diff --git a/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/examples/ingest.rs b/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/examples/ingest.rs
index 553b328d9..624d6a3d6 100644
--- a/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/examples/ingest.rs
+++ b/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/examples/ingest.rs
@@ -77,7 +77,14 @@ fn main() {
     println!("\n── sealed eval/1 receipt ──");
     println!("  tokens               : {} in / {} out", t.input_tokens, t.output_tokens);
     println!("  energy               : {} µJ ({})", t.uj_total, t.energy_provenance.jcr1_label());
-    println!("  uj_per_accepted_token: {}", t.uj_per_accepted_token);
+    println!(
+        "  uj_per_accepted_token: {}",
+        // "—" when no tokens were accepted: 0 is this figure's optimum, so
+        // printing it would rank a run that delivered nothing above every run
+        // that did.
+        t.uj_per_accepted_token
+            .map_or_else(|| "—".to_string(), |uj| uj.to_string())
+    );
     println!("  envelope             : {} bytes, content id {}", envelope.len(),
              &ContentId::of_bytes(&envelope).to_hex()[..16]);
 
diff --git a/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/lib.rs b/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/lib.rs
index 9bca85dbc..d2548524d 100644
--- a/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/lib.rs
+++ b/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/lib.rs
@@ -277,8 +277,12 @@ impl GenAiTrace {
             max_end = max_end.max(span.end_ns);
         }
         t.total_tokens = t.input_tokens.saturating_add(t.output_tokens);
-        // The wedge metric: joules per accepted output token.
-        t.uj_per_accepted_token = t.uj_total.checked_div(t.output_tokens).unwrap_or(0);
+        // The wedge metric: joules per accepted output token. `None` when no
+        // tokens were accepted — the division is undefined then, and 0 is this
+        // figure's optimum, so returning it reported spend that bought nothing
+        // as the cheapest run in the ledger. `mesh/SPEC.md` §6 states the family
+        // convention: "omitted when no tokens were accepted".
+        t.uj_per_accepted_token = t.uj_total.checked_div(t.output_tokens);
         // The total is only as trustworthy as its weakest measured component.
         t.energy_provenance = prov.unwrap_or(Provenance::Estimator);
         t.wall_ms = if max_end > min_start && min_start != u64::MAX {
@@ -301,8 +305,9 @@ pub struct Totals {
     pub total_tokens: u64,
     /// Total microjoules across all spans that carry a reading.
     pub uj_total: u64,
-    /// Microjoules per accepted output token — the headline figure.
-    pub uj_per_accepted_token: u64,
+    /// Microjoules per accepted output token — the headline figure. `None` when
+    /// no tokens were accepted (the division is undefined, not zero-cost).
+    pub uj_per_accepted_token: Option<u64>,
     /// The weakest provenance among the spans (the honest aggregate trust).
     pub energy_provenance: Provenance,
     /// Wall-clock span of the run in milliseconds.
@@ -316,7 +321,7 @@ impl Default for Totals {
             output_tokens: 0,
             total_tokens: 0,
             uj_total: 0,
-            uj_per_accepted_token: 0,
+            uj_per_accepted_token: None,
             energy_provenance: Provenance::Estimator,
             wall_ms: 0,
         }
@@ -768,7 +773,7 @@ fn eval_wire(
     steward: &str,
 ) -> Value {
     let trace_cid = trace.content_id();
-    json!({
+    let mut o = json!({
         "eval_receipt": "eval/1",
         "trace_id": trace_cid.to_hex(),
         "gate_spec_id": gate_spec_id,
@@ -777,7 +782,6 @@ fn eval_wire(
         "output_tokens": totals.output_tokens,
         "total_tokens": totals.total_tokens,
         "uj_total": totals.uj_total,
-        "uj_per_accepted_token": totals.uj_per_accepted_token,
         "energy_provenance": totals.energy_provenance.jcr1_label(),
         "wall_ms": totals.wall_ms,
         "assessments": assessments.iter().map(Assessment::wire).collect::<Vec<_>>(),
@@ -792,7 +796,13 @@ fn eval_wire(
         "seq": seq,
         "prev": prev.to_hex(),
         "steward": steward,
-    })
+    });
+    // Omitted when undefined rather than sealed as 0. Canonical CBOR sorts keys,
+    // so inserting here does not change the wire for a receipt that has one.
+    if let Some(uj) = totals.uj_per_accepted_token {
+        o["uj_per_accepted_token"] = json!(uj);
+    }
+    o
 }
 
