diff --git a/php-transformer/composer.json b/php-transformer/composer.json
index a49b7213..18c1cb43 100644
--- a/php-transformer/composer.json
+++ b/php-transformer/composer.json
@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@
       "php tests/unit/artifact-author-stylesheet-projection.php",
       "php tests/unit/fallback-finding-normalizer.php",
       "php tests/unit/navigation-underline-color-resolver.php",
+      "php tests/unit/navigation-brand-anchor-hoist.php",
       "php tests/unit/button-signal-classifier.php",
       "php tests/unit/button-style-resolver.php",
       "php tests/unit/button-font-family-carry.php",
diff --git a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Diagnostics/SemanticParityReporter.php b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Diagnostics/SemanticParityReporter.php
index be78a79c..41795628 100644
--- a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Diagnostics/SemanticParityReporter.php
+++ b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Diagnostics/SemanticParityReporter.php
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ public function report(DOMElement $body, array $blocks, array $sourceProvenance,
         $sourceLandmarks = $this->sourceLandmarkReport($body);
         $blockLandmarks = $this->blockLandmarkReport($blocks, $sourceProvenance, $sourceLandmarks);
         $sourceMenus = $this->sourceNavigationMenus($body);
-        $blockMenus = $this->blockNavigationMenus($blocks);
+        $blockMenus = $this->withCarriedItemsResolved($this->blockNavigationMenus($blocks), $sourceMenus);
         $findings = $this->semanticParityFindings($sourceLandmarks, $blockLandmarks, $sourceMenus, $blockMenus);
         $findings = array_merge(
             $findings,
@@ -77,6 +77,44 @@ public function report(DOMElement $body, array $blocks, array $sourceProvenance,
         );
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Fold each carrier's hoisted links into the menu they belong to, so the
+     * published record shows the same item list the parity comparison uses.
+     * Leaving the two out of step would publish a menu counted as 5 beside a
+     * source menu of 6 while reporting parity as a pass.
+     *
+     * The fold is skipped when the paired source menu already leaves outside
+     * anchors out of its own list — a landmark bearing mobile chrome, or one
+     * holding both a brand and a CTA beside its list — because then neither side
+     * counts them.
+     *
+     * @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $blockMenus
+     * @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $sourceMenus
+     * @return array<int, array<string, mixed>>
+     */
+    private function withCarriedItemsResolved(array $blockMenus, array $sourceMenus): array
+    {
+        foreach ( $blockMenus as $index => $blockMenu ) {
+            $carried = is_array($blockMenu['carried_sibling_items'] ?? null) ? $blockMenu['carried_sibling_items'] : array();
+            unset($blockMenus[$index]['carried_sibling_items']);
+
+            if ( array() === $carried || true === ($sourceMenus[$index]['excludes_outside_anchors'] ?? false) ) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            $items = array_merge(
+                is_array($carried['before'] ?? null) ? $carried['before'] : array(),
+                is_array($blockMenu['items'] ?? null) ? array_values($blockMenu['items']) : array(),
+                is_array($carried['after'] ?? null) ? $carried['after'] : array()
+            );
+
+            $blockMenus[$index]['item_count'] = count($items);
+            $blockMenus[$index]['items'] = $items;
+        }
+
+        return array_values($blockMenus);
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return array{counts: array<string, int>, selectors: array<string, array<int, string>>}
      */
@@ -231,6 +269,7 @@ private function collectSourceNavigationMenus(DOMElement $element, array &$menus
                 'selector' => $this->elementSelector($element),
                 'item_count' => count($items),
                 'items' => $items,
+                'excludes_outside_anchors' => $this->sourceMenuExcludesOutsideAnchors($element),
             );
         }
 
@@ -241,6 +280,35 @@ private function collectSourceNavigationMenus(DOMElement $element, array &$menus
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Whether this menu's source item list already leaves out anchors that sit
+     * outside the link cluster. When it does, the block side must not add them
+     * back from a carrier group's siblings or the two sides double-disagree.
+     */
+    private function sourceMenuExcludesOutsideAnchors(DOMElement $element): bool
+    {
+        // A chrome-bearing landmark takes its items from the signaled containers
+        // alone, which leaves out every direct-child anchor by construction.
+        if ( $this->hasSourceNavigationChrome($element) ) {
+            return true;
+        }
+
+        if ( ! $this->hasDirectNavigationBrandOrAction($element) ) {
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        foreach ( $element->childNodes as $child ) {
+            if ( $child instanceof DOMElement
+                && in_array(strtolower($child->tagName), array( 'ul', 'ol' ), true)
+                && array() !== $this->sourceNavigationMenuItems($child)
+            ) {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return false;
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return array<int, array<string, string>>
      */
@@ -444,15 +512,16 @@ private function isSourceNavigationChromeAnchor(DOMElement $anchor): bool
     private function blockNavigationMenus(array $blocks): array
     {
         $menus = array();
-        $this->collectBlockNavigationMenus($blocks, 'blocks', $menus);
+        $this->collectBlockNavigationMenus($blocks, 'blocks', $menus, array());
         return $menus;
     }
 
     /**
      * @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $blocks
      * @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $menus
+     * @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $siblings
      */
-    private function collectBlockNavigationMenus(array $blocks, string $path, array &$menus): void
+    private function collectBlockNavigationMenus(array $blocks, string $path, array &$menus, array $siblings): void
     {
         foreach ( $blocks as $index => $block ) {
             if ( ! is_array($block) ) {
@@ -468,11 +537,136 @@ private function collectBlockNavigationMenus(array $blocks, string $path, array
                     'represented_as_core_navigation' => true,
                     'item_count' => count($items),
                     'items' => $items,
+                    'carried_sibling_items' => $this->carriedNavigationSiblingItems($siblings, $index),
                 );
             }
 
             if ( ! empty($block['innerBlocks']) && is_array($block['innerBlocks']) ) {
-                $this->collectBlockNavigationMenus($block['innerBlocks'], $blockPath . '.innerBlocks', $menus);
+                $childSiblings = 'core/group' === ($block['blockName'] ?? '') && 'nav' === strtolower((string) ($block['attrs']['tagName'] ?? ''))
+                    ? $block['innerBlocks']
+                    : array();
+                $this->collectBlockNavigationMenus($block['innerBlocks'], $blockPath . '.innerBlocks', $menus, $childSiblings);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * A navigation whose landmark is a core/group{tagName:"nav"} carrier shares
+     * that landmark with blocks hoisted out of the menu — a branding anchor, for
+     * instance. The source side counts every anchor under the landmark, so those
+     * hoisted links belong to this menu's item list too; otherwise a faithful
+     * hoist reads as content loss. Counting them here rather than excluding them
+     * on the source side keeps a brand that goes missing entirely detectable.
