diff --git a/src/review/ledger-anchor-rekor.ts b/src/review/ledger-anchor-rekor.ts
index afe3e863d4..b5a5b448fa 100644
--- a/src/review/ledger-anchor-rekor.ts
+++ b/src/review/ledger-anchor-rekor.ts
@@ -44,9 +44,11 @@ export type HashedRekordRequestV002 = {
 export type RekorTransparencyLogEntryResponse = {
   logIndex: number;
   logId: { keyId: string };
-  /** Rekor's own entry identifier, the `uuid` a verifier passes to `rekor-cli verify`. Present as the
-   *  response object's own key in the v2 API (one entry per request), not a fixed field name. */
-  uuid: string;
+  /** The signed checkpoint from the entry's inclusion proof -- the v2 locator. Rekor v2 has no `uuid`: an
+   *  entry is identified by its log index plus the checkpoint the inclusion proof was issued against, and
+   *  that pair is what a verifier needs to re-derive inclusion against the tile-backed log. Null when the
+   *  log omits it (the entry is still recorded; only the offline re-check is unavailable). */
+  checkpoint: string | null;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -83,23 +85,48 @@ function base64Encode(bytes: Uint8Array): string {
  * only, for a single-entry submission) value. Returns `null` for any response shape that doesn't match,
  * rather than throwing, so a Rekor API change degrades to a recorded failure instead of an unhandled crash.
  */
+/** Rekor v2 serializes `log_index` as a proto3 int64, which JSON-encodes as a STRING ("0"), while a
+ *  hand-written mock or a future revision may send a number. Both are accepted; anything non-finite is not,
+ *  so a garbled value fails the parse rather than becoming NaN in a published backendRef. */
+function parseLogIndex(value: unknown): number | null {
+  if (typeof value === "number") return Number.isFinite(value) ? value : null;
+  if (typeof value !== "string" || value.trim() === "") return null;
+  const parsed = Number(value);
+  return Number.isFinite(parsed) ? parsed : null;
+}
+
+/** The checkpoint lives at `inclusionProof.checkpoint`, which the protobuf-JSON encodes as
+ *  `{ envelope: "..." }`. Accepted as a bare string too, since that is the shape a plain reading of the
+ *  field name suggests and costs nothing to tolerate. */
+function parseCheckpoint(inclusionProof: unknown): string | null {
+  if (typeof inclusionProof !== "object" || inclusionProof === null) return null;
+  const checkpoint = (inclusionProof as Record<string, unknown>)["checkpoint"];
+  if (typeof checkpoint === "string") return checkpoint;
+  if (typeof checkpoint === "object" && checkpoint !== null) {
+    const envelope = (checkpoint as Record<string, unknown>)["envelope"];
+    if (typeof envelope === "string") return envelope;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parse Rekor v2's `TransparencyLogEntry`.
+ *
+ * This previously read the v1 shape: a wrapper object keyed by entry uuid, with a numeric `logIndex` and a
+ * `uuid` field. Rekor v2 returns the entry DIRECTLY, encodes `logIndex` as a string (proto3 int64), and has
+ * no `uuid` at all -- so every field the old parser required was absent or the wrong type, and this backend
+ * could never record a successful anchor even when the submission itself was accepted (#9851). The request
+ * side was already v2 (`hashedRekordRequestV002`, `POST /api/v2/log/entries`); only the response side lagged.
+ */
 export function parseRekorResponse(raw: unknown): RekorTransparencyLogEntryResponse | null {
   if (typeof raw !== "object" || raw === null) return null;
-  const entries = Object.values(raw as Record<string, unknown>);
-  const entry = entries[0];
-  if (typeof entry !== "object" || entry === null) return null;
-  const candidate = entry as Record<string, unknown>;
+  const candidate = raw as Record<string, unknown>;
+  const logIndex = parseLogIndex(candidate["logIndex"]);
   const logId = candidate["logId"];
-  if (
-    typeof candidate["logIndex"] !== "number" ||
-    typeof candidate["uuid"] !== "string" ||
-    typeof logId !== "object" ||
-    logId === null ||
-    typeof (logId as Record<string, unknown>)["keyId"] !== "string"
-  ) {
-    return null;
-  }
-  return { logIndex: candidate["logIndex"], uuid: candidate["uuid"], logId: { keyId: (logId as Record<string, unknown>)["keyId"] as string } };
+  if (logIndex === null || typeof logId !== "object" || logId === null) return null;
+  const keyId = (logId as Record<string, unknown>)["keyId"];
+  if (typeof keyId !== "string" || keyId === "") return null;
+  return { logIndex, logId: { keyId }, checkpoint: parseCheckpoint(candidate["inclusionProof"]) };
 }
 
