diff --git a/SKILL.md b/SKILL.md
index fa2729051..3a7c77cf9 100644
--- a/SKILL.md
+++ b/SKILL.md
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/autoplan/SKILL.md b/autoplan/SKILL.md
index 50c2b30ce..08c4b22aa 100644
--- a/autoplan/SKILL.md
+++ b/autoplan/SKILL.md
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -431,10 +436,12 @@ If the Read fails (file not found), say:
 After /office-hours completes, re-run the design doc check:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Fallback: legacy global path
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 ```
 
@@ -571,10 +578,10 @@ instructions instead of reviewing the plan.
 Before doing anything, save the plan file's current state to an external file:
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-')
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
-echo "RESTORE_PATH=$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/${BRANCH}-autoplan-restore-${DATETIME}.md"
+echo "RESTORE_PATH=$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans/${BRANCH}-autoplan-restore-${DATETIME}.md"
 ```
 
 Write the plan file's full contents to the restore path with this header:
@@ -596,7 +603,7 @@ Then prepend a one-line HTML comment to the plan file:
 ### Step 2: Read context
 
 - Read CLAUDE.md, TODOS.md, git log -30, git diff against the base branch --stat
-- Discover design docs: `ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1`
+- Discover design docs: `ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1`
 - Detect UI scope: grep the plan for view/rendering terms (component, screen, form,
   button, modal, layout, dashboard, sidebar, nav, dialog). Require 2+ matches. Exclude
   false positives ("page" alone, "UI" in acronyms).
@@ -868,7 +875,7 @@ Override: every AskUserQuestion → auto-decide using the 6 principles.
 
 - Architecture choices: explicit over clever (P5). If codex disagrees with valid reason → TASTE DECISION. Scope changes both models agree on → USER CHALLENGE.
 - Evals: always include all relevant suites (P1)
-- Test plan: generate artifact at `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/{user}-{branch}-test-plan-{datetime}.md`
+- Test plan: generate artifact at `"$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/{user}-{branch}-test-plan-{datetime}.md`
 - TODOS.md: collect all deferred scope expansions from Phase 1, auto-write
 
 **Required execution checklist (Eng):**
@@ -972,7 +979,7 @@ produced. Check the plan file and conversation for each item.
 - [ ] Scope challenge with actual code analysis (not just "scope is fine")
 - [ ] Architecture ASCII diagram produced
 - [ ] Test diagram mapping codepaths to test coverage
-- [ ] Test plan artifact written to disk at ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/
+- [ ] Test plan artifact written to disk at "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/
 - [ ] "NOT in scope" section written
 - [ ] "What already exists" section written
 - [ ] Failure modes registry with critical gap assessment
diff --git a/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl b/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 5577b64bc..72a3cf3db 100644
--- a/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ Before doing anything, save the plan file's current state to an external file:
 {{SLUG_SETUP}}
 BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-')
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
-echo "RESTORE_PATH=$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/${BRANCH}-autoplan-restore-${DATETIME}.md"
+echo "RESTORE_PATH=$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans/${BRANCH}-autoplan-restore-${DATETIME}.md"
 ```
 
 Write the plan file's full contents to the restore path with this header:
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ Then prepend a one-line HTML comment to the plan file:
 ### Step 2: Read context
 
 - Read CLAUDE.md, TODOS.md, git log -30, git diff against the base branch --stat
-- Discover design docs: `ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1`
+- Discover design docs: `ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null || ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1`
 - Detect UI scope: grep the plan for view/rendering terms (component, screen, form,
   button, modal, layout, dashboard, sidebar, nav, dialog). Require 2+ matches. Exclude
   false positives ("page" alone, "UI" in acronyms).
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ Override: every AskUserQuestion → auto-decide using the 6 principles.
 
 - Architecture choices: explicit over clever (P5). If codex disagrees with valid reason → TASTE DECISION. Scope changes both models agree on → USER CHALLENGE.
 - Evals: always include all relevant suites (P1)
-- Test plan: generate artifact at `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/{user}-{branch}-test-plan-{datetime}.md`
+- Test plan: generate artifact at `.gstack/plans/{user}-{branch}-test-plan-{datetime}.md`
 - TODOS.md: collect all deferred scope expansions from Phase 1, auto-write
 