+     *
+     * @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $siblings
+     * @return array{before: array<int, array<string, string>>, after: array<int, array<string, string>>}
+     */
+    private function carriedNavigationSiblingItems(array $siblings, int $navigationIndex): array
+    {
+        if ( array() === $siblings ) {
+            return array( 'before' => array(), 'after' => array() );
+        }
+
+        $before = array();
+        $after = array();
+        foreach ( $siblings as $siblingIndex => $sibling ) {
+            if ( ! is_array($sibling) || $siblingIndex === $navigationIndex || 'core/navigation' === ($sibling['blockName'] ?? '') ) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // One anchor can appear in more than one level of a block's saved
+            // markup — a core/buttons wrapper and its core/button child both
+            // carry it — so de-duplicate across each sibling's whole subtree.
+            // Scope is per sibling: two siblings that genuinely link to the same
+            // place are two anchors on the source side as well.
+            $siblingItems = array();
+            $seen = array();
+            $this->collectBlockAnchorItems(array( $sibling ), $siblingItems, $seen);
+            if ( array() === $siblingItems ) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if ( $siblingIndex < $navigationIndex ) {
+                $before = array_merge($before, $siblingItems);
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            $after = array_merge($after, $siblingItems);
+        }
+
+        return array( 'before' => $before, 'after' => $after );
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Anchor label/url pairs carried inside a block's rich text or link
+     * attributes, in document order, shaped to match the source item records.
+     *
+     * @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $blocks
+     * @param array<int, array<string, string>> $items
+     * @param array<string, true> $seen
+     */
+    private function collectBlockAnchorItems(array $blocks, array &$items, array &$seen): void
+    {
+        foreach ( $blocks as $block ) {
+            if ( ! is_array($block) ) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            $attrs = is_array($block['attrs'] ?? null) ? $block['attrs'] : array();
+
+            // Saved markup carries the anchor for blocks whose rich text is not
+            // mirrored into an attribute — a synthetic paragraph wrapping a link,
+            // for instance — so read both and de-duplicate by label+url below.
+            $candidates = array();
+            foreach ( array( 'content', 'text', 'value', 'caption' ) as $attribute ) {
+                if ( isset($attrs[$attribute]) && is_string($attrs[$attribute]) ) {
+                    $candidates[] = $attrs[$attribute];
+                }
+            }
+            if ( isset($block['innerHTML']) && is_string($block['innerHTML']) ) {
+                $candidates[] = $block['innerHTML'];
+            }
+
+            foreach ( $candidates as $markup ) {
+                if ( ! str_contains($markup, '<a') ) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                if ( preg_match_all('/<a\b[^>]*\bhref\s*=\s*(["\'])(.*?)\1[^>]*>(.*?)<\/a>/is', $markup, $matches, PREG_SET_ORDER) ) {
+                    foreach ( $matches as $match ) {
+                        $label = $this->normalizedNavigationLabel($match[3]);
+                        if ( '' === $label ) {
+                            continue;
+                        }
+
+                        $item = array(
+                            'label' => $label,
+                            'url' => $this->safeNavigationUrl(html_entity_decode($match[2], ENT_QUOTES | ENT_SUBSTITUTE, 'UTF-8')),
+                        );
+                        $key = $item['label'] . "\0" . $item['url'];
+                        if ( isset($seen[$key]) ) {
+                            continue;
+                        }
+
+                        $seen[$key] = true;
+                        $items[] = $item;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            // core/button keeps its destination in `url` and its label in `text`
+            // rather than in anchor markup.
+            if ( 'core/button' === ($block['blockName'] ?? '') && isset($attrs['url']) ) {
+                $label = $this->normalizedNavigationLabel((string) ($attrs['text'] ?? ''));
+                $url = $this->safeNavigationUrl((string) $attrs['url']);
+                if ( '' !== $label && ! isset($seen[$label . "\0" . $url]) ) {
+                    $seen[$label . "\0" . $url] = true;
+                    $items[] = array( 'label' => $label, 'url' => $url );
+                }
+            }
+
+            if ( ! empty($block['innerBlocks']) && is_array($block['innerBlocks']) ) {
+                $this->collectBlockAnchorItems($block['innerBlocks'], $items, $seen);
             }
         }
     }
@@ -582,7 +776,10 @@ private function semanticParityFindings(array $sourceLandmarks, array $blockLand
             }
 
             $sourceItems = is_array($sourceMenu['items'] ?? null) ? array_values($sourceMenu['items']) : array();
+            // Carrier siblings were already folded into `items` upstream, so both
+            // sides are directly comparable here.
