diff --git a/.claude/skills/open-edit/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/open-edit/SKILL.md
index 9a67d8a..eaedc24 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/open-edit/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/open-edit/SKILL.md
@@ -47,9 +47,17 @@ any of that means.
 
 ## PREFLIGHT — ALWAYS run at session start
 An installed skill contains this file plus `scripts/preflight.sh`; the full runtime may not exist yet.
-Resolve **SKILL_ROOT** as the directory containing this `SKILL.md`, and **WORKSPACE** as the user's current
-project root (or current directory outside a project). Resolve the supplied video to an absolute path
-from WORKSPACE before changing working directories.
+Resolve **SKILL_ROOT** as the directory containing this `SKILL.md`. Then resolve **WORKSPACE** by the first
+rule that applies:
+
+1. **If SKILL_ROOT sits inside an Open Edit checkout, WORKSPACE is that checkout** — preflight reuses it,
+   and the run exercises that code.
+2. **Otherwise** WORKSPACE is the user's current project root, or the current directory outside a project —
+   preflight creates its own runtime at `<WORKSPACE>/.open-edit/runtime` and every step below runs there.
+
+Preflight names which of the two it resolved (`reusing the local checkout at …` or `will use a managed clone
+at …`); read that line before trusting a run to be testing your changes. Resolve the supplied video to an
+absolute path from WORKSPACE before changing working directories.
 
 At the start of EVERY session, before doing Open Edit work, run:
 ```
@@ -73,8 +81,12 @@ bash "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/preflight.sh" --auto-approve --workspace "$WORKSPACE"
 approval from the original render request. If the user approves only selected actions, perform only those exact
 commands yourself, then rerun `--dry`. If nothing needs approval, do not mention preflight.
 
-Exit **0** means stdout is **OPEN_EDIT_ROOT**; use it for every repo-relative command below. Exit **10** means
-approval is required or an approved prerequisite is still missing. Exit **1** is a hard invariant/install error.
+Exit **0** means stdout is **OPEN_EDIT_ROOT**; use it for every repo-relative command below. It does **not**
+mean setup is finished — a `--dry` run exits 0 while listing the `WOULD APPLY LOCALLY` work that bare
+preflight performs itself, and then ends on `not ready yet — run bare preflight …`. Read the final
+`preflight:` line, not the exit code: `ready — OPEN_EDIT_ROOT=…` means go. Exit **10** means **only** that
+`APPROVAL REQUIRED` was printed and the user must approve every listed action first. Exit **1** is a hard
+invariant/install error.
 For development, `--repository <URL-or-local-path> --ref <branch>` overrides the initial clone source. A managed
 clone records its origin, branch, and commit and rejects conflicting later overrides. A clean checkout is offered
 a fast-forward update; any local or untracked changes are reported and left untouched.
diff --git a/.claude/skills/open-edit/hooks/install-project-hooks.mjs b/.claude/skills/open-edit/hooks/install-project-hooks.mjs
index 94c2c61..b7c6775 100755
--- a/.claude/skills/open-edit/hooks/install-project-hooks.mjs
+++ b/.claude/skills/open-edit/hooks/install-project-hooks.mjs
@@ -25,14 +25,30 @@ async function readJson(path) {
   }
 }
 
+// Identity is the hook PATH, not the exact command string. Comparing strings meant a config holding
+// `bash <path> codex` never matched the generated `bash "<path>" codex`, so every run appended another
+// copy — for anyone whose config was written by anything but this exact generator.
+const isOurs = (group, hookPath) =>
+  Array.isArray(group?.hooks) && group.hooks.some(hook => typeof hook?.command === 'string'
+    && hook.command.includes(hookPath));
+
 async function merge(path, event) {
   const document = await readJson(path);
   document.hooks ??= {};
   document.hooks.SessionStart ??= [];
-  const groups = document.hooks.SessionStart;
-  const alreadyPresent = groups.some(group =>
-    Array.isArray(group?.hooks) && group.hooks.some(hook => hook?.command === event.command));
-  if (alreadyPresent) return;
+  let groups = document.hooks.SessionStart;
+  const mine = groups.filter(group => isOurs(group, relativeHook));
+  if (mine.length > 0) {
+    // Collapse any duplicates a previous version accumulated; never touch anyone else's hooks.