 **Required execution checklist (Eng):**
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ produced. Check the plan file and conversation for each item.
 - [ ] Scope challenge with actual code analysis (not just "scope is fine")
 - [ ] Architecture ASCII diagram produced
 - [ ] Test diagram mapping codepaths to test coverage
-- [ ] Test plan artifact written to disk at ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/
+- [ ] Test plan artifact written to disk at .gstack/
 - [ ] "NOT in scope" section written
 - [ ] "What already exists" section written
 - [ ] Failure modes registry with critical gap assessment
diff --git a/benchmark/SKILL.md b/benchmark/SKILL.md
index 51e39a100..78106afd4 100644
--- a/benchmark/SKILL.md
+++ b/benchmark/SKILL.md
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/bin/gstack-migrate-local b/bin/gstack-migrate-local
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..85552be99
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/gstack-migrate-local
@@ -0,0 +1,198 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# gstack-migrate-local — migrate + reorganize project data into .gstack/ subdirectories
+#
+# Handles two migration scenarios:
+#   1. Legacy global: ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/* → .gstack/{designs,plans,...}/
+#   2. Local flat:    .gstack/*-design-*.md      → .gstack/designs/ (reorganize in place)
+#
+# Idempotent — safe to run multiple times. Non-destructive (skips existing files).
+#
+# Usage: gstack-migrate-local [--dry-run]
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+eval "$("$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-slug" 2>/dev/null)"
+
+OLD="$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG"
+NEW="$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
+DRY_RUN=false
+[ "${1:-}" = "--dry-run" ] && DRY_RUN=true
+
+MOVED=0
+
+migrate() {
+  local src="$1" dst_dir="$2"
+  [ -e "$src" ] || return 0
+  local name
+  name=$(basename "$src")
+  # Skip if source and destination are the same path
+  local abs_src abs_dst
+  abs_src=$(cd "$(dirname "$src")" && pwd)/$(basename "$src")
+  abs_dst="$dst_dir/$name"
+  [ "$abs_src" = "$abs_dst" ] && return 0
+  if [ -e "$dst_dir/$name" ]; then
+    # Target exists — remove source duplicate if it's a file (dedup)
+    if [ -f "$src" ] && [ -f "$dst_dir/$name" ]; then
+      $DRY_RUN || rm -f "$src"
+    fi
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if $DRY_RUN; then
+    echo "  WOULD MOVE: $name → $dst_dir/"
+  else
+    mkdir -p "$dst_dir"
+    mv "$src" "$dst_dir/"
+  fi
+  MOVED=$((MOVED + 1))
+}
+
+migrate_dir() {
+  local src="$1" dst="$2"
+  [ -d "$src" ] || return 0
+  if [ -d "$dst" ]; then
+    # Merge contents
+    for f in "$src"/*; do
+      [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$dst"
+    done
+    $DRY_RUN || rmdir "$src" 2>/dev/null || true
+  else
+    if $DRY_RUN; then
+      echo "  WOULD MOVE: $(basename "$src")/ → $(dirname "$dst")/"
+    else
+      mkdir -p "$(dirname "$dst")"
+      mv "$src" "$dst"
+    fi
+    MOVED=$((MOVED + 1))
+  fi
+}
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# Phase 1: Migrate from legacy global ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+if [ -d "$OLD" ]; then
+  # Design docs
+  for f in "$OLD"/*-design-*.md "$OLD"/*-design-audit-*.md; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW/designs"
+  done
+
+  # Test plans, autoplan, eng review
+  for f in "$OLD"/*-test-plan-*.md "$OLD"/*-eng-review-*.md "$OLD"/*-autoplan-restore-*.md "$OLD"/*-ship-test-plan-*.md; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW/plans"
+  done
+
+  # CEO plans directory
+  [ -d "$OLD/ceo-plans" ] && migrate_dir "$OLD/ceo-plans" "$NEW/plans/ceo-plans"
+
+  # Review logs
+  for f in "$OLD"/*-reviews.jsonl; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW"
+  done
+
+  # Test outcomes
+  for f in "$OLD"/*-test-outcome-*.md; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW"
+  done
+
+  # Evals directory
+  [ -d "$OLD/evals" ] && migrate_dir "$OLD/evals" "$NEW/evals"
+
+  # Greptile history
+  [ -e "$OLD/greptile-history.md" ] && migrate "$OLD/greptile-history.md" "$NEW"
+
+  # Deploy confirmation fingerprint
+  [ -e "$OLD/land-deploy-confirmed" ] && migrate "$OLD/land-deploy-confirmed" "$NEW"
+
+  # CEO handoff files
+  for f in "$OLD"/*-ceo-handoff-*.md; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW"
+  done
+
+  # repo-mode.json → .gstack/local/ (machine-local cache)
+  [ -e "$OLD/repo-mode.json" ] && migrate "$OLD/repo-mode.json" "$NEW/local"
+
+  # Clean up empty legacy directory
+  $DRY_RUN || rmdir "$OLD" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# Phase 2: Reorganize flat files in .gstack/ root → subdirectories
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+if [ -d "$NEW" ]; then
+  # Design docs at root → designs/
+  for f in "$NEW"/*-design-*.md "$NEW"/*-design-audit-*.md "$NEW"/*-architecture*.md; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW/designs"
+  done
+
+  # Test plans at root → plans/
+  for f in "$NEW"/*-test-plan-*.md "$NEW"/*-eng-review-*.md "$NEW"/*-autoplan-restore-*.md "$NEW"/*-ship-test-plan-*.md; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW/plans"
+  done
+
+  # Implementation plans / roadmaps at root → plans/
+  for f in "$NEW"/*-implementation-plan*.md "$NEW"/*-delivery-roadmap*.md; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW/plans"
+  done
+
+  # CEO plans at root → plans/ceo-plans/
+  [ -d "$NEW/ceo-plans" ] && [ "$NEW/ceo-plans" != "$NEW/plans/ceo-plans" ] && \
+    migrate_dir "$NEW/ceo-plans" "$NEW/plans/ceo-plans"
+
+  # repo-mode.json at root → local/
+  [ -e "$NEW/repo-mode.json" ] && migrate "$NEW/repo-mode.json" "$NEW/local"
+
+  # browse.json at root → local/ (old browse daemon location)
+  [ -e "$NEW/browse.json" ] && migrate "$NEW/browse.json" "$NEW/local"
+  for f in "$NEW"/browse-console.log "$NEW"/browse-network.log "$NEW"/browse-dialog.log "$NEW"/browse-server.log; do
+    [ -e "$f" ] && migrate "$f" "$NEW/local"
+  done
+fi
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# Phase 3: Ensure .gitignore and project .gitignore are correct
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+if ! $DRY_RUN; then
+  mkdir -p "$NEW"
+
+  # Ensure .gstack/.gitignore has local/ and .migrated
+  GITIGNORE="$NEW/.gitignore"
+  CONTENT=""
+  [ -f "$GITIGNORE" ] && CONTENT=$(cat "$GITIGNORE")
+  UPDATED=false
+  if ! echo "$CONTENT" | grep -q '^local/$' 2>/dev/null; then
+    CONTENT="${CONTENT:+$CONTENT
+}local/"
+    UPDATED=true
+  fi
+  if ! echo "$CONTENT" | grep -q '^\.migrated$' 2>/dev/null; then
+    CONTENT="${CONTENT:+$CONTENT
+}.migrated"
+    UPDATED=true
+  fi
+  $UPDATED && echo "$CONTENT" > "$GITIGNORE"
+
+  # Remove blanket .gstack/ from project .gitignore
+  GIT_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+  if [ -n "$GIT_ROOT" ] && [ -f "$GIT_ROOT/.gitignore" ]; then
+    if grep -q '^\.gstack/\?$' "$GIT_ROOT/.gitignore" 2>/dev/null; then
+      sed -i.bak '/^\.gstack\/\?$/d' "$GIT_ROOT/.gitignore"
+      rm -f "$GIT_ROOT/.gitignore.bak"
+    fi
+  fi
+fi
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# Summary
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+if [ "$MOVED" -eq 0 ]; then
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+if $DRY_RUN; then
+  echo "Dry run: $MOVED items would be migrated. Run without --dry-run to execute."
+else
+  echo "gstack: migrated $MOVED items to $NEW"
+fi
diff --git a/bin/gstack-repo-mode b/bin/gstack-repo-mode
index 0b4d6da64..c6ee94a65 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-repo-mode
+++ b/bin/gstack-repo-mode
@@ -34,7 +34,12 @@ if [ -n "$OVERRIDE" ] && [ "$OVERRIDE" != "null" ]; then
 fi
 
 # Check cache (7-day TTL)
-CACHE_DIR="$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG"
+GIT_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+if [ -n "$GIT_ROOT" ]; then
+  CACHE_DIR="$GIT_ROOT/.gstack/local"
+else
+  CACHE_DIR="$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG"
+fi
 CACHE_FILE="$CACHE_DIR/repo-mode.json"
 if [ -f "$CACHE_FILE" ]; then
   CACHE_AGE=$(( $(date +%s) - $(stat -f %m "$CACHE_FILE" 2>/dev/null || stat -c %Y "$CACHE_FILE" 2>/dev/null || echo 0) ))
diff --git a/bin/gstack-review-log b/bin/gstack-review-log
index 62c9e1719..8c7250d24 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-review-log
+++ b/bin/gstack-review-log
@@ -4,8 +4,7 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
 eval "$("$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-slug" 2>/dev/null)"
-GSTACK_HOME="${GSTACK_HOME:-$HOME/.gstack}"
-mkdir -p "$GSTACK_HOME/projects/$SLUG"
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 
 # Validate: input must be parseable JSON (reject malformed or injection attempts)
 INPUT="$1"
@@ -15,4 +14,4 @@ if ! printf '%s' "$INPUT" | bun -e "JSON.parse(await Bun.stdin.text())" 2>/dev/n
   exit 1
 fi
 
-echo "$INPUT" >> "$GSTACK_HOME/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl"
+echo "$INPUT" >> "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl"
diff --git a/bin/gstack-review-read b/bin/gstack-review-read
index ccf1d70f6..cb15040a9 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-review-read
+++ b/bin/gstack-review-read
@@ -4,8 +4,14 @@
 set -euo pipefail
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
 eval "$("$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-slug" 2>/dev/null)"
-GSTACK_HOME="${GSTACK_HOME:-$HOME/.gstack}"
-cat "$GSTACK_HOME/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl" 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_REVIEWS"
+# Try project-local first, fall back to legacy global path
+if [ -f "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl" ]; then
+  cat "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl"
+elif [ -f "$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl" ]; then
+  cat "$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl"
+else
+  echo "NO_REVIEWS"
+fi
 echo "---CONFIG---"
 "$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-config" get skip_eng_review 2>/dev/null || echo "false"
 echo "---HEAD---"
diff --git a/bin/gstack-slug b/bin/gstack-slug
index baa1403f3..04e8f928b 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-slug
+++ b/bin/gstack-slug
@@ -14,5 +14,12 @@ BRANCH=$(printf '%s' "${RAW_BRANCH:-}" | tr -cd 'a-zA-Z0-9._-')
 # Fallback when git context is absent
 SLUG="${SLUG:-$(basename "$PWD" | tr -cd 'a-zA-Z0-9._-')}"
 BRANCH="${BRANCH:-unknown}"
+GIT_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+if [ -n "$GIT_ROOT" ]; then
+  PROJECT_DATA_DIR="$GIT_ROOT/.gstack"
+else
+  PROJECT_DATA_DIR="$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG"
+fi
 echo "SLUG=$SLUG"
 echo "BRANCH=$BRANCH"
+echo "PROJECT_DATA_DIR=$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
diff --git a/browse/SKILL.md b/browse/SKILL.md
index a9f95ec2c..a653e699d 100644
--- a/browse/SKILL.md
+++ b/browse/SKILL.md
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/browse/src/config.ts b/browse/src/config.ts
index 04f166433..7258458be 100644
--- a/browse/src/config.ts
+++ b/browse/src/config.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ export function resolveConfig(
     projectDir = path.dirname(stateDir); // parent of .gstack/
   } else {
     projectDir = getGitRoot() || process.cwd();
-    stateDir = path.join(projectDir, '.gstack');
+    stateDir = path.join(projectDir, '.gstack', 'local');
     stateFile = path.join(stateDir, 'browse.json');
   }
 
