diff --git a/.changes/plugin-quality/chore-tidy-adhoc-plugins-plugin-quality-2026-11-03-8ec3e79c.md b/.changes/plugin-quality/chore-tidy-adhoc-plugins-plugin-quality-2026-11-03-8ec3e79c.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..409c4bf6010
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changes/plugin-quality/chore-tidy-adhoc-plugins-plugin-quality-2026-11-03-8ec3e79c.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+bump: patch
+---
+
+### Changed
+
+- Tidied the audit collectors: one per-heading state reset in collect-categories.sh, a guard clause and a single declaration alternation in collect-standards.sh, with a test that pins the `declare -x` and `typeset -x` forms.
diff --git a/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-categories.sh b/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-categories.sh
index b9a532ff638..df889fdd1c9 100755
--- a/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-categories.sh
+++ b/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-categories.sh
@@ -222,12 +222,12 @@ BEGIN {
   line = trim($0)
   if (line ~ /^## /) {
     close_section()
+    marker = ""
+    items = 0
+    finding_open = 0
     name = substr(line, 4)
     if (name == "Blindspots" || name == "Doc-worthy gotchas" || name == "Unverified claims") {
       section = ""
-      marker = ""
-      items = 0
-      finding_open = 0
       next
     }
     if (name != "Errors" && name != "Improvements" && name != "Quality of life" &&
@@ -240,9 +240,6 @@ BEGIN {
     } else {
       section = name
     }
-    marker = ""
-    items = 0
-    finding_open = 0
     next
   }
   if (section == "" || line == "") next
diff --git a/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.sh b/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.sh
index 57dbebcd944..0ccb7438c79 100755
--- a/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.sh
+++ b/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.sh
@@ -114,10 +114,7 @@ findings=0
 
 cite() {
   local file="$1" needle="$2" line
-  if [[ ! -f "$file" ]]; then
-    printf ''
-    return
-  fi
+  [[ -f "$file" ]] || return 0
   line="$(grep -n -F "$needle" "$file" | head -n 1 | cut -d: -f1)"
   printf '%s' "$line"
 }
@@ -275,7 +272,7 @@ if [[ ! -f "$win_file" ]]; then
 elif [[ -z "$win_cite" ]]; then
   emit_probe windows-path-emit basis-missing "$win_rel" - "citation sentence absent"
 else
-  export_line="$(grep -n -E 'export[[:space:]]+(MSYS_NO_PATHCONV|MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL)|declare[[:space:]]+-x[[:space:]]+(MSYS_NO_PATHCONV|MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL)|typeset[[:space:]]+-x[[:space:]]+(MSYS_NO_PATHCONV|MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL)' "$COMPONENT" | head -n 1 | cut -d: -f1 || true)"
+  export_line="$(grep -n -E '(export|declare[[:space:]]+-x|typeset[[:space:]]+-x)[[:space:]]+(MSYS_NO_PATHCONV|MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL)' "$COMPONENT" | head -n 1 | cut -d: -f1 || true)"
   if [[ -n "$export_line" ]]; then
     emit_probe windows-path-emit finding "$win_rel:$win_cite" "$COMPONENT:$export_line" "exported path-conversion suppressor"
   else
diff --git a/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.test.sh b/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.test.sh
index d7922caaa96..af2c5d6b39a 100755
--- a/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.test.sh
+++ b/plugins/plugin-quality/skills/audit/scripts/collect-standards.test.sh
@@ -88,6 +88,19 @@ has "seam-phrasing status=candidate" "the seam lead is reported"
 has "status=not-applicable" "hook-budget stays not-applicable"
 has "SKILL.md:" "a component path is cited"
 
+mkdir -p "$ROOT/skills/declared" "$ROOT/skills/typeset" "$ROOT/skills/local-only"
+printf '%s\n' 'declare -x MSYS2_ARG_CONV_EXCL="*"' >"$ROOT/skills/declared/run.sh"
+printf '%s\n' 'typeset  -x MSYS_NO_PATHCONV=1' >"$ROOT/skills/typeset/run.sh"
+printf '%s\n' 'MSYS_NO_PATHCONV=1 tool.exe /c' >"$ROOT/skills/local-only/run.sh"
+for form in declared typeset; do
+  run 1 "a $form path-conversion suppressor is an export" \
+    --component "$ROOT/skills/$form/run.sh" --root "$ROOT"
+  has "run.sh:1 note=exported path-conversion suppressor" "the $form form is flagged at its line"
+done
+run 0 "a per-command suppressor is not an export" \
+  --component "$ROOT/skills/local-only/run.sh" --root "$ROOT"
+has "windows-path-emit status=not-graded" "the per-command form is not graded"
+
 mkdir -p "$ROOT/skills/clean"
 cat >"$ROOT/skills/clean/SKILL.md" <<'EOF'
 ---