diff --git a/src/visibility.rs b/src/visibility.rs
index 8a197da..c9b4bb2 100644
--- a/src/visibility.rs
+++ b/src/visibility.rs
@@ -88,6 +88,19 @@ fn matches_pattern(candidate: &str, pattern: &str) -> bool {
     }
 }
 
+/// Whether `candidate` matches one declared private-branch `pattern`.
+///
+/// The single per-pattern semantic for `private_branches`. Both callers go
+/// through here, so adjudication and export cannot answer differently for
+/// the same policy.
+fn branch_matches(candidate: &str, pattern: &str) -> bool {
+    let pattern = pattern.trim().trim_start_matches('/');
+    !pattern.is_empty()
+        && (matches_pattern(candidate, pattern)
+            || candidate == pattern
+            || candidate.contains(pattern))
+}
+
 impl VisibilityPolicy {
     /// Load a visibility policy from a TOML configuration file.
     pub fn load(path: &Path) -> anyhow::Result<Self> {
@@ -104,15 +117,13 @@ impl VisibilityPolicy {
     }
 
     /// Whether a branch name matches any declared private branch pattern.
+    ///
+    /// Export filtering and adjudication both go through here, so a branch
+    /// cannot be cloaked at adjudication and still published at export.
     pub fn branch_is_private(&self, branch: &str) -> bool {
-        self.private_branches.iter().any(|pb| {
-            let pb = pb.trim_start_matches('/');
-            matches_pattern(branch, pb)
-                || branch == pb
-                || branch.starts_with(&format!("{pb}/"))
-                || branch.ends_with(&format!("/{pb}"))
-                || branch.contains(&format!("/{pb}/"))
-        })
+        self.private_branches
+            .iter()
+            .any(|pb| branch_matches(branch, pb))
     }
 
     /// Whether a touched path matches any private-path fragment.
@@ -199,17 +210,15 @@ impl VisibilityPolicy {
             }
         }
 
-        // Check private branches
+        // Check private branches. Each pattern is tested against the change's
+        // name and refs by `branch_matches`, the same predicate export
+        // filtering uses, so one policy cannot mean two things.
         for branch in &self.private_branches {
             let branch_clean = branch.trim();
             if !branch_clean.is_empty() {
-                let pb = branch_clean.trim_start_matches('/');
-                let matched = matches_pattern(&change.name, pb)
-                    || matches_pattern(&change.head_ref, pb)
-                    || matches_pattern(&change.base_ref, pb)
-                    || change.name.contains(pb)
-                    || change.head_ref.contains(pb)
-                    || change.base_ref.contains(pb);
+                let matched = [&change.name, &change.head_ref, &change.base_ref]
+                    .iter()
+                    .any(|field| branch_matches(field, branch_clean));
                 if matched {
                     out.push(Dispute {
                         id: format!("V{:03}", n),
diff --git a/tests/export_visibility_test.rs b/tests/export_visibility_test.rs
index 00d7900..fecdde4 100644
--- a/tests/export_visibility_test.rs
+++ b/tests/export_visibility_test.rs
@@ -243,6 +243,75 @@ fn test_policy_change_invalidates_export_cache() {
     let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&tmp);
 }
 
+/// A branch adjudication cloaks must not survive export. `private_branches`
+/// had two independent matchers: export filtered on whole-segment equality,
+/// adjudication also matched the bare substring. `private_branches = ["audit"]`
+/// therefore cloaked a change on `feature/audit-fixes` and then published
+/// that same branch. One predicate, one answer.
+#[test]
+fn test_cloaked_branch_is_not_published_by_export() {
+    let tmp = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("oot-branch-{}-a", std::process::id()));
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&tmp);
+    let src = tmp.join("src");
+    let proj = tmp.join("proj");
+    let out = tmp.join("out");
+    std::fs::create_dir_all(&proj).unwrap();
+
+    build_fixture(&src);
+    git(&src, &["checkout", "-b", "feature/audit-fixes"]);
+    std::fs::write(src.join("README.md"), "v2\n").unwrap();
+    git(&src, &["add", "."]);
+    git(&src, &["commit", "-m", "audit work"]);
+
+    std::fs::write(
+        proj.join("visibility.toml"),
+        "private_paths = []\nprivate_branches = [\"audit\"]\n",
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+
+    assert!(oot(&["init"], &proj).0);
+
+    // Adjudication cloaks it: the matcher must still see the pattern in a
+    // longer branch name, or this test asserts nothing.
+    let (cloaked, msg) = oot(
+        &[
+            "adjudicate",
+            "--change",
+            "feature/audit-fixes",
+            "--base-ref",
+            "main",
+            "--head-ref",
+            "feature/audit-fixes",
+            "--repo",
+            src.to_str().unwrap(),
+            "--visibility",
+            proj.join("visibility.toml").to_str().unwrap(),
+        ],
+        &proj,
+    );
+    assert!(!cloaked, "adjudication must still cloak the branch: {msg}");
+    assert!(
+        msg.contains("private branch audit"),
+        "cloak must name the pattern: {msg}"
+    );
+
+    assert!(oot(&["import", "--repo", src.to_str().unwrap()], &proj).0);
+    let (ok, msg) = oot(&["export", "--out", out.to_str().unwrap()], &proj);
+    assert!(ok, "export failed: {msg}");
+
+    let refs = git(&out, &["for-each-ref", "--format=%(refname)", "refs/heads"]);
+    assert!(
+        !refs.contains("refs/heads/feature/audit-fixes"),
+        "a cloaked branch was published anyway: {refs}"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        refs.contains("refs/heads/main"),
+        "the public branch must still export: {refs}"
+    );
+
+    let _ = std::fs::remove_dir_all(&tmp);
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn test_filtered_export_skips_empty_rebuilt_commits() {
     let tmp = std::env::temp_dir().join(format!("oot-empty-{}", std::process::id()));