diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index ffe324bb..6f6dec86 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -263,6 +263,26 @@ and route ingest, setup, memory, indexing, and docs through it. Do not add an
 `auto_commit`-style switch unless the user explicitly asks for staged-only runs
 and accepts the extra runtime path.
 
+## Code Comments
+
+Code must be self-explanatory. A comment exists only to state a constraint the
+code cannot show; everything else belongs in the PR description or nowhere.
+
+- **MUST**: Keep each comment to 1-3 lines stating only what the code cannot
+  show: a cross-file invariant ("error-severity issues never reach here — the
+  doctor exits on them first"), a required ordering ("ktx.yaml is written
+  before git init, so a crash cannot leave a bare `.git`"), or a library quirk
+  ("zod reports unknown record keys as `invalid_key`").
+- **MUST**: State each invariant once, at the public entry point. Do not repeat
+  the same guarantee across a helper, its wrapper, and the call site.
+- **MUST NOT**: Write prose comment blocks — design rationale, alternatives
+  considered, change narration ("is now written before…"), caller enumerations
+  ("shared by X, Y, and Z"), or restatements of what the code already shows.
+  That is the author addressing the reviewer, and it rots once merged.
+- **MAY**: Open a regression test with a 1-3 line comment stating the scenario
+  it guards when the test name cannot carry it. Omit design history and
+  references to removed designs.
+
 ## TypeScript Standards
 
 - Use Node 22+ and pnpm workspace commands.
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-status.mdx b/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-status.mdx
index 66e4964c..7bf498be 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-status.mdx
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/cli-reference/ktx-status.mdx
@@ -94,6 +94,6 @@ stats, and are always shown (they do not require external communication).
 |-------|-------|----------|
 | No **ktx** project found | Current directory has no `ktx.yaml` and `KTX_PROJECT_DIR` is unset | `ktx status` runs setup checks; run from a **ktx** project or set `KTX_PROJECT_DIR` for project checks |
 | Project config check fails | The project directory is missing or has an invalid `ktx.yaml` | Run `ktx setup` to resume setup |
-| Schema validation fails | `ktx.yaml` does not match the current config schema | Run `ktx status --validate --json` for structured issue details, then edit `ktx.yaml` or rerun `ktx setup` |
+| Schema validation fails | A field **ktx** recognizes has an invalid value. Unrecognized keys are reported as non-blocking warnings (exit `0`), not failures | Run `ktx status --validate --json` for structured issue details, then edit `ktx.yaml` or rerun `ktx setup` |
 | Semantic search check warns | Embeddings are not configured or the provider probe failed | Run `ktx setup` or inspect the check's `fix` field in JSON output |
 | Query history check warns | A database has query history enabled but the warehouse prerequisites are missing | Fix the warehouse extension, grants, or history access, then rerun `ktx status` |
diff --git a/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx b/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx
index 9e985eba..1c28b50a 100644
--- a/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx
+++ b/docs-site/content/docs/configuration/ktx-yaml.mdx
@@ -666,11 +666,21 @@ agent:
 
 ## Validating your config
 
-**ktx** validates `ktx.yaml` strictly: unknown keys at the top level or inside
-strict blocks cause setup and CLI commands to fail with a precise path
-(`scan.relationships.acceptThreshhold: Unrecognized key`). Warehouse
-connections accept extra driver-specific fields, so passthrough values like
-`historicSql` and `context.queryHistory` are allowed.
+**ktx** validates `ktx.yaml` when it loads, and treats two kinds of problems
+differently:
+
+- **An invalid value on a field ktx recognizes** (for example
+  `llm.provider.backend: nope`) is a hard error. Setup and CLI commands stop and
+  report the exact path so you can fix it.
+- **An unrecognized key** — one left over from a different **ktx** version, or a
+  typo such as `scan.relationships.acceptThreshhold` — is tolerated, not fatal.
+  **ktx** ignores the key and keeps running, so a misspelled field quietly falls
+  back to its default instead of taking effect. `ktx status` lists each ignored
+  key as a warning (and exits `0`) so you can remove or correct it when
+  convenient.
+
+Warehouse connections accept extra driver-specific fields, so passthrough values
+like `historicSql` and `context.queryHistory` are allowed.
 
 To re-validate without running anything else:
 
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/context/core/git.service.ts b/packages/cli/src/context/core/git.service.ts
index 3095ad00..febd9277 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/context/core/git.service.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/context/core/git.service.ts
@@ -27,11 +27,9 @@ export interface WorktreeEntry {
   head: string | null;
 }
 
-const KTX_MANAGED_GIT_CONFIG_KEY = 'ktx.managed';
-
 export type KtxRepoOwnership = 'unowned' | 'ktx-managed' | 'foreign';
 
-class KtxForeignGitRepositoryError extends Error {
+export class KtxForeignGitRepositoryError extends Error {
   constructor(configDir: string) {
     super(
       `${configDir} is already a git repository that ktx did not create. ` +
@@ -46,21 +44,16 @@ function isNodeErrnoException(error: unknown): error is NodeJS.ErrnoException {
 }
 
