diff --git a/src/pcap/PcapProvider.ts b/src/pcap/PcapProvider.ts
index 2b10f068c2..3f1d7d235e 100644
--- a/src/pcap/PcapProvider.ts
+++ b/src/pcap/PcapProvider.ts
@@ -1007,6 +1007,13 @@ export class PcapProvider {
       if (metadata.sha256 !== null && metadata.sha256 !== identity.sha256)
         throw new AnalysisProtocolError(
           "capinfos SHA256 disagrees with the owned capture snapshot",
+          {
+            diagnostics: {
+              reason: "capture_sha256_mismatch",
+              capinfos_sha256: metadata.sha256,
+              snapshot_sha256: identity.sha256,
+            },
+          },
         );
     } catch (cause) {
       throw withOutputCleanup(cause, info);
@@ -1119,6 +1126,13 @@ export class PcapProvider {
     if (fields.packetCount !== metadata.packetCount)
       throw new AnalysisProtocolError(
         `capinfos counted ${String(metadata.packetCount)} packets but tshark returned ${String(fields.packetCount)}`,
+        {
+          diagnostics: {
+            reason: "packet_count_mismatch",
+            capinfos_packet_count: metadata.packetCount,
+            tshark_packet_count: fields.packetCount,
+          },
+        },
       );
     const captured = {
       result: {
diff --git a/tests/acceptance/pcapOutputUtf8CliMcp.test.ts b/tests/acceptance/pcapOutputUtf8CliMcp.test.ts
index 65b3e91500..5c16585544 100644
--- a/tests/acceptance/pcapOutputUtf8CliMcp.test.ts
+++ b/tests/acceptance/pcapOutputUtf8CliMcp.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 import { expect } from "vitest";
+import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { toolContract } from "../../src/contracts/toolContracts.js";
 import { parseEvidence } from "../../src/domain/evidence.js";
@@ -47,6 +49,46 @@ const environmentFor = (
   REA_CAPINFOS_COMMAND: tools.capinfos,
 });
 
+cliTest.skipIf(process.platform !== "linux")(
+  "preserves contradictory packet counts through CLI and MCP",
+  async ({ cli }) => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-pcap-count-mismatch-");
+    const path = join(root, "capture.pcap");
+    await writeFile(path, Buffer.from("pcap-fixture-bytes"));
+    const { tshark, capinfos } = await writeStubTools(root, {
+      tsharkJson: "[]",
+      capinfosText:
+        "File type: pcap\nFile encapsulation: Ethernet\nNumber of packets: 1\n",
+    });
+    const environment = environmentFor(root, { tshark, capinfos });
+    const response = await cli.run({
+      arguments: ["inspect-pcap-capture", path, "--json"],
+      environment,
+    });
+    expect(response.exitCode, response.stdout).toBe(1);
+    expect(response.json).toMatchObject({
+      code: "unreadable_output",
+      details: {
+        diagnostics: {
+          reason: "packet_count_mismatch",
+          capinfos_packet_count: 1,
+          tshark_packet_count: 0,
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    const { client, call } = await connectLocalToolsMcp(environment);
+    try {
+      const reply = await call("inspect_pcap_capture", { path });
+      expect(reply.isError).toBe(true);
+      const text = reply.content.find((item) => item.type === "text");
+      if (text?.type !== "text") throw new Error("Missing MCP error text");
+      expect(JSON.parse(text.text)).toEqual({ error: response.json });
+    } finally {
+      await client.close();
+    }
+  },
+);
+
 cliTest.skipIf(process.platform === "win32")(
   "returns the same unreadable-output diagnostic for invalid version streams through CLI and stdio MCP",
   async ({ cli }) => {
diff --git a/tests/boundary/pcap/pcapProvider.test.ts b/tests/boundary/pcap/pcapProvider.test.ts
index 026db53e01..c67506a3f0 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/pcap/pcapProvider.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/pcap/pcapProvider.test.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,66 @@ it("inspects a capture with endpoints, DNS, TLS SNI, and HTTP", async () => {
   expect(result.coverage).toBe("complete");
 });
 
+it.each([0, 1])(
+  "preserves packet-count mismatch facts while accepting an empty capture: capinfos=%s",
+  async (count) => {
+    const { provider, root } = await providerWith({
+      tsharkJson: "[]",
+      dnsJson: "[]",
+      capinfosText: `File type: pcap\nFile encapsulation: Ethernet\nNumber of packets: ${String(count)}\n`,
+    });
+    const path = await captureFixture(root);
+    const result = await provider.execute({
+      operation: "inspect_pcap_capture",
+      input: { path },
+    });
+    if (count === 0) {
+      if (!result.ok) throw result.error;
+      expect(result.value.result).toMatchObject({
+        packet_count: 0,
+        coverage: "complete",
+      });
+    } else {
+      if (result.ok) throw new Error("Expected contradictory counts");
+      expect(projectAnalysisError(result.error)).toMatchObject({
+        code: "unreadable_output",
+        details: {
+          diagnostics: {
+            reason: "packet_count_mismatch",
+            capinfos_packet_count: 1,
+            tshark_packet_count: 0,
+          },
+        },
+      });
+    }
+  },
+);
+
+it("retains both observed digests when capinfos disagrees with the snapshot", async () => {
+  const reported = "0".repeat(64);
+  const { provider, root } = await providerWith({
+    capinfosText: `File type: pcap\nFile encapsulation: Ethernet\nNumber of packets: 0\nSHA256: ${reported}\n`,
+  });
+  const path = await captureFixture(root);
+  const result = await provider.execute({
+    operation: "inspect_pcap_capture",
+    input: { path },
+  });
+  if (result.ok) throw new Error("Expected contradictory snapshot digest");
+  expect(projectAnalysisError(result.error)).toMatchObject({
+    code: "unreadable_output",
+    details: {
+      diagnostics: {
+        reason: "capture_sha256_mismatch",
+        capinfos_sha256: reported,
+        snapshot_sha256: createHash("sha256")
+          .update("pcap-fixture-bytes")
+          .digest("hex"),
+      },
+    },
+  });
+});
+
 it("retains an absolute HTTP request target without a Host-derived full URI", async () => {
   const { provider, root } = await providerWith({ httpAbsoluteUriOnly: true });
   const path = await captureFixture(root);
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/pcap/pcapTestTools.ts b/tests/fixtures/pcap/pcapTestTools.ts
index ca6688204f..a4a67c54ef 100644
--- a/tests/fixtures/pcap/pcapTestTools.ts
+++ b/tests/fixtures/pcap/pcapTestTools.ts
@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ export const TSHARK_DNS_JSON = JSON.stringify([
 export interface PcapStubToolsOptions {
   readonly failCapinfos?: boolean;
   readonly malformedDnsJson?: boolean;
+  readonly dnsJson?: string;
   readonly tsharkJson?: string;
   readonly capinfosText?: string;
   readonly httpAbsoluteUriOnly?: boolean;
@@ -142,7 +143,7 @@ case " $* " in
     case " $* " in *" --no-duplicate-keys "*) ;; *) exit 2 ;; esac
     case " $* " in *" -J frame dns mdns llmnr "*) ;; *) exit 2 ;; esac
     case " $* " in *" -Y dns || mdns || llmnr "*) ;; *) exit 2 ;; esac
-    printf '%s' '${(options.malformedDnsJson ? "{" : TSHARK_DNS_JSON).replace(/'/gu, "'\\''")}'
+    printf '%s' '${(options.malformedDnsJson ? "{" : (options.dnsJson ?? TSHARK_DNS_JSON)).replace(/'/gu, "'\\''")}'
     exit 0
     ;;
   *)