@@ -90,26 +90,34 @@ export function ensureStateDir(config: BrowseConfig): void {
     throw err;
   }
 
-  // Ensure .gstack/ is in the project's .gitignore
-  const gitignorePath = path.join(config.projectDir, '.gitignore');
+  // Ensure .gstack/.gitignore exists with "local/" (machine-local state)
+  const gstackDir = path.resolve(config.stateDir, '..');
+  const innerGitignore = path.join(gstackDir, '.gitignore');
   try {
-    const content = fs.readFileSync(gitignorePath, 'utf-8');
-    if (!content.match(/^\.gstack\/?$/m)) {
-      const separator = content.endsWith('\n') ? '' : '\n';
-      fs.appendFileSync(gitignorePath, `${separator}.gstack/\n`);
+    let content = '';
+    try { content = fs.readFileSync(innerGitignore, 'utf-8'); } catch { /* new file */ }
+    let updated = false;
+    if (!content.match(/^local\/?$/m)) {
+      const separator = content.length > 0 && !content.endsWith('\n') ? '\n' : '';
+      content = content + separator + 'local/\n';
+      updated = true;
     }
-  } catch (err: any) {
-    if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') {
-      // Write warning to server log (visible even in daemon mode)
-      const logPath = path.join(config.stateDir, 'browse-server.log');
-      try {
-        fs.appendFileSync(logPath, `[${new Date().toISOString()}] Warning: could not update .gitignore at ${gitignorePath}: ${err.message}\n`);
-      } catch {
-        // stateDir write failed too — nothing more we can do
-      }
+    if (!content.match(/^\.migrated$/m)) {
+      content = content + '.migrated\n';
+      updated = true;
     }
-    // ENOENT (no .gitignore) — skip silently
-  }
+    if (updated) fs.writeFileSync(innerGitignore, content);
+  } catch { /* non-fatal */ }
+
+  // Migration: remove blanket .gstack/ from project .gitignore (if present)
+  const projectGitignore = path.join(config.projectDir, '.gitignore');
+  try {
+    const content = fs.readFileSync(projectGitignore, 'utf-8');
+    if (content.match(/^\.gstack\/?$/m)) {
+      const newContent = content.replace(/^\.gstack\/?$/m, '').replace(/\n{3,}/g, '\n\n');
+      fs.writeFileSync(projectGitignore, newContent);
+    }
+  } catch { /* non-fatal — file may not exist or may be unwritable */ }
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/canary/SKILL.md b/canary/SKILL.md
index ed814098b..c9ee10853 100644
--- a/canary/SKILL.md
+++ b/canary/SKILL.md
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -560,7 +565,7 @@ Log the result for the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
 
 Write a JSONL entry: `{"skill":"canary","timestamp":"<ISO>","status":"<HEALTHY/DEGRADED/BROKEN>","url":"<url>","duration_min":<N>,"alerts":<N>}`
diff --git a/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl b/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 680b58147..49be1df67 100644
--- a/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -194,7 +194,7 @@ Log the result for the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
 {{SLUG_EVAL}}
-mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
 
 Write a JSONL entry: `{"skill":"canary","timestamp":"<ISO>","status":"<HEALTHY/DEGRADED/BROKEN>","url":"<url>","duration_min":<N>,"alerts":<N>}`
diff --git a/codex/SKILL.md b/codex/SKILL.md
index 380382ff6..0a655734b 100644
--- a/codex/SKILL.md
+++ b/codex/SKILL.md
@@ -40,6 +40,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/connect-chrome/SKILL.md b/connect-chrome/SKILL.md
index 57826bbde..7c47f9cc1 100644
--- a/connect-chrome/SKILL.md
+++ b/connect-chrome/SKILL.md
@@ -37,6 +37,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/cso/SKILL.md b/cso/SKILL.md
index 5e448639b..90a41b004 100644
--- a/cso/SKILL.md
+++ b/cso/SKILL.md
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/design-consultation/SKILL.md b/design-consultation/SKILL.md
index 86971887e..c05e626ab 100644
--- a/design-consultation/SKILL.md
+++ b/design-consultation/SKILL.md
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -380,7 +385,7 @@ Look for office-hours output:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-ls ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
+ls "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/"*office-hours* 2>/dev/null || ls ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ls .context/*office-hours* .context/attachments/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ```
 
diff --git a/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl b/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 2ce7c1d3b..52f4aad08 100644
--- a/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ Look for office-hours output:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
 {{SLUG_EVAL}}
-ls ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
+ls "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/"*office-hours* 2>/dev/null || ls ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ls .context/*office-hours* .context/attachments/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ```
 
diff --git a/design-review/SKILL.md b/design-review/SKILL.md
index fb0824422..cb895c8ff 100644
--- a/design-review/SKILL.md
+++ b/design-review/SKILL.md
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -618,7 +623,7 @@ Commands:
 - `$D iterate --session /path/session.json --feedback "..." --output /path.png` — iterate
 
 **CRITICAL PATH RULE:** All design artifacts (mockups, comparison boards, approved.json)
-MUST be saved to `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/designs/`, NEVER to `.context/`,
+MUST be saved to `"$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/`, NEVER to `.context/`,
 `docs/designs/`, `/tmp/`, or any project-local directory. Design artifacts are USER
 data, not project files. They persist across branches, conversations, and workspaces.
 
@@ -630,7 +635,7 @@ If `DESIGN_NOT_AVAILABLE`: skip mockup generation — the fix loop works without
 
 ```bash
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-REPORT_DIR=~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/designs/design-audit-$(date +%Y%m%d)
+REPORT_DIR="$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/design-audit-$(date +%Y%m%d)
 mkdir -p "$REPORT_DIR/screenshots"
 echo "REPORT_DIR: $REPORT_DIR"
 ```
@@ -888,9 +893,9 @@ Compare screenshots and observations across pages for:
 
 **Project-scoped:**
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
-Write to: `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md`
+Write to: `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md`
 
 **Baseline:** Write `design-baseline.json` for regression mode:
 ```json
@@ -1046,7 +1051,7 @@ Record baseline design score and AI slop score at end of Phase 6.
 ## Output Structure
 
 ```
-~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/designs/design-audit-{YYYYMMDD}/
+"$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/design-audit-{YYYYMMDD}/
 ├── design-audit-{domain}.md                  # Structured report
 ├── screenshots/
 │   ├── first-impression.png                  # Phase 1
@@ -1272,9 +1277,9 @@ Write the report to `$REPORT_DIR` (already set up in the setup phase):
 
 **Also write a summary to the project index:**
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
-Write a one-line summary to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md` with a pointer to the full report in `$REPORT_DIR`.
+Write a one-line summary to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md` with a pointer to the full report in `$REPORT_DIR`.
 
