diff --git a/src/commands/create.ts b/src/commands/create.ts
index 373453a..eceadf2 100644
--- a/src/commands/create.ts
+++ b/src/commands/create.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { humanFormatWorkItem, resolveFormat } from './helpers.js';
 import { canValidateStatusStage, validateStatusStageCompatibility, validateStatusStageInput } from './status-stage-validation.js';
 import { promises as fs } from 'fs';
 import { normalizeActionArgs } from './cli-utils.js';
-import { buildAuditEntry, hasAcceptanceCriteria, redactAuditText, parseReadinessLine } from '../audit.js';
+import { buildAuditEntry, hasAcceptanceCriteria } from '../audit.js';
 
 export default function register(ctx: PluginContext): void {
   const { program, output, utils } = ctx;
@@ -96,17 +96,6 @@ export default function register(ctx: PluginContext): void {
       let auditEntry;
       if (auditTextInput !== undefined) {
         const hasCriteria = hasAcceptanceCriteria(description);
-        const redacted = redactAuditText(String(auditTextInput));
-        const parsed = parseReadinessLine(redacted);
-        if (parsed === 'Missing Criteria') {
-          output.error('Audit first-line did not contain a verifiable readiness token', { success: false, error: 'audit-ambiguous-readiness', message: 'Audit first-line did not contain a verifiable readiness token' });
-          process.exit(1);
-        }
-        if (parsed === 'Complete' && hasCriteria === false) {
-          output.error('Audit claims Complete but work item has no acceptance criteria', { success: false, error: 'audit-unverifiable-complete', message: 'Audit claims Complete but work item has no acceptance criteria' });
-          process.exit(1);
-        }
-
         auditEntry = buildAuditEntry(String(auditTextInput), undefined, { hasAcceptanceCriteria: hasCriteria });
       }
 
diff --git a/src/commands/update.ts b/src/commands/update.ts
index f8953df..4cb2deb 100644
--- a/src/commands/update.ts
+++ b/src/commands/update.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { promises as fs } from 'fs';
 import { humanFormatWorkItem, resolveFormat } from './helpers.js';
 import { canValidateStatusStage, validateStatusStageCompatibility, validateStatusStageInput } from './status-stage-validation.js';
 import { normalizeActionArgs } from './cli-utils.js';
-import { buildAuditEntry, hasAcceptanceCriteria, redactAuditText, parseReadinessLine } from '../audit.js';
+import { buildAuditEntry, hasAcceptanceCriteria } from '../audit.js';
 
 export default function register(ctx: PluginContext): void {
   const { program, output, utils } = ctx;
@@ -168,32 +168,6 @@ export default function register(ctx: PluginContext): void {
           const effectiveDescription = descriptionCandidate !== undefined ? descriptionCandidate : current.description;
           const hasCriteria = hasAcceptanceCriteria(effectiveDescription);
 
-          // Validate audit first-line after redaction. Reject ambiguous or
-          // unverifiable writes by returning a per-id failure and continuing
-          // batch processing (single-id callers will observe a non-zero exit).
-          const redacted = redactAuditText(String(auditCandidate));
-          const parsed = parseReadinessLine(redacted);
-          if (parsed === 'Missing Criteria') {
-            // Ambiguous readiness token — reject the write.
-            results.push({
-              id: normalizedId,
-              success: false,
-              error: 'audit-ambiguous-readiness',
-              message: 'Audit first-line did not contain a verifiable readiness token',
-            });
-            continue;
-          }
-          if (parsed === 'Complete' && hasCriteria === false) {
-            // Claims Complete but cannot be verified.
-            results.push({
-              id: normalizedId,
-              success: false,
-              error: 'audit-unverifiable-complete',
-              message: 'Audit claims Complete but work item has no acceptance criteria',
-            });
-            continue;
-          }
-
           updates.audit = buildAuditEntry(String(auditCandidate), undefined, { hasAcceptanceCriteria: hasCriteria });
         }
 
diff --git a/tests/cli/issue-management.test.ts b/tests/cli/issue-management.test.ts
index 56a1547..ddecfad 100644
--- a/tests/cli/issue-management.test.ts
+++ b/tests/cli/issue-management.test.ts
@@ -111,15 +111,12 @@ describe('CLI Issue Management Tests', () => {
       expect(result.workItem.title).toBe('Updated title');
     });
 
