diff --git a/packaging/void/README.md b/packaging/void/README.md
index 1351f91..30d825a 100644
--- a/packaging/void/README.md
+++ b/packaging/void/README.md
@@ -68,10 +68,13 @@ Known limit: xbps has one comparator per dependency, so PySocks' `<2` cannot
 be written. The carried 1.7.1 satisfies it. A future Void `python3-pysocks`
 2.x would also satisfy `>=1.7.1_1`, so it is not excluded by the dependency.
 
-When a project floor rises, or Void's stock package reaches the floor, change
-the carried template and its constraint in the same pull request. The
-stock-below-floor test fails once Void catches up, which is the signal to
-retire the carried template deliberately.
+When a project floor rises, or Void's stock package moves up to the carried
+version, change the carried template and its constraint in the same pull
+request. The live signal is the install smoke: once the stock package reaches
+the carried version, the constraint is already met, the stock package is kept,
+and the pkgver check fails. That is the signal to retire the carried template
+deliberately. The offline stock-version test in `tests/test_void_small_deps.py`
+only records the versions verified on 2026-11-06; it does not query Void.
 
 ## python3-pywhispercpp
 
diff --git a/tests/test_void_smoke_gate.py b/tests/test_void_smoke_gate.py
index 112eb3a..209120c 100644
--- a/tests/test_void_smoke_gate.py
+++ b/tests/test_void_smoke_gate.py
@@ -134,6 +134,23 @@ def test_install_smoke_upgrades_the_stock_packages_below_the_floors() -> None:
     ), "each stock package must read back as the carried pkgver"
 
 
+def test_stock_preinstall_matches_the_constrained_depends() -> None:
+    """A carried dependency that voculinux version-constrains must be installed as
+    stock first and checked by pkgver. Three places name the set: the voculinux
+    depends, the stock pre-install line and the pkgver loop. They must agree, so a
+    third gap package cannot be missed in one of them."""
+    template = (SRC / "voculinux" / "template").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    depends = re.search(r'^depends="([^"]+)"', template, re.M).group(1).split()
+    constrained = {token.split(">=")[0] for token in depends if ">=" in token}
+    text = CONTAINER_RELEASE.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    stock = re.search(r'--repository="\$OFFICIAL" -S ([^>\n]+?) >/dev/null', text).group(1).split()
+    checked = re.search(r"for PKG in (python3-[^;]+); do", text).group(1).split()
+    assert set(stock) == constrained == set(checked), (
+        f"stock pre-install {stock}, constrained depends {sorted(constrained)}, "
+        f"pkgver loop {checked} must name the same packages"
+    )
+
+
 def test_a_package_without_a_smoke_recipe_fails_the_release() -> None:
     """A future template falls into *) and must fail loudly, never pass mute."""
     text = CONTAINER_RELEASE.read_text(encoding="utf-8")