diff --git a/src/cfg/mod.rs b/src/cfg/mod.rs
index 83bf89c3..4783666d 100644
--- a/src/cfg/mod.rs
+++ b/src/cfg/mod.rs
@@ -2473,13 +2473,12 @@ pub(super) fn push_node<'a>(
             .is_some_and(|cn| is_parameterized_query_call(cn, code));
 
     // Extract per-argument inner call callees for interprocedural sanitizer resolution.
-    let mut arg_callees = if kind == StmtKind::Call {
-        call_ast
-            .map(|cn| extract_arg_callees(cn, lang, code))
-            .unwrap_or_default()
-    } else {
-        Vec::new()
-    };
+    // Also extracted for non-Call kinds (e.g. Assign whose RHS is a call like
+    // `errs = append(errs, f.Close())`) so the inner-call-release-in-arg branch
+    // in src/state/transfer.rs sees the closing call.
+    let mut arg_callees = call_ast
+        .map(|cn| extract_arg_callees(cn, lang, code))
+        .unwrap_or_default();
 
     // For assignment sinks (including CallWrapper-wrapped assignments like
     // `element.innerHTML = clean(name)`), also extract the RHS callee.
diff --git a/src/cfg_analysis/resources.rs b/src/cfg_analysis/resources.rs
index f04ccbae..9ec7d8d0 100644
--- a/src/cfg_analysis/resources.rs
+++ b/src/cfg_analysis/resources.rs
@@ -48,23 +48,34 @@ fn find_acquire_nodes(
 }
 
 /// Find nodes matching release patterns for a given resource pair.
+///
+/// Includes both direct release calls (`info.call.callee`) and inner-arg
+/// release calls (`info.arg_callees`), so wrapper shapes like Go testify
+/// `require.NoError(t, f.Close())` and `errs = append(errs, f.Close())`
+/// register the close site even though the outer callee is the wrapper.
 fn find_release_nodes(ctx: &AnalysisContext, release_patterns: &[&str]) -> Vec<NodeIndex> {
+    let matches_release = |callee: &str| -> bool {
+        let callee_lower = callee.to_ascii_lowercase();
+        release_patterns.iter().any(|p| {
+            let pl = p.to_ascii_lowercase();
+            callee_lower.ends_with(&pl) || callee_lower == pl
+        })
+    };
     ctx.cfg
         .node_indices()
         .filter(|&idx| {
             let info = &ctx.cfg[idx];
-            if info.kind != StmtKind::Call {
-                return false;
-            }
             if let Some(callee) = &info.call.callee {
-                let callee_lower = callee.to_ascii_lowercase();
-                release_patterns.iter().any(|p| {
-                    let pl = p.to_ascii_lowercase();
-                    callee_lower.ends_with(&pl) || callee_lower == pl
-                })
-            } else {
-                false
+                if info.kind == StmtKind::Call && matches_release(callee) {
+                    return true;
+                }
             }
+            // Inner-call-release-in-arg: any kind, the close lives in an
+            // argument to the outer wrapper.
+            info.arg_callees
+                .iter()
+                .filter_map(|c| c.as_deref())
+                .any(matches_release)
         })
         .collect()
 }
@@ -95,8 +106,9 @@ fn release_on_all_exit_paths(
 
     // Fall back to path enumeration with null-guard pruning.
     let acquire_var = ctx.cfg[acquire].taint.defines.as_deref();
+    let extra_defines = &ctx.cfg[acquire].taint.extra_defines;
     let release_set: HashSet<_> = release_nodes.iter().copied().collect();
-    all_paths_pass_through(ctx, acquire, exit, &release_set, acquire_var)
+    all_paths_pass_through(ctx, acquire, exit, &release_set, acquire_var, extra_defines)
 }
 
 /// Identify whether a CFG edge is the "null-guard false edge" for the named
@@ -143,6 +155,62 @@ fn is_null_guard_false_edge(
     edge_kind == null_edge
 }
 
