diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 16ab5e3..75ee695 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,6 +10,19 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 
 - _No unreleased entries yet._
 
+### Changed
+
+- Gate intent normalization now treats omitted target `discovery_method` as `unknown` instead of empty so policies can deterministically match unknown/dynamic discovery paths.
+- Durable job resume now preserves the originally bound identity and rejects attempts to resume with a different identity.
+
+### Upgrade Notes
+
+- Intent digest derivation changed for intents with targets that omit `discovery_method`.
+- Existing approval tokens minted before this change will fail verification against newly normalized digests and must be reminted after upgrade.
+- Recommended post-upgrade validation:
+  - `gait gate eval --policy <policy.yaml> --intent <intent.json> --json`
+  - `gait approve --intent-digest <new_digest> --policy-digest <policy_digest> ...`
+
 ## [1.2.3] - 2026-02-16
 
 ### Added
diff --git a/cmd/gait/job_cli_test.go b/cmd/gait/job_cli_test.go
index bbe27f3..31de446 100644
--- a/cmd/gait/job_cli_test.go
+++ b/cmd/gait/job_cli_test.go
@@ -245,6 +245,20 @@ rules:
 	if pauseAgainCode != exitOK || pauseAgainOut.Job == nil || pauseAgainOut.Job.Status != "paused" {
 		t.Fatalf("pause before revoked identity check expected paused: code=%d output=%#v", pauseAgainCode, pauseAgainOut)
 	}
+	mismatchCode, mismatchOut := runJobJSON(t, []string{
+		"resume",
+		"--id", jobID,
+		"--root", root,
+		"--policy", policyB,
+		"--identity", "agent.bob",
+		"--json",
+	})
+	if mismatchCode != exitInvalidInput {
+		t.Fatalf("resume with identity mismatch expected %d got %d output=%#v", exitInvalidInput, mismatchCode, mismatchOut)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(mismatchOut.Error, "identity binding mismatch") {
+		t.Fatalf("expected identity binding mismatch error, got %#v", mismatchOut)
+	}
 
 	revocationsPath := filepath.Join(workDir, "revoked_identities.txt")
 	if err := os.WriteFile(revocationsPath, []byte("agent.alice\n"), 0o600); err != nil {
diff --git a/core/gate/intent.go b/core/gate/intent.go
index f66c1b6..95234d2 100644
--- a/core/gate/intent.go
+++ b/core/gate/intent.go
@@ -424,7 +424,7 @@ func normalizeTargets(toolName string, targets []schemagate.IntentTarget) ([]sch
 func normalizeDiscoveryMethod(value string) string {
 	method := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(value))
 	if method == "" {
-		return ""
+		return "unknown"
 	}
 	return strings.NewReplacer("-", "_", " ", "_").Replace(method)
 }
diff --git a/core/gate/intent_test.go b/core/gate/intent_test.go
index 8d6e014..2e2e7c9 100644
--- a/core/gate/intent_test.go
+++ b/core/gate/intent_test.go
@@ -611,6 +611,17 @@ func TestNormalizeTargetsAndProvenanceErrors(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected unsupported endpoint class to fail")
 	}
 	targets, err := normalizeTargets("tool.demo", []schemagate.IntentTarget{{
+		Kind:      "path",
+		Value:     "/tmp/in",
+		Operation: "read",
+	}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("normalize targets with omitted discovery method: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(targets) != 1 || targets[0].DiscoveryMethod != "unknown" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected omitted discovery method to normalize to unknown, got %#v", targets)
+	}
+	targets, err = normalizeTargets("tool.demo", []schemagate.IntentTarget{{
 		Kind:            "path",
 		Value:           "/tmp/out",
 		Operation:       "write",
diff --git a/core/gate/policy_test.go b/core/gate/policy_test.go
index a1faa74..66bdbc0 100644
--- a/core/gate/policy_test.go
+++ b/core/gate/policy_test.go
@@ -565,6 +565,41 @@ func TestRuleMatchesCoverage(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestEvaluatePolicyMatchesUnknownDiscoveryMethod(t *testing.T) {
+	policy, err := ParsePolicyYAML([]byte(`
+default_verdict: block
+rules:
+  - name: allow_unknown_discovery
+    effect: allow
+    match:
+      endpoint_class: [fs.read]
+      discovery_method: [unknown]
+`))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse policy: %v", err)
+	}
+	intent := baseIntent()
+	intent.ToolName = "tool.read"
+	intent.Targets = []schemagate.IntentTarget{
+		{
+			Kind:          "path",
+			Value:         "/tmp/input.txt",
+			Operation:     "read",
+			EndpointClass: "fs.read",
+		},
+	}