 **Per-finding additions** (beyond standard design audit report):
 - Fix Status: verified / best-effort / reverted / deferred
diff --git a/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl b/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 904a732c4..7775b9d64 100644
--- a/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ If `DESIGN_NOT_AVAILABLE`: skip mockup generation — the fix loop works without
 
 ```bash
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-REPORT_DIR=~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/designs/design-audit-$(date +%Y%m%d)
+REPORT_DIR="$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/design-audit-$(date +%Y%m%d)
 mkdir -p "$REPORT_DIR/screenshots"
 echo "REPORT_DIR: $REPORT_DIR"
 ```
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ Record baseline design score and AI slop score at end of Phase 6.
 ## Output Structure
 
 ```
-~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/designs/design-audit-{YYYYMMDD}/
+"$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/design-audit-{YYYYMMDD}/
 ├── design-audit-{domain}.md                  # Structured report
 ├── screenshots/
 │   ├── first-impression.png                  # Phase 1
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ Write the report to `$REPORT_DIR` (already set up in the setup phase):
 ```bash
 {{SLUG_SETUP}}
 ```
-Write a one-line summary to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md` with a pointer to the full report in `$REPORT_DIR`.
+Write a one-line summary to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md` with a pointer to the full report in `$REPORT_DIR`.
 
 **Per-finding additions** (beyond standard design audit report):
 - Fix Status: verified / best-effort / reverted / deferred
diff --git a/docs/skills.md b/docs/skills.md
index ae6ddd688..37b143bba 100644
--- a/docs/skills.md
+++ b/docs/skills.md
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ Recommends A because you learn from real usage. CRM data comes naturally in week
 
 ### The design doc
 
-Both modes end with a design doc written to `~/.gstack/projects/` — and that doc feeds directly into `/plan-ceo-review` and `/plan-eng-review`. The full lifecycle is now: `office-hours → plan → implement → review → QA → ship → retro`.
+Both modes end with a design doc written to `.gstack/` — and that doc feeds directly into `/plan-ceo-review` and `/plan-eng-review`. The full lifecycle is now: `office-hours → plan → implement → review → QA → ship → retro`.
 
 After the design doc is approved, `/office-hours` reflects on what it noticed about how you think — not generic praise, but specific callbacks to things you said during the session. The observations appear in the design doc too, so you re-encounter them when you re-read later.
 
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ It asks, **"what is the 10-star product hiding inside this request?"**
 - **HOLD SCOPE** — maximum rigor on the existing plan. No expansions surfaced.
 - **SCOPE REDUCTION** — find the minimum viable version. Cut everything else.
 
-Visions and decisions are persisted to `~/.gstack/projects/` so they survive beyond the conversation. Exceptional visions can be promoted to `docs/designs/` in your repo for the team.
+Visions and decisions are persisted to `.gstack/` so they survive beyond the conversation. Exceptional visions can be promoted to `docs/designs/` in your repo for the team.
 
 ---
 
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ Eng Review is the only required gate (disable with `gstack-config set skip_eng_r
 
 ### Plan-to-QA flow
 
-When `/plan-eng-review` finishes the test review section, it writes a test plan artifact to `~/.gstack/projects/`. When you later run `/qa`, it picks up that test plan automatically — your engineering review feeds directly into QA testing with no manual copy-paste.
+When `/plan-eng-review` finishes the test review section, it writes a test plan artifact to `.gstack/`. When you later run `/qa`, it picks up that test plan automatically — your engineering review feeds directly into QA testing with no manual copy-paste.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/document-release/SKILL.md b/document-release/SKILL.md
index 2758f0cde..203088e1e 100644
--- a/document-release/SKILL.md
+++ b/document-release/SKILL.md
@@ -41,6 +41,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/investigate/SKILL.md b/investigate/SKILL.md
index 8e307dc0b..a69ff0753 100644
--- a/investigate/SKILL.md
+++ b/investigate/SKILL.md
@@ -55,6 +55,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md
index e54bb1594..09e7449da 100644
--- a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md
+++ b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md
@@ -490,11 +490,11 @@ and whether the deploy configuration has changed since then:
 
 ```bash
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-if [ ! -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed ]; then
+if [ ! -f "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/land-deploy-confirmed" ] && [ ! -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed ]; then
   echo "FIRST_RUN"
 else
   # Check if deploy config has changed since confirmation
-  SAVED_HASH=$(cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed 2>/dev/null)
+  SAVED_HASH=$(cat "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/land-deploy-confirmed" 2>/dev/null || cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed 2>/dev/null)
   CURRENT_HASH=$(sed -n '/## Deploy Configuration/,/^## /p' CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null | shasum -a 256 | cut -d' ' -f1)
   # Also hash workflow files that affect deploy behavior
   WORKFLOW_HASH=$(find .github/workflows -maxdepth 1 \( -name '*deploy*' -o -name '*cd*' \) 2>/dev/null | xargs cat 2>/dev/null | shasum -a 256 | cut -d' ' -f1)
@@ -1325,7 +1325,7 @@ Log to the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
 
 Write a JSONL entry with timing data:
diff --git a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl
index acec63c2e..4fa66f961 100644
--- a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -106,11 +106,11 @@ and whether the deploy configuration has changed since then:
 
 ```bash
 {{SLUG_EVAL}}
-if [ ! -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed ]; then
+if [ ! -f "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/land-deploy-confirmed" ] && [ ! -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed ]; then
   echo "FIRST_RUN"
 else
   # Check if deploy config has changed since confirmation
-  SAVED_HASH=$(cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed 2>/dev/null)
+  SAVED_HASH=$(cat "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/land-deploy-confirmed" 2>/dev/null || cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/land-deploy-confirmed 2>/dev/null)
   CURRENT_HASH=$(sed -n '/## Deploy Configuration/,/^## /p' CLAUDE.md 2>/dev/null | shasum -a 256 | cut -d' ' -f1)
   # Also hash workflow files that affect deploy behavior
   WORKFLOW_HASH=$(find .github/workflows -maxdepth 1 \( -name '*deploy*' -o -name '*cd*' \) 2>/dev/null | xargs cat 2>/dev/null | shasum -a 256 | cut -d' ' -f1)
@@ -875,7 +875,7 @@ Log to the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
 {{SLUG_EVAL}}
-mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
 
 Write a JSONL entry with timing data:
diff --git a/office-hours/SKILL.md b/office-hours/SKILL.md
index 34aa90707..db4ccc33d 100644
--- a/office-hours/SKILL.md
+++ b/office-hours/SKILL.md
@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -396,7 +401,7 @@ eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
 4. **List existing design docs for this project:**
    ```bash
    setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-   ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
+   ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
    ```
    If design docs exist, list them: "Prior designs for this project: [titles + dates]"
 
@@ -627,14 +632,14 @@ After the user states the problem (first question in Phase 2A or 2B), search exi
 Extract 3-5 significant keywords from the user's problem statement and grep across design docs:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-grep -li "<keyword1>\|<keyword2>\|<keyword3>" ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
+grep -li "<keyword1>\|<keyword2>\|<keyword3>" "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
 ```
 
 If matches found, read the matching design docs and surface them:
 - "FYI: Related design found — '{title}' by {user} on {date} (branch: {branch}). Key overlap: {1-line summary of relevant section}."
 - Ask via AskUserQuestion: "Should we build on this prior design or start fresh?"
 
-This enables cross-team discovery — multiple users exploring the same project will see each other's design docs in `~/.gstack/projects/`.
+This enables cross-team discovery — multiple users exploring the same project will see each other's design docs in `.gstack/`.
 
 If no matches found, proceed silently.
 
@@ -858,7 +863,7 @@ Generating visual mockups of the proposed design... (say "skip" if you don't nee
 
 ```bash
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-_DESIGN_DIR=~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/designs/mockup-$(date +%Y%m%d)
+_DESIGN_DIR="$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/mockup-$(date +%Y%m%d)
 mkdir -p "$_DESIGN_DIR"
 echo "DESIGN_DIR: $_DESIGN_DIR"
 ```
@@ -1024,7 +1029,7 @@ Count the signals. You'll use this count in Phase 6 to determine which tier of c
 Write the design document to the project directory.
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 ```
@@ -1032,11 +1037,11 @@ DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 **Design lineage:** Before writing, check for existing design docs on this branch:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-PRIOR=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+PRIOR=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 ```
 If `$PRIOR` exists, the new doc gets a `Supersedes:` field referencing it. This creates a revision chain — you can trace how a design evolved across office hours sessions.
 