-    it('should reject ambiguous audit writes without acceptance criteria', async () => {
-      try {
-        await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json update ${workItemId} --audit-text "Ready to close: Yes"`);
-        expect.fail('Should have thrown an error');
-      } catch (error: any) {
-        const result = JSON.parse(error.stderr || error.stdout || '{}');
-        expect(result.success).toBe(false);
-        expect(result.error).toBe('audit-unverifiable-complete');
-      }
+    it('should accept audit writes regardless of acceptance criteria', async () => {
+      const { stdout } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json update ${workItemId} --audit-text "Ready to close: Yes"`);
+      const result = JSON.parse(stdout);
+      expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+      expect(result.workItem.audit).toBeDefined();
+      expect(result.workItem.audit.text).toBe('Ready to close: Yes');
     });
 
     it('should derive complete audit status when success criteria exist', async () => {
diff --git a/tests/github-comment-import-push.test.ts b/tests/github-comment-import-push.test.ts
index d1fdaf5..d6a9f3f 100644
--- a/tests/github-comment-import-push.test.ts
+++ b/tests/github-comment-import-push.test.ts
@@ -36,8 +36,10 @@ vi.mock('../src/github.js', async (importOriginal) => {
     ...actual,
     // Override only the functions that make real API calls
     listGithubIssues: mockListGithubIssues,
+    listGithubIssuesAsync: async (...args: any[]) => mockListGithubIssues(...args),
     listGithubIssueCommentsAsync: mockListGithubIssueCommentsAsync,
     getGithubIssue: vi.fn(() => { throw new Error('not found'); }),
+    getGithubIssueAsync: vi.fn(async () => { throw new Error('not found'); }),
     getIssueHierarchy: vi.fn(() => ({ parentIssueNumber: null, childIssueNumbers: [] })),
     getIssueHierarchyAsync: vi.fn(async () => ({ parentIssueNumber: null, childIssueNumbers: [] })),
     createGithubIssue: vi.fn(),
@@ -52,7 +54,6 @@ vi.mock('../src/github.js', async (importOriginal) => {
       id: `ID_${_num}`,
       updatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
     })),
-    getGithubIssueAsync: vi.fn(),
     listGithubIssueComments: vi.fn(() => []),
     createGithubIssueComment: vi.fn(),
     createGithubIssueCommentAsync: vi.fn(async (_config: any, _issueNumber: number, _body: string) => ({
diff --git a/tests/github-import-label-resolution.test.ts b/tests/github-import-label-resolution.test.ts
index d28c5c5..4bf8797 100644
--- a/tests/github-import-label-resolution.test.ts
+++ b/tests/github-import-label-resolution.test.ts
@@ -32,14 +32,15 @@ vi.mock('../src/github.js', async (importOriginal) => {
     ...actual,
     // Override only the functions that make real API calls
     listGithubIssues: mockListGithubIssues,
+    listGithubIssuesAsync: async (...args: any[]) => mockListGithubIssues(...args),
     getGithubIssue: mockGetGithubIssue,
+    getGithubIssueAsync: async (...args: any[]) => mockGetGithubIssue(...args),
     getIssueHierarchy: vi.fn(() => ({ parentIssueNumber: null, childIssueNumbers: [] })),
     getIssueHierarchyAsync: vi.fn(async () => ({ parentIssueNumber: null, childIssueNumbers: [] })),
     createGithubIssue: vi.fn(),
     createGithubIssueAsync: vi.fn(),
     updateGithubIssue: vi.fn(),
     updateGithubIssueAsync: vi.fn(),
-    getGithubIssueAsync: vi.fn(),
     listGithubIssueComments: vi.fn(() => []),
     listGithubIssueCommentsAsync: vi.fn(async () => []),
     createGithubIssueComment: vi.fn(),
diff --git a/tests/integration/audit-roundtrip.test.ts b/tests/integration/audit-roundtrip.test.ts
index c4c566c..878cb5a 100644
--- a/tests/integration/audit-roundtrip.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/audit-roundtrip.test.ts
@@ -15,21 +15,23 @@ describe('integration: audit write -> read roundtrip', () => {
   });
 
