diff --git a/.github/workflows/_osv-scan.yml b/.github/workflows/_osv-scan.yml
index 250028b..255dae9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/_osv-scan.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/_osv-scan.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,30 @@
 # Multi-ecosystem lockfile vulnerability scanning via Google OSV
 #
-# Reusable workflow — called from repo-level ci-gate.yml files.
-# Scans lockfiles (uv.lock, package-lock.json, .terraform.lock.hcl, etc.)
-# for known vulnerabilities across all supported ecosystems.
+# Reusable workflow — called from repo-level ci-gate.yml / osv-scan.yml files.
+# Scans lockfiles (uv.lock, package-lock.json, .terraform.lock.hcl, etc.) for
+# known vulnerabilities across all supported ecosystems.
+#
+# Two modes, selected by trigger so a PR is never blocked by debt it did not
+# introduce:
+#
+#   pull_request  -> DIFFERENTIAL. Scans the base ref and the head ref and fails
+#                    ONLY on vulnerabilities the PR introduces. Pre-existing
+#                    findings on the base branch do not block the PR. This is the
+#                    fix for "unrelated PRs (e.g. lock-file maintenance that only
+#                    touches flake.lock) fail because a transitive dep elsewhere
+#                    has an open advisory". Uses the official osv-scanner /
+#                    osv-reporter diff pattern (osv-scanner-reusable-pr.yml).
+#
+#   push/schedule -> FULL. Scans the whole tree and fails on any finding, so the
+#                    default branch still surfaces accumulated/drift debt (new
+#                    advisories can land against unchanged deps). Callers that
+#                    run this on `push:` / `schedule:` (e.g. docs/osv-scan.yml)
+#                    keep their existing behavior unchanged.
+#
+# Config: a repo-local osv-scanner.toml wins; otherwise the org-wide default at
+# <owner>/.github/osv-scanner.toml is fetched. The same resolution applies in
+# both modes (and to both refs in differential mode, since the file persists
+# across the in-place ref switches).
 name: _osv-scan
 
 on:
@@ -25,8 +47,87 @@ permissions:
   contents: read
 
 jobs:
-  osv-scan:
+  # ==========================================================================
+  # PULL REQUEST — differential scan (fail only on introduced vulnerabilities)
+  # ==========================================================================
+  pr-diff:
     name: OSV Scanner
+    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+    runs-on: ${{ inputs.runner_label }}
+    steps:
+      # Full history + persisted credentials so the in-place base/head ref
+      # switches below work.
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - name: Fetch central OSV config
+        if: hashFiles('osv-scanner.toml') == ''
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
+        with:
+          repository: ${{ github.repository_owner }}/.github
+          path: .central-config
+          sparse-checkout: osv-scanner.toml
+          sparse-checkout-cone-mode: false
+
+      - name: Apply config (local overrides central)
+        id: config
+        run: |
+          if [ -f osv-scanner.toml ]; then
+            echo "args=--config=osv-scanner.toml" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          elif [ -f .central-config/osv-scanner.toml ]; then
+            cp .central-config/osv-scanner.toml osv-scanner.toml
+            echo "args=--config=osv-scanner.toml" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "args=" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
+
+      - name: Check out base ref
+        run: git checkout "$GITHUB_BASE_REF"
+
+      - name: Scan base ref
+        uses: google/osv-scanner-action/osv-scanner-action@9a498708959aeaef5ef730655706c5a1df1edbc2 # v2.3.8
+        continue-on-error: true
+        with:
+          scan-args: |-
+            --format=json
+            --output=old-results.json
+            ${{ steps.config.outputs.args }}
+            --recursive
+            .
+
+      - name: Check out head ref
+        # -f: the scanner left no tracked changes, but the locally-copied central
+        # osv-scanner.toml and old-results.json are untracked and survive this.
+        run: git checkout -f "$GITHUB_SHA"
+
+      - name: Scan head ref
+        uses: google/osv-scanner-action/osv-scanner-action@9a498708959aeaef5ef730655706c5a1df1edbc2 # v2.3.8
+        continue-on-error: true
+        with:
+          scan-args: |-
+            --format=json
+            --output=new-results.json
+            ${{ steps.config.outputs.args }}
+            --recursive
+            .
+
+      - name: Report new vulnerabilities (fail on introduced)
+        uses: google/osv-scanner-action/osv-reporter-action@9a498708959aeaef5ef730655706c5a1df1edbc2 # v2.3.8
+        with:
+          scan-args: |-
+            --output=results.sarif
+            --old=old-results.json
+            --new=new-results.json
+            --gh-annotations=true
+            --fail-on-vuln=true
+
+  # ==========================================================================
+  # PUSH / SCHEDULE / OTHER — full scan (fail on any finding; surfaces drift)
+  # ==========================================================================
+  full:
+    name: OSV Scanner (full)
+    if: github.event_name != 'pull_request'
     runs-on: ${{ inputs.runner_label }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v6