diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index ef0aeaf5..5bfd6a1b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 node_modules/
 browse/dist/
 .gstack/
+.claude/
 /tmp/
 *.log
 bun.lock
diff --git a/DEVELOPING_GSTACK.md b/DEVELOPING_GSTACK.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4951130
--- /dev/null
+++ b/DEVELOPING_GSTACK.md
@@ -0,0 +1,93 @@
+# Developing gstack
+
+How to test gstack skills from within the gstack repo itself.
+
+## The problem
+
+Claude Code discovers skills from `.claude/skills/` (project-local) or `~/.claude/skills/` (global). When developing gstack, you want to edit a SKILL.md and test it immediately — without copying files or deploying to the global install.
+
+## Dev mode
+
+```bash
+bin/dev-setup      # activate — skills resolve from this working tree
+bin/dev-teardown   # deactivate — back to global install
+```
+
+### What `bin/dev-setup` does
+
+1. Creates `.claude/skills/` inside the repo (gitignored)
+2. Symlinks `.claude/skills/gstack` → repo root
+3. Runs `./setup` which:
+   - Builds the browse binary (if needed)
+   - Creates individual skill symlinks: `.claude/skills/review` → `.claude/skills/gstack/review`, etc.
+
+After this, Claude Code in this directory discovers skills from your working tree. Edit `review/SKILL.md`, run `/review` — changes take effect immediately.
+
+### What `bin/dev-teardown` does
+
+Removes all symlinks under `.claude/skills/` and cleans up the directory. Your global install (`~/.claude/skills/gstack`) becomes active again.
+
+## Directory structure in dev mode
+
+```
+gstack/                          ← your working tree (repo root)
+├── .claude/                     ← gitignored
+│   └── skills/
+│       ├── gstack → ../../      ← symlink back to repo root
+│       ├── review → gstack/review
+│       ├── ship → gstack/ship
+│       ├── browse → gstack/browse
+│       ├── qa → gstack/qa
+│       ├── retro → gstack/retro
+│       ├── plan-ceo-review → gstack/plan-ceo-review
+│       ├── plan-eng-review → gstack/plan-eng-review
+│       └── setup-browser-cookies → gstack/setup-browser-cookies
+├── review/
+│   ├── SKILL.md                 ← edit this, test with /review
+│   ├── checklist.md
+│   └── greptile-triage.md
+├── ship/
+│   └── SKILL.md
+├── browse/
+│   ├── SKILL.md
+│   ├── src/                     ← TypeScript source
+│   └── dist/                    ← compiled binary (gitignored)
+└── ...
+```
+
+## Workflow
+
+```bash
+# 1. Start dev mode
+bin/dev-setup
+
+# 2. Edit a skill
+vim review/SKILL.md
+
+# 3. Test it — Claude Code picks up changes immediately
+#    (in Claude Code): /review
+
+# 4. Edit browse source? Rebuild the binary
+bun run build
+
+# 5. Done developing? Tear down
+bin/dev-teardown
+```
+
+## Gotchas
+
+- **Project-local skills override global.** While dev mode is active, the global install at `~/.claude/skills/gstack` is shadowed. `bin/dev-teardown` restores it.
+- **Browse binary changes need a rebuild.** SKILL.md changes are instant (they're just Markdown). But if you edit `browse/src/*.ts`, run `bun run build` to recompile.
+- **`.claude/` is gitignored.** The dev symlinks never get committed. This is intentional.
+- **Conductor workspaces.** Each Conductor workspace is an independent clone. Run `bin/dev-setup` in the workspace you're developing in. Other workspaces are unaffected.
+- **Don't mix dev and global.** If you have dev mode active and also update the global install, the project-local one wins. Tear down first if you want to test the global install.
+
+## Running tests
+
+```bash
+bun test                     # all tests (browse integration + snapshot)
+bun run dev <cmd>            # run CLI in dev mode, e.g. bun run dev goto https://example.com
+bun run build                # compile binary to browse/dist/browse
+```
+
+Tests don't require dev mode — they test the browse binary directly, not the skill prompts.
diff --git a/bin/dev-setup b/bin/dev-setup
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..709cca4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/dev-setup
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Set up gstack for local development — test skills from within this repo.
+#
+# Creates .claude/skills/gstack → (symlink to repo root) so Claude Code
+# discovers skills from your working tree. Changes take effect immediately.
+#
+# Usage: bin/dev-setup       # set up
+#        bin/dev-teardown    # clean up
+set -e
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+
+# 1. Create .claude/skills/ inside the repo
+mkdir -p "$REPO_ROOT/.claude/skills"
+
+# 2. Symlink .claude/skills/gstack → repo root
+# This makes setup think it's inside a real .claude/skills/ directory
+GSTACK_LINK="$REPO_ROOT/.claude/skills/gstack"
+if [ -L "$GSTACK_LINK" ]; then
+  echo "Updating existing symlink..."
+  rm "$GSTACK_LINK"
+elif [ -d "$GSTACK_LINK" ]; then
+  echo "Error: .claude/skills/gstack is a real directory, not a symlink." >&2
+  echo "Remove it manually if you want to use dev mode." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+ln -s "$REPO_ROOT" "$GSTACK_LINK"
+
+# 3. Run setup via the symlink so it detects .claude/skills/ as its parent
+"$GSTACK_LINK/setup"
+
+echo ""
+echo "Dev mode active. Skills resolve from this working tree."
+echo "Edit any SKILL.md and test immediately — no copy/deploy needed."
+echo ""
+echo "To tear down: bin/dev-teardown"
diff --git a/bin/dev-teardown b/bin/dev-teardown
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..e333a75d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/dev-teardown
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Remove local dev skill symlinks. Restores global gstack as the active install.
+set -e
+
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
+SKILLS_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/.claude/skills"
+
+if [ ! -d "$SKILLS_DIR" ]; then
+  echo "Nothing to tear down — .claude/skills/ doesn't exist."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Remove individual skill symlinks
+removed=()
+for link in "$SKILLS_DIR"/*/; do
+  name="$(basename "$link")"
+  [ "$name" = "gstack" ] && continue
+  if [ -L "${link%/}" ]; then
+    rm "${link%/}"
+    removed+=("$name")
+  fi
+done
+
+# Remove the gstack symlink
+if [ -L "$SKILLS_DIR/gstack" ]; then
+  rm "$SKILLS_DIR/gstack"
+  removed+=("gstack")
+fi
+
+# Clean up empty dirs
+rmdir "$SKILLS_DIR" 2>/dev/null || true
+rmdir "$REPO_ROOT/.claude" 2>/dev/null || true
+
+if [ ${#removed[@]} -gt 0 ]; then
+  echo "Removed: ${removed[*]}"
+else
+  echo "No symlinks found."
+fi
+echo "Dev mode deactivated. Global gstack (~/.claude/skills/gstack) is now active."