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-{datetime}.md`:
+Write to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-design-{datetime}.md`:
 
 ### Startup mode design doc template:
 
@@ -1301,7 +1306,7 @@ After the plea, suggest the next step:
 - **`/plan-eng-review`** for well-scoped implementation planning — lock in architecture, tests, edge cases
 - **`/plan-design-review`** for visual/UX design review
 
-The design doc at `~/.gstack/projects/` is automatically discoverable by downstream skills — they will read it during their pre-review system audit.
+The design doc at `.gstack/` is automatically discoverable by downstream skills — they will read it during their pre-review system audit.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl b/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 4b5a5e192..64353ffe0 100644
--- a/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ Understand the project and the area the user wants to change.
 4. **List existing design docs for this project:**
    ```bash
    setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-   ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
+   ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
    ```
    If design docs exist, list them: "Prior designs for this project: [titles + dates]"
 
@@ -280,14 +280,14 @@ After the user states the problem (first question in Phase 2A or 2B), search exi
 Extract 3-5 significant keywords from the user's problem statement and grep across design docs:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-grep -li "<keyword1>\|<keyword2>\|<keyword3>" ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
+grep -li "<keyword1>\|<keyword2>\|<keyword3>" "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null
 ```
 
 If matches found, read the matching design docs and surface them:
 - "FYI: Related design found — '{title}' by {user} on {date} (branch: {branch}). Key overlap: {1-line summary of relevant section}."
 - Ask via AskUserQuestion: "Should we build on this prior design or start fresh?"
 
-This enables cross-team discovery — multiple users exploring the same project will see each other's design docs in `~/.gstack/projects/`.
+This enables cross-team discovery — multiple users exploring the same project will see each other's design docs in `.gstack/`.
 
 If no matches found, proceed silently.
 
@@ -427,11 +427,11 @@ DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 **Design lineage:** Before writing, check for existing design docs on this branch:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-PRIOR=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+PRIOR=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 ```
 If `$PRIOR` exists, the new doc gets a `Supersedes:` field referencing it. This creates a revision chain — you can trace how a design evolved across office hours sessions.
 
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-{datetime}.md`:
+Write to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-design-{datetime}.md`:
 
 ### Startup mode design doc template:
 
@@ -636,7 +636,7 @@ After the plea, suggest the next step:
 - **`/plan-eng-review`** for well-scoped implementation planning — lock in architecture, tests, edge cases
 - **`/plan-design-review`** for visual/UX design review
 
-The design doc at `~/.gstack/projects/` is automatically discoverable by downstream skills — they will read it during their pre-review system audit.
+The design doc at `.gstack/` is automatically discoverable by downstream skills — they will read it during their pre-review system audit.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md
index f208894ce..46ff7551e 100644
--- a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md
+++ b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -468,10 +473,12 @@ Then read CLAUDE.md, TODOS.md, and any existing architecture docs.
 **Design doc check:**
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Fallback: legacy global path
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 ```
 If a design doc exists (from `/office-hours`), read it. Use it as the source of truth for the problem statement, constraints, and chosen approach. If it has a `Supersedes:` field, note that this is a revised design.
@@ -479,7 +486,7 @@ If a design doc exists (from `/office-hours`), read it. Use it as the source of
 **Handoff note check** (reuses $SLUG and $BRANCH from the design doc check above):
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-HANDOFF=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+HANDOFF=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$HANDOFF" ] && echo "HANDOFF_FOUND: $HANDOFF" || echo "NO_HANDOFF"
 ```
 If this block runs in a separate shell from the design doc check, recompute $SLUG and $BRANCH first using the same commands from that block.
@@ -534,10 +541,12 @@ If the Read fails (file not found), say:
 After /office-hours completes, re-run the design doc check:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Fallback: legacy global path
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 ```
 
@@ -680,17 +689,17 @@ Rules:
 After the opt-in/cherry-pick ceremony, write the plan to disk so the vision and decisions survive beyond this conversation. Only run this step for EXPANSION and SELECTIVE EXPANSION modes.
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans
 ```
 
 Before writing, check for existing CEO plans in the ceo-plans/ directory. If any are >30 days old or their branch has been merged/deleted, offer to archive them:
 
 ```bash
-mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/archive
-# For each stale plan: mv ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/{old-plan}.md ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/archive/
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/archive
+# For each stale plan: mv "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/{old-plan}.md "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/archive/
 ```
 
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/{date}-{feature-slug}.md` using this format:
+Write to `"$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/{date}-{feature-slug}.md` using this format:
 
 ```markdown
 ---
@@ -1318,7 +1327,7 @@ the review is complete and the context is no longer needed.
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-rm -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null || true
+rm -f "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null || true
 ```
 
 ## Review Log
@@ -1485,7 +1494,7 @@ At the end of the review, if the vision produced a compelling feature direction,
 
 "The vision from this review produced {N} accepted scope expansions. Want to promote it to a design doc in the repo?"
 - **A)** Promote to `docs/designs/{FEATURE}.md` (committed to repo, visible to the team)
-- **B)** Keep in `~/.gstack/projects/` only (local, personal reference)
+- **B)** Keep in `.gstack/` only (local, personal reference)
 - **C)** Skip
 
 If promoted, copy the CEO plan content to `docs/designs/{FEATURE}.md` (create the directory if needed) and update the `status` field in the original CEO plan from `ACTIVE` to `PROMOTED`.
diff --git a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 8f6aebe3b..e95228ac0 100644
--- a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -106,10 +106,12 @@ Then read CLAUDE.md, TODOS.md, and any existing architecture docs.
 **Design doc check:**
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Fallback: legacy global path
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 ```
 If a design doc exists (from `/office-hours`), read it. Use it as the source of truth for the problem statement, constraints, and chosen approach. If it has a `Supersedes:` field, note that this is a revised design.
@@ -117,7 +119,7 @@ If a design doc exists (from `/office-hours`), read it. Use it as the source of
 **Handoff note check** (reuses $SLUG and $BRANCH from the design doc check above):
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-HANDOFF=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+HANDOFF=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$HANDOFF" ] && echo "HANDOFF_FOUND: $HANDOFF" || echo "NO_HANDOFF"
 ```
 If this block runs in a separate shell from the design doc check, recompute $SLUG and $BRANCH first using the same commands from that block.
@@ -268,17 +270,17 @@ Rules:
 After the opt-in/cherry-pick ceremony, write the plan to disk so the vision and decisions survive beyond this conversation. Only run this step for EXPANSION and SELECTIVE EXPANSION modes.
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans
 ```
 
 Before writing, check for existing CEO plans in the ceo-plans/ directory. If any are >30 days old or their branch has been merged/deleted, offer to archive them:
 
 ```bash
-mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/archive
-# For each stale plan: mv ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/{old-plan}.md ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/archive/
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/archive
+# For each stale plan: mv "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/{old-plan}.md "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/archive/
 ```
 
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans/{date}-{feature-slug}.md` using this format:
+Write to `"$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/ceo-plans/{date}-{feature-slug}.md` using this format:
 
 ```markdown
 ---
@@ -715,7 +717,7 @@ the review is complete and the context is no longer needed.
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
 {{SLUG_EVAL}}
-rm -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null || true
+rm -f "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null || true
 ```
 
 ## Review Log
@@ -768,7 +770,7 @@ At the end of the review, if the vision produced a compelling feature direction,
 
 "The vision from this review produced {N} accepted scope expansions. Want to promote it to a design doc in the repo?"
 - **A)** Promote to `docs/designs/{FEATURE}.md` (committed to repo, visible to the team)
-- **B)** Keep in `~/.gstack/projects/` only (local, personal reference)
+- **B)** Keep in `.gstack/` only (local, personal reference)
 - **C)** Skip
 
 If promoted, copy the CEO plan content to `docs/designs/{FEATURE}.md` (create the directory if needed) and update the `status` field in the original CEO plan from `ACTIVE` to `PROMOTED`.
diff --git a/plan-design-review/SKILL.md b/plan-design-review/SKILL.md
index 902055a0b..ba7618666 100644
--- a/plan-design-review/SKILL.md
+++ b/plan-design-review/SKILL.md
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md b/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md
index c00869315..96b8cc9e1 100644
--- a/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md
+++ b/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -394,10 +399,12 @@ When evaluating architecture, think "boring by default." When reviewing tests, t
 ### Design Doc Check
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Fallback: legacy global path
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 ```
 If a design doc exists, read it. Use it as the source of truth for the problem statement, constraints, and chosen approach. If it has a `Supersedes:` field, note that this is a revised design — check the prior version for context on what changed and why.
@@ -444,10 +451,12 @@ If the Read fails (file not found), say:
 After /office-hours completes, re-run the design doc check:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Fallback: legacy global path
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 ```
 
@@ -681,12 +690,12 @@ The plan should be complete enough that when implementation begins, every test i
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact to the project directory so `/qa` and `/qa-only` can consume it as primary test input:
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 ```
 
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-eng-review-test-plan-{datetime}.md`:
+Write to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-eng-review-test-plan-{datetime}.md`:
 
