diff --git a/packages/plugins/scm-github/src/graphql-batch.ts b/packages/plugins/scm-github/src/graphql-batch.ts
index cf92add29..b80e196c4 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/scm-github/src/graphql-batch.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/scm-github/src/graphql-batch.ts
@@ -391,6 +391,15 @@ export function _resetBatchEnrichPRFailedEmittedForTesting(): void {
  */
 export const MAX_BATCH_SIZE = 25;
 
+/**
+ * Maximum number of status check contexts to include per PR in the GraphQL batch.
+ * Covers AO's current 18-check CI with small headroom while keeping batch cost bounded.
+ * At MAX_BATCH_SIZE (25 PRs), this yields at most 20 × 25 = 500 context nodes per query,
+ * well within GitHub's per-call node limits.
+ * Repos with more contexts still fall back safely via pageInfo.hasNextPage.
+ */
+export const CI_CONTEXTS_FIRST = 20;
+
 /**
  * Check if an HTTP response contains a 304 Not Modified status.
  * Handles HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/2.0 status lines.
@@ -647,11 +656,10 @@ const PR_FIELDS = `
       commit {
         statusCheckRollup {
           state
-          # 11 keeps per-PR node cost under budget for 25-PR batch queries
-          # (total cost ≤5000). Repos with >11 checks lose individual check
-          # visibility, but the rollup "state" still reflects all checks —
-          # overall pass/fail detection remains correct.
-          contexts(first: 11) {
+          # Fetch enough contexts for AO's normal 18-check CI while keeping
+          # the per-PR node cost bounded. If more contexts exist, pageInfo
+          # forces REST fallback for complete individual check details.
+          contexts(first: ${CI_CONTEXTS_FIRST}) {
             nodes {
               ... on CheckRun {
                 name
@@ -897,9 +905,9 @@ function parseCIState(statusCheckRollup: unknown): CIStatus {
   const rollup = statusCheckRollup as Record<string, unknown>;
   const state = typeof rollup["state"] === "string" ? rollup["state"].toUpperCase() : "";
 
-  // Map GitHub's statusCheckRollup.state to our CIStatus enum
-  // This top-level state aggregates all individual checks and is
-  // significantly cheaper than fetching contexts (10 points vs 50+ per PR)
+  // Map GitHub's statusCheckRollup.state to our CIStatus enum.
+  // This top-level state aggregates all individual checks; individual context
+  // details are parsed separately and only trusted when the page is complete.
   if (state === "SUCCESS") return "passing";
   if (state === "FAILURE") return "failing";
   if (state === "ERROR") return "failing";
@@ -984,10 +992,10 @@ function extractPREnrichment(
   const statusCheckRollup = commits?.nodes?.[0]?.commit?.statusCheckRollup;
   const ciStatus = statusCheckRollup ? parseCIState(statusCheckRollup) : "none";
 
-  // Only include ciChecks when the list is complete (no truncation).
-  // contexts(first: 20) silently truncates PRs with >20 checks — when truncated,
-  // the failing check may be missing, so we set ciChecks to undefined to force
-  // the getCIChecks() REST fallback in maybeDispatchCIFailureDetails.
+  // Only include ciChecks when the bounded contexts page is complete.
+  // GitHub silently truncates larger context lists — when truncated, the failing
+  // check may be missing, so set ciChecks to undefined to force the getCIChecks()
+  // REST fallback in maybeDispatchCIFailureDetails.
   const contextsField = statusCheckRollup?.["contexts"] as Record<string, unknown> | undefined;
   const pageInfo = contextsField?.["pageInfo"];
   const contextsHasNextPage =
diff --git a/packages/plugins/scm-github/test/graphql-batch.test.ts b/packages/plugins/scm-github/test/graphql-batch.test.ts
index 2c987ea71..a714c93d9 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/scm-github/test/graphql-batch.test.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/scm-github/test/graphql-batch.test.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 /**
  * Unit tests for GraphQL batch PR enrichment.
  *
- * Note: The GraphQL batch query was optimized to use only the top-level
- * statusCheckRollup.state field instead of fetching individual contexts.
- * This reduces GraphQL API cost from ~50 points to ~10 points per PR while
- * providing the same semantic information for CI status determination.
+ * Note: The GraphQL batch query uses the top-level statusCheckRollup.state
+ * field for overall CI status and fetches a bounded contexts page for
+ * individual check details when the page is complete.
  */
 
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from "vitest";
@@ -13,6 +12,7 @@ import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from "vitest";
 import {
   generateBatchQuery,
   MAX_BATCH_SIZE,
+  CI_CONTEXTS_FIRST,
   parseCIState,
   parseReviewDecision,
   parsePRState,
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ describe("GraphQL Batch Query Generation", () => {
     expect(query).toContain("reviewDecision");
     expect(query).toContain("commits");
     expect(query).toContain("statusCheckRollup");
+    expect(query).toContain(`contexts(first: ${CI_CONTEXTS_FIRST})`);
   });
 
   it("should use sequential numeric aliases", () => {
@@ -277,9 +278,9 @@ describe("CI State Parsing", () => {
     expect(parseCIState({ state: "EXPECTED" })).toBe("pending");
   });
 
-  it("should parse individual contexts for detailed state", () => {
-    // After optimization, we no longer fetch individual contexts.
-    // The top-level state provides the same semantic information.
+  it("should use aggregate state even when individual contexts are present", () => {
+    // The top-level state provides overall CI status. Individual context
+    // details are parsed separately for ciChecks when the page is complete.
     expect(parseCIState({
       state: "PENDING",
       contexts: {
@@ -719,10 +720,14 @@ describe("PR Enrichment Data Extraction", () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe("MAX_BATCH_SIZE constant", () => {
-  it("should be defined as 25", () => {
+describe("GraphQL batch sizing constants", () => {
+  it("should keep PR batches at 25 for optimal batch sizing", () => {
     expect(MAX_BATCH_SIZE).toBe(25);
   });
+
+  it("should request enough CI contexts for AO's 18-check CI", () => {
+    expect(CI_CONTEXTS_FIRST).toBe(20);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("ETag Cache", () => {
@@ -1743,7 +1748,7 @@ describe("extractPREnrichment ciChecks", () => {
                 contexts: {
                   nodes: [
                     { name: "check-1", status: "COMPLETED", conclusion: "FAILURE", detailsUrl: null },
-                    // ... 19 more checks truncated
+                    // ... more checks truncated beyond CI_CONTEXTS_FIRST
                   ],
                   pageInfo: { hasNextPage: true }, // list was truncated!
                 },