diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c3c3172..9c9695b 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 --- develop ---
 
 * bug: Pass a boolean (not the integer 1) to api_plugin_register_hook()'s $enable argument so the hook registration stays type-correct under Cacti 1.3's strict bool type-hint (the int only coerces while the file lacks declare(strict_types=1))
+* bug: Replace the audit_utilities_array() CACTI_VERSION gate with a 1.3 feature-detect (CactiTableFilter), so a develop build that reports a version comparing < 1.3.0 no longer adds the Audit Log Utilities-page entry a second time (nor runs array_merge() against an unset Technical Support section) when 1.3 already lists it via config_arrays
 * bug: Skip audit logging on CLI/poller requests until the `request_status` column exists, instead of emitting "Unknown column 'request_status'" errors when the audit_log schema migration (which only runs on plugins.php/audit.php page loads) has not yet applied; likewise make the shutdown-time request finalizer (`audit_finalize_request()`), which writes `request_status`, best-effort (its writes pass `$log = false`) so it fails quietly instead of logging "Table 'audit_log' doesn't exist" when the table was dropped (e.g. plugin uninstall) after `db_table_exists()`'s request-scoped cache was primed
 * dev: Enforce patch coverage of changed lines in CI and remove the inert COMPOSER_ROOT_VERSION env from the Pest step
 * dev: Relocate the schema/DB provisioning helpers (`audit_setup_table()`, `audit_setup_syslog_table()`, `audit_setup_user_log_state_table()`, `audit_upgrade_event_schema()`, and the user_log index helpers) from `setup.php` into `includes/database.php` to align with the fleet schema/includes convention, and add a root `manifest.json` with upgrade-time file pruning (`audit_prune_files()`) plus a CI manifest drift check (`tests/bin/validate-manifest.php`)
diff --git a/setup.php b/setup.php
index 334676d..4be257d 100644
--- a/setup.php
+++ b/setup.php
@@ -633,10 +633,14 @@ function audit_log_valid_event(): bool {
 function audit_utilities_array(): void {
 	global $utilities;
 
-	if (version_compare(CACTI_VERSION, '1.3.0', '<')) {
+	// Cacti 1.3+ adds the Audit Log link through config_arrays instead of this
+	// legacy Utilities hook. Detect 1.3 via a class it introduced rather than a
+	// CACTI_VERSION string (a develop build can report < 1.3.0) so the entry is
+	// not added a second time.
+	if (!class_exists('CactiTableFilter')) {
 		if (api_plugin_user_realm_auth('audit.php')) {
 			$utilities[__('Technical Support', 'audit')] = array_merge(
-				$utilities[__('Technical Support', 'audit')],
+				$utilities[__('Technical Support', 'audit')] ?? [],
 				[
 					__('View Audit Log', 'audit') => [
 						'link'        => 'plugins/audit/audit.php',
diff --git a/tests/Unit/AuditUtilitiesArrayTest.php b/tests/Unit/AuditUtilitiesArrayTest.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1a82f36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Unit/AuditUtilitiesArrayTest.php
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+<?php
+/*
+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+ | Copyright (C) 2004-2026 The Cacti Group                                 |
+ +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
+*/
+
+/*
+ * Unit coverage for audit_utilities_array() in setup.php.
+ *
+ * The CI matrix runs against a Cacti build without the 1.3-only
+ * CactiTableFilter class, so these tests exercise the legacy Utilities
+ * hook body: the section-preserving merge and the realm-authorization
+ * gate. Realm access is driven through the same api_plugin_user_realm_auth()
+ * stub used by the security suite (controllable via $__audit_test_realms);
+ * the guard below keeps this file runnable on its own.
+ */
+
+beforeAll(function () {
+	require_once dirname(__DIR__, 2) . '/setup.php';
+});
+
+if (!function_exists('api_plugin_user_realm_auth')) {
+	function api_plugin_user_realm_auth(string $filename = ''): bool {
+		return !empty($GLOBALS['__audit_test_realms'][$filename]);
+	}
+}
+
+beforeEach(function () {
+	$GLOBALS['__audit_test_realms'] = [];
+	$GLOBALS['utilities']           = [];
+});
+
+it('adds the Audit Log entry when the Technical Support section is absent', function () {
+	$GLOBALS['__audit_test_realms']['audit.php'] = true;
+
+	audit_utilities_array();
+
+	$section = __('Technical Support', 'audit');
+
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'])->toHaveKey($section);
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'][$section])->toHaveKey(__('View Audit Log', 'audit'));
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'][$section][__('View Audit Log', 'audit')]['link'])
+		->toBe('plugins/audit/audit.php');
+});
+
+it('preserves existing Technical Support entries when access is granted', function () {
+	$GLOBALS['__audit_test_realms']['audit.php'] = true;
+
+	$section  = __('Technical Support', 'audit');
+	$existing = __('Existing Entry', 'audit');
+
+	$GLOBALS['utilities'][$section] = [
+		$existing => ['link' => 'plugins/other/other.php'],
+	];
+
+	audit_utilities_array();
+
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'][$section])->toHaveKey($existing);
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'][$section][$existing]['link'])->toBe('plugins/other/other.php');
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'][$section])->toHaveKey(__('View Audit Log', 'audit'));
+});
+
+it('adds nothing when the user lacks audit.php realm access', function () {
+	$section = __('Technical Support', 'audit');
+
+	$GLOBALS['utilities'][$section] = [];
+
+	audit_utilities_array();
+
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'][$section])->toBe([]);
+	expect($GLOBALS['utilities'][$section])->not->toHaveKey(__('View Audit Log', 'audit'));
+});