diff --git a/crates/kebab-cli/src/main.rs b/crates/kebab-cli/src/main.rs
index 797d419..4614bee 100644
--- a/crates/kebab-cli/src/main.rs
+++ b/crates/kebab-cli/src/main.rs
@@ -614,26 +614,12 @@ fn run(cli: &Cli) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
                 // `근거:` header.
                 let print_citations = *show_citations && !*hide_citations;
                 if print_citations && !ans.citations.is_empty() {
-                    println!();
-                    println!("근거:");
-                    for (idx, c) in ans.citations.iter().enumerate() {
-                        let marker = c
-                            .marker
-                            .clone()
-                            .unwrap_or_else(|| format!("{}", idx + 1));
-                        println!("  [{}] {}", marker, c.citation.to_uri());
-                    }
-                    // p9-fb-20: retrieval 메타는 citation 별 점수가
-                    // AnswerCitation 에 없는 (`top_score` 만 retrieval-
-                    // 전체 max) 한계상 한 줄로 분리. per-citation score
-                    // 노출은 facade + AnswerCitation 의 미래 확장 후.
-                    println!(
-                        "(retrieval: top_score={:.2}, k={}, used={}/{})",
-                        ans.retrieval.top_score,
-                        ans.retrieval.k,
-                        ans.retrieval.chunks_used,
-                        ans.retrieval.chunks_returned,
-                    );
+                    // p9-fb-32: yellow `[stale]` prefix on TTY (mirrors
+                    // the search renderer's pattern in `Cmd::Search`).
+                    use std::io::IsTerminal;
+                    let color = std::io::stdout().is_terminal();
+                    let mut out = std::io::stdout().lock();
+                    render_ask_plain_citations(&mut out, &ans, color)?;
                 }
             }
             // Refusal → exit 1.
@@ -878,6 +864,54 @@ fn run(cli: &Cli) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
     }
 }
 
+/// p9-fb-32: render the plain (non-JSON) citation block for `kebab ask`.
+/// Mirrors the `Cmd::Search` plain renderer's `[stale]` convention —
+/// yellow ANSI on TTY, plain text otherwise. Detection uses stdlib
+/// `IsTerminal` at the call site; this function takes the resolved
+/// `color` boolean so tests can pin both branches deterministically.
+///
+/// Skipping the empty / no-citation path is the caller's responsibility
+/// (matches the original inline guard at the call site).
+fn render_ask_plain_citations(
+    w: &mut impl std::io::Write,
+    ans: &kebab_core::Answer,
+    color: bool,
+) -> std::io::Result<()> {
+    writeln!(w)?;
+    writeln!(w, "근거:")?;
+    for (idx, c) in ans.citations.iter().enumerate() {
+        let marker = c
+            .marker
+            .clone()
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| format!("{}", idx + 1));
+        // p9-fb-32: `[stale]` prefix on the URI for citations whose
+        // `stale: true`. Yellow on TTY, plain otherwise — mirrors the
+        // search-plain renderer in `Cmd::Search`.
+        let stale_tag = if c.stale {
+            if color {
+                "\x1b[33m[stale]\x1b[0m "
+            } else {
+                "[stale] "
+            }
+        } else {
+            ""
+        };
+        writeln!(w, "  [{}] {}{}", marker, stale_tag, c.citation.to_uri())?;
+    }
+    // p9-fb-20: retrieval 메타는 citation 별 점수가 AnswerCitation 에
+    // 없는 (`top_score` 만 retrieval-전체 max) 한계상 한 줄로 분리.
+    // per-citation score 노출은 facade + AnswerCitation 의 미래 확장 후.
+    writeln!(
+        w,
+        "(retrieval: top_score={:.2}, k={}, used={}/{})",
+        ans.retrieval.top_score,
+        ans.retrieval.k,
+        ans.retrieval.chunks_used,
+        ans.retrieval.chunks_returned,
+    )?;
+    Ok(())
+}
+
 fn print_schema_text(s: &kebab_app::SchemaV1) {
     println!("kebab v{}", s.kebab_version);
     println!();
@@ -955,3 +989,107 @@ fn confirm_destructive(
     Ok(matches!(s.as_str(), "y" | "yes"))
 }
 
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    //! p9-fb-32: unit tests for `render_ask_plain_citations`. The
+    //! integration end-to-end (`tests/wire_ask_stale.rs`) is gated on
+    //! a real Ollama, so we cover the renderer's `[stale]` logic here
+    //! against a synthetic `Answer` instead.
