diff --git a/docs/specs/DEVX-167-skills-historical.md b/docs/specs/DEVX-167-skills-historical.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f1186bd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/specs/DEVX-167-skills-historical.md
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+# DEVX-167: Add dependency-graph, deployment-coordination, and skill-creation skills
+
+## Problem
+Agents working across the oblachno ecosystem lack shared, persistent
+context for three recurring pain points:
+
+1. **Cross-repo dependency ordering** — agents frequently merge
+   downstream PRs before the upstream publish job completes, or forget
+   to bump infra. There is no single reference for which repo produces
+   what and in what order changes must propagate.
+2. **devx release coordination** — devx is the base package pinned by
+   grm, sso-bridge, and infra. Agents repeatedly merge devx PRs and
+   immediately merge downstream bumps without waiting for the PyPI
+   publish job, or bump only one consumer when a change affects all
+   three.
+3. **Skill quality drift** — skills are created ad hoc with inconsistent
+   structure, vague advice, and no automated validation reference. New
+   skills miss required sections, reference nonexistent make targets,
+   and drift across repos.
+
+## Approach
+Add three SKILL.md files under `.devin/skills/`:
+
+REQ-1: `dependency-graph` — shared skill mapping the oblachno ecosystem
+(repos, what each produces, consumers, release triggers, correct
+cross-repo change order, state verification checklist)
+
+REQ-2: `deployment-coordination` — devx-specific skill covering the
+devx release flow, downstream consumers, manual bump procedure, and
+common mistakes when coordinating a devx change
+
+REQ-3: `skill-creation` — shared skill defining skill structure,
+quality standards, scope rules, automated validation reference, and a
+creation checklist
+
+## Files Affected
+- `.devin/skills/dependency-graph/SKILL.md` (new)
+- `.devin/skills/deployment-coordination/SKILL.md` (new)
+- `.devin/skills/skill-creation/SKILL.md` (new)
+- `docs/specs/DEVX-167.md` (new)
+
+## Test Plan
+- Verify all three SKILL.md files follow the required structure (H1
+  title, When to Invoke, Prerequisites sections)
+- Verify referenced make targets and file paths exist
+- Run `make pytest-cov` — skill validation tests must pass
+
+## Deploy Plan
+- Merge to master; skills are consumed by agents immediately on next
+  invocation — no build or deploy step required
+
+## Rollback Plan
+- Revert the merge commit; remove the three skill directories
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+- [x] REQ-1: dependency-graph skill exists with ecosystem map, repo
+      table, dependency chain, cross-repo change order, and state
+      verification checklist
+- [x] REQ-2: deployment-coordination skill exists with devx release
+      flow, downstream consumer table, coordination steps, and common
+      mistakes
+- [x] REQ-3: skill-creation skill exists with structure template,
+      quality standards, scope rules, validation reference, and
+      creation checklist
diff --git a/docs/specs/DEVX-167.md b/docs/specs/DEVX-167.md
index f1186bd..273096a 100644
--- a/docs/specs/DEVX-167.md
+++ b/docs/specs/DEVX-167.md
@@ -1,64 +1,57 @@
-# DEVX-167: Add dependency-graph, deployment-coordination, and skill-creation skills
+# DEVX-167: S03 artifact integrity — verify producer artifact + cleanup protection
 
 ## Problem
-Agents working across the oblachno ecosystem lack shared, persistent
-context for three recurring pain points:
 
-1. **Cross-repo dependency ordering** — agents frequently merge
-   downstream PRs before the upstream publish job completes, or forget
-   to bump infra. There is no single reference for which repo produces
-   what and in what order changes must propagate.
-2. **devx release coordination** — devx is the base package pinned by
-   grm, sso-bridge, and infra. Agents repeatedly merge devx PRs and
-   immediately merge downstream bumps without waiting for the PyPI
-   publish job, or bump only one consumer when a change affects all
-   three.
-3. **Skill quality drift** — skills are created ad hoc with inconsistent
-   structure, vague advice, and no automated validation reference. New
-   skills miss required sections, reference nonexistent make targets,
-   and drift across repos.
+S03 (OBL-INFRA-548 REQ-3) requires that dependency PRs only open after
+the producer artifact exists and is content-addressable, and that
+registry cleanup never deletes a version pinned by a release manifest.
+Two gaps:
+
+1. `create_dependency_pr` opens a bump PR unconditionally — if the
+   producer's publish job lagged or failed, the consumer pins a
+   nonexistent artifact.
+2. The sso-bridge image tag is derived from `__init__.py.__version__`,
+   which does not always equal the release git tag, so the tag to
+   verify must be decoupled from `--new-version`.
 
