diff --git a/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.lock.yml b/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.lock.yml
index f3e978e4..12fc62cb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.lock.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.lock.yml
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@
 #
 # inlined-imports: true
 #
-# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v3","frontmatter_hash":"e7824915f4c55ffc7ed2f3800d9ccafe8dfdb80943292fe394b3aef0c2057b00","agent_id":"copilot","agent_model":"${{ inputs.model }}"}
+# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v3","frontmatter_hash":"49633812bb80b078493fb363f5149af9ff57bae19b6d2ad539ae4fea58b8f301","agent_id":"copilot","agent_model":"${{ inputs.model }}"}
 
 name: "Bug Hunter"
 "on":
@@ -448,6 +448,11 @@ jobs:
           - Edge cases that require unusual or undocumented inputs.
           - Issues that require large refactors or design changes.
           - Behavior already tracked by an open issue.
+          - **By-design behavior.** Before filing, check whether the behavior is intentional:
+            - Look for comments near the code explaining the design choice.
+            - Check if similar code in the same codebase follows the same pattern (e.g., all auth configs use the same optional-fields pattern). Consistency across the codebase suggests a deliberate convention, not a bug.
+            - Search recent PRs and commits for context on why the code was written this way.
+            - If the "bug" requires assuming the developer made an error despite following an established pattern in the codebase, it is probably by-design.
           
           ### Quality Gate — When to Noop
           
@@ -457,6 +462,7 @@ jobs:
           - The bug is speculative — you inferred it from reading code but did not trigger it with code you wrote.
           - A similar issue is already open.
           - The impact is cosmetic or low-severity (e.g., a typo in a log message).
+          - The bug is already fixed. Before filing, search for recently merged PRs that may address the issue: `gh pr list --state merged --search 'KEYWORD' --limit 10`. If a merged PR fixes the exact code path, `noop`.
           
           ### Issue Format
           
diff --git a/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.md b/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.md
index 2c1c44b0..81c84e0f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.md
+++ b/.github/workflows/gh-aw-bug-hunter.md
@@ -121,6 +121,11 @@ Find a single reproducible, user-impacting bug in the repository that can be cov
 - Edge cases that require unusual or undocumented inputs.
 - Issues that require large refactors or design changes.
 - Behavior already tracked by an open issue.
+- **By-design behavior.** Before filing, check whether the behavior is intentional:
+  - Look for comments near the code explaining the design choice.
+  - Check if similar code in the same codebase follows the same pattern (e.g., all auth configs use the same optional-fields pattern). Consistency across the codebase suggests a deliberate convention, not a bug.
+  - Search recent PRs and commits for context on why the code was written this way.
+  - If the "bug" requires assuming the developer made an error despite following an established pattern in the codebase, it is probably by-design.
 
 ### Quality Gate — When to Noop
 
@@ -130,6 +135,7 @@ Call `noop` if any of these are true:
 - The bug is speculative — you inferred it from reading code but did not trigger it with code you wrote.
 - A similar issue is already open.
 - The impact is cosmetic or low-severity (e.g., a typo in a log message).
+- The bug is already fixed. Before filing, search for recently merged PRs that may address the issue: `gh pr list --state merged --search 'KEYWORD' --limit 10`. If a merged PR fixes the exact code path, `noop`.
 
 ### Issue Format