diff --git a/.claude/commands/gmail-sync.md b/.claude/commands/gmail-sync.md
index f2a56fb..8b6be57 100644
--- a/.claude/commands/gmail-sync.md
+++ b/.claude/commands/gmail-sync.md
@@ -46,9 +46,9 @@ Lookback window: `since <date>` argument if given, else `state.last_sync` if set
    - A quoted-name OR-group of the open applications' company names, e.g. `{"Acme Corp" "BigCo"}`
    - A sender-domain OR-group of common ATS platforms: `{from:greenhouse.io from:lever.co from:myworkday.com from:ashbyhq.com from:smartrecruiters.com from:icims.com from:bamboohr.com}`
    - The lookback bound, e.g. `newer_than:30d` or `after:2026/06/15`
-   - `in:inbox` (skip sent/drafts - status signals come from what employers send you, not what you sent them)
+   - `-in:sent -in:drafts` (status signals come from what employers send you, not what you sent them; the negative operators keep **archived** mail and label-filtered mail in scope - restricting to the Inbox instead would silently drop both, including exactly the mail matched by the job-search label from step 1, since the standard filter that applies such a label also archives it)
 
-Example: `newer_than:30d in:inbox ({"Acme Corp" "BigCo"} OR {from:greenhouse.io from:lever.co from:myworkday.com from:ashbyhq.com})`
+Example: `newer_than:30d -in:sent -in:drafts ({"Acme Corp" "BigCo"} OR {from:greenhouse.io from:lever.co from:myworkday.com from:ashbyhq.com})`
 
 4. Call `search_threads` with `view: THREAD_VIEW_MINIMAL`, `pageSize: 50`, paginating via `pageToken` until exhausted or results are clearly outside the relevant window.
 
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 3c96fb3..5f4416e 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -56,6 +56,13 @@ per-file diff commands.
 
 ### Fixed
 
+- **`/gmail-sync` no longer restricts its search to the Inbox** - the query used
+  `in:inbox` to "skip sent/drafts", but that operator also excludes every archived
+  message, and self-defeatingly the mail matched by the very job-search label Step 3.1
+  hunts for (the standard filter that applies such a label also archives). The query now
+  uses `-in:sent -in:drafts`, which matches the stated intent exactly. The failure mode
+  was silent under-detection: a missed rejection or interview invite read as "no
+  updates". Pinned by the new `tests/test_gmail_sync_command.py`.
 - **`/upskill` no longer divides by a blank `fit_rating`** - `/outcome` creates tracker
   rows for applications made outside the workflow with no fit evaluation, so their
   `fit_rating` is blank, and Step 3.3's `(100 - fit_rating) / 100` had no rule for that.
diff --git a/tests/test_gmail_sync_command.py b/tests/test_gmail_sync_command.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..deb9b49
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_gmail_sync_command.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+"""Guards for /gmail-sync's Gmail query semantics.
+
+The command's stated intent is "skip sent/drafts - status signals come
+from what employers send you". `in:inbox` does not mean that: it matches
+only messages currently IN the inbox, so it also excludes every archived
+message - and, self-defeatingly, the mail matched by the very
+job-search label Step 3.1 hunts for, because the standard filter that
+applies such a label also archives ("skip the inbox"). The correct
+operators for the stated intent are `-in:sent -in:drafts` (review
+finding F18, 2026-08-19). The failure mode is silent under-detection: a
+missed rejection or interview invite just looks like "no updates".
+"""
+import unittest
+from pathlib import Path
+
+REPO = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+GMAIL_SYNC = REPO / ".claude" / "commands" / "gmail-sync.md"
+
+
+class TestGmailQueryOperators(unittest.TestCase):
+    def setUp(self):
+        self.text = GMAIL_SYNC.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+    def test_query_excludes_sent_and_drafts_explicitly(self):
+        self.assertIn(
+            "-in:sent -in:drafts",
+            self.text,
+            "the query must exclude sent/drafts with negative operators, "
+            "which keep archived and label-filtered mail in scope",
+        )
+
+    def test_query_never_restricts_to_the_inbox(self):
+        self.assertNotIn(
+            "in:inbox",
+            self.text.replace("-in:sent", "").replace("-in:drafts", ""),
+            "in:inbox silently drops archived mail and everything a "
+            "label-and-archive filter routed past the inbox - exactly the "
+            "mail the label search in Step 3.1 exists to find",
+        )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()