diff --git a/.github/workflows/pnpm-policy-inventory.yml b/.github/workflows/pnpm-policy-inventory.yml
index 28e4c9c..b737d3b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/pnpm-policy-inventory.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/pnpm-policy-inventory.yml
@@ -46,8 +46,10 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install dependencies
         run: pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
 
+      # `...` includes workspace dependencies: pnpm-policy imports yamlize,
+      # which imports nested-obj, and tsc needs their built type declarations.
       - name: Build pnpm-policy
-        run: pnpm --filter pnpm-policy run build
+        run: pnpm --filter 'pnpm-policy...' run build
 
       # The npm search endpoint is anonymous — no registry token needed — but it
       # rate-limits bursts, so requests are spaced out.
diff --git a/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/policy.test.ts b/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/policy.test.ts
index 057acfc..2f996d9 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/policy.test.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/policy.test.ts
@@ -128,6 +128,17 @@ describe('resolvePolicy', () => {
     expect(commentAt(comments.before, ['minimumReleaseAgeExclude'])).toContain('pyramation');
   });
 
+  it('agrees with the number of maintainers it names', () => {
+    const one = resolve({ maintainers: ['pyramation'] });
+    expect(commentAt(one.comments.before, ['minimumReleaseAgeExclude'])).toContain(
+      'pyramation publishes on npm'
+    );
+    const two = resolve({ maintainers: ['pyramation', 'dan'] });
+    expect(commentAt(two.comments.before, ['minimumReleaseAgeExclude'])).toContain(
+      'pyramation, dan publish on npm'
+    );
+  });
+
   it('carries each exception reason to the line it exempts', () => {
     const { comments, settings } = resolve({
       exceptions: [{ package: 'left-pad', reason: 'CVE-2026-1', until: '2027-01-01' }]
diff --git a/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/workspace.test.ts b/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/workspace.test.ts
index f04fe9e..33db8e4 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/workspace.test.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm-policy/__tests__/workspace.test.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,12 @@ describe('applyPolicy', () => {
     expect(out).not.toContain('allowBuilds');
   });
 
+  it('separates an appended key from the content it lands after', () => {
+    const out = applyPolicy('packages:\n  - packages/*\n', policyFor());
+    expect(out).toContain(`  - packages/*\n\n# ${MANAGED_MARKER}`);
+    expect(out).not.toMatch(/\n\n\n/);
+  });
+
   it('is idempotent — a second run changes nothing', () => {
     const once = applyPolicy('packages:\n  - packages/*\n', policyFor());
     expect(applyPolicy(once, policyFor())).toBe(once);
diff --git a/packages/pnpm-policy/src/policy.ts b/packages/pnpm-policy/src/policy.ts
index 821bbe6..1bd181e 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm-policy/src/policy.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm-policy/src/policy.ts
@@ -104,7 +104,9 @@ function buildComments(
       [
         `Exempt from the wait: ${sources.join(', ')}.`,
         config.maintainers.length
-          ? `First-party membership comes from what ${config.maintainers.join(', ')} publish on npm — waiting on your own release protects nothing.`
+          ? `First-party membership comes from what ${config.maintainers.join(', ')} ${
+              config.maintainers.length === 1 ? 'publishes' : 'publish'
+            } on npm — waiting on your own release protects nothing.`
           : 'First-party membership comes from the inventory.'
       ].join('\n')
     ]);
diff --git a/packages/pnpm-policy/src/workspace.ts b/packages/pnpm-policy/src/workspace.ts
index 809d83f..78f7a78 100644
--- a/packages/pnpm-policy/src/workspace.ts
+++ b/packages/pnpm-policy/src/workspace.ts
@@ -57,14 +57,18 @@ export function applyPolicy(
   }
 
