diff --git a/.changes/source-control/fix-lanes-hold-index-mode-pass-read-3f9c2a71.md b/.changes/source-control/fix-lanes-hold-index-mode-pass-read-3f9c2a71.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b36914045da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/source-control/fix-lanes-hold-index-mode-pass-read-3f9c2a71.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+bump: none
+---
+
+### Changed
+
+- The babysit-prs verify-rules sync test lifts the lanes App hold step's pass-name list along with its lookup loop, since the loop now reads the names from that list. Test-only: nothing that ships changes.
diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml
index 0d6b9b46626..9c995edd683 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-require-checks.yml
@@ -6436,17 +6436,31 @@ jobs:
             # holds on it and on the missing pass, and a trusted approval of the
             # head lifts both. An allow with no listing has no pass to bind.
             listed=true
+            pass_names=("pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass" "pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass-$digest"
+              "pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass-notes" "pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass-notes-$digest")
             if [ ! -s "$BABYSIT_VERIFY_LISTING" ]; then
               if jq -e --arg head "$head" '.head == $head and (.refusal | type) == "string"' "$RUNNER_TEMP/evidence.json" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
                 listed=false
                 echo "::notice::the verdict reader refused #$pr before listing artifacts; merge-holds.mjs judges its refusal with no pass."
+              elif [ -f "$(dirname "$VERIFY_EVIDENCE_SCRIPT")/verify-legacy-fails.json" ]; then
+                # FAIL index mode: the reader reads by exact name and saves no
+                # listing, so the head's pass names are read the same way.
+                found=""
+                for name in "${pass_names[@]}"; do
+                  page=$(read_api "the $name artifacts" "repos/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/artifacts?name=$name&per_page=100" --jq '.artifacts[]') || exit 1
+                  found+="$page"$'\n'
+                done
+                jq -sc '{artifacts: .}' <<<"$found" >"$BABYSIT_VERIFY_LISTING" || {
+                  echo "::error::the pass artifacts of #$pr do not parse."
+                  exit 1
+                }
+                echo "the verdict reader ran in FAIL index mode for #$pr; its pass artifacts were read by exact name."
               else
                 echo "::error::the verdict reader read no artifact listing for #$pr: $(tr -d '\r\n%' <"$RUNNER_TEMP/evidence.json")"
                 exit 1
               fi
             fi
-            [ "$listed" = false ] || for name in "pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass" "pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass-$digest" \
-              "pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass-notes" "pr-verify-$pr-$head-pass-notes-$digest"; do
+            [ "$listed" = false ] || for name in "${pass_names[@]}"; do
               verdict=${name#"pr-verify-$pr-$head-"}
               verdict=${verdict%"-$digest"}
               runs=$(jq -r --arg name "$name" '.artifacts[] | select(.name == $name and .expired == false) | "\(.workflow_run.id) \(.id)"' "$BABYSIT_VERIFY_LISTING") || {
diff --git a/plugins/source-control/skills/babysit-prs/scripts/tests/test_verify_rules_sync.py b/plugins/source-control/skills/babysit-prs/scripts/tests/test_verify_rules_sync.py
index 3170c8c8222..ee94ec346f2 100644
--- a/plugins/source-control/skills/babysit-prs/scripts/tests/test_verify_rules_sync.py
+++ b/plugins/source-control/skills/babysit-prs/scripts/tests/test_verify_rules_sync.py
@@ -775,6 +775,8 @@ def at(prefix: str, after: int = 0) -> int:
         raise AssertionError(f"no line starting {prefix!r} in the queue lookup")
 
     digest = at("digest=$(")
+    names = at("pass_names=(")
+    names_end = next(n for n in range(names, len(body)) if body[n].rstrip().endswith(")"))
     loop = at('[ "$listed" = false ] || for name in')
     loop_end = body.index("            done", loop)
     artifact = at("artifact=$(jq -sr")
@@ -783,6 +785,7 @@ def at(prefix: str, after: int = 0) -> int:
         "\n".join(
             [
                 body[digest],
+                *body[names : names_end + 1],
                 *body[loop : loop_end + 1],
                 *body[artifact : artifact_end + 1],
             ]
diff --git a/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh b/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh
index 99188a7b9e9..c22ba0eeb93 100755
--- a/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh
+++ b/scripts/ci-lanes-pr-hold.test.sh
@@ -889,6 +889,17 @@ for refusal in verify:unreadable verify:too-old; do
 done
 STUB_NO_LISTING=1 STUB_EVIDENCE="$(jq -nc --arg head "$SHA" '{refusal: null, head: $head}')" \
   expect "in the merge queue, a reader that allows a head with no listing fails closed" 1 3 "::error::the verdict reader read no artifact listing for #7"
+# FAIL index mode (the legacy FAILs file beside the reader): the reader saves
+# no listing, so the head's pass names are read by exact name instead.
+: >"$TMP_ROOT/verify-legacy-fails.json"
+STUB_NO_LISTING=1 expect "in the merge queue in FAIL index mode, a pass at the head passes" 0 3 "#7: no verifier hold: pr-verify passed this head."
+if [[ "$(lookups)" -ge 1 && "$(lookups)" -le 4 ]]; then
+  ok "in FAIL index mode the pass names are read by exact name ($(lookups) reads)"
+else
+  fail "in FAIL index mode the pass names took $(lookups) reads"
+fi
+STUB_NO_LISTING=1 STUB_ARTIFACTS='{}' expect "in the merge queue in FAIL index mode, no pass at the head holds" 1 3 "pr-verify"
+rm -f "$TMP_ROOT/verify-legacy-fails.json"
 # A cold reader (no carried run cache) runs only when GITHUB_TOKEN's core
 # pool has the cold read's cost for every entry the queue builds at once
 # (the merge_queue rule's max_entries_to_build, STUB_RULES, 1 by default)