diff --git a/autoplan/SKILL.md b/autoplan/SKILL.md
index cd9f81d1..10ba3522 100644
--- a/autoplan/SKILL.md
+++ b/autoplan/SKILL.md
@@ -416,7 +416,7 @@ State what you examined and why nothing was flagged (1-2 sentences minimum).
 Before doing anything, save the plan file's current state to an external file:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-')
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 echo "RESTORE_PATH=$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/${BRANCH}-autoplan-restore-${DATETIME}.md"
diff --git a/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl b/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 6c844d67..2213c8b9 100644
--- a/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/autoplan/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ State what you examined and why nothing was flagged (1-2 sentences minimum).
 Before doing anything, save the plan file's current state to an external file:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+{{SLUG_SETUP}}
 BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null | tr '/' '-')
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 echo "RESTORE_PATH=$HOME/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/${BRANCH}-autoplan-restore-${DATETIME}.md"
diff --git a/benchmark/SKILL.md b/benchmark/SKILL.md
index ac12a280..9e1a6bc3 100644
--- a/benchmark/SKILL.md
+++ b/benchmark/SKILL.md
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ When the user types `/benchmark`, run this skill.
 ### Phase 1: Setup
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")"
 mkdir -p .gstack/benchmark-reports
 mkdir -p .gstack/benchmark-reports/baselines
 ```
diff --git a/benchmark/SKILL.md.tmpl b/benchmark/SKILL.md.tmpl
index d0c0ecbc..f72b5a93 100644
--- a/benchmark/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/benchmark/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ When the user types `/benchmark`, run this skill.
 ### Phase 1: Setup
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")"
 mkdir -p .gstack/benchmark-reports
 mkdir -p .gstack/benchmark-reports/baselines
 ```
diff --git a/bin/gstack-review-log b/bin/gstack-review-log
index 816cfa46..d7235bc3 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-review-log
+++ b/bin/gstack-review-log
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Usage: gstack-review-log '{"skill":"...","timestamp":"...","status":"..."}'
 set -euo pipefail
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
-source <("$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-slug" 2>/dev/null)
+eval "$("$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-slug" 2>/dev/null)"
 GSTACK_HOME="${GSTACK_HOME:-$HOME/.gstack}"
 mkdir -p "$GSTACK_HOME/projects/$SLUG"
 echo "$1" >> "$GSTACK_HOME/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl"
diff --git a/bin/gstack-review-read b/bin/gstack-review-read
index 578d7480..ccf1d70f 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-review-read
+++ b/bin/gstack-review-read
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Usage: gstack-review-read
 set -euo pipefail
 SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
-source <("$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-slug" 2>/dev/null)
+eval "$("$SCRIPT_DIR/gstack-slug" 2>/dev/null)"
 GSTACK_HOME="${GSTACK_HOME:-$HOME/.gstack}"
 cat "$GSTACK_HOME/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl" 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_REVIEWS"
 echo "---CONFIG---"
diff --git a/bin/gstack-slug b/bin/gstack-slug
index 3ad30381..a7ae7883 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-slug
+++ b/bin/gstack-slug
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # gstack-slug — output project slug and sanitized branch name
-# Usage: source <(gstack-slug)  → sets SLUG and BRANCH variables
+# Usage: eval "$(gstack-slug)"  → sets SLUG and BRANCH variables
 # Or:    gstack-slug            → prints SLUG=... and BRANCH=... lines
 #
 # Security: output is sanitized to [a-zA-Z0-9._-] only, preventing
diff --git a/canary/SKILL.md b/canary/SKILL.md
index c71d51a9..2b2bb403 100644
--- a/canary/SKILL.md
+++ b/canary/SKILL.md
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ When the user types `/canary`, run this skill.
 ### Phase 1: Setup
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")"
 mkdir -p .gstack/canary-reports
 mkdir -p .gstack/canary-reports/baselines
 mkdir -p .gstack/canary-reports/screenshots
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ Save report to `.gstack/canary-reports/{date}-canary.md` and `.gstack/canary-rep
 Log the result for the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
 mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 
diff --git a/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl b/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl
index d0ddadfe..eca0fd1f 100644
--- a/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/canary/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ When the user types `/canary`, run this skill.
 ### Phase 1: Setup
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null || echo "SLUG=unknown")"
 mkdir -p .gstack/canary-reports
 mkdir -p .gstack/canary-reports/baselines
 mkdir -p .gstack/canary-reports/screenshots
@@ -192,7 +192,7 @@ Save report to `.gstack/canary-reports/{date}-canary.md` and `.gstack/canary-rep
 Log the result for the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+{{SLUG_EVAL}}
 mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 
diff --git a/design-consultation/SKILL.md b/design-consultation/SKILL.md
index d4cf72b2..3e5b1889 100644
--- a/design-consultation/SKILL.md
+++ b/design-consultation/SKILL.md
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ ls src/ app/ pages/ components/ 2>/dev/null | head -30
 Look for office-hours output:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
 ls ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ls .context/*office-hours* .context/attachments/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ```
diff --git a/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl b/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 87c191df..d8604ceb 100644
--- a/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/design-consultation/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ ls src/ app/ pages/ components/ 2>/dev/null | head -30
 Look for office-hours output:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+{{SLUG_EVAL}}
 ls ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ls .context/*office-hours* .context/attachments/*office-hours* 2>/dev/null | head -5
 ```
diff --git a/design-review/SKILL.md b/design-review/SKILL.md
index ae8fa1bd..a1abf723 100644
--- a/design-review/SKILL.md
+++ b/design-review/SKILL.md
@@ -774,7 +774,7 @@ Compare screenshots and observations across pages for:
 
 **Project-scoped:**
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 Write to: `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md`
 
@@ -1142,7 +1142,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:**
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md`
 
diff --git a/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl b/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
index e54332fa..636307e8 100644
--- a/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/design-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:**
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+{{SLUG_SETUP}}
 ```
 Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md`
 