+    use super::*;
+    use kebab_core::{
+        Answer, AnswerCitation, AnswerRetrievalSummary, Citation, ModelRef,
+        PromptTemplateVersion, SearchMode, TokenUsage, TraceId, WorkspacePath,
+    };
+    use time::OffsetDateTime;
+
+    fn mk_answer(citations: Vec<AnswerCitation>) -> Answer {
+        Answer {
+            answer: "ans".into(),
+            citations,
+            grounded: true,
+            refusal_reason: None,
+            model: ModelRef {
+                id: "test".into(),
+                provider: "test".into(),
+                dimensions: None,
+            },
+            embedding: None,
+            prompt_template_version: PromptTemplateVersion("rag-v1".into()),
+            retrieval: AnswerRetrievalSummary {
+                trace_id: TraceId("ret_test".into()),
+                mode: SearchMode::Lexical,
+                k: 5,
+                score_gate: 0.30,
+                top_score: 0.80,
+                chunks_returned: 1,
+                chunks_used: 1,
+            },
+            usage: TokenUsage {
+                prompt_tokens: 0,
+                completion_tokens: 0,
+                latency_ms: 0,
+            },
+            created_at: OffsetDateTime::now_utc(),
+            conversation_id: None,
+            turn_index: None,
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn mk_citation(path: &str, stale: bool) -> AnswerCitation {
+        AnswerCitation {
+            marker: Some("1".into()),
+            citation: Citation::Line {
+                path: WorkspacePath::new(path.into()).unwrap(),
+                start: 1,
+                end: 1,
+                section: None,
+            },
+            indexed_at: OffsetDateTime::now_utc(),
+            stale,
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn plain_marks_stale_citation_no_color() {
+        let ans = mk_answer(vec![mk_citation("a.md", true)]);
+        let mut buf = Vec::new();
+        render_ask_plain_citations(&mut buf, &ans, false).unwrap();
+        let out = String::from_utf8(buf).unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            out.contains("[stale]"),
+            "expected `[stale]` marker in plain output, got:\n{out}"
+        );
+        // No ANSI when color = false.
+        assert!(
+            !out.contains("\x1b["),
+            "unexpected ANSI escape in non-color output:\n{out}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn plain_marks_stale_citation_color_uses_yellow_ansi() {
+        let ans = mk_answer(vec![mk_citation("a.md", true)]);
+        let mut buf = Vec::new();
+        render_ask_plain_citations(&mut buf, &ans, true).unwrap();
+        let out = String::from_utf8(buf).unwrap();
+        // Yellow ANSI + reset around the `[stale]` token, mirroring the
+        // search-plain renderer in `Cmd::Search`.
+        assert!(
+            out.contains("\x1b[33m[stale]\x1b[0m"),
+            "expected yellow [stale] ANSI sequence in color output, got:\n{out:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn plain_no_stale_tag_for_fresh_citation() {
+        let ans = mk_answer(vec![mk_citation("a.md", false)]);
+        let mut buf = Vec::new();
+        render_ask_plain_citations(&mut buf, &ans, true).unwrap();
+        let out = String::from_utf8(buf).unwrap();
+        assert!(
+            !out.contains("[stale]"),
+            "unexpected `[stale]` marker for fresh citation:\n{out}"
+        );
+    }
+}
+
diff --git a/crates/kebab-cli/tests/wire_ask_stale.rs b/crates/kebab-cli/tests/wire_ask_stale.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..50ad7dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/kebab-cli/tests/wire_ask_stale.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+//! p9-fb-32: CLI ask output — JSON path emits `indexed_at` + `stale`
+//! on each citation; plain output prefixes stale citations with
+//! `[stale]` (yellow on TTY).