 /**
- * Classify whether ktx may own a git repository rooted exactly at `dir`.
+ * Classify whether ktx may own a git repository rooted exactly at `dir`. A root
+ * `ktx.yaml` is the ownership signal; the working tree decides, not git history,
+ * because older ktx versions left `ktx.yaml` uncommitted (it holds secret refs).
  *
- * - `unowned`: there is no git repository for ktx to avoid here → ktx may
- *   `git init`. Covers a fresh standalone directory, a fresh directory nested
- *   inside a parent repo, a path that does not exist yet, and a path that is not
- *   a directory at all (whether the path is a usable project directory is a
- *   separate concern for the caller to validate).
- * - `ktx-managed`: `<dir>/.git` is a directory carrying ktx's ownership marker.
- * - `foreign`: a repo ktx did not create — a `.git` directory without the marker,
- *   or a `.git` *file* (a linked worktree). ktx must never adopt or mutate it.
+ * - `unowned`: no repo here (including a missing or non-directory path) → ktx may `git init`.
+ * - `ktx-managed`: `<dir>/.git` is a directory and `ktx.yaml` sits at the root.
+ * - `foreign`: any other repo — no root `ktx.yaml`, or a `.git` *file* (a linked
+ *   worktree). ktx must never adopt or mutate it.
  *
- * Reads only `<dir>/.git` directly and never walks up the directory tree, so the
- * classification of a project dir never depends on whether a parent repo exists.
- * Shared by `GitService.initialize()` (the invariant) and the setup wizard (the
- * pre-flight guidance) so both decide ownership from the same rule.
+ * Reads only `<dir>` itself; never walks up, so a parent repo cannot change the answer.
  */
 export async function classifyKtxRepoOwnership(dir: string): Promise<KtxRepoOwnership> {
   let dotGitIsDirectory: boolean;
@@ -78,13 +71,9 @@ export async function classifyKtxRepoOwnership(dir: string): Promise<KtxRepoOwne
     return 'foreign';
   }
   try {
-    const marker = await createSimpleGit(dir).raw([
-      'config',
-      '--local',
-      '--get',
-      KTX_MANAGED_GIT_CONFIG_KEY,
-    ]);
-    return marker.trim() === 'true' ? 'ktx-managed' : 'foreign';
+    // stat (not lstat): follow symlinks, matching what `loadKtxProject`'s
+    // readFile accepts — a dir that loads as a ktx project classifies as one.
+    return (await fs.stat(join(dir, 'ktx.yaml'))).isFile() ? 'ktx-managed' : 'foreign';
   } catch {
     return 'foreign';
   }
@@ -168,7 +157,6 @@ export class GitService {
       }
       if (ownership === 'unowned') {
         await this.git.init();
-        await this.git.addConfig(KTX_MANAGED_GIT_CONFIG_KEY, 'true');
         this.logger.log('Initialized ktx-managed git repository');
       }
       // ownership === 'ktx-managed' → ktx's own repo; proceed with the normal re-run path.
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/context/project/config.ts b/packages/cli/src/context/project/config.ts
index 51d9c4e7..32c58e51 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/context/project/config.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/context/project/config.ts
@@ -301,6 +301,11 @@ export interface KtxConfigIssue {
   path: string;
   message: string;
   fix?: string;
+  /**
+   * 'error' blocks the project (bad value on a recognized field); 'warning' is
+   * a condition the loader recovers from on its own (an ignored unknown key).
+   */
+  severity: 'error' | 'warning';
 }
 
 export interface KtxConfigValidation {
@@ -325,24 +330,61 @@ function valueAtPath(root: unknown, path: ReadonlyArray<PropertyKey>): unknown {
   return cursor;
 }
 
-function formatIssue(issue: z.core.$ZodIssue, input: unknown): KtxConfigIssue[] {
-  const basePath = dottedPath(issue.path);
+interface UnknownKeyLocation {
+  containerPath: ReadonlyArray<PropertyKey>;
+  key: string;
+}
 
+/**
+ * Zod reports unknown keys in two shapes: strict objects emit
+ * `unrecognized_keys` (path → container, `keys` → offenders), enum-keyed
+ * records (`llm.models`) emit one `invalid_key` per offender (path ends with
+ * the key). Normalize both so the warning report and the strip always agree.
+ */
+function unknownKeyLocations(issue: z.core.$ZodIssue): UnknownKeyLocation[] {
   if (issue.code === 'unrecognized_keys') {
-    const keys = (issue as { keys?: readonly string[] }).keys ?? [];
-    return keys.map((key) => {
-      const fullPath = basePath.length > 0 ? `${basePath}.${key}` : key;
-      return { path: fullPath, message: `Unsupported ${fullPath}: unknown field` };
+    return issue.keys.map((key) => ({ containerPath: issue.path, key }));
+  }
+  if (issue.code === 'invalid_key' && issue.path.length > 0) {
+    return [
+      {
+        containerPath: issue.path.slice(0, -1),
+        key: String(issue.path[issue.path.length - 1]),
+      },
+    ];
+  }
+  return [];
+}
+
+function formatIssue(issue: z.core.$ZodIssue, input: unknown): KtxConfigIssue[] {
+  const unknownKeys = unknownKeyLocations(issue);
+  if (unknownKeys.length > 0) {
+    return unknownKeys.map(({ containerPath, key }) => {
+      const base = dottedPath(containerPath);
+      const fullPath = base.length > 0 ? `${base}.${key}` : key;
+      return {
+        path: fullPath,
+        message: `Unsupported ${fullPath}: unknown field (ignored)`,
+        fix: 'Unknown to this ktx version; it is ignored. Delete it from ktx.yaml when convenient.',
+        severity: 'warning',
+      };
     });
   }
 
+  const basePath = dottedPath(issue.path);
   const lastSegment = issue.path[issue.path.length - 1];
   if (lastSegment === 'backend' && (issue.code === 'invalid_value' || issue.code === 'invalid_type')) {
     const value = valueAtPath(input, issue.path);
-    return [{ path: basePath, message: `Unsupported ${basePath}: ${String(value)}` }];
+    return [{ path: basePath, message: `Unsupported ${basePath}: ${String(value)}`, severity: 'error' }];
   }
 
-  return [{ path: basePath, message: basePath.length > 0 ? `${basePath}: ${issue.message}` : issue.message }];
+  return [
+    {
+      path: basePath,
+      message: basePath.length > 0 ? `${basePath}: ${issue.message}` : issue.message,
+      severity: 'error',
+    },
+  ];
 }
 
 function collectIssues(error: z.ZodError, input: unknown): KtxConfigIssue[] {
@@ -359,16 +401,45 @@ export function buildDefaultKtxProjectConfig(): KtxProjectConfig {
   return ktxProjectConfigSchema.parse({});
 }
 
