diff --git a/pk-cli/src/main.rs b/pk-cli/src/main.rs
index dfc3ca9..64458fd 100644
--- a/pk-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/pk-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -145,7 +145,8 @@ enum Cmd {
         scopes: Vec<ContextScope>,
         #[arg(long, default_value_t = 8)]
         limit: usize,
-        /// Maximum immutable snapshot candidates inspected across all scopes.
+        /// Maximum scored candidates kept across all scopes. Every snapshot entry
+        /// is scored first; the cap applies to the merged, ranked list.
         #[arg(long, default_value_t = 128)]
         max_candidates: usize,
         /// Maximum bytes emitted in hook format.
@@ -659,6 +660,9 @@ struct ContextCandidate {
 struct ContextOutput {
     query: String,
     snapshot_generations: BTreeMap<String, String>,
+    /// Snapshot entries scored across all readable scopes.
+    scored_count: usize,
+    /// Ranked candidates kept after de-duplication and the `--max-candidates` cap.
     candidate_count: usize,
     byte_count: usize,
     failures: Vec<ContextFailure>,
@@ -705,10 +709,9 @@ async fn run_context(
     };
     let max_candidates = max_candidates.clamp(1, 512);
     let max_bytes = max_bytes.clamp(256, 65_536);
-    let candidates_per_scope = max_candidates.div_ceil(scopes.len().max(1));
     let mut failures = Vec::new();
     let mut candidates = Vec::new();
-    let mut inspected_candidates = 0usize;
+    let mut scored_count = 0usize;
     let mut generations = BTreeMap::new();
     for scope in scopes {
         let Some(path) = knowledge_root_for_scope(scope, explicit_project_kb) else {
@@ -732,16 +735,11 @@ async fn run_context(
             }
         };
         generations.insert(scope.label().to_owned(), snapshot.generation);
-        let remaining = max_candidates
-            .saturating_sub(inspected_candidates)
-            .min(candidates_per_scope);
-        let bounded_entries = snapshot
-            .entries
-            .into_iter()
-            .take(remaining)
-            .collect::<Vec<_>>();
-        inspected_candidates += bounded_entries.len();
-        candidates.extend(bounded_entries.into_iter().filter_map(|entry| {
+        // Score every entry before any budget applies: truncating first meant
+        // only the first entries in snapshot order were ever considered, and a
+        // failed scope's share of the budget was lost.
+        scored_count += snapshot.entries.len();
+        candidates.extend(snapshot.entries.into_iter().filter_map(|entry| {
             let score = snapshot_score(query, &entry);
             (score > 0.0 || query.trim().is_empty()).then_some(ContextCandidate {
                 scope,
@@ -749,9 +747,6 @@ async fn run_context(
                 score,
             })
         }));
-        if inspected_candidates == max_candidates {
-            break;
-        }
     }
 
     // Select a canonical copy of duplicate IDs or duplicate content. Scope
@@ -793,6 +788,8 @@ async fn run_context(
             .then_with(|| left.scope.priority().cmp(&right.scope.priority()))
             .then_with(|| left.entry.id.as_str().cmp(right.entry.id.as_str()))
     });
+    selected.truncate(max_candidates);
+    let candidate_count = selected.len();
     selected.truncate(limit.clamp(1, 32));
 
     let results = selected
@@ -811,7 +808,8 @@ async fn run_context(
     let mut output = ContextOutput {
         query: query.to_owned(),
         snapshot_generations: generations,
-        candidate_count: inspected_candidates,
+        scored_count,
+        candidate_count,
         byte_count: 0,
         failures,
         results,
diff --git a/pk-cli/tests/context.rs b/pk-cli/tests/context.rs
index 77bd49d..285b8ed 100644
--- a/pk-cli/tests/context.rs
+++ b/pk-cli/tests/context.rs
@@ -184,6 +184,9 @@ fn candidate_budget_is_shared_across_requested_scopes() {
 
