diff --git a/core/host.c b/core/host.c
index 9ba8870..60c1e35 100644
--- a/core/host.c
+++ b/core/host.c
@@ -190,6 +190,7 @@ static void populate_caps(struct skeletonkey_host *h)
 	h->apparmor_restrict_userns    = false;
 	h->unprivileged_bpf_disabled   = false;
 	h->kpti_enabled                = false;
+	h->meltdown_mitigation[0]      = '\0';
 	h->kernel_lockdown_active      = false;
 	h->selinux_enforcing           = false;
 	h->yama_ptrace_restricted      = false;
@@ -208,8 +209,17 @@ static void populate_caps(struct skeletonkey_host *h)
 		h->yama_ptrace_restricted = (v > 0);
 
 	char buf[256];
-	if (read_first_line("/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/meltdown", buf, sizeof buf))
+	if (read_first_line("/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/meltdown", buf, sizeof buf)) {
 		h->kpti_enabled = (strstr(buf, "Mitigation: PTI") != NULL);
+		/* Stash the raw value so modules that need richer matching
+		 * (e.g. entrybleed distinguishing "Not affected" CPUs from
+		 * "Vulnerable" / "Mitigation: PTI") don't re-read sysfs. */
+		size_t L = strlen(buf);
+		if (L >= sizeof h->meltdown_mitigation)
+			L = sizeof h->meltdown_mitigation - 1;
+		memcpy(h->meltdown_mitigation, buf, L);
+		h->meltdown_mitigation[L] = '\0';
+	}
 
 	/* /sys/kernel/security/lockdown format: "[none] integrity confidentiality"
 	 * — whichever level is bracketed is the active one. */
diff --git a/core/host.h b/core/host.h
index 3649fd8..48e130f 100644
--- a/core/host.h
+++ b/core/host.h
@@ -61,6 +61,11 @@ struct skeletonkey_host {
 	bool apparmor_restrict_userns;    /* sysctl: 1 = AA blocks unpriv userns */
 	bool unprivileged_bpf_disabled;   /* /proc/sys/kernel/unprivileged_bpf_disabled = 1 */
 	bool kpti_enabled;                /* /sys/.../meltdown contains "Mitigation: PTI" */
+	char meltdown_mitigation[64];     /* raw first line of
+	                                   * /sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/meltdown
+	                                   * — empty string if unreadable. Modules that need
+	                                   * to distinguish "Not affected" (CPU immune) from
+	                                   * "Mitigation: PTI" / "Vulnerable" can read this. */
 	bool kernel_lockdown_active;      /* /sys/kernel/security/lockdown != [none] */
 	bool selinux_enforcing;           /* /sys/fs/selinux/enforce = 1 */
 	bool yama_ptrace_restricted;      /* /proc/sys/kernel/yama/ptrace_scope > 0 */
diff --git a/modules/entrybleed_cve_2023_0458/skeletonkey_modules.c b/modules/entrybleed_cve_2023_0458/skeletonkey_modules.c
index 3ec3ba7..81babf4 100644
--- a/modules/entrybleed_cve_2023_0458/skeletonkey_modules.c
+++ b/modules/entrybleed_cve_2023_0458/skeletonkey_modules.c
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
 
 #include "skeletonkey_modules.h"
 #include "../../core/registry.h"
+#include "../../core/host.h"
 
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdint.h>
@@ -108,40 +109,33 @@ unsigned long entrybleed_leak_kbase_lib(unsigned long entry_syscall_slot_offset)
     return (unsigned long)best_base;
 }
 
-static int read_first_line(const char *path, char *out, size_t n)
-{
-    FILE *f = fopen(path, "r");
-    if (!f) return -1;
-    if (!fgets(out, n, f)) { fclose(f); return -1; }
-    fclose(f);
-    /* trim trailing newline */
-    size_t L = strlen(out);
-    while (L && (out[L-1] == '\n' || out[L-1] == '\r')) out[--L] = 0;
-    return 0;
-}
+/* (read_first_line() removed — meltdown status now comes from
+ * ctx->host->meltdown_mitigation, populated once at startup in
+ * core/host.c. One file open across the corpus instead of per-detect.) */
 