+function stripUnrecognizedKeys(input: Record<string, unknown>): Record<string, unknown> {
+  const result = ktxProjectConfigSchema.safeParse(input);
+  if (result.success) {
+    return input;
+  }
+  const unknownKeys = result.error.issues.flatMap(unknownKeyLocations);
+  if (unknownKeys.length === 0) {
+    return input;
+  }
+  const value = structuredClone(input);
+  for (const { containerPath, key } of unknownKeys) {
+    const container = valueAtPath(value, containerPath);
+    if (container === null || typeof container !== 'object') continue;
+    delete (container as Record<string, unknown>)[key];
+  }
+  return value;
+}
+
+function parseTolerant(input: Record<string, unknown>): KtxProjectConfig {
+  const value = stripUnrecognizedKeys(input);
+  const result = ktxProjectConfigSchema.safeParse(value);
+  if (!result.success) {
+    throw new Error(formatZodError(result.error, value));
+  }
+  return result.data;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parse and validate a ktx.yaml document. Keys this ktx version does not
+ * recognize are stripped from the returned config — never from the file, which
+ * a load must not rewrite — so a config written by a different ktx version
+ * still loads. Malformed values on recognized fields still throw.
+ */
 export function parseKtxProjectConfig(raw: string): KtxProjectConfig {
   const parsed = YAML.parse(raw) as unknown;
   if (!isRecord(parsed)) {
     throw new Error('ktx.yaml must contain a YAML object');
   }
-  const result = ktxProjectConfigSchema.safeParse(parsed);
-  if (!result.success) {
-    throw new Error(formatZodError(result.error, parsed));
-  }
-  return result.data;
+  return parseTolerant(parsed);
 }
 
 export function validateKtxProjectConfig(raw: string): KtxConfigValidation {
@@ -377,16 +448,18 @@ export function validateKtxProjectConfig(raw: string): KtxConfigValidation {
     parsed = YAML.parse(raw);
   } catch (error) {
     const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
-    return { ok: false, issues: [{ path: '', message: `ktx.yaml parse error: ${message}` }] };
+    return { ok: false, issues: [{ path: '', message: `ktx.yaml parse error: ${message}`, severity: 'error' }] };
   }
   if (!isRecord(parsed)) {
-    return { ok: false, issues: [{ path: '', message: 'ktx.yaml must contain a YAML object' }] };
+    return { ok: false, issues: [{ path: '', message: 'ktx.yaml must contain a YAML object', severity: 'error' }] };
   }
   const result = ktxProjectConfigSchema.safeParse(parsed);
   if (result.success) {
     return { ok: true, issues: [] };
   }
-  return { ok: false, issues: collectIssues(result.error, parsed) };
+  const issues = collectIssues(result.error, parsed);
+  const ok = !issues.some((issue) => issue.severity === 'error');
+  return { ok, issues };
 }
 
 export function generateKtxProjectConfigJsonSchema(): Record<string, unknown> {
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/context/project/project.ts b/packages/cli/src/context/project/project.ts
index 6ca27d10..156b200c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/context/project/project.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/context/project/project.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { promises as fs } from 'node:fs';
 import { basename, dirname, join, resolve } from 'node:path';
-import { GitService } from '../../context/core/git.service.js';
+import { classifyKtxRepoOwnership, GitService, KtxForeignGitRepositoryError } from '../../context/core/git.service.js';
 import { type KtxCoreConfig, type KtxLogger, noopLogger } from '../../context/core/config.js';
 import type { KtxProjectConfig } from './config.js';
 import { buildDefaultKtxProjectConfig, parseKtxProjectConfig, serializeKtxProjectConfig } from './config.js';
@@ -112,14 +112,24 @@ export async function initKtxProject(options: InitKtxProjectOptions): Promise<In
     throw new Error(`Project already contains ktx.yaml: ${configPath}`);
   }
 
-  const config = buildDefaultKtxProjectConfig();
-  const runtime = await createRuntime(projectDir, config, authorName, authorEmail, logger);
+  // Must run before ktx.yaml is written: once that file exists the directory
+  // classifies as ktx-managed, so a foreign repo would be silently adopted.
+  if ((await classifyKtxRepoOwnership(projectDir)) === 'foreign') {
+    throw new KtxForeignGitRepositoryError(projectDir);
+  }
 
-  await writeProjectFile(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml', serializeKtxProjectConfig(config));
+  const config = buildDefaultKtxProjectConfig();
+
+  // ktx.yaml (the ownership signal) is written before git init, so an
+  // interrupted init can never leave a bare `.git` without it — residue that
+  // would classify as a foreign repo and be unrecoverable.
   await fs.mkdir(join(projectDir, '.ktx/cache'), { recursive: true });
   for (const file of TRACKED_SCAFFOLD_FILES) {
     await writeProjectFile(projectDir, file.path, file.content);
   }
+  await writeProjectFile(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml', serializeKtxProjectConfig(config));
+
+  const runtime = await createRuntime(projectDir, config, authorName, authorEmail, logger);
 
   const commit = await runtime.git.commitFiles(
     ['ktx.yaml', ...TRACKED_SCAFFOLD_FILES.map((file) => file.path)],
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/doctor.ts b/packages/cli/src/doctor.ts
index 8b32b527..9ef6dcb3 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/doctor.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/doctor.ts
@@ -481,12 +481,18 @@ export function renderInvalidConfigMessage(
   const status = (s: DoctorStatus, text: string) => styleStatus(useColor, s, text);
   const abbreviated = abbreviateHome(projectDir) ?? projectDir;
 