+    if (mine.length === 1) return;
+    const first = mine[0];
+    document.hooks.SessionStart = groups.filter(group => !isOurs(group, relativeHook) || group === first);
+    groups = document.hooks.SessionStart;
+    await mkdir(dirname(path), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(path, `${JSON.stringify(document, null, 2)}\n`);
+    console.error(`preflight: collapsed ${mine.length - 1} duplicate SessionStart hook(s) in ${relative(workspace, path)}`);
+    return;
+  }
   groups.push(event.group);
   await mkdir(dirname(path), { recursive: true });
   await writeFile(path, `${JSON.stringify(document, null, 2)}\n`);
diff --git a/.claude/skills/open-edit/scripts/preflight.sh b/.claude/skills/open-edit/scripts/preflight.sh
index fe86205..d40db64 100755
--- a/.claude/skills/open-edit/scripts/preflight.sh
+++ b/.claude/skills/open-edit/scripts/preflight.sh
@@ -133,6 +133,22 @@ discover_runtime() {
 }
 
 discover_runtime
+
+# Say which code is about to run, and warn when a local checkout is being bypassed. WORKSPACE is only
+# reused when it IS an Open Edit checkout; otherwise everything below runs from a clone of
+# $DEFAULT_REF, so pointing --workspace at the wrong directory silently runs different code.
+BUNDLED_CHECKOUT="$(resolve_dir "$SCRIPT_ROOT/../../.." 2>/dev/null || true)"
+if [ "$ROOT_KIND" = "reused" ]; then
+  say "reusing the local checkout at $ROOT"
+else
+  say "workspace $WORKSPACE will use a managed clone at $MANAGED_ROOT"
+  if [ -n "$BUNDLED_CHECKOUT" ] && is_open_edit_checkout "$BUNDLED_CHECKOUT" \
+     && [ "$BUNDLED_CHECKOUT" != "$WORKSPACE" ]; then
+    say "NOTE: this skill lives in the checkout $BUNDLED_CHECKOUT, which will NOT be used."
+    say "      To run that code instead, pass --workspace $BUNDLED_CHECKOUT"
+  fi
+fi
+
 if [ "$ROOT_KIND" = "managed" ]; then
   REPOSITORY="$RECORDED_REPOSITORY"; REF="$RECORDED_REF"
 else
@@ -309,8 +325,12 @@ if [ "$ROOT_KIND" = "missing" ]; then
   say "runtime is not ready"
 elif repo_deps_ready && [ -x "$(engine_path)" ]; then
   say "ready — OPEN_EDIT_ROOT=$ROOT"
-else
+elif [ "$NEEDS_APPROVAL" -ne 0 ]; then
   say "local setup is incomplete because an approved prerequisite is missing"
+else
+  # Nothing is awaiting approval: the outstanding work is the WOULD APPLY LOCALLY list above, which
+  # bare preflight performs itself. Saying "approval" here sent agents looking for a user to ask.
+  say "not ready yet — run bare preflight (no --dry) to apply the local setup listed above"
 fi
 
 if [ "$NEEDS_APPROVAL" -ne 0 ]; then
diff --git a/pipeline/scripts/preflight.sh b/pipeline/scripts/preflight.sh
index defb7a6..b1dc173 100755
--- a/pipeline/scripts/preflight.sh
+++ b/pipeline/scripts/preflight.sh
@@ -2,4 +2,8 @@
 # Compatibility entrypoint. The installable skill owns the canonical preflight implementation.
 set -euo pipefail
 REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/../.." && pwd)"
+# Only default the workspace when the caller did not give one, otherwise it is passed twice.
+for arg in "$@"; do
+  [ "$arg" = "--workspace" ] && exec bash "$REPO_ROOT/.claude/skills/open-edit/scripts/preflight.sh" "$@"
+done
 exec bash "$REPO_ROOT/.claude/skills/open-edit/scripts/preflight.sh" --workspace "$REPO_ROOT" "$@"