diff --git a/graphify/cache.py b/graphify/cache.py
index b35851ba..1a7d42d0 100644
--- a/graphify/cache.py
+++ b/graphify/cache.py
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ def _normalize_path(path: Path) -> Path:
     return Path(os.path.normcase(s))
 
 
-def file_hash(path: Path, root: Path = Path(".")) -> str:
+def file_hash(path: Path, root: Path = Path("."), cache_root: "Path | None" = None) -> str:
     """SHA256 of file contents + path relative to root.
 
     Uses a stat-based fastpath (size + mtime_ns) to skip full reads when the
@@ -179,7 +179,11 @@ def file_hash(path: Path, root: Path = Path(".")) -> str:
     if not p.is_file():
         raise IsADirectoryError(f"file_hash requires a file, got: {p}")
 
-    _ensure_stat_index(root)
+    # The stat index is a cache artifact, so it must follow the cache location
+    # (cache_root), not the key-anchor root — otherwise it leaves a stray
+    # graphify-out/cache/stat-index.json inside the analyzed source tree even when
+    # the AST cache itself is redirected to CWD (#1774 completion).
+    _ensure_stat_index(root, cache_root=cache_root)
     abs_key = str(p.resolve())
     st: "os.stat_result | None" = None
     try:
@@ -377,7 +381,7 @@ def load_cached(path: Path, root: Path = Path("."), kind: str = "ast",
     """
     location = cache_root if cache_root is not None else root
     try:
-        h = file_hash(path, root)
+        h = file_hash(path, root, cache_root=cache_root)
     except OSError:
         return None
     entry = cache_dir(location, kind) / f"{h}.json"
@@ -428,7 +432,7 @@ def save_cached(path: Path, result: dict, root: Path = Path("."), kind: str = "a
         import copy as _copy
         on_disk = _copy.deepcopy(result)
         _relativize_source_files_in(on_disk, root)
-    h = file_hash(p, root)
+    h = file_hash(p, root, cache_root=cache_root)
     location = cache_root if cache_root is not None else root
     target_dir = cache_dir(location, kind)
     entry = target_dir / f"{h}.json"
diff --git a/tests/test_extract_cache_location.py b/tests/test_extract_cache_location.py
index c8e04bc9..89acc9c0 100644
--- a/tests/test_extract_cache_location.py
+++ b/tests/test_extract_cache_location.py
@@ -17,9 +17,19 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import graphify.extract as ex
+import graphify.cache as cache
 from graphify.cache import load_cached, file_hash
 
 
+def _reset_stat_index():
+    """The stat-index location is chosen once per process via a module global
+    (#1747). Reset it so a test sees a fresh-process decision — otherwise an
+    earlier test pins the location and masks where THIS extract would write it."""
+    cache._stat_index_root = None
+    cache._stat_index = {}
+    cache._stat_index_dirty = False
+
+
 def _make_corpus(base: Path) -> Path:
     corpus = base / "corpus"
     corpus.mkdir()
@@ -29,6 +39,7 @@ def _make_corpus(base: Path) -> Path:
 
 
 def test_default_cache_lands_in_cwd_not_source_tree(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    _reset_stat_index()
     corpus = _make_corpus(tmp_path)
     work = tmp_path / "work"
     work.mkdir()
@@ -37,13 +48,38 @@ def test_default_cache_lands_in_cwd_not_source_tree(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     result = ex.extract([corpus / "a.py", corpus / "b.py"], parallel=False)
 
     assert result["nodes"], "extraction should still produce nodes"
+    # Nothing at all in the source tree — not the AST cache, and not the
+    # stat-index.json the hash fastpath writes (which file_hash used to anchor on
+    # the key-root, leaving a stray graphify-out/ in a writable corpus, #1774).
     assert not (corpus / "graphify-out").exists(), (
-        "cache written into the analyzed source tree (#1774)"
+        "cache/stat-index written into the analyzed source tree (#1774)"
     )
     assert (work / "graphify-out" / "cache").is_dir(), "cache should land under CWD"
 
 
+def test_default_cache_does_not_leave_stat_index_in_source_tree(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Fresh-process regression for the stat-index leak specifically: even for a
+    WRITABLE out-of-CWD corpus (where the write would succeed), file_hash's
+    stat-index must follow the cache location, not the key anchor (#1774)."""
+    _reset_stat_index()
+    corpus = _make_corpus(tmp_path)
+    work = tmp_path / "elsewhere"
+    work.mkdir()
+    monkeypatch.chdir(work)
+
+    ex.extract([corpus / "a.py", corpus / "b.py"], parallel=False)
+    # The stat index is buffered in memory and flushed at interpreter exit; force
+    # the flush now so we can assert WHERE it lands.
+    cache._flush_stat_index()
+
+    assert not (corpus / "graphify-out").exists(), "stat-index leaked into the corpus"
+    assert (work / "graphify-out" / "cache" / "stat-index.json").exists(), (
+        "stat-index should be written under the cache location (CWD)"
+    )
+
+
 def test_explicit_cache_root_still_wins(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    _reset_stat_index()
     corpus = _make_corpus(tmp_path)
     work = tmp_path / "work"
     work.mkdir()