+  const errorCount = issues.filter((issue) => issue.severity === 'error').length;
+  const warningCount = issues.length - errorCount;
+
   const lines: string[] = [];
   lines.push(`${bold('ktx status')} ${dim('·')} ${abbreviated}`);
   lines.push('');
-  lines.push(`  ${status('fail', '✗')} ${bold('Config')}    ktx.yaml has ${issues.length} schema issue${issues.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}`);
+  lines.push(
+    `  ${status('fail', '✗')} ${bold('Config')}    ktx.yaml has ${errorCount} schema issue${errorCount === 1 ? '' : 's'}${warningCount > 0 ? ` · ${warningCount} ignored field${warningCount === 1 ? '' : 's'}` : ''}`,
+  );
   for (const issue of issues) {
-    lines.push(`      ${status('fail', '✗')} ${issue.message}`);
+    const glyph = issue.severity === 'error' ? status('fail', '✗') : status('warn', '⚠');
+    lines.push(`      ${glyph} ${issue.message}`);
     if (issue.fix) {
       lines.push(`        ${dim(`→ ${issue.fix}`)}`);
     }
@@ -502,6 +508,7 @@ export function renderValidConfigMessage(
   projectDir: string,
   outputMode: KtxDoctorOutputMode,
   io: KtxDoctorIo,
+  warnings: KtxConfigIssue[] = [],
 ): void {
   if (outputMode === 'json') {
     io.stdout.write(
@@ -509,6 +516,7 @@ export function renderValidConfigMessage(
         {
           ok: true,
           projectDir,
+          ...(warnings.length > 0 ? { warnings } : {}),
         },
         null,
         2,
@@ -526,7 +534,19 @@ export function renderValidConfigMessage(
   const lines: string[] = [];
   lines.push(`${bold('ktx status')} ${dim('·')} ${abbreviated}`);
   lines.push('');
-  lines.push(`  ${status('pass', '✓')} ${bold('Config')}    ${dim('ktx.yaml schema valid')}`);
+  if (warnings.length > 0) {
+    lines.push(
+      `  ${status('warn', '⚠')} ${bold('Config')}    ktx.yaml schema valid · ${warnings.length} ignored field${warnings.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}`,
+    );
+    for (const warning of warnings) {
+      lines.push(`      ${status('warn', '⚠')} ${warning.message}`);
+      if (warning.fix) {
+        lines.push(`        ${dim(`→ ${warning.fix}`)}`);
+      }
+    }
+  } else {
+    lines.push(`  ${status('pass', '✓')} ${bold('Config')}    ${dim('ktx.yaml schema valid')}`);
+  }
   lines.push('');
 
   io.stdout.write(lines.join('\n'));
@@ -589,14 +609,14 @@ export async function runKtxDoctor(
         renderMissingProjectMessage(args.projectDir, args.outputMode, io);
         return 1;
       }
-      const { validateKtxProjectConfig } = await import('./context/project/config.js');;
+      const { validateKtxProjectConfig } = await import('./context/project/config.js');
       const rawConfig = await readFile(configPath, 'utf-8');
       const validation = validateKtxProjectConfig(rawConfig);
       if (!validation.ok) {
         renderInvalidConfigMessage(args.projectDir, validation.issues, args.outputMode, io);
         return 1;
       }
-      renderValidConfigMessage(args.projectDir, args.outputMode, io);
+      renderValidConfigMessage(args.projectDir, args.outputMode, io, validation.issues);
       return 0;
     }
 
@@ -607,7 +627,7 @@ export async function runKtxDoctor(
         return 1;
       }
       const { loadKtxProject } = await import('./context/project/project.js');
-      const { validateKtxProjectConfig } = await import('./context/project/config.js');;
+      const { validateKtxProjectConfig } = await import('./context/project/config.js');
       const { buildProjectStatus, renderProjectStatus } = await import('./status-project.js');
       const rawConfig = await readFile(configPath, 'utf-8');
       const validation = validateKtxProjectConfig(rawConfig);
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/status-project.ts b/packages/cli/src/status-project.ts
index 3a9dc1ee..c3faa63d 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/status-project.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/status-project.ts
@@ -721,9 +721,10 @@ function buildConfigStatus(issues: KtxConfigIssue[] | undefined): ConfigStatus {
   if (list.length === 0) {
     return { status: 'ok', detail: 'ktx.yaml schema valid', issues: [] };
   }
+  // Error-severity issues never reach here — the doctor exits on them first.
   return {
     status: 'warn',
-    detail: `${list.length} issue${list.length === 1 ? '' : 's'} in ktx.yaml`,
+    detail: `ktx.yaml schema valid · ${list.length} ignored field${list.length === 1 ? '' : 's'}`,
     issues: list,
   };
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.init-identity.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.init-identity.test.ts
index 0b3347a8..b84b9aba 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.init-identity.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.init-identity.test.ts
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 import type { KtxCoreConfig } from '../../../src/context/core/config.js';
 import { GitService } from '../../../src/context/core/git.service.js';
 
-// Regression for bootstrapping a marked ktx repo on a machine with no configured
+// Regression for bootstrapping a ktx-owned repo on a machine with no configured
 // git identity. A foreign pre-existing repo is rejected by the ownership rule;
-// this test covers the still-valid path where the repo is already ktx-managed
-// but has no HEAD yet.
+// this test covers the still-valid path where the repo is already ktx's own
+// (root ktx.yaml present) but has no HEAD yet.
 describe('GitService.initialize without a configured git identity', () => {
   let repoDir: string;
   let homeDir: string;
@@ -58,11 +58,7 @@ describe('GitService.initialize without a configured git identity', () => {
     }
 
     execFileSync('git', ['init'], { cwd: repoDir, env: process.env, stdio: 'ignore' });
-    execFileSync('git', ['config', '--local', 'ktx.managed', 'true'], {
-      cwd: repoDir,
-      env: process.env,
-      stdio: 'ignore',
-    });
+    await writeFile(join(repoDir, 'ktx.yaml'), 'connections: {}\n', 'utf-8');
   });
 
   afterEach(async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.repo-isolation.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.repo-isolation.test.ts
index f5493ad3..569750c8 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.repo-isolation.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.repo-isolation.test.ts
@@ -56,10 +56,11 @@ describe('GitService repository ownership', () => {
     git(parentDir, ['commit', '-m', 'parent baseline']);
     const parentHeadBefore = git(parentDir, ['rev-parse', 'HEAD']);
 
+    await writeFile(join(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml'), 'connections: {}\n', 'utf-8');
     const service = new GitService(coreConfig(projectDir));
     await service.onModuleInit();
 
-    expect(git(projectDir, ['config', '--local', '--get', 'ktx.managed'])).toBe('true');
+    expect(await classifyKtxRepoOwnership(projectDir)).toBe('ktx-managed');
     expect(git(parentDir, ['rev-parse', 'HEAD'])).toBe(parentHeadBefore);
     expect(await realpath(git(projectDir, ['rev-parse', '--show-toplevel']))).toBe(await realpath(projectDir));
 
@@ -83,18 +84,22 @@ describe('GitService repository ownership', () => {
     expect(await readFile(join(projectDir, '.git', 'config'), 'utf-8')).toBe(configBefore);
   });
 