 ```markdown
 # Test Plan
diff --git a/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md.tmpl b/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
index c91e96d78..da61aef43 100644
--- a/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -71,8 +71,8 @@ When evaluating architecture, think "boring by default." When reviewing tests, t
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
 SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
 BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
-[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/designs/"*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null || ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/designs/"*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null || ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 ```
 If a design doc exists, read it. Use it as the source of truth for the problem statement, constraints, and chosen approach. If it has a `Supersedes:` field, note that this is a revised design — check the prior version for context on what changed and why.
diff --git a/qa-only/SKILL.md b/qa-only/SKILL.md
index 6161dc313..9210733d6 100644
--- a/qa-only/SKILL.md
+++ b/qa-only/SKILL.md
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -400,11 +405,11 @@ mkdir -p "$REPORT_DIR/screenshots"
 
 Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
-1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
+1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `.gstack/plans/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
    setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
    eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-   ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
+   ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans/"*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null || ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
 3. **Use whichever source is richer.** Fall back to git diff analysis only if neither is available.
@@ -699,9 +704,9 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:** Write test outcome artifact for cross-session context:
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
+Write to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
 ### Output Structure
 
diff --git a/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl b/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 0bb59c0c0..f8826c674 100644
--- a/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -53,11 +53,11 @@ mkdir -p "$REPORT_DIR/screenshots"
 
 Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
-1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
+1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `.gstack/plans/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
    setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
    {{SLUG_EVAL}}
-   ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
+   ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans/"*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null || ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
 3. **Use whichever source is richer.** Fall back to git diff analysis only if neither is available.
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 ```bash
 {{SLUG_SETUP}}
 ```
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
+Write to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
 ### Output Structure
 
diff --git a/qa/SKILL.md b/qa/SKILL.md
index bf532784a..b9499e24d 100644
--- a/qa/SKILL.md
+++ b/qa/SKILL.md
@@ -45,6 +45,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -630,11 +635,11 @@ mkdir -p .gstack/qa-reports/screenshots
 
 Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
-1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
+1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `.gstack/plans/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
    setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
    eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-   ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
+   ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans/"*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null || ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
 3. **Use whichever source is richer.** Fall back to git diff analysis only if neither is available.
@@ -1097,9 +1102,9 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:** Write test outcome artifact for cross-session context:
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
+Write to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
 **Per-issue additions** (beyond standard report template):
 - Fix Status: verified / best-effort / reverted / deferred
diff --git a/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl b/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 0283ffc7c..6e657c4c0 100644
--- a/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -94,11 +94,11 @@ mkdir -p .gstack/qa-reports/screenshots
 
 Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
-1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
+1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `.gstack/plans/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
    setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
    {{SLUG_EVAL}}
-   ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
+   ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans/"*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null || ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
 3. **Use whichever source is richer.** Fall back to git diff analysis only if neither is available.
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 ```bash
 {{SLUG_SETUP}}
 ```
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
+Write to `.gstack/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
 **Per-issue additions** (beyond standard report template):
 - Fix Status: verified / best-effort / reverted / deferred
diff --git a/retro/SKILL.md b/retro/SKILL.md
index 3ebc40fec..49d81ab93 100644
--- a/retro/SKILL.md
+++ b/retro/SKILL.md
@@ -39,6 +39,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -804,7 +809,7 @@ Check review JSONL logs for plan completion data from /ship runs this period:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null | grep '"skill":"ship"' | grep '"plan_items_total"' || echo "NO_PLAN_DATA"
+cat "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null || cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null | grep '"skill":"ship"' | grep '"plan_items_total"' || echo "NO_PLAN_DATA"
 ```
 
 If plan completion data exists within the retro time window:
diff --git a/retro/SKILL.md.tmpl b/retro/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 5463d07a9..56469ad6e 100644
--- a/retro/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/retro/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -460,7 +460,7 @@ Check review JSONL logs for plan completion data from /ship runs this period:
 ```bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
 eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
-cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null | grep '"skill":"ship"' | grep '"plan_items_total"' || echo "NO_PLAN_DATA"
+cat "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/*-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null || cat ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null | grep '"skill":"ship"' | grep '"plan_items_total"' || echo "NO_PLAN_DATA"
 ```
 
 If plan completion data exists within the retro time window:
diff --git a/review/SKILL.md b/review/SKILL.md
index 9b47b6902..f6fd32840 100644
--- a/review/SKILL.md
+++ b/review/SKILL.md
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/review/greptile-triage.md b/review/greptile-triage.md
index 3cb6e8d59..9402c9cf9 100644
--- a/review/greptile-triage.md
+++ b/review/greptile-triage.md
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ The `position != null` filter on line-level comments automatically skips outdate
 
 Derive the project-specific history path:
 ```bash
-REMOTE_SLUG=$(browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || ~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-PROJECT_HISTORY="$HOME/.gstack/projects/$REMOTE_SLUG/greptile-history.md"
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+PROJECT_HISTORY="$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/greptile-history.md"
 ```
 
 Read `$PROJECT_HISTORY` if it exists (per-project suppressions). Each line records a previous triage outcome:
@@ -183,13 +183,13 @@ When classifying comments, also assess whether Greptile's implied severity match
 
 Before writing, ensure both directories exist:
 ```bash
-REMOTE_SLUG=$(browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || ~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-mkdir -p "$HOME/.gstack/projects/$REMOTE_SLUG"
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 mkdir -p ~/.gstack
 ```
 
 Append one line per triage outcome to **both** files (per-project for suppressions, global for retro):
-- `~/.gstack/projects/$REMOTE_SLUG/greptile-history.md` (per-project)
+- `$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/greptile-history.md` (per-project)
 - `~/.gstack/greptile-history.md` (global aggregate)
 
 Format:
diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/design.ts b/scripts/resolvers/design.ts
index 6f97e7921..ed968cbb1 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/design.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/design.ts
@@ -307,9 +307,9 @@ Compare screenshots and observations across pages for:
 
 **Project-scoped:**
 \`\`\`bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/designs"
 \`\`\`
-Write to: \`~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md\`
+Write to: \`.gstack/designs/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md\`
 
 **Baseline:** Write \`design-baseline.json\` for regression mode:
 \`\`\`json
diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/preamble.ts b/scripts/resolvers/preamble.ts
index f70574520..eca833bc0 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/preamble.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/preamble.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=\${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "\${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/\${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "\${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "\${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/review.ts b/scripts/resolvers/review.ts
index 02fd77659..41347b3b6 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/review.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/review.ts
@@ -250,9 +250,11 @@ If the Read fails (file not found), say:
 After /${first} completes, re-run the design doc check:
 \`\`\`bash
 setopt +o nomatch 2>/dev/null || true  # zsh compat
-SLUG=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/browse/bin/remote-slug 2>/dev/null || basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)")
-BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-' || echo 'no-branch')
-DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
+DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"/designs/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+# Fallback: legacy global path
+[ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -z "$DESIGN" ] && DESIGN=$(ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-design-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1)
 [ -n "$DESIGN" ] && echo "Design doc found: $DESIGN" || echo "No design doc found"
 \`\`\`
diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/testing.ts b/scripts/resolvers/testing.ts
index da1381c20..31adeefa4 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/testing.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/testing.ts
@@ -401,12 +401,12 @@ The plan should be complete enough that when implementation begins, every test i
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact to the project directory so \`/qa\` and \`/qa-only\` can consume it as primary test input:
 
 \`\`\`bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans"
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 \`\`\`
 
-Write to \`~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-eng-review-test-plan-{datetime}.md\`:
+Write to \`.gstack/plans/{user}-{branch}-eng-review-test-plan-{datetime}.md\`:
 
 \`\`\`markdown
 # Test Plan
@@ -498,12 +498,12 @@ Using the coverage percentage from the diagram in substep 4 (the \`COVERAGE: X/Y
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact so \`/qa\` and \`/qa-only\` can consume it:
 
 \`\`\`bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans"
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 \`\`\`
 
-Write to \`~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-ship-test-plan-{datetime}.md\`:
+Write to \`.gstack/plans/{user}-{branch}-ship-test-plan-{datetime}.md\`:
 
 \`\`\`markdown
 # Test Plan
diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts b/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts
index 48e9c0d82..f23e317c3 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ export function generateSlugEval(ctx: TemplateContext): string {
 }
 
 export function generateSlugSetup(ctx: TemplateContext): string {
-  return `eval "$(${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG`;
+  return `eval "$(${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"`;
 }
 
 export function generateBaseBranchDetect(_ctx: TemplateContext): string {
diff --git a/setup-browser-cookies/SKILL.md b/setup-browser-cookies/SKILL.md
index 69617692f..7f53fe97d 100644
--- a/setup-browser-cookies/SKILL.md
+++ b/setup-browser-cookies/SKILL.md
@@ -36,6 +36,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/setup-deploy/SKILL.md b/setup-deploy/SKILL.md
index a0ff129c2..5f2623a7b 100644
--- a/setup-deploy/SKILL.md
+++ b/setup-deploy/SKILL.md
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
diff --git a/ship/SKILL.md b/ship/SKILL.md
index de2743f83..27319b131 100644
--- a/ship/SKILL.md
+++ b/ship/SKILL.md
@@ -40,6 +40,11 @@ echo "SKILL_PREFIX: $_SKILL_PREFIX"
 source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-repo-mode 2>/dev/null) || true
 REPO_MODE=${REPO_MODE:-unknown}
 echo "REPO_MODE: $REPO_MODE"
+# Auto-migrate legacy ~/.gstack/projects/ data to project-local .gstack/ (once per project)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" || true
+if [ -n "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR:-}" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.gstack/projects/${SLUG:-}" ] && [ ! -f "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" ]; then
+  ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-migrate-local 2>/dev/null && touch "${PROJECT_DATA_DIR}/.migrated" 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
 _LAKE_SEEN=$([ -f ~/.gstack/.completeness-intro-seen ] && echo "yes" || echo "no")
 echo "LAKE_INTRO: $_LAKE_SEEN"
 _TEL=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-config get telemetry 2>/dev/null || true)
@@ -1111,12 +1116,12 @@ Using the coverage percentage from the diagram in substep 4 (the `COVERAGE: X/Y
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact so `/qa` and `/qa-only` can consume it:
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/plans"
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 ```
 
-Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-ship-test-plan-{datetime}.md`:
+Write to `.gstack/plans/{user}-{branch}-ship-test-plan-{datetime}.md`:
 
