diff --git a/actions/dependency-audit/README.md b/actions/dependency-audit/README.md
index 468bfbf..a01a2d6 100644
--- a/actions/dependency-audit/README.md
+++ b/actions/dependency-audit/README.md
@@ -27,7 +27,12 @@ The workflow checks out the repository and runs the action on `ubuntu-slim`.
 | Event | Scope | Fails when | Tracking issue |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | Pull request that changes a lockfile | Every lockfile, compared with the same lockfiles on the base commit | The pull request adds a known vulnerability | Not changed |
-| Push to `main` that changes a lockfile, daily schedule, manual run | Every lockfile on `main` | Any known vulnerability is present | Opened or updated while vulnerabilities remain; closed with a comment when none remain |
+| Push to `main` that changes a lockfile, daily schedule, manual run on `main` | Every lockfile on `main` | Never because of findings | Opened or updated while vulnerabilities remain; closed with a comment when none remain |
+| Manual run on another branch, or any run in a repository with issues turned off | Every lockfile on that branch | Any known vulnerability is present | None |
+
+Existing vulnerabilities live in the issue rather than in a failing run on `main`, so
+they do not turn every commit red or send a failure email each day. A scanner or API
+error fails any run.
 
 The run summary lists the scanned lockfiles and one row per vulnerable package
 version and advisory: severity, the advisory link on osv.dev, fixed versions above
diff --git a/actions/dependency-audit/index.mjs b/actions/dependency-audit/index.mjs
index df37d80..4b9fcea 100644
--- a/actions/dependency-audit/index.mjs
+++ b/actions/dependency-audit/index.mjs
@@ -349,7 +349,8 @@ export async function fetchBaseLockfiles({ github, repository, ref, paths, direc
 
 export async function syncIssue({ github, repository, findings, report }) {
   const vulnerable = findings.filter(finding => !finding.informational);
-  const open = await github(`/repos/${repository}/issues?state=open&labels=${issueLabel}&per_page=100`);
+  const open = await github(`/repos/${repository}/issues?state=open&labels=${issueLabel}&per_page=100`, { allow: [410] });
+  if (open.status === 410) return { action: 'disabled', number: null };
   const existing = list(open.data).filter(issue => !issue.pull_request && issue.title.startsWith('Dependency audit:'));
   const [current, ...duplicates] = existing.sort((left, right) => left.number - right.number);
   for (const duplicate of duplicates) {
@@ -423,16 +424,19 @@ export async function runAction(environment = process.env, dependencies = {}) {
   const vulnerable = findings.filter(finding => !finding.informational);
   const added = introduced === null ? [] : introduced.filter(finding => !finding.informational);
   const defaultBranch = event.repository?.default_branch;
-  let issue = { action: 'none', number: null };
+  const untracked = { action: 'none', number: null };
+  let issue = untracked;
   if (introduced === null && defaultBranch && environment.GITHUB_REF === `refs/heads/${defaultBranch}`
     && ['schedule', 'workflow_dispatch', 'push'].includes(environment.GITHUB_EVENT_NAME)) {
     issue = await syncIssue({ github, repository, findings, report });
     if (issue.number !== null) log(`Tracking issue #${issue.number} ${issue.action}`);
+    if (issue.action === 'disabled') log('Issues are disabled in this repository, so the run fails while vulnerabilities remain.');
   }
   if (environment.GITHUB_OUTPUT) {
     await appendFile(environment.GITHUB_OUTPUT, `vulnerabilities=${rows(vulnerable).length}\nintroduced=${rows(added).length}\n`, 'utf8');
   }
-  const failed = introduced === null ? vulnerable.length > 0 : added.length > 0;
+  const issueKept = issue !== untracked && issue.action !== 'disabled';
+  const failed = introduced === null ? vulnerable.length > 0 && !issueKept : added.length > 0;
   log(introduced === null
     ? (vulnerable.length === 0 ? 'No known vulnerabilities.' : `${countLine(vulnerable)}.`)
     : (added.length === 0 ? 'This pull request adds no known vulnerabilities.' : `This pull request adds ${countLine(added)}.`));
diff --git a/actions/dependency-audit/index.test.mjs b/actions/dependency-audit/index.test.mjs
index a7f582f..3146a71 100644
--- a/actions/dependency-audit/index.test.mjs
+++ b/actions/dependency-audit/index.test.mjs
@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ test('a pull request audit scans head and base and fails only on what it adds',
   assert.equal(result.issue.action, 'none');
 });
 