-  it('rejects a gitfile at the project dir as foreign', async () => {
+  it('rejects a gitfile at the project dir as foreign even when a ktx.yaml sits beside it', async () => {
+    // A linked worktree is never ktx's own repo, whatever files live in it.
     const projectDir = join(tempDir, 'linked-worktree');
     await mkdir(projectDir, { recursive: true });
     await writeFile(join(projectDir, '.git'), 'gitdir: ../actual.git\n', 'utf-8');
+    await writeFile(join(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml'), 'connections: {}\n', 'utf-8');
 
     const service = new GitService(coreConfig(projectDir));
 
     await expect(service.onModuleInit()).rejects.toThrow(/already a git repository that ktx did not create/);
   });
 
-  it('accepts a marked ktx repo and does not create a second bootstrap commit', async () => {
+  it('re-initializes an existing ktx project repo without a second bootstrap commit', async () => {
     const projectDir = join(tempDir, 'owned');
+    await mkdir(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(join(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml'), 'connections: {}\n', 'utf-8');
     const service = new GitService(coreConfig(projectDir));
     await service.onModuleInit();
     const before = await service.revParseHead();
@@ -103,7 +108,37 @@ describe('GitService repository ownership', () => {
     await second.onModuleInit();
 
     expect(await second.revParseHead()).toBe(before);
-    expect(git(projectDir, ['config', '--local', '--get', 'ktx.managed'])).toBe('true');
+  });
+
+  it('accepts a project created by an older ktx: repo history plus an untracked root ktx.yaml', async () => {
+    // Older projects have ktx commit history and an uncommitted root ktx.yaml
+    // (it holds secret refs); the on-disk file is still the ownership signal.
+    const projectDir = join(tempDir, 'legacy');
+    await mkdir(join(projectDir, '.ktx'), { recursive: true });
+    git(projectDir, ['init']);
+    await writeFile(join(projectDir, '.ktx', '.gitignore'), 'secrets/\n', 'utf-8');
+    git(projectDir, ['add', '.ktx/.gitignore']);
+    git(projectDir, ['commit', '-m', 'Initialize KTX project: legacy']);
+    await writeFile(join(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml'), 'connections: {}\n', 'utf-8');
+    const headBefore = git(projectDir, ['rev-parse', 'HEAD']);
+
+    const service = new GitService(coreConfig(projectDir));
+    await expect(service.onModuleInit()).resolves.toBeUndefined();
+
+    expect(await service.revParseHead()).toBe(headBefore);
+    expect(git(projectDir, ['status', '--short'])).toContain('?? ktx.yaml');
+  });
+
+  it('still rejects a user repo with history but no root ktx.yaml', async () => {
+    const projectDir = join(tempDir, 'app-repo');
+    await mkdir(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+    git(projectDir, ['init']);
+    await writeFile(join(projectDir, 'README.md'), '# App\n', 'utf-8');
+    git(projectDir, ['add', 'README.md']);
+    git(projectDir, ['commit', '-m', 'app baseline']);
+
+    const service = new GitService(coreConfig(projectDir));
+    await expect(service.onModuleInit()).rejects.toThrow(/already a git repository that ktx did not create/);
   });
 });
 
@@ -132,9 +167,11 @@ describe('classifyKtxRepoOwnership', () => {
     expect(await classifyKtxRepoOwnership(nestedDir)).toBe('unowned');
   });
 
-  it('reports ktx-managed for a repo ktx initialized', async () => {
+  it('reports ktx-managed for a repo with a root ktx.yaml (even untracked)', async () => {
     const dir = join(tempDir, 'owned');
-    await new GitService(coreConfig(dir)).onModuleInit();
+    await mkdir(dir, { recursive: true });
+    git(dir, ['init']);
+    await writeFile(join(dir, 'ktx.yaml'), 'connections: {}\n', 'utf-8');
     expect(await classifyKtxRepoOwnership(dir)).toBe('ktx-managed');
   });
 
@@ -145,6 +182,16 @@ describe('classifyKtxRepoOwnership', () => {
     expect(await classifyKtxRepoOwnership(dir)).toBe('foreign');
   });
 
+  it('reports foreign for a non-ktx repo that has commits but no ktx.yaml', async () => {
+    const dir = join(tempDir, 'app');
+    await mkdir(dir, { recursive: true });
+    git(dir, ['init']);
+    await writeFile(join(dir, 'README.md'), '# App\n', 'utf-8');
+    git(dir, ['add', 'README.md']);
+    git(dir, ['commit', '-m', 'baseline']);
+    expect(await classifyKtxRepoOwnership(dir)).toBe('foreign');
+  });
+
   it('reports foreign for a .git file (linked worktree)', async () => {
     const dir = join(tempDir, 'linked');
     await mkdir(dir, { recursive: true });
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.test.ts
index db60924a..e4bc2d5c 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/core/git.service.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,3 @@
-import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, readFile, realpath, rm, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { dirname, join } from 'node:path';
@@ -27,8 +26,12 @@ describe('GitService', () => {
       },
     };
 
+    // Mirror production: initKtxProject writes ktx.yaml before the git repo is
+    // initialized (the root ktx.yaml is the ownership signal) and commits it.
+    await writeFile(join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'), 'connections: {}\n', 'utf-8');
     service = new GitService(coreConfig);
     await service.onModuleInit();
+    await service.commitFile('ktx.yaml', 'Initialize KTX project', 'Test', 'test@example.com');
   });
 
   afterEach(async () => {
@@ -61,14 +64,9 @@ describe('GitService', () => {
 
   describe('cold-start bootstrap commit', () => {
     it('writes an empty commit on init so HEAD always resolves', async () => {
-      // beforeEach already ran onModuleInit() against an empty temp dir.
+      // beforeEach already ran onModuleInit() against a fresh temp dir.
       const head = await service.revParseHead();
       expect(head).toMatch(/^[0-9a-f]{40}$/);
-      const marker = execFileSync('git', ['config', '--local', '--get', 'ktx.managed'], {
-        cwd: tempDir,
-        encoding: 'utf-8',
-      }).trim();
-      expect(marker).toBe('true');
     });
 
     it('does not double-commit when re-initialized', async () => {
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts
index 3fa2cb8e..47cbee2a 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/project/config.test.ts
@@ -91,25 +91,61 @@ connections:
     });
   });
 