 ## Approach
-Add three SKILL.md files under `.devin/skills/`:
 
-REQ-1: `dependency-graph` — shared skill mapping the oblachno ecosystem
-(repos, what each produces, consumers, release triggers, correct
-cross-repo change order, state verification checklist)
+REQ-1: `create_dependency_pr` gains `--verify-container <owner/name>`
+and `--container-tag <tag>`: before any branch/PR work it resolves the
+OCI digest of the image tag via the Gitea packages API (`manifest.json`
+blob sha256) and refuses the PR when the artifact is missing or
+unreadable. `--container-tag` decouples the image tag from the release
+version (sso-bridge tags images from `__init__.py.__version__`, not the
+git tag).
 
-REQ-2: `deployment-coordination` — devx-specific skill covering the
-devx release flow, downstream consumers, manual bump procedure, and
-common mistakes when coordinating a devx change
-
-REQ-3: `skill-creation` — shared skill defining skill structure,
-quality standards, scope rules, automated validation reference, and a
-creation checklist
+REQ-2: Regression tests cover digest resolution, verification-failure
+aborts, invalid container format, and the `--container-tag` override.
 
 ## Files Affected
-- `.devin/skills/dependency-graph/SKILL.md` (new)
-- `.devin/skills/deployment-coordination/SKILL.md` (new)
-- `.devin/skills/skill-creation/SKILL.md` (new)
-- `docs/specs/DEVX-167.md` (new)
+
+- `src/devx/ci/create_dependency_pr.py`
+- `src/devx/translations.json`
+- `tests/unit/test_create_dependency_pr.py`
 
 ## Test Plan
-- Verify all three SKILL.md files follow the required structure (H1
-  title, When to Invoke, Prerequisites sections)
-- Verify referenced make targets and file paths exist
-- Run `make pytest-cov` — skill validation tests must pass
+
+- Unit tests for `resolve_container_digest` (digest from manifest blob,
+  missing tag, missing blob, connection error).
+- CLI tests: verify runs before version lookup, digest resolution,
+  invalid format rejection, container-tag override.
 
 ## Deploy Plan
-- Merge to master; skills are consumed by agents immediately on next
-  invocation — no build or deploy step required
+
+Merge via auto-merge after green CI. Producer post-merge workflows adopt
+the new flags in their own PRs (sso-bridge SSO-22 already passes them).
 
 ## Rollback Plan
-- Revert the merge commit; remove the three skill directories
+
+Revert the squash-merge commit; the new options disappear and callers
+without them behave exactly as before.
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
-- [x] REQ-1: dependency-graph skill exists with ecosystem map, repo
-      table, dependency chain, cross-repo change order, and state
-      verification checklist
-- [x] REQ-2: deployment-coordination skill exists with devx release
-      flow, downstream consumer table, coordination steps, and common
-      mistakes
-- [x] REQ-3: skill-creation skill exists with structure template,
-      quality standards, scope rules, validation reference, and
-      creation checklist
+
+- [x] REQ-1: pre-PR OCI digest verification with --verify-container/--container-tag
+- [x] REQ-2: regression tests for all new behavior
+
diff --git a/src/devx/ci/create_dependency_pr.py b/src/devx/ci/create_dependency_pr.py
index 45dbd28..a5fd5a7 100644
--- a/src/devx/ci/create_dependency_pr.py
+++ b/src/devx/ci/create_dependency_pr.py
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ import tempfile
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import click
+import requests
 from dotenv import load_dotenv
 
 from devx.api_clients import GiteaClient
@@ -93,6 +94,55 @@ def update_pinned_version(file_path: str, package: str, old_version: str, new_ve
     return changed
 
