diff --git a/TODO.md b/TODO.md
index fac919c..1683d24 100644
--- a/TODO.md
+++ b/TODO.md
@@ -21,6 +21,9 @@ fmt-check, and commit.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-08-10: Added `-count=1` to both `go test` invocations in the canonical Go
+  `make test` example in `REPO_POLICIES.md`, so the target cannot report a
+  cached pass it did not earn.
 - 2026-08-07: Set the canonical `.golangci.yml` to the org-standard v2-schema
   config already deployed byte-identical across the org's Go repos (settings
   under `linters.settings` so thresholds like lll/funlen/cyclop/dupl actually
diff --git a/prompts/REPO_POLICIES.md b/prompts/REPO_POLICIES.md
index 79d2fb7..f6e0b12 100644
--- a/prompts/REPO_POLICIES.md
+++ b/prompts/REPO_POLICIES.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 title: Repository Policies
-last_modified: 2026-08-07
+last_modified: 2026-08-10
 ---
 
 This document covers repository structure, tooling, and workflow standards. Code
@@ -209,11 +209,16 @@ style conventions are in separate documents:
 
     ```makefile
     test:
-    	@go test -timeout 30s -race -cover ./... || \
+    	@go test -count=1 -timeout 30s -race -cover ./... || \
     		{ echo "--- Rerunning with -v for details ---"; \
-    		  go test -timeout 30s -race -v ./...; exit 1; }
+    		  go test -count=1 -timeout 30s -race -v ./...; exit 1; }
     ```
 
+    `-count=1` is required on both invocations: it defeats Go's test _result_
+    cache, so the target cannot report a pass it did not earn, and the rerun
+    reproduces a failure instead of replaying it. It leaves the build cache
+    alone, so it costs the runtime of the suite and no recompilation.
+
     Python example:
 
     ```makefile