diff --git a/bin/gstack-artifacts-init b/bin/gstack-artifacts-init
index a82f9e7a4..5963649aa 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-artifacts-init
+++ b/bin/gstack-artifacts-init
@@ -260,6 +260,17 @@ EOF
   exit 1
 fi
 
+# ---- drain lock ----
+# Every gstack writer to the artifacts repo's git state takes the same lock,
+# so a drain never meets this init's git index mid-write (and can treat an
+# old index lock as abandoned).
+. "$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-brain-lock.sh"
+if ! gstack_brain_lock_acquire "$GSTACK_HOME" wait; then
+  echo "gstack-artifacts-init: another gstack sync (pid ${_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER:-unknown}) is using $GSTACK_HOME; re-run when it finishes" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+trap 'gstack_brain_lock_release' EXIT
+
 # ---- git init ----
 if [ ! -d "$GSTACK_HOME/.git" ]; then
   git -C "$GSTACK_HOME" init -q -b main 2>/dev/null || git -C "$GSTACK_HOME" init -q
@@ -282,7 +293,7 @@ EOF
 ALLOWLIST="$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-allowlist"
 ALLOWLIST_TMP=$(mktemp "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-allowlist.XXXXXX")
 ALLOWLIST_ASSEMBLED=$(mktemp "$GSTACK_HOME/.brain-allowlist.XXXXXX")
-trap 'rm -f "$ALLOWLIST_TMP" "$ALLOWLIST_ASSEMBLED"' EXIT
+trap 'rm -f "$ALLOWLIST_TMP" "$ALLOWLIST_ASSEMBLED"; gstack_brain_lock_release' EXIT
 ALLOWLIST_MARKER='# ---- USER ADDITIONS BELOW ---- (survives re-init; above is managed)'
 
