diff --git a/packages/cli/README.md b/packages/cli/README.md
index e26be7b2e..e7bf30b39 100644
--- a/packages/cli/README.md
+++ b/packages/cli/README.md
@@ -1283,7 +1283,8 @@ repo show ID PROJECT [--json]`. `mosaic org project repo set ID PROJECT
 (--local-only --accept-local-loss-risk | --remote URL) --if-revision N [--json]`
 changes a project's repository later. A remote is https or ssh; its checkout's
 `origin` is set and checked once with `git ls-remote`, without credentials, and
-the receipt says `reachable`, `needs-credential` or `unreachable`. A copy
+the receipt says `reachable`, `needs-credential` or `unreachable`. An ssh check
+does not verify the host key and says so. A copy
 credential binding supplies credentials for https Gitea remotes only. See
 `packages/organization/README.md` for the URL rules, layout and scope. On existing CLI commands, `--org ID` is an alias for `--business ID`;
 if both are supplied they must name the same ID.
diff --git a/packages/organization/README.md b/packages/organization/README.md
index 9c6c3748c..0c5febd11 100644
--- a/packages/organization/README.md
+++ b/packages/organization/README.md
@@ -584,7 +584,9 @@ credential helper, no askpass, no terminal prompt, no redirects,
 `GIT_ALLOW_PROTOCOL=https:ssh`, no git or ssh config files, no ssh agent or key,
 and a 15 second limit. The receipt's `check.result` is `reachable`,
 `needs-credential` (the check sends none) or `unreachable` with git's error
-summarized; `check.url` names the URL it ran against, and `repo show` reports a
+summarized. The ssh check accepts any host key, so an ssh answer shows only that
+something at that address speaks git; its message adds "the ssh host key was not
+verified". `check.url` names the URL it ran against, and `repo show` reports a
 check only for the URL recorded now. The check never refuses the setup, and
 nothing is pushed. A copy credential binding (CB lanes) supplies credentials
 for https Gitea remotes only; an ssh or other https remote that needs a
diff --git a/packages/organization/src/repo-remote.mjs b/packages/organization/src/repo-remote.mjs
index f65ed32e7..c3ef7cea1 100644
--- a/packages/organization/src/repo-remote.mjs
+++ b/packages/organization/src/repo-remote.mjs
@@ -83,6 +83,11 @@ function lsRemote(url, { protocols, timeoutMs }) {
 
 let override = null;
 
+// The ssh check accepts any host key (nothing secret is sent to it), so an answer over ssh shows
+// that something at that address speaks git, not that it is the named host. Every ssh outcome that
+// came from an answer says so; https verifies the host's certificate as usual.
+export const SSH_HOST_UNVERIFIED = 'the ssh host key was not verified';
+
 // The check for a URL parseRepoRemote accepted: https and ssh only, 15 second limit. Returns
 // {result: 'reachable'|'needs-credential'|'unreachable', message, url}. A URL that does not parse
 // is refused by the caller first; here it is reported unreachable without running git.
@@ -90,7 +95,8 @@ export async function checkRemote(url) {
   const parsed = parseRepoRemote(url);
   if (!parsed.ok) return { result: 'unreachable', message: parsed.message, url };
   const outcome = override ? await override(parsed.url) : await lsRemote(parsed.url, PRODUCTION);
-  return { result: outcome.result, message: outcome.message, url: parsed.url };
+  const message = parsed.kind === 'ssh' && outcome.result !== 'unreachable' ? `${outcome.message}; ${SSH_HOST_UNVERIFIED}` : outcome.message;
+  return { result: outcome.result, message, url: parsed.url };
 }
 
