diff --git a/docs/build-manual.py b/docs/build-manual.py
index 83d1168..c0fd62f 100644
--- a/docs/build-manual.py
+++ b/docs/build-manual.py
@@ -214,11 +214,11 @@ FILENAME_COMMENT_RE = re.compile(r"^#\s*(?:in\s+)?([\w-]+\.\w+)\s*$")
 
 CELL_SPLIT = re.compile(r"\s{2,}")
 
-# A solid rule line under a header row — the "Component Reference" tables'
+# A rule line under a header row — the "Component Reference" tables'
 # authoring convention (header, dashes, data rows all at the same indent,
-# no ":"-terminated label). Distinct enough from CELL_SPLIT-based prose that
-# it needs its own check rather than overloading _as_table's indent rule.
-RULE_RE = re.compile(r"^[─\-]{10,}$")
+# no ":"-terminated label). Either one solid run of dashes, or (RST-style)
+# one dash run per column, gapped the same way CELL_SPLIT splits cells.
+RULE_CELL_RE = re.compile(r"^[─\-]{3,}$")
 
 
 def _cell(text: str, code: bool) -> str:
@@ -280,7 +280,10 @@ def _as_ruled_table(para: list[str]) -> str | None:
     else that doesn't match the header's column count is a source alignment
     bug, so bail out to the code-block fallback rather than guess.
     """
-    if len(para) < 4 or not RULE_RE.match(para[1].strip()):
+    if len(para) < 4:
+        return None
+    rule_cells = CELL_SPLIT.split(para[1].strip())
+    if not all(RULE_CELL_RE.match(cell) for cell in rule_cells):
         return None
     header = CELL_SPLIT.split(para[0].strip())
     n = len(header)
diff --git a/docs/verify-manual.py b/docs/verify-manual.py
index 58cde59..33f14fd 100644
--- a/docs/verify-manual.py
+++ b/docs/verify-manual.py
@@ -437,6 +437,23 @@ def test_as_ruled_table_converts_header_rule_rows():
     assert "| `spwin` | Kitty or WezTerm |" in out
 
 
+def test_as_ruled_table_converts_per_column_dash_rule():
+    """RST-style rule (one dash run per column, gapped like the header) tables too."""
+    import build_manual
+
+    out = build_manual._as_ruled_table(
+        [
+            "Variable                        Disables",
+            "------------------------------  ------------------------------------",
+            "__fish_config_op_aliases        Command shadows and flag injection",
+            "__fish_config_op_autoexec       Startup side-effects",
+        ]
+    )
+    assert out is not None, "a per-column dashed rule was rejected"
+    assert out.splitlines()[0] == "| Variable | Disables |"
+    assert "| `__fish_config_op_aliases` | Command shadows and flag injection |" in out
+
+
 def test_as_ruled_table_folds_wrapped_continuations():
     """A row that splits into one cell continues the previous row's last column."""
     import build_manual