diff --git a/scripts/check_main_policies.py b/scripts/check_main_policies.py
index 2e78f4d4f..6cfbc131b 100644
--- a/scripts/check_main_policies.py
+++ b/scripts/check_main_policies.py
@@ -106,6 +106,18 @@ def pages(self, suffix: str, key: str | None = None) -> list[Any]:
     ),
 }
 
+# #1810's PR title ended in an issue reference, "(#1780)". The PR check
+# stripped it as if it were the PR number, and the squash subject then carried
+# a second reference, so the integrated description keeps "(#1780)". PR titles
+# are now checked without that stripping; only this exact commit and subject
+# keep the reference.
+HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SUBJECTS = {
+    "272fced52d57632dedf32f2c175cf294100bff63": (
+        "feat(decisioning): let a raised AdcpError reject a request with every error"
+        " (#1780) (#1810)"
+    ),
+}
+
 # Rebase-merged PRs record only their last commit as merge_commit_sha, so the
 # earlier commits they put on main match no PR by merge commit. These two were
 # rebase-merged so a storage-only commit would not release adcp; each maps to
@@ -131,15 +143,28 @@ def main_commits(target: str) -> list[str]:
     return commits
 
 
-def validate_message(message: str, *, commit_sha: str | None = None) -> None:
+def validate_message(
+    message: str, *, commit_sha: str | None = None, integrated: bool = True
+) -> None:
     subject, _, body = message.partition("\n")
     match = CONVENTIONAL.fullmatch(subject)
     require(match is not None, "commit subject is not a conventional commit")
     assert match is not None
-    # GitHub integration subjects may include the PR number. Parentheses/quotes in
-    # the actual description remain forbidden by the repository's parser rule.
-    description = re.sub(r" \(#[1-9][0-9]*\)$", "", match["description"])
-    require(description and not any(c in description for c in '()"'), "unsafe release description")
+    # A squash integration appends the PR number to the subject. A PR title has
+    # none yet, so a trailing "(#N)" there is part of the description.
+    # Parentheses/quotes in the actual description remain forbidden by the
+    # repository's parser rule.
+    description = match["description"]
+    if integrated:
+        description = re.sub(r" \(#[1-9][0-9]*\)$", "", description)
+    historical_description_exception = (
+        commit_sha is not None and HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SUBJECTS.get(commit_sha) == subject
+    )
+    require(
+        description
+        and (historical_description_exception or not any(c in description for c in '()"')),
+        "unsafe release description",
+    )
     historical_footer_exception = (
         commit_sha is not None and HISTORICAL_BREAKING_SUBJECTS.get(commit_sha) == subject
     )
@@ -199,7 +224,7 @@ def conventional(
             api = GitHub(os.environ["GH_TOKEN"])
         current = api.repo(f"pulls/{pr['number']}")
         require(current["head"]["sha"] == pr["head"]["sha"], "PR head changed; run current CI")
-        validate_message(current["title"] + "\n\n" + (current["body"] or ""))
+        validate_message(current["title"] + "\n\n" + (current["body"] or ""), integrated=False)
         head, base = pr["head"]["sha"], pr["base"]["sha"]
         require(SHA.fullmatch(head) and SHA.fullmatch(base), "invalid PR source identities")
         fork = git("merge-base", base, head)
diff --git a/tests/test_main_release_policies.py b/tests/test_main_release_policies.py
index 4fa64cc8f..65c950ab0 100644
--- a/tests/test_main_release_policies.py
+++ b/tests/test_main_release_policies.py
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@
 
 LEDGER_SHA = "d" * 40
 BREAKING_SUBJECT = "fix(reporting)!: scope configuration generations by account (#1174)"
+# A PR title carries no PR number; the squash subject appends it.
+BREAKING_PR_TITLE = BREAKING_SUBJECT.removesuffix(" (#1174)")
 BREAKING_FOOTER = (
     "BREAKING CHANGE: generation_key returns ReportingConfigurationGenerationKey "
     "instead of a two-tuple. Use its named fields."
@@ -107,7 +109,7 @@ def test_conventional_rerun_reads_the_corrected_pr_body(history: list[str]) -> N
         "number": 1174,
         "head": {"sha": history[-1]},
         "base": {"sha": history[0]},
-        "title": BREAKING_SUBJECT,
+        "title": BREAKING_PR_TITLE,
         "body": "Missing the breaking footer in the original webhook.",
     }
     api.data["pulls/1174"] = {**pr, "body": BREAKING_FOOTER}
@@ -124,7 +126,7 @@ def test_conventional_rerun_rejects_a_newly_invalid_pr_message(history: list[str
         "number": 1174,
         "head": {"sha": history[-1]},
         "base": {"sha": history[0]},
-        "title": BREAKING_SUBJECT,
+        "title": BREAKING_PR_TITLE,
         "body": BREAKING_FOOTER,
     }
     api.data["pulls/1174"] = {**pr, "body": None}
@@ -133,6 +135,67 @@ def test_conventional_rerun_rejects_a_newly_invalid_pr_message(history: list[str
         policies.conventional("pull_request", history[-1], {"pull_request": pr}, api=api)
 
 
+def test_conventional_pr_title_keeps_a_trailing_issue_reference(history: list[str]) -> None:
+    # A PR title has no PR number yet; the squash appends one. A title ending
+    # in "(#1780)" would integrate as "... (#1780) (#1810)", which main rejects.
+    api = PolicyAPI(history)
+    pr = {
+        "number": 1810,
+        "head": {"sha": history[-1]},
+        "base": {"sha": history[0]},
+        "title": "feat(decisioning): reject a request with every error (#1780)",
+        "body": "",
+    }
+    api.data["pulls/1810"] = pr
+
+    with pytest.raises(ReleaseRejectedError, match="unsafe release description"):
+        policies.conventional("pull_request", history[-1], {"pull_request": pr}, api=api)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("message", "integrated", "accepted"),
+    [
+        ("fix: handle the empty case (#1810)", True, True),
+        ("fix: handle the empty case (#1810)", False, False),
+        ("fix: handle the empty case (#1780) (#1810)", True, False),
+        ("fix: handle the empty case", False, True),
+    ],
+)
+def test_pr_number_is_stripped_only_from_integrated_subjects(
+    message: str, integrated: bool, accepted: bool
+) -> None:
+    if accepted:
+        policies.validate_message(message, integrated=integrated)
+    else:
+        with pytest.raises(ReleaseRejectedError, match="unsafe release description"):
+            policies.validate_message(message, integrated=integrated)
+
+
+HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SHA = "272fced52d57632dedf32f2c175cf294100bff63"
+HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SUBJECT = (
+    "feat(decisioning): let a raised AdcpError reject a request with every error (#1780) (#1810)"
+)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    ("commit_sha", "subject", "accepted"),
+    [
+        (HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SHA, HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SUBJECT, True),
+        ("a" * 40, HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SUBJECT, False),
+        (None, HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SUBJECT, False),
+        (HISTORICAL_DESCRIPTION_SHA, "fix: bad (description) (#1810)", False),
+    ],
+)
+def test_historical_description_exception_requires_exact_commit_and_subject(
+    commit_sha: str | None, subject: str, accepted: bool
+) -> None:
+    if accepted:
+        policies.validate_message(subject, commit_sha=commit_sha)
+    else:
+        with pytest.raises(ReleaseRejectedError, match="unsafe release description"):
+            policies.validate_message(subject, commit_sha=commit_sha)
+
+
 def test_conventional_rerun_cannot_validate_a_different_pr_head(history: list[str]) -> None:
     api = PolicyAPI(history)
     pr = {