diff --git a/.github/workflows/pr-governance.yml b/.github/workflows/pr-governance.yml
index 5c62f146..088687d9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pr-governance.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pr-governance.yml
@@ -53,13 +53,12 @@ jobs:
           ).stdout
           old_shas, new_shas = [], []
           for line in raw.splitlines():
-              parts = line.split("\t")[0].split()
               meta, _path = line.split("\t", 1)
+              # git diff --raw header: :oldmode newmode oldsha newsha status
               cols = meta.split()
-              # mode 160000 marks a gitlink change; columns: src dst mode status
-              if len(cols) >= 5 and cols[2] == "160000":
-                  old_shas.append(cols[3].lstrip(":"))
-                  new_shas.append(cols[4])
+              if len(cols) >= 5 and cols[1] == "160000":
+                  old_shas.append(cols[2])
+                  new_shas.append(cols[3])
           context = {
               "target_branch": os.environ.get("TARGET_BRANCH", ""),
               "labels": [x.strip() for x in os.environ.get("PR_LABELS", "").split(",") if x.strip()],
diff --git a/.github/workflows/submodule-tests.yml b/.github/workflows/submodule-tests.yml
index 0329de68..c39c2052 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/submodule-tests.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/submodule-tests.yml
@@ -40,7 +40,9 @@ jobs:
           echo "changed<<EOF" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           echo "$CHANGED" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           echo "EOF" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          GITLINKS=$(git diff --raw "$BASE_SHA..$HEAD_SHA" | awk '$4 ~ /160000/' | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
+          # git diff --raw header is ":oldmode newmode oldsha newsha status";
+          # gitlinks are marked by mode 160000, which awk sees as $1/$2.
+          GITLINKS=$(git diff --raw "$BASE_SHA..$HEAD_SHA" | awk '$2 == "160000"' | wc -l | tr -d ' ')
           echo "count=$GITLINKS" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
       - name: Full submodule validation