diff --git a/.github/workflows/quality-gate.yml b/.github/workflows/quality-gate.yml
index 821ae9a..4499cbb 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/quality-gate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/quality-gate.yml
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@ jobs:
       PGPORT: "5432"
       PGUSER: postgres
       PGPASSWORD: postgres
-      PGDATABASE: postgres
+      PGDATABASE: te_mgmt_dev
+      API_ALLOW_DESTRUCTIVE: "true"
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v7
@@ -142,27 +143,21 @@ jobs:
             fi
           done
 
-      # Tier E deploys all four environments and compares their schemas, so it
-      # runs here where the postgres service exists. Order matters: E deploys
-      # every environment, which the cross-env parity pytest markers then rely on.
-      # Tier X is excluded per ADR-0001 — see the free-tier job's note.
-      - name: Evals — Tiers P, I, S, E
-        run: python3 evals/runner.py --tiers p,i,s,e --verbose
-
-      - name: Deploy all environments (for cross-env parity)
+      - name: Deploy all environments
         run: |
           for env in dev test staging prod; do
             bash build/deploy_all.sh "$env"
           done
 
+      # Tier E compares the four deployed schemas column by column.
+      # Tier X is excluded per ADR-0001 — see the free-tier job's note.
+      - name: Evals — Tiers P, I, S, E
+        run: python3 evals/runner.py --tiers p,i,s,e --verbose
+
       # Prints a final block accounting for every test: PASSED / FAILED /
       # ERROR / SKIPPED (with reasons) / NOT RUN (deselected). --strict fails
       # the build on any skip.
-      # The API reads PGDATABASE (api/config.py). The schema lives in
-      # te_mgmt_dev, not the job-level default "postgres" (issue #45).
       - name: Full test suite — final result with skip accounting
-        env:
-          PGDATABASE: te_mgmt_dev
         run: python3 scripts/test_report.py --strict
 
       - name: Upload eval reports
diff --git a/evals/datasets/tier_e/02_empty_schema_is_detected/NOTES.txt b/evals/datasets/tier_e/02_empty_schema_is_detected/NOTES.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ca13ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/evals/datasets/tier_e/02_empty_schema_is_detected/NOTES.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+Negative control — no input data required.
+
+This scenario creates a temporary empty schema (_eval_empty_probe) in the
+dev database, verifies that _column_signature returns zero tables, and drops
+the schema.  It exists to prevent structural comparison from silently passing
+when a schema is missing or empty — the kind of false green that masked the
+original CI failure (issue #45 follow-up).
diff --git a/evals/expected/tier_e/02_empty_schema_is_detected.json b/evals/expected/tier_e/02_empty_schema_is_detected.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..56af256
--- /dev/null
+++ b/evals/expected/tier_e/02_empty_schema_is_detected.json
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "scenario": "02_empty_schema_is_detected",
+  "description": "Negative control: an empty schema must return 0 tables from _column_signature, proving that structural comparison is not silently succeeding on missing data.",
+  "expected": {
+    "table_count": 0
+  }
+}
diff --git a/evals/runner.py b/evals/runner.py
index 5a9c0a0..ffed487 100644
--- a/evals/runner.py
+++ b/evals/runner.py
@@ -676,6 +676,8 @@ def run_tier_e_scenario(scenario_dir: Path) -> ScenarioResult:
 
     if name == "01_envs_have_identical_structure":
         return _run_envs_have_identical_structure(result, expected)
+    if name == "02_empty_schema_is_detected":
+        return _run_empty_schema_is_detected(result, expected)
 
     result.errors.append("Unknown tier-E scenario: " + name)
     return result
@@ -748,6 +750,46 @@ def _run_envs_have_identical_structure(
     return result
 
 
+def _run_empty_schema_is_detected(
+    result: ScenarioResult, expected: Dict[str, Any]
+) -> ScenarioResult:
+    """Negative control: _column_signature on a schema with no tables returns
+    an empty dict, and the eval correctly flags it as having 0 tables.
+
+    Creates a disposable schema in the dev database, queries it, asserts the
+    expected zero-table result, and drops the schema unconditionally.
+    """
+    db = "te_mgmt_dev"
+    tmp_schema = "_eval_empty_probe"
+    env = _pg_env()
+    try:
+        subprocess.run(
+            ["psql", "-v", "ON_ERROR_STOP=1", "-d", db, "-c",
+             "CREATE SCHEMA IF NOT EXISTS " + tmp_schema],
+            env=env, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10,
+        )
+        sig = _column_signature(db, tmp_schema)
+        table_count = len(sig)
+        result.actual = {"table_count": table_count, "signature": sig}
+        exp = expected.get("expected", {})
+        if table_count != exp.get("table_count", 0):
+            result.errors.append(
+                "expected " + str(exp.get("table_count", 0))
+                + " tables but _column_signature returned "
+                + str(table_count)
+            )
+    except Exception as exc:
+        result.errors.append("empty-schema probe failed: " + str(exc))
+    finally:
+        subprocess.run(
+            ["psql", "-d", db, "-c",
+             "DROP SCHEMA IF EXISTS " + tmp_schema + " CASCADE"],
+            env=env, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10,
+        )
+    result.passed = not result.errors
+    return result
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Tier X — Cross-engine structural coverage (VCRM BR-02)
 #