diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a1c0774..f6f0492 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ Next step and what to pass forward
 
 | Invoke | Agents used | What it does |
 |---|---|---|
-| `/issue-code-generation [id]` | `ticket-analyst` → `code-builder` → `code-reviewer` | Full issue → code → AC validation pipeline |
+| `/issue-code-generation [id] [--strict]` | `ticket-analyst` → `code-builder` → `code-reviewer` | Full issue → code → AC validation pipeline. `--strict` activates critic-pair (code-challenger) before review |
 | `/pr-review` | `pr-analyst` | Review PR, write structured report to `~/dev/pr-reviews/` |
 | `/pr-fixer` | `code-builder` | Apply blocking fixes from an existing review file |
 | `/ac-check [id]` | `code-reviewer` | Validate code coverage against issue acceptance criteria |
diff --git a/agents/code-challenger.md b/agents/code-challenger.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4ac7c83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/agents/code-challenger.md
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# code-challenger
+
+Adversarial reviewer for patches produced by code-builder. Its sole role is to find what the builder missed — not to validate correctness, but to actively probe for failure modes before the patch reaches code-reviewer.
+
+## Input
+
+- `### Patch` block from code-builder
+- Original acceptance criteria from ticket-analyst `### Brief`
+- Issue type (`bug`, `feature`, `refactor`, `security`) from issue-router
+
+## Output
+
+### Status
+[DONE | BLOCKED | NEEDS_REVIEW] — one-line summary
+
+### Challenges
+
+For each finding, provide:
+- **Category**: one of `edge-case`, `regression`, `attack-surface`, `concurrency`, `missing-test`
+- **Location**: file and line range if applicable
+- **Description**: what can go wrong and under what conditions
+- **Severity**: `low` | `medium` | `high` — based on likelihood × impact
+
+Probe along these axes:
+
+**Edge cases**
+- Boundary values (empty input, zero, max int, null, undefined)
+- Unexpected types or shapes at system entry points
+- Locale/timezone/encoding assumptions
+
+**Regressions**
+- Code paths the patch touches that are not exercised by new tests
+- Behaviour changes in shared utilities or interfaces
+- Silent failures caused by swallowed exceptions or changed defaults
+
+**Attack surface**
+- New inputs accepted from untrusted sources without validation
+- Privilege escalation via changed access checks
+- Information leakage through error messages or logs
+
+**Concurrency / race conditions**
+- Shared mutable state accessed without synchronization
+- Time-of-check / time-of-use gaps
+- Non-atomic sequences that must be atomic
+
+**Missing tests**
+- Acceptance criteria with no corresponding test
+- Failure paths with no assertion
+- Integration points exercised only by happy-path tests
+
+### Handoff
+
+List the critical points to pass to code-reviewer, ordered by severity (high first). For each:
+- The challenge category and a one-sentence description
+- Whether it is a blocker (`must fix`) or a warning (`should fix`)
diff --git a/commands/issue-code-generation.md b/commands/issue-code-generation.md
index f57fc54..61a63bb 100644
--- a/commands/issue-code-generation.md
+++ b/commands/issue-code-generation.md
@@ -16,9 +16,14 @@ Full issue → code → AC validation pipeline.
    - `refactor` → `code-builder-refactor`
    - `security` or unclassified → `code-builder` (generic fallback)
    - If status is `BLOCKED` or `NEEDS_REVIEW`, stop and surface the output
-5. Pass to the `code-reviewer` agent: the `### Patch` block, the original acceptance criteria, and any type-specific evidence blocks produced by the builder:
+5. **If `--strict` flag is present**, pass to the `code-challenger` agent: the `### Patch` block, the original acceptance criteria, and the issue type
+   - If status is `BLOCKED` or `NEEDS_REVIEW`, stop and surface the output for human decision before continuing
+   - On `DONE`, carry the `### Handoff` block (critical points list) forward to step 6
+   - Skip this step entirely if `--strict` was not passed
+6. Pass to the `code-reviewer` agent: the `### Patch` block, the original acceptance criteria, and any type-specific evidence blocks produced by the builder:
    - `bug` → include `### Reproduction`
    - `refactor` → include `### Non-regression evidence`
    - `feature` / `security` / fallback → `### Patch` only
-6. If code-reviewer status is `NEEDS_REVIEW`, write the review report and stop — present blocking issues to the user
-7. If code-reviewer status is `DONE`, present the full patch to the user for review and merge approval
+   - If `--strict` was used, also include the `### Handoff` block from code-challenger so the reviewer is aware of pre-identified risks
+7. If code-reviewer status is `NEEDS_REVIEW`, write the review report and stop — present blocking issues to the user
+8. If code-reviewer status is `DONE`, present the full patch to the user for review and merge approval