diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 331c538..ff20e88 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -104,6 +104,7 @@ runner without placing them in the policy or report.
   },
   "allowDirectLifecycleScripts": {},
   "archiveSizeExceptions": {},
+  "auditExceptions": {},
   "sourceEvidenceExceptions": {},
   "trustedRepositories": {
     "example-package": "https://github.com/example/example-package"
@@ -123,6 +124,7 @@ runner without placing them in the policy or report.
   whose registry manifest declares `preinstall`, `install`, or `postinstall`.
 - `archiveSizeExceptions` permits exact package versions to use reviewed archive
   limits above the project defaults.
+- `auditExceptions` permits only listed GHSA advisories until each entry's expiry.
 - `sourceEvidenceExceptions` permits only an exact package version to proceed when
   source provenance or tag evidence is unavailable. Each entry requires a detailed
   `reason` and an `expiresAt` ISO date, and produces a warning.
diff --git a/lib/check.js b/lib/check.js
index 56dfe70..448a354 100644
--- a/lib/check.js
+++ b/lib/check.js
@@ -67,11 +67,18 @@ export async function checkProject(options, injected = {}) {
       for (const args of [
         ["ci", "--ignore-scripts"],
         ["audit", "signatures"],
-        ["audit", "--omit=dev"],
+        ["audit", "--omit=dev", "--json"],
       ]) {
-        const command = await execute(run, "npm", args, projectPath, options.commandTimeoutMs);
+        const isAdvisoryAudit = args.includes("--json");
+        const command = await execute(run, "npm", args, projectPath, options.commandTimeoutMs, isAdvisoryAudit ? 5_000_000 : 20_000);
         report.commands.push(command.evidence);
-        if (command.result.code !== 0) report.failures.push(`npm ${args.join(" ")} failed${command.result.timedOut ? " (timed out)" : ""}`);
+        if (command.result.code !== 0 && isAdvisoryAudit && !command.result.timedOut) {
+          const assessment = assessAudit(command.result.stdout, options.policy, dependencies.now());
+          report.failures.push(...assessment.failures);
+          report.warnings.push(...assessment.warnings);
+        } else if (command.result.code !== 0) {
+          report.failures.push(`npm ${args.join(" ")} failed${command.result.timedOut ? " (timed out)" : ""}`);
+        }
         if (command.result.code !== 0 && args[0] === "ci") break;
       }
     }
@@ -95,6 +102,40 @@ export async function checkProject(options, injected = {}) {
   return report;
 }
 
+function assessAudit(stdout, policy, now) {
+  let audit;
+  try {
+    audit = JSON.parse(stdout);
+  } catch {
+    return { failures: ["npm audit returned invalid JSON"], warnings: [] };
+  }
+  if (!audit.vulnerabilities || typeof audit.vulnerabilities !== "object") {
+    return { failures: ["npm audit failed without vulnerability details"], warnings: [] };
+  }
+  const advisories = new Set();
+  let malformed = false;
+  for (const vulnerability of Object.values(audit.vulnerabilities)) {
+    for (const via of vulnerability.via ?? []) {
+      if (!via || typeof via !== "object") continue;
+      const id = String(via.url ?? "").match(/GHSA-[a-z0-9]{4}-[a-z0-9]{4}-[a-z0-9]{4}/i)?.[0]?.toUpperCase();
+      if (id) advisories.add(id);
+      else malformed = true;
+    }
+  }
+  const failures = [];
+  if (malformed || advisories.size === 0) failures.push("npm audit returned vulnerability data without recognizable GHSA identifiers");
+  const accepted = [];
+  for (const id of advisories) {
+    const exception = policy.auditExceptions[id];
+    if (exception && Date.parse(exception.expiresAt) > now) accepted.push(id);
+    else failures.push(`npm audit advisory ${id} is not covered by an unexpired policy exception`);
+  }
+  return {
+    failures,
