diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index 06f9dba..cea66c6 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ only thing left of the `chore/align-repo-policies` branch is the list below.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-09-21: pinned CLI error messages by driving their real call sites in
+  `internal/cli/errmsg_test.go`, and made the freshen mtime-presence test
+  distinguish an absent mtime from the epoch (#87)
 - 2026-08-09: added `.prettierrc`/`.prettierignore`, gave `script/fmt` and
   `script/fmt-check` one shared prettier file set via `script/prettier`, dropped
   the `|| true` that hid prettier failures, and added a node-based Dockerfile
diff --git a/internal/cli/errmsg_test.go b/internal/cli/errmsg_test.go
index 873658a..8ad2875 100644
--- a/internal/cli/errmsg_test.go
+++ b/internal/cli/errmsg_test.go
@@ -2,167 +2,326 @@
 package cli
 
 import (
-	"fmt"
+	"bytes"
+	"context"
+	"flag"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
+	"github.com/spf13/afero"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
+	urfcli "github.com/urfave/cli/v2"
+	"sneak.berlin/go/mfer/mfer"
 )
 
-// errMsgCase is one pinned user-visible error message.
-type errMsgCase struct {
-	name string
-	err  error
-	want string
-}
+// These tests pin the exact rendered text of the CLI's user-visible error
+// messages. The messages are grepped for in CI pipelines and quoted in bug
+// reports, so a reword is a deliberate change, never a refactoring side
+// effect.
+//
+// Every case drives the real function that emits the message and asserts on
+// what it returns. No production format string is restated here: a test that
+// only re-rendered a copied format string would keep passing after the real
+// message changed, which is exactly the regression these tests exist to
+// catch.
 
+// Full 40-hex fingerprints used where a message embeds one.
 const (
 	msgFpA = "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
 	msgFpB = "BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB"
 )
 
-func checkErrMsgCases(t *testing.T, cases []errMsgCase) {
+// runLocked runs fn while holding runMu, so operations that write to the
+// process-global logger do not race the other CLI runs.
+func runLocked(fn func() error) error {
+	runMu.Lock()
+	defer runMu.Unlock()
+
+	return fn()
+}
+
+// unsignedChecker builds a Checker over a freshly scanned, unsigned manifest.
+func unsignedChecker(t *testing.T) *mfer.Checker {
 	t.Helper()
 
-	for _, tc := range cases {
-		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
-			t.Parallel()
-			assert.Equal(t, tc.want, tc.err.Error())
-		})
-	}
+	fs := afero.NewMemMapFs()
+	require.NoError(t, fs.MkdirAll("/d", 0o755))
+	require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs, "/d/f.txt", []byte("hi"), 0o644))
+
+	s := mfer.NewScannerWithOptions(&mfer.ScannerOptions{Fs: fs})
+	require.NoError(t, s.EnumeratePath("/d", nil))
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+
+	require.NoError(t, s.ToManifest(context.Background(), &buf, nil))
+	require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs, "/d/index.mf", buf.Bytes(), 0o644))
+
+	chk, err := mfer.NewChecker("/d/index.mf", "/d", fs)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.False(t, chk.IsSigned())
+
+	return chk
 }
 
