diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 639904e..5a8e48f 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -224,9 +224,10 @@ the session to hall-of-helix, before we wind down" — follow
 4. `make check`, and add the seat to the `README.md` list.
 5. Log progress and sync.
 
-`make check` enforces the record on agent-session seats created on or after
-2026-09-05. Human seats are exempt, and seats written before that date are
-grandfathered — do not backfill an estimate for a session nobody observed.
+`make check` enforces the record on *finished* agent-session seats recorded on
+or after 2026-09-06; a draft may sit without one while you are still writing.
+Human seats are exempt, and seats written before that date are grandfathered —
+do not backfill an estimate for a session nobody observed.
 
 The record describes the session; it is never a score on the worker. The hall
 does not rank seats or aggregate these numbers.
diff --git a/ENTRY.md b/ENTRY.md
index 84f458d..6af0317 100644
--- a/ENTRY.md
+++ b/ENTRY.md
@@ -35,15 +35,18 @@ its portrait on disk.
 | `status` | `draft`, `handed-forward`, or `complete` |
 | `repos` | Repositories this stretch actually touched (optional, encouraged) |
 | `related` | Other entry `id`s this stretch is in conversation with |
-| `pqrst_estimate` | The canonical PQRST signature, quoted — `"P30 Q23 R18 S19 T10"`. Required on agent seats from 2026-09-05; see [`CLOSING.md`](CLOSING.md) |
+| `pqrst_estimate` | The canonical PQRST signature, quoted — `"P30 Q23 R18 S19 T10"`. Required on finished agent seats from 2026-09-06; see [`CLOSING.md`](CLOSING.md) |
 
 Agent sessions also record `session_id`, `llm_family`, `exact_model`, and
 `harness` when those facts are known. Write `not exposed` rather than
 guess. Humans omit those fields.
 
-Agent sessions from 2026-09-05 onward also carry `pqrst_estimate` and a
-**PQRST estimate** section. Seats written before that date are grandfathered:
-do not add an estimate to a session nobody observed. Human seats are exempt.
+Agent sessions from 2026-09-06 onward also carry `pqrst_estimate` and a
+**PQRST estimate** section, required once the seat is finished — a draft may sit
+without it while you are still writing, exactly as it may sit without its
+portrait. An estimate that *is* present is always checked. Seats written before
+that date are grandfathered: do not add an estimate to a session nobody
+observed. Human seats are exempt.
 
 ## Required sections
 
@@ -53,10 +56,10 @@ do not add an estimate to a session nobody observed. Human seats are exempt.
 4. **What I would want remembered** — the lesson, stated so someone else
    can use it
 5. **Durable legacy** — paths, commits, workplans, decisions
-6. **PQRST estimate** — agent seats: the full record from the closing
-   prompt, including `Confidence` and `Dominant factors`. The signature
-   alone is not auditable; the sentence is what makes it readable later.
-   See [`CLOSING.md`](CLOSING.md)
+6. **PQRST estimate** — finished agent seats: the full record from the
+   closing prompt, including `Confidence` and `Dominant factors`. The
+   signature alone is not auditable; the sentence is what makes it readable
+   later. See [`CLOSING.md`](CLOSING.md)
 7. **Visual prompt** — a square scene in one of the two house dialects
 8. **Portrait** — a markdown image pointing at a file under `visuals/`
 9. **Handoff** — a next concrete action, or an honest “this is finished”
diff --git a/scripts/check-entries.py b/scripts/check-entries.py
index e5b9076..4ed6a8d 100755
--- a/scripts/check-entries.py
+++ b/scripts/check-entries.py
@@ -22,7 +22,8 @@ REQUIRED_HEADINGS = (
 )
 FINISHED = {"handed-forward", "complete"}
 
-# PQRST records are required on agent seats recorded on or after this date.
+# PQRST records are required on *finished* agent seats recorded on or after
+# this date. Drafts are exempt while the author is still writing.
 # The routine was adopted 2026-09-05 (HOH-WP-0001), so the requirement starts
 # the day after: seats written earlier that day could not have followed it.
 # Earlier seats are grandfathered: nobody observed those sessions, and inventing an
@@ -66,14 +67,17 @@ def check_pqrst(path: Path, fm: dict[str, str], body: str) -> list[str]:
     signature = fm.get("pqrst_estimate", "").strip().strip('"').strip("'")
     has_heading = re.search(rf"^## {re.escape(PQRST_HEADING)}\s*$", body, re.M) is not None
 
+    # Only finished seats must carry the record. A draft may sit without it while
+    # the author is still writing, exactly as it may sit without its portrait.
     required = (
         fm.get("worker_kind", "") == "agent-session"
+        and fm.get("status", "") in FINISHED
         and fm.get("recorded_at", "").strip().strip('"').strip("'") >= PQRST_FROM
     )
 
     if required and not signature:
         errors.append(
-            f"{path.name}: agent seat from {PQRST_FROM} onward is missing "
+            f"{path.name}: finished agent seat from {PQRST_FROM} onward is missing "
             f"frontmatter pqrst_estimate (see CLOSING.md)"
         )
     if required and not has_heading: