diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 939d0d8c..f344d292 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ The latest `## [X.Y.Z]` header must match the `version` field in `punkproject.to
 Entries are newest-first; one bullet per notable change. See the root `AGENTS.md`
 "Project Versioning" section for the bump policy.
 
+## [0.12.12] - 2026-07-12
+
+- punk::ns 0.3.0: 'i <cmd>' with no argument words again signals when the command cannot be called bare - e.g 'i if' shows "Bad number of trailing values for if. Got 0 values. Expected at least 2" in the error scheme above the usage table (regression vs older builds, reported by the user). The G-046-era suppression of that render existed because the old message carried internal-looking attribution ("for punk::args::parse ..."); the G-049 -caller attribution fixed the message wording, so the suppression was reversed rather than reworded - the original 'i string is' complaint case now renders an accurate "Bad number of leading values for string is ..." instead of being hidden.
+
 ## [0.12.11] - 2026-07-12
 
 - G-071 achieved: punk::args 0.9.0 allocation choice screen - optional arguments with restricted choice sets no longer greedily consume non-choice words at allocation time, so noise-word grammars parse correctly with the noise word omitted. 'i lseq 0 10 2' (and the '0 10 by 2' / '1 5 by 0' shapes) now parse and render correctly against the tclcore moduledoc; genuinely invalid arglists report a plain excess-values error instead of blaming an unrelated optional argument. Correction recorded: parse_status already accepted -form before the withid/withdef tail per its documented synopsis - the earlier 'missing -form' finding was an argument-order mistake, now pinned by test.
diff --git a/punkproject.toml b/punkproject.toml
index 5f2a1f6f..319a0de7 100644
--- a/punkproject.toml
+++ b/punkproject.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 [project]
 name = "punkshell"
-version = "0.12.11"
+version = "0.12.12"
 license = "BSD-2-Clause"
diff --git a/src/modules/punk/ns-999999.0a1.0.tm b/src/modules/punk/ns-999999.0a1.0.tm
index 0e6cfcb3..f43b9787 100644
--- a/src/modules/punk/ns-999999.0a1.0.tm
+++ b/src/modules/punk/ns-999999.0a1.0.tm
@@ -5605,15 +5605,14 @@ y" {return quirkykeyscript}
                     #-caller attributes any failure message to the queried command rather than
                     #an internal parse call site.
                     set pstatus [punk::args::parse_status $queryargs -form $opt_form -caller $querycommand withid $rootdoc]
-                    #With NO supplied args a failure only reflects missing required
-                    #leaders/values - nothing to mark and nothing wrong with the user's (absent)
-                    #input, so we show plain usage in the info scheme instead of the
-                    #internal-looking parse error (G-046 item 5).
+                    #A failing advisory parse renders with the error scheme and its
+                    #message even when NO args were supplied - see the matching site in
+                    #the main cmdhelp body for the history (G-046 item 5 suppression
+                    #reversed 2026-07-12 after the G-049 -caller attribution made the
+                    #messages accurate).
                     if {$opt_return eq "dict"} {
                         if {$scheme_received} {
                             dict set pstatus scheme [dict get $opts -scheme]
-                        } elseif {![dict get $pstatus ok] && ![llength $queryargs]} {
-                            dict set pstatus scheme info
                         }
                         return [dict create origin $rootorigin docid $rootdoc cmdtype $rootorigintype args_remaining $queryargs parsestatus $pstatus]
                     }
@@ -5623,11 +5622,6 @@ y" {return quirkykeyscript}
                             dict set nextopts -scheme info
                         }
                         set result [punk::args::arg_error "" [punk::args::get_spec $rootdoc] {*}$nextopts -aserror 0 -parsestatus $pstatus]
-                    } elseif {![llength $queryargs]} {
-                        if {!$scheme_received} {
-                            dict set nextopts -scheme info
-                        }
-                        set result [punk::args::arg_error "" [punk::args::get_spec $rootdoc] {*}$nextopts -aserror 0]
                     } else {
                         set result [punk::args::arg_error [dict get $pstatus message] [punk::args::get_spec $rootdoc] {*}$nextopts -aserror 0 -parsestatus $pstatus]
                     }
@@ -5712,15 +5706,17 @@ y" {return quirkykeyscript}
             #-errorstyle minimal so no usage table is built inside a discarded error and
             #dynamically updated ensembles are reflected).
             set pstatus [punk::args::parse_status $args_remaining -form $opt_form -caller $caller_display withid $origindoc]
-            #With NO supplied trailing args a failure only reflects missing required
-            #leaders/values (e.g 'i string is') - nothing to mark and nothing wrong with the
-            #user's (absent) input, so we show plain usage in the info scheme instead of the
-            #internal-looking parse error (G-046 item 5).
+            #A failing advisory parse renders with the error scheme and its message even
+            #when NO trailing args were supplied: 'i if' indicating "Bad number of
+            #trailing values for if. Got 0 values. Expected at least 2" is useful signal