diff --git a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md
index 25bc5e54..c89e2de0 100644
--- a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md
+++ b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md
@@ -883,7 +883,7 @@ Save report to `.gstack/deploy-reports/{date}-pr{number}-deploy.md`.
 Log to the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
 mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 
diff --git a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 0e84d859..af902b9b 100644
--- a/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/land-and-deploy/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ Save report to `.gstack/deploy-reports/{date}-pr{number}-deploy.md`.
 Log to the review dashboard:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+{{SLUG_EVAL}}
 mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 
diff --git a/office-hours/SKILL.md b/office-hours/SKILL.md
index ab69f1b6..3755ef27 100644
--- a/office-hours/SKILL.md
+++ b/office-hours/SKILL.md
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ You are a **YC office hours partner**. Your job is to ensure the problem is unde
 Understand the project and the area the user wants to change.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
 ```
 
 1. Read `CLAUDE.md`, `TODOS.md` (if they exist).
@@ -784,7 +784,7 @@ Count the signals. You'll use this count in Phase 6 to determine which tier of c
 Write the design document to the project directory.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 ```
diff --git a/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl b/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 33d673c1..72b43af3 100644
--- a/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/office-hours/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ You are a **YC office hours partner**. Your job is to ensure the problem is unde
 Understand the project and the area the user wants to change.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+{{SLUG_EVAL}}
 ```
 
 1. Read `CLAUDE.md`, `TODOS.md` (if they exist).
@@ -407,7 +407,7 @@ Count the signals. You'll use this count in Phase 6 to determine which tier of c
 Write the design document to the project directory.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+{{SLUG_SETUP}}
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 ```
diff --git a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md
index 1050ed4f..a9f4f671 100644
--- a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md
+++ b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md
@@ -607,7 +607,7 @@ Rules:
 After the opt-in/cherry-pick ceremony, write the plan to disk so the vision and decisions survive beyond this conversation. Only run this step for EXPANSION and SELECTIVE EXPANSION modes.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans
 ```
 
 Before writing, check for existing CEO plans in the ceo-plans/ directory. If any are >30 days old or their branch has been merged/deleted, offer to archive them:
@@ -1101,7 +1101,7 @@ After producing the Completion Summary, clean up any handoff notes for this bran
 the review is complete and the context is no longer needed.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
 rm -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null || true
 ```
 
