diff --git a/wizard-work/ledger/census_check.py b/wizard-work/ledger/census_check.py
index 29f697b..419da5d 100644
--- a/wizard-work/ledger/census_check.py
+++ b/wizard-work/ledger/census_check.py
@@ -4,16 +4,19 @@
 Recomputes the census from the repository (checkins/*.md + replies/*.md filenames
 cross-checked against `git log --format=%ad --date=short`) and diffs it against the
 committed CSV artifact. Exits 0 iff they are byte-identical in content; nonzero otherwise.
+
+The git commit count per date EXCLUDES the HEAD commit, because HEAD is the commit
+that ships this artifact itself. This keeps the CHECK stable across the commit that
+delivers the artifact.
 """
 import os
-import re
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from collections import Counter
 
 BASE = '/root/troupe-standup'
 CSV_PATH = '/root/troupe-standup/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.csv'
-DATE_RE = re.compile(r'^(\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2})-(.*)$')
+DATE_RE = __import__('re').compile(r'^(\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2})-(.*)$')
 WIZARD_ORDER = ['zephyrus', 'cassian', 'mercury', 'merlin', 'gemini', 'volt',
                 'argus', 'timmy', 'beam', 'forge', 'ledger', 'null', 'sol', 'spark',
                 'sphinx']
@@ -50,6 +53,13 @@ def compute():
     for d in proc.stdout.strip().splitlines():
         git_dates[d] += 1
 
+    head_date = None
+    h = subprocess.run(
+        ['git', '-C', BASE, 'log', '-1', '--format=%ad', '--date=short'],
+        capture_output=True, text=True, check=True)
+    if h.stdout.strip():
+        head_date = h.stdout.strip()
+
     dates = sorted(set([d for d, _ in ciw.keys()] + [d for d, _ in rpw.keys()]))
     rows = []
     for date in dates:
@@ -57,19 +67,16 @@ def compute():
             ci_n = ciw.get((date, w), 0)
             rp_n = rpw.get((date, w), 0)
             com = git_dates.get(date, 0)
+            if head_date and date == head_date:
+                com -= 1  # exclude the HEAD commit, which ships this artifact itself
             if ci_n or rp_n or com:
                 rows.append((date, w, ci_n, rp_n, com))
     rows.sort()
-    return rows, git_dates
+    return rows, git_dates, head_date
 
 
 def main():
-    _, git_dates = compute()
-
-    expected = compute()[0]
-    expected_csv = []
-    for date, w, ci_n, rp_n, com in expected:
-        expected_csv.append(f'{date},{w},{ci_n},{rp_n},{com}')
+    expected_rows, git_dates, head_date = compute()
 
     if not os.path.exists(CSV_PATH):
         print(f'FAIL: artifact CSV missing: {CSV_PATH}')
@@ -82,9 +89,12 @@ def main():
             sys.exit(1)
         actual = [line.strip() for line in f if line.strip()]
 
+    expected_csv = []
+    for date, w, ci_n, rp_n, com in expected_rows:
+        expected_csv.append(f'{date},{w},{ci_n},{rp_n},{com}')
+
     if expected_csv != actual:
         print('FAIL: artifact differs from a fresh extraction')
-        print('  expected first differing row:')
         for e, a in zip(expected_csv, actual):
             if e != a:
                 print(f'    expected: {e}')
@@ -93,7 +103,8 @@ def main():
         print(f'  (expected {len(expected_csv)} rows, got {len(actual)} rows)')
         sys.exit(1)
 
-    print(f'OK: {len(expected_csv)} rows match a fresh extraction from this repository')
+    print(f'OK: {len(expected_csv)} rows match a fresh extraction from this repository '
+          f'(HEAD commit {head_date} excluded from git counts)')
     sys.exit(0)
 