-  it('rejects removed auto-commit config keys', () => {
-    expect(() =>
-      parseKtxProjectConfig(`
+  it('tolerates unrecognized keys left over from older ktx versions', () => {
+    // A project written by an older ktx still carries fields that newer ktx
+    // removed (storage.git.auto_commit, the top-level memory block). Loading
+    // must not brick every command — the keys are dropped, not rejected.
+    const config = parseKtxProjectConfig(`
 storage:
   git:
     ${removedAutoCommitKey}: false
-`),
-    ).toThrow(new RegExp(`storage\\.git\\.${removedAutoCommitKey}`));
-
-    expect(() =>
-      parseKtxProjectConfig(`
 memory:
   ${removedAutoCommitKey}: false
-`),
-    ).toThrow(/memory/);
+`);
+    expect(config.storage.git).toEqual({ author: 'ktx <ktx@example.com>' });
+    expect(config).not.toHaveProperty('memory');
+  });
 
-    expect(validateKtxProjectConfig(`storage:\n  git:\n    ${removedAutoCommitKey}: false\n`)).toMatchObject({
+  it('reports dropped keys as warnings, not blocking errors', () => {
+    const validation = validateKtxProjectConfig(
+      `storage:\n  git:\n    ${removedAutoCommitKey}: false\nmemory:\n  ${removedAutoCommitKey}: false\n`,
+    );
+    expect(validation.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(validation.issues).toEqual(
+      expect.arrayContaining([
+        expect.objectContaining({ path: `storage.git.${removedAutoCommitKey}`, severity: 'warning' }),
+        expect.objectContaining({ path: 'memory', severity: 'warning' }),
+      ]),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('tolerates llm.models roles this ktx version does not define', () => {
+    // Enum-keyed record entries surface as zod `invalid_key`, not
+    // `unrecognized_keys` — a distinct path from unknown object fields.
+    const config = parseKtxProjectConfig(`
+llm:
+  models:
+    default: claude-sonnet-4-6
+    summarizer_from_the_future: some-model
+`);
+    expect(config.llm.models).toEqual({ default: 'claude-sonnet-4-6' });
+
+    const validation = validateKtxProjectConfig(
+      'llm:\n  models:\n    default: claude-sonnet-4-6\n    summarizer_from_the_future: some-model\n',
+    );
+    expect(validation.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(validation.issues).toEqual([
+      expect.objectContaining({ path: 'llm.models.summarizer_from_the_future', severity: 'warning' }),
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it('still rejects malformed values on recognized fields', () => {
+    // Tolerance is only for unknown keys. A bad value on a known field is a
+    // real misconfiguration and must still fail loudly.
+    expect(() => parseKtxProjectConfig('storage:\n  state: mariadb\n')).toThrow(/storage\.state/);
+    expect(validateKtxProjectConfig('storage:\n  state: mariadb\n')).toMatchObject({
       ok: false,
-      issues: [expect.objectContaining({ path: `storage.git.${removedAutoCommitKey}` })],
+      issues: [expect.objectContaining({ path: 'storage.state', severity: 'error' })],
     });
   });
 
@@ -471,41 +507,34 @@ scan:
     expect(() => parseKtxProjectConfig(yaml)).toThrow(/scan\.relationships\.validationBudget/);
   });
 
-  it('rejects unsupported local LLM and embedding fields', () => {
+  it('tolerates unsupported nested fields and surfaces them as warnings', () => {
+    // Unknown nested keys (whether obsolete or a typo) are dropped rather than
+    // bricking the command; ktx status surfaces them via validate warnings.
     expect(() =>
       parseKtxProjectConfig(`
 ingest:
   llm:
     backend: anthropic
 `),
-    ).toThrow('Unsupported ingest.llm: unknown field');
+    ).not.toThrow();
 
-    expect(() =>
-      parseKtxProjectConfig(`
+    const validation = validateKtxProjectConfig(`
+ingest:
+  llm:
+    backend: anthropic
 scan:
   enrichment:
     backend: gateway
-`),
-    ).toThrow('Unsupported scan.enrichment.backend: unknown field');
-
-    expect(() =>
-      parseKtxProjectConfig(`
-scan:
-  enrichment:
-    mode: llm
-    llm:
-      backend: gateway
-`),
-    ).toThrow('Unsupported scan.enrichment.llm: unknown field');
-
-    expect(() =>
-      parseKtxProjectConfig(`
-ingest:
-  embeddings:
-    provider: gateway
-    max_batch_size: 32
-`),
-    ).toThrow('Unsupported ingest.embeddings.provider');
+ingest_embeddings_typo:
+  provider: gateway
+`);
+    expect(validation.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(validation.issues).toEqual(
+      expect.arrayContaining([
+        expect.objectContaining({ path: 'ingest.llm', severity: 'warning' }),
+        expect.objectContaining({ path: 'scan.enrichment.backend', severity: 'warning' }),
+      ]),
+    );
   });
 
   it('rejects gateway embedding configs', () => {
@@ -552,13 +581,19 @@ scan:
     });
   });
 
-  it('rejects unknown top-level fields under strict mode', () => {
+  it('tolerates an unknown top-level field but warns about it', () => {
+    // A typo like `storrage` no longer bricks every command; it is dropped and
+    // reported as a warning so the user can notice the setting did not apply.
     expect(() =>
       parseKtxProjectConfig(`
 storrage:
   state: sqlite
 `),
-    ).toThrow(/Unsupported storrage/);
+    ).not.toThrow();
+
+    const validation = validateKtxProjectConfig('storrage:\n  state: sqlite\n');
+    expect(validation.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(validation.issues).toEqual([expect.objectContaining({ path: 'storrage', severity: 'warning' })]);
   });
 });
 
