diff --git a/.changeset/canonical-format-validate-input-required-tools.md b/.changeset/canonical-format-validate-input-required-tools.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..766804d7109
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/canonical-format-validate-input-required-tools.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+"adcontextprotocol": patch
+---
+
+`canonical_format_validate_input` no longer lists `comply_test_controller` in `required_tools`. The storyboard runner's per-storyboard gate admits a storyboard when any listed tool is present, so any agent exposing the (universal) test controller was selected and then failed all 17 steps on the missing `validate_input`. Agents without `validate_input` now receive a coverage-gap skip; agents implementing it run unchanged. Same shape as #6774 (fixes #7404, bug 1).
diff --git a/.github/workflows/training-agent-storyboards.yml b/.github/workflows/training-agent-storyboards.yml
index 7e7cbb76c68..d8a5462d7ec 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/training-agent-storyboards.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/training-agent-storyboards.yml
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ jobs:
           - surface: current
             tenant: governance
             min_clean_storyboards: 47
-            min_passing_steps: 161
+            min_passing_steps: 160
           - surface: current
             tenant: creative
             min_clean_storyboards: 49
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ jobs:
           - surface: current
             tenant: brand
             min_clean_storyboards: 45
-            min_passing_steps: 116
+            min_passing_steps: 115
           - surface: current
             tenant: si
             min_clean_storyboards: 42
diff --git a/scripts/run-storyboards-matrix.sh b/scripts/run-storyboards-matrix.sh
index a826a103d91..641fe1f8548 100755
--- a/scripts/run-storyboards-matrix.sh
+++ b/scripts/run-storyboards-matrix.sh
@@ -269,10 +269,10 @@ else
     # clean-result-row and passing-step regression floors.
     "signals:45:80"
     "sales:133:632"
-    "governance:47:161"
+    "governance:47:160"
     "creative:49:209"
     "creative-builder:50:184"
-    "brand:45:116"
+    "brand:45:115"
     "si:42:50"
   )
 fi
diff --git a/static/compliance/source/universal/canonical-format-validate-input.yaml b/static/compliance/source/universal/canonical-format-validate-input.yaml
index ab410bf422a..1d993a8c9e7 100644
--- a/static/compliance/source/universal/canonical-format-validate-input.yaml
+++ b/static/compliance/source/universal/canonical-format-validate-input.yaml
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ track: creative
 introduced_in: "3.1"
 required_tools:
   - validate_input
-  - comply_test_controller
 
 requires:
   - controller
diff --git a/tests/run-storyboards-sharding.test.cjs b/tests/run-storyboards-sharding.test.cjs
index c95a719ddf9..033ffbc6d98 100644
--- a/tests/run-storyboards-sharding.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/run-storyboards-sharding.test.cjs
@@ -300,13 +300,19 @@ test('creative-builder uses bounded isolated children in local and CI matrices',
 test('current training-agent floors are ratcheted and mirrored by local and CI runners', () => {
   const workflow = fs.readFileSync(STORYBOARD_WORKFLOW, 'utf8');
   const matrixRunner = fs.readFileSync(MATRIX_RUNNER, 'utf8');
+  // governance and brand dropped one passing step each when
+  // canonical_format_validate_input stopped listing comply_test_controller in
+  // required_tools: both tenants expose the controller but not validate_input,
+  // so the storyboard is no longer selected for them and the single step it
+  // contributed is gone. Deliberate de-ratchet, not a regression — the
+  // clean-storyboard floors are untouched.
   const baselines = [
     ['signals', 45, 80],
     ['sales', 133, 632],
-    ['governance', 47, 161],
+    ['governance', 47, 160],
     ['creative', 49, 209],
     ['creative-builder', 50, 184],
-    ['brand', 45, 116],
+    ['brand', 45, 115],
     ['si', 42, 50],
   ];