-// TestErrorMessagesVerbatim pins the exact rendered text of the CLI's
-// user-visible error messages.
+func TestNoManifestFoundMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	_, err := findManifest(afero.NewMemMapFs(), "/tmp/x")
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errNoManifestFound)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err,
+		"no manifest found in /tmp/x (looked for index.mf and .index.mf)")
+}
+
+func TestVerifyRequiredSignerMessages(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	t.Run("invalid fingerprint length", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		err := verifyRequiredSigner(unsignedChecker(t), "12345678")
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, errInvalidFingerprint)
+		assert.EqualError(t, err,
+			"invalid fingerprint: must be exactly 40 hex characters, got 8")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("manifest not signed", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		err := verifyRequiredSigner(unsignedChecker(t), msgFpA)
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, errManifestNotSigned)
+		assert.EqualError(t, err,
+			"manifest is not signed, but signature from "+msgFpA+" is required")
+	})
+}
+
+// TestSignerMismatchMessage drives verifyRequiredSigner against a real signed
+// manifest. The embedded fingerprint is whatever the generated key produced,
+// so it is read back from the checker and substituted into the expected
+// string; the required signer is a fixed value that cannot match it. Requires
+// gpg and is skipped where it is absent, as the other signing tests are.
 //
-// These strings are an interface: they are grepped for in CI pipelines
-// and quoted in bug reports. The messages are assembled by wrapping
-// static sentinels, and it is easy to change what a user sees while
-// only meaning to make an error matchable with errors.Is - which is
-// precisely what happened once already. Any change to a string below is
-// therefore a deliberate, separately stated change, never a side effect
-// of a refactor.
-func TestErrorMessagesVerbatim(t *testing.T) {
+//nolint:paralleltest // signedChecker calls t.Setenv, which bars t.Parallel
+func TestSignerMismatchMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	chk := signedChecker(t)
+
+	embeddedFP, err := chk.ExtractEmbeddedSigningKeyFP()
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	err = verifyRequiredSigner(chk, msgFpB)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errSignerMismatch)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err,
+		"embedded signing key fingerprint "+embeddedFP+
+			" does not match required "+msgFpB)
+}
+
+// signedChecker builds a Checker over a manifest signed by a throwaway GPG
+// key generated in a temporary GNUPGHOME.
+func signedChecker(t *testing.T) *mfer.Checker {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	_, err := exec.LookPath("gpg")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Skip("gpg not installed, skipping signing test")
+	}
+
+	gpgHome := t.TempDir()
+	params := "%no-protection\n" +
+		"Key-Type: RSA\nKey-Length: 2048\n" +
+		"Name-Real: MFER Test Key\nName-Email: test@mfer.test\n" +
+		"Expire-Date: 0\n%commit\n"
+	paramsFile := filepath.Join(gpgHome, "key-params")
+	require.NoError(t, os.WriteFile(paramsFile, []byte(params), 0o600))
+
+	//nolint:gosec // paramsFile is a test-controlled path inside t.TempDir()
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(context.Background(), "gpg",
+		"--batch", "--gen-key", paramsFile)
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "GNUPGHOME="+gpgHome)
+
+	out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Skipf("failed to generate test GPG key: %v: %s", err, out)
+	}
+
+	t.Setenv("GNUPGHOME", gpgHome)
+
+	b := mfer.NewBuilder()
+	b.SetSigningOptions(&mfer.SigningOptions{KeyID: mfer.GPGKeyID("test@mfer.test")})
+
+	content := []byte("signed file")
+	_, err = b.AddFile("f.txt", mfer.FileSize(len(content)), mfer.ModTime{},
+		bytes.NewReader(content), nil)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+
+	require.NoError(t, b.Build(&buf))
+
+	fs := afero.NewMemMapFs()
+	require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs, "/index.mf", buf.Bytes(), 0o644))
+
+	chk, err := mfer.NewChecker("/index.mf", "/", fs)
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.True(t, chk.IsSigned())
+
+	return chk
+}
+
+func TestPathDoesNotExistMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	checkErrMsgCases(t, []errMsgCase{
-		{
-			name: "check: no manifest found",
-			err: fmt.Errorf("%w in %s (looked for index.mf and .index.mf)",
-				errNoManifestFound, "/tmp/x"),
-			want: "no manifest found in /tmp/x " +
-				"(looked for index.mf and .index.mf)",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "check: invalid fingerprint length",
-			err:  fmt.Errorf("%w, got %d", errInvalidFingerprint, 8),
-			want: "invalid fingerprint: must be exactly 40 hex characters, got 8",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "check: manifest not signed",
-			err: fmt.Errorf("%w, but signature from %s is required",
-				errManifestNotSigned, msgFpA),
-			want: "manifest is not signed, but signature from " + msgFpA +
-				" is required",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "check: signer mismatch",
-			err: fmt.Errorf("embedded signing key fingerprint %s %w %s",
-				msgFpA, errSignerMismatch, msgFpB),
-			want: "embedded signing key fingerprint " + msgFpA +
-				" does not match required " + msgFpB,
-		},
-		{
-			name: "gen: path does not exist",
-			err:  fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", errPathNotExist, "nope"),
-			want: "path does not exist: nope",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "gen: output file exists",
-			err:  fmt.Errorf("output file %s %w", "index.mf", errOutputExists),
-			want: "output file index.mf already exists " +
-				"(use --force to overwrite)",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "mfer: unknown command",
-			err:  fmt.Errorf("%w %q", errUnknownCommand, "bogus"),
-			want: `unknown command "bogus"`,
-		},
+	set := flag.NewFlagSet("gen", flag.ContinueOnError)
+	require.NoError(t, set.Parse([]string{"nope"}))
+
+	mfa := &CLIApp{Fs: afero.NewMemMapFs()}
+	ctx := urfcli.NewContext(nil, set, nil)
+
+	_, err := mfa.collectInputPaths(ctx.Args())
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errPathNotExist)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "path does not exist: nope")
+}
+
+func TestOutputFileExistsMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	fs := afero.NewMemMapFs()
+	require.NoError(t, fs.MkdirAll("/d", 0o755))
+	require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs, "/d/f.txt", []byte("hi"), 0o644))
+	require.NoError(t, afero.WriteFile(fs, "/out.mf", []byte("old"), 0o644))
+
+	set := flag.NewFlagSet("gen", flag.ContinueOnError)
+	set.String("output", "", "")
+	set.Bool("force", false, "")
+	require.NoError(t, set.Parse([]string{"/d"}))
+	require.NoError(t, set.Set("output", "/out.mf"))
+
+	mfa := &CLIApp{Fs: fs}
+	ctx := urfcli.NewContext(nil, set, nil)
+
+	// generateManifestOperation writes to the process-global logger during
+	// enumeration, so serialize with the other CLI runs.
+	err := runLocked(func() error { return mfa.generateManifestOperation(ctx) })
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errOutputExists)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err,
+		"output file /out.mf already exists (use --force to overwrite)")
+}
+
+func TestManifestLoaderHTTPStatusMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	server := httptest.NewServer(
+		http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNotFound)
+		}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	mfa := &CLIApp{Fs: afero.NewMemMapFs()}
+
+	_, err := mfa.openManifestReader(server.URL + "/foo.mf")
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errHTTPStatus)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err,
+		"failed to fetch "+server.URL+"/foo.mf: HTTP 404")
+}
+
+func TestFetchManifestHTTPStatusMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	server := httptest.NewServer(
+		http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusNotFound)
+		}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	set := flag.NewFlagSet("fetch", flag.ContinueOnError)
+	require.NoError(t, set.Parse([]string{server.URL}))
+
+	mfa := &CLIApp{Fs: afero.NewMemMapFs()}
+	ctx := urfcli.NewContext(nil, set, nil)
+
+	// fetchManifestOperation logs to the process-global logger.
+	err := runLocked(func() error { return mfa.fetchManifestOperation(ctx) })
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errHTTPStatus)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "failed to fetch manifest: HTTP 404")
+}
+
+func TestFetchFileHTTPStatusMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	server := httptest.NewServer(
+		http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, _ *http.Request) {
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
+		}))
+	defer server.Close()
+
+	err := downloadFile(context.Background(), server.URL+"/x", "x",
+		&mfer.MFFilePath{}, nil)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errHTTPStatus)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "HTTP 500")
+}
+
+func TestURLRequiredMessage(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	set := flag.NewFlagSet("fetch", flag.ContinueOnError)
+	require.NoError(t, set.Parse([]string{}))
+
+	mfa := &CLIApp{Fs: afero.NewMemMapFs()}
+	ctx := urfcli.NewContext(nil, set, nil)
+
+	// fetchManifestOperation logs to the process-global logger.
+	err := runLocked(func() error { return mfa.fetchManifestOperation(ctx) })
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errURLRequired)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "URL argument required")
+}
+
+func TestSanitizePathMessages(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	t.Run("empty", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		_, err := sanitizePath("")
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, errEmptyPath)
+		assert.EqualError(t, err, "empty path")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("absolute", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		_, err := sanitizePath("/etc/passwd")
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, errAbsolutePath)
+		assert.EqualError(t, err, "absolute path not allowed: /etc/passwd")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("traversal", func(t *testing.T) {
+		t.Parallel()
+
+		_, err := sanitizePath("../x")
+		require.ErrorIs(t, err, errPathTraversal)
+		assert.EqualError(t, err, "path traversal not allowed: ../x")
 	})
 }
 