             $blockItems = is_array($blockMenu['items'] ?? null) ? array_values($blockMenu['items']) : array();
+
             if ( count($sourceItems) !== count($blockItems) ) {
                 $findings[] = array(
                     'code' => 'navigation_item_count_mismatch',
diff --git a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/HtmlTransformer.php b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/HtmlTransformer.php
index a1c2f86d..1f7b57a1 100644
--- a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/HtmlTransformer.php
+++ b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/HtmlTransformer.php
@@ -2494,7 +2494,8 @@ private function patternContext(bool $includeRuntimeDomTarget = true): PatternCo
             fn (DOMElement $sourceElement): array => $this->convertPatternChildren($sourceElement),
             fn (DOMElement $sourceElement, array $excludedTags): array => $this->convertPatternChildrenWithoutTags($sourceElement, $excludedTags),
             fn (DOMElement $item, DOMElement $anchor): string => $this->navigationUnderlineColor($item, $anchor),
-            fn (DOMElement $sourceElement): string => $this->resolveCssVariablesInValue($this->mergedPresentationStyle($sourceElement))
+            fn (DOMElement $sourceElement): string => $this->resolveCssVariablesInValue($this->mergedPresentationStyle($sourceElement)),
+            fn (DOMElement $sourceElement): ?array => $this->convertPatternElement($sourceElement)
         );
     }
 
@@ -2507,6 +2508,15 @@ private function convertPatternChildren(DOMElement $element): array
         return $this->convertChildren($element, $fallbacks, true);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * @return array<string, mixed>|null
+     */
+    private function convertPatternElement(DOMElement $element): ?array
+    {
+        $fallbacks = array();
+        return $this->convertElement($element, $fallbacks, true);
+    }
+
     /**
      * @param array<int, string> $excludedTags
      * @return array<int, array<string, mixed>>
diff --git a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php
index b6234273..35dfdacb 100644
--- a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php
+++ b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ public function match(DOMElement $element, PatternContext $context): ?array
             return null;
         }
 
+        $hoisted = $this->brandAnchorCarrier($element, $presentationAttributes, $innerHtml, $createBlock, $context->convertElementCallback(), $isRuntimeDomTarget, $navigationUnderlineColor);
+        if ( null !== $hoisted ) {
+            return $hoisted;
+        }
+
         $links = $this->navigationBlocks($element, $presentationAttributes, $innerHtml, $createBlock, $isRuntimeDomTarget, false, $navigationUnderlineColor);
 
         if ( array() === $links ) {
@@ -95,6 +100,162 @@ public function match(DOMElement $element, PatternContext $context): ?array
         return $createBlock('core/group', array_merge($presentationAttributes($element), array( 'tagName' => 'div' )), array( $labelBlock, $navigation ), $element);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * A nav container that holds a branding anchor beside its link cluster
+     * authors THREE elements — the landmark, the brand, and the menu — each with
+     * its own CSS rule. Folding all three into one core/navigation makes the
+     * brand a menu item: the landmark's own box rules then compete with the
+     * menu list's rules on a single element, and the brand emits
+     * `anchorClassName`, which core/navigation-link does not register.
+     *
+     * Emit the landmark as a carrier group instead, holding the brand block and
+     * a core/navigation built from the link cluster alone. Structural position
+     * does the work a class allowlist used to do — a direct-child anchor outside
+     * the cluster — but position alone cannot tell a brand from an ordinary menu
+     * item that happens to sit outside the list, so the anchor must also read as
+     * a brand: a lockup (element children) or a brand/logo cue. A bare
+     * `<a>Home</a>` beside the list stays a menu item.
+     *
+     * Not covered: an anchor holding only an image with no accessible name is
+     * classified as navigation chrome before it reaches the brand test, so an
+     * image-only logo is still dropped — as it is without this carrier.
+     *
+     * The carrier is restricted to a real `<nav>` landmark. That is load-bearing,
+     * not cosmetic: a consumer's raw-anchor link resolution scopes by lexical
+     * `<nav>` ancestry, so a brand hoisted out of the link set keeps its resolved
+     * URL only while it renders inside a `<nav>`. A `div` carrier would put the
+     * brand outside both that pass and the block pass that rewrites
+     * `wp:navigation-link`, losing coverage the folded shape had.
+     *
+     * `hasDirectBrandingAnchorBesideListNavigation()` runs first and keeps
+     * deferring the shapes it already recognises, so this covers exactly the
+     * containers that would otherwise absorb the brand.
+     *
+     * @return array<string, mixed>|null
+     */
+    private function brandAnchorCarrier(DOMElement $element, callable $presentationAttributes, callable $innerHtml, callable $createBlock, ?callable $convertElement, ?callable $isRuntimeDomTarget, ?callable $navigationUnderlineColor): ?array
+    {
+        if ( null === $convertElement ) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        if ( 'nav' !== strtolower($element->tagName) ) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $anchor = null;
+        $cluster = null;
+        $brandLeads = true;
+        foreach ( $element->childNodes as $child ) {
+            if ( XML_COMMENT_NODE === $child->nodeType ) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if ( XML_TEXT_NODE === $child->nodeType && '' === trim($child->textContent ?? '') ) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if ( ! $child instanceof DOMElement ) {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            if ( $this->isNavigationChromeElement($child) ) {
+                // Chrome that scripts drive at runtime is not decoration: a
+                // carrier group would drop it, so keep the source shape.
+                if ( null !== $isRuntimeDomTarget && $isRuntimeDomTarget($child) ) {
+                    return null;
+                }
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            // Block-level content inside the anchor is no obstacle here: the
+            // carrier converts the anchor rather than flattening it into a menu
+            // item label, so a lockup built from a heading survives whole.
+            if ( 'a' === strtolower($child->tagName) ) {
+                if ( $anchor instanceof DOMElement
+                    || '' === $this->anchorLabel($child, $innerHtml)
+                    || ! $this->readsAsBrandAnchor($child)
+                ) {
+                    return null;
+                }
+
+                $anchor = $child;
+                $brandLeads = ! $cluster instanceof DOMElement;
+                continue;
+            }
+
+            if ( $cluster instanceof DOMElement ) {
+                return null;
+            }
+
+            $cluster = $child;
+        }
+
+        if ( ! $anchor instanceof DOMElement || ! $cluster instanceof DOMElement ) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // Settle every cheap structural question before converting anything.
