diff --git a/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.test.ts b/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.test.ts
index 6e56ea3e60..48603df3b4 100644
--- a/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.test.ts
+++ b/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.test.ts
@@ -74,6 +74,23 @@ const diagnostics = (offset: number, limit: number) =>
     limit,
   }) as const;
 
+it("reads historical capture Evidence without inventing executable identity", () => {
+  const result = projectAnalysisView(capture(""), { kind: "summary" });
+  if (!result.ok) throw result.error;
+  if (result.value.kind !== "summary")
+    throw new Error("Expected a packet summary.");
+  if (!("client" in result.value.summary))
+    throw new Error("Expected packet client facts.");
+  expect(result.value.summary.client).toMatchObject({
+    tshark_resolved_path: null,
+    tshark_sha256: null,
+    tshark_identity_status: "unresolved",
+    capinfos_resolved_path: null,
+    capinfos_sha256: null,
+    capinfos_identity_status: "unresolved",
+  });
+});
+
 it("pages diagnostics without splitting a surrogate pair", () => {
   const parent = capture("ab😀cd");
   expect(projectAnalysisView(parent, diagnostics(3, 2))).toMatchObject({
diff --git a/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.ts b/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.ts
index c8659dd432..16b045a601 100644
--- a/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.ts
+++ b/src/domain/analysisView/pcapCaptureView.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { analysisViewInputError } from "./analysisViewErrors.js";
 import { z } from "zod";
-import { pcapResultSchemas } from "../pcap/pcapAnalysis.js";
+import { pcapEvidenceSchemas } from "../pcap/pcapAnalysis.js";
 import { analysisInputErrorFromIssues } from "../inputIssueProjection.js";
 import type { AnalysisError } from "../analysisErrorBase.js";
 import { err, ok, type Result } from "../result.js";
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import {
 } from "./analysisViewCoverage.js";
 import { analysisTextPage } from "./analysisViewText.js";
 
-const captureSchema = pcapResultSchemas.inspect_pcap_capture;
+const captureSchema = pcapEvidenceSchemas.inspect_pcap_capture;
 const fields = captureSchema.shape;
 const pageShape = {
   kind: z.literal("pcap"),
diff --git a/src/domain/pcap/pcapAnalysis.ts b/src/domain/pcap/pcapAnalysis.ts
index c05122712f..5bde8afac3 100644
--- a/src/domain/pcap/pcapAnalysis.ts
+++ b/src/domain/pcap/pcapAnalysis.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,20 @@ const client = z.strictObject({
   capinfos_identity_status: z.enum(["verified", "unresolved"]),
 });
 
+/** Defaults for historical report Evidence written before executable identity was recorded. */
+const legacyClientIdentity = client.extend({
+  tshark_resolved_path: localPathStringSchema.nullable().default(null),
+  tshark_sha256: digestSchema.nullable().default(null),
+  tshark_identity_status: z
+    .enum(["verified", "unresolved"])
+    .default("unresolved"),
+  capinfos_resolved_path: localPathStringSchema.nullable().default(null),
+  capinfos_sha256: digestSchema.nullable().default(null),
+  capinfos_identity_status: z
+    .enum(["verified", "unresolved"])
+    .default("unresolved"),
+});
+
 const endpoint = z.strictObject({
   address: z.string().min(1),
   port: z.number().int().positive().nullable(),
@@ -114,3 +128,10 @@ export const pcapResultSchemas = {
       .optional(),
   }),
 } as const;
+
+/** Read compatibility for retained capture Evidence from earlier REA versions. */
+export const pcapEvidenceSchemas = {
+  inspect_pcap_capture: pcapResultSchemas.inspect_pcap_capture.extend({
+    client: legacyClientIdentity,
+  }),
+} as const;
diff --git a/tests/boundary/mcp/pcapMcp.test.ts b/tests/boundary/mcp/pcapMcp.test.ts
index dff164ee55..95154eb14e 100644
--- a/tests/boundary/mcp/pcapMcp.test.ts
+++ b/tests/boundary/mcp/pcapMcp.test.ts
@@ -15,9 +15,15 @@ const clientIdentity = {
   tshark_command: "/usr/bin/tshark",
   tshark_source: "path",
   tshark_version: "TShark (Wireshark) 4.6.6",
+  tshark_resolved_path: null,
+  tshark_sha256: null,
+  tshark_identity_status: "unresolved",
   capinfos_command: "/usr/bin/capinfos",
   capinfos_source: "path",
   capinfos_version: "Capinfos (Wireshark) 4.6.6",
+  capinfos_resolved_path: null,
+  capinfos_sha256: null,
+  capinfos_identity_status: "unresolved",
 };
 
 it("advertises exact valid pcap schemas and records inline evidence through MCP", async () => {