diff --git a/src/drift/__tests__/path-false-positives.test.ts b/src/drift/__tests__/path-false-positives.test.ts
index 6dd8713d..e3fa9c6a 100644
--- a/src/drift/__tests__/path-false-positives.test.ts
+++ b/src/drift/__tests__/path-false-positives.test.ts
@@ -106,4 +106,38 @@ describe("MISSING_PATH false positives", () => {
       ".mex/local/",
     ]);
   });
+
+  it("does not claim hypothetical resolution alternatives (#202 bullet 3)", () => {
+    const markdown =
+      "# Resolve\n\n" +
+      "The specifier (`./x` may be `x.ts` or `x/index.ts`); at most one really exists.\n" +
+      "The handler lives in `src/auth/login.ts`.\n";
+
+    const projectRoot = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "mex-drift-"));
+    execFileSync("git", ["init", "-q"], { cwd: projectRoot });
+    const scaffoldRoot = join(projectRoot, ".mex");
+    mkdirSync(scaffoldRoot, { recursive: true });
+    const docPath = join(scaffoldRoot, "ROUTER.md");
+    writeFileSync(docPath, markdown);
+
+    const pathValues = extractClaims(docPath, ".mex/ROUTER.md")
+      .filter((claim) => claim.kind === "path")
+      .map((claim) => claim.value);
+    expect(pathValues).not.toContain("./x");
+    expect(pathValues).not.toContain("x.ts");
+    expect(pathValues).not.toContain("x/index.ts");
+    expect(pathValues).toContain("src/auth/login.ts");
+
+    const missing = checkPaths(
+      extractClaims(docPath, ".mex/ROUTER.md"),
+      projectRoot,
+      scaffoldRoot
+    )
+      .filter((issue) => issue.code === "MISSING_PATH")
+      .map((issue) => issue.claim?.value);
+    expect(missing).not.toContain("./x");
+    expect(missing).not.toContain("x.ts");
+    expect(missing).not.toContain("x/index.ts");
+    expect(missing).toEqual(["src/auth/login.ts"]);
+  });
 });
diff --git a/src/drift/claims.ts b/src/drift/claims.ts
index f63b064a..08f6cef1 100644
--- a/src/drift/claims.ts
+++ b/src/drift/claims.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,31 @@ const DOTTED_KEY_WITH_SLASH = /^[A-Za-z0-9_-]+(?:\.[A-Za-z0-9_-]+)+\/[A-Za-z0-9_
  */
 const PACKAGE_NAME = /^@?[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9._/-]*$/;
 
+/**
+ * Resolution-example stubs, not project files. Import docs write
+ * `./x` may be `x.ts` or `x/index.ts` to show how a specifier
+ * resolves; at most one of those names exists, and usually none
+ * of them name a real file in this repository.
+ *
+ * The class is a single-letter basename (optional `./`) alone, plus
+ * a known extension, or plus `/index` and a known extension. Extra
+ * dots (`x.d.ts`) are left to the compound-extension filter. Ordinary
+ * filenames and multi-segment paths (`src/auth/login.ts`,
+ * `.mex/ROUTER.md`, `package.json`) stay claims.
+ */
+function isResolutionStubPath(value: string): boolean {
+  const rest = value.startsWith("./") ? value.slice(2) : value;
+  if (rest.length === 0 || rest.startsWith(".")) return false;
+
+  if (rest.length === 1) return /[A-Za-z]/.test(rest);
+
+  if (/^[A-Za-z]\.[A-Za-z0-9]+$/.test(rest)) {
+    return KNOWN_EXTENSIONS.test(rest);
+  }
+
+  return /^[A-Za-z]\/index\.[A-Za-z0-9]+$/.test(rest) && KNOWN_EXTENSIONS.test(rest);
+}
+
 /** Things that look like paths but are actually code snippets, URL routes, or other non-path content */
 function isNotAPath(value: string): boolean {
   // URL routes: /voice/incoming, /api/users — start with / but have no file extension
@@ -85,6 +110,9 @@ function isNotAPath(value: string): boolean {
   // `nodemon src/index.ts` names a runner and its argument.
   if (/\s/.test(value)) return true;
 
+  // Hypothetical resolution alternatives: `./x`, `x.ts`, `x/index.ts`
+  if (isResolutionStubPath(value)) return true;
+
   return false;
 }
 
diff --git a/test/claims.test.ts b/test/claims.test.ts
index 8185d674..7617f306 100644
--- a/test/claims.test.ts
+++ b/test/claims.test.ts
@@ -158,6 +158,24 @@ describe("extractClaims — paths", () => {
     expect(paths[0].value).toBe("api_clients/groq_client.py");
   });
 
+  it("skips hypothetical resolution stubs (#202 bullet 3)", () => {
+    const path = writeFixture(
+      "test.md",
+      "# Resolve\n\n" +
+        "The specifier (`./x` may be `x.ts` or `x/index.ts`); at most one really exists. " +
+        "The handler lives in `src/auth/login.ts`. " +
+        "Scaffold paths stay claims: `.mex/ROUTER.md` and `package.json`."
+    );
+    const claims = extractClaims(path, "test.md");
+    const paths = claims.filter((c) => c.kind === "path").map((c) => c.value);
+    expect(paths).not.toContain("./x");
+    expect(paths).not.toContain("x.ts");
+    expect(paths).not.toContain("x/index.ts");
+    expect(paths).toContain("src/auth/login.ts");
+    expect(paths).toContain(".mex/ROUTER.md");
+    expect(paths).toContain("package.json");
+  });
+
   it("marks paths under negated sections", () => {
     const path = writeFixture(
       "test.md",