+        // Both conversions below run against the real block factory and record
+        // provenance and runtime islands, so a bail after them leaves recorded
+        // side effects behind for output that was never emitted.
+        if ( 2 > $cluster->getElementsByTagName('a')->length ) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        $links = $this->navigationBlocks($cluster, $presentationAttributes, $innerHtml, $createBlock, $isRuntimeDomTarget, false, $navigationUnderlineColor);
+        if ( 2 > count($links) ) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // An anchor that only converts to an HTML fallback would trade a menu
+        // item for raw markup; keep today's shape rather than lose the block.
+        $brand = $convertElement($anchor);
+        $brandName = is_array($brand) ? (string) ($brand['blockName'] ?? '') : '';
+        if ( '' === $brandName || 'core/html' === $brandName ) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        // The link cluster owns the navigation block's presentation: it is the
+        // element core/navigation stands in for, so the menu list's className
+        // stays with the menu instead of being copied onto the landmark.
+        $navigationAttrs = $this->navigationContainerAttributes($cluster, $presentationAttributes);
+        $navigationAttrs['overlayMenu'] = 'mobile';
+        $commonTextAttrs = $this->commonNavigationLinkTextAttributes($links);
+        if ( $this->isListNavigationSource($cluster) ) {
+            unset($commonTextAttrs['style']['typography']);
+        }
+        $navigationAttrs = array_replace_recursive($navigationAttrs, $commonTextAttrs);
+
+        $navigation = $createBlock('core/navigation', $navigationAttrs, $links, $cluster);
+
+        // The carrier is the authored `<nav>`, so it keeps that tag (see above).
+        // The authored `aria-label` does not come with it: core/group registers no
+        // attribute that carries an accessible name, and inventing one would emit
+        // exactly the unregistered comment attribute this carrier exists to stop.
+        $carrierAttrs = array_merge($presentationAttributes($element), array( 'tagName' => 'nav' ));
+
+        return $createBlock('core/group', $carrierAttrs, $brandLeads ? array( $brand, $navigation ) : array( $navigation, $brand ), $element);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Whether a direct-child anchor reads as branding rather than as a menu item
+     * that happens to sit outside the list. A lockup — an anchor built from
+     * element children such as a name plus a location, or a heading — is the
+     * structural signal; an explicit brand/logo cue is accepted as well so a
+     * single-line wordmark still qualifies. Bare anchor text does not.
+     */
+    private function readsAsBrandAnchor(DOMElement $anchor): bool
+    {
+        foreach ( $anchor->childNodes as $child ) {
+            if ( $child instanceof DOMElement ) {
+                return true;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $this->hasBrandAnchorSignal($anchor);
+    }
+
     private function directSectionLabel(DOMElement $element): ?DOMElement
     {
         foreach ( $element->childNodes as $child ) {
diff --git a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/PatternContext.php b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/PatternContext.php
index 127d389f..417dae15 100644
--- a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/PatternContext.php
+++ b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/PatternContext.php
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ final class PatternContext
      * @param callable(DOMElement, array<int, string>): array<int, array<string, mixed>>|null $convertChildrenWithoutTags
      * @param callable(DOMElement, DOMElement): string|null $navigationUnderlineColor
      * @param callable(DOMElement): string|null $resolvedStyle
+     * @param callable(DOMElement): array<string, mixed>|null $convertElement
      */
     public function __construct(
         private readonly mixed $presentationAttributes,
@@ -25,7 +26,8 @@ public function __construct(
         private readonly mixed $convertChildren = null,
         private readonly mixed $convertChildrenWithoutTags = null,
         private readonly mixed $navigationUnderlineColor = null,
-        private readonly mixed $resolvedStyle = null
+        private readonly mixed $resolvedStyle = null,
+        private readonly mixed $convertElement = null
     ) {
     }
 
@@ -69,6 +71,19 @@ public function convertChildrenCallback(): ?callable
         return is_callable($this->convertChildren) ? $this->convertChildren : null;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Convert one element to the block the generic pipeline would emit for it.
+     * A pattern that keeps a sibling element out of its own block needs the
+     * element's own conversion rather than its children's, so the sibling is
+     * emitted exactly as it would be anywhere else in the document.
+     *
+     * @return callable(DOMElement): array<string, mixed>|null
+     */
+    public function convertElementCallback(): ?callable
+    {
+        return is_callable($this->convertElement) ? $this->convertElement : null;
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return callable(DOMElement, array<int, string>): array<int, array<string, mixed>>|null
      */
diff --git a/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-bare-link-outside-list.json b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-bare-link-outside-list.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9105d4f3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-bare-link-outside-list.json
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+{
+  "schema": "blocks-engine/php-transformer/parity-fixture/v1",
+  "name": "html-nav-bare-link-outside-list",
+  "description": "An ordinary menu link that sits outside the list is still a menu item. Structural position alone does not make a direct-child anchor a brand, so the branding carrier must not hoist it: all three anchors stay core/navigation-link children of one navigation block, and the colour they share is still promoted to the navigation. Hoisting this shape would quietly remove a link from the editable menu.",
+  "source_reference": {
+    "repo": "php-transformer",
+    "path": "tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-bare-link-outside-list.json",
+    "notes": "Product-neutral counterpart to html-nav-brand-anchor-hoist: same topology, but the outside anchor is bare text with no brand cue and no lockup children."
+  },
+  "legacy_comparison": {
+    "skip": true,
+    "reason": "This fixture covers native block decomposition fidelity beyond the legacy converter."
