diff --git a/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/README.md b/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/README.md
index abf822ea29..8478f8aa74 100644
--- a/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/README.md
+++ b/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/README.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Why a shared lib at all: Codex deliberately reimplements a *subset* of the Claud
 
 - **`matchesMatcher(matcher, query, mode)`** — match-all on absent/`''`/`'*'`; `claude` mode treats a pure `[A-Za-z0-9_|]+` pattern as a literal (pipe = exact-match alternation) and anything else as a regex; `codex` mode is always an unanchored regex. An invalid regex matches nothing (never throws).
 - **`runHook(bash, hook, options, now)`** — serialize `options.payload` to the hook's stdin (with a trailing newline iff `options.trailingNewline`), merge `options.env` after the executor's credential scrub (the `dsh-bash` trusted-plugin surface), honor the hook's `timeoutSec` (else `defaultTimeoutMs`), and decode the result (threading `options.expectedEventName` to the codec). Never throws: an executor rejection (infra fault) becomes a `HookOutput` with `exitCode: undefined` (a non-blocking error). `now` is injected for testable durations.
-- **`parseHookOutput(exitCode, stdout, stderr, expectedEventName?)`** — the exit-code + structured-stdout codec. Exit `0` → parse JSON stdout (lenient: non-JSON is left for the bridge); exit `2` → blocking error, `stderr` is the block reason (surfaced as `decision: 'block'`); other → non-blocking error. `hookSpecificOutput.permissionDecision` (allow/deny/ask) overrides a legacy top-level `decision`; `additionalContext`/`updatedInput`/`systemMessage`/`continue`/`stopReason`/`suppressOutput` are parsed too. The schemas key the `hookSpecificOutput` block by `hookEventName`, so passing `expectedEventName` (the firing event) DISCARDS a block whose `hookEventName` names a different event — its event-scoped fields don't take effect (a `PreToolUse` block on a `Stop` hook is malformed), while the event-agnostic top-level fields still apply. Pure and total.
+- **`parseHookOutput(exitCode, stdout, stderr, expectedEventName?)`** — the exit-code + structured-stdout codec. Exit `0` → parse JSON stdout (lenient: non-JSON is left for the bridge); exit `2` → blocking error, `stderr` is the block reason (surfaced as `decision: 'block'`); other → non-blocking error. `hookSpecificOutput.permissionDecision` (allow/deny/ask) overrides a legacy top-level `decision`; `additionalContext`/`updatedInput`/`systemMessage`/`continue`/`stopReason`/`suppressOutput` are parsed too. The schemas key the `hookSpecificOutput` block by `hookEventName`, so passing `expectedEventName` (the firing event) DISCARDS a block whose `hookEventName` names a different event — or omits it entirely — its event-scoped fields don't take effect (a `PreToolUse` block on a `Stop` hook is malformed, and so is a discriminator-less block that would otherwise apply to any event), while the event-agnostic top-level fields still apply. Pure and total.
 - **`mergeHookOutputs(outputs)`** — fold the results of every hook that matched one point: permission precedence **deny > ask > allow**, halt sticky on the first `continue:false`, block reasons joined with `\n\n`, `additionalContext`/`systemMessages` accumulated in order.
 
 ## `hook/*` session events
diff --git a/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/src/codec.ts b/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/src/codec.ts
index 1b246a3a14..b5170028c2 100644
--- a/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/src/codec.ts
+++ b/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/src/codec.ts
@@ -117,8 +117,8 @@ export function parseHookOutput(exitCode: number | undefined, stdout: string, st
 /**
  * Fold a parsed structured-stdout object into `output` (mutates in place).
  * `expectedEventName` (the firing event) gates the per-event `hookSpecificOutput`
- * block: a block whose `hookEventName` names a different event has its
- * event-scoped fields discarded (only its `hookEventName` is recorded).
+ * block: a block whose `hookEventName` names a different event — OR omits it — has
+ * its event-scoped fields discarded (any present `hookEventName` is still recorded).
  */
 function applyStructured(output: HookOutput, parsed: Record<string, unknown>, expectedEventName?: string): void {
   const cont = bool(parsed, 'continue')
@@ -146,11 +146,14 @@ function applyStructured(output: HookOutput, parsed: Record<string, unknown>, ex
     // Always surface the discriminator (for the log/diagnostics), even on a
     // mismatch — the record should show what the malformed block claimed.
     if (eventName !== undefined) output.hookEventName = eventName
-    // The schemas key this block by event: if it names a DIFFERENT event than the
-    // one firing, it is malformed — discard its event-scoped fields (a PreToolUse
-    // block must not deny a Stop hook). A caller that passes no expectedEventName
-    // opts out of the check (applies the block as-is).
-    if (expectedEventName !== undefined && eventName !== undefined && eventName !== expectedEventName) {
+    // The schemas key this block by event: when a caller passes the firing event
+    // (`expectedEventName`), the block's `hookEventName` MUST name it. A different
+    // name — or a MISSING one — is malformed under the keyed schema, so discard the
+    // event-scoped fields (a PreToolUse block must not deny a Stop hook; nor may a
+    // discriminator-less block silently apply PreToolUse-scoped permission fields to
+    // whatever event is firing). A caller that passes no expectedEventName opts out
+    // of the check (applies the block as-is).
+    if (expectedEventName !== undefined && eventName !== expectedEventName) {
       return
     }
     const permission = permissionDecisionOf(str(hso, 'permissionDecision'))
diff --git a/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/tests/codec.spec.ts b/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/tests/codec.spec.ts
index 4f37f804bb..5f72753c57 100644
--- a/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/tests/codec.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/hooks/hook-protocol/tests/codec.spec.ts
@@ -121,11 +121,23 @@ describe('parseHookOutput — structured stdout (exit 0 only)', () => {
     expect(out.decision).toBe('deny')
   })
 
-  it('applies a block that has NO hookEventName regardless of expectedEventName', () => {
-    // No discriminator to mismatch — the block applies (a hook that omits the key).
+  it('DISCARDS a block with NO hookEventName when a firing event is expected', () => {
+    // Under the keyed schema a missing discriminator is as malformed as a
+    // mismatched one: a discriminator-less block must not apply its event-scoped
+    // permission fields to whatever event happens to be firing.
+    const out = parseHookOutput(0, JSON.stringify({
+      hookSpecificOutput: { permissionDecision: 'deny', additionalContext: 'x' },
+    }), '', 'Stop')
+    expect(out.hookEventName).toBeUndefined() // none to record
+    expect(out.decision).toBeUndefined() // event-scoped fields discarded
+    expect(out.additionalContext).toBeUndefined()
+  })
+
+  it('applies a discriminator-less block when expectedEventName is omitted (opt-out)', () => {
+    // With no firing event to validate against, the block applies as-is.
     const out = parseHookOutput(0, JSON.stringify({
       hookSpecificOutput: { permissionDecision: 'deny' },
-    }), '', 'Stop')
+    }), '')
     expect(out.decision).toBe('deny')
   })