diff --git a/.github/workflows/check-branch-name.yml b/.github/workflows/check-branch-name.yml
index b4cb8f73d..c2059cf95 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/check-branch-name.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/check-branch-name.yml
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           BRANCH_NAME="${{ github.head_ref }}"
           echo "Checking branch name: $BRANCH_NAME"
-          if [[ ! "$BRANCH_NAME" =~ ^(chore|feature|fix|hotfix|patch|refactor)/[a-z0-9._-]+$ ]]; then
+          if [[ ! "$BRANCH_NAME" =~ ^(chore|feat|feature|fix|hotfix|patch|refactor)/[a-z0-9._-]+$ ]]; then
             echo "❌ Invalid branch name: $BRANCH_NAME"
             echo "✅ Should match: feature/foo-bar, hotfix/issue-123, etc."
             exit 1
-          fi
\ No newline at end of file
+          fi
diff --git a/app/Http/Controllers/Apis/Protected/Summit/OAuth2SummitApiController.php b/app/Http/Controllers/Apis/Protected/Summit/OAuth2SummitApiController.php
index 40d1fdc28..d552bc377 100644
--- a/app/Http/Controllers/Apis/Protected/Summit/OAuth2SummitApiController.php
+++ b/app/Http/Controllers/Apis/Protected/Summit/OAuth2SummitApiController.php
@@ -2554,7 +2554,7 @@ public function validateBadge($summit_id, $badge) {
             return $this->ok(SerializerRegistry::getInstance()
                 ->getSerializer($summitAttendeeBadge)
                 ->serialize(
-                    'features,ticket,ticket.owner,ticket.owner',
+                    'features,ticket,ticket.owner,ticket.owner,ticket.owner.member',
                     [
                         'id',
                         'features.id',
@@ -2562,10 +2562,15 @@ public function validateBadge($summit_id, $badge) {
                         'features.description',
                         'ticket.id',
                         'ticket.number',
+                        'ticket.owner.id',
                         'ticket.owner.first_name',
                         'ticket.owner.last_name',
                         'ticket.owner.email',
                         'ticket.owner.company',
+                        'ticket.owner.member.id',
+                        'ticket.owner.member.first_name',
+                        'ticket.owner.member.last_name',
+                        'ticket.owner.member.pic',
                     ]
                 )
             );
diff --git a/tests/InsertSummitTestData.php b/tests/InsertSummitTestData.php
index 640e195c4..d364ccf0e 100644
--- a/tests/InsertSummitTestData.php
+++ b/tests/InsertSummitTestData.php
@@ -530,6 +530,37 @@ protected static function insertSummitTestData(){
                 $ticket->generateQRCode();
                 $summitAttendeeBadge->generateQRCode();
             }
+
+            // Member-less attendee (SummitAttendee.member is null) with a badge, so the
+            // validateBadge member-less path (D26/D27) has fixture coverage. Looked up in tests
+            // via Summit::getAttendeeByEmailAndMemberNotSet('memberless@test.com').
+            $memberless_attendee = new SummitAttendee();
+            $memberless_attendee->setEmail("memberless@test.com");
+            $memberless_attendee->setFirstName("No");
+            $memberless_attendee->setSurname("Member");
+
+            $memberless_badge = new SummitAttendeeBadge();
+            $memberless_badge->setType(self::$default_badge_type);
+
+            $memberless_order = new SummitOrder();
+            $memberless_order->setOwner(self::$defaultMember);
+            $memberless_order->setSummit(self::$summit);
+
+            $memberless_ticket = new SummitAttendeeTicket();
+            $memberless_ticket->setTicketType(self::$default_ticket_type);
+            $memberless_ticket->setBadge($memberless_badge);
+            $memberless_ticket->activate();
+            $memberless_attendee->addTicket($memberless_ticket);
+            $memberless_order->addTicket($memberless_ticket);
+
+            self::$summit->addAttendee($memberless_attendee);
+            self::$summit->addOrder($memberless_order);
+
+            $memberless_order->setPaid();
+            $memberless_order->generateNumber();
+            $memberless_ticket->generateNumber();
+            $memberless_ticket->generateQRCode();
+            $memberless_badge->generateQRCode();
         }
 