 ```markdown
 # Test Plan
@@ -1410,13 +1415,6 @@ Present Codex output under a `CODEX (design):` header, merged with the checklist
 
    If no issues found: `Pre-Landing Review: No issues found.`
 
-9. Persist the review result to the review log:
-```bash
-~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-review-log '{"skill":"review","timestamp":"TIMESTAMP","status":"STATUS","issues_found":N,"critical":N,"informational":N,"commit":"'"$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)"'","via":"ship"}'
-```
-Substitute TIMESTAMP (ISO 8601), STATUS ("clean" if no issues, "issues_found" otherwise),
-and N values from the summary counts above. The `via:"ship"` distinguishes from standalone `/review` runs.
-
 Save the review output — it goes into the PR body in Step 8.
 
 ---
@@ -1622,26 +1620,10 @@ High-confidence findings (agreed on by multiple sources) should be prioritized f
 
 1. Read `CHANGELOG.md` header to know the format.
 
-2. **First, enumerate every commit on the branch:**
-   ```bash
-   git log <base>..HEAD --oneline
-   ```
-   Copy the full list. Count the commits. You will use this as a checklist.
-
-3. **Read the full diff** to understand what each commit actually changed:
-   ```bash
-   git diff <base>...HEAD
-   ```
-
-4. **Group commits by theme** before writing anything. Common themes:
-   - New features / capabilities
-   - Performance improvements
-   - Bug fixes
-   - Dead code removal / cleanup
-   - Infrastructure / tooling / tests
-   - Refactoring
-
-5. **Write the CHANGELOG entry** covering ALL groups:
+2. Auto-generate the entry from **ALL commits on the branch** (not just recent ones):
+   - Use `git log <base>..HEAD --oneline` to see every commit being shipped
+   - Use `git diff <base>...HEAD` to see the full diff against the base branch
+   - The CHANGELOG entry must be comprehensive of ALL changes going into the PR
    - If existing CHANGELOG entries on the branch already cover some commits, replace them with one unified entry for the new version
    - Categorize changes into applicable sections:
      - `### Added` — new features
@@ -1652,11 +1634,6 @@ High-confidence findings (agreed on by multiple sources) should be prioritized f
    - Insert after the file header (line 5), dated today
    - Format: `## [X.Y.Z.W] - YYYY-MM-DD`
 
-6. **Cross-check:** Compare your CHANGELOG entry against the commit list from step 2.
-   Every commit must map to at least one bullet point. If any commit is unrepresented,
-   add it now. If the branch has N commits spanning K themes, the CHANGELOG must
-   reflect all K themes.
-
 **Do NOT ask the user to describe changes.** Infer from the diff and commit history.
 
 ---
@@ -1794,12 +1771,7 @@ The PR/MR body should contain these sections:
 
 ```
 ## Summary
-<Summarize ALL changes being shipped. Run `git log <base>..HEAD --oneline` to enumerate
-every commit. Exclude the VERSION/CHANGELOG metadata commit (that's this PR's bookkeeping,
-not a substantive change). Group the remaining commits into logical sections (e.g.,
-"**Performance**", "**Dead Code Removal**", "**Infrastructure**"). Every substantive commit
-must appear in at least one section. If a commit's work isn't reflected in the summary,
-you missed it.>
+<bullet points from CHANGELOG>
 
 ## Test Coverage
 <coverage diagram from Step 3.4, or "All new code paths have test coverage.">
@@ -1894,13 +1866,13 @@ doc updates — the user runs `/ship` and documentation stays current without a
 Log coverage and plan completion data so `/retro` can track trends:
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
 
-Append to `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl`:
+Append to `$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl`:
 
 ```bash
-echo '{"skill":"ship","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","coverage_pct":COVERAGE_PCT,"plan_items_total":PLAN_TOTAL,"plan_items_done":PLAN_DONE,"verification_result":"VERIFY_RESULT","version":"VERSION","branch":"BRANCH"}' >> ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl
+echo '{"skill":"ship","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","coverage_pct":COVERAGE_PCT,"plan_items_total":PLAN_TOTAL,"plan_items_done":PLAN_DONE,"verification_result":"VERIFY_RESULT","version":"VERSION","branch":"BRANCH"}' >> "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl"
 ```
 
 Substitute from earlier steps:
diff --git a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 62842fc52..89f899a60 100644
--- a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -264,13 +264,6 @@ Review the diff for structural issues that tests don't catch.
 
    If no issues found: `Pre-Landing Review: No issues found.`
 
-9. Persist the review result to the review log:
-```bash
-~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-review-log '{"skill":"review","timestamp":"TIMESTAMP","status":"STATUS","issues_found":N,"critical":N,"informational":N,"commit":"'"$(git rev-parse --short HEAD)"'","via":"ship"}'
-```
-Substitute TIMESTAMP (ISO 8601), STATUS ("clean" if no issues, "issues_found" otherwise),
-and N values from the summary counts above. The `via:"ship"` distinguishes from standalone `/review` runs.
-
 Save the review output — it goes into the PR body in Step 8.
 
 ---
@@ -339,26 +332,10 @@ For each classified comment:
 
 1. Read `CHANGELOG.md` header to know the format.
 
-2. **First, enumerate every commit on the branch:**
-   ```bash
-   git log <base>..HEAD --oneline
-   ```
-   Copy the full list. Count the commits. You will use this as a checklist.
-
-3. **Read the full diff** to understand what each commit actually changed:
-   ```bash
-   git diff <base>...HEAD
-   ```
-
-4. **Group commits by theme** before writing anything. Common themes:
-   - New features / capabilities
-   - Performance improvements
-   - Bug fixes
-   - Dead code removal / cleanup
-   - Infrastructure / tooling / tests
-   - Refactoring
-
-5. **Write the CHANGELOG entry** covering ALL groups:
+2. Auto-generate the entry from **ALL commits on the branch** (not just recent ones):
+   - Use `git log <base>..HEAD --oneline` to see every commit being shipped
+   - Use `git diff <base>...HEAD` to see the full diff against the base branch
+   - The CHANGELOG entry must be comprehensive of ALL changes going into the PR
    - If existing CHANGELOG entries on the branch already cover some commits, replace them with one unified entry for the new version
    - Categorize changes into applicable sections:
      - `### Added` — new features
@@ -369,11 +346,6 @@ For each classified comment:
    - Insert after the file header (line 5), dated today
    - Format: `## [X.Y.Z.W] - YYYY-MM-DD`
 
-6. **Cross-check:** Compare your CHANGELOG entry against the commit list from step 2.
-   Every commit must map to at least one bullet point. If any commit is unrepresented,
-   add it now. If the branch has N commits spanning K themes, the CHANGELOG must
-   reflect all K themes.
-
 **Do NOT ask the user to describe changes.** Infer from the diff and commit history.
 
 ---
@@ -511,12 +483,7 @@ The PR/MR body should contain these sections:
 
