diff --git a/sdk/tests/authored-flow.test.ts b/sdk/tests/authored-flow.test.ts
index 8be463a8f..b2bcc9edd 100644
--- a/sdk/tests/authored-flow.test.ts
+++ b/sdk/tests/authored-flow.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { rmSync } from 'node:fs';
 import type { Server } from 'node:net';
-import { flow, type FlowHeader } from '@relayflows/surface';
+import { flow, type Ctx, type FlowHeader } from '@relayflows/surface';
 import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 import { executeAuthoredFlow } from '../src/authored-flow-executor.js';
 import { JournalClient } from '../src/journal-client.js';
@@ -58,9 +58,7 @@ describe('authored flow journal executor', () => {
               disposition: 'step_done',
               output: failed ? null : {
                 exit_code: 0,
-                stdout_tail: step.command === 'printf authored-journal-ok'
-                  ? 'authored-journal-ok'
-                  : '',
+                stdout_tail: outputFor(step.command),
                 stderr_tail: '',
               },
             },
@@ -386,4 +384,143 @@ describe('authored flow journal executor', () => {
       client.close();
     }
   });
+  it('passes direct input into the journal-backed authored body', async () => {
+    const handle = flow<{ value: string }>('input-backed', async (f, input) => {
+      await f.run(`emit:${input.value}`);
+      f.done('success');
+    });
+    const client = await connectedClient('authored-flow-input-test');
+    const before = startedSpecs.length;
+
+    try {
+      await executeAuthoredFlow(handle, client, { value: 'from-direct-input' });
+      expect(commandsSince(before)).toEqual(['emit:from-direct-input', ':']);
+    } finally {
+      client.close();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it.each([
+    ['truthiness', async (f: Ctx, value: string) => {
+      if (value) await f.run('branch:truthy');
+    }, 'value', 'branch:truthy'],
+    ['negation', async (f: Ctx, value: string) => {
+      if (!value) await f.run('branch:negated');
+    }, '', 'branch:negated'],
+    ['loose equality', async (f: Ctx, value: string) => {
+      if (value == 'value') await f.run('branch:loose-equal');
+    }, 'value', 'branch:loose-equal'],
+    ['strict equality', async (f: Ctx, value: string) => {
+      if (value === 'value') await f.run('branch:strict-equal');
+    }, 'value', 'branch:strict-equal'],
+    ['ternary', async (f: Ctx, value: string) => {
+      await f.run(value ? 'branch:ternary-true' : 'branch:ternary-false');
+    }, '', 'branch:ternary-false'],
+    ['logical and', async (f: Ctx, value: string) => {
+      value && await f.run('branch:logical-and');
+    }, 'value', 'branch:logical-and'],
+    ['logical or', async (f: Ctx, value: string) => {
+      value || await f.run('branch:logical-or');
+    }, '', 'branch:logical-or'],
+  ])('evaluates journal output through JavaScript %s', async (_label, branch, emitted, expected) => {
+    const handle = flow(`operator-${_label}`, async (f) => {
+      const value = await f.run(`emit:${emitted}`);
+      await branch(f, value);
+      f.done('success');
+    });
+    const client = await connectedClient(`authored-flow-${_label}-test`);
+    const before = startedSpecs.length;
+
+    try {
+      await executeAuthoredFlow(handle, client);
+      expect(commandsSince(before)).toEqual([`emit:${emitted}`, expected, ':']);
+    } finally {
+      client.close();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('preserves separately awaited sibling ordering before the join', async () => {
+    const handle = flow('separate-awaits', async (f) => {
+      const left = f.run('emit:left');
+      const right = f.run('emit:right');
+      await left;
+      await right;
+      await f.run('joined');
+      f.done('success');
+    });
+    const client = await connectedClient('authored-flow-separate-awaits-test');
+    const before = startedSpecs.length;
+
+    try {
+      await executeAuthoredFlow(handle, client);
+      expect(commandsSince(before)).toEqual(['emit:left', 'emit:right', 'joined', ':']);
+    } finally {
+      client.close();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('requires an explicit completion after journal-backed steps', async () => {
+    const handle = flow('missing-completion', async (f) => {
+      await f.run('emit:ran');
+    });
+    const client = await connectedClient('authored-flow-missing-completion-test');
+    try {
+      // The PROPERTY is what this pins: a body that runs a journal-backed step
+      // and never calls done() must be refused, not silently completed.
+      //
+      // The original version of this test (dropped in #140, restored here)
+      // asserted `missing_completion`. On current main the refusal arrives as
+      // `unawaited_step` instead, because `verifyAuthoredOperations` runs
+      // before the `requestedCompletion === undefined` check in
+      // `authored-flow-executor.ts` and throws first. The body here DOES await
+      // its step, so "returned with unawaited steps" is a misleading label for
+      // it -- see #183. Asserting either code specifically would either fail on
+      // main or bake in a message that looks wrong, so this asserts the
+      // refusal and its class instead.
+      await expect(executeAuthoredFlow(handle, client)).rejects.toMatchObject({
+        name: 'AuthoredFlowExecutionError',
+      });
+    } finally {
+      client.close();
+    }
+  });
+
+  /// Reaches `missing_completion` itself, which the case above cannot.
+  ///
+  /// With a journal-backed step in the body, `verifyAuthoredOperations` refuses
+  /// first and `missing_completion` is never evaluated -- verified by disabling
+  /// that check, which left every other test in this file green. A body with no
+  /// operations to verify is what actually exercises it.
+  it('refuses a body that completes nothing at all', async () => {
+    const handle = flow('no-completion-no-steps', async () => {
+      // no f.run, no f.done
+    });
+    const client = await connectedClient('authored-flow-no-completion-test');
+    try {
+      await expect(executeAuthoredFlow(handle, client)).rejects.toMatchObject({
+        code: 'missing_completion',
+      });
+    } finally {
+      client.close();
+    }
+  });
+
+  async function connectedClient(name: string): Promise<JournalClient> {
+    const client = new JournalClient(path, { requestTimeoutMs: 2000 });
+    await client.connect();
+    await client.hello(name);
+    return client;
+  }
+
+  function commandsSince(index: number): string[] {
+    return startedSpecs.slice(index).map((spec) => {
+      const steps = spec['steps'] as Record<string, unknown>[];
+      return steps[0]!['command'] as string;
+    });
+  }
 });
+
+function outputFor(command: string): string {
+  if (command.startsWith('emit:')) return command.slice('emit:'.length);
+  return command === 'printf authored-journal-ok' ? 'authored-journal-ok' : '';
+}