 /**
@@ -156,7 +183,7 @@ export async function submitToRekor(
       keyId: signed.keyId,
       backend: "rekor",
       status: "ok",
-      backendRef: { shardBaseUrl, logIndex: parsed.logIndex, logIdKeyId: parsed.logId.keyId, uuid: parsed.uuid },
+      backendRef: { shardBaseUrl, logIndex: parsed.logIndex, logIdKeyId: parsed.logId.keyId, checkpoint: parsed.checkpoint },
       // Deferred past this PR: storing the full TransparencyLogEntry (inclusion proof + signed checkpoint) in
       // R2 for fully offline verification. Online verification (rekor-cli against shardBaseUrl + uuid) works
       // fully without it today; the offline path is a documented enhancement, not a gap in this backend.
diff --git a/test/unit/ledger-anchor-rekor.test.ts b/test/unit/ledger-anchor-rekor.test.ts
index c41fc1cd3f..08fada1cd9 100644
--- a/test/unit/ledger-anchor-rekor.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/ledger-anchor-rekor.test.ts
@@ -24,7 +24,18 @@ async function realSignedAnchor(): Promise<{ signed: SignedLedgerAnchor; publicK
   return { signed, publicKeySpki };
 }
 
-const REKOR_RESPONSE = { "24296fb24b8ad77a": { logIndex: 42, uuid: "24296fb24b8ad77a", logId: { keyId: "c2iga0d1" } } };
+// The real Rekor v2 TransparencyLogEntry shape: the entry DIRECTLY (no uuid-keyed wrapper), `logIndex` as a
+// proto3-int64 STRING, no `uuid` field, and the checkpoint nested under inclusionProof. The old fixture here
+// was the v1 shape, which is why the parser's v1 assumptions survived review -- the test agreed with the bug.
+const REKOR_RESPONSE = {
+  logIndex: "42",
+  logId: { keyId: "c2iga0d1" },
+  kindVersion: { kind: "hashedrekord", version: "0.0.2" },
+  integratedTime: "0",
+  inclusionPromise: null,
+  inclusionProof: { logIndex: "42", rootHash: "cm9vdA==", treeSize: "43", hashes: [], checkpoint: { envelope: "log2025-1.rekor.sigstore.dev\n43\ncm9vdA==\n" } },
+  canonicalizedBody: "Ym9keQ==",
+};
 
 describe("buildHashedRekordRequest (#9272)", () => {
   it("builds the exact hashedRekordRequestV002 shape Rekor v2 expects", async () => {
@@ -46,19 +57,24 @@ describe("buildHashedRekordRequest (#9272)", () => {
 });
 
 describe("parseRekorResponse", () => {
-  it("parses a real-shaped Rekor v2 response, reading the entry under its dynamic uuid key", () => {
-    expect(parseRekorResponse(REKOR_RESPONSE)).toEqual({ logIndex: 42, uuid: "24296fb24b8ad77a", logId: { keyId: "c2iga0d1" } });
+  // #9851: this block previously asserted the v1 shape -- its own title said "reading the entry under its
+  // dynamic uuid key", which was the mistaken premise, not a description of Rekor v2. Corrected rather than
+  // deleted, so the change of contract is visible in history.
+  it("parses a real-shaped Rekor v2 TransparencyLogEntry", () => {
+    expect(parseRekorResponse(REKOR_RESPONSE)).toEqual({
+      logIndex: 42,
+      logId: { keyId: "c2iga0d1" },
+      checkpoint: "log2025-1.rekor.sigstore.dev\n43\ncm9vdA==\n",
+    });
   });
 
   it("returns null (never throws) for any response shape it does not recognize", () => {
     expect(parseRekorResponse(null)).toBeNull();
     expect(parseRekorResponse("a string")).toBeNull();
     expect(parseRekorResponse({})).toBeNull();
-    expect(parseRekorResponse({ x: {} })).toBeNull();
-    expect(parseRekorResponse({ x: { logIndex: "not-a-number", uuid: "u", logId: { keyId: "k" } } })).toBeNull();
-    expect(parseRekorResponse({ x: { logIndex: 1, uuid: "u", logId: null } })).toBeNull();
-    expect(parseRekorResponse({ x: { logIndex: 1, uuid: "u" } })).toBeNull();
-    expect(parseRekorResponse({ x: { logIndex: 1, uuid: "u", logId: { keyId: 7 } } })).toBeNull();
+    // The old v1 wrapper is itself unrecognized now -- a log still speaking v1 must fail loudly rather than
+    // half-parse into a backendRef that points nowhere.
+    expect(parseRekorResponse({ "24296fb24b8ad77a": { logIndex: 42, uuid: "24296fb24b8ad77a", logId: { keyId: "c2iga0d1" } } })).toBeNull();
   });
 });
 
