diff --git a/INTENT.md b/INTENT.md
index 1e44891..6fbd468 100644
--- a/INTENT.md
+++ b/INTENT.md
@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 ---
 layer: Staff
 role: null
-standard: net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.7.md
-standard_version: "0.7"
+standard: net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model
 companion: net-kingdom/SECURITY-COMPANION.md
 declared_at: "2026-09-01"
 conformance_state: blocked-clean
diff --git a/tests/test_layer_declaration.py b/tests/test_layer_declaration.py
index 0475f42..c0dd53f 100644
--- a/tests/test_layer_declaration.py
+++ b/tests/test_layer_declaration.py
@@ -1,12 +1,53 @@
+import re
 from pathlib import Path
 
+# A version of the standard or its companion, anywhere in a key or value:
+# `_v0.7`, `v0.8`, `"0.7"` and the like (GH-DEC-2026-017 §5, GH-DEC-2026-020 §1-§2).
+VERSION_PATTERN = re.compile(r"(?:^|[^0-9A-Za-z])v?\d+\.\d+(?:\.\d+)?(?![0-9])", re.IGNORECASE)
+
+
+def _frontmatter():
+    text = Path("INTENT.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    assert text.startswith("---\n")
+    return text, text.split("---\n", 2)[1]
+
+
+def _entries(frontmatter):
+    for line in frontmatter.splitlines():
+        line = line.split(" #", 1)[0].rstrip()  # comments are not reached
+        if not line or line.lstrip().startswith("#") or ":" not in line:
+            continue
+        key, value = line.split(":", 1)
+        yield key.strip(), value.strip().strip('"').strip("'")
+
 
 def test_intent_declares_staff_in_own_voice():
-    text = Path("INTENT.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
-    assert text.startswith("---\n")
-    frontmatter = text.split("---\n", 2)[1]
-    assert "layer: Staff" in frontmatter
-    assert 'standard_version: "0.7"' in frontmatter
+    text, frontmatter = _frontmatter()
+    layers = [v for k, v in _entries(frontmatter) if k == "layer"]
+    # ASCII case-fold before comparing; nobody re-spells (GH-DEC-2026-017 §2).
+    assert [v.casefold() for v in layers] == ["staff"]
     assert "conformance_state: blocked-clean" in frontmatter
     assert "gate-house insert that used to sit here is" in text
     assert "does not author our probes" in text
+
+
+def test_declaration_carries_no_standard_or_companion_version():
+    _, frontmatter = _frontmatter()
+    for key, value in _entries(frontmatter):
+        if key == "declared_at":
+            continue  # a date, not a version of the standard
+        assert key not in {"standard_version", "companion_version"}, key
+        assert "version" not in key.casefold(), key
+        assert not VERSION_PATTERN.search(value), f"{key}: {value}"
+
+
+def test_version_detector_catches_known_bad_forms():
+    bad = [
+        'standard: net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.7.md',
+        'standard_version: "0.7"',
+        'companion_version: "0.2"',
+        'companion: net-kingdom/SECURITY-COMPANION_v0.2.md',
+    ]
+    for line in bad:
+        key, value = next(_entries(line))
+        assert "version" in key or VERSION_PATTERN.search(value), line