diff --git a/app/validate.py b/app/validate.py
index 2f6edee..70d8982 100644
--- a/app/validate.py
+++ b/app/validate.py
@@ -126,13 +126,25 @@
 DATE_RE = re.compile(r"^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$")
 
 
-def _load(subdir: str) -> list[tuple[str, dict[str, Any]]]:
+def _load(subdir: str, only: set[str] | None = None) -> list[tuple[str, dict[str, Any]]]:
+    """Load every ``*.json`` under ``subdir``; with ``only``, just those paths.
+
+    ``only`` holds DATA_DIR-relative posix paths (as ``git diff`` prints them
+    minus the ``data/`` prefix), so a scoped run never walks the whole tree.
+    """
     path = DATA_DIR / subdir
     if not path.exists():
         return []
+    if only is not None:
+        files = sorted(
+            f for rel in only
+            if rel.startswith(f"{subdir}/") and (f := DATA_DIR / rel).is_file()
+        )
+    else:
+        files = sorted(path.rglob("*.json"))  # recurse into brand subfolders
     return [
         (str(f.relative_to(DATA_DIR)), json.loads(f.read_text(encoding="utf-8-sig")))
-        for f in sorted(path.rglob("*.json"))  # recurse into brand subfolders
+        for f in files
     ]
 
 
diff --git a/app/verify/cli.py b/app/verify/cli.py
index fb39657..01275a3 100644
--- a/app/verify/cli.py
+++ b/app/verify/cli.py
@@ -78,13 +78,13 @@ def _iter_selected(
 
 
 def cmd_score(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
-    records = load_all()
+    changed = _changed_data_slugs(args.base) if args.changed else None
+    records = load_all(only=changed)
     _, _, soc_release = foreign_key_sets(records)
     now_year = offline.now_year_today()
     ts = _now_iso()
 
     categories = tuple(args.category) if args.category else CATEGORIES
-    changed = _changed_data_slugs(args.base) if args.changed else None
 
     # The scores cache is a full-dataset snapshot; only rewrite it on a full run.
     full_scope = args.category is None and args.max is None and not args.changed
@@ -622,7 +622,7 @@ def cmd_pr(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     cross-reference) + Tier 3 (promotion decision, DRY-RUN — never writes). Network
     tiers run only over the records changed vs the PR merge base, capped by --max.
     """
-    records = load_all()
+    records = load_all()  # full: the baseline below scores everything (see status.json)
     _, _, soc_release = foreign_key_sets(records)
     now_year = offline.now_year_today()
 
diff --git a/app/verify/common.py b/app/verify/common.py
index cdef974..fb3d12d 100644
--- a/app/verify/common.py
+++ b/app/verify/common.py
@@ -70,14 +70,28 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:  # pragma: no cover - debug aid
         return f"Record({self.category}, {self.slug!r})"
 
 
-def load_category(category: str) -> list[Record]:
+# Categories other records point at (brand/soc FKs, SoC release dates). A scoped
+# load keeps these whole (~2.3k files) so foreign-key checks stay exact.
+FK_CATEGORIES = ("brand", "soc")
+
+
+def load_category(category: str, only: set[str] | None = None) -> list[Record]:
     """Load one category's records as :class:`Record` objects."""
-    return [Record(category, path, data) for path, data in _load(category)]
+    return [Record(category, path, data) for path, data in _load(category, only)]
 
 
-def load_all(categories: Iterable[str] = CATEGORIES) -> dict[str, list[Record]]:
-    """Load every category into ``{category: [Record, ...]}``."""
-    return {cat: load_category(cat) for cat in categories}
+def load_all(
+    categories: Iterable[str] = CATEGORIES, only: set[str] | None = None
+) -> dict[str, list[Record]]:
+    """Load every category into ``{category: [Record, ...]}``.
+
+    ``only`` (data-relative paths) restricts non-FK categories to those files so
+    a PR touching a handful of records does not parse all ~190k.
+    """
+    return {
+        cat: load_category(cat, None if cat in FK_CATEGORIES else only)
+        for cat in categories
+    }
 
 
 def foreign_key_sets(
diff --git a/tests/verify/test_scoped_load.py b/tests/verify/test_scoped_load.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0875c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/verify/test_scoped_load.py
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+"""Scoped loading reads only the requested files (plus whole FK categories)."""
+
+import json
+
+from app import validate
+from app.verify import common
+
+
+def _write(root, rel, slug):
+    f = root / rel
+    f.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    f.write_text(json.dumps({"slug": slug}), encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def test_only_restricts_non_fk_categories(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(validate, "DATA_DIR", tmp_path)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(common, "_load", validate._load)
+    _write(tmp_path, "cpu/a/1.json", "a1")
+    _write(tmp_path, "cpu/a/2.json", "a2")
+    _write(tmp_path, "soc/x/1.json", "s1")
+    _write(tmp_path, "soc/x/2.json", "s2")
+
+    full = common.load_all(("cpu", "soc"))
+    assert [len(full[c]) for c in ("cpu", "soc")] == [2, 2]
+
+    scoped = common.load_all(("cpu", "soc"), only={"cpu/a/2.json", "cpu/missing.json"})
+    assert [r.slug for r in scoped["cpu"]] == ["a2"]
+    assert len(scoped["soc"]) == 2  # FK category stays whole
+
+    assert common.load_all(("cpu",), only=set())["cpu"] == []