diff --git a/scripts/verify.py b/scripts/verify.py
index 3b03bf3f..b51e4c35 100644
--- a/scripts/verify.py
+++ b/scripts/verify.py
@@ -752,20 +752,19 @@ def verify_platform(
         if emu_profiles is not None
         else load_emulator_profiles(emulators_dir)
     )
-    hle_index: dict[str, bool] = {}
-    for profile in profiles.values():
-        for f in profile.get("files", []):
-            if f.get("hle_fallback"):
-                hle_index[f.get("name", "")] = True
     # Ground truth comes from the emulators the platform runs. A standalone
     # profile that loads a same-named file of its own (ZEsarUX's 48K
     # cpc6128.rom against cap32's 32K one) has nothing to say about a
-    # RetroArch pack.
+    # RetroArch pack, nor does its HLE: dosbox-x's FONT.ROM fallback turned a
+    # missing required Batocera BIOS into INFO.
     plat_cores = resolve_platform_cores(config, profiles)
     platform_profiles = {name: profiles[name] for name in plat_cores}
-    validation_index = _build_validation_index(
-        {name: profiles[name] for name in plat_cores}
-    )
+    hle_index: dict[str, bool] = {}
+    for profile in platform_profiles.values():
+        for f in profile.get("files", []):
+            if f.get("hle_fallback"):
+                hle_index[f.get("name", "")] = True
+    validation_index = _build_validation_index(platform_profiles)
 
     # Filter systems by target
     if not target_cores:
diff --git a/tests/test_validation_scope.py b/tests/test_validation_scope.py
index d691e7d2..92989c22 100644
--- a/tests/test_validation_scope.py
+++ b/tests/test_validation_scope.py
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ class ValidationIndexScope(unittest.TestCase):
         self.assertRegex(
             verify,
             r"plat_cores = resolve_platform_cores\(config, profiles\)\s+"
-            r"validation_index = _build_validation_index\(\s*"
-            r"\{name: profiles\[name\] for name in plat_cores\}",
+            r"platform_profiles = \{name: profiles\[name\] for name in plat_cores\}",
         )
+        self.assertIn("validation_index = _build_validation_index(platform_profiles)", verify)
         self.assertRegex(
             builder,
             r"for name in resolve_platform_cores\(config, emu_profiles\)\s*\}\s*"
@@ -39,5 +39,11 @@ class ValidationIndexScope(unittest.TestCase):
         )
 
 
+class HleIndexScope(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_hle_index_reads_the_platform_cores(self):
+        verify = (REPO_ROOT / "scripts" / "verify.py").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        start = verify.index("hle_index: dict[str, bool] = {}")
+        self.assertIn("for profile in platform_profiles.values():", verify[start:start + 200])
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()