diff --git a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatus.cs b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatus.cs
index 7a692272..3623bc98 100644
--- a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatus.cs
+++ b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatus.cs
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ public LuaStatus LuaStatus
 	public static ProcessOperationStatus GlobalUnavailable =>
 		new(ProcessOperationStatusKind.GlobalUnavailable, LuaStatus.Ok);
 
-	/// <summary>Gets a status for a result outside the documented process-observation shape.</summary>
+	/// <summary>Gets a status for a result outside the documented process selection or observation shape.</summary>
 	public static ProcessOperationStatus InvalidResult => new(ProcessOperationStatusKind.InvalidResult, LuaStatus.Ok);
 
 	/// <summary>
diff --git a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatusKind.cs b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatusKind.cs
index f52f2e99..a631f25b 100644
--- a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatusKind.cs
+++ b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/ProcessOperationStatusKind.cs
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ public enum ProcessOperationStatusKind
 	TargetNotAttached = 2,
 
 	/// <summary>
-	///     An explicit selection call returned normally, but the immediately observed process was absent or did not match
-	///     the requested identifier.
+	///     An explicit selection returned no valid-handle confirmation (nil or false), or its immediately observed
+	///     process was absent or did not match the requested identifier.
 	/// </summary>
 	SelectionNotConfirmed = 3,
 
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ public enum ProcessOperationStatusKind
 	/// <summary>A protected Lua lookup or invocation failed.</summary>
 	ProtectedLuaFailure = 5,
 
-	/// <summary>The host returned a value outside the documented process-observation shape.</summary>
+	/// <summary>The host returned a value outside the documented process selection or observation shape.</summary>
 	InvalidResult = 6,
 
 	/// <summary>
diff --git a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs
index f0e5cf2d..0217facf 100644
--- a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs
+++ b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperations.cs
@@ -55,8 +55,9 @@ public static ProcessOperationStatus ObserveCurrent(out CurrentProcessObservatio
 	/// <param name="processId">The positive process identifier to select.</param>
 	/// <param name="observation">The copied matching target observation only when the returned status is successful.</param>
 	/// <returns>
-	///     The factual protected selection status. A normal <c>openProcess</c> return is not success by itself: success
-	///     requires the next <c>getOpenedProcessID</c> observation to equal <paramref name="processId" />.
+	///     The factual protected selection status. Success requires <c>openProcess</c> to return boolean
+	///     <see langword="true" />, confirming CE's nonzero process handle, and the next <c>getOpenedProcessID</c>
+	///     observation to equal <paramref name="processId" />. A missing or false confirmation refuses selection.
 	/// </returns>
 	/// <exception cref="ArgumentOutOfRangeException"><paramref name="processId" /> is default or otherwise non-positive.</exception>
 	/// <exception cref="InvalidOperationException">The plugin is not enabled or the calling thread has no Lua state.</exception>
@@ -304,10 +305,26 @@ private static ProcessOperationStatus TryOpenProcess(LuaState state, TargetProce
 		}
 
 		state.PushInteger(processId.Value);
-		LuaStatus luaStatus = state.TryCall(1, 0);
-		return luaStatus.IsOk
+		LuaStatus luaStatus = state.TryCall(1, 1);
+		if (!luaStatus.IsOk)
+		{
+			return ProcessOperationStatus.ProtectedLuaFailure(luaStatus);
+		}
+
+		// CE assigns the requested PID before opening its handle. Only its true return confirms both.
+		LuaType resultType = state.TypeOf(-1);
+		if (resultType == LuaType.Nil)
+		{
+			return ProcessOperationStatus.SelectionNotConfirmed;
+		}
+		if (resultType != LuaType.Boolean)
+		{
+			return ProcessOperationStatus.InvalidResult;
+		}
+
+		return state.ToBoolean(-1)
 			? ProcessOperationStatus.Success
-			: ProcessOperationStatus.ProtectedLuaFailure(luaStatus);
+			: ProcessOperationStatus.SelectionNotConfirmed;
 	}
 