 ```
 ## Summary
-<Summarize ALL changes being shipped. Run `git log <base>..HEAD --oneline` to enumerate
-every commit. Exclude the VERSION/CHANGELOG metadata commit (that's this PR's bookkeeping,
-not a substantive change). Group the remaining commits into logical sections (e.g.,
-"**Performance**", "**Dead Code Removal**", "**Infrastructure**"). Every substantive commit
-must appear in at least one section. If a commit's work isn't reflected in the summary,
-you missed it.>
+<bullet points from CHANGELOG>
 
 ## Test Coverage
 <coverage diagram from Step 3.4, or "All new code paths have test coverage.">
@@ -611,13 +578,13 @@ doc updates — the user runs `/ship` and documentation stays current without a
 Log coverage and plan completion data so `/retro` can track trends:
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR"
 ```
 
-Append to `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl`:
+Append to `$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl`:
 
 ```bash
-echo '{"skill":"ship","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","coverage_pct":COVERAGE_PCT,"plan_items_total":PLAN_TOTAL,"plan_items_done":PLAN_DONE,"verification_result":"VERIFY_RESULT","version":"VERSION","branch":"BRANCH"}' >> ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl
+echo '{"skill":"ship","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","coverage_pct":COVERAGE_PCT,"plan_items_total":PLAN_TOTAL,"plan_items_done":PLAN_DONE,"verification_result":"VERIFY_RESULT","version":"VERSION","branch":"BRANCH"}' >> "$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl"
 ```
 
 Substitute from earlier steps:
diff --git a/test/helpers/eval-store.ts b/test/helpers/eval-store.ts
index a7d63178c..fa206b95e 100644
--- a/test/helpers/eval-store.ts
+++ b/test/helpers/eval-store.ts
@@ -22,7 +22,19 @@ const LEGACY_EVAL_DIR = path.join(os.homedir(), '.gstack-dev', 'evals');
  */
 export function getProjectEvalDir(): string {
   try {
-    // Try repo-local gstack-slug first, then global install
+    // Prefer project-local .gstack/evals/ via git root
+    const gitRoot = spawnSync('git', ['rev-parse', '--show-toplevel'], {
+      stdio: 'pipe', timeout: 3000,
+    });
+    const root = gitRoot.stdout?.toString().trim();
+    if (root) {
+      const dir = path.join(root, '.gstack', 'evals');
+      fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+      return dir;
+    }
+  } catch { /* fall through */ }
+  try {
+    // Fallback: legacy slug-based path (backward-compatible read)
     const localSlug = spawnSync('bash', ['-c', '.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null'], {
       stdio: 'pipe', timeout: 3000,
     });
@@ -30,9 +42,8 @@ export function getProjectEvalDir(): string {
     if (output) {
       const slugMatch = output.match(/^SLUG=(.+)$/m);
       if (slugMatch && slugMatch[1]) {
-        const dir = path.join(os.homedir(), '.gstack', 'projects', slugMatch[1], 'evals');
-        fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
-        return dir;
+        const legacyDir = path.join(os.homedir(), '.gstack', 'projects', slugMatch[1], 'evals');
+        if (fs.existsSync(legacyDir)) return legacyDir;
       }
     }
   } catch { /* fall through */ }
diff --git a/test/skill-validation.test.ts b/test/skill-validation.test.ts
index 7bb163d84..e386a55b1 100644
--- a/test/skill-validation.test.ts
+++ b/test/skill-validation.test.ts
@@ -282,26 +282,12 @@ describe('Update check preamble', () => {
 // --- Part 7: Cross-skill path consistency (A1) ---
 
 describe('Cross-skill path consistency', () => {
-  test('REMOTE_SLUG derivation pattern is identical across files that use it', () => {
-    const patterns = extractRemoteSlugPatterns(ROOT, ['qa', 'review']);
-    const allPatterns: string[] = [];
-
-    for (const [, filePatterns] of patterns) {
-      allPatterns.push(...filePatterns);
-    }
-
-    // Should find at least 2 occurrences (qa/SKILL.md + review/greptile-triage.md)
-    expect(allPatterns.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2);
-
-    // All occurrences must be character-for-character identical
-    const unique = new Set(allPatterns);
-    if (unique.size > 1) {
-      const variants = Array.from(unique);
-      throw new Error(
-        `REMOTE_SLUG pattern differs across files:\n` +
-        variants.map((v, i) => `  ${i + 1}: ${v}`).join('\n')
-      );
-    }
+  test('project data paths use $PROJECT_DATA_DIR from gstack-slug', () => {
+    // greptile-triage.md should use gstack-slug to set PROJECT_DATA_DIR
+    const triagePath = path.join(ROOT, 'review', 'greptile-triage.md');
+    const content = fs.readFileSync(triagePath, 'utf-8');
+    expect(content).toContain('$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/greptile-history.md');
+    expect(content).toContain('gstack-slug');
   });
 
   test('all greptile-history write references specify both per-project and global paths', () => {
@@ -317,15 +303,15 @@ describe('Cross-skill path consistency', () => {
       const content = fs.readFileSync(filePath, 'utf-8');
 
       const hasBoth = (content.includes('per-project') && content.includes('global')) ||
-        (content.includes('$REMOTE_SLUG/greptile-history') && content.includes('~/.gstack/greptile-history'));
+        (content.includes('$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/greptile-history') && content.includes('~/.gstack/greptile-history'));
 
       expect(hasBoth).toBe(true);
     }
   });
 
-  test('greptile-triage.md contains both project and global history paths', () => {
+  test('greptile-triage.md contains both project-local and global history paths', () => {
     const content = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'review', 'greptile-triage.md'), 'utf-8');
-    expect(content).toContain('$REMOTE_SLUG/greptile-history.md');
+    expect(content).toContain('$PROJECT_DATA_DIR/greptile-history.md');
     expect(content).toContain('~/.gstack/greptile-history.md');
   });
 
@@ -984,9 +970,10 @@ describe('gstack-slug', () => {
   test('output is eval-compatible (KEY=VALUE format)', () => {
     const result = Bun.spawnSync([SLUG_BIN], { cwd: ROOT, stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' });
     const lines = result.stdout.toString().trim().split('\n');
-    expect(lines.length).toBe(2);
+    expect(lines.length).toBe(3);
     expect(lines[0]).toMatch(/^SLUG=.+/);
     expect(lines[1]).toMatch(/^BRANCH=.+/);
+    expect(lines[2]).toMatch(/^PROJECT_DATA_DIR=.+/);
   });
 
   test('output values contain only safe characters (no shell metacharacters)', () => {