diff --git a/core/fixtures/retention_release_oracle.json b/core/fixtures/retention_release_oracle.json
index a48d9fc6a..34f91b9e8 100644
--- a/core/fixtures/retention_release_oracle.json
+++ b/core/fixtures/retention_release_oracle.json
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "analyzed",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "analyzed",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": "absent",
+        "sidecar": "header-only",
         "analysis_row": {
           "start": 0.0,
           "end": 1.0,
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": "absent",
+        "sidecar": "header-only",
         "analysis_row": null
       },
       "reference_gate": "incomplete",
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "state": "empty"
         },
         "analysis_row": null
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "bogus.v9",
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "ok",
           "handler": "transcribe",
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -306,7 +306,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "state": "analyzed"
         },
         "analysis_row": null
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "state": "banana"
         },
         "analysis_row": {
@@ -352,7 +352,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {},
+        "sidecar": {},
         "analysis_row": {
           "start": 0.0,
           "end": 1.0,
@@ -376,7 +376,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": "absent",
+        "sidecar": "header-only",
         "analysis_row": {
           "start": 0.0
         }
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": "absent",
+        "sidecar": "header-only",
         "analysis_row": {
           "text": "hello"
         }
@@ -419,7 +419,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "failed",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "failed",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -476,7 +476,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "analyzed",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -507,7 +507,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "analyzed",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -538,7 +538,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "chunk_audio.flac",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "no_decodable_audio",
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "photo.png",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": {
+        "sidecar": {
           "schema": "solstone.processing.v1",
           "state": "empty",
           "reason_code": "ok",
@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@
       "shape": {
         "media": "photo.png",
         "size": 104,
-        "record": "absent",
+        "sidecar": "absent",
         "analysis_row": null
       },
       "reference_gate": "eligible",
diff --git a/scripts/retention_release_oracle.py b/scripts/retention_release_oracle.py
index b43420f22..67cca83c4 100644
--- a/scripts/retention_release_oracle.py
+++ b/scripts/retention_release_oracle.py
@@ -402,7 +402,19 @@ def main() -> int:
                 "shape": {
                     "media": shape.media,
                     "size": SIZE,
-                    "record": "absent" if shape.omit_record_key else shape.record,
+                    # Three distinguishable states, because two of them are
+                    # different on disk and a consumer rebuilding this fixture
+                    # must be able to tell them apart:
+                    #   sidecar "absent"          -> no <stem>.jsonl file at all
+                    #   sidecar "header-only"     -> the file exists, no record key
+                    #   sidecar {...}             -> the file exists with that record
+                    "sidecar": (
+                        "absent"
+                        if shape.omit_sidecar
+                        else "header-only"
+                        if shape.omit_record_key
+                        else shape.record
+                    ),
                     "analysis_row": shape.row,
                 },
                 "reference_gate": gate,