   const first = Object.keys(policy.settings).find((key) => managed.includes(key));
-  const before = policy.comments.before.map(
-    ([path, text]): [CommentPath, string] =>
-      // The stamp goes on the first managed key rather than the top of the file,
-      // where it would fight with whatever the workspace already says there.
+  const before = policy.comments.before.map(([path, text]): [CommentPath, string] => {
+    // The stamp goes on the first managed key rather than the top of the file,
+    // where it would fight with whatever the workspace already says there.
+    const body =
       options.marker !== false && path.length === 1 && path[0] === first
-        ? [path, `${MANAGED_MARKER}\n\n${text}`]
-        : [path, text]
-  );
+        ? `${MANAGED_MARKER}\n\n${text}`
+        : text;
+    // A leading blank line keeps each managed block visually separate, which
+    // matters most for a key appended to the end of an existing file: it lands
+    // flush against whatever was already the last line.
+    return [path, path.length === 1 ? `\n${body}` : body];
+  });
 
   applyComments(doc, { before, inline: policy.comments.inline });
 
diff --git a/packages/yamlize/__tests__/comments.test.ts b/packages/yamlize/__tests__/comments.test.ts
index 8faecc2..4552c29 100644
--- a/packages/yamlize/__tests__/comments.test.ts
+++ b/packages/yamlize/__tests__/comments.test.ts
@@ -110,4 +110,18 @@ describe('applyComments', () => {
     applyComments(doc, { before: { age: 'current' } });
     expect(doc.toString()).toBe('# current\nage: 1\n');
   });
+
+  it('opens a blank line when the comment starts with one', () => {
+    const doc = parseDocument('packages:\n  - packages/*\n');
+    doc.set('age', 1);
+    applyComments(doc, { before: { age: '\nthe wait' } });
+    expect(doc.toString()).toBe('packages:\n  - packages/*\n\n# the wait\nage: 1\n');
+  });
+
+  it('does not open one otherwise', () => {
+    const doc = parseDocument('packages:\n  - packages/*\n');
+    doc.set('age', 1);
+    applyComments(doc, { before: { age: 'the wait' } });
+    expect(doc.toString()).toBe('packages:\n  - packages/*\n# the wait\nage: 1\n');
+  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/yamlize/src/comments.ts b/packages/yamlize/src/comments.ts
index 63e1ab0..6f2cf10 100644
--- a/packages/yamlize/src/comments.ts
+++ b/packages/yamlize/src/comments.ts
@@ -23,6 +23,20 @@ function commentText(text: string): string {
     .join('\n');
 }
 
+/**
+ * A leading blank line in the comment asks for a blank line in the output.
+ *
+ * The `yaml` package models that as `spaceBefore` on the node rather than as
+ * part of the comment, so it is stripped from the text and set on the node —
+ * otherwise a comment written as `'\ntext'` renders flush against whatever
+ * precedes it, which is exactly the separation the author was asking for.
+ */
+function splitSpaceBefore(text: string): { spaceBefore: boolean; text: string } {
+  return text.startsWith('\n')
+    ? { spaceBefore: true, text: text.slice(1) }
+    : { spaceBefore: false, text };
+}
+
 /** Read either comment map form as a list of path/text pairs. */
 function commentEntries(map: CommentMap | undefined): Array<[YamlPath, string]> {
   if (!map) return [];
@@ -132,9 +146,14 @@ export function applyComments(doc: Document, comments: CommentOptions): void {
     doc.comment = commentText(comments.footer);
   }
 
-  for (const [path, text] of commentEntries(comments.before)) {
-    const node = commentTarget(doc, path, false) as { commentBefore?: string } | undefined;
-    if (node) node.commentBefore = commentText(text);
+  for (const [path, raw] of commentEntries(comments.before)) {
+    const { spaceBefore, text } = splitSpaceBefore(raw);
+    const node = commentTarget(doc, path, false) as
+      | { commentBefore?: string; spaceBefore?: boolean }
+      | undefined;
+    if (!node) continue;
+    node.commentBefore = commentText(text);
+    if (spaceBefore) node.spaceBefore = true;
   }
 
   for (const [path, text] of commentEntries(comments.inline)) {