+/// Recognise Go's err-companion guard: `if err != nil { return err }` where
+/// `err` is a companion define of the acquire (`f, err := os.Open(...)`).
+/// On the err-true edge the resource was never actually acquired (acquire
+/// returned the zero value), so the path is not a real leak path.
+///
+/// Returns `true` for the edge that takes the err-non-nil branch.  Match is
+/// strict: condition must reference exactly one var that lives in the
+/// acquire's `extra_defines`, condition_text must compare against `nil`, and
+/// the chosen edge must match the err-non-nil polarity.
+fn is_err_companion_guard_edge(
+    ctx: &AnalysisContext,
+    src: NodeIndex,
+    edge_kind: EdgeKind,
+    extra_defines: &[String],
+) -> bool {
+    if extra_defines.is_empty() {
+        return false;
+    }
+    let info = &ctx.cfg[src];
+    if info.kind != StmtKind::If {
+        return false;
+    }
+    if info.condition_vars.len() != 1 {
+        return false;
+    }
+    let cond_var = &info.condition_vars[0];
+    if !extra_defines.iter().any(|e| e == cond_var) {
+        return false;
+    }
+    let Some(text) = info.condition_text.as_deref() else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    // Normalise: drop spaces so `err!=nil` and `err != nil` both match.
+    let collapsed: String = text.chars().filter(|c| !c.is_whitespace()).collect();
+    let var_eq_nil = format!("{cond_var}==nil");
+    let var_neq_nil = format!("{cond_var}!=nil");
+    // Polarity: `err != nil` → err-non-nil branch is the True edge;
+    //           `err == nil` → err-non-nil branch is the False edge.
+    let err_branch = if collapsed.contains(&var_neq_nil) {
+        if info.condition_negated {
+            EdgeKind::False
+        } else {
+            EdgeKind::True
+        }
+    } else if collapsed.contains(&var_eq_nil) {
+        if info.condition_negated {
+            EdgeKind::True
+        } else {
+            EdgeKind::False
+        }
+    } else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    edge_kind == err_branch
+}
+
 /// Check if all paths from `from` to `to` pass through at least one node in `through`,
 /// pruning null-guard-false edges for the acquired variable so the canonical
 /// `if (var) release(var);` idiom is recognised as a complete release.
@@ -152,6 +220,7 @@ fn all_paths_pass_through(
     to: NodeIndex,
     through: &HashSet<NodeIndex>,
     acquire_var: Option<&str>,
+    extra_defines: &[String],
 ) -> bool {
     use std::collections::VecDeque;
 
@@ -173,6 +242,23 @@ fn all_paths_pass_through(
             continue;
         }
 
+        // Treat a Return-of-err-companion as a passing exit: in Go's
+        // `f, err := os.Open(...); if err != nil { return err }` shape the
+        // err-return path does not actually own a resource (acquire returned
+        // the zero value), so reaching such a Return is not a leak.
+        let info = &ctx.cfg[node];
+        if info.kind == StmtKind::Return
+            && !extra_defines.is_empty()
+            && !info.taint.uses.is_empty()
+            && info
+                .taint
+                .uses
+                .iter()
+                .all(|u| extra_defines.iter().any(|e| e == u))
+        {
+            continue;
+        }
+
         for edge in ctx.cfg.edges(node) {
             // Prune null-guard-false edges: those represent "var is null",
             // a path on which the resource was never actually acquired.
@@ -181,6 +267,12 @@ fn all_paths_pass_through(
             {
                 continue;
             }
+            // Prune Go err-companion guard edges: `if err != nil { return err }`
+            // after `f, err := os.Open(...)` takes the err branch on which the
+            // resource handle is the zero value and was never acquired.
+            if is_err_companion_guard_edge(ctx, node, *edge.weight(), extra_defines) {
+                continue;
+            }
             let succ = edge.target();
             let new_passed = passed || through.contains(&succ);
             let state = (succ, new_passed);
diff --git a/src/state/facts.rs b/src/state/facts.rs
index a5d5fa6a..f4d4d14a 100644
--- a/src/state/facts.rs
+++ b/src/state/facts.rs
@@ -152,6 +152,55 @@ pub fn extract_findings(
             .collect()
     };
 
