diff --git a/.github/labels.yml b/.github/labels.yml
index 11ee137..9624369 100644
--- a/.github/labels.yml
+++ b/.github/labels.yml
@@ -51,6 +51,11 @@
   color: "c5def5"
   description: "State management and persistence"
 
+# ── Meta ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+- name: "contributors"
+  color: "5319e7"
+  description: "Contributor recognition & governance automation (all-contributors audit, etc.)"
+
 # ── Status ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 - name: "good first issue"
   color: "7057ff"
diff --git a/.github/workflows/contributors-audit.yml b/.github/workflows/contributors-audit.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f743a15
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/contributors-audit.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+# Weekly audit of .all-contributorsrc against current reality.
+#
+# Runs scripts/check_contributors.sh, which checks for:
+#   1. Profile URL drift between README.md and .all-contributorsrc
+#      (failure mode that hit us via #616 → #617 → #620).
+#   2. Contributors with merged PRs missing from .all-contributorsrc
+#      (failure mode that hit us via @yodakanohoshi / @Photon101 /
+#      @kiwamizamurai being absent at the time of the v0.7.8 cut).
+#   3. Contributors eligible for Triage Collaborator per GOVERNANCE.md
+#      criteria (5+ merged PRs, active last 30 days) who are not yet
+#      invited (failure mode that hit us when masukai initially
+#      thought Muawiya-contact still needed elevating — they didn't,
+#      but the only way to confirm that confidently was a manual
+#      collaborators check).
+#
+# When the script reports a mismatch, this workflow opens (or updates)
+# a GitHub issue with the detailed report so the gap is acted on
+# rather than silently accumulating.
+
+name: contributors-audit
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    # Monday 00:30 UTC — slightly offset from the existing nightly /
+    # weekly schedules in ci.yml / codeql.yml so they don't all queue
+    # at the same minute.
+    - cron: '30 0 * * 1'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  issues: write
+
+jobs:
+  audit:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
+
+      - name: Run contributors audit
+        id: audit
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set +e
+          OUTPUT=$(bash scripts/check_contributors.sh 2>&1)
+          EXIT_CODE=$?
+          set -e
+          {
+            echo "exit_code=$EXIT_CODE"
+            echo "report<<EOF"
+            echo "$OUTPUT"
+            echo "EOF"
+          } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          # Also dump to the Action log for quick inspection.
+          echo "$OUTPUT"
+
+      - name: Open / update tracking issue when audit finds gaps
+        if: steps.audit.outputs.exit_code != '0'
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          TITLE="chore(contributors): weekly audit found gaps in .all-contributorsrc"
+          BODY=$(cat <<EOF
+          The weekly \`contributors-audit\` workflow flagged one or more issues with the \`.all-contributorsrc\` file. The detailed report from \`scripts/check_contributors.sh\` follows; please address the gaps either by editing \`.all-contributorsrc\` directly, requesting the \`@all-contributors\` bot to add missing contributors, or opening a Discussion to propose any overdue Triage Collaborator invitations.
+
+          See \`scripts/check_contributors.sh\` and [GOVERNANCE.md](../blob/main/GOVERNANCE.md) for the remediation paths.
+
+          <details>
+          <summary>Full report</summary>
+
+          \`\`\`
+          ${{ steps.audit.outputs.report }}
+          \`\`\`
+
+          </details>
+
+          ---
+
+          *This issue was opened automatically by the \`contributors-audit\` workflow. It will be updated rather than duplicated on subsequent runs.*
+          EOF
+          )
+
+          # Reuse an existing open issue if one already exists; otherwise create.
+          EXISTING=$(gh issue list \
+            --search "in:title \"chore(contributors): weekly audit found gaps\"" \
+            --state open \
+            --json number \
+            -q '.[0].number // empty')
+
+          if [[ -n "$EXISTING" ]]; then
+            echo "Updating existing audit issue #$EXISTING"
+            gh issue comment "$EXISTING" --body "$BODY"
+          else
+            echo "Opening new audit issue"
+            # Ensure the labels exist before the issue create — otherwise
+            # `gh issue create --label` hard-fails if a label is missing
+            # (e.g. on the very first run, before `make sync-labels` has
+            # materialised .github/labels.yml). `--force` makes this
+            # idempotent (update-or-create); .github/labels.yml stays the
+            # source of truth and sync-labels reconciles colour/description.