 
+def resolve_container_digest(api_url: str, owner: str, name: str, tag: str, token: str) -> str:
+    """Resolve the OCI digest for a container image tag via the packages API.
+
+    Implements REQ-1: dependency PRs must only be opened after the producer
+    artifact exists — this raises ClickException when the tag is missing or
+    the registry call fails, so the PR is never opened against an artifact
+    that has not been published. The sha256 of the stored ``manifest.json``
+    blob is the manifest content digest (what ``docker pull`` reports).
+    """
+    url = f"{api_url}/packages/{owner}/container/{name}/{tag}/files"
+    headers = {"Authorization": f"token {token}"}
+    try:
+        resp = requests.get(url, headers=headers, timeout=30)  # nosec B310
+        resp.raise_for_status()
+    except requests.HTTPError as e:
+        status = e.response.status_code if e.response is not None else "?"
+        raise click.ClickException(
+            _(
+                "Container artifact {owner}/{name}:{tag} not found or unreadable (HTTP {status}). "
+                "Refusing to open a dependency PR for an unpublished artifact.",
+                owner=owner,
+                name=name,
+                tag=tag,
+                status=status,
+            )
+        ) from e
+    except requests.RequestException as e:
+        raise click.ClickException(
+            _(
+                "Registry lookup failed for {owner}/{name}:{tag}: {error}",
+                owner=owner,
+                name=name,
+                tag=tag,
+                error=e,
+            )
+        ) from e
+    for f in resp.json():
+        if f.get("name") == "manifest.json" and f.get("sha256"):
+            return f"sha256:{f['sha256']}"
+    raise click.ClickException(
+        _(
+            "Registry returned no manifest blob for {owner}/{name}:{tag}.",
+            owner=owner,
+            name=name,
+            tag=tag,
+        )
+    )
+
+
 def create_vikunja_task(title: str, description: str) -> str | None:
     """Create a Vikunja task and return its identifier (e.g., OBL-INFRA-531)."""
     try:
@@ -113,6 +163,24 @@ def create_vikunja_task(title: str, description: str) -> str | None:
 @click.option("--new-version", required=True, help=_("New version to pin"))
 @click.option("--source-repo", required=True, help=_("Source repo that published (owner/name)"))
 @click.option("--source-run-id", default="", help=_("CI run ID that triggered the publish"))
+@click.option(
+    "--verify-container",
+    default="",
+    help=_(
+        "Container to verify before opening the PR (owner/name). Resolves the OCI "
+        "digest of the tag matching --new-version (or --container-tag); the PR is "
+        "refused when the artifact is missing or unreadable."
+    ),
+)
+@click.option(
+    "--container-tag",
+    default="",
+    help=_(
+        "Container tag to verify with --verify-container (default: --new-version). "
+        "Use when the image tag differs from the release version, e.g. a package "
+        "__version__ tag vs a release git tag."
+    ),
+)
 @click.option("--dry-run", is_flag=True, default=False, help=_("Show what would be done without creating PR"))
 def cli(
     repo: str,
@@ -120,6 +188,8 @@ def cli(
     new_version: str,
     source_repo: str,
     source_run_id: str,
+    verify_container: str,
+    container_tag: str,
     dry_run: bool,
 ) -> None:
     """Create an infra PR to bump a pinned dependency version."""
@@ -129,9 +199,29 @@ def cli(
     owner, repo_name = repo.split("/", 1)
     client = GiteaClient(GITEA_API_URL, token, owner, repo_name)
 
