diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index defc03d..17863c9 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ dotnet test test/SchemaKit.ApiProbes/SchemaKit.ApiProbes.csproj
 # The consumer smoke test, on the server SCHEMAKIT_TEST_PG names; a folder of .nupkg as the argument tests those
 SCHEMAKIT_TEST_PG="Host=localhost;Username=postgres;Password=…;Database=postgres" test/ConsumerSmokeTest/run.sh
 
+# The same with the consumer on another EF Core than the packages reference (NU1608 where a package pins it)
+SMOKE_EF_VERSION=11.0.0 SCHEMAKIT_TEST_PG="…" test/ConsumerSmokeTest/run.sh
+
 # Spike B, the first version of the consumer smoke test; SPIKE_PG turns on the PostgreSQL paths
 spikes/B.DesignTime/run.sh
 
@@ -533,6 +536,10 @@ Npgsql EF `11.0.0-rc.3` depends on EF Core `[11.0.0-rc.3.26522.148]`, exactly. E
 in the repository stays on rc.3 until Npgsql ships 11.0.0, although EF Core 11.0.0 is out. A stable
 package cannot depend on a prerelease, so SchemaKit ships previews until then.
 
+A consumer that references EF Core 11.0.0 directly gets NU1608 for Npgsql's pin and a build. The
+smoke test passed every row that way on 2026-11-14 (`SMOKE_EF_VERSION=11.0.0`, PostgreSQL 18.4,
+#143): it says such a consumer works, not that the pins may move.
+
 The probes drive Roslyn `5.12.0-1.26504.105` from the dotnet-tools feed
 (`test/SchemaKit.ApiProbes/nuget.config` says why).
 
diff --git a/test/ConsumerSmokeTest/run.sh b/test/ConsumerSmokeTest/run.sh
index c873855..488391d 100755
--- a/test/ConsumerSmokeTest/run.sh
+++ b/test/ConsumerSmokeTest/run.sh
@@ -192,6 +192,19 @@ npgsql_ef_version=$(dependency "$pg_package" Npgsql.EntityFrameworkCore.PostgreS
 [[ -n $ef_version && -n $npgsql_ef_version ]] || { log=; fail "the packages" "cannot read EF Core's and Npgsql EF's versions from the nuspecs"; }
 echo "    EF Core $ef_version, Npgsql EF $npgsql_ef_version"
 
+# SMOKE_EF_VERSION: the consumer on another EF Core than the packages were built with, as one is
+# that references EF Core directly. Every consumer then references
+# Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Relational at that version, and the design package, the host and
+# dotnet-ef follow it. Where a package pins EF Core exactly, as a prerelease of Npgsql EF does,
+# NuGet answers with NU1608 and builds: the run then says what such a consumer gets, not that the
+# packages may reference that version.
+ef_direct=
+if [[ -n ${SMOKE_EF_VERSION:-} && $SMOKE_EF_VERSION != "$ef_version" ]]; then
+  echo "    the consumer references EF Core $SMOKE_EF_VERSION directly, over the packages' $ef_version"
+  ef_version=$SMOKE_EF_VERSION
+  ef_direct="<ItemGroup Condition=\"'\$(MSBuildProjectName)' != 'Judge'\"><PackageReference Include=\"Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Relational\" Version=\"$ef_version\" /></ItemGroup>"
+fi
+
 # From here on, nothing restores into the machine's package folder.
 export NUGET_PACKAGES=$work/packages
 
@@ -224,6 +237,7 @@ write_props() { # Npgsql's version, once the consumer has restored it
     <NpgsqlEfVersion>$npgsql_ef_version</NpgsqlEfVersion>
     <NpgsqlVersion>$1</NpgsqlVersion>
   </PropertyGroup>
+  $ef_direct
 </Project>
 EOF
 }
@@ -242,6 +256,14 @@ else
   fail "restore" "the consumer did not restore $version from $feed (found: ${restored:-nothing})"
 fi
 
+if [[ -n $ef_direct ]]; then
+  if has "$work/App/obj/project.assets.json" "\"Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore.Relational/$ef_version\"" "\"Microsoft.EntityFrameworkCore/$ef_version\""; then
+    ok "EF Core $ef_version" "the consumer resolved it, over the version the packages reference"
+  else
+    fail "EF Core $ef_version" "the consumer did not resolve EF Core $ef_version"
+  fi
+fi
+
 # The judge takes the Npgsql the consumer took.
 npgsql_version=$(find "$NUGET_PACKAGES/npgsql" -maxdepth 1 -mindepth 1 -type d -exec basename {} \; | sort -V | tail -n 1)
 write_props "$npgsql_version"