 cat > "$ALLOWLIST_TMP" <<'EOF'
diff --git a/bin/gstack-brain-lock.sh b/bin/gstack-brain-lock.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2f60ac942
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/gstack-brain-lock.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+# gstack-brain-lock.sh — the one drain lock for every gstack writer to the
+# artifacts repo's git state in $GSTACK_HOME.
+#
+# This file is NOT executable; source it:
+#
+#   . "$(dirname "$0")/gstack-brain-lock.sh"
+#
+# Writers that take it: the drain (gstack-brain-sync --once), the skill-start
+# merge (gstack-skill-start), gstack-artifacts-init, gstack-brain-restore and
+# gstack-gbrain-source-wireup. Holding it is what lets the drain treat an old
+# .git/index.lock as abandoned: no other gstack writer can be running git there.
+#
+# Provides:
+#   gstack_brain_lock_acquire <gstack_home> <try|wait>
+#     Returns 0 when this process holds the lock afterwards, 1 otherwise.
+#     try  — give up at once when a live process holds it.
+#     wait — retry once a second for GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_WAIT seconds (default
+#            120), then give up.
+#     A child of the holder (the drain runs the wireup's daily advance; restore
+#     runs the wireup) inherits GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN; when it matches the
+#     lock's owner file the child proceeds without taking or releasing it.
+#     On failure, _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER names the holder's pid (or "").
+#   gstack_brain_lock_release
+#     Removes the lock only when this process took it and still owns it.
+#
+# The lock is a directory (mkdir is atomic on every POSIX filesystem; flock(1)
+# is not on macOS) holding `pid` and `owner`. A lock whose pid is dead is
+# stale and is cleared. A lock directory with no pid file is a holder killed
+# between mkdir and the pid write once it is older than 10 minutes.
+
+_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR=""
+_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_MINE=0
+_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER=""
+
+_gstack_brain_lock_try_once() {
+  local dir="$1" pid
+  if mkdir "$dir" 2>/dev/null; then
+    GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN="$$-${RANDOM:-0}-$(date +%s 2>/dev/null || echo 0)"
+    export GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN
+    printf '%s\n' "$$" > "$dir/pid" 2>/dev/null || true
+    printf '%s\n' "$GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN" > "$dir/owner" 2>/dev/null || true
+    _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_MINE=1
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if [ -f "$dir/pid" ]; then
+    pid=$(head -1 "$dir/pid" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+    _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER="$pid"
+    case "$pid" in ''|*[!0-9]*) return 1 ;; esac
+    kill -0 "$pid" 2>/dev/null && return 1
+  elif [ -z "$(find "$dir" -maxdepth 0 -mmin +10 2>/dev/null)" ]; then
+    _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER=""
+    return 1
+  fi
+  rm -rf "$dir" 2>/dev/null || true
+  return 1
+}
+
+gstack_brain_lock_acquire() {
+  local home="$1" mode="${2:-try}" waited=0 limit
+  _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR="$home/.brain-sync.lock.d"
+  _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_MINE=0
+  _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER=""
+  if [ -n "${GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN:-}" ] && [ -f "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR/owner" ] \
+      && [ "$(head -1 "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR/owner" 2>/dev/null)" = "$GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN" ]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  mkdir -p "$home" 2>/dev/null || true
+  limit="${GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_WAIT:-120}"
+  case "$limit" in ''|*[!0-9]*) limit=120 ;; esac
+  while :; do
+    _gstack_brain_lock_try_once "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR" && return 0
+    # A stale lock was just cleared: take it now instead of after a sleep.
+    [ -d "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR" ] || { _gstack_brain_lock_try_once "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR" && return 0; }
+    [ "$mode" = "wait" ] || return 1
+    [ "$waited" -ge "$limit" ] && return 1
+    sleep 1
+    waited=$(( waited + 1 ))
+  done
+}
+
+gstack_brain_lock_release() {
+  [ "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_MINE" = "1" ] || return 0
+  if [ "$(head -1 "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR/owner" 2>/dev/null)" = "${GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN:-}" ]; then
+    rm -rf "$_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_DIR" 2>/dev/null || true
+  fi
+  _GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_MINE=0
+  unset GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_TOKEN
+  return 0
+}
diff --git a/bin/gstack-brain-restore b/bin/gstack-brain-restore
index f81a14d13..4438c0a72 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-brain-restore
+++ b/bin/gstack-brain-restore
@@ -89,9 +89,18 @@ EOF
   fi
 fi
 
+# ---- drain lock ----
+# Every gstack writer to the artifacts repo's git state takes the same lock;
+# the wireup this script runs at the end inherits it.
+. "$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-brain-lock.sh"
+if ! gstack_brain_lock_acquire "$GSTACK_HOME" wait; then
+  echo "gstack-brain-restore: another gstack sync (pid ${_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER:-unknown}) is using $GSTACK_HOME; re-run when it finishes" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
 # ---- clone to staging ----
 STAGING=$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/gstack-brain-restore.XXXXXX")
-trap 'rm -rf "$STAGING" 2>/dev/null' EXIT
+trap 'rm -rf "$STAGING" 2>/dev/null; gstack_brain_lock_release' EXIT
 
 echo "Cloning $REMOTE_URL to staging..."
 RESTORE_HOST="${REMOTE_URL#*://}"; RESTORE_HOST="${RESTORE_HOST#*@}"; RESTORE_HOST="${RESTORE_HOST%%[/:]*}"
diff --git a/bin/gstack-gbrain-source-wireup b/bin/gstack-gbrain-source-wireup
index 42fcea288..11248bf28 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-gbrain-source-wireup
+++ b/bin/gstack-gbrain-source-wireup
@@ -56,6 +56,17 @@ fi
 PLIST_PATH="$HOME/Library/LaunchAgents/com.gstack.brain-sync.plist"
 GBRAIN_CONFIG="$HOME/.gbrain/config.json"
 