         if (self::$defaultMember2 != null) {
diff --git a/tests/oauth2/OAuth2SummitApiTest.php b/tests/oauth2/OAuth2SummitApiTest.php
index f2dc68610..9469ec79d 100644
--- a/tests/oauth2/OAuth2SummitApiTest.php
+++ b/tests/oauth2/OAuth2SummitApiTest.php
@@ -1197,19 +1197,48 @@ public function testUpdateSummitRegSlugPrefixHavingPaidTickets(){
         $this->assertStringContainsString('there are paid tickets', $content);
     }
 
+    // #40 / D26 augmentation regression: the badge-resolve payload must expose the attendee id
+    // (keys the D27 pre-account request) plus the expanded nested member snapshot (the D15 identity
+    // + name/photo) for member-linked attendees, and must OMIT the member object for member-less
+    // ones. Locks the serializer whitelist so the networking-api connect resolve does not regress.
+
     public function testValidateBadge(){
+        // MEMBER case: a member-linked attendee resolves with the expanded member object.
+        $owner = self::$summit->getAttendeeByMember(self::$defaultMember);
+        $this->assertNotNull($owner);
+        $member = $owner->getMember();
+
+        $attendee_badge = $this->callValidateBadge($owner->getFirstTicket()->getBadge());
+
+        // attendee id present (D27 keys the pre-account request on it)
+        $this->assertEquals($owner->getId(), $attendee_badge->ticket->owner->id);
+
+        // owner.member is the EXPANDED object carrying the D15 identity + name/photo snapshot
+        $this->assertNotNull($attendee_badge->ticket->owner->member);
+        $this->assertEquals($member->getId(), $attendee_badge->ticket->owner->member->id);
+        $this->assertTrue(isset($attendee_badge->ticket->owner->member->first_name));
+    }
+
+    public function testValidateBadgeMemberLess(){
+        // MEMBER-LESS case (D27): the fixture's member-less attendee resolves with NO member object.
+        $owner = self::$summit->getAttendeeByEmailAndMemberNotSet("memberless@test.com");
+        $this->assertNotNull($owner);
+        $this->assertFalse($owner->hasMember());
 
-        $badge_repository = EntityManager::getRepository(SummitAttendeeBadge::class);
-        $ticket = self::$summit_orders[0]->getTickets()->first();
-        $badge = $badge_repository->getBadgeByTicketNumber($ticket->getNumber());
-        $badge_qr_code = $badge->generateQRCode();
+        $attendee_badge = $this->callValidateBadge($owner->getFirstTicket()->getBadge());
 
-        //$key = '35NVOF4I5T6AAM28IJPKB8KRUW98KPDO';
+        // attendee id + email are present (they key the pre-account request and address the email)
+        $this->assertEquals($owner->getId(), $attendee_badge->ticket->owner->id);
+        $this->assertTrue(isset($attendee_badge->ticket->owner->email));
 
+        // no linked member => the expanded member object must be ABSENT
+        $this->assertFalse(isset($attendee_badge->ticket->owner->member));
+    }
+
+    private function callValidateBadge(SummitAttendeeBadge $badge) {
         $params = [
-            'id' => self::$summit->getId(),
-            //'badge' => base64_encode(AES::encrypt($key, $badge_qr_code)),
-            'badge' => base64_encode($badge_qr_code),
+            'id'    => self::$summit->getId(),
+            'badge' => base64_encode($badge->generateQRCode()),
         ];
 
         $response = $this->action(
@@ -1223,8 +1252,9 @@ public function testValidateBadge(){
         );
 
         $this->assertResponseStatus(200);
-        $content = $response->getContent();
-        $attendee_badge = json_decode($content);
+        $attendee_badge = json_decode($response->getContent());
         $this->assertNotNull($attendee_badge);
+        return $attendee_badge;
     }
+
 }