diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScanner.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScanner.cs
index fff25a39..3cfe4d22 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScanner.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScanner.cs
@@ -17,6 +17,29 @@ public static class SecretReferenceScanner
     public const string Prefix = "secret:";
     private static readonly string[] BootstrapPrefixes = ["SB-GRPC-PSK-"];
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// The single parser for a <c>secret:&lt;name&gt;</c> reference value, shared by this scanner
+    /// (what central ships) and every adapter that resolves the reference at connect time (what
+    /// the site looks up), so both sides always agree on the name (final review M3). The value is
+    /// trimmed, the <c>secret:</c> prefix matches ordinal-ignore-case, and the remainder is
+    /// trimmed; an empty remainder is not a reference. The config-expander form
+    /// <c>${secret:…}</c> is a different syntax and never matches.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <param name="value">A configuration string value.</param>
+    /// <param name="name">The referenced secret name when this returns <see langword="true"/>; otherwise empty.</param>
+    /// <returns><see langword="true"/> when <paramref name="value"/> is a <c>secret:&lt;name&gt;</c> reference.</returns>
+    public static bool TryParseSecretReference(string? value, out string name)
+    {
+        name = string.Empty;
+        if (value is null) return false;
+        var trimmed = value.Trim();
+        if (!trimmed.StartsWith(Prefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)) return false;
+        var candidate = trimmed[Prefix.Length..].Trim();
+        if (candidate.Length == 0) return false;
+        name = candidate;
+        return true;
+    }
+
     /// <summary>
     /// Scans every connection's primary and backup configuration JSON for <c>secret:&lt;name&gt;</c>
     /// string values and returns the distinct names found, ordinal-sorted, each with the ordinal-sorted,
@@ -51,10 +74,8 @@ public static class SecretReferenceScanner
                     case JsonValueKind.Object: foreach (var p in e.EnumerateObject()) stack.Push(p.Value); break;
                     case JsonValueKind.Array: foreach (var i in e.EnumerateArray()) stack.Push(i); break;
                     case JsonValueKind.String:
-                        var s = e.GetString()!.Trim();
-                        if (!s.StartsWith(Prefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase)) break;
-                        var name = s[Prefix.Length..].Trim();
-                        if (name.Length == 0 || BootstrapPrefixes.Any(b => name.StartsWith(b, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))) break;
+                        if (!TryParseSecretReference(e.GetString(), out var name)) break;
+                        if (BootstrapPrefixes.Any(b => name.StartsWith(b, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))) break;
                         yield return name;
                         break;
                 }
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnection.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnection.cs
index 9b57f60d..f54e03f5 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnection.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnection.cs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Interfaces.Protocol;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Serialization;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Types.Enums;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Types.Secrets;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.Secrets.Abstractions;
 
 namespace ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer.Adapters;
@@ -98,20 +99,27 @@ public class MxGatewayDataConnection
         // so a fail-closed throw here leaves adapter state untouched (no half-open client,
         // previous connection — if any — still intact for a later retry). A literal key
         // (no `secret:` prefix) passes through unchanged for back-compat.
+        // The reference is parsed by the SAME parser central's SecretReferenceScanner uses to
+        // decide which secret to ship (trimmed, case-insensitive prefix), so a padded or
+        // case-variant reference resolves exactly the name that was deployed (final review M3).
         var apiKey = cfg.ApiKey;
-        if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(apiKey) &&
-            apiKey.StartsWith("secret:", StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+        if (SecretReferenceScanner.TryParseSecretReference(apiKey, out var secretName))
         {
             if (_secretResolver is null)
             {
                 throw new InvalidOperationException(
                     "MxGateway ApiKey uses a 'secret:' reference but no ISecretResolver is available to resolve it.");
             }
-            var secretName = apiKey["secret:".Length..];
             apiKey = await _secretResolver.GetAsync(new SecretName(secretName), cancellationToken)
                      ?? throw new InvalidOperationException(
                          $"MxGateway ApiKey secret '{secretName}' could not be resolved (not found or tombstoned).");
         }
+        else if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(apiKey) &&
+                 apiKey.TrimStart().StartsWith(SecretReferenceScanner.Prefix, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase))
+        {
+            // `secret:` with no name: fail closed rather than sending the literal text as a key.
+            throw new InvalidOperationException("MxGateway ApiKey is a 'secret:' reference with no secret name.");
+        }
 
         // Reconnect reuses this adapter: cancel the previous event loop and dispose
         // the previous client so a flapping gateway cannot accumulate orphaned
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Tests/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScannerTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Tests/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScannerTests.cs
index c1372806..bbb0c287 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Tests/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScannerTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Tests/Types/Secrets/SecretReferenceScannerTests.cs
@@ -46,4 +46,40 @@ public class SecretReferenceScannerTests
         Assert.Equal(["mxgw-key"], refs.Select(r => r.Name));
         Assert.Equal(["GW1"], refs.Single(r => r.Name == "mxgw-key").ReferencedBy);
     }
+
+    // ── Shared parser (final review M3) ──
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("secret:mxgw-key", "mxgw-key")]
+    [InlineData("SECRET:mxgw-key", "mxgw-key")]
+    [InlineData("  Secret: mxgw-key  ", "mxgw-key")]
+    [InlineData("secret:a/b/c", "a/b/c")]
+    public void TryParseSecretReference_ParsesTrimmedCaseInsensitive(string value, string expected)
+    {
+        Assert.True(SecretReferenceScanner.TryParseSecretReference(value, out var name));
+        Assert.Equal(expected, name);
+    }
+
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData(null)]
+    [InlineData("")]
+    [InlineData("secret:")]
+    [InlineData("secret:   ")]
+    [InlineData("${secret:node-local}")]
+    [InlineData("literal-api-key")]
+    [InlineData("see secret:x in docs")]
+    public void TryParseSecretReference_RejectsNonReferences(string? value)
+    {
+        Assert.False(SecretReferenceScanner.TryParseSecretReference(value, out var name));
+        Assert.Equal(string.Empty, name);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public void Scan_AndParser_AgreeOnThePaddedCaseVariantName()
+    {
+        const string value = " SECRET: mxgw-key ";
+        var shipped = Assert.Single(SecretReferenceScanner.Scan([Dc("GW", $$"""{"ApiKey":"{{value}}"}""")])).Name;
+        Assert.True(SecretReferenceScanner.TryParseSecretReference(value, out var parsed));
+        Assert.Equal(shipped, parsed);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer.Tests/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnectionSecretsTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer.Tests/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnectionSecretsTests.cs
index 27cca9c3..b3ce8664 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer.Tests/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnectionSecretsTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DataConnectionLayer.Tests/Adapters/MxGatewayDataConnectionSecretsTests.cs
@@ -52,6 +52,43 @@ public class MxGatewayDataConnectionSecretsTests
         Assert.Contains("mxgateway/testconn/api-key", resolver.Requested);
     }
 