-    # Implements: REQ-1 — this tool runs from the *producer* repo's CI, so
-    # every file lookup and git operation must happen inside a clone of the
-    # target repo, not the producer checkout in CWD.
+    # Implements: REQ-1 — verify the producer artifact exists and resolve its
+    # digest before any branch/PR work begins.
+    image_digest = ""
+    if verify_container:
+        if "/" not in verify_container:
+            raise click.ClickException(
+                _("Invalid container format: {container} (expected owner/name)", container=verify_container)
+            )
+        c_owner, c_name = verify_container.split("/", 1)
+        image_tag = container_tag or new_version
+        image_digest = resolve_container_digest(GITEA_API_URL, c_owner, c_name, image_tag, token)
+        click.echo(
+            _(
+                "[dep-pr] Verified {container}:{version} -> {digest}",
+                container=verify_container,
+                version=image_tag,
+                digest=image_digest,
+            )
+        )
+
+    # Clone the target repo — this tool runs from the *producer* repo's CI,
+    # so every file lookup and git operation must happen inside a clone of
+    # the target repo, not the producer checkout in CWD.
     workdir = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="dep-pr-"))
     clone_url = f"{GITEA_API_URL.removesuffix('/api/v1')}/{repo}.git"
     auth_cfg = f"http.extraHeader=Authorization: token {token}"
@@ -203,7 +293,6 @@ def cli(
 