     assert!(output.status.success());
     let report: Value = serde_json::from_slice(&output.stdout).unwrap();
-    assert_eq!(report["candidate_count"], 2);
+    // Every entry in both scopes is scored; only the matching one survives,
+    // and the cap bounds what is kept, not what is inspected.
+    assert_eq!(report["scored_count"], 5);
+    assert_eq!(report["candidate_count"], 1);
     assert_eq!(report["results"][0]["id"], "shared-target");
 }
diff --git a/pk-cli/tests/context_scoring.rs b/pk-cli/tests/context_scoring.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdec55e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pk-cli/tests/context_scoring.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
+//! `pk context` must score every committed snapshot entry before any candidate
+//! budget applies. Before this was fixed, only the first
+//! `ceil(max_candidates / scopes)` entries of each scope, in snapshot order,
+//! were ever scored, so a lesson that sorted late was never recalled.
+
+use serde_json::Value;
+use std::{
+    fs,
+    path::{Path, PathBuf},
+    process::{Command, Output},
+};
+
+fn write_entry(base: &Path, id: &str, body: &str) {
+    let wiki = base.join("wiki");
+    fs::create_dir_all(&wiki).unwrap();
+    fs::write(
+        wiki.join(format!("{id}.md")),
+        format!("---\ntype: Lesson\ntitle: {id}\ntags: [fixture]\n---\n\n{body}\n"),
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+}
+
+struct Fixture {
+    _dir: tempfile::TempDir,
+    home: PathBuf,
+    project: PathBuf,
+}
+
+fn fixture(project_has_root: bool) -> Fixture {
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let home = dir.path().join("home");
+    let project = dir.path().join("project");
+    fs::create_dir_all(&project).unwrap();
+    if project_has_root {
+        fs::create_dir_all(project.join(".git")).unwrap();
+    }
+    fs::create_dir_all(&home).unwrap();
+    Fixture {
+        _dir: dir,
+        home,
+        project,
+    }
+}
+
+fn pk(f: &Fixture, args: &[&str]) -> Output {
+    let output = Command::new(env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_pk"))
+        .current_dir(&f.project)
+        .env("HOME", &f.home)
+        .env("RUST_LOG", "error")
+        .args(args)
+        .output()
+        .unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        output.status.success(),
+        "pk {args:?} failed: {}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr)
+    );
+    output
+}
+
+fn json(output: &Output) -> Value {
+    serde_json::from_slice(&output.stdout).unwrap()
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn an_entry_sorting_last_in_a_large_scope_is_still_recalled_with_default_flags() {
+    let f = fixture(true);
+    let kb = f.project.join(".prometheus/knowledge");
+    for index in 0..199 {
+        write_entry(
+            &kb,
+            &format!("entry-{index:03}"),
+            "unrelated filler lesson about build caching",
+        );
+    }
+    // Sorts after every filler entry by id.
+    write_entry(&kb, "zzz-target", "latesortingtoken lesson that must be recalled");
+    pk(&f, &["snapshot", "--scope", "project"]);
+
+    let report = json(&pk(
+        &f,
+        &["context", "latesortingtoken", "--scope", "project", "--format", "json"],
+    ));
+    assert_eq!(report["scored_count"], 200, "{report:#}");
+    assert_eq!(report["results"][0]["id"], "zzz-target", "{report:#}");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn a_failed_scope_does_not_reserve_budget_the_remaining_scopes_can_use() {
+    // No project root: the project scope fails, and the shared scope must be
+    // able to fill the whole cap on its own.
+    let f = fixture(false);
+    let shared = f.home.join(".prometheus/knowledge/shared");
+    for index in 0..60 {
+        write_entry(
+            &shared,
+            &format!("shared-{index:02}"),
+            "budgettoken shared lesson",
+        );
+    }
+    pk(&f, &["snapshot", "--scope", "shared"]);
+
+    let report = json(&pk(
+        &f,
+        &[
+            "context",
+            "budgettoken",
+            "--scope",
+            "project",
+            "--scope",
+            "shared",
+            "--max-candidates",
+            "60",
+            "--limit",
+            "32",
+            "--format",
+            "json",
+        ],
+    ));
+    assert_eq!(report["failures"].as_array().unwrap().len(), 1, "{report:#}");
+    assert_eq!(report["candidate_count"], 60, "{report:#}");
+    assert_eq!(report["results"].as_array().unwrap().len(), 32, "{report:#}");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn output_is_deterministic_and_ranked_by_score_then_scope_then_id() {
+    let f = fixture(true);
+    let project_kb = f.project.join(".prometheus/knowledge");
+    let shared = f.home.join(".prometheus/knowledge/shared");
+    // Equal scores across scopes: project must precede shared, then id order.
+    write_entry(&project_kb, "b-project", "ordertoken lesson");
+    write_entry(&project_kb, "a-project", "ordertoken lesson");
+    write_entry(&shared, "a-shared", "ordertoken different lesson");
+    // Higher score (token appears twice) ranks first regardless of scope.
+    write_entry(&shared, "z-strong", "ordertoken ordertoken strong lesson");
+    pk(&f, &["snapshot", "--scope", "project", "--scope", "shared"]);
+
+    let args = [
+        "context",
+        "ordertoken",
+        "--scope",
+        "project",
+        "--scope",
+        "shared",
+        "--format",
+        "json",
+    ];
+    let first = pk(&f, &args).stdout;
+    let second = pk(&f, &args).stdout;
+    assert_eq!(first, second, "context output must be byte-identical across runs");
+
+    let report: Value = serde_json::from_slice(&first).unwrap();
+    let results = report["results"].as_array().unwrap();
+    let scores: Vec<f64> = results.iter().map(|r| r["score"].as_f64().unwrap()).collect();
+    assert!(
+        scores.windows(2).all(|w| w[0] >= w[1]),
+        "results must be ordered by descending score: {report:#}"
+    );
+    // Among entries with the top-but-one score, project entries come first in id order.
+    let tied: Vec<(&str, &str)> = results
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|r| r["score"].as_f64().unwrap() == scores[scores.len() - 1])
+        .map(|r| (r["scope"].as_str().unwrap(), r["id"].as_str().unwrap()))
+        .collect();
+    let mut expected = tied.clone();
+    expected.sort_by(|left, right| {
+        let rank = |scope: &str| if scope == "project" { 0 } else { 1 };
+        rank(left.0).cmp(&rank(right.0)).then(left.1.cmp(right.1))
+    });
+    assert_eq!(tied, expected, "{report:#}");
+}