diff --git a/document-release/SKILL.md b/document-release/SKILL.md
index 5654c3886..4d7e20e3d 100644
--- a/document-release/SKILL.md
+++ b/document-release/SKILL.md
@@ -456,9 +456,10 @@ the AskUserQuestion Format spawned rule: auto-choose the RECOMMENDED option, rec
 in your completion report, and continue — never call AskUserQuestion, never render a prose
 decision brief, never end your response waiting for an answer. The NEVER-do invariants below do
 not relax: when a gate's recommended option would rewrite CHANGELOG content or change VERSION,
-take that gate's Skip / leave-as-is option instead and record why (Step 8 carries the explicit
-spawned note). If the dispatch prompt narrows scope further (e.g. /ship's docs-sync-only guard),
-the prompt's restrictions win.
+take that gate's Skip / leave-as-is option instead and record why. This paragraph is the single
+source of spawned behavior — the spawned notes downstream (Step 8's VERSION gate, the
+cross-model doc-review pass) are pointers back to it, not separate rules. If the dispatch
+prompt narrows scope further (e.g. /ship's docs-sync-only guard), the prompt's restrictions win.
 
 **Only stop for:**
 - Risky/questionable doc changes (narrative, philosophy, security, removals, large rewrites)
diff --git a/document-release/SKILL.md.tmpl b/document-release/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 1056d12f8..db16e94b9 100644
--- a/document-release/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/document-release/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -45,9 +45,10 @@ the AskUserQuestion Format spawned rule: auto-choose the RECOMMENDED option, rec
 in your completion report, and continue — never call AskUserQuestion, never render a prose
 decision brief, never end your response waiting for an answer. The NEVER-do invariants below do
 not relax: when a gate's recommended option would rewrite CHANGELOG content or change VERSION,
-take that gate's Skip / leave-as-is option instead and record why (Step 8 carries the explicit
-spawned note). If the dispatch prompt narrows scope further (e.g. /ship's docs-sync-only guard),
-the prompt's restrictions win.
+take that gate's Skip / leave-as-is option instead and record why. This paragraph is the single
+source of spawned behavior — the spawned notes downstream (Step 8's VERSION gate, the
+cross-model doc-review pass) are pointers back to it, not separate rules. If the dispatch
+prompt narrows scope further (e.g. /ship's docs-sync-only guard), the prompt's restrictions win.
 
 **Only stop for:**
 - Risky/questionable doc changes (narrative, philosophy, security, removals, large rewrites)
diff --git a/document-release/sections/release-body.md b/document-release/sections/release-body.md
index aa8604489..86ed9821a 100644
--- a/document-release/sections/release-body.md
+++ b/document-release/sections/release-body.md
@@ -176,10 +176,10 @@ git diff <base>...HEAD -- VERSION
       - B) Keep current version — add new changes to the existing CHANGELOG entry
       - C) Skip — leave version as-is, handle later
 
-   **Spawned sessions:** the recommendation flips — choose C (leave version as-is) and record
-   the uncovered scope in your completion report (the `decisions` array when dispatched from
-   /ship). A spawned run must never change VERSION: the dispatching workflow owns version
-   numbering, and the parent's PR title derives from it.
+   **Spawned sessions** (per the spawned-dispatch contract at the top of this skill): the
+   recommendation flips — choose C (leave version as-is) and record the uncovered scope in
+   your completion report (the `decisions` array when dispatched from /ship).
+   A spawned run must never change VERSION: the dispatching workflow owns version numbering.
 
    The key insight: a VERSION bump set for "feature A" should not silently absorb "feature B"
    if feature B is substantial enough to deserve its own version entry.
@@ -431,11 +431,10 @@ checks the docs against what actually shipped. This is a standard part of /docum
 not an opt-in. The user turns it off only by asking explicitly
 (`gstack-config set codex_reviews disabled`).
 
-**Spawned-session skip:** if this session is spawned (`SESSION_KIND: spawned` echoed by the
-preamble, or your dispatch prompt marks it — e.g. dispatched from /ship Step 18), skip this
-entire section: the dispatching workflow owns its own review passes, and the apply gate below
-needs a human. Note the skip in your completion report and continue with Step 9's doc health
-summary.
+**Spawned-session skip** (per the spawned-dispatch contract at the top of this skill): in a
+spawned session, skip this entire section — the dispatching workflow owns its own review
+passes, and the apply gate below needs a human. Note the skip in your completion report and
+continue with Step 9's doc health summary.
 
 **Preflight — decide whether and how the doc review runs:**
 
diff --git a/document-release/sections/release-body.md.tmpl b/document-release/sections/release-body.md.tmpl
index 42cade85c..aa386b851 100644
--- a/document-release/sections/release-body.md.tmpl
+++ b/document-release/sections/release-body.md.tmpl
@@ -174,10 +174,10 @@ git diff <base>...HEAD -- VERSION
       - B) Keep current version — add new changes to the existing CHANGELOG entry
       - C) Skip — leave version as-is, handle later
 
-   **Spawned sessions:** the recommendation flips — choose C (leave version as-is) and record
-   the uncovered scope in your completion report (the `decisions` array when dispatched from
-   /ship). A spawned run must never change VERSION: the dispatching workflow owns version
-   numbering, and the parent's PR title derives from it.
+   **Spawned sessions** (per the spawned-dispatch contract at the top of this skill): the
+   recommendation flips — choose C (leave version as-is) and record the uncovered scope in
+   your completion report (the `decisions` array when dispatched from /ship).
+   A spawned run must never change VERSION: the dispatching workflow owns version numbering.
 
    The key insight: a VERSION bump set for "feature A" should not silently absorb "feature B"
    if feature B is substantial enough to deserve its own version entry.
diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/review.ts b/scripts/resolvers/review.ts
index 6f02f8481..215db1e04 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/review.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/review.ts
@@ -764,11 +764,10 @@ checks the docs against what actually shipped. This is a standard part of /docum
 not an opt-in. The user turns it off only by asking explicitly
 (\`gstack-config set codex_reviews disabled\`).
 
-**Spawned-session skip:** if this session is spawned (\`SESSION_KIND: spawned\` echoed by the
-preamble, or your dispatch prompt marks it — e.g. dispatched from /ship Step 18), skip this
-entire section: the dispatching workflow owns its own review passes, and the apply gate below
-needs a human. Note the skip in your completion report and continue with Step 9's doc health
-summary.
+**Spawned-session skip** (per the spawned-dispatch contract at the top of this skill): in a
+spawned session, skip this entire section — the dispatching workflow owns its own review
+passes, and the apply gate below needs a human. Note the skip in your completion report and
+continue with Step 9's doc health summary.
 
 **Preflight — decide whether and how the doc review runs:**