diff --git a/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts b/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts
index 8ad828824..0be3ca9a1 100644
--- a/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts
+++ b/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts
@@ -158,15 +158,17 @@ const EXPLAIN_LEVEL: 'default' | 'terse' = (() => {
 // Conductor workspace — byte-compat pinned by gen-skill-docs-out-dir tests)
 // and the former TREE_MUTATING tests, which render into a mkdtemp instead
 // of mutating the live tree. Default (unset) = in-place, unchanged.
-const OUT_DIR_ARG = process.argv.find(a => a.startsWith('--out-dir'));
-const OUT_DIR: string | null = (() => {
-  if (!OUT_DIR_ARG) return null;
-  const val = OUT_DIR_ARG.includes('=')
-    ? OUT_DIR_ARG.split('=')[1]
-    : process.argv[process.argv.indexOf(OUT_DIR_ARG) + 1];
-  if (!val) throw new Error('--out-dir requires a directory path');
+/** Parse `--flag <path>` / `--flag=<path>` into an absolute path, or null when absent. */
+function parsePathFlag(flag: string): string | null {
+  const arg = process.argv.find(a => a.startsWith(flag));
+  if (!arg) return null;
+  const val = arg.includes('=')
+    ? arg.split('=')[1]
+    : process.argv[process.argv.indexOf(arg) + 1];
+  if (!val) throw new Error(`${flag} requires a directory path`);
   return path.resolve(val);
-})();
+}
+const OUT_DIR: string | null = parsePathFlag('--out-dir');
 
 // #2692: callers that render into a TMP dir and atomically swap it into place
 // (bin/gstack-config gbrain-refresh, setup — the #2569 pattern) must pass the
@@ -175,22 +177,15 @@ const OUT_DIR: string | null = (() => {
 // Read dies after the swap. Defaults to OUT_DIR for direct-render callers
 // (bin/dev-setup, scripts/dev-skill.ts, mkdtemp tests), where out-dir IS the
 // serving path.
-const LINK_ROOT_ARG = process.argv.find(a => a.startsWith('--link-root'));
-const LINK_ROOT: string | null = (() => {
-  if (!LINK_ROOT_ARG) return OUT_DIR;
-  const val = LINK_ROOT_ARG.includes('=')
-    ? LINK_ROOT_ARG.split('=')[1]
-    : process.argv[process.argv.indexOf(LINK_ROOT_ARG) + 1];
-  if (!val) throw new Error('--link-root requires a directory path');
-  return path.resolve(val);
-})();
+const LINK_ROOT: string | null = parsePathFlag('--link-root') ?? OUT_DIR;
 
 /**
  * When rendering to an out-dir, repoint the literal section-base path at the
- * out-dir so section Reads resolve to the rendered copy, not the global install.
+ * link root (--link-root, defaulting to --out-dir) so section Reads resolve
+ * to the SERVED copy, not the global install.
  * Surgical: ONLY paths containing `/sections/` are rewritten — bin/, browse/,
  * docs/ references keep pointing at `~/.claude/skills/gstack` (the global
- * install, which still works). No-op when --out-dir is unset.
+ * install, which still works). No-op when neither flag is set.
  */
 function rewriteSectionBase(content: string): string {
   if (!LINK_ROOT) return content;