 // TEST SEAM. Tests reach a local bare repository through this and nothing else: lsRemote with a
diff --git a/packages/organization/tests/repo-remote.test.mjs b/packages/organization/tests/repo-remote.test.mjs
index a21e76f5d..c0f40c2fc 100644
--- a/packages/organization/tests/repo-remote.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/organization/tests/repo-remote.test.mjs
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import { chmodSync, mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, writeFile
 import { dirname, join, resolve } from 'node:path';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
-import { parseRepoRemote, checkRemote, classifyCheck, summarizeGitError, CHECK_SSH_COMMAND, NEEDS_CREDENTIAL_MESSAGE, repoRemoteTestSeam } from '../src/repo-remote.mjs';
+import { parseRepoRemote, checkRemote, classifyCheck, summarizeGitError, CHECK_SSH_COMMAND, NEEDS_CREDENTIAL_MESSAGE, SSH_HOST_UNVERIFIED, repoRemoteTestSeam } from '../src/repo-remote.mjs';
 import { createOrg, templateRender, projectRepoInit, projectRepoShow, projectRepoSet, queueInit, showOrg, updateOrg } from '../src/org-service.mjs';
 import { loadBusiness } from '../src/organization-config.mjs';
 import { REPO_ROLES } from './helpers.mjs';
@@ -132,6 +132,25 @@ test('no production source reaches the test seam', () => {
   assert.deepEqual(offenders, []);
 });
 
+// #1873 security review P2: the ssh check accepts any host key, so an ssh answer cannot say the
+// named host answered. Every ssh outcome that came from an answer says the key was not verified;
+// https and an unreachable ssh host do not carry the note.
+test('an ssh answer says the host key was not verified; https does not', async () => {
+  const answer = { reachable: { result: 'reachable', message: 'the repository answered' }, needs: { result: 'needs-credential', message: NEEDS_CREDENTIAL_MESSAGE }, down: { result: 'unreachable', message: 'ssh: Could not resolve hostname h.invalid' } };
+  try {
+    for (const url of ['git@git.example.com:team/work.git', 'ssh://git@git.example.com:2222/team/work.git']) {
+      seam.useCheck(async () => answer.reachable);
+      assert.deepEqual(await checkRemote(url), { result: 'reachable', message: `the repository answered; ${SSH_HOST_UNVERIFIED}`, url });
+      seam.useCheck(async () => answer.needs);
+      assert.equal((await checkRemote(url)).message, `${NEEDS_CREDENTIAL_MESSAGE}; ${SSH_HOST_UNVERIFIED}`);
+      seam.useCheck(async () => answer.down);
+      assert.equal((await checkRemote(url)).message, answer.down.message);
+    }
+    seam.useCheck(async () => answer.reachable);
+    assert.equal((await checkRemote('https://git.example.com/team/work.git')).message, 'the repository answered');
+  } finally { seam.useCheck(null); }
+});
+
 async function orgWithRepo(c, opts = { mode: 'local-only', acceptLocalLossRisk: true }) {
   await createOrg(c, 'alpha', await templateRender('alpha')); return projectRepoInit(c, 'alpha', 'work', opts);
 }
diff --git a/packages/webui/tests/project-repo-browser.test.mjs b/packages/webui/tests/project-repo-browser.test.mjs
index dc5e7af5b..ce981fd7e 100644
--- a/packages/webui/tests/project-repo-browser.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/webui/tests/project-repo-browser.test.mjs
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ test('the owner edits the repository on Settings: remote, refusals, local only a
   // origin). The page says so; saving the recorded URL again repairs it.
   p.git('remote', 'set-url', 'origin', 'https://elsewhere.invalid/x/y');
   await reread(p);
-  assert.deepEqual(await facts(b), ['Remote', scp, 'https://elsewhere.invalid/x/y', 'Needs a credential: the repository needs a credential; this check uses none.']);
+  assert.deepEqual(await facts(b), ['Remote', scp, 'https://elsewhere.invalid/x/y', 'Needs a credential: the repository needs a credential; this check uses none; the ssh host key was not verified.']);
   assert.equal(await text(b, '[data-repo-drift]'), 'Git origin differs from the recorded repository; save it again to repair.');
   await save(p, '/Saved/');
   assert.equal(p.remotes(), `origin\t${scp} (fetch)\norigin\t${scp} (push)`);