diff --git a/cmd/agent-worker/main.go b/cmd/agent-worker/main.go
index 59c3892..52c7711 100644
--- a/cmd/agent-worker/main.go
+++ b/cmd/agent-worker/main.go
@@ -49,6 +49,9 @@ func main() {
 			os.Exit(1)
 		}
 	} else {
+		// The local evaluator keeps task-qualification work alive, but it is not
+		// an external Agent Execution Bridge and must never be reported as one.
+		localFallback = true
 		executor = newTaskEvaluationExecutor(envOr("COGNITIVE_WORKER_URL", "http://cognitive-worker:8083"), envOr("WORK_GRAPH_RUNTIME_URL", "http://work-graph-runtime:8088"), &http.Client{Timeout: *leaseTTL})
 		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, "protected agent execution bridge URL is not configured; task evaluations use the local durable evaluator, other work remains in fallback")
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/agent-worker/status_test.go b/cmd/agent-worker/status_test.go
index 4922eac..88d9358 100644
--- a/cmd/agent-worker/status_test.go
+++ b/cmd/agent-worker/status_test.go
@@ -50,6 +50,18 @@ func TestWorkerStatusReportsLocalFallback(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestWorkerStatusDoesNotCallLocalFallbackAnExternalExecutor(t *testing.T) {
+	response := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	workerStatusHandler(false, true).ServeHTTP(response, httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/status", nil))
+	var value workerStatusResponse
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(response.Body).Decode(&value); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if value.ExecutorConfigured || value.Ready || !value.LocalFallback || value.Mode != "local-fallback" {
+		t.Fatalf("local fallback was presented as external execution: %+v", value)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestWorkerReadyzRequiresExecutor(t *testing.T) {
 	response := httptest.NewRecorder()
 	workerStatusHandler(false).ServeHTTP(response, httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/readyz", nil))
diff --git a/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json b/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
index 300181d..75836a6 100644
--- a/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
+++ b/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "task_file": "dev/tasks/DEV-000215-governed-development-control-plane.json",
-  "task_id": "DEV-000215",
+  "task_file": "dev/tasks/DEV-000216-agent-worker-status-truth.json",
+  "task_id": "DEV-000216",
   "task_revision": 1
 }
diff --git a/dev/tasks/DEV-000216-agent-worker-status-truth.json b/dev/tasks/DEV-000216-agent-worker-status-truth.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa42ee1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/tasks/DEV-000216-agent-worker-status-truth.json
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{
+  "task_id": "DEV-000216",
+  "task_revision": 1,
+  "architecture_revision": "ADR-0018",
+  "base_repo_revision": "62f0c529b3f8b3c92e4a69fcc6298d59b3015fde",
+  "risk_tier": "E",
+  "intent": "Keep agent-worker status truthful when the protected external execution bridge is absent while retaining local task-evaluation fallback.",
+  "requirement_ids": ["WP-301", "truthful degraded status", "local fallback"],
+  "allowed_change_scope": {"modules": ["agent-worker"], "paths": ["cmd/agent-worker/main.go", "cmd/agent-worker/status_test.go", "dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json", "dev/tasks/DEV-000216-agent-worker-status-truth.json"]},
+  "forbidden_change_scope": {"paths": ["architecture/**", "database/**", "deploy/**", "security/**", "contracts/**", "modules/**", "LLM-local/**"]},
+  "allowed_architecture_delta": {"new_cross_module_dependencies": 0, "new_canonical_owners": 0, "new_privileges": 0, "new_third_party_dependencies": 0, "new_database_owner_roles": 0},
+  "contracts": {"consume": ["protected bridge file", "agent-worker status response", "local task-evaluation fallback"], "may_change": []},
+  "semantic_owner": "work",
+  "canonical_state": ["existing worker status projection and durable dispatch lifecycle"],
+  "state_transitions": ["bridge absent -> local-fallback status", "bridge present -> execution status"],
+  "side_effects_and_privileges": ["no external mutation; no new credentials; no persistence change"],
+  "persistence_and_migrations": ["none"],
+  "failure_retry_restart": ["bridge absence remains explicit after restart; local evaluator remains available for bounded qualification work"],
+  "assumptions": ["task-evaluation fallback is not general external agent execution"],
+  "acceptance_scenarios": ["worker marks local_fallback when protected bridge URL is absent", "status never reports executor_configured=true for local fallback", "configured bridge path remains execution mode", "no secret value is exposed"],
+  "required_tests": ["go test ./cmd/agent-worker", "go vet ./cmd/agent-worker", "preflight", "check-diff", "check-architecture", "independent", "git diff --check", "CI", "production worker status"],
+  "terminal_gap_states": ["BLOCKED_BY_MISSING_CAPABILITY", "BLOCKED_BY_SPEC_GAP"]
+}