diff --git a/recognization/code/eval_identity.py b/recognization/code/eval_identity.py
index f6011fb..71e4e4e 100644
--- a/recognization/code/eval_identity.py
+++ b/recognization/code/eval_identity.py
@@ -413,10 +413,14 @@ class LocalLaneAdapter(Lane):
 
     name = "local"
 
-    def __init__(self, stock_dir: str, ocr: Any = None) -> None:
+    def __init__(self, stock_dir: str, ocr: Any = None, use_text: bool = True) -> None:
         from identity_lanes import LocalLane, TextLane
 
         self.lane = LocalLane(stock_dir)
+        # E-3 asks what the text lane is worth, which is only answerable by
+        # running the same crops without it. Building the lane anyway keeps the
+        # comparison to one variable: the OCR cost is paid either way.
+        self.use_text = use_text
         self.text_lane = TextLane.from_catalog(
             _catalog_rows(stock_dir), stock_dir, ocr if ocr is not None else _ocr_engine()
         )
@@ -428,6 +432,10 @@ class LocalLaneAdapter(Lane):
                margin: float, scale: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         from identity_lanes import DecisionPolicy
 
+        if not self.use_text:
+            from identity import decide_identity
+
+            return decide_identity(dict(ranked), scale="local", min_score=accept)
         read = self.text_lane.read(crop)
         text_rank = sorted(
             self.text_lane.scores_from_text(read).items(),
@@ -641,6 +649,8 @@ def main() -> int:
     parser.add_argument("--lanes", default="local,matcher,gallery,hybrid-verify")
     parser.add_argument("--shortlist", type=int, default=5)
     parser.add_argument("--accept", type=float, default=None, help="override the lane's own floor")
+    parser.add_argument("--no-text", action="store_true",
+                        help="run the local lane without the text lane (E-3)")
     parser.add_argument("--margin", type=float, default=None)
     parser.add_argument("--live", action="store_true", help="also score at live resolution")
     parser.add_argument("--json", help="write the report here")
@@ -680,7 +690,7 @@ def main() -> int:
     if "van" in wanted:
         lanes["van"] = VanLane(args.stock_dir)
     if "local" in wanted:
-        lanes["local"] = LocalLaneAdapter(args.stock_dir)
+        lanes["local"] = LocalLaneAdapter(args.stock_dir, use_text=not args.no_text)
     if "gallery" in wanted or "hybrid-verify" in wanted:
         lanes["gallery"] = GalleryLane(args.stock_dir, catalog_skus)
     if "hybrid-verify" in wanted:
diff --git a/recognization/docs/research/2026-09-28-recognition-architecture/DECISION.md b/recognization/docs/research/2026-09-28-recognition-architecture/DECISION.md
index 3d5ecee..fde30f0 100644
--- a/recognization/docs/research/2026-09-28-recognition-architecture/DECISION.md
+++ b/recognization/docs/research/2026-09-28-recognition-architecture/DECISION.md
@@ -758,23 +758,24 @@ unanswerable before and after.
 The text lane's evidence floor (shared bigrams between the read and the winning
 row's name) and the local lane's signature pass-through landed, and the
 decision ceiling was corrected: it divided a numerator that counted unenrolled
-facings by the enrolled count, so it read 117%. It now reads 86%.
+facings by the enrolled count, so it read 117%.
 
-    full resolution — 109 scored facings (61 in-catalog, 48 unknown)
+    full resolution — 109 scored facings (64 in-catalog, 45 unknown)
       lane     catalog  identity  decision  end-to-end  precision  false acc
-      van          69%       76%       76%         52%        29%         77
-      matcher      69%       76%       71%         49%        39%         46  HUB!
-      local        69%       93%       86%         80%        91%          5
+      van          83%       77%       77%         64%        38%         68
+      matcher      83%       77%       74%         61%        51%         38
+      local        83%       92%       83%         77%        91%          5
 
-    live resolution — 109 scored facings (61 in-catalog, 48 unknown)
+    live resolution — 109 scored facings (64 in-catalog, 45 unknown)
       lane     catalog  identity  decision  end-to-end  precision  false acc
-      local        69%       86%       86%         66%        95%          2
+      local        83%       91%       64%         62%        93%          3
 
-**E-3 answered.** Removing the text lane from the decision, same crops and
-catalog, drops the local lane from 80% to 49% coverage at full resolution
-(91% → 79% precision, 5 → 8 false accepts) and from 66% to 43% at live
-(95% → 87%, 2 → 4). The lane adds 31 pp and 23 pp of coverage while *raising*
-precision, against E-3's +5 pp bar. It is not a veto-only lane.
+**E-3 answered.** `--no-text` runs the same crops and catalog without the text
+lane, which is the only way this question is answerable. Full resolution:
+end-to-end 77% at 91% precision with text, 61% at 66% without (5 false accepts
+against 20). Live: 62% at 93% against 56% at 84% (3 against 7). The lane adds
+16 pp and 6 pp of coverage while *raising* precision, against E-3's +5 pp bar.
+It is not a veto-only lane.
 
 **E-2 answered.** `LocalLane` is RootSIFT-only; ORB and BRISK survive only in
 the `matcher` baseline lane, so there is nothing to drop from the shipped path.