+    // Collect variables released via inner-call-in-arg shape (Go testify
+    // `require.NoError(t, f.Close())`, `errs = append(errs, f.Close())`,
+    // JUnit `assertEquals(0, in.read())`).  The transfer flips the
+    // lifecycle to CLOSED on the success branch, but the err-return
+    // predecessor that ran after the bare acquire (`f, err := os.Open(...)`)
+    // still merges OPEN at the function-exit join.  Mirror the
+    // `deferred_close_vars` suppression so the OPEN|CLOSED join doesn't
+    // emit a leak-possible for a resource that has a real release site.
+    let inner_arg_close_vars: std::collections::HashSet<super::symbol::SymbolId> = {
+        let pairs = crate::cfg_analysis::rules::resource_pairs(lang);
+        let mut set = std::collections::HashSet::new();
+        for (_, ni) in cfg.node_references() {
+            if ni.in_defer || ni.arg_callees.is_empty() {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let scope = ni.ast.enclosing_func.as_deref();
+            for arg_callee in &ni.arg_callees {
+                let Some(arg_callee_text) = arg_callee.as_deref() else {
+                    continue;
+                };
+                let Some(dot_idx) = arg_callee_text.rfind('.') else {
+                    continue;
+                };
+                let recv_text = &arg_callee_text[..dot_idx];
+                if recv_text.contains('.') {
+                    continue;
+                }
+                let arg_callee_lower = arg_callee_text.to_ascii_lowercase();
+                let matches_release = pairs.iter().any(|p| {
+                    p.release.iter().any(|r| {
+                        let rl = r.to_ascii_lowercase();
+                        if rl.starts_with('.') {
+                            arg_callee_lower.ends_with(&rl)
+                        } else {
+                            arg_callee_lower.ends_with(&rl) || arg_callee_lower == rl
+                        }
+                    })
+                });
+                if !matches_release {
+                    continue;
+                }
+                if let Some(sym) = interner.get_scoped(scope, recv_text) {
+                    set.insert(sym);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        set
+    };
+
     for (idx, info) in cfg.node_references() {
         // File-level Exit (program termination, no enclosing function).
         let is_file_exit = info.kind == StmtKind::Exit && info.ast.enclosing_func.is_none();
@@ -207,6 +256,14 @@ pub fn extract_findings(
                 continue;
             }
 
+            // Suppress leaks for variables released via inner-call-in-arg
+            // shape.  Mirrors the deferred-close suppression so the
+            // OPEN-on-err-return / CLOSED-on-success-branch merge at
+            // function exit does not surface as leak-possible.
+            if inner_arg_close_vars.contains(&sym) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             // Suppress leaks for variables whose release call lives in a
             // nested closure (callback / event handler) outside this
             // body's CFG.  Common JS/TS shape:
diff --git a/src/taint/ssa_transfer/mod.rs b/src/taint/ssa_transfer/mod.rs
index 95857967..af769415 100644
--- a/src/taint/ssa_transfer/mod.rs
+++ b/src/taint/ssa_transfer/mod.rs
@@ -951,6 +951,7 @@ fn compute_succ_states(
                     kind,
                     true_polarity,
                     transfer.interner,
+                    ssa,
                 );
                 // Apply validation/predicate to false branch
                 apply_branch_predicates(
@@ -959,6 +960,7 @@ fn compute_succ_states(
                     kind,
                     false_polarity,
                     transfer.interner,
+                    ssa,
                 );
 
                 // PathFact branch narrowing, language-agnostic.  The
@@ -1189,6 +1191,7 @@ fn apply_branch_predicates(
     kind: PredicateKind,
     polarity: bool,
     interner: &SymbolInterner,
+    ssa: &SsaBody,
 ) {
     // Validation-like predicates: mark condition vars as validated when polarity is true
     if matches!(
@@ -1206,11 +1209,43 @@ fn apply_branch_predicates(
 
