diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c81d031..47c0bf1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Changed
+
+- Clarify that `--ci` and category gates are independent CI gates, including inclusive category limits.
+
 ## [0.1.4] - 2026-06-12
 
 ### Security
diff --git a/docs/platform/ci-integration.md b/docs/platform/ci-integration.md
index be6ccf4..ebf400c 100644
--- a/docs/platform/ci-integration.md
+++ b/docs/platform/ci-integration.md
@@ -132,6 +132,26 @@ mcts scan ./repo/ \
 
 Category semantics: [Scoring Specification](../reporting/scoring-spec.md). Category gates apply to **legacy** v1 tiles only.
 
+### Gate semantics
+
+MCTS evaluates these CI gates independently. Passing one gate does not imply another gate will pass.
+
+| Gate type | Flag | Fails when | Score type |
+|-----------|------|------------|------------|
+| Critical count | `--fail-on-critical` | Any CRITICAL finding exists | Finding count |
+| Min overall | `--min-score N` / `--ci` | Legacy `score.overall` is below `N` | Exponential 0-100 overall score |
+| Max critical | `--max-critical N` | Critical finding count is greater than `N` | Finding count |
+| Category budget | `--fail-on-category category:N` | Legacy category risk score is greater than or equal to `N` | Category risk points |
+
+Category gates and the overall score use different formulas. For example, an API service can pass
+`--fail-on-category injection:15` because its injection category risk is below 15, then still fail
+`--ci` because the preset also applies `--fail-on-critical` and `--min-score 70` to the overall
+legacy score.
+
+Category limits are inclusive. A zero limit means "fail at zero or above", so `permissions:0` fails
+even when the permissions category score is 0. For D8-style "fail on any permissions risk" policies,
+use `--fail-on-category permissions:1`.
+
 ### Scoring v2 gates
 
 Scans include `score_v2` by default (`scoring: both`). **Gates** on v2 fields are opt-in:
diff --git a/src/mcts/cli/main.py b/src/mcts/cli/main.py
index 8c92d7c..ef85684 100644
--- a/src/mcts/cli/main.py
+++ b/src/mcts/cli/main.py
@@ -553,7 +553,10 @@ def scan(
         bool,
         typer.Option(
             "--ci",
-            help="Apply CI gate preset (fail-on-critical, min-score 70) and print score breakdown on failure",
+            help=(
+                "Apply CI gate preset (fail-on-critical, min-score 70; "
+                "category gates are separate) and print score breakdown on failure"
+            ),
         ),
     ] = False,
     policy: Annotated[
diff --git a/tests/test_category_gates.py b/tests/test_category_gates.py
index cc240e2..8feb2ad 100644
--- a/tests/test_category_gates.py
+++ b/tests/test_category_gates.py
@@ -2,9 +2,14 @@
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+from typer.testing import CliRunner
+
+from mcts.cli.main import app
 from mcts.report.data import category_gate_failures, parse_category_gates
 from mcts.reporting.models import Finding, Severity
 
+runner = CliRunner()
+
 
 def test_parse_category_gates_accepts_comma_and_repeatable() -> None:
     gates = parse_category_gates(["permissions:10", "injection:5,execution:3"])
@@ -71,3 +76,14 @@ def test_category_gate_failure_message_never_says_passed_alone() -> None:
     message = failures[0]
     assert "inclusive gate" in message
     assert ">=" in message
+
+
+def test_scan_help_says_ci_category_gates_are_separate() -> None:
+    result = runner.invoke(app, ["scan", "--help"])
+
+    assert result.exit_code == 0, result.stdout
+    help_text = " ".join(result.stdout.split())
+    assert "--ci" in help_text
+    ci_help = help_text.split("--ci", 1)[1].split("--policy", 1)[0]
+    assert "category gates are" in ci_help
+    assert "separate" in ci_help