   it('persists audit via create/update and is returned by show --json', async () => {
-    // Create without audit text and then attempt to write an ambiguous audit
+    // Create without audit text and then write a freeform audit
     const { stdout: created } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json create -t "Roundtrip audit"`);
     const createdRes = JSON.parse(created);
     expect(createdRes.success).toBe(true);
     const id = createdRes.workItem.id;
 
-    // Attempt to update with freeform audit text that does not contain a
-    // verifiable readiness token; expect the CLI to reject the write.
-    try {
-      await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json update ${id} --audit-text "Confirm by alice@example.com"`);
-      expect.fail('Should have rejected ambiguous audit write');
-    } catch (error: any) {
-      const result = JSON.parse(error.stdout || error.stderr || '{}');
-      expect(result.success).toBe(false);
-      expect(result.error).toBe('audit-ambiguous-readiness');
-    }
+    // Write freeform audit text (email addresses will be redacted)
+    const { stdout: updated } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json update ${id} --audit-text "Confirm by alice@example.com"`);
+    const updatedRes = JSON.parse(updated);
+    expect(updatedRes.success).toBe(true);
+
+    // Verify the audit is persisted and returned by show --json
+    const { stdout: shown } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json show ${id}`);
+    const shownRes = JSON.parse(shown);
+    expect(shownRes.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(shownRes.workItem.audit).toBeDefined();
+    // Email should be redacted in the stored text
+    expect(shownRes.workItem.audit.text).toBe('Confirm by a***@example.com');
   });
 });
diff --git a/tests/integration/audit-skill-cli.test.ts b/tests/integration/audit-skill-cli.test.ts
index 410a86b..dc1ffc2 100644
--- a/tests/integration/audit-skill-cli.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/audit-skill-cli.test.ts
@@ -121,26 +121,14 @@ describe('integration: audit skill CLI write path', () => {
       const createdRes = JSON.parse(created);
       const id = createdRes.workItem.id;
 
-      // For ambiguous inputs (Missing Criteria) the CLI is expected to
-      // reject the write. For all others it should succeed.
-      if (tc.expectedStatus === 'Missing Criteria') {
-        try {
-          await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json update ${id} --audit-text "${tc.text}"`);
-          expect.fail('Should have rejected ambiguous audit write');
-        } catch (error: any) {
-          const result = JSON.parse(error.stdout || error.stderr || '{}');
-          expect(result.success).toBe(false);
-          expect(result.error).toBe('audit-ambiguous-readiness');
-        }
-      } else {
-        const { stdout: updated } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json update ${id} --audit-text "${tc.text}"`);
-        const updatedRes = JSON.parse(updated);
-        expect(updatedRes.success).toBe(true);
-
-        const { stdout: shown } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json show ${id}`);
-        const shownRes = JSON.parse(shown);
-        expect(shownRes.workItem.audit.status).toBe(tc.expectedStatus);
-      }
+      // All audit writes should succeed; the status is parsed from the text
+      const { stdout: updated } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json update ${id} --audit-text "${tc.text}"`);
+      const updatedRes = JSON.parse(updated);
+      expect(updatedRes.success).toBe(true);
+
+      const { stdout: shown } = await execAsync(`tsx ${cliPath} --json show ${id}`);
+      const shownRes = JSON.parse(shown);
+      expect(shownRes.workItem.audit.status).toBe(tc.expectedStatus);
     }
   });
 });