diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/design.ts b/scripts/resolvers/design.ts
index e2f03fd03..794f9bc97 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/design.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/design.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { outsideVoiceFailurePolicy, outsideVoiceFor, outsideVoiceInvocation, outsideVoicePreflight, outsideVoiceProvenance } from './outside-voice';
-import { type TemplateContext, toShellPath } from './types';
+import { type TemplateContext, quoteSafePath, toShellPath } from './types';
 import { binaryAssignment } from './runtime-root';
 import { AI_SLOP_BLACKLIST, OPENAI_HARD_REJECTIONS, OPENAI_LITMUS_CHECKS, CC_BACKGROUND_DEFAULT_SINCE } from './constants';
 import { OVERUSED_FONTS_DISPLAY, BANNED_FONTS, FONTS_BODY_UI_OK, FONTS_MONO_OK, FONTS_VERIFIED_FREE, HANDOFF_COMMANDS, selectCatalog, catalogEntries, renderCatalog, detectorSlopEntries, judgmentTellEntries } from '../../lib/design-catalog';
@@ -1382,9 +1382,9 @@ export function generateTasteProfile(ctx: TemplateContext): string {
   return `Read this project's taste profile:
 
 \`\`\`bash
-SLUG=$("${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-slug" --get SLUG 2>/dev/null)
-[ -n "\${SLUG:-}" ] || { echo "NO_TASTE_PROFILE"; exit 0; }
-GSTACK_STATE_ROOT=$("${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-paths" --get GSTACK_STATE_ROOT); : "\${GSTACK_STATE_ROOT:?gstack-paths failed; reinstall with ./setup or /gstack-upgrade}"
+SLUG=$("${quoteSafePath(ctx.paths.binDir)}/gstack-slug" --get SLUG) || SLUG=""
+[ -n "\${SLUG:-}" ] || { echo "TASTE_PROFILE_UNAVAILABLE: could not resolve the project slug (gstack-slug failed). Fix: run ./setup."; exit 0; }
+GSTACK_STATE_ROOT=$("${quoteSafePath(ctx.paths.binDir)}/gstack-paths" --get GSTACK_STATE_ROOT); : "\${GSTACK_STATE_ROOT:?gstack-paths failed; reinstall with ./setup or /gstack-upgrade}"
 _TASTE_PROFILE="$GSTACK_STATE_ROOT/projects/$SLUG/taste-profile.json"
 if [ -f "$_TASTE_PROFILE" ]; then
   # Schema v1: { dimensions: { fonts, colors, layouts, aesthetics }, sessions: [] }
@@ -1398,6 +1398,8 @@ else
 fi
 \`\`\`
 
+**If TASTE_PROFILE_UNAVAILABLE:** say that line once, then continue without a taste profile (do not treat it as "no history").
+
 **If TASTE_PROFILE_FOUND:** Parse the full JSON; malformed/unreadable uses the legacy fallback. After decay, rank each dimension by confidence * approved_count (or rejected_count); take three per kind. Count retained sessions (at most 50, not lifetime). Include in ${ctx.skillName === 'design-consultation' ? 'the Phase 1 product brief (later shared unchanged with both independent voices)' : 'the brief'}:
 
