diff --git a/plugin/scripts/verify_refs.py b/plugin/scripts/verify_refs.py
index 1af6152..dfce7d7 100644
--- a/plugin/scripts/verify_refs.py
+++ b/plugin/scripts/verify_refs.py
@@ -135,7 +135,15 @@ def cmd_check(entries, project, cfg, strict):
                 issues.append((e, ref, actionable))
     notes = [n for n in (config_warning(project), version_warning(project)) if n]
     if not issues:
-        print("OK  learnings: all entries have valid frontmatter file refs.")
+        if entries:
+            print("OK  learnings: all entries have valid frontmatter file refs.")
+        else:
+            # "all entries are valid" after checking none reads as a clean bill
+            # of health. Say what was actually examined -- the personal store is
+            # out of scope here (see `_personal_entries`), so a personal-only
+            # project would otherwise be told everything is fine, twice over.
+            print("OK  learnings: no entries in the team store - nothing to "
+                  "check (the personal store is not ref-checked).")
         for n in notes:
             print(f"  {n}")
         return 0
@@ -554,10 +562,25 @@ def main():
     project = find_project_dir()
     cfg = load_config(project)
     store = project / cfg["storeDir"]
+    # A project can legitimately run personal-store-only: `personalStoreDir` set,
+    # no team store. Bailing on the team store alone made every mode dead there
+    # while recall and capture kept working -- the store looked healthy and its
+    # maintenance tooling was silently gone. Only give up when BOTH are absent.
+    # Which entries each mode covers is unchanged: the personal store stays out
+    # of everything but --stats, for the reasons in `_personal_entries`.
+    personal = personal_store(project, cfg)
+    has_personal = personal is not None and personal.is_dir()
     if not store.is_dir():
-        print(f"No learnings store at {store} - run /lore:init first.")
-        return 0
-    entries = list(iter_entries(store))
+        if not has_personal:
+            print(f"No learnings store at {store} - run /lore:init first.")
+            return 0
+        if args.index:
+            # --index regenerates the team store's README; there is no team
+            # store, and the personal one is deliberately never indexed.
+            print(f"No team store at {store} - nothing to index "
+                  f"(the personal store is never indexed).")
+            return 0
+    entries = list(iter_entries(store)) if store.is_dir() else []
     if args.index:
         return cmd_index(entries, project, cfg, store)
     if args.stats:
diff --git a/tests/test_verify_refs.py b/tests/test_verify_refs.py
index 3829f96..266c9b9 100644
--- a/tests/test_verify_refs.py
+++ b/tests/test_verify_refs.py
@@ -1,12 +1,15 @@
 """Tests for verify_refs.py: dates, dupes, config, index, git drift."""
 import contextlib
 import io
+import json
+import os
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import tempfile
 import unittest
 from datetime import date, timedelta
 from pathlib import Path
+from unittest import mock
 
 import _util  # noqa: F401
 from _common import DEFAULTS, iter_entries
@@ -225,6 +228,71 @@ def test_absent_personal_store_prints_nothing(self):
         self.assertNotIn("personal store", out.getvalue())
 
 
+class TestPersonalOnlyStore(unittest.TestCase):
+    """A project may run personal-store-only: `personalStoreDir` set, no team store.
+
+    Bailing on the team store alone used to kill every mode there, while recall
+    and capture kept working — the store looked healthy and its maintenance
+    tooling was silently gone.
+    """
+
+    def _run(self, proj, *argv):
+        out = io.StringIO()
+        with mock.patch.dict(os.environ, {"CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR": str(proj)}), \
+                mock.patch("sys.argv", ["verify_refs.py", *argv]), \
+                contextlib.redirect_stdout(out):
+            rc = verify_refs.main()
+        return rc, out.getvalue()
+
+    def _project(self, with_team_store=False):
+        td = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
+        self.addCleanup(td.cleanup)
+        proj = Path(td.name)
+        (proj / ".lore.json").write_text(
+            json.dumps({"personalStoreDir": ".lore/personal"}), encoding="utf-8")
+        write_entry(proj / ".lore" / "personal", "prefs/p.md", title="P")
+        if with_team_store:
+            write_entry(proj / "learnings", "x/a.md", title="A")
+        return proj
+
+    def test_default_mode_runs_instead_of_bailing(self):
+        rc, text = self._run(self._project())
+        self.assertEqual(rc, 0)
+        self.assertNotIn("run /lore:init first", text)
+        self.assertIn("nothing to check", text)
+
+    def test_stats_reports_the_personal_entries(self):
+        rc, text = self._run(self._project(), "--stats")
+        self.assertEqual(rc, 0)
+        self.assertIn("personal store: 1 entries", text)
+
+    def test_report_and_dupes_run(self):
+        for flag in ("--report", "--dupes"):
+            with self.subTest(flag=flag):
+                rc, text = self._run(self._project(), flag)
+                self.assertEqual(rc, 0)
+                self.assertNotIn("run /lore:init first", text)
+
+    def test_index_is_a_no_op_without_a_team_store(self):
+        proj = self._project()
+        rc, text = self._run(proj, "--index")
+        self.assertEqual(rc, 0)
+        self.assertIn("nothing to index", text)
+        self.assertFalse((proj / "learnings").exists())
+
+    def test_no_store_at_all_still_bails(self):
+        td = tempfile.TemporaryDirectory()
+        self.addCleanup(td.cleanup)
+        rc, text = self._run(Path(td.name))
+        self.assertEqual(rc, 0)
+        self.assertIn("run /lore:init first", text)
+
+    def test_populated_team_store_message_unchanged(self):
+        rc, text = self._run(self._project(with_team_store=True))
+        self.assertEqual(rc, 0)
+        self.assertIn("all entries have valid frontmatter file refs", text)
+
+
 @unittest.skipUnless(GIT, "git not available")
 class TestGitDrift(unittest.TestCase):
     def _git(self, proj, *args):