+            gh label create contributors \
+              --color "5319e7" \
+              --description "Contributor recognition & governance automation (all-contributors audit, etc.)" \
+              --force || true
+            gh issue create \
+              --title "$TITLE" \
+              --body "$BODY" \
+              --label "chore,contributors"
+          fi
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index b63bb12..9f28898 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@ check-skills:  ## Verify .claude/commands/ matches skills (CI gate)
 check-i18n:  ## Check if translated *.{lang}.md files are in sync with English base
 	@bash scripts/check-i18n-sync.sh
 
+check-contributors:  ## Audit .all-contributorsrc for drift / missing entries / overdue Triage invitations
+	@bash scripts/check_contributors.sh
+
 check-changelog:  ## Verify every drt-core v* tag has a ## [X.Y.Z] section in CHANGELOG.md
 	@python3 scripts/check_changelog_monotonic.py
 
diff --git a/scripts/check_contributors.sh b/scripts/check_contributors.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1324423
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check_contributors.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# check_contributors.sh — audit .all-contributorsrc against current reality.
+#
+# Three checks:
+#   1. URL drift — profile URL in .all-contributorsrc differs from the one
+#      rendered in README.md (typically because the README was hand-edited
+#      without syncing the source-of-truth). Surfaces the failure mode that
+#      caused PR #616 → #617 / #620.
+#   2. Missing entry — a contributor with at least one merged PR is absent
+#      from .all-contributorsrc.
+#   3. Triage eligibility — a contributor with 5+ merged PRs, active in the
+#      last 30 days, who is NOT yet a Triage Collaborator per GOVERNANCE.md
+#      criteria. Surfaces forgotten elevations.
+#
+# Exit codes:
+#   0 — no issues, .all-contributorsrc is in sync
+#   1 — one or more issues found; details on stdout
+#   2 — script error (gh / jq missing, unauthenticated, etc.)
+#
+# Local usage:
+#   make check-contributors
+#   ./scripts/check_contributors.sh
+#
+# CI usage (.github/workflows/contributors-audit.yml runs this weekly).
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO="drt-hub/drt"
+ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE=".all-contributorsrc"
+README_FILE="README.md"
+ACTIVE_WINDOW_DAYS=30
+TRIAGE_THRESHOLD=5
+
+# --- prerequisites -----------------------------------------------------------
+
+require() {
+    if ! command -v "$1" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "error: '$1' is required but not installed" >&2
+        exit 2
+    fi
+}
+
+require gh
+require jq
+
+if ! gh auth status > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "error: gh CLI not authenticated (run 'gh auth login' or set GITHUB_TOKEN)" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "$ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE" ]]; then
+    echo "error: $ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE not found (run from repo root)" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+# --- helpers -----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+header() {
+    echo
+    echo "=== $1 ==="
+}
+
+ISSUES=0
+
+flag_issue() {
+    ISSUES=$((ISSUES + 1))
+}
+
+# --- data: parse .all-contributorsrc ----------------------------------------
+
+contributors_json=$(jq -c '.contributors' "$ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE")
+logins=$(echo "$contributors_json" | jq -r '.[].login')
+
+# --- Check 1: URL drift ------------------------------------------------------
+
+header "Check 1: profile URL drift (.all-contributorsrc vs README.md)"
+
+drift_count=0
+while IFS=$'\t' read -r login profile; do
+    # Find the contributor's row in README.md by matching the avatar+login
+    # signature and pull the outer <a href="..."> of the SAME <td>.
+    readme_url=$(grep -oE "<a href=\"[^\"]+\"><img src=\"https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/[^\"]+\"[^>]*alt=\"[^\"]*\"/><br /><sub><b>[^<]+</b></sub></a><br /><a href=\"https://github.com/${REPO}/[^\"]*author=${login}\"" "$README_FILE" | head -1 | sed -E 's|^<a href="([^"]+)".*|\1|' || true)
+
+    if [[ -z "$readme_url" ]]; then
+        echo "  ?  @${login}: not found in $README_FILE (handled by Check 2 below if applicable)"
+        continue
+    fi
+
+    if [[ "$readme_url" != "$profile" ]]; then
+        echo "  ✗ @${login}: drift"
+        echo "      .all-contributorsrc: $profile"
+        echo "      $README_FILE:        $readme_url"
+        drift_count=$((drift_count + 1))
+        flag_issue
+    fi
+done < <(echo "$contributors_json" | jq -r '.[] | [.login, .profile] | @tsv')
+
+if [[ "$drift_count" -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo "  ✓ no profile URL drift between $README_FILE and $ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE"
+fi
+
+# --- Check 2: missing entries (merged-PR author not in .all-contributorsrc) --
+
+header "Check 2: contributors with merged PRs missing from $ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE"
+
+# Filter out bot accounts (allcontributors, dependabot, etc.) — they don't
+# need entries in .all-contributorsrc since their contributions are automated.