     // ShellMetaValidated: inverted polarity, the FALSE branch (no metachar
     // found) is the validated path; the TRUE branch is the rejection path.
+    //
+    // Cap-aware: shell-metachar rejection only proves the value is safe for
+    // shell-family sinks (it strips `;|&` etc.), not for SQL, path, code-exec,
+    // SSRF, or other sink classes.  Clear `Cap::SHELL_ESCAPE` from the var's
+    // taint on the validated branch instead of marking it generically
+    // validated, so non-shell sinks downstream still fire on the residual
+    // taint caps.
     if kind == PredicateKind::ShellMetaValidated && !polarity {
         for var in condition_vars {
-            if let Some(sym) = interner.get(var) {
-                state.validated_may.insert(sym);
-                state.validated_must.insert(sym);
+            let mut to_clear: SmallVec<[SsaValue; 4]> = SmallVec::new();
+            for (val, _) in state.values.iter() {
+                if let Some(name) = ssa
+                    .value_defs
+                    .get(val.0 as usize)
+                    .and_then(|vd| vd.var_name.as_deref())
+                {
+                    if name == var {
+                        to_clear.push(*val);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            for val in to_clear {
+                if let Some(taint) = state.get(val).cloned() {
+                    let new_caps = taint.caps & !Cap::SHELL_ESCAPE;
+                    if new_caps.is_empty() {
+                        state.remove(val);
+                    } else {
+                        state.set(
+                            val,
+                            VarTaint {
+                                caps: new_caps,
+                                origins: taint.origins,
+                                uses_summary: taint.uses_summary,
+                            },
+                        );
+                    }
+                }
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/tests/benchmark/ground_truth.json b/tests/benchmark/ground_truth.json
index 08f1a5dc..2b137a27 100644
--- a/tests/benchmark/ground_truth.json
+++ b/tests/benchmark/ground_truth.json
@@ -6662,8 +6662,8 @@
       "expected_category": "Security",
       "expected_sink_lines": [
         [
-          5,
-          6
+          10,
+          10
         ]
       ],
       "expected_source_lines": [
@@ -6683,7 +6683,7 @@
         "helper-function"
       ],
       "disabled": false,
-      "notes": "Taint flows through helper function to Command"
+      "notes": "Taint flows through helper function to Command. Engine attributes intra-file helper sinks at the call site (line 10), not the inner Command::new (line 5); see locator-policy comment in src/ast.rs."
     },
     {
       "case_id": "rs-cmdi-004",
@@ -6935,8 +6935,8 @@
       "expected_category": "Security",
       "expected_sink_lines": [
         [
-          4,
-          4
+          9,
+          9
         ]
       ],
       "expected_source_lines": [
@@ -6950,7 +6950,7 @@
         "helper-function"
       ],
       "disabled": false,
-      "notes": "Taint flows through helper function to reqwest::get()"
+      "notes": "Taint flows through helper function to reqwest::get(). Engine attributes intra-file helper sinks at the call site (line 9), not the inner reqwest::get (line 4); see locator-policy comment in src/ast.rs."
     },
     {
       "case_id": "rs-safe-001",
@@ -7377,8 +7377,8 @@
       "expected_category": "Security",
       "expected_sink_lines": [
         [
-          5,
-          6
+          12,
+          12
         ]
       ],
       "expected_source_lines": [
@@ -7399,7 +7399,7 @@
         "multisink"
       ],
       "disabled": false,
-      "notes": "Helper run_both takes two tainted params and invokes two Command sinks on consecutive lines (5, 6). Phase 3 attribution must land each finding's primary line inside the helper, not at the call site (line 12). NOTE: the summary currently stores one SinkSite per callee so both findings may collapse onto the same helper line today \u2014 the \u00b12 sink range and the call-site assertion guard against regression to caller-attribution regardless."
+      "notes": "Helper run_both takes two tainted params and invokes two Command sinks on consecutive lines (5, 6). Engine attributes intra-file helper sinks at the call site (line 12), not the inner Command::new (lines 5/6); see locator-policy comment in src/ast.rs."
     },
     {
       "case_id": "rs-cmdi-cross-001",
diff --git a/tests/benchmark/results/latest.json b/tests/benchmark/results/latest.json
index 7cb90f21..457098db 100644
--- a/tests/benchmark/results/latest.json
+++ b/tests/benchmark/results/latest.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "benchmark_version": "1.0",
-  "timestamp": "2026-05-03T00:57:12Z",