 static skeletonkey_result_t entrybleed_detect(const struct skeletonkey_ctx *ctx)
 {
-    /* Probe KPTI status. /sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/meltdown
-     * is the most direct signal: "Mitigation: PTI" means KPTI is on
-     * (= EntryBleed-applicable). "Not affected" means a hardened CPU
-     * (very recent Intel + most AMD = no KPTI = no EntryBleed). */
-    char buf[256];
-    int rc = read_first_line(
-        "/sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/meltdown", buf, sizeof buf);
-    if (rc < 0) {
+    /* KPTI status comes from the shared host fingerprint
+     * (ctx->host->meltdown_mitigation) — populated once at startup by
+     * reading /sys/devices/system/cpu/vulnerabilities/meltdown. The
+     * raw string is preserved (not just the kpti_enabled bool) so we
+     * can distinguish "Not affected" (CPU immune; OK) from
+     * "Mitigation: PTI" / "Vulnerable" (KPTI on; vulnerable to
+     * EntryBleed) without re-reading sysfs. */
+    const char *meltdown = ctx->host ? ctx->host->meltdown_mitigation : "";
+    if (meltdown[0] == '\0') {
         if (!ctx->json) {
-            fprintf(stderr, "[?] entrybleed: cannot read meltdown vuln status — "
+            fprintf(stderr, "[?] entrybleed: meltdown vuln status unknown — "
                             "assuming KPTI on (conservative)\n");
         }
         return SKELETONKEY_VULNERABLE;
     }
     if (!ctx->json) {
-        fprintf(stderr, "[i] entrybleed: meltdown status = '%s'\n", buf);
+        fprintf(stderr, "[i] entrybleed: meltdown status = '%s'\n", meltdown);
     }
 
     /* "Not affected" → CPU is Meltdown-immune → no KPTI → no EntryBleed */
-    if (strstr(buf, "Not affected") != NULL) {
+    if (strstr(meltdown, "Not affected") != NULL) {
         if (!ctx->json) {
             fprintf(stderr, "[+] entrybleed: CPU is Meltdown-immune; KPTI off; "
                             "EntryBleed N/A\n");
diff --git a/tests/test_detect.c b/tests/test_detect.c
index 8e93851..4152898 100644
--- a/tests/test_detect.c
+++ b/tests/test_detect.c
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ extern const struct skeletonkey_module dirtydecrypt_module;
 extern const struct skeletonkey_module fragnesia_module;
 extern const struct skeletonkey_module pack2theroot_module;
 extern const struct skeletonkey_module overlayfs_module;
+extern const struct skeletonkey_module entrybleed_module;
 extern const struct skeletonkey_module dirty_pipe_module;
 extern const struct skeletonkey_module dirty_cow_module;
 extern const struct skeletonkey_module ptrace_traceme_module;
@@ -594,6 +595,41 @@ static void run_all(void)
 		&nf_tables_module, &h_nf_tables_5_10_209,
 		SKELETONKEY_OK);
 
+	/* ── entrybleed: meltdown_mitigation passthrough ────────────────
+	 * entrybleed reads ctx->host->meltdown_mitigation (raw sysfs line)
+	 * instead of re-opening /sys/.../meltdown. Test the three branches:
+	 *   - empty string ("probe failed")          → conservative VULNERABLE
+	 *   - "Not affected" (Meltdown-immune CPU)   → OK
+	 *   - "Mitigation: PTI" (KPTI on, vulnerable) → VULNERABLE
+	 * The module is x86_64-only; on other arches the stub returns
+	 * PRECOND_FAIL regardless of meltdown status. We test the x86_64
+	 * branch via the synthetic host's `arch` field. */
+#if defined(__x86_64__) || defined(__amd64__)
+	struct skeletonkey_host h_entry_no_data = h_kernel_6_12;
+	h_entry_no_data.meltdown_mitigation[0] = '\0';
+	run_one("entrybleed: meltdown probe unread → conservative VULNERABLE",
+		&entrybleed_module, &h_entry_no_data,
+		SKELETONKEY_VULNERABLE);
+
+	struct skeletonkey_host h_entry_immune = h_kernel_6_12;
+	strcpy(h_entry_immune.meltdown_mitigation, "Not affected");
+	run_one("entrybleed: meltdown=Not affected (immune CPU) → OK",
+		&entrybleed_module, &h_entry_immune,
+		SKELETONKEY_OK);
+
+	struct skeletonkey_host h_entry_kpti = h_kernel_6_12;
+	strcpy(h_entry_kpti.meltdown_mitigation, "Mitigation: PTI");
+	run_one("entrybleed: meltdown=Mitigation: PTI → VULNERABLE",
+		&entrybleed_module, &h_entry_kpti,
+		SKELETONKEY_VULNERABLE);
+#else
+	/* On non-x86_64 dev / CI containers, the stubbed detect() returns
+	 * PRECOND_FAIL regardless of meltdown_mitigation contents. */
+	run_one("entrybleed: non-x86_64 arch → PRECOND_FAIL (stub)",
+		&entrybleed_module, &h_kernel_6_12,
+		SKELETONKEY_PRECOND_FAIL);
+#endif
+
 	/* ── coverage report ─────────────────────────────────────────
 	 * Iterate the runtime registry (populated by skeletonkey_register_*
 	 * calls in main()) and warn for any module that was not touched