diff --git a/tests/test_epistemic_phase3_state_tagging.py b/tests/test_epistemic_phase3_state_tagging.py
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/tests/test_epistemic_phase3_state_tagging.py
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+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import numpy as np
+
+from chat.telemetry import serialize_turn_event
+from core.epistemic_state import EpistemicState, NormativeClearance
+from core.physics.identity import TurnEvent
+from language_packs.compiler import compile_entries_to_manifold
+from language_packs.loader import lookup_unit
+from language_packs.schema import LexicalEntry
+from teaching.epistemic import EpistemicStatus
+from vault.store import VaultStore, epistemic_state_for_vault_status
+
+
+def test_turn_event_telemetry_serializes_state_axes() -> None:
+    event = TurnEvent(
+        turn=7,
+        input_tokens=("truth",),
+        surface="Truth is grounded.",
+        walk_surface="Truth is grounded.",
+        articulation_surface="Truth is grounded.",
+        dialogue_role="assert",
+        identity_score=None,
+        cycle_cost_total=0.0,
+        vault_hits=1,
+        versor_condition=0.0,
+        flagged=False,
+        grounding_source="pack",
+        epistemic_state=EpistemicState.DECODED.value,
+        normative_clearance=NormativeClearance.CLEARED.value,
+        normative_detail="all runtime-checkable verdicts upheld",
+    )
+
+    payload = serialize_turn_event(event)
+
+    assert payload["epistemic_state"] == "decoded"
+    assert payload["normative_clearance"] == "cleared"
+    assert payload["normative_detail"] == "all runtime-checkable verdicts upheld"
+
+
+def test_lookup_unit_tags_curated_and_composed_entries() -> None:
+    curated = lookup_unit("dollar")
+    inferred = lookup_unit("dollars per hour")
+
+    assert curated is not None
+    assert curated.epistemic_state == EpistemicState.DECODED.value
+    assert inferred is not None
+    assert inferred.epistemic_state == EpistemicState.INFERRED.value
+
+
+def test_compile_entries_to_manifold_preserves_entry_status_mapping() -> None:
+    entries = [
+        LexicalEntry(
+            entry_id="coherent-1",
+            surface="alpha",
+            lemma="alpha",
+            language="en",
+            semantic_domains=("test.domain",),
+            provenance_ids=("fixture",),
+            epistemic_status="coherent",
+        ),
+        LexicalEntry(
+            entry_id="speculative-1",
+            surface="beta",
+            lemma="beta",
+            language="en",
+            semantic_domains=("test.domain",),
+            provenance_ids=("fixture",),
+            epistemic_status="speculative",
+        ),
+        LexicalEntry(
+            entry_id="falsified-1",
+            surface="gamma",
+            lemma="gamma",
+            language="en",
+            semantic_domains=("test.domain",),
+            provenance_ids=("fixture",),
+            epistemic_status="falsified",
+        ),
+    ]
+
+    manifold, _ = compile_entries_to_manifold(entries)
+
+    assert manifold.epistemic_state_for_word("alpha") == EpistemicState.DECODED.value
+    assert manifold.epistemic_state_for_word("beta") == EpistemicState.UNVERIFIED_POSSIBLE.value
+    assert manifold.epistemic_state_for_word("gamma") == EpistemicState.CONTRADICTED.value
+
+
+def test_vault_statuses_map_to_distinct_epistemic_states() -> None:
+    assert epistemic_state_for_vault_status(EpistemicStatus.COHERENT) is EpistemicState.DECODED
+    assert epistemic_state_for_vault_status(EpistemicStatus.FALSIFIED) is EpistemicState.CONTRADICTED
+    assert epistemic_state_for_vault_status(EpistemicStatus.SPECULATIVE) is EpistemicState.UNVERIFIED_POSSIBLE
+    assert epistemic_state_for_vault_status(EpistemicStatus.CONTESTED) is EpistemicState.AMBIGUOUS
+
+
+def test_vault_recall_exposes_epistemic_state_metadata() -> None:
+    vault = VaultStore(reproject_interval=0)
+    v = np.zeros(32, dtype=np.float32)
+    v[0] = 1.0
+
+    vault.store(v, epistemic_status=EpistemicStatus.FALSIFIED)
+
+    hits = vault.recall(v, top_k=1)
+
+    assert len(hits) == 1
+    assert hits[0]["epistemic_state"] == EpistemicState.CONTRADICTED.value
+    assert hits[0]["metadata"]["epistemic_state"] == EpistemicState.CONTRADICTED.value