diff --git a/src/kestrel/FrameParserKestrel.h b/src/kestrel/FrameParserKestrel.h
index cb89964..b4b5c82 100644
--- a/src/kestrel/FrameParserKestrel.h
+++ b/src/kestrel/FrameParserKestrel.h
@@ -146,6 +146,11 @@ struct KestrelPhySts {
 
 inline bool parse_physts_8852(const uint8_t *p, size_t len, bool is_8852c,
                               KestrelPhySts &out) {
+  /* Pure output param: the result depends only on this call's buffer, never
+   * on what a reused struct held before — including the failure return (an
+   * is_valid=0 stub, an absent IE, or a too-short buffer must all leave 0,
+   * not a previous blob's values), so the clear precedes the validation. */
+  out = KestrelPhySts{};
   if (p == nullptr || len < 8)
     return false;
   out.rssi_avg = static_cast<uint8_t>(p[3] >> 1);
diff --git a/src/kestrel/RtlKestrelDevice.cpp b/src/kestrel/RtlKestrelDevice.cpp
index 64edbd1..36bd7cd 100644
--- a/src/kestrel/RtlKestrelDevice.cpp
+++ b/src/kestrel/RtlKestrelDevice.cpp
@@ -338,16 +338,21 @@ void RtlKestrelDevice::StartRxLoop(Action_ParsedRadioPacket packetProcessor) {
               p.RxAtrib.snr[i] = _last_physts.snr[i];
               p.RxAtrib.evm[i] = _last_physts.evm[i];
             }
-            /* Feed the windowed RX-quality aggregate (passive rssi-snr floor +
-             * LinkHealth) with path-A RSSI + the IE01 average SNR (the
-             * all-paths quantity the passive floor was validated against;
-             * per-path SNR goes to _rxpaths instead). A frame with no IE_01
-             * SNR (snr_avg=0) still counts toward RSSI. */
-            if (_last_physts.rssi[0] > 0)
-              _rxq.add(_last_physts.rssi[0], _last_physts.snr_avg, 0);
-            /* Per-antenna window means (GetActiveRxPaths). Both dies are 2 RX
-             * chains; C/D read 0 and are excluded by n_chains. */
-            _rxpaths.add(p.RxAtrib.rssi, p.RxAtrib.snr, p.RxAtrib.evm, 2);
+            /* Window aggregates fold CRC-clean frames only (the Jaguar
+             * convention): a garbled frame's cached physts would bias the
+             * means and the active-chain classification.
+             *
+             * _rxq: passive rssi-snr floor + LinkHealth, fed path-A RSSI +
+             * the IE01 average SNR (the all-paths quantity the passive floor
+             * was validated against; per-path SNR goes to _rxpaths instead).
+             * A frame with no IE_01 SNR (snr_avg=0) still counts toward RSSI.
+             * _rxpaths: per-antenna window means (GetActiveRxPaths). Both
+             * dies are 2 RX chains; C/D read 0 and are excluded by n_chains. */
+            if (!f.crc_err) {
+              if (_last_physts.rssi[0] > 0)
+                _rxq.add(_last_physts.rssi[0], _last_physts.snr_avg, 0);
+              _rxpaths.add(p.RxAtrib.rssi, p.RxAtrib.snr, p.RxAtrib.evm, 2);
+            }
             p.Data = std::span<uint8_t>(const_cast<uint8_t *>(f.payload),
                                         f.payload_len);
             packetProcessor(p);
diff --git a/tests/kestrel_rxparse_selftest.cpp b/tests/kestrel_rxparse_selftest.cpp
index 2e1a588..e9f19de 100644
--- a/tests/kestrel_rxparse_selftest.cpp
+++ b/tests/kestrel_rxparse_selftest.cpp
@@ -216,7 +216,8 @@ int main() {
     CHECK(pb.evm[0] == -50 && pb.evm[1] == -30); /* EVM page read on both */
   }
 
-  /* --- physts: is_valid=0 keeps header RSSI but skips the IE walk --- */
+  /* --- physts: is_valid=0 keeps header RSSI but skips the IE walk; a reused
+   * output struct is cleared (result depends only on this buffer) --- */
   {
     std::vector<uint8_t> b(8 + 32, 0);
     b[0] = 0x01; /* no is_valid bit */
@@ -225,8 +226,12 @@ int main() {
     b[8] = 1;
     b[16] = 30;
     KestrelPhySts ps;
+    ps.snr_avg = 44; /* stale garbage from a "previous parse" */
+    ps.snr[0] = 33;
+    ps.evm[1] = -40;
     CHECK(parse_physts_8852(b.data(), b.size(), true, ps));
-    CHECK(ps.rssi[0] == 65 && ps.snr_avg == 0 && ps.snr[0] == 0);
+    CHECK(ps.rssi[0] == 65 && ps.snr_avg == 0 && ps.snr[0] == 0 &&
+          ps.evm[1] == 0);
   }
 
   /* --- physts: truncated / lying total-length is bounded by the buffer --- */
@@ -238,8 +243,13 @@ int main() {
     KestrelPhySts ps;
     CHECK(parse_physts_8852(b.data(), b.size(), true, ps));
     CHECK(ps.snr_avg == 0); /* torn IE not parsed */
+    /* The failure return also clears a reused struct — the pure-output
+     * contract holds on every path, not just successful parses. */
     KestrelPhySts p2;
+    p2.rssi[0] = 65;
+    p2.snr_avg = 44;
     CHECK(!parse_physts_8852(b.data(), 4, true, p2)); /* below header size */
+    CHECK(p2.rssi[0] == 0 && p2.snr_avg == 0);
   }
 
   if (failures == 0)