 "Based on [number of retained sessions] recorded sessions, this user's taste leans toward:
diff --git a/test/design-setup-probe.test.ts b/test/design-setup-probe.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c4f302d5c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/design-setup-probe.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+/**
+ * F3: the rendered taste-profile fence, executed with stub binaries.
+ * The taste-profile probe double-quoted `~/.claude/...`, so it never found
+ * gstack-slug and always printed NO_TASTE_PROFILE; a failed slug lookup is now
+ * reported as TASTE_PROFILE_UNAVAILABLE instead of "no profile".
+ */
+import { afterAll, beforeAll, describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test';
+import { spawnSync } from 'child_process';
+import * as fs from 'fs';
+import * as os from 'os';
+import * as path from 'path';
+import { runGeneration } from '../scripts/gen-skill-docs';
+
+const tmp = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gstack-design-probe-'));
+const out = path.join(tmp, 'render');
+const HOSTS = [{ name: 'claude', dir: (s: string) => path.join(out, s), root: '.claude/skills/gstack' },
+  { name: 'codex', dir: (s: string) => path.join(out, '.agents', 'skills', `gstack-${s}`), root: '.codex/skills/gstack' }];
+
+function fenceAfter(file: string, heading: string): string {
+  const text = fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8');
+  return text.slice(text.indexOf(heading)).match(/```bash\n([\s\S]*?)\n```/)![1];
+}
+
+/** A HOME with a gstack install whose design binary runs `body`. */
+function world(root: string, body: string | null) {
+  const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(tmp, 'home-'));
+  const install = path.join(home, root);
+  const state = path.join(home, 'state');
+  for (const dir of ['bin', 'lib', 'design/dist']) fs.mkdirSync(path.join(install, dir), { recursive: true });
+  fs.mkdirSync(state);
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(install, 'bin', 'gstack-paths'), `#!/bin/sh\necho "${state}"\n`, { mode: 0o755 });
+  if (body !== null) fs.writeFileSync(path.join(install, 'design/dist/design'), `#!/bin/sh\necho launched >> "${home}/launches"\n${body}\n`, { mode: 0o755 });
+  const cwd = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(tmp, 'cwd-'));
+  return { home, install, state, cwd, launches: () => (fs.existsSync(path.join(home, 'launches')) ? fs.readFileSync(path.join(home, 'launches'), 'utf8').split('\n').filter(Boolean).length : 0) };
+}
+
+function run(script: string, w: { home: string; cwd: string }, PATH = '/usr/bin:/bin') {
+  return spawnSync('env', ['-i', `HOME=${w.home}`, `PATH=${PATH}`, 'bash', '-c', script], { cwd: w.cwd, encoding: 'utf8', timeout: 30_000 });
+}
+
+beforeAll(async () => {
+  const r = await runGeneration({ host: 'all', outputRoot: out });
+  if (r.exitCode !== 0) throw new Error(r.diagnostics.filter(d => d.kind === 'error').map(d => d.message).join('\n'));
+});
+afterAll(() => fs.rmSync(tmp, { recursive: true, force: true }));
+
+describe('F3: the taste profile loads, and a failed slug lookup is not "no profile"', () => {
+  for (const skill of ['design-shotgun', 'design-consultation']) {
+    for (const host of HOSTS) {
+      test(`${host.name} ${skill}`, () => {
+        const w = world(host.root, 'exit 0');
+        const fence = fenceAfter(path.join(host.dir(skill), 'SKILL.md'), "Read this project's taste profile:");
+        fs.mkdirSync(path.join(w.state, 'projects', 'acme'), { recursive: true });
+        fs.writeFileSync(path.join(w.state, 'projects', 'acme', 'taste-profile.json'), '{"dimensions":{}}');
+        fs.writeFileSync(path.join(w.install, 'bin', 'gstack-slug'), '#!/bin/sh\necho acme\n', { mode: 0o755 });
+        const found = run(fence, w);
+        expect(found.stdout, found.stderr).toContain('TASTE_PROFILE_FOUND');
+        expect(found.stdout).toContain('{"dimensions":{}}');
+
+        fs.writeFileSync(path.join(w.install, 'bin', 'gstack-slug'), '#!/bin/sh\necho "gstack-slug: cannot read state" >&2\nexit 1\n');
+        const failed = run(fence, w);
+        expect(failed.stdout.trim()).toBe('TASTE_PROFILE_UNAVAILABLE: could not resolve the project slug (gstack-slug failed). Fix: run ./setup.');
+        expect(failed.stderr).toContain('gstack-slug: cannot read state');
+      });
+    }
+  }
+});