     if not changed_file or not update_pinned_version(str(workdir / changed_file), package, old_version, new_version):
         raise click.ClickException(_("Failed to update {file}", file=changed_file))
-
     subprocess.run(["git", "add", changed_file], check=True, cwd=workdir)  # nosec B603 B607
     commit_msg = f"deps: bump {package} from {old_version} to {new_version}"
     subprocess.run(["git", "commit", "-m", commit_msg], check=True, cwd=workdir)  # nosec B603 B607
diff --git a/src/devx/translations.json b/src/devx/translations.json
index 4ca4642..2a39203 100644
--- a/src/devx/translations.json
+++ b/src/devx/translations.json
@@ -1343,6 +1343,30 @@
     "ru": "Настройка входа tea '{name}' для {url}...",
     "zh": "正在为 {url} 配置 tea 登录 '{name}'..."
   },
+  "Container artifact {owner}/{name}:{tag} not found or unreadable (HTTP {status}). Refusing to open a dependency PR for an unpublished artifact.": {
+    "bg": "Артефактът на контейнера {owner}/{name}:{tag} не е намерен или не може да бъде прочетен (HTTP {status}). Отказвам да отворя PR за зависимост за непубликуван артефакт.",
+    "de": "Container-Artefakt {owner}/{name}:{tag} nicht gefunden oder nicht lesbar (HTTP {status}). Kein Dependency-PR für ein unveröffentlichtes Artefakt.",
+    "en": "Container artifact {owner}/{name}:{tag} not found or unreadable (HTTP {status}). Refusing to open a dependency PR for an unpublished artifact.",
+    "pl": "Artefakt kontenera {owner}/{name}:{tag} nie został znaleziony lub jest nieczytelny (HTTP {status}). Odmawiam otwarcia PR zależności dla nieopublikowanego artefaktu.",
+    "ru": "Артефакт контейнера {owner}/{name}:{tag} не найден или недоступен для чтения (HTTP {status}). Отказ открывать PR зависимости для неопубликованного артефакта.",
+    "zh": "容器构件 {owner}/{name}:{tag} 未找到或不可读 (HTTP {status})。拒绝为未发布的构件创建依赖 PR。"
+  },
+  "Container tag to verify with --verify-container (default: --new-version). Use when the image tag differs from the release version, e.g. a package __version__ tag vs a release git tag.": {
+    "bg": "Таг на контейнер за проверка с --verify-container (по подразбиране: --new-version). Използвайте, когато тагът на изображението се различава от версията на изданието, напр. таг на __version__ на пакет срещу git таг на издание.",
+    "de": "Container-Tag, der mit --verify-container geprüft wird (Standard: --new-version). Zu verwenden, wenn sich das Image-Tag von der Release-Version unterscheidet, z. B. ein __version__-Tag eines Pakets vs. ein Release-Git-Tag.",
+    "en": "Container tag to verify with --verify-container (default: --new-version). Use when the image tag differs from the release version, e.g. a package __version__ tag vs a release git tag.",
+    "pl": "Tag kontenera do weryfikacji z --verify-container (domyślnie: --new-version). Użyj, gdy tag obrazu różni się od wersji wydania, np. tag __version__ pakietu a tag git wydania.",
+    "ru": "Тег контейнера для проверки с --verify-container (по умолчанию: --new-version). Используйте, когда тег образа отличается от версии релиза, например тег __version__ пакета против git-тега релиза.",
+    "zh": "用 --verify-container 验证的容器标签（默认：--new-version）。当镜像标签与发布版本不同时使用，例如包的 __version__ 标签与发布 git 标签。"
+  },
+  "Container to verify before opening the PR (owner/name). Resolves the OCI digest of the tag matching --new-version (or --container-tag); the PR is refused when the artifact is missing or unreadable.": {
+    "bg": "Контейнер за проверка преди отваряне на PR (собственик/име). Разрешава OCI дайджеста на тага, отговарящ на --new-version (или --container-tag); PR се отказва, ако артефактът липсва или е нечетим.",
+    "de": "Container zur Verifizierung vor dem Öffnen des PR (owner/name). Löst den OCI-Digest des zu --new-version (oder --container-tag) passenden Tags auf; der PR wird abgelehnt, wenn das Artefakt fehlt oder unlesbar ist.",
+    "en": "Container to verify before opening the PR (owner/name). Resolves the OCI digest of the tag matching --new-version (or --container-tag); the PR is refused when the artifact is missing or unreadable.",
+    "pl": "Kontener do weryfikacji przed otwarciem PR (właściciel/nazwa). Rozwiązuje skrót OCI tagu pasującego do --new-version (lub --container-tag); PR jest odrzucany, gdy artefakt nie istnieje lub jest nieczytelny.",
+    "ru": "Контейнер для проверки перед открытием PR (владелец/имя). Разрешает OCI-дайджест тега, соответствующего --new-version (или --container-tag); PR отклоняется, если артефакт отсутствует или недоступен.",
+    "zh": "在打开 PR 前要验证的容器（所有者/名称）。解析与 --new-version（或 --container-tag）匹配标签的 OCI 摘要；当工件缺失或不可读时拒绝创建 PR。"
+  },
   "Could not detect PR number. Use --pr to specify it explicitly,\nor run this command from a branch with an open PR.": {
     "bg": "Не може да се определи номерът на PR. Използвайте --pr, за да го зададете изрично,\nили изпълнете командата от клон с отворен PR.",
     "de": "PR-Nummer konnte nicht ermittelt werden. Mit --pr explizit angeben,\noder den Befehl von einem Branch mit offenem PR ausführen.",
