diff --git a/docs/mcp-contracts.md b/docs/mcp-contracts.md
index 24463a74ba..c85f790e8c 100644
--- a/docs/mcp-contracts.md
+++ b/docs/mcp-contracts.md
@@ -1072,6 +1072,13 @@ bytes and returns the `integrity_contradictions` records for the extracted
 files. An active ASAR unpacked entry whose companion file is absent cannot be
 materialized; extraction fails as `unavailable` with that logical path.
 
+If native DMG child traversal is unavailable after carrier identification,
+the typed failure retains a revalidated root-only inventory under
+`details.partial_observation.inventory`, with unknown child coverage and the
+producer's diagnostics/provenance. It does not borrow or detach an existing
+attachment. Native checksum verification failures still refuse traversal;
+`record-and-continue` recovery applies to structured entry contradictions.
+
 Occurrences use normalized logical paths for identity and lookup. Optional
 `source_path` retains the original path within the owning reader when Unicode
 NFC or reader admission changes its spelling; it is source evidence, not an
diff --git a/src/artifacts/NativeDmgArtifactReader.ts b/src/artifacts/NativeDmgArtifactReader.ts
index cfc1a9dab7..d11ceae997 100644
--- a/src/artifacts/NativeDmgArtifactReader.ts
+++ b/src/artifacts/NativeDmgArtifactReader.ts
@@ -413,27 +413,30 @@ export class NativeDmgArtifactReader implements ArtifactReader {
     );
     const mountRoot = await realpath(await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "rea-dmg-")));
     this.#mountRoot = mountRoot;
+    const arguments_ = [
+      "attach",
+      "-readonly",
+      "-nobrowse",
+      "-plist",
+      "-mountroot",
+      mountRoot,
+      this.path,
+    ];
     try {
       this.#attachMayHaveMounted = true;
-      const attached = await runChecked(
-        this.host,
-        [
-          "attach",
-          "-readonly",
-          "-nobrowse",
-          "-plist",
-          "-mountroot",
-          mountRoot,
-          this.path,
-        ],
-        signal,
-        { timeoutMs: HDIUTIL_COMMAND_TIMEOUT_MS },
-      );
+      const attached = await runChecked(this.host, arguments_, signal, {
+        timeoutMs: HDIUTIL_COMMAND_TIMEOUT_MS,
+      });
+      this.#provenance.push(command(arguments_, ["read", "mount"]));
       this.#attachOutputReturned = true;
       let parsed: NativeDmgAttachOutput;
       try {
         parsed = parseNativeDmgAttachOutput(attached.stdout);
       } catch (cause: unknown) {
+        if (cause instanceof NativeDmgCommandFailure)
+          this.#provenance.push(
+            command(arguments_, ["read", "mount"], cause.exitCode),
+          );
         throw new ArtifactReaderFailure(
           "format",
           "hdiutil returned a malformed attachment plist",
@@ -454,20 +457,6 @@ export class NativeDmgArtifactReader implements ArtifactReader {
             ? `DMG attachment ownership is uncertain: ${this.#ownershipUncertainty ?? "no unique mount under the owned root"}`
             : "hdiutil did not mount a new image beneath the owned root",
         );
-      this.#provenance.push(
-        command(
-          [
-            "attach",
-            "-readonly",
-            "-nobrowse",
-            "-plist",
-            "-mountroot",
-            mountRoot,
-            this.path,
-          ],
-          ["read", "mount"],
-        ),
-      );
       this.#directory = new DirectoryArtifactReader(mountRoot);
     } catch (cause: unknown) {
       if (cause instanceof NativeDmgCommandFailure && cause.stdout !== "") {
diff --git a/src/artifacts/NativeDmgRootObservation.test.ts b/src/artifacts/NativeDmgRootObservation.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c9f4a884da
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/artifacts/NativeDmgRootObservation.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
+import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { build } from "plist";
+import { expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { createTestTempDirectory } from "../../tests/fixtures/temporaryDirectory.js";
+import { scanCanonicalArtifactInventory } from "../../tests/fixtures/artifactInventory.js";
+import {
+  NativeDmgArtifactReader,
+  type NativeDmgHost,
+} from "./NativeDmgArtifactReader.js";
+import { translateArtifactFailure } from "./ArtifactOperationFailure.js";
+import { projectAnalysisError } from "../domain/analysisErrorProjection.js";
+
+it("retains authenticated carrier facts and unknown child coverage when native attachment is unavailable", async () => {
+  const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-dmg-unavailable-root-");
+  const path = join(root, "image.dmg");
+  const bytes = Buffer.alloc(1024);
+  bytes.write("koly", bytes.length - 512, "ascii");
+  await writeFile(path, bytes);
+  const host: NativeDmgHost = {
+    run: async (args) => {
+      if (args[0] === "verify") return { stdout: "", exitCode: 0 };
+      if (args[0] === "info")
+        return { stdout: build({ images: [] }), exitCode: 0 };
