diff --git a/src/components/collection-confirm/po-card-ai.test.tsx b/src/components/collection-confirm/po-card-ai.test.tsx
index f7996fe..d802e97 100644
--- a/src/components/collection-confirm/po-card-ai.test.tsx
+++ b/src/components/collection-confirm/po-card-ai.test.tsx
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
 
 import type { ConfirmRow } from "@/lib/server/collection-confirm-service";
-import { makeAiRow } from "./ai-fixtures";
+import { makeAiRow, makeCheck } from "./ai-fixtures";
 import { PoCard } from "./po-card";
 
 const props = {
@@ -100,6 +100,19 @@ describe("PoCard AI layer", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("ai-findings")).toHaveTextContent("Freight not on PO");
   });
 
+  it("shows a line's own findings (e.g. a pairing failure) in the findings box", () => {
+    const row = makeAiRow({
+      ai_check: makeCheck({
+        doc_line: null,
+        same_item: null,
+        pair_failed: true,
+        findings: ["AI couldn't pair this document: timeout"],
+      }),
+    });
+    render(<PoCard rows={[row]} {...props} />);
+    expect(screen.getByTestId("ai-findings")).toHaveTextContent("AI couldn't pair this document: timeout");
+  });
+
   it("Check with AI calls the handler and shows a spinner while pending", async () => {
     let resolve!: () => void;
     const onCheck = vi.fn(() => new Promise<void>((r) => (resolve = r)));
diff --git a/src/lib/collection-ai-card.test.ts b/src/lib/collection-ai-card.test.ts
index 87ab586..3a63128 100644
--- a/src/lib/collection-ai-card.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/collection-ai-card.test.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,28 @@ describe("collection-ai-card", () => {
     expect(cardFindings(rows)).toEqual(["a", "b", "c"]);
   });
 
+  it("adds each row's line findings after the document findings, deduped", () => {
+    const rows = [
+      makeAiRow({
+        id: "1",
+        ai_doc: doc("r1", ["a"]),
+        ai_check: makeCheck({ findings: ["Not found on r1.", "a"] }),
+      }),
+      makeAiRow({
+        id: "2",
+        ai_doc: doc("r1", ["a"]),
+        ai_check: makeCheck({ findings: ["Not found on r1.", "AI couldn't pair this document: boom"] }),
+      }),
+      makeAiRow({ id: "3", ai_doc: doc("r2", ["b"]) }),
+    ];
+    expect(cardFindings(rows)).toEqual([
+      "a",
+      "b",
+      "Not found on r1.",
+      "AI couldn't pair this document: boom",
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("picks the newest document for the chip", () => {
     const rows = [
       makeAiRow({ id: "1", ai_doc: doc("r1", [], "2026-10-10") }),
diff --git a/src/lib/collection-ai-card.ts b/src/lib/collection-ai-card.ts
index ba85636..8a92f3c 100644
--- a/src/lib/collection-ai-card.ts
+++ b/src/lib/collection-ai-card.ts
@@ -5,20 +5,27 @@ type AiDoc = NonNullable<ConfirmRow["ai_doc"]>;
 
 const MONTHS = ["Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun", "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec"];
 
-/** Union of document findings across a card's distinct reads, deduped, in order. */
+/**
+ * Union of the document findings across a card's distinct reads, then each
+ * row's own line findings (`ai_check.findings`), deduped, in order.
+ */
 export function cardFindings(rows: ConfirmRow[]): string[] {
   const seenReads = new Set<string>();
   const seen = new Set<string>();
   const out: string[] = [];
+  const add = (finding: string) => {
+    if (!finding || seen.has(finding)) return;
+    seen.add(finding);
+    out.push(finding);
+  };
   for (const row of rows) {
     const doc = row.ai_doc;
     if (!doc || seenReads.has(doc.read_id)) continue;
     seenReads.add(doc.read_id);
-    for (const finding of doc.findings ?? []) {
-      if (!finding || seen.has(finding)) continue;
-      seen.add(finding);
-      out.push(finding);
-    }
+    for (const finding of doc.findings ?? []) add(finding);
+  }
+  for (const row of rows) {
+    for (const finding of row.ai_check?.findings ?? []) add(finding);
   }
   return out;
 }
diff --git a/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.test.ts b/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.test.ts
index dc1a061..11cb5b1 100644
--- a/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.test.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,11 @@ describe("computeLineTicks", () => {
       ).qty,
     ).toBe("green");
   });
+  it("pairing failed gives all grey (can't check), not red", () => {
+    expect(computeLineTicks(row(), check({ doc_line: null, same_item: null, pair_failed: true }))).toEqual({
+      sku: "grey", qty: "grey", desc: "grey", price: "grey",
+    });
+  });
   it("a different or unrated pairing is never green, even when values agree", () => {
     for (const same_item of ["different", null] as const) {
       expect(computeLineTicks(row(), check({ same_item }))).toEqual({
diff --git a/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.ts b/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.ts
index 13df2f8..4b1064d 100644
--- a/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.ts
+++ b/src/lib/collection-ai-ticks.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ export function effectiveSku(row: Pick<TickRow, "sku" | "line_sku">): string {
 