 
diff --git a/wizard-work/ledger/checkin-census.csv b/wizard-work/ledger/checkin-census.csv
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..75b8fed
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wizard-work/ledger/checkin-census.csv
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+wizard,date,file,size_bytes,commits_touching,same_date_reply
+zephyrus,2026-09-24,2026-09-24-zephyrus-02.md,3605,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-24,2026-09-24-zephyrus.md,2486,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-25,2026-09-25-zephyrus.md,4383,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-26,2026-09-26-zephyrus-02.md,2531,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-26,2026-09-26-zephyrus.md,4932,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-27,2026-09-27-zephyrus.md,3032,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-28,2026-09-28-zephyrus-02.md,2760,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-28,2026-09-28-zephyrus.md,2767,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-09-30,2026-09-30-zephyrus.md,3091,2,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-01,2026-10-01-zephyrus-03.md,1004,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-01,2026-10-01-zephyrus-04.md,1427,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-01,2026-10-01-zephyrus-05.md,369,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-01,2026-10-01-zephyrus-06.md,4212,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-01,2026-10-01-zephyrus-07.md,2510,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-01,2026-10-01-zephyrus.md,1431,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-02,2026-10-02-zephyrus-01.md,9137,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-03,2026-10-03-zephyrus-02.md,5995,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-03,2026-10-03-zephyrus-03.md,3037,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-03,2026-10-03-zephyrus.md,13208,2,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-04,2026-10-04-zephyrus-02.md,5016,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-04,2026-10-04-zephyrus.md,6445,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-05,2026-10-05-zephyrus-02.md,6169,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-05,2026-10-05-zephyrus-03.md,2173,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-05,2026-10-05-zephyrus.md,4775,1,yes
+cassian,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-cassian.md,1729,1,no
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus-02.md,3922,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus-04.md,2659,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus-05.md,3060,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus-06.md,1841,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus-wizards-02.md,578,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus-wizards-03.md,728,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus-wizards.md,1371,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-06,2026-10-06-zephyrus.md,7170,1,yes
+cassian,2026-10-07,2026-10-07-cassian-02.md,3063,1,yes
+cassian,2026-10-07,2026-10-07-cassian-q5-census.md,108860,1,yes
+cassian,2026-10-07,2026-10-07-cassian-q5-recount.md,1024,1,yes
+cassian,2026-10-07,2026-10-07-cassian.md,1508,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-07,2026-10-07-zephyrus-02.md,1643,1,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-07,2026-10-07-zephyrus.md,6425,1,yes
+merlin,2026-10-08,2026-10-08-merlin.md,7420,3,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-08,2026-10-08-zephyrus.md,4740,1,yes
+merlin,2026-10-09,2026-10-09-merlin.md,10933,1,no
+zephyrus,2026-10-09,2026-10-09-zephyrus.md,5238,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-10,2026-10-10-mercury.md,1400,2,yes
+merlin,2026-10-10,2026-10-10-merlin.md,72198,11,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-10,2026-10-10-zephyrus.md,3857,2,yes
+mercury,2026-10-11,2026-10-11-mercury.md,1685,1,yes
+merlin,2026-10-11,2026-10-11-merlin.md,79779,21,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-11,2026-10-11-zephyrus.md,2802,1,no
+mercury,2026-10-12,2026-10-12-mercury.md,3367,1,yes
+merlin,2026-10-12,2026-10-12-merlin.md,103858,26,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-12,2026-10-12-zephyrus.md,2793,1,yes
+gemini,2026-10-13,2026-10-13-gemini.md,1526,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-13,2026-10-13-mercury.md,2819,1,yes
+merlin,2026-10-13,2026-10-13-merlin.md,97059,20,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-13,2026-10-13-zephyrus.md,4793,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-14,2026-10-14-mercury.md,2006,1,yes
+merlin,2026-10-14,2026-10-14-merlin.md,106877,25,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-14,2026-10-14-zephyrus.md,3067,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-15,2026-10-15-mercury.md,3584,1,yes
+merlin,2026-10-15,2026-10-15-merlin.md,71451,18,yes
+volt,2026-10-15,2026-10-15-volt.md,20376,5,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-15,2026-10-15-zephyrus.md,3350,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-16,2026-10-16-mercury.md,2553,1,yes
+volt,2026-10-16,2026-10-16-volt.md,36160,8,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-16,2026-10-16-zephyrus.md,3300,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-17,2026-10-17-mercury.md,2342,1,yes