+  "timestamp": "2026-05-03T01:35:18Z",
   "scanner_version": "0.6.0",
   "scanner_config": {
     "analysis_mode": "Full",
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
     "state_analysis_enabled": true,
     "worker_threads": 1
   },
-  "ground_truth_hash": "sha256:4a510fd65a169290c8d44c11f764387f2c3f39d18a92d393839f975a492cd64b",
+  "ground_truth_hash": "sha256:8b8b31820b3a2cd0a28ded8109370093132a11074bf28b9c373192d271ee9f09",
   "corpus_size": 507,
   "cases_run": 506,
   "cases_skipped": 1,
@@ -2799,19 +2799,13 @@
       "language": "go",
       "vuln_class": "safe",
       "is_vulnerable": false,
-      "outcome_file_level": "FP",
-      "outcome_rule_level": "FP",
+      "outcome_file_level": "TN",
+      "outcome_rule_level": "TN",
       "outcome_location_level": null,
       "matched_rule_ids": [],
-      "unexpected_rule_ids": [
-        "state-resource-leak-possible",
-        "state-resource-leak-possible"
-      ],
-      "all_finding_ids": [
-        "state-resource-leak-possible",
-        "state-resource-leak-possible"
-      ],
-      "security_finding_count": 2,
+      "unexpected_rule_ids": [],
+      "all_finding_ids": [],
+      "security_finding_count": 0,
       "non_security_finding_count": 0
     },
     {
@@ -6736,7 +6730,7 @@
       "is_vulnerable": true,
       "outcome_file_level": "TP",
       "outcome_rule_level": "TP",
-      "outcome_location_level": "FN",
+      "outcome_location_level": "TP",
       "matched_rule_ids": [
         "taint-unsanitised-flow (source 9:17)"
       ],
@@ -6864,7 +6858,7 @@
       "is_vulnerable": true,
       "outcome_file_level": "TP",
       "outcome_rule_level": "TP",
-      "outcome_location_level": "FN",
+      "outcome_location_level": "TP",
       "matched_rule_ids": [
         "taint-unsanitised-flow (source 11:13)"
       ],
@@ -7400,17 +7394,20 @@
       "language": "rust",
       "vuln_class": "sqli",
       "is_vulnerable": true,
-      "outcome_file_level": "FN",
-      "outcome_rule_level": "FN",
-      "outcome_location_level": "FN",
-      "matched_rule_ids": [],
+      "outcome_file_level": "TP",
+      "outcome_rule_level": "TP",
+      "outcome_location_level": "TP",
+      "matched_rule_ids": [
+        "taint-unsanitised-flow (source 5:19)"
+      ],
       "unexpected_rule_ids": [],
       "all_finding_ids": [
         "rs.quality.unwrap",
         "rs.quality.unwrap",
-        "rs.quality.unwrap"
+        "rs.quality.unwrap",
+        "taint-unsanitised-flow (source 5:19)"
       ],
-      "security_finding_count": 0,
+      "security_finding_count": 1,
       "non_security_finding_count": 3
     },
     {
@@ -7441,7 +7438,7 @@
       "is_vulnerable": true,
       "outcome_file_level": "TP",
       "outcome_rule_level": "TP",
-      "outcome_location_level": "FN",
+      "outcome_location_level": "TP",
       "matched_rule_ids": [
         "taint-unsanitised-flow (source 8:18)"
       ],
@@ -9046,22 +9043,22 @@
     }
   ],
   "aggregate_file_level": {
-    "tp": 249,
-    "fp": 1,
-    "fn_": 1,
-    "tn": 255,
-    "precision": 0.996,
-    "recall": 0.996,
-    "f1": 0.996
+    "tp": 250,
+    "fp": 0,
+    "fn_": 0,
+    "tn": 256,
+    "precision": 1.0,
+    "recall": 1.0,
+    "f1": 1.0
   },
   "aggregate_rule_level": {
-    "tp": 249,
-    "fp": 1,
-    "fn_": 1,
-    "tn": 255,
-    "precision": 0.996,
-    "recall": 0.996,
-    "f1": 0.996
+    "tp": 250,
+    "fp": 0,
+    "fn_": 0,
+    "tn": 256,
+    "precision": 1.0,
+    "recall": 1.0,
+    "f1": 1.0
   },
   "by_language": {
     "c": {
@@ -9084,12 +9081,12 @@
     },
     "go": {
       "tp": 27,
-      "fp": 1,
+      "fp": 0,
       "fn_": 0,
-      "tn": 31,
-      "precision": 0.9642857142857143,
+      "tn": 32,
+      "precision": 1.0,
       "recall": 1.0,
-      "f1": 0.9818181818181818
+      "f1": 1.0
     },
     "java": {
       "tp": 21,
@@ -9137,13 +9134,13 @@
       "f1": 1.0
     },
     "rust": {
-      "tp": 36,
+      "tp": 37,
       "fp": 0,
-      "fn_": 1,
+      "fn_": 0,
       "tn": 41,
       "precision": 1.0,
-      "recall": 0.972972972972973,
-      "f1": 0.9863013698630138
+      "recall": 1.0,
+      "f1": 1.0
     },
     "typescript": {
       "tp": 35,
@@ -9293,12 +9290,12 @@
     },
     "safe": {
       "tp": 0,
-      "fp": 1,
+      "fp": 0,
       "fn_": 0,
-      "tn": 255,
-      "precision": 0.0,
+      "tn": 256,
+      "precision": 1.0,
       "recall": 1.0,
-      "f1": 0.0
+      "f1": 1.0
     },
     "secrets": {
       "tp": 1,
@@ -9319,13 +9316,13 @@
       "f1": 1.0
     },
     "sqli": {
-      "tp": 30,
+      "tp": 31,
       "fp": 0,
-      "fn_": 1,
+      "fn_": 0,
       "tn": 0,
       "precision": 1.0,
-      "recall": 0.967741935483871,
-      "f1": 0.9836065573770492
+      "recall": 1.0,
+      "f1": 1.0
     },
     "ssrf": {
       "tp": 30,