diff --git a/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/__init__.py b/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/__init__.py
index 5ab5f170..73e847b6 100644
--- a/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/__init__.py
+++ b/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/__init__.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._ctx import SessionContext
 from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._features.cognitive import (
     cognitive_load,
     command_branch_diversity,
+    error_resilience_fallback_to_man,
     error_resilience_frustration_typing,
     error_resilience_retry_tactic,
     exploration_style,
@@ -57,4 +58,5 @@ FEATURES: tuple[FeatureFn, ...] = (
     tool_vocabulary,
     error_resilience_retry_tactic,
     error_resilience_frustration_typing,
+    error_resilience_fallback_to_man,
 )
diff --git a/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/cognitive.py b/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/cognitive.py
index 8309ceef..9d077eac 100644
--- a/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/cognitive.py
+++ b/decnet/profiler/behave_shell/_features/cognitive.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ from decnet_behave_core.spec.envelope import Observation
 
 from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._ctx import SessionContext
 from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._features._emit import make_observation
+from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._parse import hash_token
 from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._thresholds import (
     BRANCH_DIVERSITY_LINEAR_MIN,
     COGNITIVE_LOAD_CHUNKING_REF_CV,
@@ -43,6 +44,19 @@ from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._thresholds import (
 )
 
 
+# Precomputed at import time so the per-session hot loop is a set
+# membership check, not 3 sha256 ops per command. The ``--help`` /
+# ``-h`` flag forms can't be detected here — they're not first tokens
+# (PII discipline keeps only the *first* token's hash). v0.2 will
+# reconsider once corpus calibration justifies storing arg-token
+# hashes too.
+_HELP_FAMILY_HASHES: frozenset[str] = frozenset({
+    hash_token("man"),
+    hash_token("help"),
+    hash_token("info"),
+})
+
+
 def _clip01(x: float) -> float:
     if x < 0.0:
         return 0.0
@@ -188,6 +202,46 @@ def feedback_loop_engagement(ctx: SessionContext) -> Iterator[Observation]:
     )
 
 
+def error_resilience_fallback_to_man(ctx: SessionContext) -> Iterator[Observation]:
+    """Emit ``cognitive.error_resilience.fallback_to_man``.
+
+    For each errored command, check whether the operator's next
+    command is ``man`` / ``help`` / ``info`` — i.e. they reached for
+    the manual rather than re-trying or pivoting. If at least one
+    errored command triggered this fallback → ``present``; otherwise
+    ``absent``.
+
+    Skip emission when no commands errored — the registry's binary
+    has no ``unknown``, and emitting ``absent`` from no observation
+    at all would be dishonest.
+
+    The ``--help`` / ``-h`` flag forms can't fire this primitive in
+    v0.1: they aren't first tokens, and the engine only retains
+    ``first_token_hash`` per command (PII discipline). Filed for v0.2.
+    """
+    errored_indices = [i for i, c in enumerate(ctx.commands) if c.errored]
+    if not errored_indices:
+        return
+    fallback_count = 0
+    for i in errored_indices:
+        if i + 1 >= len(ctx.commands):
+            continue
+        if ctx.commands[i + 1].first_token_hash in _HELP_FAMILY_HASHES:
+            fallback_count += 1
+    value = "present" if fallback_count > 0 else "absent"
+
+    if len(errored_indices) < MIN_COMMANDS_FOR_FULL_CONFIDENCE:
+        confidence = 0.40
+    else:
+        confidence = 0.65
+    yield make_observation(
+        ctx,
+        primitive="cognitive.error_resilience.fallback_to_man",
+        value=value,
+        confidence=confidence,
+    )
+
+
 def error_resilience_frustration_typing(ctx: SessionContext) -> Iterator[Observation]:
     """Emit ``cognitive.error_resilience.frustration_typing``.
 
diff --git a/tests/profiler/behave_shell/test_cognitive_error_resilience_fallback_to_man.py b/tests/profiler/behave_shell/test_cognitive_error_resilience_fallback_to_man.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2c0d8fac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/profiler/behave_shell/test_cognitive_error_resilience_fallback_to_man.py
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+"""Step D.7: ``cognitive.error_resilience.fallback_to_man``."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from decnet.profiler.behave_shell import extract_session
+from decnet.profiler.behave_shell._parse import AsciinemaEvent
+
+
+PRIMITIVE = "cognitive.error_resilience.fallback_to_man"
+
+
+def _of(observations: list, primitive: str):
+    obs = [o for o in observations if o.primitive == primitive]
+    assert len(obs) == 1, f"expected exactly one {primitive}, got {len(obs)}"
+    return obs[0]
+
+
+def _typed(text: str, t0: float, dt: float = 0.05) -> list[AsciinemaEvent]:
+    return [(t0 + i * dt, "i", c) for i, c in enumerate(text)]
+
+
+def _err_then(token: str, response: str, t0: float) -> list[AsciinemaEvent]:
+    events = _typed(f"{token}\r", t0=t0)
+    cmd_end = t0 + len(token) * 0.05
+    events.append((cmd_end + 0.10, "o", f"bash: {token}: command not found\n"))
+    events.extend(_typed(f"{response}\r", t0=t0 + 1.5))
+    return events
+
+
+def test_no_errors_no_emission() -> None:
+    events = _typed("ls\r", t0=0.0) + [(0.5, "o", "file1\n")]
+    out = list(extract_session(events, sid="ftm-clean"))
+    assert [o for o in out if o.primitive == PRIMITIVE] == []
+
+
+def test_help_after_error_emits_present() -> None:
+    """At least one fallback to a help-family token → present."""
+    events: list[AsciinemaEvent] = []
+    for i in range(5):
+        events.extend(_err_then("foo", "man", t0=i * 3.0))
+    out = list(extract_session(events, sid="ftm-present"))
+    obs = _of(out, PRIMITIVE)
+    assert obs.value == "present"
+
+
+def test_pivot_unrelated_emits_absent() -> None:
+    """Errors followed by non-help tools → absent."""
+    events: list[AsciinemaEvent] = []
+    for i in range(5):
+        events.extend(_err_then("foo", "ls", t0=i * 3.0))
+    out = list(extract_session(events, sid="ftm-absent"))
+    obs = _of(out, PRIMITIVE)
+    assert obs.value == "absent"
+
+
+def test_info_token_also_counts() -> None:
+    events: list[AsciinemaEvent] = []
+    for i in range(5):
+        events.extend(_err_then("foo", "info", t0=i * 3.0))
+    out = list(extract_session(events, sid="ftm-info"))
+    assert _of(out, PRIMITIVE).value == "present"
+
+
+def test_low_error_count_reduces_confidence() -> None:
+    short_events: list[AsciinemaEvent] = []
+    for i in range(2):
+        short_events.extend(_err_then("foo", "man", t0=i * 3.0))
+    full_events: list[AsciinemaEvent] = []
+    for i in range(6):
+        full_events.extend(_err_then("foo", "man", t0=i * 3.0))
+    s = _of(list(extract_session(short_events, sid="ftm-short")), PRIMITIVE)
+    f = _of(list(extract_session(full_events, sid="ftm-full")), PRIMITIVE)
+    assert s.confidence < f.confidence