diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d405b36e..ca0d8f01 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -46,6 +46,14 @@ All notable changes to vouch are documented here. Format follows
   in config.yaml (#476).
 
 ### Fixed
+- `receipts.verify_receipt()` no longer reports `VERIFIED` for an
+  empty-quote, zero-length byte span. the guard only checked `quote is
+  None`, not an empty string, so `quote=""` with `byte_start ==
+  byte_end` decoded to `""`, trivially equaled the empty quote, and
+  verified -- despite carrying no actual quoted text, contradicting the
+  function's own docstring. `locate_span` already refused to mint such
+  a receipt on the propose path; this closes the same gap on the
+  verify path, reachable via bundle import or sync.
 - approve/reject/expire record the audit event *before* moving the
   proposal to decided/. a crash between the two used to leave a durable
   decision with no authoritative history; it now leaves a pending
diff --git a/src/vouch/receipts.py b/src/vouch/receipts.py
index 00ac10a1..12416ff3 100644
--- a/src/vouch/receipts.py
+++ b/src/vouch/receipts.py
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ def verify_receipt(evidence: Evidence, source_bytes: bytes) -> ReceiptResult:
     when the decoded span equals the quote exactly.
     """
     start, end, quote = evidence.byte_start, evidence.byte_end, evidence.quote
-    if start is None or end is None or quote is None:
+    if start is None or end is None or not quote:
         return ReceiptResult(ReceiptStatus.NO_RECEIPT, "no byte-offset span")
     if start > end or end > len(source_bytes):
         return ReceiptResult(
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ def verify_evidence(store: KBStore, evidence: Evidence) -> ReceiptResult:
     """
     from .storage import ArtifactNotFoundError
 
-    if evidence.byte_start is None or evidence.byte_end is None or evidence.quote is None:
+    if evidence.byte_start is None or evidence.byte_end is None or not evidence.quote:
         return ReceiptResult(ReceiptStatus.NO_RECEIPT, "no byte-offset span")
     try:
         source_bytes = store.read_source_content(evidence.source_id)
diff --git a/tests/test_receipts.py b/tests/test_receipts.py
index 23c30eb0..f1b0c259 100644
--- a/tests/test_receipts.py
+++ b/tests/test_receipts.py
@@ -98,6 +98,19 @@ def test_no_receipt_when_quote_absent() -> None:
     assert result.status is ReceiptStatus.NO_RECEIPT
 
 
+def test_no_receipt_when_quote_is_empty_string() -> None:
+    # a zero-length span decodes to "" and trivially equals an empty quote --
+    # the docstring promises NO_RECEIPT for "no quote to compare", and
+    # locate_span already refuses to mint an empty-quote receipt for the same
+    # reason (see test_locate_span_returns_none_for_empty_quote); verify_receipt
+    # must reject one landing on disk some other way (bundle import, sync),
+    # not report it VERIFIED.
+    ev = _ev(quote="", byte_start=0, byte_end=0)
+    result = verify_receipt(ev, SOURCE)
+    assert result.status is ReceiptStatus.NO_RECEIPT
+    assert result.verified is False
+
+
 def test_receipt_uses_byte_offsets_not_char_offsets() -> None:
     # "café — au lait": 'é' is 2 bytes (0xc3 0xa9), '—' is 3 bytes (em dash).
     # "au lait" starts at char index 7 but byte index 10. A char-offset
@@ -160,6 +173,23 @@ def test_verify_evidence_not_verified_when_source_missing(store: KBStore) -> Non
     assert result.verified is False
 
 
+def test_verify_evidence_no_receipt_for_empty_quote_and_missing_source(
+    store: KBStore,
+) -> None:
+    # verify_evidence has its own pre-check ahead of the source-read (so a
+    # missing source doesn't mask a plain "nothing to compare" case) --
+    # it must apply the same falsy-quote rule verify_receipt does, or an
+    # empty quote paired with a missing source reports FORGED instead of
+    # NO_RECEIPT, same bug as verify_receipt's, one call site up.
+    ev = Evidence(
+        id="e4", source_id="does-not-exist",
+        locator="x", quote="", byte_start=0, byte_end=0,
+    )
+    result = verify_evidence(store, ev)
+    assert result.status is ReceiptStatus.NO_RECEIPT
+    assert result.verified is False
+
+
 # ---- the quote step: locate a span, or drop what cannot be quoted ----