+# Git writes to $GSTACK_HOME (worktree add/prune/remove, the daily advance)
+# take the drain lock every gstack writer shares. A caller that already holds
+# it (the drain's daily advance, gstack-brain-restore) passes it down.
+. "$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-brain-lock.sh"
+trap 'gstack_brain_lock_release' EXIT
+take_drain_lock() {
+  [ -d "$GSTACK_HOME/.git" ] || return 0
+  gstack_brain_lock_acquire "$GSTACK_HOME" wait \
+    || die "another gstack sync (pid ${_GSTACK_BRAIN_LOCK_HOLDER:-unknown}) is using $GSTACK_HOME; re-run when it finishes" 1
+}
+
 # ---- arg parse ----
 MODE="wireup"
 STRICT=0
@@ -285,10 +296,12 @@ do_wireup() {
   # Capture ensure_worktree's return code explicitly. `$?` after `||` reflects
   # the LAST command in the function under set -e, which is unreliable when the
   # function has multiple internal exit paths.
+  take_drain_lock
   set +e
   ensure_worktree
   ew_rc=$?
   set -e
+  gstack_brain_lock_release
   case "$ew_rc" in
     0) : ;;  # success
     2)
@@ -403,6 +416,7 @@ do_advance_only() {
     exit 0
   fi
   local sha cur
+  take_drain_lock
   sha=$(git -C "$GSTACK_HOME" rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null) || { warn "advance-only: cannot read parent HEAD"; exit 0; }
   cur=$(git -C "$WORKTREE" rev-parse HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "")
   if [ "$cur" = "$sha" ]; then
@@ -426,6 +440,7 @@ do_uninstall() {
   fi
 
   if [ -d "$WORKTREE/.git" ] || [ -f "$WORKTREE/.git" ]; then
+    take_drain_lock
     git -C "$GSTACK_HOME" worktree remove --force "$WORKTREE" 2>/dev/null \
       || safe_rm_worktree "$WORKTREE"
   fi
diff --git a/bin/gstack-skill-start b/bin/gstack-skill-start
index 9e4417943..6a922158f 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-skill-start
+++ b/bin/gstack-skill-start
@@ -320,12 +320,18 @@ if [ -d "$_GH/.git" ] && [ "$_BRAIN_SYNC_MODE" != "off" ]; then
     # fail-closed (same wiring as bin/gstack-brain-sync's fetch/push).
     . "$_BIN/gstack-egress-lib.sh" 2>/dev/null || true
     _PULL_HOST=$(cd "$_GH" 2>/dev/null && git remote get-url origin 2>/dev/null | sed -E 's|^[a-z+]+://([^/@]*@)?([^/:]+).*|\2|; s|^([^@]+@)?([^:]+):.*|\2|' | head -1)
-    if command -v _receipted_git >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    # The merge writes the artifacts repo's git state, so it takes the drain
+    # lock every gstack writer shares; when a drain holds it, the pull waits
+    # for the next start (no stamp).
+    . "$_BIN/gstack-brain-lock.sh" 2>/dev/null || true
+    if command -v _receipted_git >/dev/null 2>&1 && command -v gstack_brain_lock_acquire >/dev/null 2>&1 \
+        && gstack_brain_lock_acquire "$_GH" try; then
       # Non-interactive + slow-network bounded (same guards as gstack-update-check):
       # a hung remote or a credential prompt must not stall the preamble.
       ( cd "$_GH" && GSTACK_HOME="$_GH" GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT=0 GIT_HTTP_LOW_SPEED_LIMIT=1000 GIT_HTTP_LOW_SPEED_TIME=5 \
           _receipted_git closed brain-sync "${_PULL_HOST:-unknown}" curated-memory-git-fetch "artifacts_sync_mode!=off" \
           git fetch origin >/dev/null 2>&1 && git merge --ff-only "origin/$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" >/dev/null 2>&1 ) || true
+      gstack_brain_lock_release
       # Stamp only when the receipted path actually ran — a missing egress lib
       # must surface as a retry next start, not a silent 24h suppression.
       echo "$_BRAIN_NOW" > "$_BRAIN_LAST_PULL_FILE"