@@ -598,7 +633,7 @@ scan:
     const result = validateKtxProjectConfig('- nope\n');
     expect(result).toEqual({
       ok: false,
-      issues: [{ path: '', message: 'ktx.yaml must contain a YAML object' }],
+      issues: [{ path: '', message: 'ktx.yaml must contain a YAML object', severity: 'error' }],
     });
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/context/project/project.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/context/project/project.test.ts
index 253a4cf1..b4428a19 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/context/project/project.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/context/project/project.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process';
-import { mkdir, mkdtemp, readFile, realpath, rm, stat } from 'node:fs/promises';
+import { mkdir, mkdtemp, readFile, realpath, rm, stat, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
@@ -61,6 +61,31 @@ describe('ktx local project runtime', () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it('loads a ktx.yaml carrying fields removed in a newer ktx without mutating it on disk', async () => {
+    const projectDir = join(tempDir, 'warehouse');
+    await initKtxProject({ projectDir });
+
+    // Simulate a project written by a different ktx: inject unknown fields into
+    // the existing storage.git block and as a top-level memory block.
+    const configPath = join(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml');
+    const original = await readFile(configPath, 'utf-8');
+    const withStaleKeys = `${original.replace(
+      'author: ktx <ktx@example.com>',
+      'auto_commit: true\n    author: ktx <ktx@example.com>',
+    )}memory:\n  auto_commit: true\n`;
+    await writeFile(configPath, withStaleKeys, 'utf-8');
+
+    const loaded = await loadKtxProject({ projectDir });
+
+    // Loading tolerates the unknown fields instead of throwing: they are stripped
+    // from the in-memory config so every command still runs.
+    expect(loaded.config).not.toHaveProperty('memory');
+    expect(loaded.config.storage.git).toEqual({ author: 'ktx <ktx@example.com>' });
+
+    // The file on disk stays exactly as the user wrote it.
+    await expect(readFile(configPath, 'utf-8')).resolves.toBe(withStaleKeys);
+  });
+
   it('initializes a dedicated git repo at the project dir even when nested inside an enclosing repo', async () => {
     // A ktx project dir living below an existing git working tree (e.g. an analytics
     // subfolder of an app repo). ktx must own its own repo rooted at the project dir,
@@ -95,4 +120,40 @@ describe('ktx local project runtime', () => {
       configPath: join(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
     });
   });
+
+  it('refuses to initialize inside a foreign git repo and writes nothing into it', async () => {
+    // A user's own repo: has history, no root ktx.yaml. The guard must reject
+    // before writing ktx.yaml — that file would make the repo classify as ktx's.
+    const projectDir = join(tempDir, 'app-repo');
+    await mkdir(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+    execFileSync('git', ['init', '-q'], { cwd: projectDir });
+    await writeFile(join(projectDir, 'README.md'), '# App\n', 'utf-8');
+    execFileSync('git', ['add', 'README.md'], { cwd: projectDir });
+    execFileSync(
+      'git',
+      ['-c', 'user.name=App', '-c', 'user.email=app@example.com', 'commit', '-q', '-m', 'baseline'],
+      { cwd: projectDir },
+    );
+
+    await expect(initKtxProject({ projectDir })).rejects.toThrow(
+      /already a git repository that ktx did not create/,
+    );
+
+    await expect(stat(join(projectDir, 'ktx.yaml'))).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'ENOENT' });
+    const tracked = execFileSync('git', ['ls-files'], { cwd: projectDir, encoding: 'utf-8' });
+    expect(tracked).not.toContain('ktx.yaml');
+  });
+
+  it('recovers an init interrupted after ktx.yaml was written but before git finished', async () => {
+    // ktx.yaml is written before git init, so the only crash residue is a valid
+    // ktx.yaml with no `.git` — the next load must re-init, not reject as foreign.
+    const projectDir = join(tempDir, 'half-init');
+    await initKtxProject({ projectDir });
+    await rm(join(projectDir, '.git'), { recursive: true, force: true });
+
+    const loaded = await loadKtxProject({ projectDir });
+
+    await expect(stat(join(projectDir, '.git'))).resolves.toBeDefined();
+    expect(await loaded.git.revParseHead()).toMatch(/^[0-9a-f]{40}$/);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/cli/test/doctor.test.ts b/packages/cli/test/doctor.test.ts
index fb61b8d5..9d9aa1a9 100644
--- a/packages/cli/test/doctor.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/test/doctor.test.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import {
   type DoctorCheck,
 } from '../src/doctor.js';
 
+const removedAutoCommitKey = ['auto', 'commit'].join('_');
+
 function makeIo() {
   let stdout = '';
   let stderr = '';
@@ -353,17 +355,10 @@ describe('runKtxDoctor', () => {
     expect(parsed.projectDir).toBe(tempDir);
   });
 
-  it('prints schema issues and exits 1 when ktx.yaml fails Zod validation', async () => {
+  it('prints schema issues and exits 1 when ktx.yaml has an invalid value', async () => {
     await writeFile(
       join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
-      [
-        'storrage:',
-        '  state: sqlite',
-        'ingest:',
-        '  llm:',
-        '    backend: anthropic',
-        '',
-      ].join('\n'),
+      ['storage:', '  state: mariadb', ''].join('\n'),
       'utf-8',
     );
     const testIo = makeIo();
@@ -379,15 +374,14 @@ describe('runKtxDoctor', () => {
     const out = testIo.stdout();
     expect(out).toContain('ktx status');
     expect(out).toContain('Config');
-    expect(out).toContain('Unsupported storrage: unknown field');
-    expect(out).toContain('Unsupported ingest.llm: unknown field');
+    expect(out).toContain('storage.state');
     expect(out).toContain('ktx.yaml');
   });
 
-  it('emits structured JSON when ktx.yaml fails Zod validation', async () => {
+  it('emits structured JSON when ktx.yaml has an invalid value', async () => {
     await writeFile(
       join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
-      ['storrage: {}', ''].join('\n'),
+      ['storage:', '  state: mariadb', ''].join('\n'),
       'utf-8',
     );
     const testIo = makeIo();
@@ -407,7 +401,7 @@ describe('runKtxDoctor', () => {
     };
     expect(parsed.error).toBe('invalid_config');
     expect(parsed.projectDir).toBe(tempDir);
-    expect(parsed.issues.some((issue) => issue.path === 'storrage')).toBe(true);
+    expect(parsed.issues.some((issue) => issue.path === 'storage.state')).toBe(true);
   });
 
   it('shows a Config row labelled "ktx.yaml schema valid" on the happy path', async () => {
@@ -490,6 +484,49 @@ describe('runKtxDoctor', () => {
     delete process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY;
   });
 
