Index: src/services/guardianship/context.js
===================================================================
--- src/services/guardianship/context.js	(revision 30d0e2cad3257e201abc243a96cf44c6e23237ed)
+++ src/services/guardianship/context.js	(revision 3d882bdbd7d45a727ffdcb64eacb870baecdb05d)
@@ -24,3 +24,20 @@
 }
 
-export default { SHAER_CONTEXT, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP_COMPACT, isGuardianRelationship };
+/**
+ * True when an actor document carries `shaer:guardians` — i.e. it is a ward,
+ * and therefore not a valid guardian (§1). The one question §4 asks, in both
+ * places it asks it: before committing a guardianship (§4.2) and before
+ * delivering an escalation to one (§4.1).
+ *
+ * §2.1 allows the list as an array of URIs, a single URI, or a Collection, so
+ * all three are read here rather than in each caller.
+ */
+export function carriesGuardians(doc) {
+  const g = doc && doc['shaer:guardians'];
+  if (Array.isArray(g)) return g.length > 0;
+  if (typeof g === 'string') return g.length > 0;
+  if (g && typeof g === 'object') return Array.isArray(g.items) ? g.items.length > 0 : true;
+  return false;
+}
+
+export default { SHAER_CONTEXT, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP_COMPACT, isGuardianRelationship, carriesGuardians };
Index: src/services/guardianship/delivery.js
===================================================================
--- src/services/guardianship/delivery.js	(revision 30d0e2cad3257e201abc243a96cf44c6e23237ed)
+++ src/services/guardianship/delivery.js	(revision 3d882bdbd7d45a727ffdcb64eacb870baecdb05d)
@@ -13,4 +13,5 @@
 import crypto from 'crypto';
 import db from '../../config/database.js';
+import { carriesGuardians } from './context.js';
 
 const PUBLIC = 'https://www.w3.org/ns/activitystreams#Public';
@@ -49,4 +50,5 @@
   // Resolve every recipient for a mention anchor + a delivery inbox.
   const resolved = [];
+  const teapots = [];
   for (const uri of list) {
     // An actor we host is read from our own database, not fetched from our own
@@ -56,7 +58,25 @@
     const a = (localActor && localActor(uri)) || await fetchActor(uri).catch(() => null);
     if (!a || !(a.inbox || (a.endpoints && a.endpoints.sharedInbox))) continue;
+    // FEP-633c §4.1: an escalation addressed to a "guardian" that carries
+    // guardians of its own goes nowhere. There is no grand-guardian, so we
+    // MUST NOT recurse to that actor's guardians — and we fail SOFTLY: drop
+    // this one target and keep delivering to the rest, because a malformed
+    // guardian must never cost a child the guardians who are fine.
+    //
+    // Only for a call for help. An ordinary direct note is not an escalation,
+    // and a ward is perfectly entitled to message another ward.
+    if (helpRequest && carriesGuardians(a)) { teapots.push(uri); continue; }
     resolved.push({ uri, inbox: (a.endpoints && a.endpoints.sharedInbox) || a.inbox, local: !!a.local, handle: deriveHandle(uri), url: a.url || uri });
   }
-  if (!resolved.length) return null;
+  if (teapots.length) console.warn('[AP] not a teapot: escalation dropped for malformed guardian(s)', teapots.join(', '));
+  if (!resolved.length) {
+    // Every guardian was malformed. §4 does not say what to do here because
+    // §4.1 assumes there are others to continue to — but a ward whose whole
+    // safety net is broken has just called for help into nothing, which is the
+    // one outcome this FEP exists to prevent. Say so loudly; the caller can
+    // tell "nobody was reachable" from "nobody was valid".
+    if (teapots.length) console.error('[AP] EVERY guardian of', site.slug, 'is malformed: the call for help reached no one');
+    return null;
+  }
   const mention = resolved.map((r) => {
     const disp = r.handle && r.handle[0] === '@' ? r.handle : '@' + (r.handle || '');
@@ -104,5 +124,5 @@
   }
   console.log('[AP] direct note', site.slug, '→', resolved.length, 'recipient(s), delivered', delivered);
-  return { id, content, delivered };
+  return { id, content, delivered, teapots };
 }
 
Index: src/services/guardianship/handshake.js
===================================================================
--- src/services/guardianship/handshake.js	(revision 30d0e2cad3257e201abc243a96cf44c6e23237ed)
+++ src/services/guardianship/handshake.js	(revision 3d882bdbd7d45a727ffdcb64eacb870baecdb05d)
@@ -16,5 +16,5 @@
  * arrive once via wireHandshake(deps); nothing here imports ActivityPubService.
  */
-import { isGuardianRelationship, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP_COMPACT } from './context.js';
+import { isGuardianRelationship, GUARDIAN_RELATIONSHIP_COMPACT, carriesGuardians } from './context.js';
 import * as offers from './offers.js';
 import * as relations from './relations.js';
@@ -139,10 +139,5 @@
   const doc = await deps.fetchActor(candidateUri).catch(() => null);
   if (!doc) return 'unverified';
-  const g = doc['shaer:guardians'];
-  const has = Array.isArray(g) ? g.length > 0
-    : typeof g === 'string' ? g.length > 0
-      : (g && typeof g === 'object') ? (Array.isArray(g.items) ? g.items.length > 0 : true)
-        : false;
-  return has ? 'malformed' : 'ok';
+  return carriesGuardians(doc) ? 'malformed' : 'ok';
 }