+	outcome, err := EvaluatePolicyDetailed(policy, intent, EvalOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("evaluate policy detailed: %v", err)
+	}
+	if outcome.Result.Verdict != "allow" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected allow verdict, got %#v", outcome.Result)
+	}
+	if outcome.MatchedRule != "allow_unknown_discovery" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected unknown-discovery rule to match, got %q", outcome.MatchedRule)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestShouldFailClosedAndBuildGateResultDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 	if shouldFailClosed(FailClosedPolicy{Enabled: true, RiskClasses: nil}, "high") {
 		t.Fatalf("expected fail-closed to be disabled with empty risk classes")
diff --git a/core/jobruntime/runtime.go b/core/jobruntime/runtime.go
index 8075de3..2c238b7 100644
--- a/core/jobruntime/runtime.go
+++ b/core/jobruntime/runtime.go
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ var (
 	ErrPolicyEvaluationRequired  = errors.New("policy evaluation required")
 	ErrIdentityValidationMissing = errors.New("identity validation required")
 	ErrIdentityRevoked           = errors.New("identity revoked")
+	ErrIdentityBindingMismatch   = errors.New("identity binding mismatch")
 )
 
 type JobState struct {
@@ -401,18 +402,23 @@ func Resume(root string, jobID string, opts ResumeOptions) (JobState, error) {
 		if policyRef != "" {
 			state.PolicyRef = policyRef
 		}
-		identity := strings.TrimSpace(opts.Identity)
+		boundIdentity := strings.TrimSpace(state.Identity)
+		providedIdentity := strings.TrimSpace(opts.Identity)
+		if boundIdentity != "" && providedIdentity != "" && providedIdentity != boundIdentity {
+			return JobState{}, Event{}, fmt.Errorf("%w: expected=%s provided=%s", ErrIdentityBindingMismatch, boundIdentity, providedIdentity)
+		}
+		identity := boundIdentity
 		if identity == "" {
-			identity = strings.TrimSpace(state.Identity)
+			identity = providedIdentity
 		}
-		identityValidationRequired := opts.RequireIdentityValidation || strings.TrimSpace(state.Identity) != ""
+		identityValidationRequired := opts.RequireIdentityValidation || boundIdentity != ""
 		if identityValidationRequired && identity == "" {
 			return JobState{}, Event{}, fmt.Errorf("%w: identity is required for resume validation", ErrIdentityValidationMissing)
 		}
 		if identity != "" && opts.IdentityRevoked {
 			return JobState{}, Event{}, fmt.Errorf("%w: %s", ErrIdentityRevoked, identity)
 		}
-		if identity != "" {
+		if boundIdentity == "" && identity != "" {
 			state.Identity = identity
 		}
 		reasonCode := "resumed"
diff --git a/core/jobruntime/runtime_test.go b/core/jobruntime/runtime_test.go
index ff8d22c..5abee89 100644
--- a/core/jobruntime/runtime_test.go
+++ b/core/jobruntime/runtime_test.go
@@ -245,6 +245,30 @@ func TestResumeIdentityValidationErrors(t *testing.T) {
 	}); !errors.Is(err, ErrIdentityRevoked) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected identity revoked error, got %v", err)
 	}
+
+	if _, err := Submit(root, SubmitOptions{
+		JobID:                  "job-identity-mismatch",
+		EnvironmentFingerprint: "env:a",
+		Identity:               "agent.alice",
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("submit identity-mismatch job: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Pause(root, "job-identity-mismatch", TransitionOptions{}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("pause identity-mismatch job: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := Resume(root, "job-identity-mismatch", ResumeOptions{
+		CurrentEnvironmentFingerprint: "env:a",
+		Identity:                      "agent.bob",
+	}); !errors.Is(err, ErrIdentityBindingMismatch) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected identity binding mismatch error, got %v", err)
+	}
+	state, err := Status(root, "job-identity-mismatch")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("status identity-mismatch job: %v", err)
+	}
+	if state.Identity != "agent.alice" {
+		t.Fatalf("expected bound identity to remain unchanged, got %#v", state)
+	}
 }
 
 func TestInvalidPauseTransition(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/docs/approval_runbook.md b/docs/approval_runbook.md
index 3ac0dd1..f61466c 100644
--- a/docs/approval_runbook.md
+++ b/docs/approval_runbook.md
@@ -27,6 +27,12 @@ Runtime performance and reliability expectations for this path are defined in:
 - Signing keys are provisioned in a secure keystore or HSM-backed secret manager.