+//!
+//! These end-to-end checks exercise `kebab ask`, which requires a real
+//! Ollama on `127.0.0.1:11434` (same constraint as
+//! `kebab-app/tests/ask_smoke.rs`). Both tests are therefore
+//! `#[ignore]` by default — run with
+//! `cargo test -p kebab-cli --test wire_ask_stale -- --ignored`
+//! against a live Ollama.
+//!
+//! The `[stale]` rendering logic itself is also covered by a unit test
+//! in `kebab-cli/src/main.rs` (`tests::plain_marks_stale_citation_*`)
+//! that constructs a synthetic `Answer` and pipes it through
+//! `render_ask_plain_citations` — that path is the always-on guard.
+
+use std::fs;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
+use std::process::Command;
+
+/// Build a `config.toml` text under `dir`. `workspace_root` and
+/// `data_dir` live inside `dir`. `stale_threshold_days` is plumbed
+/// into `[search]` so the staleness post-process can fire.
+fn write_config(dir: &Path, stale_threshold_days: u32) -> (PathBuf, PathBuf, PathBuf) {
+    let workspace = dir.join("workspace");
+    let data = dir.join("data");
+    fs::create_dir_all(&workspace).unwrap();
+    fs::create_dir_all(&data).unwrap();
+
+    let cfg_path = dir.join("config.toml");
+    fs::write(
+        &cfg_path,
+        format!(
+            r#"schema_version = 1
+
+[workspace]
+root = "{workspace}"
+exclude = [".git/**"]
+
+[storage]
+data_dir = "{data}"
+sqlite = "{{data_dir}}/kebab.sqlite"
+vector_dir = "{{data_dir}}/lancedb"
+asset_dir = "{{data_dir}}/assets"
+artifact_dir = "{{data_dir}}/artifacts"
+model_dir = "{{data_dir}}/models"
+runs_dir = "{{data_dir}}/runs"
+copy_threshold_mb = 100
+
+[indexing]
+max_parallel_extractors = 2
+max_parallel_embeddings = 1
+watch_filesystem = false
+
+[chunking]
+target_tokens = 80
+overlap_tokens = 20
+respect_markdown_headings = true
+chunker_version = "md-heading-v1"
+
+[models.embedding]
+provider = "none"
+model = "none"
+version = "v0"
+dimensions = 0
+batch_size = 1
+
+[models.llm]
+provider = "ollama"
+model = "gemma4:e4b"
+context_tokens = 4096
+endpoint = "http://127.0.0.1:11434"
+temperature = 0.0
+seed = 0
+
+[search]
+default_k = 10
+hybrid_fusion = "rrf"
+rrf_k = 60
+snippet_chars = 220
+stale_threshold_days = {stale_threshold_days}
+
+[rag]
+prompt_template_version = "rag-v1"
+score_gate = 0.30
+explain_default = false
+max_context_tokens = 8000
+"#,
+            workspace = workspace.display(),
+            data = data.display(),
+            stale_threshold_days = stale_threshold_days,
+        ),
+    )
+    .unwrap();
+    (cfg_path, workspace, data)
+}
+
+fn ingest(cfg: &Path, workspace: &Path) {
+    let bin = env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_kebab");
+    let out = Command::new(bin)
+        .args([
+            "--config",
+            cfg.to_str().unwrap(),
+            "ingest",
+            "--root",
+            workspace.to_str().unwrap(),
+        ])
+        .output()
+        .unwrap();
+    assert!(
+        out.status.success(),
+        "ingest failed: stderr={}",
+        String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stderr)
+    );
+}
+
+/// Run `kebab ask` in lexical mode (no embedding required). `json`
+/// toggles `--json`. The caller asserts on the resulting stdout.
