diff --git a/tests/unit/HivePressEntityGroupsTest.php b/tests/unit/HivePressEntityGroupsTest.php
index fa917d2..dc4be8a 100644
--- a/tests/unit/HivePressEntityGroupsTest.php
+++ b/tests/unit/HivePressEntityGroupsTest.php
@@ -7,74 +7,63 @@ use PHPUnit\Framework\TestCase;
  * The AddOn owns the HivePress entity groups core used to register.
  *
  * Their definitions are persisted (wpdo_registry_meta schema hash) and the
- * flat tables on live sites were built from core's version, so the AddOn must
- * register byte-identical definitions: any drift changes the schema hash and
- * would ALTER tables that hold aeav_only data once core stops registering
- * them (PR-020).
+ * flat tables on live sites were built from them, so they are pinned to the
+ * persisted hashes: any drift would ALTER flat tables that may hold
+ * aeav_only data. (Values recorded on dev20, 2026-09-25.)
  */
 class HivePressEntityGroupsTest extends TestCase {
 
-	private const GROUPS = array(
-		array( 'post', 'hp_listing_core' ),
-		array( 'post', 'hp_request_core' ),
-		array( 'post', 'hp_vendor_core' ),
-		array( 'user', 'hp_user' ),
+	private const PERSISTED_HASHES = array(
+		'post/hp_listing_core' => 'fb5ab760',
+		'post/hp_request_core' => '27d6f4f5',
+		'post/hp_vendor_core'  => '5366e5c8',
+		'user/hp_user'         => '61ac526f',
 	);
 
-	private function fresh_registry(): void {
+	/**
+	 * Keys shared by several post groups resolve to the LAST group registered
+	 * (the post entity has a single field index, not one per post_type).
+	 *
+	 * ⚠️ This pins current behaviour, not desired behaviour: a listing's
+	 * hp_rating is routed to the hp_vendor_core table, its hp_status to
+	 * hp_request_core, etc. It is pinned so that moving the registration
+	 * between plugins cannot change routing silently; fixing the routing is
+	 * tracked separately in the backlog.
+	 */
+	private const SHARED_KEY_OWNERS = array(
+		'hp_status'       => 'hp_request_core',
+		'hp_expired_time' => 'hp_request_core',
+		'hp_view_count'   => 'hp_request_core',
+		'hp_verified'     => 'hp_vendor_core',
+		'hp_rating'       => 'hp_vendor_core',
+		'hp_rating_count' => 'hp_vendor_core',
+		'hp_hourly_rate'  => 'hp_vendor_core',
+		'hp_user'         => 'hp_vendor_core',
+	);
+
+	protected function setUp(): void {
 		TMDO_Entity_Registry::init();
 		TMDO_Entity_Registry::register_adapter( 'post', $this->createMock( TMDO_Entity_Adapter_Interface::class ) );
 		TMDO_Entity_Registry::register_adapter( 'user', $this->createMock( TMDO_Entity_Adapter_Interface::class ) );
-	}
-
-	private function register_core(): void {
-		TMDO_Post_Fields::register_entity_fields();
-		TMDO_Member_Fields::register_entity_fields();
-	}
-
-	public function test_definitions_match_core_exactly(): void {
-		$this->fresh_registry();
-		$this->register_core();
-		$core = array();
-		foreach ( self::GROUPS as $g ) {
-			$core[ $g[1] ] = TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_fields( $g[0], $g[1] );
-		}
-
-		$this->fresh_registry();
 		TMDO_HivePress_Entity_Groups::register_entity_fields();
+	}
 
-		foreach ( self::GROUPS as $g ) {
-			$this->assertNotEmpty( $core[ $g[1] ], "core no longer registers {$g[1]}" );
-			$this->assertSame( $core[ $g[1] ], TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_fields( $g[0], $g[1] ), "{$g[0]}/{$g[1]} drifted from core" );
+	public function test_definitions_match_persisted_schema_hashes(): void {
+		foreach ( self::PERSISTED_HASHES as $id => $hash ) {
+			list( $type, $group ) = explode( '/', $id );
+			$fields = TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_fields( $type, $group );
+			$this->assertNotEmpty( $fields, "{$id} not registered" );
+			$this->assertSame( $hash, substr( TMDO_Schema_Manager::calculate_schema_hash( $fields ), 0, 8 ), "{$id} drifted from the persisted definition" );
 		}
 	}
 
-	public function test_shared_keys_resolve_to_the_same_group_as_core(): void {
-		// hp_status / hp_user / hp_view_count … appear in several post groups and
-		// field_index is last-registered-wins, so registration order matters.
-		$this->fresh_registry();
-		$this->register_core();
-		$core = array();
-		foreach ( self::GROUPS as $g ) {
-			foreach ( TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_group_keys( $g[0], $g[1] ) as $key ) {
-				$core[ $g[0] . ':' . $key ] = TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_field( $g[0], $key )['group'];
-			}
-		}
-
-		$this->fresh_registry();
-		TMDO_HivePress_Entity_Groups::register_entity_fields();
-
-		foreach ( $core as $id => $group ) {
-			list( $type, $key ) = explode( ':', $id, 2 );
-			$this->assertSame( $group, TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_field( $type, $key )['group'], $id );
+	public function test_shared_keys_keep_their_current_owner(): void {
+		foreach ( self::SHARED_KEY_OWNERS as $key => $group ) {
+			$this->assertSame( $group, TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_field( 'post', $key )['group'], $key );
 		}
 	}
 
-	public function test_registering_alongside_core_raises_no_collision(): void {
-		$this->fresh_registry();
-		$this->register_core();
-
-		TMDO_HivePress_Entity_Groups::register_entity_fields();
+	public function test_core_adapter_does_not_register_a_conflicting_group(): void {
 		( new TMDO_HivePress_Core_Adapter() )->on_register_entity_fields();
 
 		$this->assertSame( array(), TMDO_Entity_Registry::get_collisions() );