 	private static ProcessOperationStatus TryCallBoolean(LuaState state, LuaRef cache, ReadOnlySpan<byte> globalName,
diff --git a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/README.md b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/README.md
index 973c1a5a..ab0f2c77 100644
--- a/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/README.md
+++ b/libs/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine/README.md
@@ -372,7 +372,8 @@ observations `RuntimeProcessOperations.ObserveTargetArchitecture` and `TryGetCon
 `RuntimeObservations.TryObserveRuntimeInfo` and `InstructionProfiles.TryObserveCurrent` also read it last and report a
 difference as `TargetChanged`; instruction operations re-check it before and after their Cheat Engine call.
 `TargetSelection.ObserveCurrent` and `RuntimeProcessOperations.ObserveCurrent` read it once, before their other probes,
-and `RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve` reads it once, after `openProcess`, to confirm the selection.
+and `RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve` first requires `openProcess` to return boolean `true`, confirming
+CE's nonzero process handle, then reads the PID once to confirm the selection. A reported PID alone is insufficient.
 
 | Fact                              | CE global                    | SDK member                                                                                                                               | When unknown                                             |
 |-----------------------------------|------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
diff --git a/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs b/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs
index 0233766b..70780d4a 100644
--- a/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs
+++ b/tests/CheatEngine.SDK.Engine.Tests/Processes/RuntimeProcessOperationsTests.cs
@@ -250,7 +250,7 @@ public void SelectAndObserve_explicit_pid_requires_the_next_ce_observation_to_ma
 		LuaState lua = scope.State;
 		EngineTest.Run(lua, """
 		                    opened = 0
-		                    function openProcess(id) opened = id end
+		                    function openProcess(id) opened = id return true end
 		                    function getOpenedProcessID() return opened end
 		                    function targetIs64Bit() return true end
 		                    """u8);
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ public void SelectAndObserve_unconfirmed_or_failing_selection_keeps_outcomes_dis
 		{
 			LuaState lua = mismatchScope.State;
 			EngineTest.Run(lua, """
-			                    function openProcess(_) end
+			                    function openProcess(_) return true end
 			                    function getOpenedProcessID() return 77 end
 			                    function targetIs64Bit() error('must not be called after a mismatched PID') end
 			                    """u8);
@@ -298,6 +298,37 @@ function targetIs64Bit() error('must not be called after a mismatched PID') end
 		Assert.Equal(0, failureScope.State.Top);
 	}
 
+	[Theory]
+	[InlineData("", ProcessOperationStatusKind.SelectionNotConfirmed)]
+	[InlineData("return false", ProcessOperationStatusKind.SelectionNotConfirmed)]
+	[InlineData("return 'true'", ProcessOperationStatusKind.InvalidResult)]
+	[InlineData("return 1", ProcessOperationStatusKind.InvalidResult)]
+	[InlineData("return {}", ProcessOperationStatusKind.InvalidResult)]
+	public void SelectAndObserve_rejects_an_unconfirmed_or_malformed_open_process_result(
+		string returned, ProcessOperationStatusKind expected)
+	{
+		EngineTest.RequireNativeLua();
+		using NativeLuaState state = new();
+		using HostScope scope = new(state);
+		LuaState lua = scope.State;
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes($$"""
+		                    pidReads = 0
+		                    bitnessReads = 0
+		                    function openProcess(id) opened = id {{returned}} end
+		                    function getOpenedProcessID() pidReads = pidReads + 1 return opened end
+		                    function targetIs64Bit() bitnessReads = bitnessReads + 1 return true end
+		                    """));
+
+		ProcessOperationStatus status = RuntimeProcessOperations.SelectAndObserve(new TargetProcessId(42),
+			out CurrentProcessObservation observation);
+
+		Assert.Equal(expected, status.Kind);
+		Assert.Equal(default, observation);
+		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
+		EngineTest.Run(lua, "assert(pidReads == 0 and bitnessReads == 0, 'unconfirmed selection was observed')"u8);
+		Assert.Equal(0, lua.Top);
+	}
+
 	[Fact]
 	public void SelectAndObserve_rejects_a_default_process_identifier_before_entering_the_lua_runtime()
 	{