diff --git a/.github/workflows/version-gate.yml b/.github/workflows/version-gate.yml
index 58f2432c..262baf6e 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/version-gate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/version-gate.yml
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ jobs:
             --bump "${{ steps.bump.outputs.level }}" \
             --current-version "${{ steps.versions.outputs.base_version }}" \
             --workspace-root null \
+            --exclude-pr "${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}" \
             > next.json 2> next.err
           RC=$?
           if [ "$RC" != "0" ] || [ ! -s next.json ]; then
diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index c755dee7..7e5e1fa3 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ version-gate:
         --bump "$LEVEL" \
         --current-version "$BASE_VERSION" \
         --workspace-root null \
+        --exclude-pr "$CI_MERGE_REQUEST_IID" \
         > next.json
       RC=$?
       if [ "$RC" != "0" ] || [ ! -s next.json ]; then
diff --git a/bin/gstack-next-version b/bin/gstack-next-version
index 8bba3257..e10485d9 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-next-version
+++ b/bin/gstack-next-version
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ function readBaseVersion(base: string, warnings: string[]): string {
   return r.stdout.trim();
 }
 
-async function fetchGithubClaimed(base: string, warnings: string[]): Promise<{ claimed: ClaimedPR[]; offline: boolean }> {
+async function fetchGithubClaimed(base: string, excludePR: number | null, warnings: string[]): Promise<{ claimed: ClaimedPR[]; offline: boolean }> {
   const list = runCommand("gh", [
     "pr",
     "list",
@@ -175,9 +175,10 @@ async function fetchGithubClaimed(base: string, warnings: string[]): Promise<{ c
   // otherwise return our main's VERSION as a phantom claim.
   const viewer = runCommand("gh", ["repo", "view", "--json", "owner", "-q", ".owner.login"]);
   const myOwner = viewer.ok ? viewer.stdout.trim() : "";
-  const sameRepoPRs = myOwner
+  const sameRepoPRs = (myOwner
     ? prs.filter((p) => (p.headRepositoryOwner?.login ?? "") === myOwner)
-    : prs;
+    : prs
+  ).filter((p) => excludePR === null || p.number !== excludePR);
   // Fetch each PR's VERSION at its head in parallel (bounded concurrency).
   const results: ClaimedPR[] = [];
   const queue = [...sameRepoPRs];
@@ -214,7 +215,7 @@ async function fetchGithubClaimed(base: string, warnings: string[]): Promise<{ c
   return { claimed: results, offline: false };
 }
 
-async function fetchGitlabClaimed(base: string, warnings: string[]): Promise<{ claimed: ClaimedPR[]; offline: boolean }> {
+async function fetchGitlabClaimed(base: string, excludePR: number | null, warnings: string[]): Promise<{ claimed: ClaimedPR[]; offline: boolean }> {
   const list = runCommand("glab", [
     "mr",
     "list",
@@ -237,6 +238,9 @@ async function fetchGitlabClaimed(base: string, warnings: string[]): Promise<{ c
     warnings.push(`glab mr list returned invalid JSON`);
     return { claimed: [], offline: true };
   }
+  if (excludePR !== null) {
+    mrs = mrs.filter((mr) => mr.iid !== excludePR);
+  }
   const results: ClaimedPR[] = [];
   for (const mr of mrs) {
     const content = runCommand("glab", [
@@ -342,11 +346,12 @@ function markActiveSiblings(siblings: Sibling[], baseVersion: Version): Sibling[
   });
 }
 
-function parseArgs(argv: string[]): { base: string; bump: Bump; current: string; workspaceRoot?: string; help: boolean } {
+function parseArgs(argv: string[]): { base: string; bump: Bump; current: string; workspaceRoot?: string; excludePR: number | null; help: boolean } {
   let base = "";
   let bump: Bump | "" = "";
   let current = "";
   let workspaceRoot: string | undefined;
+  let excludePR: number | null = null;
   let help = false;
   for (let i = 0; i < argv.length; i++) {
     const a = argv[i];
@@ -354,9 +359,13 @@ function parseArgs(argv: string[]): { base: string; bump: Bump; current: string;
     else if (a === "--bump") bump = (argv[++i] ?? "") as Bump;
     else if (a === "--current-version") current = argv[++i] ?? "";
     else if (a === "--workspace-root") workspaceRoot = argv[++i];
+    else if (a === "--exclude-pr") {
+      const n = Number(argv[++i]);
+      excludePR = Number.isFinite(n) && n > 0 ? n : null;
+    }
     else if (a === "-h" || a === "--help") help = true;
   }
-  if (help) return { base: "", bump: "micro", current: "", help: true };
+  if (help) return { base: "", bump: "micro", current: "", excludePR: null, help: true };
   if (!base) base = "main";
   if (!bump) {
     console.error("Error: --bump is required (major|minor|patch|micro)");
@@ -366,7 +375,17 @@ function parseArgs(argv: string[]): { base: string; bump: Bump; current: string;
     console.error(`Error: --bump must be major|minor|patch|micro (got ${bump})`);
     process.exit(2);
   }
-  return { base, bump: bump as Bump, current, workspaceRoot, help: false };
+  return { base, bump: bump as Bump, current, workspaceRoot, excludePR, help: false };
+}
+
+// Auto-detect: if --exclude-pr wasn't passed, check whether the current branch
+// already has an open PR and exclude it by default. This prevents the self-
+// reference bug where /ship's own PR inflates the queue on rerun.
+function autoDetectExcludePR(): number | null {
+  const r = runCommand("gh", ["pr", "view", "--json", "number", "-q", ".number"]);
+  if (!r.ok) return null;
+  const n = Number(r.stdout.trim());
+  return Number.isFinite(n) && n > 0 ? n : null;
 }
 
 async function main() {
@@ -386,12 +405,17 @@ async function main() {
     process.exit(2);
   }
 
+  const excludePR = args.excludePR ?? autoDetectExcludePR();
+  if (excludePR !== null && args.excludePR === null) {
+    warnings.push(`auto-excluded PR #${excludePR} (current branch's own PR)`);
+  }
+
   let claimed: ClaimedPR[] = [];
   let offline = false;
   if (host === "github") {
-    ({ claimed, offline } = await fetchGithubClaimed(args.base, warnings));
+    ({ claimed, offline } = await fetchGithubClaimed(args.base, excludePR, warnings));
   } else if (host === "gitlab") {
-    ({ claimed, offline } = await fetchGitlabClaimed(args.base, warnings));
+    ({ claimed, offline } = await fetchGitlabClaimed(args.base, excludePR, warnings));
   } else {
     warnings.push("host unknown; queue-awareness unavailable");
   }