diff --git a/headroom/binaries.py b/headroom/binaries.py
index 200257871..6ea41f01b 100644
--- a/headroom/binaries.py
+++ b/headroom/binaries.py
@@ -42,6 +42,19 @@ from headroom._subprocess import run
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+# Affirmative values for the sha256-verification bypass. This is a security
+# control (supply-chain integrity), so it must fail CLOSED: only an explicit
+# affirmative disables verification. A bare presence check treated
+# `HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED=0` / `=false` — the natural way to say
+# "keep verifying" — as truthy and silently skipped verification.
+_TRUTHY = frozenset({"1", "true", "yes", "on"})
+
+
+def _allow_unverified_binaries() -> bool:
+    """Whether sha256 verification of fetched binaries is bypassed."""
+    return os.environ.get("HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED", "").strip().lower() in _TRUTHY
+
+
 __all__ = [
     "BinaryError",
     "BinaryFetchError",
@@ -311,7 +324,7 @@ def _sha256_file(path: Path) -> str:
 
 
 def _verify_sha256(path: Path, expected: str | None) -> None:
-    if os.environ.get("HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED"):
+    if _allow_unverified_binaries():
         logger.warning(
             "skipping sha256 verification for %s (HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED=1)",
             path.name,
@@ -347,7 +360,7 @@ def verify_download_bytes(data: bytes, *, url: str, name: str) -> None:
     the bytes against the tools.json pin for ``url`` and refuses an unpinned URL
     unless HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED=1.
     """
-    if os.environ.get("HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED"):
+    if _allow_unverified_binaries():
         logger.warning(
             "skipping sha256 verification for %s (HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED=1)", name
         )
diff --git a/tests/test_binaries.py b/tests/test_binaries.py
index db7d48992..969530290 100644
--- a/tests/test_binaries.py
+++ b/tests/test_binaries.py
@@ -382,3 +382,47 @@ def test_status_reports_every_registered_tool(monkeypatch):
     assert {"difft", "scc", "ast-grep"} <= names
     for r in rows:
         assert r["state"] in ("on-path", "cached", "missing", "unsupported-platform")
+
+
+# -------- HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED (security: fail closed) ------- #
+
+
+def _write(tmp_path, data: bytes):
+    p = tmp_path / "asset.bin"
+    p.write_bytes(data)
+    return p
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("value", ["0", "false", "no", "off", "", "  "])
+def test_allow_unverified_non_affirmative_still_verifies(monkeypatch, tmp_path, value):
+    # A security bypass must fail CLOSED: only an explicit affirmative disables
+    # verification. Setting the var to "0"/"false" (the natural way to say "keep
+    # verifying") previously passed a bare presence check and silently skipped
+    # sha256 verification of the downloaded binary.
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED", value)
+    path = _write(tmp_path, b"payload")
+    with pytest.raises(binaries.Sha256Mismatch):
+        binaries._verify_sha256(path, "deadbeef" * 8)  # wrong pin
+
+
+def test_allow_unverified_unset_still_verifies(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
+    monkeypatch.delenv("HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED", raising=False)
+    path = _write(tmp_path, b"payload")
+    with pytest.raises(binaries.Sha256Mismatch):
+        binaries._verify_sha256(path, "deadbeef" * 8)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("value", ["1", "true", "TRUE", "yes", "on"])
+def test_allow_unverified_affirmative_skips_verification(monkeypatch, tmp_path, value):
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED", value)
+    path = _write(tmp_path, b"payload")
+    # Wrong pin, but an explicit affirmative bypass returns without raising.
+    binaries._verify_sha256(path, "deadbeef" * 8)
+
+
+def test_verify_download_bytes_zero_still_verifies(monkeypatch):
+    # Same fail-closed contract on the in-memory installer path.
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HEADROOM_BINARIES_ALLOW_UNVERIFIED", "0")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(binaries, "sha256_for_url", lambda _url: "deadbeef" * 8)
+    with pytest.raises(binaries.Sha256Mismatch):
+        binaries.verify_download_bytes(b"payload", url="https://x/y", name="y")