diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index acb539df2d0..06773a77b41 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ on:
       - 'Makefile'
       - 'actions/setup/**'
       - '.github/workflows/ci.yml'
+      - '.github/workflows/*.md'
       - '.github/aw/releases.json'
       - '.github/aw/releases.schema.json'
       - '.github/aw/compat.json'
@@ -408,6 +409,35 @@ jobs:
     - name: Compile pkg/cli/workflows
       run: make compile-cli-workflows
 
+  check-workflow-drift:
+    name: Check workflow markdown/lock drift
+    if: ${{ needs.changes.outputs.has_changes == 'true' }}
+    needs:
+    - changes
+    - update
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 10
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    concurrency:
+      group: ci-${{ github.ref }}-check-workflow-drift
+      cancel-in-progress: true
+    steps:
+    - name: Checkout code
+      uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd   # v6.0.2
+
+    - name: Download gh-aw binary artifact
+      uses: actions/download-artifact@fa0a91b85d4f404e444e00e005971372dc801d16   # v4
+      with:
+        name: gh-aw-linux-amd64
+        path: .
+
+    - name: Prepare gh-aw binary
+      run: chmod +x ./gh-aw
+
+    - name: Check workflow drift
+      run: bash scripts/check-workflow-drift.sh ./gh-aw
+
   js-integration-live-api:
     if: ${{ needs.changes.outputs.has_changes == 'true' && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/main') }}
     needs:
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index e63fe8ec838..99dfa1c477c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -775,6 +775,17 @@ lint-lock: build
 	@echo "Linting committed lock files with gh aw lint..."
 	./$(BINARY_NAME) lint
 
+# Check for drift between workflow markdown sources and generated lock files.
+# Compiles all .github/workflows/*.md files and fails if any .lock.yml would
+# change, reminding contributors to run 'make recompile' before committing.
+.PHONY: check-workflow-drift
+check-workflow-drift:
+	@if [ ! -x "./$(BINARY_NAME)" ]; then \
+		echo "./$(BINARY_NAME) not found; building it first..."; \
+		$(MAKE) build; \
+	fi
+	@bash scripts/check-workflow-drift.sh ./$(BINARY_NAME)
+
 # Format code
 .PHONY: fmt
 fmt: fmt-go fmt-cjs fmt-json
@@ -1083,10 +1094,10 @@ agent-finish: deps-dev fmt lint build build-wasm test-all validate-otel-contract
 
 # Lightweight pre-PR gate — run before every report_progress / create_pull_request call.
 # Includes formatting + lint validation to prevent lint-fix PR churn:
-# build + fmt + lint + test-unit.
+# build + fmt + lint + test-unit + workflow drift check.
 .PHONY: agent-report-progress
-agent-report-progress: build fmt lint test-unit
-	@echo "Pre-PR validation passed (zero lint errors). Safe to call report_progress."
+agent-report-progress: build fmt lint test-unit check-workflow-drift
+	@echo "Pre-PR validation passed (zero lint errors, lock files in sync). Safe to call report_progress."
 
 # Extended pre-PR gate with lock-file-only linting.
 .PHONY: agent-report-progress-lint
@@ -1157,6 +1168,7 @@ help:
 	@echo "  actionlint       - Validate workflows with actionlint (depends on build)"
 	@echo "  lint-lock        - Run lock-file-only lint with gh aw lint (depends on build)"
 	@echo "  validate-workflows - Validate compiled workflow lock files (depends on build)"
+	@echo "  check-workflow-drift - Check for drift between .md sources and .lock.yml files (builds binary if missing)"
 	@echo "  install          - Install binary locally"
 	@echo "  sync-action-pins - Sync actions-lock.json from .github/aw to pkg/actionpins/data and pkg/workflow/data (runs automatically during build)"
 	@echo "  sync-action-scripts - Sync install-gh-aw.sh to actions/setup-cli/install.sh (runs automatically during build)"
@@ -1176,7 +1188,7 @@ help:
 	@echo "  clean-docs       - Clean documentation artifacts (dist, node_modules, .astro)"
 
