diff --git a/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs b/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs
index 2a20ca7e0..653fbdfd4 100644
--- a/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs
+++ b/crates/ml/src/cuda_pipeline/gpu_dqn_trainer.rs
@@ -5203,20 +5203,42 @@ impl GpuDqnTrainer {
         let d_adv_ptr = self.cql_d_adv_logits.raw_ptr();
 
         // B1/G2: Adaptive cql_alpha.
-        //  - health from ISV[LEARNING_HEALTH_INDEX] (0.5 fallback if pinned ptr null)
+        //  - health from ISV[LEARNING_HEALTH_INDEX]
         //  - regime_stability from ISV[11]
         //  - cql_alpha_eff = base × (1 − regime_stability) × health
         //    Collapse → 0 (CQL off); volatile+healthy → full; stable+healthy → 0.
-        let (health, regime_stability) = if self.isv_signals_pinned.is_null() {
-            (0.5_f32, 0.5_f32)
+        //
+        // Task 2.5 Bug #7 — when `isv_signals_pinned` is null (smoke scale
+        // without ISV warmup), the previous silent fallback of (0.5, 0.5)
+        // gave `cql_alpha_eff = base × 0.5 × 0.5 = 0.25 × base` by degenerate
+        // math, not by design — violating feedback_no_hiding.md. Fix: emit a
+        // tracing::warn! once and gate the regime multiplier OFF (health=1.0,
+        // regime=0.0 → cql_alpha = base × 1.0 × 1.0 = base, the scheduled
+        // value). Full ISV warmup at smoke scale is a follow-up task.
+        let cql_alpha = if self.isv_signals_pinned.is_null() {
+            // Log once per-ctor lifetime so spam is bounded (this function
+            // runs every step). The std::sync::Once pattern here is local
+            // to this formula — constructors still populate isv_signals_pinned
+            // at full scale so the warn only fires under smoke-scoped runs
+            // that legitimately skip ISV warmup.
+            static WARN_ONCE: std::sync::Once = std::sync::Once::new();
+            WARN_ONCE.call_once(|| {
+                tracing::warn!(
+                    "cql_alpha regime gate: isv_signals_pinned is null — formula \
+                     disabled, using scheduled cql_alpha (base × 1.0 × 1.0). \
+                     Smoke-scale runs without ISV warmup expected; full-scale \
+                     should never hit this path."
+                );
+            });
+            self.config.cql_alpha
         } else {
-            unsafe {
+            let (health, regime_stability) = unsafe {
                 let h = (*self.isv_signals_pinned.add(LEARNING_HEALTH_INDEX)).clamp(0.0, 1.0);
                 let s = (*self.isv_signals_pinned.add(11)).clamp(0.0, 1.0);
                 (h, s)
-            }
+            };
+            self.config.cql_alpha * (1.0 - regime_stability) * health
         };
-        let cql_alpha = self.config.cql_alpha * (1.0 - regime_stability) * health;
 
         // Cache for logging via FusedTrainingCtx / DQNTrainer.
         self.last_cql_alpha_eff = cql_alpha;