diff --git a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php
index 33b69c23d..4ee947d31 100644
--- a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php
+++ b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPattern.php
@@ -1365,7 +1365,9 @@ private function withResolvedNonFlexNavigationLayout(array $attrs, DOMElement $e
      * layout the host is core's flex row, and items the source stacked full
      * width shrink to their min-width instead. When neither the host nor its
      * list declares a display, the source list is a block box; the items prove
-     * the stack only when every one declares a block-level display. Floated
+     * the stack only when the cascade gives every one a block-level display
+     * (ranked by specificity: `.menu>ul li{display:block}` beats a later
+     * `.item{display:flex}`, as it does in the browser). Floated
      * block items still need flow: a flex row ignores the float that the
      * projected item rule carries. Without item evidence core's default stays.
      *
@@ -1375,8 +1377,8 @@ private function withResolvedNonFlexNavigationLayout(array $attrs, DOMElement $e
     private function withStackedBlockListLayout(array $attrs, DOMElement $host, ?DOMElement $list, ?NavigationPatternContext $navigationContext): array
     {
         if ( null === $navigationContext || ! $list instanceof DOMElement || is_array($attrs['layout'] ?? null)
-            || '' !== trim($navigationContext->resolvedDisplay($host))
-            || '' !== trim($navigationContext->resolvedDisplay($list))
+            || '' !== $navigationContext->cascadeDisplay($host)
+            || '' !== $navigationContext->cascadeDisplay($list)
         ) {
             return $attrs;
         }
@@ -1386,8 +1388,7 @@ private function withStackedBlockListLayout(array $attrs, DOMElement $host, ?DOM
             if ( ! $child instanceof DOMElement || 'li' !== strtolower($child->tagName) ) {
                 continue;
             }
-            $display = strtolower(trim($navigationContext->resolvedDisplay($child)));
-            if ( ! in_array($display, array( 'block', 'list-item', 'flow-root' ), true) ) {
+            if ( ! in_array($navigationContext->cascadeDisplay($child), array( 'block', 'list-item', 'flow-root' ), true) ) {
                 return $attrs;
             }
             ++$items;
diff --git a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPatternContext.php b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPatternContext.php
index 6d70234b1..b24ddac43 100644
--- a/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPatternContext.php
+++ b/php-transformer/src/HtmlToBlocks/Patterns/NavigationPatternContext.php
@@ -427,6 +427,22 @@ public function resolvedDisplay(DOMElement $element): string
         return $this->styleResolver?->resolvedConditionalDisplay($element) ?? '';
     }
 