 	@echo "  agent-finish            - Complete validation sequence (build, test, fix, recompile, fmt, lint, security-scan)"
-	@echo "  agent-report-progress   - Lightweight pre-PR gate: build + fmt + lint + test-unit"
+	@echo "  agent-report-progress   - Lightweight pre-PR gate: build + fmt + lint + test-unit + check-workflow-drift"
 	@echo "  agent-report-progress-lint - Pre-PR gate + gh aw lint lock-file check"
 	@echo "  sbom             - Generate SBOM in SPDX and CycloneDX formats (requires syft)"
 	@echo "  help             - Show this help message"
diff --git a/scripts/check-workflow-drift.sh b/scripts/check-workflow-drift.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..0e19a3de369
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-workflow-drift.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set +o histexpand
+
+# check-workflow-drift.sh - Detect drift between workflow markdown sources and generated lock files
+#
+# Compiles all .github/workflows/*.md files and then checks whether the resulting
+# .lock.yml files match what is already on disk.  Exits non-zero and prints a clear
+# remediation message if any drift is detected.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   check-workflow-drift.sh <path-to-binary>
+#
+# Arguments:
+#   <path-to-binary>  Path to the gh-aw binary.
+#
+# Exit codes:
+#   0 - Lock files are up to date with their markdown sources
+#   1 - Drift detected (lock files need to be regenerated)
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Disable colors when not connected to a TTY, when NO_COLOR is set, or when
+# TERM=dumb — this keeps output readable when captured into CI step summaries.
+if [ -t 1 ] && [ -z "${NO_COLOR:-}" ] && [ "${TERM:-}" != "dumb" ]; then
+    RED='\033[0;31m'
+    GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+    YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+    NC='\033[0m'
+else
+    RED=''
+    GREEN=''
+    YELLOW=''
+    NC=''
+fi
+
+BINARY="${1:?Usage: check-workflow-drift.sh <path-to-binary>}"
+
+if [ ! -e "$BINARY" ]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}ERROR${NC}: gh-aw binary not found at '$BINARY'."
+    echo ""
+    echo "Build or download the binary first, then rerun:"
+    echo ""
+    echo "  make build"
+    echo "  bash scripts/check-workflow-drift.sh ./gh-aw"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ ! -x "$BINARY" ]; then
+    echo -e "${RED}ERROR${NC}: gh-aw binary at '$BINARY' is not executable."
+    echo ""
+    echo "Mark it executable (or rebuild it), then rerun:"
+    echo ""
+    echo "  chmod +x '$BINARY'"
+    echo "  bash scripts/check-workflow-drift.sh '$BINARY'"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+SNAPSHOT_DIR=$(mktemp -d)
+PRE_LOCKFILES_FILE="$SNAPSHOT_DIR/pre-lockfiles.txt"
+POST_LOCKFILES_FILE="$SNAPSHOT_DIR/post-lockfiles.txt"
+SNAPSHOT_ROOT="$SNAPSHOT_DIR/original"
+
+restore_lockfiles() {
+    local file
+
+    find .github/workflows -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.lock.yml' -delete
+
+    while IFS= read -r file; do
+        [ -n "$file" ] || continue
+        mkdir -p "$(dirname "$file")"
+        cp "$SNAPSHOT_ROOT/$file" "$file"
+    done < "$PRE_LOCKFILES_FILE"
+}
+
+cleanup() {
+    if [ -d "$SNAPSHOT_DIR" ]; then
+        restore_lockfiles
+        rm -rf "$SNAPSHOT_DIR"
+    fi
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+find .github/workflows -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.lock.yml' | LC_ALL=C sort > "$PRE_LOCKFILES_FILE"
+while IFS= read -r file; do
+    [ -n "$file" ] || continue
+    mkdir -p "$SNAPSHOT_ROOT/$(dirname "$file")"
+    cp "$file" "$SNAPSHOT_ROOT/$file"
+done < "$PRE_LOCKFILES_FILE"
+
+echo "Checking for workflow markdown/lock file drift..."
+echo ""
+
+# Compile all workflow markdown files, regenerating lock files in place.
+# --validate:        enforce schema validation so compilation errors surface clearly
+# --no-check-update: skip version-update check (CI-safe, avoids network calls)
+# --purge:           remove orphaned .lock.yml files whose .md source was deleted
+#
+# Snapshot and restore the current lock files so the check never leaves the
+# caller's working tree dirty, even when compilation rewrites or purges files.
+if ! "$BINARY" compile --validate --no-check-update --purge 2>&1; then
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${RED}ERROR${NC}: Workflow compilation failed — fix the errors above, then run:"
+    echo ""
+    echo "  make recompile"
+    echo ""
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Collect lock files that changed, appeared, or were deleted relative to the
+# pre-compilation snapshot.
+find .github/workflows -maxdepth 1 -type f -name '*.lock.yml' | LC_ALL=C sort > "$POST_LOCKFILES_FILE"
+all_drift=$(
+    cat "$PRE_LOCKFILES_FILE" "$POST_LOCKFILES_FILE" \
+        | sed '/^$/d' \
+        | LC_ALL=C sort -u \
+        | while IFS= read -r file; do