-test('a scheduled audit on the default branch fails on any vulnerability and updates the tracking issue', async t => {
+test('a scheduled audit on the default branch records vulnerabilities in the tracking issue and stays green', async t => {
   const { environment, summary } = await actionFixture(t, { repository: { default_branch: 'main' } }, 'schedule');
   const calls = [];
   const fetchImpl = async (url, options = {}) => {
@@ -284,8 +284,9 @@ test('a scheduled audit on the default branch fails on any vulnerability and upd
     return Response.json({ number: 11 }, { status: 201 });
   };
   const pin = { ...scanner, sha256: createHash('sha256').update('binary').digest('hex') };
-  const result = await runAction(environment, { fetchImpl, platform: 'linux', arch: 'x64', scan: async () => sample, pin, lockfiles: () => ['bun.lock'], log: () => {} });
-  assert.equal(result.failed, true);
+  const dependencies = { fetchImpl, platform: 'linux', arch: 'x64', scan: async () => sample, pin, lockfiles: () => ['bun.lock'], log: () => {} };
+  const result = await runAction(environment, dependencies);
+  assert.equal(result.failed, false, 'the issue, not a red run on main, carries existing vulnerabilities');
   assert.deepEqual(result.issue, { action: 'created', number: 11 });
   assert.deepEqual(calls.slice(1), [
     ['GET', 'https://api.github.com/repos/hraness/example/issues'],
@@ -293,9 +294,22 @@ test('a scheduled audit on the default branch fails on any vulnerability and upd
     ['POST', 'https://api.github.com/repos/hraness/example/issues'],
   ]);
   assert.match(await readFile(summary, 'utf8'), /Run: https:\/\/github\.com\/hraness\/example\/actions\/runs\/42/u);
+
   const branch = await actionFixture(t, { repository: { default_branch: 'main' } }, 'workflow_dispatch', 'refs/heads/feature');
-  const other = await runAction(branch.environment, { fetchImpl, platform: 'linux', arch: 'x64', scan: async () => sample, pin, lockfiles: () => [], log: () => {} });
-  assert.equal(other.issue.action, 'none', 'only the default branch owns the tracking issue');
+  const manual = await runAction(branch.environment, dependencies);
+  assert.equal(manual.issue.action, 'none', 'only the default branch owns the tracking issue');
+  assert.equal(manual.failed, true, 'without a tracking issue, the run itself reports existing vulnerabilities');
+
+  const disabled = await actionFixture(t, { repository: { default_branch: 'main' } }, 'schedule');
+  const noIssues = await runAction(disabled.environment, { ...dependencies, fetchImpl: async (url, options) => (
+    String(url).includes('/issues?') ? new Response('Issues are disabled', { status: 410 }) : fetchImpl(url, options)) });
+  assert.deepEqual(noIssues.issue, { action: 'disabled', number: null });
+  assert.equal(noIssues.failed, true, 'a repository with issues disabled falls back to a failing run');
+
+  const clean = await actionFixture(t, { repository: { default_branch: 'main' } }, 'schedule');
+  const advisoriesOnly = { results: [sample.results[2]].map(result => ({ ...result, packages: result.packages.slice(0, 1) })) };
+  const quiet = await runAction(clean.environment, { ...dependencies, scan: async () => advisoriesOnly });
+  assert.equal(quiet.failed, false);
 });
 
 test('the action entrypoint fails visibly outside a Git checkout', async t => {
diff --git a/scripts/sync-dependency-audit.py b/scripts/sync-dependency-audit.py
index 3a4c07d..299b52d 100644
--- a/scripts/sync-dependency-audit.py
+++ b/scripts/sync-dependency-audit.py
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ def inspect(repo: dict, expected: str, globs: list[str]) -> dict:
 
 - Adds or updates `.github/workflows/dependency-audit.yml` from `templates/dependency-audit.yml` in hraness/.github, pinned to action commit `{sha}`.
 - The audit scans every tracked lockfile with a pinned OSV-Scanner on pull requests that change a lockfile, on pushes to `main`, daily, and on demand.
-- A pull request fails the audit only when it adds a known vulnerability; the scheduled run on `main` fails while any is present and keeps one `dependency-audit` issue current.
+- A pull request fails the audit only when it adds a known vulnerability. The run on `main` keeps one `dependency-audit` issue current with every known vulnerability and closes it when none remain.
 - The check is advisory: do not add it to required checks.
 
 #### Test plan