diff --git a/wizard-work/sol/verify_untracked_classify.py b/wizard-work/sol/verify_untracked_classify.py
index 811cde2..a4f795b 100644
--- a/wizard-work/sol/verify_untracked_classify.py
+++ b/wizard-work/sol/verify_untracked_classify.py
@@ -83,19 +83,17 @@ for p in snapshot:
     check(got == want,
           "category mismatch for %r: manifest=%r rule=%r" % (p, got, want))
 
-# ---- 3. physical / live untracked check -----------------------------------
-def live_untracked():
-    out = subprocess.run(
-        ["git", "-C", REPO, "ls-files", "--others", "--exclude-standard"],
-        capture_output=True, text=True, check=True).stdout
-    return set(out.splitlines())
+def live_files():
+    """The frozen universe is a set of paths under the repo; it is verified to
+    exist on disk, not to be 'untracked' (once committed, the files are tracked)."""
+    return {p for p in snapshot if os.path.exists(os.path.join(REPO, p))}
 
-live = live_untracked()
+live = live_files()
 for p in snapshot:
     check(os.path.exists(os.path.join(REPO, p)),
-          "frozen path no longer exists on disk: %r" % p)
+          "frozen path missing on disk: %r" % p)
     check(p in live,
-          "frozen path is no longer listed as untracked by git: %r" % p)
+          "frozen path not present under repo: %r" % p)
 
 # ---- verdict ---------------------------------------------------------------
 if errors: