diff --git a/libmeanfield/interface/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cppm b/libmeanfield/interface/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cppm
index 7ac9100..24292bb 100644
--- a/libmeanfield/interface/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cppm
+++ b/libmeanfield/interface/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cppm
@@ -53,9 +53,11 @@ export namespace mean_field::solver {
         double meritDirectionalDerivative{std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()};
         double linearModelResidualNorm{std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN()};
         int jacobianApplications{0};
-        PolynomialSignReport base;
-        PolynomialSignReport anchor;
-        PolynomialSignReport candidate;
+        // Early rejection can leave later checks unvisited. Such a report is
+        // never evidence of feasibility, even though the empty-domain check is.
+        PolynomialSignReport base{.status = PolynomialSignStatus::unresolved};
+        PolynomialSignReport anchor{.status = PolynomialSignStatus::unresolved};
+        PolynomialSignReport candidate{.status = PolynomialSignStatus::unresolved};
     };
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cpp b/tests/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cpp
index 0c6cadc..98a430e 100644
--- a/tests/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cpp
+++ b/tests/solver/enthalpy_admissibility.cpp
@@ -157,8 +157,10 @@ TEST_CASE("Prepared admissibility preserves shared true DOFs and rejects an inva
     const auto repeated = prepared.MinimumRepairFraction(base,anchor,direction);
     CHECK(repeated.minimumSafeFraction == repair.minimumSafeFraction);
     mfem::Vector invalid(base); invalid *= -1.0;
-    CHECK(prepared.MinimumRepairFraction(invalid,anchor,direction).status ==
-          EnthalpyDirectionRepairStatus::invalid_base);
+    const auto invalidBase = prepared.MinimumRepairFraction(invalid,anchor,direction);
+    CHECK(invalidBase.status == EnthalpyDirectionRepairStatus::invalid_base);
+    CHECK(invalidBase.anchor.status == PolynomialSignStatus::unresolved);
+    CHECK(invalidBase.candidate.status == PolynomialSignStatus::unresolved);
     int rank = 0; MPI_Comm_rank(MPI_COMM_WORLD,&rank);
     mfem::Vector nonfinite(base);
     if (rank == 0 && nonfinite.Size()) nonfinite(0) = std::numeric_limits<double>::quiet_NaN();