+            if ! grep -Fxq "$file" "$PRE_LOCKFILES_FILE"; then
+                printf '%s\n' "$file"
+            elif ! grep -Fxq "$file" "$POST_LOCKFILES_FILE"; then
+                printf '%s\n' "$file"
+            elif ! cmp -s "$SNAPSHOT_ROOT/$file" "$file"; then
+                printf '%s\n' "$file"
+            fi
+        done
+)
+
+if [ -z "$all_drift" ]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓ All workflow lock files are in sync with their markdown sources.${NC}"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${RED}ERROR: Workflow lock files are out of sync with their markdown sources.${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo "The following lock files differ from what would be generated by compilation:"
+echo ""
+while IFS= read -r file; do
+    echo "  $file"
+done <<< "$all_drift"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${YELLOW}Fix:${NC} Regenerate and stage the lock files, then use report_progress:"
+echo ""
+echo "  make recompile"
+echo "  git add .github/workflows/*.lock.yml"
+echo "  # then call report_progress to commit and push via the pre-PR gate"
+echo ""
+echo "Lock files must always be committed together with their .md sources."
+exit 1
diff --git a/scripts/check-workflow-drift_test.sh b/scripts/check-workflow-drift_test.sh
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..104464d75fb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-workflow-drift_test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+set +o histexpand
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+DRIFT_SCRIPT="$SCRIPT_DIR/check-workflow-drift.sh"
+
+TESTS_PASSED=0
+TESTS_FAILED=0
+
+pass() { echo "PASS: $1"; TESTS_PASSED=$((TESTS_PASSED + 1)); }
+fail() { echo "FAIL: $1"; echo "  $2"; TESTS_FAILED=$((TESTS_FAILED + 1)); }
+
+create_fixture_repo() {
+  local repo_dir="$1"
+
+  mkdir -p "$repo_dir/.github/workflows"
+  cat > "$repo_dir/.github/workflows/example.md" <<'EOF'
+# Example workflow
+EOF
+  cat > "$repo_dir/.github/workflows/example.lock.yml" <<'EOF'
+lock: original
+EOF
+}
+
+create_fake_binary() {
+  local path="$1"
+  cat > "$path" <<'EOF'
+#!/bin/bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [ "${1:-}" != "compile" ]; then
+  echo "unexpected command: ${1:-}" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+case "${FAKE_COMPILE_MODE:-stable}" in
+  stable)
+    ;;
+  mutate)
+    cat > .github/workflows/example.lock.yml <<'OUT'
+lock: mutated
+OUT
+    ;;
+  fail)
+    echo "compile failed" >&2
+    exit 1
+    ;;
+  *)
+    echo "unknown FAKE_COMPILE_MODE: ${FAKE_COMPILE_MODE:-}" >&2
+    exit 1
+    ;;
+esac
+EOF
+  chmod +x "$path"
+}
+
+echo "Running check-workflow-drift.sh tests..."
+echo
+
+TMP_ROOT=$(mktemp -d)
+trap 'rm -rf "$TMP_ROOT"' EXIT
+TEST1_OUTPUT="$TMP_ROOT/test1-output.txt"
+TEST2_OUTPUT="$TMP_ROOT/test2-output.txt"
+TEST3_OUTPUT="$TMP_ROOT/test3-output.txt"
+
+# Test 1: matching lock file exits 0.
+echo "Test 1: matching lock file exits 0..."
+TEST_REPO="$TMP_ROOT/stable"
+mkdir -p "$TEST_REPO"
+create_fixture_repo "$TEST_REPO"
+create_fake_binary "$TEST_REPO/fake-gh-aw"
+if (cd "$TEST_REPO" && FAKE_COMPILE_MODE=stable bash "$DRIFT_SCRIPT" "$TEST_REPO/fake-gh-aw" >"$TEST1_OUTPUT" 2>&1); then
+  pass "matching lock file exits 0"
+else
+  fail "matching lock file should exit 0" "$(cat "$TEST1_OUTPUT")"
+fi
+
+# Test 2: drift is reported and the original file is restored afterwards.
+echo "Test 2: drift is reported without leaving the repo dirty..."
+TEST_REPO="$TMP_ROOT/mutate"
+mkdir -p "$TEST_REPO"
+create_fixture_repo "$TEST_REPO"
+create_fake_binary "$TEST_REPO/fake-gh-aw"
+if (cd "$TEST_REPO" && FAKE_COMPILE_MODE=mutate bash "$DRIFT_SCRIPT" "$TEST_REPO/fake-gh-aw" >"$TEST2_OUTPUT" 2>&1); then
+  fail "drift should exit 1" "$(cat "$TEST2_OUTPUT")"
+elif grep -q ".github/workflows/example.lock.yml" "$TEST2_OUTPUT" \
+  && grep -q "report_progress" "$TEST2_OUTPUT" \
+  && grep -q "^lock: original$" "$TEST_REPO/.github/workflows/example.lock.yml"; then
+  pass "drift is reported and the original file is restored"
+else
+  fail "drift output or restoration was incorrect" "$(cat "$TEST2_OUTPUT"; echo; cat "$TEST_REPO/.github/workflows/example.lock.yml")"
+fi
+
+# Test 3: missing binary gets a targeted error.
+echo "Test 3: missing binary path gets a targeted error..."
+TEST_REPO="$TMP_ROOT/missing-binary"
+mkdir -p "$TEST_REPO"
+create_fixture_repo "$TEST_REPO"
+if (cd "$TEST_REPO" && bash "$DRIFT_SCRIPT" "$TEST_REPO/does-not-exist" >"$TEST3_OUTPUT" 2>&1); then
+  fail "missing binary should exit 1" "$(cat "$TEST3_OUTPUT")"
+elif grep -q "binary not found" "$TEST3_OUTPUT"; then
+  pass "missing binary reports a targeted error"
+else
+  fail "missing binary error message was incorrect" "$(cat "$TEST3_OUTPUT")"
+fi
+
+echo
+echo "Tests passed: $TESTS_PASSED"
+echo "Tests failed: $TESTS_FAILED"
+
+if [ "$TESTS_FAILED" -gt 0 ]; then
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "✓ All tests passed!"