diff --git a/.github/time/venture.py b/.github/time/venture.py
index 70722a6..31568a7 100644
--- a/.github/time/venture.py
+++ b/.github/time/venture.py
@@ -1094,11 +1094,20 @@ def signup_issues(state: str) -> tuple:
     return tuple(out)
 
 
+def from_form(body: str) -> bool:
+    """Did the early-access form write this body? It renders every field as a `### <Label>` heading, answered or not."""
+    return all(re.search(rf"^###\s*{re.escape(label)}\s*$", body or "", re.M) for label in FIELDS.values())
+
+
 def signup_for(i: dict, w: dict) -> bool:
-    """Is this early-access issue for venture `w`? The form's Venture field, or the prefilled title."""
-    f = form_fields(i.get("body") or "")
-    return (f["venture"].strip().lower() == w["slug"]
-            or _s(i.get("title")).lower() == f"early access: {_s(w.get('name'))}".lower())
+    """Is this early-access issue for venture `w`? The form's Venture field, or, when that was left empty, the title the
+    join link prefilled. The title counts only on a body the form wrote: an issue someone typed by hand with the same
+    title is not a signup. Either way it is one account, counted once, like a 👍 on the signal issue."""
+    body = i.get("body") or ""
+    f = form_fields(body)
+    if f["venture"].strip():
+        return f["venture"].strip().lower() == w["slug"]
+    return from_form(body) and _s(i.get("title")).lower() == f"early access: {_s(w.get('name'))}".lower()
 
 
 def count_signups(w: dict, since: str | None = None) -> tuple[int, list[str]]:
@@ -1168,7 +1177,7 @@ def venture_cards(state: str = "open", n: int = 30) -> list[dict]:
 
 CARD_BODY = ("The venture loop runs this card by itself: scout the repos trending on GitHub → seats pitch → the board picks → "
              "board seats write launch plans and the chair synthesizes one → a seat builds the launch page → checks "
-             "(deterministic, then headless Chrome where the runner has it, then the chair's review) → Teahub Pages "
+             "(deterministic, then headless Chrome where the runner has it, then the judge seat's review of the code) → Teahub Pages "
              "ships it at its own subdomain → seven days of signups decide. Progress is posted here as it happens.\n\n"
              "DONE: a launched venture linked from this card, or a digest saying where it stuck.")
 
@@ -1863,7 +1872,7 @@ def _build_on_pages(card: dict, done: str, spec: str, root: str = "") -> dict:
     With a root (ventures/<slug>/) the hands write only inside it: the Pages branch also carries the studio's own site and
     every other venture, and a fix round once wrote its page over the site's front page."""
     class PagesHands(tm.Hands):  # one class per build: parallel builds each keep their own folder
-        def __init__(self, n, branch, base=None):   # venice_work passes the card's Base: line; the Pages branch is it
+        def __init__(self, n, branch, **_):   # venice_work may pass the card's base; a venture's base is the Pages branch
             super().__init__(n, PAGES_BRANCH)
 
         def call(self, name, a):