diff --git a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 6b676a86..a94c9ffe 100644
--- a/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/plan-ceo-review/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ Rules:
 After the opt-in/cherry-pick ceremony, write the plan to disk so the vision and decisions survive beyond this conversation. Only run this step for EXPANSION and SELECTIVE EXPANSION modes.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/ceo-plans
 ```
 
 Before writing, check for existing CEO plans in the ceo-plans/ directory. If any are >30 days old or their branch has been merged/deleted, offer to archive them:
@@ -732,7 +732,7 @@ After producing the Completion Summary, clean up any handoff notes for this bran
 the review is complete and the context is no longer needed.
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+{{SLUG_EVAL}}
 rm -f ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-$BRANCH-ceo-handoff-*.md 2>/dev/null || true
 ```
 
diff --git a/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md b/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md
index 435d4f09..678d42a3 100644
--- a/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md
+++ b/plan-eng-review/SKILL.md
@@ -611,7 +611,7 @@ The plan should be complete enough that when implementation begins, every test i
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact to the project directory so `/qa` and `/qa-only` can consume it as primary test input:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 ```
diff --git a/qa-only/SKILL.md b/qa-only/SKILL.md
index bd714612..48a3983c 100644
--- a/qa-only/SKILL.md
+++ b/qa-only/SKILL.md
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
 1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
    ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
@@ -642,7 +642,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:** Write test outcome artifact for cross-session context:
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
diff --git a/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl b/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 293a7b36..ef4ae6bd 100644
--- a/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/qa-only/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
 1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   {{SLUG_EVAL}}
    ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:** Write test outcome artifact for cross-session context:
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+{{SLUG_SETUP}}
 ```
 Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
diff --git a/qa/SKILL.md b/qa/SKILL.md
index d59ba122..2bd5d305 100644
--- a/qa/SKILL.md
+++ b/qa/SKILL.md
@@ -549,7 +549,7 @@ Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
 1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
    ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
@@ -1013,7 +1013,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:** Write test outcome artifact for cross-session context:
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 ```
 Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
diff --git a/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl b/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl
index a3d02abc..c5695722 100644
--- a/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/qa/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ Before falling back to git diff heuristics, check for richer test plan sources:
 
 1. **Project-scoped test plans:** Check `~/.gstack/projects/` for recent `*-test-plan-*.md` files for this repo
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   {{SLUG_EVAL}}
    ls -t ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/*-test-plan-*.md 2>/dev/null | head -1
    ```
 2. **Conversation context:** Check if a prior `/plan-eng-review` or `/plan-ceo-review` produced test plan output in this conversation
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ Write the report to both local and project-scoped locations:
 
 **Project-scoped:** Write test outcome artifact for cross-session context:
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+{{SLUG_SETUP}}
 ```
 Write to `~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-test-outcome-{datetime}.md`
 
diff --git a/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts b/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts
index 364db1fe..837d33ce 100644
--- a/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts
+++ b/scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts
@@ -1219,7 +1219,7 @@ Compare screenshots and observations across pages for:
 
 **Project-scoped:**
 \`\`\`bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 \`\`\`
 Write to: \`~/.gstack/projects/{slug}/{user}-{branch}-design-audit-{datetime}.md\`
 
@@ -1815,7 +1815,7 @@ The plan should be complete enough that when implementation begins, every test i
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact to the project directory so \`/qa\` and \`/qa-only\` can consume it as primary test input:
 
 \`\`\`bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 \`\`\`
@@ -1879,7 +1879,7 @@ Coverage line: \`Test Coverage Audit: N new code paths. M covered (X%). K tests
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact so \`/qa\` and \`/qa-only\` can consume it:
 
 \`\`\`bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 \`\`\`
@@ -2542,7 +2542,17 @@ ${slopItems}
 Source: [OpenAI "Designing Delightful Frontends with GPT-5.4"](https://developers.openai.com/blog/designing-delightful-frontends-with-gpt-5-4) (Mar 2026) + gstack design methodology.`;
 }
 