+  },
+  "operation": "html_transformer.transform",
+  "input": {
+    "content": "<nav aria-label=\"Primary\"><a href=\"/\">Home</a><ul class=\"menu\"><li><a href=\"/about/\">About</a></li><li><a href=\"/contact/\">Contact</a></li></ul></nav>",
+    "options": {
+      "static_css": ".menu{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:flex;gap:20px}.menu a,nav>a{letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#DDE3EB}"
+    }
+  },
+  "expected_blocks": [
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0",
+      "name": "core/navigation",
+      "attrs": {
+        "customTextColor": "#DDE3EB",
+        "overlayMenu": "mobile"
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.0",
+      "name": "core/navigation-link",
+      "attrs": {
+        "label": "Home",
+        "url": "/",
+        "kind": "custom"
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.2",
+      "name": "core/navigation-link",
+      "attrs": {
+        "label": "Contact",
+        "url": "/contact/",
+        "kind": "custom"
+      }
+    }
+  ],
+  "expected_fallbacks": [],
+  "expect": [
+    {
+      "path": "status",
+      "assert": "equals",
+      "value": "success"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 1
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 3
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "not_contains",
+      "value": "wp:group"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "not_contains",
+      "value": "wp:paragraph"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "fallbacks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 0
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-anchor-hoist.json b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-anchor-hoist.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b62d0217
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-anchor-hoist.json
@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+{
+  "schema": "blocks-engine/php-transformer/parity-fixture/v1",
+  "name": "html-nav-brand-anchor-hoist",
+  "description": "A nav landmark that authors a branding anchor beside a menu list keeps three distinct elements: the landmark becomes a core/group{tagName:nav} carrier holding the brand block and the promoted core/navigation, so the brand is never folded in as a menu item. Detection is structural — a direct-child anchor outside the link cluster — so a brand class outside any vocabulary allowlist is still recognised. Folding the brand in emitted the unregistered anchorClassName attribute on core/navigation-link, copied the menu list's className onto the nav container, and blocked the shared link colour from being promoted to the navigation block.",
+  "source_reference": {
+    "repo": "php-transformer",
+    "path": "tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-anchor-hoist.json",
+    "notes": "Product-neutral header shape: nav landmark with a direct branding anchor whose class carries no brand/logo token, beside a ul menu whose class carries no navigation token."
+  },
+  "legacy_comparison": {
+    "skip": true,
+    "reason": "This fixture covers native block decomposition fidelity beyond the legacy converter."
+  },
+  "operation": "html_transformer.transform",
+  "input": {
+    "content": "<nav aria-label=\"Primary\"><a class=\"wordmark\" href=\"/\"><span class=\"name\">Harbor Studio</span><span class=\"place\">Camden, Maine</span></a><ul class=\"navlinks\"><li><a href=\"/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"/work/\">Work</a></li><li><a href=\"/contact/\">Contact</a></li></ul></nav>",
+    "options": {
+      "static_css": ".wordmark{display:flex;flex-direction:column;line-height:1}.wordmark .place{font-size:.6rem;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#A9B4C2}.navlinks{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:flex;gap:14px 22px}.navlinks a{letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#DDE3EB}"
+    }
+  },
+  "expected_blocks": [
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0",
+      "name": "core/group",
+      "attrs": {
+        "tagName": "nav"
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.0",
+      "name": "core/paragraph"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.1",
+      "name": "core/navigation",
+      "attrs": {
+        "className": "navlinks blocks-engine-list-navigation",
+        "overlayMenu": "mobile",
+        "customTextColor": "#DDE3EB"
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.1.innerBlocks.0",
+      "name": "core/navigation-link",
+      "attrs": {
+        "label": "Home",
+        "url": "/",
+        "kind": "custom"
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.1.innerBlocks.2",
+      "name": "core/navigation-link",
+      "attrs": {
+        "label": "Contact",
+        "url": "/contact/",
+        "kind": "custom"
+      }
+    }
+  ],
+  "expected_fallbacks": [],
+  "expect": [
+    {
+      "path": "status",
+      "assert": "equals",
+      "value": "success"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 1
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 2
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.1.innerBlocks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 3
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "not_contains",
+      "value": "anchorClassName"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "source_reports.semantic_parity.status",
+      "assert": "equals",
+      "value": "pass"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "contains",
+      "value": "<a class=\"wordmark\" href=\"/\">"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "not_contains",
+      "value": "<!-- wp:html"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "fallbacks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 0
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-carrier-landmark.json b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-carrier-landmark.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4668f4d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-carrier-landmark.json
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+{
+  "schema": "blocks-engine/php-transformer/parity-fixture/v1",
+  "name": "html-nav-brand-carrier-landmark",
+  "description": "The branding carrier keeps the authored nav tag rather than becoming a div, because a consumer's raw-anchor link resolution scopes by lexical nav ancestry — a hoisted brand keeps its resolved URL only while it renders inside a nav. The nested landmark that follows is harmless in saved content: core/navigation is a dynamic block, so the saved part carries exactly one nav element and landmark parity stays 1:1 with the source.",
+  "source_reference": {
+    "repo": "php-transformer",
+    "path": "tests/fixtures/parity/html-nav-brand-carrier-landmark.json",
+    "notes": "Pins the deliberate tagName choice and the landmark and item accounting that goes with it, so switching the carrier to div, losing landmark parity, or regressing semantic parity all fail loudly."
+  },
+  "legacy_comparison": {
+    "skip": true,
+    "reason": "This fixture covers native block decomposition fidelity beyond the legacy converter."