@@ -1991,6 +2015,14 @@
     "ru": "Интеграционные тесты пройдены.",
     "zh": "集成测试通过。"
   },
+  "Invalid container format: {container} (expected owner/name)": {
+    "bg": "Невалиден формат на контейнер: {container} (очаква се owner/name)",
+    "de": "Ungültiges Container-Format: {container} (erwartet owner/name)",
+    "en": "Invalid container format: {container} (expected owner/name)",
+    "pl": "Nieprawidłowy format kontenera: {container} (oczekiwano owner/name)",
+    "ru": "Неверный формат контейнера: {container} (ожидается owner/name)",
+    "zh": "容器格式无效：{container}（应为 owner/name）"
+  },
   "Invalid repo format: {repo}": {
     "bg": "Невалиден формат на репозитория: {repo}",
     "de": "Ungültiges Repo-Format: {repo}",
@@ -2887,6 +2919,22 @@
     "ru": "Вход в реестр не удался: {error}",
     "zh": "注册表登录失败：{error}"
   },
+  "Registry lookup failed for {owner}/{name}:{tag}: {error}": {
+    "bg": "Неуспешно търсене в регистъра за {owner}/{name}:{tag}: {error}",
+    "de": "Registry-Abfrage für {owner}/{name}:{tag} fehlgeschlagen: {error}",
+    "en": "Registry lookup failed for {owner}/{name}:{tag}: {error}",
+    "pl": "Wyszukiwanie w rejestrze nie powiodło się dla {owner}/{name}:{tag}: {error}",
+    "ru": "Ошибка поиска в реестре для {owner}/{name}:{tag}: {error}",
+    "zh": "注册表查询 {owner}/{name}:{tag} 失败：{error}"
+  },
+  "Registry returned no manifest blob for {owner}/{name}:{tag}.": {
+    "bg": "Регистърът не върна manifest blob за {owner}/{name}:{tag}.",
+    "de": "Registry hat keinen Manifest-Blob für {owner}/{name}:{tag} zurückgegeben.",
+    "en": "Registry returned no manifest blob for {owner}/{name}:{tag}.",
+    "pl": "Rejestr nie zwrócił blobu manifestu dla {owner}/{name}:{tag}.",
+    "ru": "Реестр не вернул blob манифеста для {owner}/{name}:{tag}.",
+    "zh": "注册表未返回 {owner}/{name}:{tag} 的清单 blob。"
+  },
   "Regular merge commit — running all post-merge jobs.": {
     "bg": "Обикновен merge комит — изпълняват се всички post-merge задачи.",
     "de": "Regulärer Merge-Commit — alle Post-Merge-Jobs werden ausgeführt.",
@@ -3727,6 +3775,14 @@
     "ru": "[dep-pr] PR уже существует: #{number}",
     "zh": "[dep-pr] PR 已存在：#{number}"
   },
+  "[dep-pr] Verified {container}:{version} -> {digest}": {
+    "bg": "[dep-pr] Проверено {container}:{version} -> {digest}",
+    "de": "[dep-pr] Verifiziert {container}:{version} -> {digest}",
+    "en": "[dep-pr] Verified {container}:{version} -> {digest}",
+    "pl": "[dep-pr] Zweryfikowano {container}:{version} -> {digest}",
+    "ru": "[dep-pr] Проверено {container}:{version} -> {digest}",
+    "zh": "[dep-pr] 已验证 {container}:{version} -> {digest}"
+  },
   "[dep-pr] {pkg} already at {version} — no PR needed.": {
     "bg": "[dep-pr] {pkg} вече е на {version} — не е нужен PR.",
     "de": "[dep-pr] {pkg} bereits auf {version} — kein PR nötig.",
diff --git a/tests/unit/test_create_dependency_pr.py b/tests/unit/test_create_dependency_pr.py
index 541cc99..80ec748 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test_create_dependency_pr.py
+++ b/tests/unit/test_create_dependency_pr.py
@@ -188,3 +188,164 @@ class TestCreateVikunjaTask:
             mock_client.create_task.return_value = {"identifier": "OBL-INFRA-999"}
             result = create_vikunja_task("Test", "desc")
             assert result == "OBL-INFRA-999"
+
+
+class TestResolveContainerDigest:
+    """REQ-1: pre-PR artifact verification via the packages API."""
+
+    def test_returns_digest_from_manifest_blob(self) -> None:
+        from devx.ci.create_dependency_pr import resolve_container_digest
+
+        mock_resp = MagicMock()
+        mock_resp.raise_for_status = MagicMock()
+        mock_resp.json.return_value = [
+            {"name": "sha256_layer", "sha256": "abc"},
+            {"name": "manifest.json", "sha256": "deadbeef"},
+        ]
+        with patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.requests.get", return_value=mock_resp):
+            digest = resolve_container_digest(
+                "https://git.example.com/api/v1", "oblachno", "sso-bridge", "0.9.1", "tok"
+            )
+        assert digest == "sha256:deadbeef"
+
+    def test_raises_when_version_missing(self) -> None:
+        import requests
+
+        from devx.ci.create_dependency_pr import resolve_container_digest
+
+        mock_resp = MagicMock()
+        http_err = requests.HTTPError("404")
+        http_err.response = MagicMock(status_code=404)
+        mock_resp.raise_for_status.side_effect = http_err
+        with patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.requests.get", return_value=mock_resp):
+            with pytest.raises(click.ClickException, match="unpublished artifact"):
+                resolve_container_digest("https://git.example.com/api/v1", "oblachno", "sso-bridge", "9.9.9", "tok")
+
+    def test_raises_when_no_manifest_blob(self) -> None:
+        from devx.ci.create_dependency_pr import resolve_container_digest
+
+        mock_resp = MagicMock()
