diff --git a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/self-review-context.ts b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/self-review-context.ts
index 847643dfa..06625052d 100644
--- a/packages/loopover-miner/lib/self-review-context.ts
+++ b/packages/loopover-miner/lib/self-review-context.ts
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ export function applyLiveGateThresholdsToManifest(
   const gate = { ...manifest.gate };
   if (typeof fields.confidence_floor === "number") {
     const floorScore = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, Math.round(fields.confidence_floor * 100)));
-    if (typeof gate.readinessMinScore === "number" && floorScore > gate.readinessMinScore) {
+    if (typeof gate.readinessMinScore !== "number" || floorScore > gate.readinessMinScore) {
       gate.readinessMinScore = floorScore;
     }
   }
diff --git a/test/unit/miner-self-review-context.test.ts b/test/unit/miner-self-review-context.test.ts
index 834188d4c..c2a0dfd84 100644
--- a/test/unit/miner-self-review-context.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/miner-self-review-context.test.ts
@@ -725,6 +725,19 @@ describe("live gate thresholds probe (#6487)", () => {
     expect(overlaid.gate.sizeMaxFiles).toBe(3);
   });
 
+  it("REGRESSION (#10338): adopts a live confidence floor when static readiness is unset", () => {
+    const base = parseFocusManifestContent("gate:\n  duplicates: block\n", "repo_file");
+    expect(base.gate.readinessMinScore).toBeNull();
+
+    const overlaid = applyLiveGateThresholdsToManifest(base, {
+      confidence_floor: 0.91,
+      scope_cap_files: null,
+      scope_cap_lines: null,
+    });
+
+    expect(overlaid.gate.readinessMinScore).toBe(91);
+  });
+
   it("applyLiveGateThresholdsToManifest raises readinessMinScore and prefers live scope caps", () => {
     const base = parseFocusManifestContent("gate:\n  readiness:\n    mode: block\n    minScore: 70\n  size:\n    mode: block\n    maxFiles: 20\n    maxLines: 500\n", "repo_file");
     const overlaid = applyLiveGateThresholdsToManifest(base, {