+  },
+  "operation": "html_transformer.transform",
+  "input": {
+    "content": "<header><nav aria-label=\"Primary\"><a class=\"wordmark\" href=\"/\"><span class=\"name\">Harbor Studio</span><span class=\"place\">Camden, Maine</span></a><ul class=\"navlinks\"><li><a href=\"/\">Home</a></li><li><a href=\"/work/\">Work</a></li></ul></nav></header>",
+    "options": {
+      "static_css": "header nav{max-width:1200px;margin:0 auto;padding:22px;display:flex;justify-content:space-between}.wordmark{display:flex;flex-direction:column;line-height:1}.navlinks{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:flex;gap:22px}.navlinks a{text-transform:uppercase;color:#DDE3EB}"
+    }
+  },
+  "expected_blocks": [
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0",
+      "name": "core/group",
+      "attrs": {
+        "tagName": "nav"
+      }
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.0",
+      "name": "core/paragraph"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "blocks.0.innerBlocks.1",
+      "name": "core/navigation",
+      "attrs": {
+        "className": "navlinks blocks-engine-list-navigation",
+        "overlayMenu": "mobile",
+        "customTextColor": "#DDE3EB"
+      }
+    }
+  ],
+  "expected_fallbacks": [],
+  "expect": [
+    {
+      "path": "status",
+      "assert": "equals",
+      "value": "success"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "source_reports.semantic_parity.status",
+      "assert": "equals",
+      "value": "pass"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "source_reports.semantic_parity.landmarks.source.nav",
+      "assert": "equals",
+      "value": 1
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "source_reports.semantic_parity.landmarks.blocks.nav",
+      "assert": "equals",
+      "value": 1
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "source_reports.semantic_parity.findings",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 0
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "contains",
+      "value": "<nav class=\"wp-block-group"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "contains",
+      "value": "<a class=\"wordmark\" href=\"/\">"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "serialized_blocks",
+      "assert": "not_contains",
+      "value": "anchorClassName"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "fallbacks",
+      "assert": "count",
+      "count": 0
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/php-transformer/tests/unit/navigation-brand-anchor-hoist.php b/php-transformer/tests/unit/navigation-brand-anchor-hoist.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8a79e3a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/php-transformer/tests/unit/navigation-brand-anchor-hoist.php
@@ -0,0 +1,302 @@
+<?php
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * Contract for hoisting a branding anchor out of a promoted navigation.
+ *
+ * A header that authors three distinct elements — a nav landmark, a branding
+ * anchor, and a menu list — collapsed into ONE core/navigation with the brand as
+ * an extra menu item. The brand then emitted `anchorClassName`, which is not a
+ * registered core/navigation-link attribute, and the menu list's className was
+ * copied onto the nav container so `.navlinks{padding:0}` and
+ * `header nav{padding:22px}` selected the same element.
+ *
+ * The branding anchor is detected structurally — a direct-child anchor outside
+ * the link cluster — not from a class vocabulary, so a designer's choice of
+ * class name cannot reopen the defect.
+ */
+
+require dirname(__DIR__, 2) . '/vendor/autoload.php';
+
+use Automattic\BlocksEngine\PhpTransformer\HtmlToBlocks\HtmlTransformer;
+
+$failures = 0;
+$passes = 0;
+
+$assert = static function (bool $condition, string $message, string $detail = '') use (&$failures, &$passes): void {
+    if ( $condition ) {
+        ++$passes;
+        return;
+    }
+
+    ++$failures;
+    fwrite(STDERR, 'FAIL: ' . $message . ('' !== $detail ? ' - ' . $detail : '') . PHP_EOL);
+};
+
+$transform = static fn (string $html): array => ( new HtmlTransformer() )->transform($html, array())->toArray();
+
+/** @param array<int, array<string, mixed>> $blocks */
+$findBlocks = static function (array $blocks, string $name) use (&$findBlocks): array {
+    $found = array();
+    foreach ( $blocks as $block ) {
+        if ( $name === ($block['blockName'] ?? '') ) {
+            $found[] = $block;
+        }
+        $found = array_merge($found, $findBlocks(is_array($block['innerBlocks'] ?? null) ? $block['innerBlocks'] : array(), $name));
+    }
+
+    return $found;
+};
+
+$classTokens = static fn (array $block): array => preg_split('/\s+/', trim((string) ($block['attrs']['className'] ?? ''))) ?: array();
+
+// -- Azure-garden shape: brand class outside any allowlist, beside `<ul>` links.
+$unlistedBrandCss = 'header nav{max-width:1200px;margin:0 auto;padding:18px 22px 20px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;gap:16px;align-items:flex-start}'
+    . '.mark{display:flex;flex-direction:column;line-height:1}'
+    . '.mark .name{font-weight:600;font-size:1.4rem}'
+    . '.mark .place{margin-top:7px;font-size:.6rem;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#A9B4C2}'
+    . '.navlinks{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:14px 22px}'
+    . '.navlinks a{font-size:.635rem;letter-spacing:.16em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#DDE3EB}'
+    . '@media (min-width:720px){header nav{flex-direction:row;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:space-between;padding:22px 22px 22px}}';
+$unlistedBrand = $transform(
+    '<style>' . $unlistedBrandCss . '</style>'
+    . '<header><nav aria-label="Primary">'
+    . '<a class="mark" href="/"><span class="name">Harbor Studio</span><span class="place">Camden, Maine</span></a>'
+    . '<ul class="navlinks">'
+    . '<li><a href="/">Home</a></li><li><a href="/work/">Work</a></li><li><a href="/studio/">Studio</a></li>'
+    . '<li><a href="/journal/">Journal</a></li><li><a href="/contact/">Contact</a></li>'
+    . '</ul></nav></header>'
+);
+$unlistedMarkup = (string) ($unlistedBrand['serialized_blocks'] ?? '');
+$unlistedBlocks = is_array($unlistedBrand['blocks'] ?? null) ? $unlistedBrand['blocks'] : array();
+$unlistedNavigations = $findBlocks($unlistedBlocks, 'core/navigation');
+$unlistedLinks = $findBlocks($unlistedBlocks, 'core/navigation-link');
+$unlistedNavGroups = array_values(array_filter(
+    $findBlocks($unlistedBlocks, 'core/group'),
+    static fn (array $block): bool => 'nav' === (string) ($block['attrs']['tagName'] ?? '')
+));
+
+$assert(
+    1 === count($unlistedNavigations),
+    'unlisted brand class: the menu still promotes to exactly one core/navigation',
+    (string) count($unlistedNavigations)
+);
+$assert(
+    5 === count($unlistedLinks),
+    'unlisted brand class: only the five menu anchors become navigation links',
+    (string) count($unlistedLinks)
+);
+$assert(
+    1 === count($unlistedNavGroups),
+    'unlisted brand class: the nav landmark is emitted as a core/group{tagName:nav} carrier',
+    (string) count($unlistedNavGroups)
+);
+$assert(
+    ! str_contains($unlistedMarkup, 'anchorClassName'),
+    'unlisted brand class: no navigation link carries the unregistered anchorClassName attribute',
+    $unlistedMarkup
+);
+$assert(
+    0 === preg_match('/wp:navigation-link(?:(?!-->).)*Camden/s', $unlistedMarkup),
+    'unlisted brand class: the branding anchor is not folded in as a menu item label',
+    $unlistedMarkup
+);
+$assert(
+    str_contains($unlistedMarkup, '<a class="mark" href="/">'),
+    'unlisted brand class: the branding anchor keeps its own class so its authored layout still applies',
+    $unlistedMarkup
+);
+$assert(
+    0 === count($findBlocks($unlistedBlocks, 'core/html')),
+    'unlisted brand class: the hoisted brand is a real block rather than an HTML fallback',
+    $unlistedMarkup
+);
+$assert(
+    '#DDE3EB' === (string) ($unlistedNavigations[0]['attrs']['customTextColor'] ?? ''),
+    'unlisted brand class: the colour every remaining link shares is promoted onto the navigation',
+    json_encode($unlistedNavigations[0]['attrs'] ?? array())
+);
+
+// -- N4: the menu list's className must not land on the nav container, where it
+// would outrank `header nav` and zero the header's padding.