@@ -76,7 +92,7 @@ describe("submitToRekor (#9272)", () => {
       seq: 1,
       backend: "rekor",
       status: "ok",
-      backendRef: { shardBaseUrl: "https://log2026-1.rekor.sigstore.dev", logIndex: 42, logIdKeyId: "c2iga0d1", uuid: "24296fb24b8ad77a" },
+      backendRef: { shardBaseUrl: "https://log2026-1.rekor.sigstore.dev", logIndex: 42, logIdKeyId: "c2iga0d1", checkpoint: expect.stringContaining("log2025-1.rekor.sigstore.dev") },
     });
     expect(fetchMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
       "https://log2026-1.rekor.sigstore.dev/api/v2/log/entries",
@@ -163,3 +179,61 @@ describe("submitToRekor (#9272)", () => {
     expect(anchors[0]!.error).toContain("/api/v2/log/entries");
   });
 });
+
+// #9851: the request side was v2 from the start (hashedRekordRequestV002, POST /api/v2/log/entries) but the
+// response parser expected v1 -- a uuid-keyed wrapper, a numeric logIndex, and a uuid field. Rekor v2 sends
+// none of those, so this backend could never record a successful anchor even when the log accepted the
+// submission. Found on a live instance: the failure moved from "fetch failed" to "did not match the expected
+// TransparencyLogEntry shape" once the shard URL was corrected.
+describe("parseRekorResponse against the real v2 shape (#9851)", () => {
+  it("REGRESSION: parses the entry DIRECTLY, not from a uuid-keyed wrapper", () => {
+    const parsed = parseRekorResponse(REKOR_RESPONSE);
+    expect(parsed).toMatchObject({ logIndex: 42, logId: { keyId: "c2iga0d1" } });
+  });
+
+  it("REGRESSION: accepts logIndex as a proto3-int64 STRING, which is what v2 actually sends", () => {
+    expect(parseRekorResponse({ ...REKOR_RESPONSE, logIndex: "907" })?.logIndex).toBe(907);
+  });
+
+  it("still accepts a numeric logIndex, so a future revision or a hand-built mock is not rejected", () => {
+    expect(parseRekorResponse({ ...REKOR_RESPONSE, logIndex: 907 })?.logIndex).toBe(907);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a logIndex that is not a number at all, rather than publishing NaN in a backendRef", () => {
+    for (const bad of ["", "  ", "not-a-number", null, undefined, {}, Number.NaN, Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY]) {
+      expect(parseRekorResponse({ ...REKOR_RESPONSE, logIndex: bad })).toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a missing or malformed logId, which is what identifies the log that signed the entry", () => {
+    for (const bad of [undefined, null, "c2iga0d1", {}, { keyId: "" }, { keyId: 7 }]) {
+      expect(parseRekorResponse({ ...REKOR_RESPONSE, logId: bad })).toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("extracts the checkpoint from inclusionProof -- the v2 locator that replaced uuid", () => {
+    expect(parseRekorResponse(REKOR_RESPONSE)?.checkpoint).toContain("log2025-1.rekor.sigstore.dev");
+  });
+
+  it("accepts a bare-string checkpoint as well as the { envelope } encoding", () => {
+    const bare = { ...REKOR_RESPONSE, inclusionProof: { checkpoint: "a-raw-checkpoint" } };
+    expect(parseRekorResponse(bare)?.checkpoint).toBe("a-raw-checkpoint");
+  });
+
+  it("records the entry with a NULL checkpoint rather than failing when the proof omits one", () => {
+    // The entry is still in the log; only the offline re-check is unavailable. Dropping the whole anchor
+    // because one optional field is absent would lose a real, successful submission.
+    for (const proof of [undefined, null, {}, { checkpoint: 42 }, { checkpoint: {} }]) {
+      const parsed = parseRekorResponse({ ...REKOR_RESPONSE, inclusionProof: proof });
+      expect(parsed).toMatchObject({ logIndex: 42 });
+      expect(parsed?.checkpoint).toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a non-object body outright", () => {
+    for (const bad of [null, undefined, "string", 42, []]) {
+      // An array has no logIndex, so it fails the same way an unexpected object would.
+      expect(parseRekorResponse(bad)).toBeNull();
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/unit/ledger-anchor-scheduler.test.ts b/test/unit/ledger-anchor-scheduler.test.ts
index aead87c67f..fc31725fcc 100644
--- a/test/unit/ledger-anchor-scheduler.test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/ledger-anchor-scheduler.test.ts
@@ -243,7 +243,11 @@ describe("runScheduledLedgerAnchor (#9274)", () => {
   it("uses the REAL submitToRekor by default when no submitRekor is injected", async () => {
     const { env } = await keyedEnv();
     await seedOneDecision(env);
-    const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(new Response(JSON.stringify({ x: { logIndex: 1, uuid: "u", logId: { keyId: "k" } } }), { status: 201 }));
+    // #9851: the real Rekor v2 TransparencyLogEntry -- the entry directly, logIndex as a proto3-int64 string.
+    // This mock was previously the v1 uuid-keyed wrapper, which the parser no longer accepts.
+    const fetchSpy = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(
+      new Response(JSON.stringify({ logIndex: "1", logId: { keyId: "k" }, inclusionProof: { checkpoint: { envelope: "cp" } } }), { status: 201 }),
+    );
     vi.stubGlobal("fetch", fetchSpy);
     try {
       await runScheduledLedgerAnchor(env, { isHourly: true }); // no deps at all -- exercises the real default