 /// A sealed eval receipt plus the projections that went into it.
@@ -850,8 +860,9 @@ pub struct EvalReceipt {
     pub output_tokens: u64,
     /// Total microjoules.
     pub uj_total: u64,
-    /// Microjoules per accepted token.
-    pub uj_per_accepted_token: u64,
+    /// Microjoules per accepted token. `None` when the receipt sealed no figure
+    /// because no tokens were accepted.
+    pub uj_per_accepted_token: Option<u64>,
     /// The aggregate energy provenance.
     pub energy_provenance: String,
     /// Did the quality gate pass?
@@ -899,7 +910,7 @@ pub fn verify(envelope: &[u8], steward: &str, pubkey: &[u8; 32]) -> Result<EvalR
         gate_spec_id: s("gate_spec_id")?,
         output_tokens: u("output_tokens")?,
         uj_total: u("uj_total")?,
-        uj_per_accepted_token: u("uj_per_accepted_token")?,
+        uj_per_accepted_token: v.get("uj_per_accepted_token").and_then(Value::as_u64),
         energy_provenance: s("energy_provenance")?,
         gate_passed: u("gate_passed")? != 0,
         gate_failures: failures,
@@ -1013,10 +1024,56 @@ mod tests {
         // (800+120 + 1500+200) tokens * 10 µJ = 26_200 µJ
         assert_eq!(t.uj_total, 26_200);
         // 26_200 / 320 accepted = 81 µJ/accepted-token (integer)
-        assert_eq!(t.uj_per_accepted_token, 81);
+        assert_eq!(t.uj_per_accepted_token, Some(81));
         assert_eq!(t.energy_provenance, Provenance::Estimator);
     }
 
+    /// A run that burned prompt tokens and accepted no output has no wedge
+    /// metric — the division is undefined. It is not 0, which is this figure's
+    /// optimum: that reported the run as the cheapest in the ledger, and the
+    /// figure is sealed into `eval/1` and read straight back out rather than
+    /// recomputed. `mesh/SPEC.md` §6 states the family convention: "omitted
+    /// when no tokens were accepted".
+    #[test]
+    fn a_run_that_accepted_nothing_seals_no_wedge_metric() {
+        let (sk, pk, steward) = steward_key();
+        let mut trace = GenAiTrace::new(
+            "trace-nothing-accepted",
+            vec![GenAiSpan::model_span(
+                "s1",
+                "plan",
+                SpanType::ChatModel,
+                "ssm-1b",
+                800,
+                0,
+            )],
+        );
+        trace.attach_estimator_energy(10);
+
+        let t = trace.totals();
+        assert_eq!(t.output_tokens, 0, "nothing was accepted");
+        assert_eq!(t.uj_total, 8_000, "but the spend is real");
+        assert_eq!(
+            t.uj_per_accepted_token, None,
+            "0 uJ/token would read as free, and as cheaper than any real run"
+        );
+
+        let assessments = vec![Assessment::judge_pass("correctness", "openai:/gpt-4o")];
+        let gate = Gate::require_pass(["correctness"]);
+        let sealed =
+            seal_eval(&trace, &assessments, &gate, &sk, &steward, 0, &genesis_prev()).unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            sealed.wire.get("uj_per_accepted_token").is_none(),
+            "an undefined figure is omitted from the signed core: {}",
+            sealed.wire
+        );
+
+        let r = verify(&sealed.envelope, &steward, &pk)
+            .expect("a receipt without the figure still verifies");
+        assert_eq!(r.uj_per_accepted_token, None);
+        assert_eq!(r.uj_total, 8_000, "and the spend is still on it");
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn aggregate_provenance_is_the_weakest() {
         let mut trace = sample_trace();
@@ -1060,7 +1117,7 @@ mod tests {
 
         let r = verify(&sealed.envelope, &steward, &pk).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(r.output_tokens, 320);
-        assert_eq!(r.uj_per_accepted_token, 81);
+        assert_eq!(r.uj_per_accepted_token, Some(81));
         assert_eq!(r.energy_provenance, "Estimator");
         assert!(r.gate_passed);
         assert_eq!(r.sample_size, 2);
diff --git a/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/otel.rs b/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/otel.rs
index dfd1a79a4..6627cd14e 100644
--- a/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/otel.rs
+++ b/jcp/jcp-rs/crates/jcp-trace/src/otel.rs
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ mod tests {
         // Only the one chat span carries tokens: (1200+180) * 5 = 6_900 µJ.
         assert_eq!(t.uj_total, 6_900);
         assert_eq!(t.output_tokens, 180);
-        assert_eq!(t.uj_per_accepted_token, 38); // 6_900 / 180
+        assert_eq!(t.uj_per_accepted_token, Some(38)); // 6_900 / 180
     }
 
     #[test]