diff --git a/fuzz/corpus/validate_pair/seed-044 b/fuzz/corpus/validate_pair/seed-044
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fa7a06e
Binary files /dev/null and b/fuzz/corpus/validate_pair/seed-044 differ
diff --git a/fuzz/gen_fuzz_seeds.py b/fuzz/gen_fuzz_seeds.py
index 969237d..e7423db 100644
--- a/fuzz/gen_fuzz_seeds.py
+++ b/fuzz/gen_fuzz_seeds.py
@@ -632,6 +632,14 @@ def validate_pair_seeds():
     w(pair(menu_lane(4), True, shape("raw"), union(0, 0x33)))
     w(pair(menu_lane(0), True, shape("raw"), sandwich_packed(b"hi")))
 
+    # W3-1 reproducer (the first wave-3 campaign crash): menu 2,
+    # aligned, padded shape, empty body. The all-zero 64-byte buffer is
+    # SHORTER than the layout's total (the maxLength reservation
+    # contributes 64 at the entry, end 68) while the all-zero indirect
+    # pair {0,0} reads fine — the validated-buffer/entry-window split
+    # the W3-1 invariant pin documents.
+    w(pair(menu_lane(2), True, shape("padded"), b""))
+
     # Aligned truncation sweep over the fixed-shape menu 7 body.
     for n in range(1, len(be)):
         w(pair(menu_lane(7), True, shape("trunc", n), be))
diff --git a/fuzz/shared/src/validate_pair.rs b/fuzz/shared/src/validate_pair.rs
index 2736e28..dfccb3f 100644
--- a/fuzz/shared/src/validate_pair.rs
+++ b/fuzz/shared/src/validate_pair.rs
@@ -126,10 +126,10 @@ pub enum Shape {
 /// hostile buffer body.
 #[derive(Debug, Arbitrary)]
 pub struct PairInput {
-    lane: DocLane,
-    mode: bool,
-    shape: Shape,
-    buffer: Vec<u8>,
+    pub lane: DocLane,
+    pub mode: bool,
+    pub shape: Shape,
+    pub buffer: Vec<u8>,
 }
 
 pub fn fuzz_validate_pair(data: &[u8]) {
@@ -361,16 +361,37 @@ fn drive_pair(engine: &AlkTypeEngine, doc: &Value, root: &str, buffer: &[u8]) {
                         ) {
                             continue;
                         }
+                        // W3-1 (pinned contract, not engine behavior to
+                        // change): an offset-indirect entry's range is
+                        // the pair/reservation window (a declared
+                        // maxLength contributes its full size), but the
+                        // {data_offset, data_length} pair points
+                        // absolutely into the whole buffer — the data
+                        // may live anywhere in the buffer and the
+                        // buffer may be shorter than the reservation
+                        // (the wave-1 data_access bounds partition is
+                        // the contract: the pointed-to window sits
+                        // inside the buffer, nothing about the
+                        // reservation). For every other encoding a
+                        // successful read implies range.end ≤ len.
+                        let indirect =
+                            entry.meta.encoding == alktype::VariableEncoding::OffsetIndirect;
+                        if !indirect {
+                            assert!(
+                                entry.range.end <= buffer.len(),
+                                "a validated non-indirect leaf {path} \
+                                 [{}, {}) sits inside the buffer ({} bytes)",
+                                entry.range.start,
+                                entry.range.end,
+                                buffer.len()
+                            );
+                        }
                         match engine.read_field(buffer, path) {
                             Ok(_) => {}
                             Err(e) => panic!(
                                 "validate_bytes Ok ⇒ read_field({path}) Ok, got {e:?}"
                             ),
                         }
-                        assert!(
-                            entry.range.end <= buffer.len(),
-                            "a validated leaf sits inside the buffer"
-                        );
                     }
                 }
             }
@@ -844,4 +865,25 @@ mod corpus_replay {
             &buffers::sandwich_packed(b"hi"),
         ));
     }
+
+    /// W3-1's contract pin: an aligned offset-indirect leaf's entry
+    /// window (a maxLength reservation) may exceed the validated
+    /// buffer — the pair is absolute and the data it names must sit in
+    /// the buffer, nothing about the reservation. The exact crashing
+    /// shape: menu 2, aligned, Padded transform, empty body — a 64-byte
+    /// zero buffer whose layout total is 68, validate_bytes Ok, the
+    /// all-zero pair {0,0} reading empty.
+    #[test]
+    fn validated_buffer_may_be_shorter_than_the_indirect_reservation_window() {
+        fuzz_validate_pair(&enc::pair(
+            enc::lane_menu(2),
+            true,
+            enc::shape_field(enc::SHAPE_PADDED),
+            &[],
+        ));
+        // And the exact artifact bytes replay through the entry.
+        let crash: [u8; 11] =
+            [0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x02, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xD3, 0x04];
+        fuzz_validate_pair(&crash);
+    }
 }
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