diff --git a/.squad/agents/pao/history.md b/.squad/agents/pao/history.md
index b3f609808..76ce8557a 100644
--- a/.squad/agents/pao/history.md
+++ b/.squad/agents/pao/history.md
@@ -109,6 +109,6 @@ Completed full PRD based on research findings. **Document:** `docs/research/jsdo
 2. **`gh aw compile` demoted** from required step to troubleshooting note. Quick Start reduced from 6 to 5 steps. Lock files are generated automatically by `gh aw add`. Upgrading section left unchanged (correct there).
 3. **Restricted secrets callout added** in Setup immediately after the `gh aw add` block, with `--approve` flag workaround.
 
-**Decision record:** `.squad/decisions/inbox/pao-1761-gh-aw-path-verification.md`
+**Decision record:** `.squad/decisions.md` — “2026-08-21: gitignore placement — colocation over root rules.”
 
 **PR:** Closes #1761
diff --git a/docs/src/content/docs/guide/gh-aw.md b/docs/src/content/docs/guide/gh-aw.md
index cca07592b..f33793cb9 100644
--- a/docs/src/content/docs/guide/gh-aw.md
+++ b/docs/src/content/docs/guide/gh-aw.md
@@ -122,18 +122,15 @@ git commit -m "ci: add Squad agentic workflow"
 git push
 ```
 
-This stages everything `gh aw add` wrote — workflow source files and their
-compiled `.lock.yml` files under `.github/workflows/`, the agentic-workflows
-skill under `.github/skills/`, and the `.gitattributes` entry that marks lock
-files as generated. No need to update this command as Squad's shipped files
-evolve.
+This command stages `.gitattributes` and files under `.github/workflows/` and
+`.github/skills/`.
 
 > **Troubleshooting:** If the lock files are missing or you need to regenerate
 > them manually, run `gh aw compile`. This is only needed if something went wrong
 > during `gh aw add`.
 
 Downloaded workflow audit data is local diagnostic output and should not be
-committed. If a `.gitignore` is missing from your workflow logs directory, add:
+committed. If a `.gitignore` is missing from `.github/aw/logs/`, add one there:
 
 ```gitignore
 # Ignore all downloaded workflow logs
diff --git a/test/gh-aw-plan-lifecycle.test.ts b/test/gh-aw-plan-lifecycle.test.ts
index d3cc5e5bb..1d6f0156a 100644
--- a/test/gh-aw-plan-lifecycle.test.ts
+++ b/test/gh-aw-plan-lifecycle.test.ts
@@ -24,19 +24,64 @@ function readText(filePath: string): string {
   return readFileSync(filePath, 'utf8').replace(/\r\n/g, '\n');
 }
 
-/** Slice a `## skill: \`name\`` block out of the workflow markdown. */
+/** Include the skill heading and stop before its end marker, the next skill, or EOF. */
 function skillBlock(markdown: string, name: string): string {
   const marker = `## skill: \`${name}\``;
-  const start = markdown.indexOf(marker);
-  if (start === -1) throw new Error(`skill block "${name}" not found`);
-  const bodyStart = start + marker.length;
-  const nextSkillIdx = markdown.indexOf('\n## skill: `', bodyStart);
-  const endMarkerIdx = markdown.indexOf(`\n## end skill: \`${name}\``, bodyStart);
-  const candidates = [nextSkillIdx, endMarkerIdx].filter(index => index >= 0);
-  const endIdx = candidates.length === 0 ? -1 : Math.min(...candidates);
-  return endIdx === -1 ? markdown.slice(start) : markdown.slice(start, endIdx);
+  const endMarker = `## end skill: \`${name}\``;
+  const skillHeadings = [...markdown.matchAll(/^## skill:[^\r\n]*$/gm)];
+  const requested = skillHeadings.filter(match => match[0] === marker);
+  if (requested.length !== 1) {
+    throw new Error(`skill block "${name}" must appear exactly once; found ${requested.length}`);
+  }
+  const start = requested[0].index!;
+  const nextSkill = skillHeadings.find(match => match.index! > start);
+  const matchingEnds = [...markdown.matchAll(/^## end skill:[^\r\n]*$/gm)].filter(
+    match => match[0] === endMarker && match.index! > start,
+  );
+  if (matchingEnds.length > 1) {
+    throw new Error(`skill block "${name}" has duplicate end markers`);
+  }
+  const end = Math.min(nextSkill?.index ?? markdown.length, matchingEnds[0]?.index ?? markdown.length);
+  return markdown.slice(start, end);
 }
 
+describe('skillBlock', () => {
+  const adjacentSkills = [
+    '## skill: `requested`',
+    'requested content',
+    '## skill: `following`',
+    'following content',
+    '## end skill: `following`',
+    '## agent: `after-skills`',
+  ].join('\n');
+
+  it('includes the requested heading and content but excludes the following skill', () => {
+    const requested = skillBlock(adjacentSkills, 'requested');
+
+    expect(requested).toBe('## skill: `requested`\nrequested content\n');
+    expect(requested).not.toContain('## skill: `following`');
+    expect(requested).not.toContain('following content');
+    expect(skillBlock(adjacentSkills, 'following')).toBe(
+      '## skill: `following`\nfollowing content\n',
+    );
+    expect(skillBlock('## skill: `only`\nonly content', 'only')).toBe(
+      '## skill: `only`\nonly content',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('fails closed when the requested marker is missing or duplicated', () => {
+    expect(() => skillBlock(adjacentSkills, 'missing')).toThrow(
+      'skill block "missing" must appear exactly once; found 0',
+    );
+    expect(() => skillBlock(`${adjacentSkills}\n## skill: \`requested\``, 'requested')).toThrow(
+      'skill block "requested" must appear exactly once; found 2',
+    );
+    expect(() => skillBlock(`${adjacentSkills}\n## end skill: \`following\``, 'following')).toThrow(
+      'skill block "following" has duplicate end markers',
+    );
+  });
+});
+
 /** Slice a `## agent: \`name\`` block out of the workflow markdown. */
 function agentBlock(markdown: string, name: string): string {
   const marker = `## agent: \`${name}\``;
diff --git a/test/gh-aw-quality.test.ts b/test/gh-aw-quality.test.ts
index aa13157e4..ae4bda202 100644
--- a/test/gh-aw-quality.test.ts
+++ b/test/gh-aw-quality.test.ts
@@ -1657,26 +1657,6 @@ describe('gh-aw: dispatch_workflow schema static gate (#1772)', () => {
   const scriptPath = join(process.cwd(), 'scripts', 'check-workflow-input-interpolation.mjs');
   const fixturesDir = join(TEST_WORKSPACES_DIR, 'dispatch-schema-gate');
 
-  function runGate(scanDir: string): { exitCode: number; stderr: string; stdout: string } {
-    // The script resolves SCAN_DIRS relative to repo root via import.meta.url.
-    // We invoke it with a patched environment variable so the fixture directory is
-    // scanned instead of the real workflows directory.
-    const result = spawnSync(
-      process.execPath,
-      [scriptPath],
-      {
-        env: { ...process.env, SQUAD_GATE_SCAN_OVERRIDE: scanDir },
-        encoding: 'utf8',
-        cwd: process.cwd(),
-      }
-    );
-    return {
-      exitCode: result.status ?? 1,
-      stderr: result.stderr ?? '',
-      stdout: result.stdout ?? '',
-    };
-  }
-
   function writeFixture(name: string, content: string): string {
     mkdirSync(fixturesDir, { recursive: true });
     const path = join(fixturesDir, name);