diff --git a/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.test.ts b/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.test.ts
index 00f34684f5..85580248e5 100644
--- a/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.test.ts
+++ b/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.test.ts
@@ -113,6 +113,37 @@ describe("analysis snapshot contract", () => {
     expect(parsed.evidence_bundle.records[0]?.subject?.format).toBe("dos-mz");
   });
 
+  it("rejects a snapshot subject path containing NUL", () => {
+    const binding = snapshotBinding(ANALYSIS_SNAPSHOT_PROFILE);
+    const entry = {
+      query_id: `query_${"0".repeat(64)}`,
+      operation: "analyze_function",
+      parameters: {},
+      execution: {
+        result: null,
+        raw_result: null,
+        provider: binding.provider,
+        limitations: [],
+        locations: [],
+        subject: {
+          path: "a\u0000b",
+          sha256: "a".repeat(64),
+          format: "elf" as const,
+          architecture: null,
+        },
+      },
+    };
+    expect(
+      analysisSnapshotSchema.safeParse({
+        target: snapshotTarget(ANALYSIS_SNAPSHOT_TARGET),
+        binding,
+        entries: [entry],
+        workflow_entries: [],
+        evidence_bundle: createEvidenceBundle([]),
+      }).success,
+    ).toBe(false);
+  });
+
   it("accepts snapshots with more than ten thousand analysis entries", () => {
     const binding = snapshotBinding(ANALYSIS_SNAPSHOT_PROFILE);
     const entry = {
diff --git a/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.ts b/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.ts
index a60b705247..e839b1e97d 100644
--- a/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.ts
+++ b/src/domain/analysisSnapshot.ts
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import {
   compareUnicodeCodePoints,
   compositeKey,
 } from "./unicodeCodePointOrder.js";
+import { localPathStringSchema } from "./localPath.js";
 
 import {
   analysisProfileSchema,
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ const formatSchema = z.enum([
 ]);
 const kindSchema = z.enum(["executable", "database", "archive", "artifact"]);
 const subjectSchema = z.object({
-  path: z.string().min(1),
+  path: localPathStringSchema,
   sha256: digestSchema,
   format: z.enum([
     ...formatSchema.options,
diff --git a/src/domain/evidence.test.ts b/src/domain/evidence.test.ts
index 9a129d7b69..fc2f199216 100644
--- a/src/domain/evidence.test.ts
+++ b/src/domain/evidence.test.ts
@@ -291,6 +291,22 @@ describe("analysis evidence identity", () => {
   });
 });
 
+it("rejects a subject local path containing NUL while admitting an empty path", () => {
+  const evidence = createEvidence(TARGET, PROVIDER, {
+    operation: "health",
+    parameters: {},
+    result: true,
+  });
+  expect(evidence.subject).not.toBeNull();
+  const withPath = (path: string) => ({
+    ...evidence,
+    subject: { ...evidence.subject, local_path: path },
+  });
+  expect(evidenceSchema.safeParse(withPath("/tmp/fixture")).success).toBe(true);
+  expect(evidenceSchema.safeParse(withPath("")).success).toBe(true);
+  expect(evidenceSchema.safeParse(withPath("a\u0000b")).success).toBe(false);
+});
+
 it("binds an explicit unknown-subject reason into the semantic Evidence identity", () => {
   const reason = "Caller excluded the observed digest.";
   const observation = { operation: "health", parameters: {}, result: true };
diff --git a/src/domain/evidence.ts b/src/domain/evidence.ts
index 8aa6d4c654..4e6fbe372c 100644
--- a/src/domain/evidence.ts
+++ b/src/domain/evidence.ts
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import { z } from "zod";
 
 import { digestCanonicalValue } from "./canonicalDigest.js";
 import { canonicalJsonDigestSteps } from "./canonicalJsonDigestSteps.js";
+import { nulFreeStringSchema } from "./localPath.js";
 
 import {
   analysisProfileSchema,
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ const subjectSchema = z.object({
     "entitlements",
   ]),
   architecture: z.enum(BINARY_ARCHITECTURES).nullable(),
-  local_path: z.string(),
+  local_path: nulFreeStringSchema,
 });
 /** Source location attached to an evidence observation. */
 /** Source-location schema shared by evidence-bearing persistence formats. */
diff --git a/src/domain/localPath.ts b/src/domain/localPath.ts
index d3d2001896..789803a210 100644
--- a/src/domain/localPath.ts
+++ b/src/domain/localPath.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ import { isAbsolute, relative, sep } from "node:path";
 import { z } from "zod";
 
 /**
- * Preserve selected filesystem names while rejecting OS-invalid NUL bytes.
+ * Reject OS-invalid NUL bytes in a local filesystem name. This is not a path
+ * shape check: an empty or relative value is admitted here and narrowed by the
+ * callers that need a nonempty or absolute path.
  *
  * The pattern spells NUL as `\x00` rather than `\u0000`. Both accept exactly the
  * same strings. The hex form also avoids the short `\0` spelling rejected by
@@ -10,11 +12,13 @@ import { z } from "zod";
  * one advertised pattern cannot compile. See `offsetDateTimeSchema` for the
  * same hex-escape convention.
  */
-export const localPathStringSchema = z
+export const nulFreeStringSchema = z
   .string()
-  .min(1)
   .regex(/^[^\x00]*$/u, "Local filesystem paths cannot contain NUL");
 
+/** A selected local filesystem path: nonempty and free of NUL bytes. */
+export const localPathStringSchema = nulFreeStringSchema.min(1);
+
 /** Test lexical containment on the host platform; callers must resolve symlinks first. */
 export const isPathWithinRoot = (root: string, path: string): boolean => {
   const value = relative(root, path);