+    [Theory]
+    [InlineData("secret:mxgw-key ")]
+    [InlineData("  SECRET: mxgw-key")]
+    [InlineData("Secret:mxgw-key")]
+    public async Task ConnectAsync_resolves_padded_or_case_variant_ref_to_the_name_the_scanner_ships(string apiKey)
+    {
+        // Final review M3: the adapter and central's SecretReferenceScanner share one parser,
+        // so the name looked up is exactly the name that was deployed.
+        var shipped = Assert.Single(ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Types.Secrets.SecretReferenceScanner.Scan([
+            new ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Messages.Artifacts.DataConnectionArtifact(
+                "GW", "MxGateway", System.Text.Json.JsonSerializer.Serialize(new { ApiKey = apiKey }), null, 3),
+        ])).Name;
+
+        var fake = new FakeMxGatewayClient();
+        var resolver = new FakeSecretResolver("resolved-plaintext-key");
+        var adapter = new MxGatewayDataConnection(fake, NullLogger<MxGatewayDataConnection>.Instance, resolver);
+
+        await adapter.ConnectAsync(Details(apiKey));
+
+        Assert.Equal("mxgw-key", shipped);
+        Assert.Equal([shipped], resolver.Requested);
+        Assert.Equal("resolved-plaintext-key", fake.ConnectedWith!.ApiKey);
+    }
+
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task ConnectAsync_fails_closed_on_a_secret_ref_with_no_name()
+    {
+        var fake = new FakeMxGatewayClient();
+        var resolver = new FakeSecretResolver("SHOULD-NOT-BE-USED");
+        var adapter = new MxGatewayDataConnection(fake, NullLogger<MxGatewayDataConnection>.Instance, resolver);
+
+        await Assert.ThrowsAsync<InvalidOperationException>(() => adapter.ConnectAsync(Details("secret: ")));
+
+        Assert.Null(fake.ConnectedWith);
+        Assert.Empty(resolver.Requested);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public async Task ConnectAsync_passes_literal_apikey_unchanged_and_does_not_call_resolver()
     {
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs
index 5aaf80a8..cfcc14be 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs
@@ -470,6 +470,46 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
         }
     }
 
+    [Fact]
+    public async Task ComputeCurrentArtifactHashesAsync_MatchesTheHashADeployStamps_WithSecrets()
+    {
+        // Final review M7: the parity above runs with no data connections. Pin it for a site
+        // whose connections reference secrets, so the stamped hash (built from a command that
+        // carries a non-empty Secrets list) equals the "what would it be now" hash — a
+        // successful secrets deploy must read Current, not Out of date.
+        var site = new Site("Site One", "site-1") { Id = 1 };
+        var sites = new List<Site> { site };
+        _siteRepo.GetAllSitesAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>()).Returns(sites);
+        _siteRepo.GetDataConnectionsBySiteIdAsync(1, Arg.Any<CancellationToken>())
+            .Returns(new List<DataConnection>
+            {
+                new("GW1", "MxGateway", 1)
+                {
+                    PrimaryConfiguration = """{"ApiKey":"secret:key1","Password":"secret:key2"}"""
+                }
+            });
+        _secretStore.GetAsync(Arg.Is<SecretName>(n => n.Value == "key1"), Arg.Any<CancellationToken>())
+            .Returns(Task.FromResult<StoredSecret?>(SecretRow("key1", 3)));
+        _secretStore.GetAsync(Arg.Is<SecretName>(n => n.Value == "key2"), Arg.Any<CancellationToken>())
+            .Returns(Task.FromResult<StoredSecret?>(SecretRow("key2", 7)));
+
+        var recorder = new ArtifactProbeRecorder();
+        var probe = Sys.ActorOf(Props.Create(() => new SecretsAckProbeActor(
+            recorder, cmd => cmd.Secrets == null ? (int?)null : cmd.Secrets.Count)));
+        var service = CreateServiceWithCommActor(probe);
+
+        var deployResult = await service.DeployToAllSitesAsync("admin");
+        Assert.True(deployResult.IsSuccess);
+        Assert.Equal(1, deployResult.Value.SuccessCount);
+        var shipped = Assert.Single(recorder.Received);
+        Assert.Equal(2, shipped.Secrets!.Count);
+        Assert.NotNull(site.ArtifactRevisionHash);
+
+        var current = await service.ComputeCurrentArtifactHashesAsync(sites);
+
+        Assert.Equal(site.ArtifactRevisionHash, current[site.Id]);
+    }
+
     [Fact]
     public async Task ComputeCurrentArtifactHashesAsync_HoistsTheGlobalQueriesOnce()
     {