+      if (args[0] === "attach")
+        return {
+          stdout: "",
+          stderr: "hdiutil: attach failed - Resource busy",
+          exitCode: 1,
+        };
+      throw new Error(`Unexpected command ${String(args[0])}`);
+    },
+  };
+  let failure: unknown;
+  try {
+    await scanCanonicalArtifactInventory(
+      path,
+      {},
+      () => new NativeDmgArtifactReader(path, {}, host),
+    );
+  } catch (cause: unknown) {
+    failure = cause;
+  }
+  const projected = projectAnalysisError(
+    translateArtifactFailure("inspect_artifact", failure),
+  );
+  expect(projected).toMatchObject({
+    category: "unavailable",
+    details: {
+      partial_observation: {
+        kind: "artifact-inventory",
+        inventory: {
+          manifest: {
+            root_sha256: createHash("sha256").update(bytes).digest("hex"),
+            root_format: "dmg",
+          },
+          coverage: { status: "unknown" },
+          occurrences: [{ logical_path: "." }],
+          provenance: [
+            { arguments: ["verify", path], exit_code: 0 },
+            {
+              arguments: expect.arrayContaining(["attach", path]),
+              exit_code: 1,
+            },
+          ],
+        },
+      },
+    },
+  });
+  expect(projected.details?.partial_observation).toEqual(
+    expect.objectContaining({ kind: "artifact-inventory" }),
+  );
+});
diff --git a/src/artifacts/inventory/scanCanonical.ts b/src/artifacts/inventory/scanCanonical.ts
index 7a2b6a3013..ebded85cf3 100644
--- a/src/artifacts/inventory/scanCanonical.ts
+++ b/src/artifacts/inventory/scanCanonical.ts
@@ -130,6 +130,73 @@ export const scanCanonicalArtifactInventoryInScope = async (
     };
   } catch (cause: unknown) {
     outcome = { kind: "failed", cause };
+    // A mount refusal does not erase the independently classified, hashed
+    // carrier. Retain only that root, with explicitly unexamined children.
+    if (
+      rootFormat === "dmg" &&
+      cause instanceof ArtifactReaderFailure &&
+      cause.reason === "unavailable" &&
+      cause.partialObservation === undefined &&
+      options.signal?.aborted !== true
+    ) {
+      let retained: ArtifactInventorySnapshot | undefined;
+      let rootFailure: unknown;
+      try {
+        retained = await buildInventorySnapshot({
+          path,
+          metadata,
+          rootFormat,
+          rootDigest,
+          rootSource,
+          resourceScope: options.resourceScope,
+          reader,
+          signal: options.signal,
+          nodes: new Map(),
+          occurrences: [],
+          pendingContradictions: [],
+          caseCollisionLimitation: undefined,
+          unknownParentOccurrences: new Set(),
+          traversal: {
+            status: "unknown",
+            limitations: [
+              `DMG child traversal was unavailable: ${cause.message}`,
+            ],
+          },
+        });
+      } catch (failure: unknown) {
+        rootFailure = failure;
+      }
+      outcome = {
+        kind: "failed",
+        cause: new ArtifactReaderFailure(
+          cause.reason,
+          rootFailure === undefined
+            ? cause.message
+            : `${cause.message}; root observations could not be revalidated: ${rootFailure instanceof Error ? rootFailure.message : String(rootFailure)}`,
+          {
+            cause:
+              rootFailure === undefined
+                ? cause
+                : new AggregateError(
+                    [cause, rootFailure],
+                    "DMG traversal and root revalidation failed",
+                    { cause },
+                  ),
+            cleanup: cause.cleanup,
+            cleanupLeases: cause.cleanupLeases,
+            ...(retained === undefined
+              ? {}
+              : {
+                  partialObservation: {
+                    kind: "artifact-inventory",
+                    inventory: retained,
+                  },
+                }),
+          },
+          cause.details,
+        ),
+      };
+    }
   }
   const cleanupFailure = await cleanupInventoryOwners({
     path,
diff --git a/src/domain/analysisErrorPresentation.ts b/src/domain/analysisErrorPresentation.ts
index 7d2813d799..df298d5d22 100644
--- a/src/domain/analysisErrorPresentation.ts
+++ b/src/domain/analysisErrorPresentation.ts
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ const artifactMessage = ({
   if (reason === "unavailable" && details?.unpacked === true)
     return `ASAR unpacked companion bytes are unavailable for ${details.logicalPath}. Select the archive in place with its .unpacked directory beside it, then retry.`;
   if (reason === "unavailable")
-    return "Artifact processing is unavailable for the current target or host. Check artifact support and required tools.";
+    return "Artifact processing is unavailable. Review the reported availability reason and resolve that condition before retrying.";
   if (
     reason === "integrity" &&
     details !== undefined &&