+$assert(
+    array() !== $unlistedNavGroups && ! in_array('navlinks', $classTokens($unlistedNavGroups[0]), true),
+    'promoted nav className: the list class is not copied onto the nav container element',
+    json_encode($unlistedNavGroups[0]['attrs'] ?? array())
+);
+$assert(
+    in_array('navlinks', $classTokens($unlistedNavigations[0]), true),
+    'promoted nav className: the list class moves to the block that stands in for the list',
+    json_encode($unlistedNavigations[0]['attrs'] ?? array())
+);
+$assert(
+    1 === preg_match('/<nav class="wp-block-group(?![^"]*\bnavlinks\b)[^"]*"/', $unlistedMarkup),
+    'promoted nav className: the saved nav element carries no list class',
+    $unlistedMarkup
+);
+
+// -- Tbilisi shape: allowlisted brand class, links in a div cluster with no list.
+$divClusterBrand = $transform(
+    '<style>header.site-header nav{max-width:1200px;margin:0 auto;padding:0.9rem 2rem;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:baseline;gap:0.6rem 2rem}'
+    . '.brand{font-weight:800;text-transform:uppercase;margin-right:auto;line-height:1}'
+    . '.nav-links{display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;gap:0.35rem 1.9rem;align-items:baseline}'
+    . '.nav-links a{font-size:0.76rem;letter-spacing:0.19em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#231f1d}</style>'
+    . '<header class="site-header"><nav aria-label="Primary">'
+    . '<a class="brand" href="/">Harbor Tavern<span>Old Town</span></a>'
+    . '<div class="nav-links">'
+    . '<a href="/">Home</a><a href="/menu/">Menu</a><a href="/about/">About</a>'
+    . '<a href="/visit/">Visit</a><a href="/reserve/">Reservations</a>'
+    . '</div></nav></header>'
+);
+$divMarkup = (string) ($divClusterBrand['serialized_blocks'] ?? '');
+$divBlocks = is_array($divClusterBrand['blocks'] ?? null) ? $divClusterBrand['blocks'] : array();
+
+$assert(
+    1 === count($findBlocks($divBlocks, 'core/navigation')),
+    'div link cluster: the anchor cluster still promotes to one core/navigation',
+    (string) count($findBlocks($divBlocks, 'core/navigation'))
+);
+$assert(
+    5 === count($findBlocks($divBlocks, 'core/navigation-link')),
+    'div link cluster: only the five menu anchors become navigation links',
+    (string) count($findBlocks($divBlocks, 'core/navigation-link'))
+);
+$assert(
+    ! str_contains($divMarkup, 'anchorClassName'),
+    'div link cluster: no navigation link carries the unregistered anchorClassName attribute',
+    $divMarkup
+);
+$assert(
+    0 === count($findBlocks($divBlocks, 'core/html')),
+    'div link cluster: the hoisted brand is a real block rather than an HTML fallback',
+    $divMarkup
+);
+
+// -- A lockup built from block-level markup is still a brand, not a menu item:
+// the carrier converts the anchor instead of flattening it into a label.
+$blockLevelBrand = $transform(
+    '<style>header nav{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;padding:22px}.wordmark{display:block}'
+    . '.navlinks{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:flex;gap:20px}</style>'
+    . '<header><nav aria-label="Primary"><a class="wordmark" href="/"><h1>Harbor Studio</h1></a>'
+    . '<ul class="navlinks"><li><a href="/">Home</a></li><li><a href="/work/">Work</a></li></ul></nav></header>'
+);
+$blockLevelMarkup = (string) ($blockLevelBrand['serialized_blocks'] ?? '');
+$blockLevelBlocks = is_array($blockLevelBrand['blocks'] ?? null) ? $blockLevelBrand['blocks'] : array();
+
+$assert(
+    ! str_contains($blockLevelMarkup, 'anchorClassName'),
+    'block-level brand lockup: the heading anchor is not folded in as a menu item',
+    $blockLevelMarkup
+);
+$assert(
+    2 === count($findBlocks($blockLevelBlocks, 'core/navigation-link')),
+    'block-level brand lockup: only the two menu anchors become navigation links',
+    (string) count($findBlocks($blockLevelBlocks, 'core/navigation-link'))
+);
+$assert(
+    1 === count($findBlocks($blockLevelBlocks, 'core/heading')) && 0 === count($findBlocks($blockLevelBlocks, 'core/html')),
+    'block-level brand lockup: the authored heading survives as a heading block',
+    $blockLevelMarkup
+);
+
+// -- Structural position alone is not a brand. An ordinary menu link that happens
+// to sit outside the list keeps its place in the menu: it stays a navigation link,
+// keeps the promoted shared colour, and never becomes a hoisted sibling block.