+fn run_ask_lexical(cfg: &Path, query: &str, json: bool) -> std::process::Output {
+    let bin = env!("CARGO_BIN_EXE_kebab");
+    let mut cmd = Command::new(bin);
+    cmd.arg("--config").arg(cfg);
+    if json {
+        cmd.arg("--json");
+    }
+    cmd.args(["ask", "--mode", "lexical", query]);
+    cmd.output().unwrap()
+}
+
+/// Rewrite `documents.updated_at` for one workspace path to
+/// `now - days_ago` (RFC3339 UTC). Mirrors
+/// `kebab-app/tests/common/mod.rs::backdate_document_updated_at`.
+fn backdate_updated_at(data_dir: &Path, workspace_path: &str, days_ago: i64) {
+    let backdated = (time::OffsetDateTime::now_utc() - time::Duration::days(days_ago))
+        .format(&time::format_description::well_known::Rfc3339)
+        .expect("format backdated updated_at");
+    let db_path = data_dir.join("kebab.sqlite");
+    let conn = rusqlite::Connection::open(&db_path).expect("open kebab.sqlite");
+    let updated = conn
+        .execute(
+            "UPDATE documents SET updated_at = ?1 WHERE workspace_path = ?2",
+            rusqlite::params![backdated, workspace_path],
+        )
+        .expect("UPDATE documents.updated_at");
+    assert_eq!(
+        updated, 1,
+        "backdate_updated_at: expected to update exactly 1 row for {workspace_path}, got {updated}"
+    );
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[ignore = "requires real Ollama on 127.0.0.1:11434"]
+fn ask_json_citations_include_indexed_at_and_stale() {
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let (cfg, workspace, data) = write_config(dir.path(), 30);
+    fs::write(workspace.join("a.md"), "# T\n\napples are fruit\n").unwrap();
+    ingest(&cfg, &workspace);
+    backdate_updated_at(&data, "a.md", 60);
+
+    // ask returns exit 1 on refusal; the JSON envelope still goes to
+    // stdout. Don't assert on `status.success()` — accept either path
+    // and require the citations array to be present + structurally valid.
+    let out = run_ask_lexical(&cfg, "what about apples", true);
+    let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
+    let answer: serde_json::Value = serde_json::from_str(stdout.trim())
+        .unwrap_or_else(|e| panic!("expected JSON answer, got {stdout:?}: {e}"));
+    let cits = answer["citations"]
+        .as_array()
+        .unwrap_or_else(|| panic!("expected citations array, got {answer}"));
+    if let Some(cit) = cits.first() {
+        // Schema fields are always present on a structurally-valid
+        // AnswerCitation (serde-derived per Task 2 + Task 8).
+        assert!(
+            cit.get("indexed_at").is_some(),
+            "missing indexed_at on citation: {cit}"
+        );
+        assert!(
+            cit.get("stale").is_some(),
+            "missing stale on citation: {cit}"
+        );
+        assert_eq!(
+            cit["stale"], true,
+            "doc backdated 60d at threshold 30d must be stale: {cit}"
+        );
+    }
+    // If the model refused with zero citations the schema-shape claim
+    // is vacuously true; the unit-test path
+    // (`tests::plain_marks_stale_citation_*` in main.rs) is the
+    // always-on guard.
+}
+
+#[test]
+#[ignore = "requires real Ollama on 127.0.0.1:11434"]
+fn ask_plain_marks_stale_citation() {
+    let dir = tempfile::tempdir().unwrap();
+    let (cfg, workspace, data) = write_config(dir.path(), 30);
+    fs::write(workspace.join("a.md"), "# T\n\napples are fruit\n").unwrap();
+    ingest(&cfg, &workspace);
+    backdate_updated_at(&data, "a.md", 60);
+
+    // Refusal exits 1 — that's still fine here, the renderer prints
+    // the citation block before the refusal exit when citations exist.
+    // If the model refused with zero citations, this test is
+    // best-effort (skip the assert): the unit-test path in main.rs
+    // (`tests::plain_marks_stale_citation_*`) is the always-on guard.
+    let out = run_ask_lexical(&cfg, "what about apples", false);
+    let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&out.stdout);
+    if stdout.contains("근거:") {
+        assert!(
+            stdout.contains("[stale]"),
+            "stale tag missing in plain ask output:\n{stdout}"
+        );
+    }
+}