diff --git a/.github/workflows/strix.yml b/.github/workflows/strix.yml
index f15b29f564..4ee8c668a9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/strix.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/strix.yml
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ jobs:
     # here and consumed through `needs`. See
     # docs/doctoring/required-workflow-path-filter-boundary.md.
     # Fails OPEN: an unreadable, empty, or truncated file list scans everything.
-    if: github.event_name != 'pull_request_target' || (github.event.action != 'closed' && github.event.action != 'converted_to_draft')
+    if: github.event_name != 'pull_request_target' || (github.event.action != 'closed' && github.event.action != 'converted_to_draft' && (github.event.pull_request.draft == false || github.repository != 'ContextualWisdomLab/.github'))
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     timeout-minutes: 5
     permissions:
@@ -184,9 +184,14 @@ jobs:
 
   admit-current-head:
     name: Admit current pull request head
+    # Keep exact-head admission for every non-Draft PR while leaving push,
+    # schedule, and repository_dispatch paths unchanged.
     if: >-
       github.event_name != 'pull_request_target' ||
-      (github.event.action != 'closed' && github.event.action != 'converted_to_draft')
+      (github.event.action != 'closed' &&
+      github.event.action != 'converted_to_draft' &&
+      (github.event.pull_request.draft == false ||
+      github.repository != 'ContextualWisdomLab/.github'))
     runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
     timeout-minutes: 5
     permissions:
@@ -241,9 +246,15 @@ jobs:
           } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
   cancel-superseded-pr-runs:
+    # A converted_to_draft run is intentionally runner-free: workflow-level
+    # cancel-in-progress retires the prior Ready generation before admission.
+    # Keep the bounded API cleanup for non-Draft synchronize and closed events.
     if: >-
       github.event_name == 'pull_request_target' &&
-      (github.event.action == 'synchronize' || github.event.action == 'converted_to_draft' || github.event.action == 'closed')
+      (github.event.action == 'closed' ||
+      (github.event.action == 'synchronize' &&
+      (github.event.pull_request.draft == false ||
+      github.repository != 'ContextualWisdomLab/.github')))
     # Idempotent per PR: a fresh sweep re-verifies live state (live_target_matches
     # below) before selecting or cancelling anything, so it fully subsumes
     # whatever an older, not-yet-run instance would have done. cancel-in-progress
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.d/20260925-strix-draft-admission.md b/CHANGELOG.d/20260925-strix-draft-admission.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5e4d3285a2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CHANGELOG.d/20260925-strix-draft-admission.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+### Strix skips Draft pull-request admission
+
+- Native `.github` Draft `pull_request_target` generations now skip Strix
+  metadata and scanning jobs without a runner; ruleset-launched runs in other
+  repositories always admit them because those runs do not re-trigger on
+  `ready_for_review`. Native `ready_for_review` creates the fresh exact-head
+  scan.
+- Non-Draft PR pushes, forced `repository_dispatch`, push, and scheduled scans
+  remain admitted. `converted_to_draft` still cancels the prior Ready
+  generation through workflow concurrency without admitting a cleanup runner.
+- The synchronous model job remains intentionally unbounded under the
+  repository's progress-based Strix occupancy policy.
diff --git a/docs/doctoring/strix-draft-admission.md b/docs/doctoring/strix-draft-admission.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..24e6657c10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/doctoring/strix-draft-admission.md
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# Strix Draft pull-request admission
+
+## Decision
+
+`.github/workflows/strix.yml` evaluates Draft state at job level only for
+native runs in `ContextualWisdomLab/.github`. Draft `opened`, `synchronize`,
+and `reopened` generations there skip both metadata jobs, so the dependent
+`strix` job is skipped without a runner. `ready_for_review` remains in the
+trigger types and carries `draft == false`, so it admits a fresh exact-head
+metadata generation and then the real scan. In ruleset-covered repositories,
+the repository guard always admits the metadata jobs: ruleset-launched runs
+ignore `types` and do not re-trigger on `ready_for_review`, so skipping there
+would leave a Draft PR with no later required scan.
+
+Non-PR `push`, `schedule`, and `repository_dispatch` events remain admitted.
+
+`converted_to_draft` remains a trigger event so workflow-level
+`cancel-in-progress` retires an older Ready generation. Its replacement is
+runner-free: the explicit API cleanup job is not admitted for that event.
