Previously these only ran in deploy.yml, so violations introduced by a PR
+# merged undetected and first surfaced at the next deploy. Running them as a
+# separate gate now fails such a PR before merge.
+
+jobs:
+  guards:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '22'
+          cache: npm
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: npm ci --no-audit --no-fund
+        env:
+          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.PACKAGES_READ_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      - name: Static build guards
+        run: npm run static-guards
diff --git a/.github/workflows/unit-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/unit-tests.yml
index fcdfba26d..3b9bce98d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/unit-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/unit-tests.yml
@@ -46,14 +46,3 @@ jobs:
         run: npm run setup
       - name: Run unit tests
         run: npm test
-      - name: Static build guards (postbuild:apps)
-        # Runs the same static guard suite deploy.yml runs (build collisions,
-        # icon/UI5 imports, srv-qa parity, slug-lookup canonicalization, CSRF,
-        # GraphQL breaking-changes, …). These previously ran ONLY in deploy.yml,
-        # so guard violations introduced by a PR (whose gate was npm test only)
-        # merged undetected and first surfaced at the next workflow_dispatch
-        # deploy — which is how 41 unmarked slug lookups accumulated before a
-        # deploy caught them all at once. Running them here fails such a PR
-        # before merge. (postbuild:apps ends with check:graphql-breaking, so it
-        # subsumes the standalone GraphQL step that used to live here.)
-        run: npm run postbuild:apps
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index e2a5a397d..12a6229c5 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -80,7 +80,10 @@
     "build:island-manifest": "node scripts/build-island-manifest.cjs",
     "check:ui5-single-copy": "node scripts/check-ui5-single-copy.cjs",
     "retain:assets": "node scripts/retain-asset-bundles.cjs --js-dir hugo/public/js --css-dir hugo/public/css --manifest-out hugo/public/_retained-assets.json",
-    "postbuild:apps": "tsx scripts/check-build-collisions.ts && tsx scripts/check-icon-imports.ts && tsx scripts/check-island-ui5-imports.ts && tsx scripts/check-xs-app-mta.ts && tsx scripts/check-public-endpoints.ts && tsx scripts/check-srv-qa-cp-list.ts && tsx scripts/check-srv-qa-route-drift.ts && tsx scripts/check-srv-qa-dep-parity.ts && tsx scripts/check-slug-lookups.ts && tsx scripts/check-ui5-controller-extensions.ts && tsx scripts/check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror.ts && tsx scripts/check-csrf-clients.ts && npm run check:graphql-breaking",
+    "prepare": "npm run setup:git-hooks",
+    "setup:git-hooks": "sh scripts/install-git-hooks.sh",
+    "static-guards": "tsx scripts/run-static-guards.ts",
+    "postbuild:apps": "npm run static-guards",
     "build:explore-manifest": "tsx scripts/build-explore-manifest.ts",
     "build:explore": "npm --prefix app/explore install --no-audit --no-fund && npm --prefix app/explore run build && npm run build:explore-manifest",
     "fetch-channel-atlas": "tsx scripts/fetch-channel-atlas.ts",
diff --git a/scripts/check-icon-imports.ts b/scripts/check-icon-imports.ts
index d2c2defbf..0bd861798 100644
--- a/scripts/check-icon-imports.ts
+++ b/scripts/check-icon-imports.ts
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@
 //      complete (parser regression). Stderr lists missing names with
 //      file:line refs and the one-line fix.
 
-import { readFileSync, readdirSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { readFileSync, readdirSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { join, resolve, relative, dirname } from 'node:path';
 import { fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL } from 'node:url';
 
@@ -62,6 +62,9 @@ const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CHECK_ICON_IMPORTS_ROOT
 const HUGO_LAYOUTS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, 'hugo', 'layouts');
 const HUGO_ASSETS_JS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, 'hugo', 'assets', 'js');
 const HUGO_APPS_SRC_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, 'hugo-apps', 'src');
+const BOOTSTRAP_PATH = join(HUGO_ASSETS_JS_DIR, 'ui5-bootstrap.ts');
+
+const FIX = process.argv.includes('--fix');
 
 export interface IconUsage {
   /** Icon name as written, e.g. "bbyd-active-sales". */
@@ -253,6 +256,42 @@ function main(): void {
     byName.set(u.name, arr);
   }
 
