diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b2f8914..5c70c56 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 - Releases: every artifact (per-platform tarballs and `checksums.txt`) is now signed with [cosign](https://github.com/sigstore/cosign) keyless signing backed by GitHub's OIDC token. Each artifact has a sibling `<artifact>.sigstore.json` bundle containing the signature, certificate (with the workflow identity baked in), and Rekor transparency-log inclusion proof. Verifying a download is a single `cosign verify-blob --bundle ...` invocation; see the new [Verifying releases](README.md#verifying-releases) section in the README for the exact commands. Requires cosign v2.0+ on the verifier side.
 - `NOTICE` file at repo root carrying the `Copyright 2026 Leonardo Di Donato` attribution. Apache 2.0 distinguishes the license text (canonical, verbatim, in `LICENSE`) from project-level attribution (in a `NOTICE` file that downstream consumers must propagate). The previous setup folded the copyright line into `LICENSE` itself; that conflated the two and is one of the deviations that caused licensecheck to mis-classify the file (see corresponding `### Fixed` entry).
 - README License section: "Why Apache 2.0" paragraph. Documents the kernel-uABI posture (no kernel source, no cgo, no GPL deps; `/proc` and `/sys` reads fall under the kernel `COPYING` "normal syscalls" carve-out) and the Apache-2.0-over-MIT rationale (patent grant for security-adjacent probing; same-license adopter base of Cilium, Tetragon, Falco, etc.).
+- `ReadIMARuntimeMeasurementsCount()`: exported helper that reads `/sys/kernel/security/ima/runtime_measurements_count` and returns the current count. No side effects. Useful for diagnostics and for callers building their own before/after measurement probes.
 
 ### Breaking
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4dcedba..f0f82d5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@ Neither tells you whether your tool can **actually run**. For example, BPF LSM r
 | **BPF LSM enabled** (config + boot params + program type) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
 | **IMA detection** (LSM list + securityfs directory) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
 | **IMA any measurement active** (runtime measurement activity) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
+| **IMA runtime measurement count** (raw count for before/after probes) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
 | **Process capabilities** (CAP_BPF, CAP_SYS_ADMIN, CAP_PERFMON) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
 | **Unprivileged BPF status** | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
 | **Mount-state gates** (bpffs/tracefs/custom paths via superblock magic) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
diff --git a/probe.go b/probe.go
index f84274b..fc33d25 100644
--- a/probe.go
+++ b/probe.go
@@ -441,9 +441,23 @@ func probeIMAAnyMeasurementActive() ProbeResult {
 	return ProbeResult{Supported: false}
 }
 
-// readMeasurementCount reads the IMA runtime measurement count.
+// ReadIMARuntimeMeasurementsCount returns the current IMA runtime measurement
+// count from /sys/kernel/security/ima/runtime_measurements_count. No side
+// effects. Useful for diagnostics and for callers building before/after probes.
+func ReadIMARuntimeMeasurementsCount() (int, error) {
+	return readMeasurementCount()
+}
+
+// readMeasurementCount reads the IMA runtime measurement count from the
+// default path.
 func readMeasurementCount() (int, error) {
-	data, err := os.ReadFile(imaMeasurementCountPath)
+	return readMeasurementCountFrom(imaMeasurementCountPath)
+}
+
+// readMeasurementCountFrom reads an IMA runtime measurement count from the
+// given path. Separated from readMeasurementCount for testability.
+func readMeasurementCountFrom(path string) (int, error) {
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
 		return 0, err
 	}
diff --git a/probe_test.go b/probe_test.go
index c88024b..c7c8c18 100644
--- a/probe_test.go
+++ b/probe_test.go
@@ -360,3 +360,86 @@ func TestProbeKprobeMulti_WithConfig(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	})
 }
+
+func TestReadMeasurementCountFrom(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("valid count", func(t *testing.T) {
+		dir := t.TempDir()
+		path := filepath.Join(dir, "runtime_measurements_count")
+		if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("42\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		count, err := readMeasurementCountFrom(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("readMeasurementCountFrom() error = %v", err)
+		}
+		if count != 42 {
+			t.Errorf("count = %d, want 42", count)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("zero count", func(t *testing.T) {
+		dir := t.TempDir()
+		path := filepath.Join(dir, "runtime_measurements_count")
+		if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("0\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		count, err := readMeasurementCountFrom(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("readMeasurementCountFrom() error = %v", err)
+		}
+		if count != 0 {
+			t.Errorf("count = %d, want 0", count)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("whitespace around number", func(t *testing.T) {
+		dir := t.TempDir()
+		path := filepath.Join(dir, "runtime_measurements_count")
+		if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("  7  \n"), 0644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		count, err := readMeasurementCountFrom(path)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("readMeasurementCountFrom() error = %v", err)
+		}
+		if count != 7 {
+			t.Errorf("count = %d, want 7", count)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("malformed content", func(t *testing.T) {
+		dir := t.TempDir()
+		path := filepath.Join(dir, "runtime_measurements_count")
+		if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte("not-a-number\n"), 0644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		_, err := readMeasurementCountFrom(path)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for malformed content")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("empty content", func(t *testing.T) {
+		dir := t.TempDir()
+		path := filepath.Join(dir, "runtime_measurements_count")
+		if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(""), 0644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+
+		_, err := readMeasurementCountFrom(path)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for empty content")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("missing file", func(t *testing.T) {
+		_, err := readMeasurementCountFrom("/nonexistent/path")
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for missing file")
+		}
+	})
+}