+Closed PRs and non-Draft synchronize events retain the existing cleanup path,
+including its live-target and superseded-run checks.
+
+This preserves the required `strix` check shape for non-Draft PRs and forced
+repository-dispatch scans. A native `.github` Draft run produces skipped job
+conclusions rather than leaving an uncreated trigger-level check Pending;
+ruleset-targeted repositories continue to run the required scan even while
+Draft because their workflow cannot depend on `ready_for_review` re-entry.
+
+## Timeout decision
+
+The `strix` job still has no job-level `timeout-minutes`. This was verified
+against the workflow and the existing timeout contracts. The job runs the
+model synchronously and explicitly sets `LLM_TIMEOUT`,
+`STRIX_MEMORY_COMPRESSOR_TIMEOUT`, `STRIX_PROCESS_TIMEOUT_SECONDS`, and
+`STRIX_TOTAL_TIMEOUT_SECONDS` to zero. The repository's standing model-path
+policy accepts central Strix work taking more than two hours and rejects
+elapsed inference caps; the active Strix occupancy record therefore uses
+progress-based transport release rather than a wall-clock job deadline.
+
+Adding a job timeout here would terminate legitimate large-repository analysis
+and contradict that policy. The short job-level limits on `changed-scope`,
+`admit-current-head`, and the superseded-run cleanup remain because those jobs
+perform bounded metadata/API work, not model inference.
+
+## Scope and follow-up
+
+This repair changes only Strix Draft admission and documents the timeout
+decision. Security Scan, SAST Semgrep, and CodeQL use the same
+`.github`-only Draft boundary in the coordinated follow-up; Python Security
+and Agent Review Runtime Quality are not ruleset-required and retain their
+direct-run Draft guards. No metadata-job consolidation is included; that
+remains a separate queue-reduction concern.
diff --git a/tests/test_required_workflow_queue_contract.py b/tests/test_required_workflow_queue_contract.py
index 87277d45f5..7bda18c76d 100644
--- a/tests/test_required_workflow_queue_contract.py
+++ b/tests/test_required_workflow_queue_contract.py
@@ -1158,6 +1158,42 @@ def test_review_workflow_completions_do_not_spawn_scheduler_runs() -> None:
     assert "github.event.workflow_run" not in workflow
 
 
+def test_strix_draft_pr_events_skip_runner_admission_until_ready() -> None:
+    """Draft PR generations skip every Strix runner job until review admission."""
+    workflow = workflow_text("strix.yml")
+
+    def job_block(job_name: str) -> str:
+        match = re.search(
+            rf"(?ms)^  {re.escape(job_name)}:\n(.*?)(?=^  [A-Za-z0-9_-]+:\s*$|\Z)",
+            workflow,
+        )
+        assert match is not None, job_name
+        return match.group(1)
+
+    for job_name in ("changed-scope", "admit-current-head"):
+        block = job_block(job_name)
+        assert "github.event.pull_request.draft == false" in block
+        assert "github.repository != 'ContextualWisdomLab/.github'" in block
+        assert "github.event_name != 'pull_request_target'" in block
+
+    cleanup_block = job_block("cancel-superseded-pr-runs")
+    cleanup_if_start = cleanup_block.index("    if:")
+    cleanup_header = cleanup_block[
+        cleanup_if_start : cleanup_block.index("    runs-on:", cleanup_if_start)
+    ]
+    assert "github.event.action == 'closed'" in cleanup_header
+    assert "github.event.action == 'synchronize'" in cleanup_header
+    assert "github.event.pull_request.draft == false" in cleanup_header
+    assert "github.repository != 'ContextualWisdomLab/.github'" in cleanup_header
+    assert "github.event.action == 'converted_to_draft'" not in cleanup_header
+
+    strix = job_block("strix")
+    assert "needs: [changed-scope, admit-current-head]" in strix
+    assert "needs.changed-scope.outputs.code == 'true'" in strix
+    assert "needs.admit-current-head.outputs.admitted == 'true'" in strix
+    assert "ready_for_review" in workflow
+    assert "converted_to_draft" in workflow
+
 def test_required_workflow_trusted_source_refs_are_not_input_controlled() -> None:
     """Ensure privileged workflows resolve trusted source code independently of inputs."""
     for filename in (