+  if (FIX) {
+    // Zero-judgment fix: each missing icon needs exactly one side-effect
+    // import, and the name is fully determined by the usage. Insert the
+    // imports directly after the last existing icon import in the bootstrap
+    // so they stay grouped with the other icon registrations.
+    const names = [...byName.keys()].sort();
+    let src: string;
+    try {
+      src = readFileSync(BOOTSTRAP_PATH, 'utf8');
+    } catch (err) {
+      console.error(`[check-icon-imports] --fix could not read ${BOOTSTRAP_PATH}:`, err);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    const eol = src.includes('\r\n') ? '\r\n' : '\n';
+    const lines = src.split(/\r?\n/);
+    const ICON_IMPORT_RE = /@ui5\/webcomponents-icons\/dist\/[a-z][a-z0-9-]*\.js/;
+    let lastIdx = -1;
+    for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
+      if (ICON_IMPORT_RE.test(lines[i])) lastIdx = i;
+    }
+    if (lastIdx === -1) {
+      console.error(
+        `[check-icon-imports] --fix found no existing icon import in ${BOOTSTRAP_PATH} to anchor to. Add the imports manually.`
+      );
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
+    const newLines = names.map(n => `import "@ui5/webcomponents-icons/dist/${n}.js";`);
+    lines.splice(lastIdx + 1, 0, ...newLines);
+    writeFileSync(BOOTSTRAP_PATH, lines.join(eol));
+    console.log(
+      `[check-icon-imports] FIXED — added ${names.length} icon import(s) to ${BOOTSTRAP_PATH}:`
+    );
+    for (const n of names) console.log(`    import "@ui5/webcomponents-icons/dist/${n}.js";`);
+    process.exit(0);
+  }
+
   console.error('[check-icon-imports] FAILED — unregistered UI5 icon(s):');
   console.error('');
   for (const [name, usagesForName] of byName) {
diff --git a/scripts/check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror.ts b/scripts/check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror.ts
index 6c970b713..cf0e59dc6 100644
--- a/scripts/check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror.ts
+++ b/scripts/check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 // keep two copies in sync with this guard. CRLF vs LF differences are
 // normalised — Windows checkouts don't spuriously fail.
 
-import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { readFileSync, writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { dirname, join, resolve } from 'node:path';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ const REPO_ROOT = process.env.KG_MIRROR_ROOT
 const SRV_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, 'srv', 'lib', 'kg-meta-formatters.js');
 const MIRROR_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, 'hugo-apps', 'src', 'related-graph', 'kg-meta-formatters.js');
 
+const FIX = process.argv.includes('--fix');
+
 function readNormalised(p: string): string {
   return readFileSync(p, 'utf8').replace(/\r\n/g, '\n');
 }
@@ -28,9 +30,18 @@ try {
   const srv = readNormalised(SRV_PATH);
   const mirror = readNormalised(MIRROR_PATH);
   if (srv !== mirror) {
+    if (FIX) {
+      // Deterministic, zero-judgment fix: the srv module is authoritative,
+      // so overwrite the mirror with its content (LF-normalised).
+      writeFileSync(MIRROR_PATH, srv);
+      console.log(
+        `[check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror] FIXED — copied ${SRV_PATH} → ${MIRROR_PATH}`
+      );
+      process.exit(0);
+    }
     console.error(
       `[check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror] DRIFT — ${SRV_PATH} and ${MIRROR_PATH} differ.\n` +
-      `Regenerate the mirror: cp ${SRV_PATH} ${MIRROR_PATH}`
+      `Regenerate the mirror: cp ${SRV_PATH} ${MIRROR_PATH}  (or run: npm run static-guards -- --fix)`
     );
     process.exit(1);
   }
diff --git a/scripts/git-hooks/pre-push b/scripts/git-hooks/pre-push
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e998bee1c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/git-hooks/pre-push
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+# scripts/git-hooks/pre-push
+#
+# Runs all static guard checks before allowing a push.
+# Catches violations early without waiting for CI.
+
+set -e
+
+# Skip if we're in a non-interactive context (e.g., GitHub Actions, CI environments)
+if [ ! -t 1 ]; then
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "[pre-push] Running static guards..." >&2
+
+npm run static-guards
+
+exit $?
diff --git a/scripts/run-static-guards.ts b/scripts/run-static-guards.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd50bee3d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/run-static-guards.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env tsx
+/**
+ * Run all static guard checks and collect failures.
+ *
+ * Unlike the `&&`-chained postbuild:apps script, this runs every check
+ * to completion, then reports all failures at once. Prevents death-by-a-thousand-cuts
+ * where developers fix one check only to see a different one fail on the next push.
+ */
+
+import { spawnSync } from 'child_process';
+
+const checks = [
+  'tsx scripts/check-build-collisions.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-icon-imports.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-island-ui5-imports.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-xs-app-mta.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-public-endpoints.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-srv-qa-cp-list.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-srv-qa-route-drift.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-srv-qa-dep-parity.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-slug-lookups.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-ui5-controller-extensions.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror.ts',
+  'tsx scripts/check-csrf-clients.ts',
+  'npm run check:graphql-breaking',
+];
+
+// Guards that support a `--fix` flag. Only mechanically-derivable,
+// zero-judgment fixes are auto-fixable: copying an authoritative source
+// over its mirror, or adding a fully-determined import. Guards whose fix
+// needs human judgment (slug-canonical markers, code changes) are NOT here.
+const FIXABLE = new Set([
+  'scripts/check-icon-imports.ts',
+  'scripts/check-kg-meta-formatters-mirror.ts',
+]);
+
+const FIX = process.argv.includes('--fix');
+
+interface Result {
+  name: string;
+  pass: boolean;
+}
+
+function getName(cmd: string): string {
+  return cmd.replace(/^.*\//g, '').replace(/\.ts.*/, '').replace(/^npm run /, '');
+}
+
+function runCheck(cmd: string): Result {
+  const name = getName(cmd);
+  const supportsFix = FIX && [...FIXABLE].some((f) => cmd.includes(f));
+  const fullCmd = supportsFix ? `${cmd} --fix` : cmd;
+  const result = spawnSync('sh', ['-c', fullCmd], {
+    stdio: 'inherit',
+  });
+  return {
+    name,
+    pass: result.status === 0,
+  };
+}
+
+function main() {
+  const startTime = Date.now();
+  console.log(
+    `\n[static-guards] Running ${checks.length} checks${FIX ? ' (--fix: auto-applying safe fixes)' : ''}...\n`
+  );
+
+  const results = checks.map(runCheck);
+  const failures = results.filter((r) => !r.pass);
+
+  const elapsed = ((Date.now() - startTime) / 1000).toFixed(1);
+  const passed = results.length - failures.length;
+
+  console.log(
+    `\n[static-guards] ${passed}/${results.length} checks passed (${elapsed}s)`
+  );
+
+  if (failures.length > 0) {
+    console.error(
+      `\n[static-guards] FAILED — ${failures.length} check(s):\n`
+    );
+    failures.forEach((f, i) => {
+      console.error(`  ${i + 1}. ${f.name}`);
+    });
+    const fixableFailed = failures.some((f) =>
+      [...FIXABLE].some((path) => getName(path) === f.name)
+    );
+    if (fixableFailed && !FIX) {
+      console.error(
+        `\n[static-guards] Some failures are auto-fixable. Try: npm run static-guards -- --fix`
+      );
+    }
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+main();
diff --git a/test/unit/db-flags.test.js b/test/unit/db-flags.test.js
index 580791e96..7443bbd95 100644
--- a/test/unit/db-flags.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/db-flags.test.js
@@ -50,11 +50,13 @@ describe('db-flags (ImsConfig-backed generic feature flags, #2060)', () => {
 
