diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index dfebb48..37ad41d 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -8,9 +8,7 @@ COVER_MIN := 90
 # Packages excluded from the coverage gate: pgtest exists only to be imported
 # from other repos' _test.go files, and is itself exercised by the
 # container-backed integration tests, which the gate deliberately does not run.
-# keyring_linux.go is the keyctl syscall layer; its tests skip wherever seccomp
-# blocks keyctl (CI containers), so it cannot count towards the gate.
-COVER_EXCLUDE := /pg/pgtest/|/keyring/keyring_linux.go
+COVER_EXCLUDE := /pg/pgtest/
 
 .PHONY: all build test test-all cover vet fmt lint tidy clean pre-commit patch minor major _tag
 
diff --git a/keyring/keyring_linux.go b/keyring/keyring_linux.go
index 511e387..c535796 100644
--- a/keyring/keyring_linux.go
+++ b/keyring/keyring_linux.go
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func (k *Keyring) lookup() (int, []byte, error) {
 	id, err := unix.KeyctlSearch(unix.KEY_SPEC_USER_KEYRING, "user", k.desc, 0)
 	if err != nil {
 		if missing(err) {
-			return 0, nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %v", ErrKeyUnavailable, err)
+			return 0, nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: %w", ErrKeyUnavailable, err)
 		}
 		return 0, nil, fmt.Errorf("keyring: search %q: %w", k.desc, err)
 	}
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ func (k *Keyring) getOrCreate() ([]byte, error) {
 		// An unusable key of our description blocks the exclusive link.
 		if id != 0 {
 			unlink(id)
-		} else {
+		} else if errors.Is(err, unix.EKEYREVOKED) || errors.Is(err, unix.EKEYEXPIRED) {
 			purgeDead()
 		}
 		key, err = k.create()
@@ -147,8 +147,9 @@ func (k *Keyring) create() ([]byte, error) {
 	return key, nil
 }
 
-// purgeDead unlinks revoked and expired keys from the user keyring. Their
-// description can no longer be read, so all of them go; they are inert.
+// purgeDead unlinks every revoked or expired key in the user keyring: a dead key
+// cannot be described, so ours cannot be singled out. Call it only after the
+// search hit a dead key of our description.
 func purgeDead() {
 	buf := make([]byte, 256)
 	for {
diff --git a/keyring/keyring_linux_test.go b/keyring/keyring_linux_test.go
index aa8bd5d..7f2bbb5 100644
--- a/keyring/keyring_linux_test.go
+++ b/keyring/keyring_linux_test.go
@@ -114,7 +114,10 @@ func TestKernelForget(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestKernelWrongSizedKeyIsReplaced(t *testing.T) {
 	k := open(t)
-	sealed, _ := k.Seal([]byte("secret"))
+	sealed, err := k.Seal([]byte("secret"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
 	if _, err := unix.AddKey("user", k.desc, []byte("short"), unix.KEY_SPEC_USER_KEYRING); err != nil {
 		t.Fatal(err)
 	}
@@ -180,6 +183,28 @@ func TestKernelExternallyRevokedKeyIsReplaced(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+// Another application's dead key in the user keyring is not ours to unlink.
+func TestKernelForeignDeadKeySurvivesOpen(t *testing.T) {
+	open(t) // skips where keyctl is blocked
+	id, err := unix.AddKey("user", fmt.Sprintf("golib-test-foreign:%s:%d", t.Name(), os.Getpid()), []byte("x"), unix.KEY_SPEC_USER_KEYRING)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { unlink(id) })
+	if _, err := unix.KeyctlInt(unix.KEYCTL_REVOKE, id, 0, 0, 0); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	k, err := Open(fmt.Sprintf("golib-test:%s:%d:fresh", t.Name(), os.Getpid()))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Cleanup(func() { _ = k.Forget() })
+	// Unlinking an id that is no longer linked fails with ENOENT.
+	if _, err := unix.KeyctlInt(unix.KEYCTL_UNLINK, id, unix.KEY_SPEC_USER_KEYRING, 0, 0); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("foreign dead key was unlinked: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestOpenEmptyDescription(t *testing.T) {
 	if _, err := Open(""); err == nil {
 		t.Fatal("Open(\"\") succeeded")