+            #that the command cannot be called bare. (History: G-046 item 5 suppressed
+            #this path because the pre-G-049 message was internal-looking - "for
+            #punk::args::parse $args_remaining" - but the G-049 -caller attribution made
+            #the messages accurate, so the suppression was reversed 2026-07-12 by user
+            #direction, restoring the pre-G-046 indication with the improved messages.)
             if {$opt_return eq "dict"} {
                 if {$scheme_received} {
                     dict set pstatus scheme [dict get $opts -scheme]
-                } elseif {![dict get $pstatus ok] && ![llength $args_remaining]} {
-                    dict set pstatus scheme info
                 }
                 return [dict create origin $origin docid $origindoc cmdtype $origintype args_remaining $args_remaining parsestatus $pstatus]
             }
@@ -5730,11 +5726,6 @@ y" {return quirkykeyscript}
                     dict set nextopts -scheme info
                 }
                 set result [punk::args::arg_error "" [punk::args::get_spec $origindoc] {*}$nextopts -aserror 0 -parsestatus $pstatus]
-            } elseif {![llength $args_remaining]} {
-                if {!$scheme_received} {
-                    dict set nextopts -scheme info
-                }
-                set result [punk::args::arg_error "" [punk::args::get_spec $origindoc] {*}$nextopts -aserror 0]
             } else {
                 set result [punk::args::arg_error [dict get $pstatus message] [punk::args::get_spec $origindoc] {*}$nextopts -aserror 0 -parsestatus $pstatus]
             }
diff --git a/src/modules/punk/ns-buildversion.txt b/src/modules/punk/ns-buildversion.txt
index 71a831fc..2845c9a0 100644
--- a/src/modules/punk/ns-buildversion.txt
+++ b/src/modules/punk/ns-buildversion.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-0.2.0
+0.3.0
 #First line must be a semantic version number
 #all other lines are ignored.
+#0.3.0 - reversal of the G-046-item-5 no-supplied-words suppression (user direction 2026-07-12): cmdhelp's advisory parse failing with NO supplied argument words renders the failure message and error scheme again (both the alias path and the main path; dict returns no longer rewrite the scheme to info), so 'i if'/'i while'/'i foreach' once more signal that the command cannot be called bare - e.g "Bad number of trailing values for if. Got 0 values. Expected at least 2". Rationale: the suppression (ns 0.1.4) existed because the pre-G-049 message was internal-looking ("... for punk::args::parse $args_remaining ..."); the G-049 -caller attribution (ns 0.2.0) made bare-query messages accurate - including the original 'i string is' complaint case, which now reads "Bad number of leading values for string is. Got 0 leaders. Expected exactly 1". Tests: cmdhelp_leader_required_no_args_plain_usage flipped to cmdhelp_leader_required_no_args_error_render; cmdhelp_return_dict_scheme expects scheme error for the bare-query failure.
 #0.2.0 - G-049: cmdhelp -return dict - machine-parsable return carrying resolution info (origin/docid/cmdtype/args_remaining) plus the parse-status structure of the supplied argument words (punk::args::parse_status shape; empty for undocumented commands); the scheme field reflects an explicit -scheme and the G-046-item-5 no-supplied-words suppression. cmdhelp's advisory parse now runs via punk::args::parse_status on both the alias path and the main path: an explicit -scheme is honoured on the parse-failure render (previously only on success/tableobject - failures returned parse's internally rendered error with the default error scheme), failure renders consume the structure via arg_error -parsestatus (badarg marking now covers type/allocation failures via the structure), and the failure message names the queried command (parse -caller: querycommand + consumed subcommand words) instead of whatever the %caller% frame walk found - at top call depth that was cmdhelp's own raw 'punk::args::parse $args_remaining ...' source text. Tests: cmdhelp.test G-049 GAP pins flipped + cmdhelp_return_dict_* added
 #0.1.4 - G-046 item 5: cmdhelp's advisory goodargs parse failing with NO supplied argument words (e.g 'i string is' where the definition requires leaders) now shows plain info-scheme usage instead of the internal-looking "Bad number of leading values for punk::args::parse ..." error output (both the alias path and the main path; error display for supplied-but-invalid words unchanged). The no-supplied-words advisory parse runs with -errorstyle minimal so its failure doesn't render the full usage table inside the discarded error - large argdocs (e.g 'i punk::args::define') render the table once, not twice (verified parity with pre-G-046 timings: ~5.3s first/~4.1s repeat on punk91 src, table construction dominant). Test: cmdhelp.test cmdhelp_leader_required_no_args_plain_usage
 #0.1.3 - documentation-only: cmdhelp 'subcommand' argument help rewritten to match actual behaviour (was described as ensemble-subcommands-only; also covers tcl::oo methods and argument words, whose validity drives the info/error scheme and received-argument marking of the usage display)
diff --git a/src/tests/modules/punk/ns/testsuites/ns/cmdhelp.test b/src/tests/modules/punk/ns/testsuites/ns/cmdhelp.test
index 23e568e0..e8c99577 100644
--- a/src/tests/modules/punk/ns/testsuites/ns/cmdhelp.test
+++ b/src/tests/modules/punk/ns/testsuites/ns/cmdhelp.test
@@ -420,19 +420,22 @@ namespace eval ::testspace {
         }\
         -result [list 0 incomplete error {}]
 