-// TestFetchErrorMessagesVerbatim pins the fetch and manifest-loader
-// messages; see TestErrorMessagesVerbatim for why.
-func TestFetchErrorMessagesVerbatim(t *testing.T) {
+func TestSizeMismatchMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	checkErrMsgCases(t, []errMsgCase{
-		{
-			name: "manifest_loader: http status",
-			err: fmt.Errorf("failed to fetch %s: %w %d",
-				"https://example.com/index.mf", errHTTPStatus, 404),
-			want: "failed to fetch https://example.com/index.mf: HTTP 404",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: manifest http status",
-			err: fmt.Errorf("failed to fetch manifest: %w %d",
-				errHTTPStatus, 404),
-			want: "failed to fetch manifest: HTTP 404",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: file http status",
-			err:  fmt.Errorf("%w %d", errHTTPStatus, 500),
-			want: "HTTP 500",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: empty path",
-			err:  errEmptyPath,
-			want: "empty path",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: absolute path",
-			err:  fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", errAbsolutePath, "/etc/passwd"),
-			want: "absolute path not allowed: /etc/passwd",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: path traversal",
-			err:  fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", errPathTraversal, "../x"),
-			want: "path traversal not allowed: ../x",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: size mismatch",
-			err: fmt.Errorf("%w: expected %d bytes, got %d",
-				errSizeMismatch, 10, 9),
-			want: "size mismatch: expected 10 bytes, got 9",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: url required",
-			err:  errURLRequired,
-			want: "URL argument required",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "fetch: hash mismatch",
-			err:  errHashMismatch,
-			want: "hash mismatch",
-		},
-	})
+	// finishDownload returns the size-mismatch error before it touches the
+	// paths, digest, or entry, so those can be zero here.
+	err := finishDownload("", "", 9, 10, nil, nil, nil, nil)
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errSizeMismatch)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "size mismatch: expected 10 bytes, got 9")
 }
 