 - Public verification keys are distributed to runtime and audit systems.
 
+Upgrade note (digest compatibility):
+
+- Current Gate normalization treats omitted target `discovery_method` as `unknown`.
+- If your historical intents omitted `discovery_method`, `intent_digest` values will differ from pre-upgrade values.
+- Remint approval tokens against the current `intent_digest` and `policy_digest` before resuming production traffic.
+
 ## Step 1: Evaluate Intent
 
 ```bash
@@ -87,6 +93,8 @@ gait approve \
 
 For multi-party requirements, mint additional tokens (`token_b.json`, ...).
 
+If this is part of an upgrade rollout, always rerun Step 1 and remint from the newly emitted digest pair before Step 3.
+
 ## Step 3: Re-evaluate With Approval Token Chain
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/internal/integration/testdata/gate_eval_trace_verify.golden.json b/internal/integration/testdata/gate_eval_trace_verify.golden.json
index c239507..6bc7838 100644
--- a/internal/integration/testdata/gate_eval_trace_verify.golden.json
+++ b/internal/integration/testdata/gate_eval_trace_verify.golden.json
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 {
-  "intent_digest": "8d4604103ea4546edb522503436f5452ec22851b69024253017a8420db74e965",
+  "intent_digest": "c71b632af6a89397df565f076a47dbce7068687ab7df996b349648b9ecf4bd24",
   "policy_digest": "f4581f55c41a3ee69b316c95f66fbfc293ae7f06e6458491e3ca232dfb26608c",
   "reason_codes": [
     "blocked_external"
   ],
-  "trace_id": "d2c128824fb77a2bc4944f46",
+  "trace_id": "e577ad07bd4f047ab3ac0406",
   "verdict": "block",
   "violations": [
     "external_target"
diff --git a/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval-token.json b/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval-token.json
index d3fc14a..c06c619 100644
--- a/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval-token.json
+++ b/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval-token.json
@@ -1,21 +1,21 @@
 {
   "schema_id": "gait.gate.approval_token",
   "schema_version": "1.0.0",
-  "created_at": "2026-02-18T19:13:05.165818Z",
+  "created_at": "2026-02-22T17:42:20.549368Z",
   "producer_version": "0.0.0-dev",
-  "token_id": "dfa1d0984e22f984a9c0ca45",
+  "token_id": "824b539851b82d38ca5fac04",
   "approver_identity": "human.reviewer",
   "reason_code": "MANUAL_APPROVAL",
-  "intent_digest": "350b03d56a4427cdddccb78038cf7ce3eb47d497242749793ddc15d0c809a24b",
+  "intent_digest": "29114c07f93d042f2092e84a25445986dcfdfa63b3a42f719250f5c0bb596375",
   "policy_digest": "07a528a879e4f0e0cd5a0e2ca801924746b47dac624862207ef21d4ec266f8f9",
   "scope": [
     "tool:tool.write"
   ],
-  "expires_at": "2026-02-18T19:13:06.165818Z",
+  "expires_at": "2026-02-22T17:42:20.550368Z",
   "signature": {
     "alg": "ed25519",
-    "key_id": "4057fdde7cca116d12910f084ed93107c06bf44ed971c9c7ef72ea172776c4da",
-    "sig": "e0lnN37/bjusfb5lfIC/tin5NSbZL5zIn/bhOB5kmzQ8asCfVYejple6c86bfam+pWnPqycKAGTb63yfvw7MCQ==",