-    test cmdhelp_return_dict_scheme {the dict scheme field reflects an explicit -scheme, and the no-supplied-words suppression (G-046 item 5) reports info}\
+    test cmdhelp_return_dict_scheme {the dict scheme field reflects an explicit -scheme, and a bare-query failure reports the error scheme}\
         -setup $common -body {
             set d [punk::ns::cmdhelp -return dict -scheme error ::testspace::helpfix v1 0 1]
             lappend result [dict get [dict get $d parsestatus] scheme]
-            #leader-requiring definition with no argument words - failure reflects only the
-            #absent input, reported with the info scheme the display path would use
+            #leader-requiring definition with no argument words - the failing advisory
+            #parse reports the error scheme like any other failure (the G-046 item 5
+            #info-scheme suppression was reversed 2026-07-12: the G-049 -caller
+            #attribution made bare-query failure messages accurate, so 'i <cmd>' on a
+            #command that cannot be called bare shows that signal again)
             set d [punk::ns::cmdhelp -return dict ::testspace::helpstr]
             set ps [dict get $d parsestatus]
             lappend result [dict get $ps ok] [dict get $ps scheme]
         }\
         -cleanup {
         }\
-        -result [list error 0 info]
+        -result [list error 0 error]
 
     #--- GAP pins: pseudo-command cmdtype + space-delimited docid prefixes (G-051) ------------
 
@@ -546,7 +549,14 @@ namespace eval ::testspace {
         }\
         -result [list {{::testspace::helpfix v1} [-flag] firstval lastval}]
 
-    #--- leader-requiring definition, no supplied args (G-046 item 5) --------------------------
+    #--- leader-requiring definition, no supplied args -----------------------------------------
+    #History: G-046 item 5 suppressed the failing advisory parse for bare queries
+    #because the pre-G-049 message was internal-looking ("Bad number of leading values
+    #for punk::args::parse $args_remaining ..."). The G-049 -caller attribution made
+    #the messages accurate ("... for <queried command> ..."), so the suppression was
+    #reversed 2026-07-12 (user direction): a bare 'i <cmd>' on a command that cannot
+    #be called with no arguments shows the failure message and error scheme again -
+    #with the message attributed to the queried command, never the internal parse.
 
     namespace eval ::testspace::leaderhelp {}
     punk::args::define {
@@ -562,16 +572,17 @@ namespace eval ::testspace {
     }
     proc ::testspace::leaderhelp::classy {zzclass} {return $zzclass}
 
-    test cmdhelp_leader_required_no_args_plain_usage {cmdhelp with no argument words for a leader-requiring definition shows plain usage - the advisory goodargs parse failure ('Bad number of leading values for punk::args::parse ...') is suppressed (G-046 item 5, the 'i string is' shape)}\
+    test cmdhelp_leader_required_no_args_error_render {cmdhelp with no argument words for a leader-requiring definition shows the failure message attributed to the queried command (suppression reversed; was cmdhelp_leader_required_no_args_plain_usage)}\
         -setup $common -body {
             set out [punk::ansi::ansistrip [punk::ns::cmdhelp -return string ::testspace::leaderhelp::classy]]
             lappend result [string match "*Bad number of leading values*" $out]
+            #attribution is the queried command - never the internal parse call
             lappend result [string match "*punk::args::parse*" $out]
             lappend result [string match "*zzclass*" $out]
         }\
         -cleanup {
         }\
-        -result [list 0 0 1]
+        -result [list 1 0 1]
 
     #--- ensemble autodef with lazily-registered subcommand argdocs ----------------------------
     #Integration surface of the defect pinned unit-level in