+    warnings: accepted.length ? [`npm audit reports ${accepted.length} reviewed advisory exception(s): ${accepted.sort().join(", ")}`] : [],
+  };
+}
+
 async function execute(run, command, args, cwd, timeoutMs = COMMAND_TIMEOUT_MS, maxOutputBytes = 20_000) {
   const result = await run(command, args, { cwd, timeoutMs, maxOutputBytes });
   return {
diff --git a/lib/constants.js b/lib/constants.js
index 8a25d4f..530fac5 100644
--- a/lib/constants.js
+++ b/lib/constants.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ export const DEFAULT_POLICY = Object.freeze({
   allowInstallScripts: {},
   allowDirectLifecycleScripts: {},
   archiveSizeExceptions: {},
+  auditExceptions: {},
   sourceEvidenceExceptions: {},
   trustedRepositories: {},
   trustedMaintainers: {},
diff --git a/lib/policy.js b/lib/policy.js
index def5fca..1c49fe0 100644
--- a/lib/policy.js
+++ b/lib/policy.js
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export async function loadPolicy(file) {
   validateVersionExceptions(policy.allowInstallScripts, "allowInstallScripts");
   validateVersionExceptions(policy.allowDirectLifecycleScripts, "allowDirectLifecycleScripts");
   validateArchiveExceptions(policy.archiveSizeExceptions);
+  validateAuditExceptions(policy.auditExceptions);
   validateSourceExceptions(policy.sourceEvidenceExceptions);
   validateMap(policy, "trustedRepositories", false);
   validateMap(policy, "trustedMaintainers", true);
@@ -83,6 +84,14 @@ function validateArchiveExceptions(value) {
   }
 }
 
+function validateAuditExceptions(value) {
+  if (!value || Array.isArray(value) || typeof value !== "object") throw new Error("auditExceptions must be an object");
+  for (const [id, exception] of Object.entries(value)) {
+    if (!/^GHSA-[a-z0-9]{4}-[a-z0-9]{4}-[a-z0-9]{4}$/i.test(id)) throw new Error(`invalid auditExceptions advisory: ${id}`);
+    validateExceptionBase(id, exception, "auditExceptions", []);
+  }
+}
+
 function validateExceptionBase(name, exception, key, allowedFields) {
   if (!name || !exception || Array.isArray(exception) || typeof exception !== "object") {
     throw new Error(`invalid ${key} entry for ${name || "<empty>"}`);
diff --git a/test/check.test.js b/test/check.test.js
index 42ccfe3..cb6ad06 100644
--- a/test/check.test.js
+++ b/test/check.test.js
@@ -102,3 +102,32 @@ test("check parses full npm pack JSON while truncating report evidence", async (
   assert.equal(report.packages[0].tarballSizeBytes, 100);
   assert.equal(report.commands[0].stdout.length, 20_000);
 });
+
+test("check accepts only explicitly reviewed npm audit advisories", async () => {
+  const directory = await makeProject();
+  const document = packageDocument();
+  const gitHead = document.versions["1.2.3"].gitHead;
+  const policy = structuredClone(DEFAULT_POLICY);
+  policy.auditExceptions["GHSA-1234-5678-9ABC"] = {
+    reason: "Reviewed existing advisory pending a separately tracked upgrade.",
+    expiresAt: "2025-02-01T00:00:00Z",
+  };
+  const run = async (_command, args) => {
+    if (args[0] === "pack") return { code: 0, stdout: JSON.stringify([{ size: 100, unpackedSize: 500 }]), stderr: "", timedOut: false };
+    if (args.includes("--json")) return {
+      code: 1,
+      stdout: JSON.stringify({ vulnerabilities: { alpha: { via: [{ url: "https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-1234-5678-9abc" }] } } }),
+      stderr: "",
+      timedOut: false,
+    };
+    return { code: 0, stdout: "ok", stderr: "", timedOut: false };
+  };
+  const report = await checkProject({ path: directory, report: join(directory, "report.json"), policy }, {
+    fetch: async () => jsonResponse(document),
+    remoteRefs: async () => [{ sha: gitHead, ref: "refs/tags/v1.2.3" }],
+    run,
+    now: () => Date.parse("2025-01-01T00:00:00Z"),
+  });
+  assert.equal(report.status, "pass");
+  assert.ok(report.warnings.some((warning) => warning.includes("GHSA-1234-5678-9ABC")));
+});