diff --git a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh
index 75d2b46..1a47759 100755
--- a/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh
+++ b/packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh
@@ -147,6 +147,21 @@ gitea_get_commit_status_json() {
     curl -fsSL -H "User-Agent: curl/8" -H "Authorization: token ${token}" "$url"
 }
 
+gitea_get_default_branch() {
+    local host="$1"
+    local repo="$2"
+    local token="$3"
+    local url="https://${host}/api/v1/repos/${repo}"
+    curl -fsSL -H "User-Agent: curl/8" -H "Authorization: token ${token}" "$url" | python3 -c '
+import json, sys
+print((json.load(sys.stdin) or {}).get("default_branch", ""))
+'
+}
+
+github_get_default_branch() {
+    gh api "repos/${OWNER}/${REPO}" --jq '.default_branch'
+}
+
 while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     case "$1" in
         -n|--number)
@@ -250,10 +265,48 @@ else
     exit 1
 fi
 
-# Count consecutive polls that find NO pipeline/status at all. A repo/commit with
-# no CI configured (e.g. device-imaging class) would otherwise burn the full
-# timeout in the pending/unknown branch. After NO_CI_MAX such polls, fast-exit 0
-# with a clear "no CI configured" message — distinct from a real failure.
+# No-CI determination is TWO-TIER (primary: CI history; secondary: empty-poll streak).
+#
+# PRIMARY — "does this repo run CI at all?" Probed once, up front, from the DEFAULT
+# BRANCH's commit status. A repo whose default branch carries CI statuses
+# demonstrably runs CI, so an EMPTY status on the PR head means the pipeline simply
+# has not registered YET (webhook/queue lag) — NOT that the repo is CI-less. In that
+# case we must NEVER fast-green; we keep polling until the pipeline registers or the
+# timeout fires (both safe). This closes the webhook-lag false-green: a slow-to-
+# register pipeline feeding a merge gate can no longer be mistaken for "no CI".
+#
+# SECONDARY — the empty-poll streak below applies ONLY to genuinely CI-less repos
+# (default branch also has no CI history, e.g. device-imaging class), where burning
+# the full timeout would be pure waste. There, NO_CI_MAX empty polls => fast-exit 0.
+#
+# Probe failure is treated conservatively as REPO_HAS_CI=1 (assume CI present): we
+# would rather wait-then-timeout than risk a false-green, per the merge-gate priority.
+REPO_HAS_CI=1
+detect_repo_ci() {
+    local def_branch def_status
+    # Every early exit returns 0: a probe miss must leave the conservative
+    # REPO_HAS_CI=1 default in place, never abort the caller under `set -e`.
+    if [[ "$PLATFORM" == "github" ]]; then
+        def_branch=$(github_get_default_branch 2>/dev/null) || {
+            echo "[pr-ci-wait] WARN: default-branch probe failed; assuming CI-enabled (will not fast-green on empty status)."; return 0; }
+        [[ -n "$def_branch" ]] || return 0
+        def_status=$(github_get_commit_status_json "$OWNER" "$REPO" "$def_branch" 2>/dev/null | extract_state_from_status_json) || return 0
+    else
+        def_branch=$(gitea_get_default_branch "$HOST" "$OWNER/$REPO" "$TOKEN" 2>/dev/null) || {
+            echo "[pr-ci-wait] WARN: default-branch probe failed; assuming CI-enabled (will not fast-green on empty status)."; return 0; }
+        [[ -n "$def_branch" ]] || return 0
+        def_status=$(gitea_get_commit_status_json "$HOST" "$OWNER/$REPO" "$TOKEN" "$def_branch" 2>/dev/null | extract_state_from_status_json) || return 0
+    fi
+    if [[ "$def_status" == "no-status" || -z "$def_status" ]]; then
+        REPO_HAS_CI=0
+        echo "[pr-ci-wait] default branch '${def_branch}' has no CI status history — treating repo as CI-less (empty-poll fast-exit enabled)."
+    else
+        REPO_HAS_CI=1
+        echo "[pr-ci-wait] default branch '${def_branch}' has CI history (state=${def_status}) — repo runs CI; empty status on PR head => awaiting registration, will not fast-green."
+    fi
+}
+detect_repo_ci || true
+
 NO_CI_STREAK=0
 NO_CI_MAX=3
 
@@ -285,10 +338,21 @@ while true; do
             exit 1
             ;;
         no-status)
-            NO_CI_STREAK=$((NO_CI_STREAK + 1))
-            if (( NO_CI_STREAK >= NO_CI_MAX )); then
-                echo "[INFO] no CI configured for this repo/commit (PR #$PR_NUMBER, ${NO_CI_STREAK} consecutive empty polls); treating as green."
-                exit 0
+            if [[ "$REPO_HAS_CI" == "1" ]]; then
+                # PRIMARY tier: repo demonstrably runs CI but this commit's pipeline
+                # has not registered yet (webhook/queue lag). Do NOT fast-green — keep
+                # polling until it registers or the timeout fires. Reset the streak so
+                # a later genuine CI-less misread can't accumulate across this state.
+                NO_CI_STREAK=0
+                echo "[pr-ci-wait] empty status on PR head but repo runs CI — awaiting pipeline registration (webhook lag), not fast-greening."
+            else
+                # SECONDARY tier: genuinely CI-less repo (default branch has no CI
+                # history either). Empty polls => fast-exit green after NO_CI_MAX.
+                NO_CI_STREAK=$((NO_CI_STREAK + 1))
+                if (( NO_CI_STREAK >= NO_CI_MAX )); then
+                    echo "[INFO] no CI configured for this repo/commit (PR #$PR_NUMBER, ${NO_CI_STREAK} consecutive empty polls, default branch also CI-less); treating as green."
+                    exit 0
+                fi
             fi
             sleep "$INTERVAL_SEC"
             ;;