+    /**
+     * The display the browser cascade gives the element at the reference
+     * viewport: static and applying conditional rules, ranked by specificity
+     * and then source order. A recognition signal only, never projected.
+     */
+    public function cascadeDisplay(DOMElement $element): string
+    {
+        if ( ! $this->styleResolver instanceof StyleResolver
+            || 1 !== preg_match('/(?:^|;)\s*display\s*:\s*([^;]+)/i', $this->styleResolver->controlSurfaceResolvedStyle($element), $match)
+        ) {
+            return '';
+        }
+
+        return strtolower(trim((string) preg_replace('/\s*!important\s*$/i', '', trim($match[1]))));
+    }
+
     /** Compare the authored display contracts, including breakpoints outside the reference viewport. */
     public function hasDistinctDisplayBoxes(DOMElement $landmark, DOMElement $list): bool
     {
diff --git a/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/capture-evidence-equivalence/expected.json b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/capture-evidence-equivalence/expected.json
index eab861a75..c7124b00c 100644
--- a/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/capture-evidence-equivalence/expected.json
+++ b/php-transformer/tests/fixtures/capture-evidence-equivalence/expected.json
@@ -275,7 +275,7 @@
         {
             "id": "2448c3c2ebf7c03839a1ad542beec24efd2a805c",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "71634f402ac1c35b2b58aa7a84368a05df1eefae88fd57710e8613f985781b01",
+            "expected_sha256": "34bb1ec6191c0dfbdfbcfe8dbadb24b63b3a4f9e0e0d168d0d28165b34452e4f",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@
         {
             "id": "2890e8f1ed5ae188e261c80d3c9a1ad1e1928cd2",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "e6655c9ad88b524d599cffa2b6c263ce641228df86d108f33ad95fbc844dd1d5",
+            "expected_sha256": "85c3db03ccb2d40a35a28b76f653930c86141ca0f465a8a02241b06d03ca030f",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -539,7 +539,7 @@
         {
             "id": "448ead36f649a72e98e642cebc29f9f71af779f5",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "20ec6a68f6359544ce42bda29066f636415026d7d083f93e48f1fe038d38cb47",
+            "expected_sha256": "9d22d09441c07ef4697e28793f495c136fcbf0fbea1e671713742f8eea12e959",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -569,7 +569,7 @@
         {
             "id": "46f79246a3c128cd0672e296d1164e4d6882750a",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "56912dec0b9c4149ba7870877627087af49f6c3f16606399fae7994830a7fcdb",
+            "expected_sha256": "79b360ac60c13dc82ec6e71ffe4002e2c612154e58896d64e68a9698efb21a6c",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -1349,7 +1349,7 @@
         {
             "id": "a5a08a8615d2682ce0d38a5053bcec23199be36f",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "2c30e166b2f434a212b5dafda6323998416b05bf6665220bf3f80f753e7e849c",
+            "expected_sha256": "e49df13f9e79748eec3621044d15f1303522e2a0623e8320a95b251345eb7dcd",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -1439,7 +1439,7 @@
         {
             "id": "b550beb0271acdd852382b101d2fc6653b1cb107",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "880ca1ad2c50e4576c45f90f34421f93ea56faf32edd095f1683ea3be82feab5",
+            "expected_sha256": "af43162504a5b754c023e2f286a5a62b3679530b4ca2b8b2710f2a40acf25ac8",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -1607,7 +1607,7 @@
         {
             "id": "c7fff215fed715e93aa155c4e0e5e31d7db084b1",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "7351d0b1b79718f1dc16609a6913229a3c8003202930d55efc0c1a73daa58c4e",
+            "expected_sha256": "27eaba8ed0fb4473fee7243c1aa3afbbceb78d3a4c3d9f433043f37e2bddc69a",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -1817,7 +1817,7 @@
         {
             "id": "e2e35d0c5c02ff06b23bc87fb59bc585201bc46f",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "4f74bda305109c284db76c79e2e2af5e6996240ac2d5d4a1e486c54404ba9550",
+            "expected_sha256": "6a675cb25b3b2a350fbbaa7d435a4164d764e6497f476bba50cb3b3d54c78188",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
@@ -1937,7 +1937,7 @@
         {
             "id": "f025cf281f15d03cf61d0c76c1f4bd7adc3b257e",
             "entry": "HtmlTransformer::transform",
-            "expected_sha256": "bcad2d15a0f038f54bec7fb58bc77b7de94c821d9ac809ca2261862990766929",
+            "expected_sha256": "90a312d2875f21338941beb332ff46a640c17d7807941b11e09772688983269c",
             "outcome": "output"
         },
         {
diff --git a/php-transformer/tests/unit/navigation-stacked-block-list-layout.php b/php-transformer/tests/unit/navigation-stacked-block-list-layout.php
index cc0aecc61..0ee82d1f7 100644
--- a/php-transformer/tests/unit/navigation-stacked-block-list-layout.php
+++ b/php-transformer/tests/unit/navigation-stacked-block-list-layout.php
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@
 $menu = static fn (string $scope, string $itemRule): string => $scope . '.menu{direction:ltr}'
     . $scope . '.menu>ul{box-sizing:border-box;width:100%}'
     . $scope . '.menu>ul li{' . $itemRule . '}'
-    . $scope . '.item{min-width:100px}'
+    // Later in source order but weaker: the typed item rule still wins.
+    . $scope . '.item{display:flex;min-width:100px}'
     . $scope . '.item .box{display:grid;height:45px}';
 
 $scope = ':where([data-dla-device-document="mobile"]) ';
@@ -73,6 +74,7 @@
 );
 $assert(null === $layout($menu('', 'display:block') . '.menu>ul{display:flex}'), 'a flex list keeps core\'s row');
 $assert(null === $layout('.menu{direction:ltr}'), 'a menu without item display evidence keeps core\'s default');
+$assert(null === $layout('.item{display:flex}'), 'flex items keep core\'s row');
 
 if ( 0 < $failures ) {
     fwrite(STDERR, "Navigation stacked block list layout: {$failures} failed, {$passes} passed\n");
diff --git a/php-transformer/tools/capture-evidence-equivalence/README.md b/php-transformer/tools/capture-evidence-equivalence/README.md
index 05c3b3a1f..995b73125 100644
--- a/php-transformer/tools/capture-evidence-equivalence/README.md
+++ b/php-transformer/tools/capture-evidence-equivalence/README.md
@@ -71,7 +71,9 @@ replay by case:
   on the nav or its list, records `"layout":{"type":"default"}`. That adds
   the attribute in `46f79246` and `e2e35d0c`. The extra display lookups only
   move the style-rule candidate cache counters in `2448c3c2`, `2890e8f1`,
-  `448ead36`, `a5a08a86`, `b550beb0`, `c7fff215` and `f025cf28`.
+  `448ead36`, `a5a08a86`, `b550beb0`, `c7fff215` and `f025cf28`. Ranking
+  the item displays by specificity (#2726 follow-up) moves those counters
+  again in all nine cases; the output is otherwise unchanged.
 - **Self-placed modal box reset** (#2726). The captured-dialog block
   stylesheet gains the zero-specificity reset for a modal whose source panel
   positions itself. Only the emitted `style.css` text and the hashes derived