 export function computeLineTicks(row: TickRow, check: CollectionAiCheck): LineTicks {
   const doc = check.doc_line;
+  // Pairing failed: nothing was compared, so nothing can be judged.
+  if (check.pair_failed && !doc) return { sku: "grey", qty: "grey", desc: "grey", price: "grey" };
   // Only a "sure"/"likely" pairing is a match; anything else doesn't match.
   if (!doc || (check.same_item !== "sure" && check.same_item !== "likely")) {
     return { sku: "red", qty: "red", desc: "red", price: "red" };
diff --git a/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.test.ts b/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.test.ts
index d7ea028..ea436eb 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.test.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.test.ts
@@ -1006,11 +1006,13 @@ describe("runCollectionAiTick", () => {
     expect(r.summary?.cards_checked).toBe(2);
     expect(r.summary?.errors).toEqual(["PO202610002XX: pairing failed: pairing exploded"]);
     expect(aiCheck("order_items", "c1")?.doc_line).not.toBeNull();
-    // The failure is recorded on the line (all red), not silently dropped.
+    // The failure is recorded on the line (grey ticks), not silently dropped.
     expect(aiCheck("order_items", "c2")).toMatchObject({
       doc_line: null,
+      pair_failed: true,
       findings: ["AI couldn't pair this document: pairing exploded"],
     });
+    expect(aiCheck("order_items", "c1")?.pair_failed).toBe(false);
   });
 
   it("does not retry a card whose pairing failed on the next tick; a manual check does", async () => {
diff --git a/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.ts b/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.ts
index ab48fed..8aa9fec 100644
--- a/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.ts
+++ b/src/lib/server/collection-ai-service.ts
@@ -779,11 +779,14 @@ async function checkCard(
           }
         }
         const docNo = chosen.doc.document_no || "the document";
+        // No pairing and no successfully paired document covers this line,
+        // but one failed: the AI couldn't compare it (grey, not red).
+        const pairFailed = !chosen.docLine && failureFindings.length > 0 && covering.length === 0;
         const lineFindings = chosen.docLine
           ? []
-          : checkedDocs.length > 0
-            ? [`Not found on ${docNo}.`, ...failureFindings]
-            : failureFindings;
+          : pairFailed
+            ? failureFindings
+            : [`Not found on ${docNo}.`, ...failureFindings];
         const check: CollectionAiCheck = {
           read_id: chosen.doc.id,
           document_no: chosen.doc.document_no,
@@ -796,6 +799,7 @@ async function checkCard(
           findings: lineFindings,
           checked_at: now.toISOString(),
           model: chosen.model,
+          pair_failed: pairFailed,
         };
         await pb.collection(line.collection).update(line.id, { ai_check: check });
         result.lines_checked += 1;
diff --git a/src/lib/types.ts b/src/lib/types.ts
index 9a268a0..8e545c9 100644
--- a/src/lib/types.ts
+++ b/src/lib/types.ts
@@ -602,6 +602,8 @@ export interface CollectionAiCheck {
   findings: string[];
   checked_at: string;
   model: string;
+  /** The AI couldn't pair the document(s) covering this line: ticks are grey. */
+  pair_failed?: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface CollectionAiRunSummary {