-    "signed_digest": "e30643b2f6fbb5d3929b08173f8f61f56c3a2c06b0e7ed3795b2e6ad191e317e"
+    "key_id": "8393424682c702d59a923d26924b2d4827711e6c585117077766645e22efeb52",
+    "sig": "x16WXIk4e2QPqqR0NSl9jlaS7ArMCJfUZGtBarSq6q79GYaC5wW9FDumtQl1/YLtcGFtzyZiNonVoIbgpKdYBQ==",
+    "signed_digest": "96e041b617e6e13835b9f5a5789564228ef20b4578f5299b90eec0fe083dea3c"
   }
 }
diff --git a/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval_public.key b/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval_public.key
index 50a1ffa..9d1c2d1 100644
--- a/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval_public.key
+++ b/scenarios/gait/approval-expiry-1s-past/approval_public.key
@@ -1 +1 @@
-pqc3MBXcSfGexJz8uZLMOgzHSCvvYOXlkyqRi970UFk=
+2452IFcJJprSJUSaASiKpWRN4bzs7KbckliBk2cKGeg=
diff --git a/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval-token.json b/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval-token.json
index b650983..010de69 100644
--- a/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval-token.json
+++ b/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval-token.json
@@ -1,21 +1,21 @@
 {
   "schema_id": "gait.gate.approval_token",
   "schema_version": "1.0.0",
-  "created_at": "2026-02-18T19:13:05.081373Z",
+  "created_at": "2026-02-22T17:42:20.324925Z",
   "producer_version": "0.0.0-dev",
-  "token_id": "da3a8c4454aaba580ea21586",
+  "token_id": "393bcea4466e16430690ad3f",
   "approver_identity": "human.reviewer",
   "reason_code": "MANUAL_APPROVAL",
-  "intent_digest": "0b82a0291b42e868e91897bbeaa6a16bf76694ad21a6c3aa5e8fa5d44b7562b6",
+  "intent_digest": "51ad46c45717bbc5baec288fa2eec502ea41b701b5cd6ef32c9ceec7f2f9607b",
   "policy_digest": "07a528a879e4f0e0cd5a0e2ca801924746b47dac624862207ef21d4ec266f8f9",
   "scope": [
     "tool:tool.write"
   ],
-  "expires_at": "2036-02-16T19:13:05.081373Z",
+  "expires_at": "2036-02-20T17:42:20.324925Z",
   "signature": {
     "alg": "ed25519",
-    "key_id": "ff74abb7cb8fcdcfeed002ba39fd6c8b074afaa02e214d626f5677f5a2fcafd2",
-    "sig": "C2fcpy/QaFHuqpV7fhLInhCwoPBwT1uZ3rvCEUMbAuEz4ueeJPMcsXMVAt53AUrEMWg5+NtCzMRc6iIji5d/Cg==",
-    "signed_digest": "fc0f39bf6c5ea451f66e1ac97d6ffed0a7f5f67be04cb23f21ae031c3ece6a66"
+    "key_id": "8393424682c702d59a923d26924b2d4827711e6c585117077766645e22efeb52",
+    "sig": "owZR6DISeHWFK1i96XgM2likqw9yEBePCRetXg7wz8peGUh97bHcWWdKKy47t4Bi1HqpLlKB4goBMRkm2M9SDQ==",
+    "signed_digest": "5505a7e20b60c3da039c39c99c67f0ab4c486e1e48febb05e1b715d32124076c"
   }
 }
diff --git a/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval_public.key b/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval_public.key
index d30d8a8..9d1c2d1 100644
--- a/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval_public.key
+++ b/scenarios/gait/approval-token-valid/approval_public.key
@@ -1 +1 @@
-OHLUcz7bHnDiCJOaRaGqVGNeG+j/NYBNd9FNajegulU=
+2452IFcJJprSJUSaASiKpWRN4bzs7KbckliBk2cKGeg=