+$bareLinkOutsideList = $transform(
+    '<style>header nav{display:flex;justify-content:space-between;padding:22px}'
+    . '.menu{list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0;display:flex;gap:20px}.menu a,nav>a{color:#DDE3EB}</style>'
+    . '<header><nav aria-label="Primary"><a href="/">Home</a>'
+    . '<ul class="menu"><li><a href="/about/">About</a></li><li><a href="/contact/">Contact</a></li></ul></nav></header>'
+);
+$bareLinkBlocks = is_array($bareLinkOutsideList['blocks'] ?? null) ? $bareLinkOutsideList['blocks'] : array();
+$bareLinkNavigations = $findBlocks($bareLinkBlocks, 'core/navigation');
+
+$assert(
+    3 === count($findBlocks($bareLinkBlocks, 'core/navigation-link')),
+    'bare link outside the list: all three anchors stay navigation links',
+    (string) count($findBlocks($bareLinkBlocks, 'core/navigation-link'))
+);
+$assert(
+    array() === array_values(array_filter(
+        $findBlocks($bareLinkBlocks, 'core/group'),
+        static fn (array $block): bool => 'nav' === (string) ($block['attrs']['tagName'] ?? '')
+    )),
+    'bare link outside the list: no carrier group is emitted',
+    (string) ($bareLinkOutsideList['serialized_blocks'] ?? '')
+);
+$assert(
+    '#DDE3EB' === (string) ($bareLinkNavigations[0]['attrs']['customTextColor'] ?? ''),
+    'bare link outside the list: the shared link colour is still promoted to the navigation',
+    json_encode($bareLinkNavigations[0]['attrs'] ?? array())
+);
+
+// -- Semantic parity must read the hoist as faithful, not as content loss: the
+// brand's link belongs to the menu's item list even though it now sits beside the
+// navigation block. A brand that converts to a button nests the same anchor in two
+// levels of saved markup, so it must still be counted exactly once.
+$carrierParity = static function (array $result): array {
+    $report = $result['source_reports']['semantic_parity'] ?? array();
+    $menus = $report['navigation_menus'] ?? array();
+
+    return array(
+        'status' => (string) ($report['status'] ?? ''),
+        'source' => (int) ($menus['source'][0]['item_count'] ?? -1),
+        'blocks' => (int) ($menus['blocks'][0]['item_count'] ?? -1),
+        'findings' => count(is_array($report['findings'] ?? null) ? $report['findings'] : array()),
+    );
+};
+
+$lockupParity = $carrierParity($unlistedBrand);
+$assert(
+    'pass' === $lockupParity['status'] && 0 === $lockupParity['findings'],
+    'hoisted brand: semantic parity reads the carrier as faithful',
+    json_encode($lockupParity)
+);
+$assert(
+    $lockupParity['source'] === $lockupParity['blocks'],
+    'hoisted brand: the reported block item count matches the source item count',
+    json_encode($lockupParity)
+);
+
+$buttonBrandParity = $carrierParity($transform(
+    '<style>nav{display:flex;gap:20px}'
+    . '.mark{display:inline-block;padding:10px 18px;background:#12151a;color:#fff;border-radius:6px}'
+    . '.navlinks{list-style:none;display:flex;gap:16px;margin:0;padding:0}</style>'
+    . '<nav aria-label="Primary"><a class="mark" href="/"><span>Harbor</span></a>'
+    . '<ul class="navlinks"><li><a href="/a/">A</a></li><li><a href="/b/">B</a></li></ul></nav>'
+));
+$assert(
+    'pass' === $buttonBrandParity['status'] && 0 === $buttonBrandParity['findings'],
+    'brand that converts to a button: semantic parity still reads the carrier as faithful',
+    json_encode($buttonBrandParity)
+);
+$assert(
+    3 === $buttonBrandParity['blocks'] && $buttonBrandParity['source'] === $buttonBrandParity['blocks'],
+    'brand that converts to a button: its anchor is counted once, not once per markup level',
+    json_encode($buttonBrandParity)
+);
+
+// -- Control: a menu with no branding anchor keeps today's single navigation block.
+$plainMenu = $transform(
+    '<style>.main-nav{display:flex;gap:1rem}</style>'
+    . '<nav class="main-nav" aria-label="Primary"><ul><li><a href="/">Home</a></li><li><a href="/about/">About</a></li></ul></nav>'
+);
+$plainBlocks = is_array($plainMenu['blocks'] ?? null) ? $plainMenu['blocks'] : array();
+
+$assert(
+    1 === count($plainBlocks) && 'core/navigation' === (string) ($plainBlocks[0]['blockName'] ?? ''),
+    'no branding anchor control: the promoted navigation is not wrapped in a carrier group',
+    json_encode(array_map(static fn (array $block): string => (string) ($block['blockName'] ?? ''), $plainBlocks))
+);
+$assert(
+    2 === count($findBlocks($plainBlocks, 'core/navigation-link')),
+    'no branding anchor control: both menu anchors remain navigation links',
+    (string) count($findBlocks($plainBlocks, 'core/navigation-link'))
+);
+
+if ( $failures > 0 ) {
+    fwrite(STDERR, "Navigation brand anchor hoist contract: {$failures} failed, {$passes} passed\n");
+    exit(1);
+}
+
+fwrite(STDOUT, "Navigation brand anchor hoist contract passed: {$passes} assertions\n");