diff --git a/.wolf/buglog.json b/.wolf/buglog.json
index 11c07423..d8bdf437 100644
--- a/.wolf/buglog.json
+++ b/.wolf/buglog.json
@@ -16631,6 +16631,33 @@
         "4e484629"
       ],
       "record": ".wolf/bugs/bug-1895.md"
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "bug-1896",
+      "status": "open",
+      "status_updated": "2026-09-30",
+      "status_note": "newly logged",
+      "component": "controller",
+      "severity": "wrong-result",
+      "timestamp": "2026-09-30T04:32:34Z",
+      "last_seen": "2026-09-30T04:32:34Z",
+      "occurrences": 1,
+      "error_message": "Job arrays ignore the indices given in -J: arr[1-3] and arr[1,5,9] both become elements [0]..[2]\n\n**Observed:** submitting `xcecli jobs submit -J 'arr[1-3]' -q normal sleep 300` created elements numbered from 0:\n```\nJob <1-0-1790742148-0[0]> is submitted to default queue <normal>.\n1-0-1790742148-0[0]  admin RUN normal xce 1*worker* arr[0]\n1-0-1790742148-0[1]  admin RUN normal xce 1*worker* arr[1]\n1-0-1790742148-0[2]  admin RUN normal xce 1*worker* arr[2]\n```\n**Expected:** the elements carry the indices the user gave -- [1], [2], [3] here; [1], [5], [9] for `arr[1,5,9]`; steps such as `[1-10:2]` honored -- as in LSF, whose -J array syntax XCE follows (LSF indices start at 1).\n**Impact:** wrong result for every array job whose indices are not exactly 0..n-1: element numbers, %I substitution in output/input file names, and any index-based job control (`jobs kill <id>[5]`) refer to indices the user never asked for; gaps and steps are silently dropped.\n**Found by:** user question while verifying bug-1894's array-job check, 2026-09-29.",
+      "file": "src/frontend/apiserver/controllers/jobs.go (CreateJob, createArrayName), src/schema/controller.capnp (job submit arraySize), src/include/persist.h (WAL_JOB_ARRAY_SUBMIT), src/controller/job.c (array expansion), src/frontend/apiserver/backend/convert_pure.go (rawJobArrayToModels)",
+      "root_cause": "TODO: required for fixed/partial",
+      "fix": "TODO: required for fixed/partial\n\nVerification:\n- Test: TODO: name + file; RED before the fix, GREEN after\n- Suites: TODO: suite results and build profile\n- Live: TODO: soak/deploy run, or n/a and why",
+      "tags": [
+        "job-array",
+        "apiserver",
+        "controller",
+        "wal",
+        "lsf-compat"
+      ],
+      "related_bugs": [
+        "bug-1894"
+      ],
+      "fix_commits": [],
+      "record": ".wolf/bugs/bug-1896.md"
     }
   ]
 }
diff --git a/.wolf/bugs/bug-1896.md b/.wolf/bugs/bug-1896.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b0181a63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.wolf/bugs/bug-1896.md
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+---
+id: "bug-1896"
+status: "open"
+status_updated: "2026-09-30"
+status_note: "newly logged"
+component: "controller"
+severity: "wrong-result"
+timestamp: "2026-09-30T04:32:34Z"
+last_seen: "2026-09-30T04:32:34Z"
+occurrences: 1
+files: ["src/frontend/apiserver/controllers/jobs.go (CreateJob, createArrayName)", "src/schema/controller.capnp (job submit arraySize)", "src/include/persist.h (WAL_JOB_ARRAY_SUBMIT)", "src/controller/job.c (array expansion)", "src/frontend/apiserver/backend/convert_pure.go (rawJobArrayToModels)"]
+tags: ["job-array", "apiserver", "controller", "wal", "lsf-compat"]
+related: ["bug-1894"]
+---
+
+# bug-1896: Job arrays ignore the indices given in -J: arr[1-3] and arr[1,5,9] both become elements [0]..[2]
+
+## Description
+**Observed:** submitting `xcecli jobs submit -J 'arr[1-3]' -q normal sleep 300` created elements numbered from 0:
+```
+Job <1-0-1790742148-0[0]> is submitted to default queue <normal>.
+1-0-1790742148-0[0]  admin RUN normal xce 1*worker* arr[0]
+1-0-1790742148-0[1]  admin RUN normal xce 1*worker* arr[1]
+1-0-1790742148-0[2]  admin RUN normal xce 1*worker* arr[2]
+```
+**Expected:** the elements carry the indices the user gave -- [1], [2], [3] here; [1], [5], [9] for `arr[1,5,9]`; steps such as `[1-10:2]` honored -- as in LSF, whose -J array syntax XCE follows (LSF indices start at 1).
+**Impact:** wrong result for every array job whose indices are not exactly 0..n-1: element numbers, %I substitution in output/input file names, and any index-based job control (`jobs kill <id>[5]`) refer to indices the user never asked for; gaps and steps are silently dropped.
+**Found by:** user question while verifying bug-1894's array-job check, 2026-09-29.
+
+## Environment
+- OS: no /etc/os-release; Docker container; NixOS kernel; kernel Linux 6.18.33 x86_64
+- libc: glibc 2.42-47 (interpreter /nix/store/wb6rhpznjfczwlwx23zmdrrw74bayxw4-glibc-2.42-47/lib/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2)
+- Toolchain: gcc (GCC) 15.2.0, meson 1.9.1
+- Build: asan (xce.build)
+- Code: scheduler-framework @ 38afb98c-dirty
+- Deployment: local 3-node HA controller cluster + xcecd_virtual worker + scheduler + apiserver on :8080 (deploy-ha.sh + start-all.sh)
+
+## Reproduction
+1. Deploy a cluster with an apiserver (deploy-ha.sh + scripts/start-all.sh); `xcecli login -u admin -p admin --url http://localhost:8080`
+2. `xcecli jobs submit -J 'arr[1-3]' -q normal sleep 300 </dev/null; xcecli jobs list -u all`
+- Frequency: deterministic -- 1/1, 2026-09-29 (/home/claude/tmp/xce-1894b)
+- Evidence: code path -- createArrayName() parses the indices correctly ([1,2,3]), but CreateJob keeps only `arraySize = len(parsedIndices)`; the submit message carries only arraySize (controller.capnp), the WAL_JOB_ARRAY_SUBMIT entry only (base_jobid, array_size) (persist.h), and elements are expanded as base+0..base+size-1 by the controller and by the apiserver's rawJobArrayToModels. Deploy dir /home/claude/tmp/xce-1894b
+
+## Root cause
+TODO: required for fixed/partial
+
+## Fix
+TODO: required for fixed/partial
+
+## Verification
+- Test: TODO: name + file; RED before the fix, GREEN after
+- Suites: TODO: suite results and build profile
+- Live: TODO: soak/deploy run, or n/a and why
+
+## References
+- Related: none