+function generateSlugEval(ctx: TemplateContext): string {
+  return `eval "$(${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"`;
+}
+
+function generateSlugSetup(ctx: TemplateContext): string {
+  return `eval "$(${ctx.paths.binDir}/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG`;
+}
+
 const RESOLVERS: Record<string, (ctx: TemplateContext) => string> = {
+  SLUG_EVAL: generateSlugEval,
+  SLUG_SETUP: generateSlugSetup,
   COMMAND_REFERENCE: generateCommandReference,
   SNAPSHOT_FLAGS: generateSnapshotFlags,
   PREAMBLE: generatePreamble,
diff --git a/ship/SKILL.md b/ship/SKILL.md
index af138e1d..ce3196ea 100644
--- a/ship/SKILL.md
+++ b/ship/SKILL.md
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ If the Eng Review is NOT "CLEAR":
 
 1. **Check for a prior override on this branch:**
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
    grep '"skill":"ship-review-override"' ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_OVERRIDE"
    ```
    If an override exists, display the dashboard and note "Review gate previously accepted — continuing." Do NOT ask again.
@@ -409,7 +409,7 @@ If the Eng Review is NOT "CLEAR":
 
 3. **If the user chooses A or C,** persist the decision so future `/ship` runs on this branch skip the gate:
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"
    echo '{"skill":"ship-review-override","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","decision":"USER_CHOICE"}' >> ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl
    ```
    Substitute USER_CHOICE with "ship_anyway" or "not_relevant".
@@ -969,7 +969,7 @@ Coverage line: `Test Coverage Audit: N new code paths. M covered (X%). K tests g
 After producing the coverage diagram, write a test plan artifact so `/qa` and `/qa-only` can consume it:
 
 ```bash
-source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null) && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
+eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
 USER=$(whoami)
 DATETIME=$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)
 ```
diff --git a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
index bd74c197..0308dd8b 100644
--- a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ If the Eng Review is NOT "CLEAR":
 
 1. **Check for a prior override on this branch:**
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   {{SLUG_EVAL}}
    grep '"skill":"ship-review-override"' ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl 2>/dev/null || echo "NO_OVERRIDE"
    ```
    If an override exists, display the dashboard and note "Review gate previously accepted — continuing." Do NOT ask again.
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ If the Eng Review is NOT "CLEAR":
 
 3. **If the user chooses A or C,** persist the decision so future `/ship` runs on this branch skip the gate:
    ```bash
-   source <(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)
+   {{SLUG_EVAL}}
    echo '{"skill":"ship-review-override","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","decision":"USER_CHOICE"}' >> ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl
    ```
    Substitute USER_CHOICE with "ship_anyway" or "not_relevant".
diff --git a/test/skill-validation.test.ts b/test/skill-validation.test.ts
index 2085eaec..3d76ae67 100644
--- a/test/skill-validation.test.ts
+++ b/test/skill-validation.test.ts
@@ -1004,6 +1004,25 @@ describe('gstack-slug', () => {
     expect(slug).toMatch(/^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$/);
     expect(branch).toMatch(/^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$/);
   });
+  test('eval sets variables under bash with set -euo pipefail', () => {
+    const result = Bun.spawnSync(
+      ['bash', '-c', 'set -euo pipefail; eval "$(./bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)"; echo "SLUG=$SLUG"; echo "BRANCH=$BRANCH"'],
+      { cwd: ROOT, stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' }
+    );
+    expect(result.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    const output = result.stdout.toString();
+    expect(output).toMatch(/^SLUG=.+/m);
+    expect(output).toMatch(/^BRANCH=.+/m);
+  });
+
+  test('no templates or bin scripts use source process substitution for gstack-slug', () => {
+    const result = Bun.spawnSync(
+      ['grep', '-r', 'source <(.*gstack-slug', '--include=*.tmpl', '--include=gstack-review-*', '.'],
+      { cwd: ROOT, stdout: 'pipe', stderr: 'pipe' }
+    );
+    // grep returns exit code 1 when no matches found — that's what we want
+    expect(result.stdout.toString().trim()).toBe('');
+  });
 });
 
 // --- Test Bootstrap validation ---