+merged_authors=$(
+    gh search prs --repo="$REPO" --merged --json author -L 200 \
+        -q '.[] | .author.login // empty' \
+        | sort -u \
+        | grep -vE '\[bot\]$|^dependabot$|^renovate$|^github-actions$' \
+        || true
+)
+
+missing=()
+while read -r author; do
+    [[ -z "$author" ]] && continue
+    if ! echo "$logins" | grep -qix -- "$author"; then
+        missing+=("$author")
+    fi
+done <<< "$merged_authors"
+
+if [[ "${#missing[@]}" -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo "  ✓ every merged-PR author has an entry in $ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE"
+else
+    echo "  ✗ missing entries (these accounts have merged PRs but no entry):"
+    for m in "${missing[@]}"; do
+        pr_count=$(gh search prs --repo="$REPO" --author="$m" --merged --json number -L 100 -q "length")
+        echo "      @${m}: $pr_count merged PRs"
+        flag_issue
+    done
+fi
+
+# --- Check 3: Triage Collaborator eligibility -------------------------------
+
+header "Check 3: GOVERNANCE.md Triage Collaborator eligibility (${TRIAGE_THRESHOLD}+ merged PRs, active last ${ACTIVE_WINDOW_DAYS} days)"
+
+triage_logins=$(
+    gh api "repos/${REPO}/collaborators?affiliation=all&per_page=100" \
+        --jq '.[] | select(.permissions.triage == true) | .login' \
+        | sort -u
+)
+
+all_recent_prs=$(
+    gh search prs --repo="$REPO" --merged --json author,closedAt -L 200
+)
+
+cutoff=$(python3 -c "
+import datetime
+print((datetime.datetime.now(datetime.timezone.utc)
+       - datetime.timedelta(days=${ACTIVE_WINDOW_DAYS})).date().isoformat())
+")
+
+eligible_count=0
+while IFS=$'\t' read -r author count latest; do
+    [[ -z "$author" ]] && continue
+    [[ "$count" -lt "$TRIAGE_THRESHOLD" ]] && continue
+    [[ "$latest" < "$cutoff" ]] && continue
+
+    if echo "$triage_logins" | grep -qix -- "$author"; then
+        continue
+    fi
+
+    echo "  ✗ @${author}: $count merged PRs, last activity $latest — NOT yet Triage Collaborator"
+    echo "      GOVERNANCE.md path: open a Discussion proposing the invitation"
+    eligible_count=$((eligible_count + 1))
+    flag_issue
+done < <(
+    echo "$all_recent_prs" \
+        | jq -r 'group_by(.author.login)
+                   | .[]
+                   | select(.[0].author.login != null)
+                   | [.[0].author.login,
+                      length,
+                      (max_by(.closedAt).closedAt[0:10])]
+                   | @tsv'
+)
+
+if [[ "$eligible_count" -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo "  ✓ no overdue Triage Collaborator invitations (everyone meeting the bar is already invited)"
+fi
+
+# --- summary -----------------------------------------------------------------
+
+echo
+if [[ "$ISSUES" -eq 0 ]]; then
+    echo "✓ All checks passed — $ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE is in sync."
+    exit 0
+else
+    echo "✗ $ISSUES issue(s) found. See above for details."
+    echo
+    echo "Remediation:"
+    echo "  - URL drift   → edit $ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE to match $README_FILE (the README is hand-fixed more often)"
+    echo "  - missing     → @all-contributors add @user for code (in any PR comment) OR edit $ALL_CONTRIBUTORS_FILE directly"
+    echo "  - Triage      → open a Discussion proposing the invitation per GOVERNANCE.md"
+    exit 1
+fi