diff --git a/docs/security/model.md b/docs/security/model.md
index 6eabc340..57bc8bfc 100644
--- a/docs/security/model.md
+++ b/docs/security/model.md
@@ -154,7 +154,7 @@ output is an untrusted proposal, never authenticated recovery material.
 |---|---|
 | Context | The syntactically present HRP, separator, and program-supplied context are immutable and outside the correction domain. Unknown HRPs are never corrected or ranked toward registered namespaces. |
 | Target lengths | `ms` searches only 48, 54, 61, 67, 74, or 127 characters; an accepted first string fixes the length of later strings in that recovery set. |
-| Character alignment | `A = I + O + AT + 2*T <= 4`; the public API retains its `A<=2` required baseline. CLI scheduling prioritizes single structural mistakes, paired indels, then other combinations. |
+| Character alignment | `A = I + O + AT + 2*T <= 4`; the public API retains its `A<=2` required baseline. CLI scheduling prioritizes single structural mistakes and bounded two-group erasure probes, then paired indels and other combinations. |
 | Group alignment | `G = GI + GO + GS + GAT + 2*GT <= 2`; only complete displayed four-character groups participate, and character/group families never mix. |
 | Fixed erasures | BCH repairs substitutions and explicit/generated erasures after alignment, with `E + 2S <= 8`; fixed consecutive erasures retain the 13/15-symbol linear path. |
 | False reconstruction | All target lengths and all admitted fixed/character/group layers share cumulative mass at or below `1`, including fixed consecutive erasures. |
diff --git a/src/codex32/_competitors.py b/src/codex32/_competitors.py
index b5895a9b..c0fda69d 100644
--- a/src/codex32/_competitors.py
+++ b/src/codex32/_competitors.py
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ def _check_deadline(deadline: float) -> None:
 
 
 def _tier(shape: _StructuralClass) -> int:
-    if len(shape.operations) == 1:
+    # Two complete groups take only a bounded set of eight-erasure BCH probes.
+    if len(shape.operations) == 1 or (shape.unit == 4 and shape.corrupted == 2):
         return 0
     return 1 if shape.inserted == shape.omitted == 1 and len(shape.operations) == 2 else 2
 
diff --git a/tests/test_correction_indel.py b/tests/test_correction_indel.py
index e9c88e4a..4ce47fe4 100644
--- a/tests/test_correction_indel.py
+++ b/tests/test_correction_indel.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 from dataclasses import replace
 from itertools import combinations
 from math import comb
+from time import monotonic
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
 import pytest
@@ -10,7 +11,7 @@
 from test_bip39 import BIP39_12W_ZERO, BIP39_24W_ZERO
 
 from codex32 import CorrectionContext, MasterSeed, Profile, correct
-from codex32._cli_input import _correction_plan, _fingerprint_matcher
+from codex32._cli_input import _correction_candidates, _correction_plan, _fingerprint_matcher
 from codex32.correction import CorrectionCandidate, _best, _capture_volume, _erasure_state, _primary
 from codex32.generation import _fingerprint_identifier
 from codex32.indel import (
@@ -171,6 +172,23 @@ def test_automatic_secondary_search_recovers_two_group_indels(
     assert [candidate.artifact.text for candidate in candidates] == [source]
 
 
+def test_cli_probes_two_corrupted_groups_within_search_deadline() -> None:
+    source = MasterSeed.from_seed(bytes(range(16)), identifier="test").text
+    damaged = source[:12] + "pppp" + source[16:24] + "qqqq" + source[28:]
+
+    candidates, _complete, _deadline = _correction_candidates(
+        damaged,
+        Profile.MS,
+        None,
+        "ms1",
+        target=len(source),
+        deadline=monotonic() + 3,
+    )
+
+    assert [candidate.artifact.text for candidate in candidates] == [source]
+    assert candidates[0].erasures_filled == 8
+
+
 def test_group_class_set_and_first_share_counts_are_exact() -> None:
     assert {(s.inserted, s.omitted, s.corrupted, s.adjacent, s.distant) for s in _GROUP_CLASSES} == {
         (i, o, gs, at, t)