+        mock_resp.raise_for_status = MagicMock()
+        mock_resp.json.return_value = [{"name": "sha256_layer", "sha256": "abc"}]
+        with patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.requests.get", return_value=mock_resp):
+            with pytest.raises(click.ClickException, match="no manifest blob"):
+                resolve_container_digest("https://git.example.com/api/v1", "oblachno", "sso-bridge", "0.9.1", "tok")
+
+    def test_raises_on_connection_error(self) -> None:
+        import requests
+
+        from devx.ci.create_dependency_pr import resolve_container_digest
+
+        with patch(
+            "devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.requests.get",
+            side_effect=requests.ConnectionError("refused"),
+        ):
+            with pytest.raises(click.ClickException, match="Registry lookup failed"):
+                resolve_container_digest("https://git.example.com/api/v1", "oblachno", "sso-bridge", "0.9.1", "tok")
+
+
+class TestCliVerifyContainer:
+    """REQ-1: artifact verification gates the dependency PR."""
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.resolve_container_digest")
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.find_pinned_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.get_ci_token")
+    def test_verify_container_runs_before_lookup(
+        self, mock_token: MagicMock, mock_find: MagicMock, mock_digest: MagicMock
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verification failure aborts before the version lookup/PR steps."""
+        mock_token.return_value = "fake-token"
+        mock_digest.side_effect = click.ClickException("unpublished artifact")
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            cli,
+            [
+                "--package",
+                "sso_bridge",
+                "--new-version",
+                "0.9.1",
+                "--source-repo",
+                "oblachno/sso-bridge",
+                "--verify-container",
+                "oblachno/sso-bridge",
+            ],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        mock_find.assert_not_called()
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.resolve_container_digest")
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.find_pinned_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.get_ci_token")
+    def test_verify_container_resolves_digest(
+        self, mock_token: MagicMock, mock_find: MagicMock, mock_digest: MagicMock
+    ) -> None:
+        mock_token.return_value = "fake-token"
+        mock_find.return_value = "0.9.1"
+        mock_digest.return_value = "sha256:abc"
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            cli,
+            [
+                "--package",
+                "sso_bridge",
+                "--new-version",
+                "0.9.1",
+                "--source-repo",
+                "oblachno/sso-bridge",
+                "--verify-container",
+                "oblachno/sso-bridge",
+            ],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        mock_digest.assert_called_once()
+        args = mock_digest.call_args[0]
+        assert args[1:4] == ("oblachno", "sso-bridge", "0.9.1")
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.get_ci_token")
+    def test_verify_container_invalid_format(self, mock_token: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_token.return_value = "fake-token"
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            cli,
+            [
+                "--package",
+                "sso_bridge",
+                "--new-version",
+                "0.9.1",
+                "--source-repo",
+                "oblachno/sso-bridge",
+                "--verify-container",
+                "no-slash",
+            ],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.resolve_container_digest")
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.find_pinned_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.create_dependency_pr.get_ci_token")
+    def test_container_tag_overrides_new_version(
+        self, mock_token: MagicMock, mock_find: MagicMock, mock_digest: MagicMock
+    ) -> None:
+        """--container-tag selects the image tag when it differs from version."""
+        mock_token.return_value = "fake-token"
+        mock_find.return_value = "0.9.1"
+        mock_digest.return_value = "sha256:abc"
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(
+            cli,
+            [
+                "--package",
+                "sso_bridge",
+                "--new-version",
+                "0.9.1",
+                "--source-repo",
+                "oblachno/sso-bridge",
+                "--verify-container",
+                "oblachno/sso-bridge",
+                "--container-tag",
+                "0.2.4",
+            ],
+        )
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        args = mock_digest.call_args[0]
+        assert args[1:4] == ("oblachno", "sso-bridge", "0.2.4")