diff --git a/gittensor/classes.py b/gittensor/classes.py
index fa78c0833..84739744e 100644
--- a/gittensor/classes.py
+++ b/gittensor/classes.py
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ class MinerEvaluation:
     total_solved_issues: int = 0
     total_valid_solved_issues: int = 0  # solved issues where solving PR has token_score >= 5
     total_closed_issues: int = 0
-    total_open_issues: int = 0  # mirror-tracked open issues in lookback window (set by mirror_scan)
+    total_open_issues: int = 0  # current mirror-tracked open issues (set by mirror_scan)
 
     @property
     def total_prs(self) -> int:
diff --git a/gittensor/validator/issue_discovery/mirror_scan.py b/gittensor/validator/issue_discovery/mirror_scan.py
index f2916ecce..c26cdab1b 100644
--- a/gittensor/validator/issue_discovery/mirror_scan.py
+++ b/gittensor/validator/issue_discovery/mirror_scan.py
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ async def run_mirror_issue_discovery(
 
         try:
             response = client.get_miner_issues(evaluation.github_id, since=lookback_date)
+            open_issue_count = _fetch_current_open_issue_count(client, evaluation.github_id, enabled_names)
         except MirrorRequestError as e:
             bt.logging.warning(f'├─ UID {uid}: mirror issue fetch failed ({e}) — skipped this miner')
             fetch_errors += 1
@@ -163,15 +164,10 @@ async def run_mirror_issue_discovery(
 
         filtered = [i for i in response.issues if i.repo_full_name in enabled_names]
         if not filtered:
+            evaluation.total_open_issues = open_issue_count
             no_issues += 1
             continue
 
-        # Count this miner's currently-open issues across mirror-enabled repos
-        # (within the lookback window). Used as the spam-multiplier signal and
-        # also written to evaluation.total_open_issues so the DB row reflects
-        # mirror-scoped state (the legacy GraphQL global open-issue count was
-        # never the right signal for the gate).
-        open_issue_count = sum(1 for i in filtered if i.state == 'OPEN')
         pending.append((evaluation, filtered, open_issue_count))
 
     canonical_pr_owners = _build_canonical_pr_owners(pending)
@@ -201,6 +197,12 @@ async def run_mirror_issue_discovery(
     )
 
 
+def _fetch_current_open_issue_count(client: MirrorClient, github_id: str, enabled_names: Set[str]) -> int:
+    """Return current open issues in mirror-enabled repos, independent of scoring lookback."""
+    response = client.get_miner_issues(github_id)
+    return sum(1 for issue in response.issues if issue.repo_full_name in enabled_names and issue.state == 'OPEN')
+
+
 def _build_canonical_pr_owners(
     pending: List[Tuple[MinerEvaluation, List[MirrorIssue], int]],
 ) -> Dict[Tuple[str, int], Tuple[datetime, int, int]]:
@@ -268,8 +270,8 @@ def _score_miner_mirror_issues(
     """Classify + score one miner's mirror issues, populate MinerEvaluation fields.
 
     ``open_issue_count`` is the miner's currently-OPEN issue count across
-    mirror-enabled repos within the lookback window — the source-of-truth
-    for the open-issue spam multiplier on the mirror path.
+    mirror-enabled repos, independent of the scoring lookback window — the
+    source-of-truth for the open-issue spam multiplier on the mirror path.
 
     ``canonical_pr_owners`` enforces the cross-miner one-issue-per-PR rule:
     only the marker-matching issue scores, siblings count for credibility.
diff --git a/tests/validator/issue_discovery/test_mirror_scan.py b/tests/validator/issue_discovery/test_mirror_scan.py
index 384793acf..8d4b7a58c 100644
--- a/tests/validator/issue_discovery/test_mirror_scan.py
+++ b/tests/validator/issue_discovery/test_mirror_scan.py
@@ -630,9 +630,48 @@ def test_resolve_increments_fetch_failures_on_request_error(self):
 
 
 class TestOpenIssueSpamSourceIsMirror:
-    """The open-issue spam multiplier sources its count from mirror's response,
-    and mirror_scan also writes that count to evaluation.total_open_issues so
-    the DB row reflects mirror-scoped state."""
+    """The open-issue spam multiplier sources its count from mirror's current
+    open issues, and mirror_scan also writes that count to
+    evaluation.total_open_issues so the DB row reflects mirror-scoped state."""
+
+    def test_open_issue_count_uses_current_issues_not_scoring_lookback(self):
+        """Older still-open issues absent from the lookback scoring response
+        still trip the spam multiplier when present in the current response."""
+        solved_issues = [_issue_dict(issue_number=300 + i, author_github_id=f'discoverer{i}') for i in range(8)]
+        older_open_issues = [
+            _issue_dict(
+                issue_number=200 + i,
+                state='OPEN',
+                state_reason=None,
+                solved_by_pr=None,
+                created_at='2026-01-01T00:00:00Z',
+            )
+            for i in range(6)
+        ]
+        client = Mock()
+
+        def _per_miner(github_id, since=None):
+            if since is None:
+                return _response(older_open_issues)
+            return _response(solved_issues)
+
+        client.get_miner_issues.side_effect = _per_miner
+
+        eval_ = _eval()
+        eval_.mirror_merged_prs = [_scored_mirror_pr('entrius/gittensor-ui', 100, token_score=100.0)]
+
+        _run(
+            run_mirror_issue_discovery(
+                {1: eval_},
+                _mirror_repos('entrius/gittensor-ui'),
+                _EMPTY_LANGS,
+                _EMPTY_TOKEN_CONFIG,
+                client=client,
+            )
+        )
+
+        assert eval_.total_open_issues == 6
+        assert eval_.issue_discovery_score == 0
 
     def test_all_mirror_miner_with_many_open_issues_trips_spam(self):
         """6 open issues in mirror response trips the spam multiplier."""