diff --git a/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh b/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh
index c8cb2f0..6bf88b8 100755
--- a/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh
+++ b/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh
@@ -87,14 +87,14 @@ for fpath in find_agents_md(repo_root):
     with open(fpath, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace") as f:
         lines = f.readlines()
     for i, line in enumerate(lines, start=1):
-        if PLACEHOLDER_RE.search(line):
-            continue
         for label, pattern in PATTERNS:
             m = pattern.search(line)
             if not m:
                 continue
-            # Re-check placeholder allowlist against just the matched value, in case
-            # the placeholder marker sits outside the regex's own match span.
+            # Scope the placeholder allowlist to the matched secret-candidate
+            # substring only. Checking the whole line would let an unrelated
+            # placeholder-looking token elsewhere on the line (e.g. in a
+            # trailing comment) suppress detection of a real credential.
             value = m.group(0)
             if PLACEHOLDER_RE.search(value):
                 continue
diff --git a/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/tests/validate-secrets.bats b/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/tests/validate-secrets.bats
index 8ff01a6..481fb63 100644
--- a/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/tests/validate-secrets.bats
+++ b/plugins/core/.apm/skills/agentsmd-audit/tests/validate-secrets.bats
@@ -52,6 +52,19 @@ EOF
     assert_output --partial "connection string"
 }
 
+@test "still catches a real secret when a placeholder token sits elsewhere on the same line" {
+    cat > "$TMPDIR/AGENTS.md" <<'EOF'
+# AGENTS.md
+
+## Setup
+- AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIAABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP # see your-token-here for an example, gitleaks:allow (synthetic fixture — this test verifies the placeholder allowlist is scoped to the matched value, not the whole line)
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$TMPDIR"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "AWS access key ID"
+    assert_output --partial "AGENTS.md:4"
+}
+
 @test "detects secrets in a nested AGENTS.md, not just root" {
     mkdir -p "$TMPDIR/packages/api"
     cat > "$TMPDIR/AGENTS.md" <<'EOF'
diff --git a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh
index c8cb2f0..6bf88b8 100755
--- a/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh
+++ b/plugins/core/skills/agentsmd-audit/scripts/validate-secrets.sh
@@ -87,14 +87,14 @@ for fpath in find_agents_md(repo_root):
     with open(fpath, encoding="utf-8", errors="replace") as f:
         lines = f.readlines()
     for i, line in enumerate(lines, start=1):
-        if PLACEHOLDER_RE.search(line):
-            continue
         for label, pattern in PATTERNS:
             m = pattern.search(line)
             if not m:
                 continue
-            # Re-check placeholder allowlist against just the matched value, in case
-            # the placeholder marker sits outside the regex's own match span.
+            # Scope the placeholder allowlist to the matched secret-candidate
+            # substring only. Checking the whole line would let an unrelated
+            # placeholder-looking token elsewhere on the line (e.g. in a
+            # trailing comment) suppress detection of a real credential.
             value = m.group(0)
             if PLACEHOLDER_RE.search(value):
                 continue