diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a74a7a8..aa75a06 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -449,22 +449,30 @@ All findings are **MEDIUM** severity.
 # Require owner, env, and cost-center tags
 cloudgov tags --require owner,env,cost-center
 
-# Require a smaller tag set
-cloudgov tags --require owner,env
+# Gate on a published tagging standard's required AWS keys instead of typing them
+cloudgov tags --standard-file resource-tagging.json
+
+# Fail CI if anything is missing a required tag
+cloudgov tags --standard-file resource-tagging.json --fail-on medium
 
 # JSON output
 cloudgov tags --require owner,env --output json --output-file tags.json
 ```
 
+The required tag set comes from `--require` (ad-hoc) or `--standard-file` (the required AWS keys of a [nanohype resource-tagging standard](https://github.com/nanohype/nanohype/blob/main/standards/resource-tagging.json) JSON — `content.required_by_surface.aws`). `--require` wins when both are set. Pair with the global `--fail-on medium` to gate CI (all findings are MEDIUM, so `--fail-on medium` exits non-zero on any missing required tag).
+
 **Flags**
 
 | Flag | Default | Description |
 |------|---------|-------------|
-| `--require` | (required) | Comma-separated tag keys that must be present |
+| `--require` | | Comma-separated tag keys that must be present |
+| `--standard-file` | | Path to a resource-tagging standard JSON; gates on its required AWS keys |
 | `--severity` | `MEDIUM` | Minimum severity to report |
 | `--output` | `table` | Output format: `table`, `json` |
 | `--output-file` | | Write output to file instead of stdout |
 
+One of `--require` or `--standard-file` is required.
+
 ---
 
 ### `cloudgov lambda audit` — Lambda resource-policy exposure (AWS)
diff --git a/cmd/tags.go b/cmd/tags.go
index 4de8b15..e109675 100644
--- a/cmd/tags.go
+++ b/cmd/tags.go
@@ -20,22 +20,35 @@ var tagsCmd = &cobra.Command{
 }
 
 var (
-	tagsRequired   []string
-	tagsSeverity   string
-	tagsOutputFmt  string
-	tagsOutputFile string
+	tagsRequired     []string
+	tagsStandardFile string
+	tagsSeverity     string
+	tagsOutputFmt    string
+	tagsOutputFile   string
 )
 
 func init() {
 	tagsCmd.Flags().StringSliceVar(&tagsRequired, "require", []string{}, "required tag/label keys (comma-separated, e.g. owner,env,cost-center)")
+	tagsCmd.Flags().StringVar(&tagsStandardFile, "standard-file", "", "path to a nanohype resource-tagging standard JSON; gates on its required AWS keys (content.required_by_surface.aws)")
 	tagsCmd.Flags().StringVar(&tagsSeverity, "severity", "MEDIUM", "minimum severity to report")
 	tagsCmd.Flags().StringVar(&tagsOutputFmt, "output", "table", "output format: table, json")
 	tagsCmd.Flags().StringVar(&tagsOutputFile, "output-file", "", "write output to file")
 }
 
 func runTags(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
-	if len(tagsRequired) == 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("--require must specify at least one tag key")
+	// Precedence: explicit --require wins (ad-hoc override); else the required
+	// AWS keys from --standard-file; else error. Keeps --require working for
+	// one-off checks while --standard-file is the CI gate's source of truth.
+	required := tagsRequired
+	if len(required) == 0 && tagsStandardFile != "" {
+		loaded, err := tags.LoadRequired(tagsStandardFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		required = loaded
+	}
+	if len(required) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("specify required tag keys via --require or --standard-file")
 	}
 
 	ctx := context.Background()
@@ -46,7 +59,7 @@ func runTags(_ *cobra.Command, _ []string) error {
 
 	findings, err := tags.Scan(ctx, providers, tags.ScanOptions{
 		MinSeverity: cloud.Severity(strings.ToUpper(tagsSeverity)),
-		Required:    tagsRequired,
+		Required:    required,
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/internal/tags/standard.go b/internal/tags/standard.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c158aae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/tags/standard.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package tags
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+)
+
+// standardKind is the kind discriminator a resource-tagging standard file must
+// declare. Guards against pointing --standard-file at the wrong JSON.
+const standardKind = "nanohype/standards/resource-tagging"
+
+// standardFile is the minimal shape cloudgov reads from a published nanohype
+// resource-tagging standard — just enough to pull the required AWS tag keys.
+// The standard pre-renders them (content.required_by_surface.aws holds the
+// PascalCase keys), so there's no rendering logic here.
+type standardFile struct {
+	Kind    string `json:"kind"`
+	Content struct {
+		RequiredBySurface map[string][]string `json:"required_by_surface"`
+	} `json:"content"`
+}
+
+// LoadRequired reads the required AWS tag keys from a nanohype resource-tagging
+// standard JSON file (content.required_by_surface.aws) — the keys cloudgov then
+// audits every AWS resource for. The same file the SDK/MCP serve and CI gates on.
+func LoadRequired(path string) ([]string, error) {
+	b, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("read standard file %s: %w", path, err)
+	}
+	var sf standardFile
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(b, &sf); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("parse standard file %s: %w", path, err)
+	}
+	if sf.Kind != standardKind {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("standard file %s: unexpected kind %q (want %s)", path, sf.Kind, standardKind)
+	}
+	keys := sf.Content.RequiredBySurface["aws"]
+	if len(keys) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("standard file %s: content.required_by_surface.aws is empty", path)
+	}
+	return keys, nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/tags/standard_test.go b/internal/tags/standard_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24f3ee4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/tags/standard_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
+package tags
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func writeTemp(t *testing.T, body string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	p := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "resource-tagging.json")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(p, []byte(body), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write temp: %v", err)
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+const validStandard = `{
+  "kind": "nanohype/standards/resource-tagging",
+  "content": {
+    "required_by_surface": {
+      "aws": ["Environment", "ManagedBy", "CostCenter"],
+      "gcp": ["environment"]
+    }
+  }
+}`
+
+func TestLoadRequired(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("valid returns aws keys", func(t *testing.T) {
+		got, err := LoadRequired(writeTemp(t, validStandard))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+		}
+		want := []string{"Environment", "ManagedBy", "CostCenter"}
+		if len(got) != len(want) {
+			t.Fatalf("got %v want %v", got, want)
+		}
+		for i := range want {
+			if got[i] != want[i] {
+				t.Errorf("key %d: got %q want %q", i, got[i], want[i])
+			}
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("missing file errors", func(t *testing.T) {
+		if _, err := LoadRequired(filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "nope.json")); err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for missing file")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("bad json errors", func(t *testing.T) {
+		if _, err := LoadRequired(writeTemp(t, "{not json")); err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for bad json")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("wrong kind errors", func(t *testing.T) {
+		body := `{"kind":"nanohype/standards/llm-policy","content":{"required_by_surface":{"aws":["Environment"]}}}`
+		if _, err := LoadRequired(writeTemp(t, body)); err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for wrong kind")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("empty aws list errors", func(t *testing.T) {
+		body := `{"kind":"nanohype/standards/resource-tagging","content":{"required_by_surface":{"gcp":["environment"]}}}`
+		if _, err := LoadRequired(writeTemp(t, body)); err == nil {
+			t.Error("expected error for empty aws list")
+		}
+	})
+}