diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate.yml b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
index cd4a2005..780a8037 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -117,6 +117,48 @@ jobs:
       - name: Validate platform configs and emulator profiles
         run: python scripts/validate_schemas.py --source-only
 
+  # A profile written from a clone can cite lines that do not hold the value
+  # it declares; schemas and tests pass it. Each profile a change adds is
+  # confronted with its upstream, both roads into main. An edited profile is
+  # not held to it: the backlog of older refs is reviewed by hand.
+  check-new-profiles:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@3d3c42e5aac5ba805825da76410c181273ba90b1  # v7
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@5fda3b95a4ea91299a34e894583c3862153e4b97  # v7
+        with:
+          python-version: "3.12"
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: pip install pyyaml
+
+      - name: Confront added profiles with their upstream
+        env:
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          BEFORE: ${{ github.event.before }}
+        run: |
+          # A pull request is checked out as a merge commit whose first
+          # parent is the base; a push names the commit it moved main from.
+          if [ "$GITHUB_EVENT_NAME" = "pull_request" ]; then
+            base=HEAD^1
+          elif [ -z "$BEFORE" ] || [ "$BEFORE" = "0000000000000000000000000000000000000000" ]; then
+            echo "first push of the branch: no base to diff against"
+            exit 0
+          else
+            base=$BEFORE
+          fi
+          status=0
+          for file in $(git diff --name-only --diff-filter=A "$base" HEAD -- 'emulators/*.yml'); do
+            name=$(basename "$file" .yml)
+            echo "::group::$name"
+            python scripts/profile_sync.py --emulator "$name" --strict || status=1
+            echo "::endgroup::"
+          done
+          exit $status
+
   run-tests:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
diff --git a/scripts/profile_sync.py b/scripts/profile_sync.py
index 47bf171e..76df322e 100644
--- a/scripts/profile_sync.py
+++ b/scripts/profile_sync.py
@@ -3251,6 +3251,11 @@ def build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
     parser.add_argument("--stale-before", help="keep profiles profiled before a date")
     parser.add_argument("--limit", type=int, help="stop after N profiles")
     parser.add_argument("--changed-only", action="store_true")
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--strict",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="exit 1 when a profile has refs to review, as for a new profile in CI",
+    )
     parser.add_argument("--json", action="store_true", dest="as_json")
     parser.add_argument("--markdown", action="store_true")
     parser.add_argument(
@@ -3600,6 +3605,7 @@ def _refuse_flag_combinations(args: argparse.Namespace) -> None:
                 ("--fetch-plan", args.fetch_plan),
                 ("--triage", args.triage),
                 ("--changed-only", args.changed_only),
+                ("--strict", args.strict),
                 ("--check-version", args.check_version),
                 ("--detect-new-files", args.detect_new_files),
                 ("--watch-hashes", args.watch_hashes),
@@ -3731,7 +3737,7 @@ def main() -> None:
         if not args.changed_only or report.needs_review() or report.name in failed
     ]
     _emit(args, selected, reports, shown)
-    if failed:
+    if failed or (args.strict and any(report.needs_review() for report in reports)):
         raise SystemExit(1)
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_audit_regressions.py b/tests/test_audit_regressions.py
index 29914055..72ee842c 100644
--- a/tests/test_audit_regressions.py
+++ b/tests/test_audit_regressions.py
@@ -230,6 +230,21 @@ class WorkflowRegressions(unittest.TestCase):
             f"{job} carries a condition; the suite must run on push and on PR",
         )
 
+    def test_added_profiles_meet_their_upstream_on_both_roads(self):
+        """A new profile's refs were confronted only if its author remembered."""
+        workflow = self._workflow("validate.yml")
+        runs = [
+            (name, str(step.get("run", "")))
+            for name, body in workflow["jobs"].items()
+            for step in body.get("steps", [])
+            if "profile_sync.py" in str(step.get("run", ""))
+        ]
+        self.assertTrue(runs, "no job confronts profiles with their upstream")
+        for name, body in runs:
+            self.assertIn("--strict", body)
+            self.assertIn("--diff-filter=A", body)
+            self.assertIsNone(workflow["jobs"][name].get("if"), f"{name} must run on push too")
+
     def test_both_events_watch_the_same_paths(self):
         triggers = self._workflow("validate.yml")["on"]
         self.assertEqual(
diff --git a/tests/test_profile_sync.py b/tests/test_profile_sync.py
index 13123f31..6244f660 100644
--- a/tests/test_profile_sync.py
+++ b/tests/test_profile_sync.py
@@ -3804,6 +3804,19 @@ class TestOutputModesApplyTheirFlags(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertEqual(code, 0)
         self.assertEqual([r["name"] for r in json.loads(out)], ["drift"])
 
+    def test_strict_fails_on_refs_to_review(self):
+        """A new profile whose refs miss their value used to pass CI green."""
+        code, out, _ = self._main("--changed-only", "--strict")
+        self.assertEqual(code, 1)
+        self.assertIn("drift", out)
+
+    def test_strict_passes_when_nothing_is_to_review(self):
+        from unittest import mock
+
+        with mock.patch.object(ProfileReport, "needs_review", return_value=0):
+            code, _, _ = self._main("--strict")
+        self.assertEqual(code, 0)
+
     def test_extras_are_refused_with_json(self):
         code, _, err = self._main("--json", "--check-version")
         self.assertEqual(code, 1)
@@ -3872,7 +3885,7 @@ class TestRealignFlagMatrix(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_output_flags_are_refused(self):
         for flag in (
             "--json", "--markdown", "--fetch-plan", "--triage",
-            "--changed-only", "--check-version", "--detect-new-files",
+            "--changed-only", "--strict", "--check-version", "--detect-new-files",
             "--watch-hashes", "--full-diff", "--tree-diff",
             "--accept-changed",
         ):