-// TestSentinelsAreMatchable checks that the wrapped forms of the
-// messages above remain matchable with errors.Is, which is the reason
-// the sentinels exist at all.
-func TestSentinelsAreMatchable(t *testing.T) {
+func TestHashMismatchMessage(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	wrapped := fmt.Errorf("embedded signing key fingerprint %s %w %s",
-		"a", errSignerMismatch, "b")
-	require.ErrorIs(t, wrapped, errSignerMismatch)
-
-	wrapped = fmt.Errorf("output file %s %w", "index.mf", errOutputExists)
-	require.ErrorIs(t, wrapped, errOutputExists)
-
-	wrapped = fmt.Errorf("failed to fetch manifest: %w %d", errHTTPStatus, 404)
-	require.ErrorIs(t, wrapped, errHTTPStatus)
-
-	assert.NotErrorIs(t, errHashMismatch, errSizeMismatch)
+	// A 32-byte digest that matches none of the (empty) manifest hashes.
+	err := verifyDownloadedHash(make([]byte, 32), &mfer.MFFilePath{})
+	require.ErrorIs(t, err, errHashMismatch)
+	require.NotErrorIs(t, err, errSizeMismatch)
+	assert.EqualError(t, err, "hash mismatch")
 }
diff --git a/internal/cli/freshen_test.go b/internal/cli/freshen_test.go
index e5d844d..0679729 100644
--- a/internal/cli/freshen_test.go
+++ b/internal/cli/freshen_test.go
@@ -110,7 +110,10 @@ func TestFreshenRecordEntryMtimePresence(t *testing.T) {
 
 	const relPath = "file1.txt"
 
-	mtime := time.Unix(1_700_000_000, 0)
+	// The scanned file's mtime is the Unix epoch. If recordEntry ever misreads
+	// an absent manifest mtime as the epoch, the "absent" case below would
+	// compare equal to this and be classified unchanged, so the test fails.
+	mtime := time.Unix(0, 0)
 	info := stubFileInfo{size: 8, mtime: mtime}
 
 	for _, tc := range []struct {