diff --git a/scripts/verify.py b/scripts/verify.py
index 3172f15d..7c49f955 100644
--- a/scripts/verify.py
+++ b/scripts/verify.py
@@ -900,21 +900,24 @@ def verify_platform(
     )
     zip_contents = build_zip_contents_index(db) if has_zipped else {}
 
-    base_dest = config.get("base_destination", "")
-    slot_overrides = {
-        (key[len(base_dest) + 1:] if base_dest and key.startswith(f"{base_dest}/") else key): path
-        for key, path in slots.pack_overrides(
-            config, emu_profiles or {}, db, zip_contents, data_dir_registry,
-            target_cores=target_cores,
-        ).items()
-    }
-
-    # Build HLE + validation indexes from emulator profiles
+    # Loaded before the slot overrides: a caller passing no profiles (the
+    # README's coverage) got no override and reported a discrepancy at a slot
+    # the pack settles.
     profiles = (
         emu_profiles
         if emu_profiles is not None
         else load_emulator_profiles(emulators_dir)
     )
+    base_dest = config.get("base_destination", "")
+    slot_overrides = {
+        (key[len(base_dest) + 1:] if base_dest and key.startswith(f"{base_dest}/") else key): path
+        for key, path in slots.pack_overrides(
+            config, profiles, db, zip_contents, data_dir_registry,
+            target_cores=target_cores,
+        ).items()
+    }
+
+    # Build HLE + validation indexes from emulator profiles
     # 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
diff --git a/tests/test_system_selection.py b/tests/test_system_selection.py
index 1f68c935..654b72ae 100644
--- a/tests/test_system_selection.py
+++ b/tests/test_system_selection.py
@@ -197,5 +197,28 @@ class EmulatorVerifyReadsNoArchiveItDoesNotNeed(unittest.TestCase):
             result = verify.verify_emulator(["handy"], str(REPO_ROOT / "emulators"), db)
         self.assertTrue(result)
 
+
+class CoverageWithoutProfilesMatchesTheCli(unittest.TestCase):
+    """verify_platform built the slot overrides from the profiles the caller
+    passed, before loading them: the README's coverage passes none and listed
+    a neocdz.zip discrepancy the pack and the CLI do not have."""
+
+    def test_omitting_profiles_gives_the_same_report(self):
+        import verify  # noqa: PLC0415
+
+        if not (REPO_ROOT / "database.json").exists():
+            self.skipTest("database.json is not generated")
+        db = common.load_database(str(REPO_ROOT / "database.json"))
+        config = common.load_platform_config("retroarch", str(REPO_ROOT / "platforms"))
+        emulators = str(REPO_ROOT / "emulators")
+        bare = verify.verify_platform(config, db, emulators)
+        full = verify.verify_platform(config, db, emulators,
+                                      common.load_emulator_profiles(emulators))
+
+        def discrepancies(result):
+            return sorted(d["name"] for d in result["details"] if d.get("discrepancy"))
+
+        self.assertEqual(discrepancies(bare), discrepancies(full))
+
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     unittest.main()