diff --git a/.github/scripts/check-issue-description.js b/.github/scripts/check-issue-description.js
index a76ca29ab..63162b0d7 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/check-issue-description.js
+++ b/.github/scripts/check-issue-description.js
@@ -153,6 +153,16 @@ module.exports = async ({ github, context, core }) => {
     }
   }
 
+  const LABEL_BAD  = 'needs more info';
+  const LABEL_GOOD = 'ready for review';
+
+  // Closed issues are no longer awaiting review.
+  // This also prevents later edits to closed issues from restoring the label.
+  if (issue.state === 'closed') {
+    await dropLabel(LABEL_GOOD);
+    return;
+  }
+
   // ── Find existing bot comment to update in-place ──────────────────────────
   const MARKER = '<!-- issue-description-check -->';
   const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
@@ -160,9 +170,6 @@ module.exports = async ({ github, context, core }) => {
   });
   const existing = comments.find(c => c.user.type === 'Bot' && c.body.includes(MARKER));
 
-  const LABEL_BAD  = 'needs more info';
-  const LABEL_GOOD = 'ready for review';
-
   if (failures.length === 0) {
     if (existing) {
       await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({ owner, repo, comment_id: existing.id });
diff --git a/.github/workflows/issue-description-check.yml b/.github/workflows/issue-description-check.yml
index 52e9dddae..5ce6037f0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/issue-description-check.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/issue-description-check.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ name: ci / issue description check
 
 on:
   issues:
-    types: [opened, edited, reopened]
+    types: [opened, edited, reopened, closed]
 
 permissions:
   issues: write
diff --git a/tests/test_issue_description_check.py b/tests/test_issue_description_check.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..196f21cfc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_issue_description_check.py
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+"""Regression coverage for issue-description label lifecycle events."""
+
+import json
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+
+_REPO = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+_CHECKER = _REPO / ".github" / "scripts" / "check-issue-description.js"
+_WORKFLOW = _REPO / ".github" / "workflows" / "issue-description-check.yml"
+pytestmark = pytest.mark.skipif(not shutil.which("node"), reason="node not on PATH")
+
+
+def _run_closed_issue(action):
+    harness = r"""
+const checkIssueDescription = require(process.argv[1]);
+const action = process.argv[2];
+const calls = [];
+const unexpected = (name) => async () => {
+  throw new Error(`${name} should not be called for a closed issue`);
+};
+
+const github = {
+  rest: {
+    issues: {
+      removeLabel: async (params) => calls.push({ method: 'removeLabel', params }),
+      getLabel: unexpected('getLabel'),
+      addLabels: unexpected('addLabels'),
+      listComments: unexpected('listComments'),
+      createComment: unexpected('createComment'),
+      updateComment: unexpected('updateComment'),
+      deleteComment: unexpected('deleteComment'),
+    },
+  },
+};
+const context = {
+  payload: {
+    action,
+    issue: { number: 42, state: 'closed', body: '', labels: [] },
+  },
+  repo: { owner: 'odysseus-dev', repo: 'odysseus' },
+};
+const core = {
+  warning: unexpected('core.warning'),
+  setFailed: unexpected('core.setFailed'),
+};
+
+checkIssueDescription({ github, context, core })
+  .then(() => process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(calls)))
+  .catch((error) => {
+    console.error(error);
+    process.exitCode = 1;
+  });
+"""
+    proc = subprocess.run(
+        ["node", "-e", harness, str(_CHECKER), action],
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+        cwd=str(_REPO),
+        timeout=30,
+    )
+    assert proc.returncode == 0, proc.stderr
+    return json.loads(proc.stdout)
+
+
+def test_workflow_handles_issue_closures():
+    workflow = _WORKFLOW.read_text()
+    assert "types: [opened, edited, reopened, closed]" in workflow
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("action", ["closed", "edited"])
+def test_closed_issue_only_drops_ready_for_review(action):
+    assert _run_closed_issue(action) == [
+        {
+            "method": "removeLabel",
+            "params": {
+                "owner": "odysseus-dev",
+                "repo": "odysseus",
+                "issue_number": 42,
+                "name": "ready for review",
+            },
+        }
+    ]