diff --git a/scripts/pipeline.py b/scripts/pipeline.py
index 1d7ca3df..7f5a982f 100644
--- a/scripts/pipeline.py
+++ b/scripts/pipeline.py
@@ -144,6 +144,15 @@ def check_consistency(verify_output: str, pack_output: str) -> bool:
 
     print("\n--- 5/8 consistency check ---")
     all_ok = True
+    if not v or not p:
+        # Nothing parsed is nothing compared: a changed output format would
+        # otherwise pass the check without a single platform in it.
+        print(f"  parsed {len(v)} verify and {len(p)} pack results: nothing to compare")
+        all_ok = False
+    for p_label in sorted(p):
+        if not any(_match_key(p_label) & _match_key(v_label) for v_label in v):
+            print(f"  {p_label}: pack with no verify result")
+            all_ok = False
 
     for v_label, (v_ok, v_total) in sorted(v.items()):
         # Match by normalized name overlap.  Platform display labels and
@@ -444,10 +453,14 @@ def main():
     # Step 3b: Destinations both layers claim, and how each was settled. The
     # ones the pack settles by itself must stay at zero cost; the rest name an
     # upstream declaration no build can repair, so this reports and never gates.
-    run(
+    # A crash is not a report: without --strict slots.py exits 0 on every
+    # conflict, so a non-zero code means it never finished reading.
+    ok, _ = run(
         [sys.executable, "scripts/slots.py"],
         "3b/8 slot arbitration",
     )
+    results["slots"] = ok
+    all_ok = all_ok and ok
 
     # Step 4: Generate packs
     pack_output = ""
diff --git a/tests/test_audit_regressions.py b/tests/test_audit_regressions.py
index b448945b..8c24bc3c 100644
--- a/tests/test_audit_regressions.py
+++ b/tests/test_audit_regressions.py
@@ -473,6 +473,29 @@ class PipelineRegressions(unittest.TestCase):
         with contextlib.redirect_stdout(io.StringIO()):
             self.assertFalse(pipeline.check_consistency(verify, pack))
 
+    def test_nothing_parsed_is_not_consistent(self):
+        """A changed output format must not pass with no platform compared."""
+        with contextlib.redirect_stdout(io.StringIO()):
+            self.assertFalse(pipeline.check_consistency("RetroArch — 2/2 OK", ""))
+            self.assertFalse(pipeline.check_consistency("", ""))
+
+    def test_pack_without_verify_result_is_a_failure(self):
+        verify = "RetroArch: 2/2 OK"
+        pack = "\n".join(
+            [
+                "Generating pack for RetroArch [source=full]...",
+                "  a.zip: 2 files packed (2 baseline + 0 from cores), 2/2 files OK",
+                "Generating pack for Batocera [source=full]...",
+                "  b.zip: 2 files packed (2 baseline + 0 from cores), 2/2 files OK",
+            ]
+        )
+        with contextlib.redirect_stdout(io.StringIO()):
+            self.assertFalse(pipeline.check_consistency(verify, pack))
+
+    def test_slot_step_reaches_the_summary(self):
+        source = Path(pipeline.__file__).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        self.assertIn('results["slots"] = ok', source)
+
     def test_every_refresh_failure_reaches_pipeline_exit_status(self):
         for failed_label in (
             "2/8 refresh data directories",