   afterAll(() => { bustFeatureFlagsCache(); });
 
-  it('manages the 15 migrated flags but NOT the content.delta.* keys', () => {
+  it('manages the migrated flags but NOT the content.delta.* keys', () => {
     const keys = managedFlagKeys();
     expect(keys).toContain(METRICS);
     expect(keys).toContain(PAGERANK);
-    expect(keys.length).toBe(15); // 14 migrated (#2060) + SEMAPHORE_SYNC_ENABLED (#2184)
+    // Floor, not an exact count: the registry grows as flags are added, so
+    // assert the migrated baseline survives rather than a brittle magic number.
+    expect(keys.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(14);
     // content-delta flags keep their own dedicated module.
     const imsKeys = keys.map(imsKey);
     expect(imsKeys).not.toContain('content.delta.write');
@@ -139,7 +141,10 @@ describe('db-flags (ImsConfig-backed generic feature flags, #2060)', () => {
 
   it('ensureFeatureFlagDefaults() seeds every absent flag to its declared default', async () => {
     const seeded = await ensureFeatureFlagDefaults();
-    expect(seeded.length).toBe(15);
+    // Coverage invariant, not a magic number: seeding an empty table must
+    // create a row for every managed flag. Derives from the registry, so
+    // adding a flag never breaks this.
+    expect(seeded.length).toBe(managedFlagKeys().length);
     await refreshFeatureFlags();
     expect(isFlagEnabled(METRICS)).toBe(true);
     expect(isFlagEnabled(MCP_AUTH)).toBe(true);
@@ -166,6 +171,6 @@ describe('db-flags (ImsConfig-backed generic feature flags, #2060)', () => {
     expect(second).toEqual([]);
     const keys = managedFlagKeys().map(imsKey);
     const rows = await SELECT.from(ImsConfig).where({ key: { in: keys } });
-    expect(rows.length).toBe(15);
+    expect(rows.length).toBe(keys.length);
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/unit/seed-sapphire-2026-concepts.test.js b/test/unit/seed-sapphire-2026-concepts.test.js
index adcde7e7b..b7ea239d5 100644
--- a/test/unit/seed-sapphire-2026-concepts.test.js
+++ b/test/unit/seed-sapphire-2026-concepts.test.js
@@ -13,8 +13,11 @@ import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
 import { SAPPHIRE_2026_CONCEPTS } from '../../scripts/seed-sapphire-2026-concepts.js';
 
 describe('SAPPHIRE_2026_CONCEPTS (#858)', () => {
-  it('has the expected 14 concepts', () => {
-    expect(SAPPHIRE_2026_CONCEPTS).toHaveLength(14);
+  it('ships a non-trivial curated concept list', () => {
+    // Floor, not an exact count: the curated list can gain concepts without
+    // this test needing an edit. Shape, uniqueness, and headline coverage are
+    // asserted separately below.
+    expect(SAPPHIRE_2026_CONCEPTS.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(14);
   });
 
   it('slugs are kebab-case, lowercase, ≤80 chars', () => {