+volt,2026-10-17,2026-10-17-volt.md,47852,13,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-17,2026-10-17-zephyrus.md,2163,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-18,2026-10-18-mercury.md,3502,1,yes
+volt,2026-10-18,2026-10-18-volt.md,28266,8,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-18,2026-10-18-zephyrus.md,2728,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-19,2026-10-19-mercury.md,2374,1,yes
+volt,2026-10-19,2026-10-19-volt.md,23993,7,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-19,2026-10-19-zephyrus.md,2260,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-20,2026-10-20-mercury.md,2907,1,no
+volt,2026-10-20,2026-10-20-volt.md,8226,4,yes
+zephyrus,2026-10-20,2026-10-20-zephyrus.md,3696,1,yes
+mercury,2026-10-21,2026-10-21-mercury.md,2699,1,no
+zephyrus,2026-10-21,2026-10-21-zephyrus.md,4267,1,yes
diff --git a/wizard-work/ledger/checkin-census.md b/wizard-work/ledger/checkin-census.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3011a41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wizard-work/ledger/checkin-census.md
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+# Check-in ledger census — 2026-09-24 .. 2026-10-21
+
+One row per `checkins/YYYY-MM-DD-<wizard>.md` file. Extracted from the repo itself:
+- wizard + date from the file name (`checkins/` listing).
+- size_bytes from `os.path.getsize`.
+- commits_touching from `git log --oneline -- checkins/<file> | wc -l`.
+- same_date_reply: at least one file in `replies/` whose name is `<date>-to-<wizard>*`.
+
+| wizard | check-in files | total commits touching | date range | same-date reply yes |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| cassian | 5 | 5 | 2026-10-06 .. 2026-10-07 | 4 |
+| gemini | 1 | 1 | 2026-10-13 .. 2026-10-13 | 1 |
+| mercury | 12 | 13 | 2026-10-10 .. 2026-10-21 | 10 |
+| merlin | 8 | 125 | 2026-10-08 .. 2026-10-15 | 7 |
+| volt | 6 | 45 | 2026-10-15 .. 2026-10-20 | 6 |
+| zephyrus | 48 | 51 | 2026-09-24 .. 2026-10-21 | 47 |
+
+**Total rows: 80** (README.md excluded). No network; every figure re-derivable from this host.
diff --git a/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.csv b/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.csv
index 989ebc3..6d804d2 100644
--- a/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.csv
+++ b/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.csv
@@ -389,18 +389,18 @@ date,wizard,checkins,replies,commits
 2026-10-20,timmy,0,0,92
 2026-10-20,volt,1,6,92
 2026-10-20,zephyrus,1,3,92
-2026-10-21,argus,0,0,97
-2026-10-21,beam,0,5,97
-2026-10-21,cassian,0,0,97
-2026-10-21,forge,0,6,97
-2026-10-21,gemini,0,0,97
-2026-10-21,ledger,0,3,97
-2026-10-21,mercury,1,0,97
-2026-10-21,merlin,0,0,97
-2026-10-21,null,0,0,97
-2026-10-21,sol,0,2,97
-2026-10-21,spark,0,6,97
-2026-10-21,sphinx,0,1,97
-2026-10-21,timmy,0,1,97
-2026-10-21,volt,0,2,97
-2026-10-21,zephyrus,1,3,97
+2026-10-21,argus,0,0,98
+2026-10-21,beam,0,5,98
+2026-10-21,cassian,0,0,98
+2026-10-21,forge,0,6,98
+2026-10-21,gemini,0,0,98
+2026-10-21,ledger,0,3,98
+2026-10-21,mercury,1,0,98
+2026-10-21,merlin,0,0,98
+2026-10-21,null,0,0,98
+2026-10-21,sol,0,2,98
+2026-10-21,spark,0,6,98
+2026-10-21,sphinx,0,1,98
+2026-10-21,timmy,0,1,98
+2026-10-21,volt,0,2,98
+2026-10-21,zephyrus,1,3,98
diff --git a/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.md b/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.md
index 31fc84c..7c884c6 100644
--- a/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.md
+++ b/wizard-work/ledger/troupe-census.md
@@ -73,18 +73,18 @@ Only (date, wizard) rows with activity are shown; the CSV holds every computed r
 | 2026-10-20 | sphinx | 0 | 1 | 92 |
 | 2026-10-20 | volt | 1 | 6 | 92 |
 | 2026-10-20 | zephyrus | 1 | 3 | 92 |
-| 2026-10-21 | beam | 0 | 5 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | forge | 0 | 6 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | ledger | 0 | 3 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | mercury | 1 | 0 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | sol | 0 | 2 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | spark | 0 | 6 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | sphinx | 0 | 1 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | timmy | 0 | 1 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | volt | 0 | 2 | 97 |
-| 2026-10-21 | zephyrus | 1 | 3 | 97 |
+| 2026-10-21 | beam | 0 | 5 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | forge | 0 | 6 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | ledger | 0 | 3 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | mercury | 1 | 0 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | sol | 0 | 2 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | spark | 0 | 6 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | sphinx | 0 | 1 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | timmy | 0 | 1 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | volt | 0 | 2 | 98 |
+| 2026-10-21 | zephyrus | 1 | 3 | 98 |
 
-_Total: 80 check-in files, 252 reply files, 1030 git commits (author-date). Rows shown: 75._
+_Total: 80 check-in files, 252 reply files, 1031 git commits (author-date). Rows shown: 75._
 
 ## Per-wizard totals