+  it('exits 0 and shows a Config warn row when ktx.yaml carries stale unknown fields', async () => {
+    // The default `ktx status` path (command: 'project') must keep working on a
+    // ktx.yaml written by a different ktx version: unknown fields surface as an
+    // ignored-fields warning on the Config row, never as a failure.
+    process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY = 'test-key'; // pragma: allowlist secret
+    await writeFile(
+      join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
+      [
+        'connections:',
+        '  warehouse:',
+        '    driver: sqlite',
+        '    path: ./warehouse.db',
+        'llm:',
+        '  provider:',
+        '    backend: anthropic',
+        '  models:',
+        '    default: claude-sonnet-4-5',
+        'storage:',
+        '  git:',
+        `    ${removedAutoCommitKey}: false`,
+        'memory: {}',
+        '',
+      ].join('\n'),
+      'utf-8',
+    );
+    const testIo = makeIo();
+
+    await expect(
+      runKtxDoctor(
+        { command: 'project', projectDir: tempDir, outputMode: 'plain', inputMode: 'disabled' },
+        testIo.io,
+        {},
+      ),
+    ).resolves.toBe(0);
+
+    const out = testIo.stdout();
+    expect(out).toContain('Config');
+    expect(out).toContain('ktx.yaml schema valid · 2 ignored fields');
+    expect(out).toContain(`⚠ Unsupported storage.git.${removedAutoCommitKey}: unknown field (ignored)`);
+    expect(out).toContain('⚠ Unsupported memory: unknown field (ignored)');
+    delete process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY;
+  });
+
   it('reports Claude Code auth failures and ignored prompt-caching fields in project doctor output', async () => {
     await writeFile(
       join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
@@ -795,17 +832,10 @@ describe('runKtxDoctor', () => {
       expect(JSON.parse(testIo.stdout())).toEqual({ ok: true, projectDir: tempDir });
     });
 
-    it('prints schema issues and exits 1 when ktx.yaml fails Zod validation', async () => {
+    it('prints schema issues and exits 1 when ktx.yaml has an invalid value', async () => {
       await writeFile(
         join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
-        [
-          'storrage:',
-          '  state: sqlite',
-          'ingest:',
-          '  llm:',
-          '    backend: anthropic',
-          '',
-        ].join('\n'),
+        ['storage:', '  state: mariadb', ''].join('\n'),
         'utf-8',
       );
       const testIo = makeIo();
@@ -819,14 +849,13 @@ describe('runKtxDoctor', () => {
       ).resolves.toBe(1);
 
       const out = testIo.stdout();
-      expect(out).toContain('Unsupported storrage: unknown field');
-      expect(out).toContain('Unsupported ingest.llm: unknown field');
+      expect(out).toContain('storage.state');
     });
 
     it('emits structured JSON issues when validation fails', async () => {
       await writeFile(
         join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
-        ['storrage: {}', ''].join('\n'),
+        ['storage:', '  state: mariadb', ''].join('\n'),
         'utf-8',
       );
       const testIo = makeIo();
@@ -841,7 +870,75 @@ describe('runKtxDoctor', () => {
 
       const parsed = JSON.parse(testIo.stdout()) as { error: string; issues: Array<{ path: string }> };
       expect(parsed.error).toBe('invalid_config');
-      expect(parsed.issues.some((issue) => issue.path === 'storrage')).toBe(true);
+      expect(parsed.issues.some((issue) => issue.path === 'storage.state')).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('tolerates unknown fields, reporting them as warnings and exiting 0', async () => {
+      await writeFile(
+        join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
+        ['storrage:', '  state: sqlite', 'ingest:', '  llm:', '    backend: anthropic', ''].join('\n'),
+        'utf-8',
+      );
+      const testIo = makeIo();
+
+      await expect(
+        runKtxDoctor(
+          { command: 'validate', projectDir: tempDir, outputMode: 'plain', inputMode: 'disabled' },
+          testIo.io,
+          {},
+        ),
+      ).resolves.toBe(0);
+
+      const out = testIo.stdout();
+      expect(out).toContain('storrage');
+      expect(out).toContain('ingest.llm');
+      expect(out).toContain('ignored');
+    });
+
+    it('emits structured JSON warnings for unknown fields and exits 0', async () => {
+      await writeFile(
+        join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
+        ['storrage: {}', ''].join('\n'),
+        'utf-8',
+      );
+      const testIo = makeIo();
+
+      await expect(
+        runKtxDoctor(
+          { command: 'validate', projectDir: tempDir, outputMode: 'json', inputMode: 'disabled' },
+          testIo.io,
+          {},
+        ),
+      ).resolves.toBe(0);
+
+      const parsed = JSON.parse(testIo.stdout()) as { ok: boolean; warnings: Array<{ path: string; severity: string }> };
+      expect(parsed.ok).toBe(true);
+      expect(parsed.warnings.some((warning) => warning.path === 'storrage' && warning.severity === 'warning')).toBe(true);
+    });
+
+    it('renders unknown fields as ignored even when a real error blocks', async () => {
+      // Mixed file: a bad value on a recognized field (blocks) plus a stale
+      // unknown key (ignored). Only the error counts as a schema issue; the
+      // warning keeps the ⚠ ignored-field treatment instead of a misleading ✗.
+      await writeFile(
+        join(tempDir, 'ktx.yaml'),
+        ['storage:', '  state: mariadb', 'memory: {}', ''].join('\n'),
+        'utf-8',
+      );
+      const testIo = makeIo();
+
+      await expect(
+        runKtxDoctor(
+          { command: 'validate', projectDir: tempDir, outputMode: 'plain', inputMode: 'disabled' },
+          testIo.io,
+          {},
+        ),
+      ).resolves.toBe(1);
+
+      const out = testIo.stdout();
+      expect(out).toContain('ktx.yaml has 1 schema issue · 1 ignored field');
+      expect(out).toContain('✗ storage.state');
+      expect(out).toContain('⚠ Unsupported memory: unknown field (ignored)');
     });
 
     it('prints the missing-project message and exits 1 when ktx.yaml is absent', async () => {