diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 0d58403..0000000
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-Closes #
-
-<!--
-Complete the `Closes #` line above with the issue number to auto-close it on
-merge, one closing keyword per issue (cross-repo:
-`Closes <owner>/<repo>#<issue-number>`). Supported keywords are GitHub's:
-https://docs.github.com/en/issues/tracking-your-work-with-issues/linking-a-pull-request-to-an-issue
-
-If this PR closes no issue, replace that line with `No related issue: <reason>`
-for an orphan PR (drift sweep, hotfix, refactor).
-
-Every `##` section below must be filled with real content — HTML comments like
-this one are stripped before validation, so an untouched template is reported
-as missing every section rather than passing vacuously. The linkage rule is
-advisory: the `pr-contract` step inside `ci-status` leaves a comment and the
-`needs-issue-linkage` label instead of failing. That step's output reports the
-exact rule it applied and is authoritative over this comment.
--->
-
-## Summary
-
-<!-- What changes and why — a sentence or two of problem context. -->
-
-## Fix
-
-<!-- The concrete change and how it addresses the problem. -->
-
-## Verification
-
-<!-- How this was proven: tests run, commands executed, evidence observed. -->
-
-## Related
-
-<!--
-Issues, PRs, or decision records this change touches without closing
-(one per line, e.g. `- Refs #<issue-number>`). If nothing applies, state
-`No linked issue` and why.
--->
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 0d308d2..05304f8 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -149,10 +149,14 @@ are validated upstream, and this repo must not hand-edit them.
 `ci-status` is the single required check. It fails on a title that is not
 Conventional Commits (`build`, `chore`, `ci`, `docs`, `feat`, `fix`, `perf`,
 `refactor`, `revert`, `security`, `style`, `test`) and on a `do-not-merge`
-label. Every body opens with a closing keyword and issue (`Closes #<issue>`,
-`Fixes`, or `Resolves`, cross-repo as `Closes <owner>/<repo>#<issue>`) or with
-the literal `No related issue: <reason>`, then carries a non-empty
-`## Summary`, `## Fix`, `## Verification` and `## Related`. The linkage rule is
-advisory: a body missing the keyword or a section gets a comment and the
-`needs-issue-linkage` label, not a red check. Draft the body to
-`.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md` before opening the pull request.
+label. Every body opens with a closing keyword and issue ("Closes #<issue>",
+"Fixes", or "Resolves", cross-repo as "Closes <owner>/<repo>#<issue>") or with
+the no-issue escape and its reason, "No related issue: <reason>". Write that
+opening line as plain text: the gate masks inline code spans before matching,
+so a backticked keyword or escape is invisible to it. The body then carries a
+non-empty `## Summary`, `## Fix`, `## Verification` and `## Related`. The
+linkage rule is advisory: a body missing the keyword or a section gets a
+comment and the `needs-issue-linkage` label, not a red check. Draft the body
+to that shape before opening the pull request: this repository carries no
+local template and inherits the org default from
+[`melodic-software/.github`](https://github.com/melodic-software/.github/blob/main/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md).