diff --git a/.tasks/STATUS.md b/.tasks/STATUS.md
index 08319aa..e9ed901 100644
--- a/.tasks/STATUS.md
+++ b/.tasks/STATUS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 # Task Board
-_Updated: 2026-04-29_
+_Updated: 2026-04-30_
 
 <!--
   Canonical layout. One block per task. Per-task deep context lives in
@@ -85,6 +85,15 @@ _Updated: 2026-04-29_
 **Next action:** when triggered (skill count crosses threshold), evaluate variant B (grouped by family) vs variant C (flat + manifest) from the original brainstorm in `.wiki/concepts/repo-layout.md`
 **Branch:** (not started)
 
+## 🟢 [using-projects-meta-freshness-gate] — добавить Step 0 freshness check в using-projects-meta
+
+**Status:** done
+**Where I stopped:** Step 0 добавлен в `using-projects-meta/SKILL.md` (cache_age>10мин или errors>0 → `dist/sync.js` для read; shared-wiki write — безусловный `git pull --ff-only`; 401/403 → auth.toml rotation); зеркалирован в README; bump 1.0.0→1.1.0; rebuild+install OK; description trimmed до 924 chars после регрессии (полное Step 0 в description ~1450 chars сломало парсинг — harness зафолбэкнулся на H1, скилл потерял все триггеры); Common mistakes + Red flags расширены; concept page + log обновлены; new feedback memory `skill_description_length_limit`
+**Next action:** (none — kept until merged)
+**Branch:** master
+
+---
+
 ## 🟢 [projects-meta-skills] — setup-projects-meta + using-projects-meta — пара скиллов для projects-meta-mcp
 
 **Status:** done
diff --git a/.tasks/using-projects-meta-freshness-gate.md b/.tasks/using-projects-meta-freshness-gate.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7726c68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.tasks/using-projects-meta-freshness-gate.md
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+# using-projects-meta-freshness-gate
+
+## Goal
+Add an explicit Step 0 "Freshness gate" to `using-projects-meta` so the agent does not hit a stale MCP cache or a sha-based optimistic-lock conflict in cross-machine workflows. Pre-flight: always `meta_status`; if `cache_age` > 10 min or `errors_count` > 0, run `node ~/.local/projects-meta-mcp/dist/sync.js` for reads; for shared-wiki writes (`knowledge_ingest`, `knowledge_promote`) additionally `git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull --ff-only`. 401/403 from sync → token expired → send user to `~/.config/projects-mcp/auth.toml`. Tasks-mutations need only the sync (no local clone of target tasks repo). Bump skill 1.0.0 → 1.1.0 (additive, non-breaking).
+
+## Key files
+- `skills/using-projects-meta/SKILL.md` — add **Step 0 — Freshness gate** section before "Read (no confirmation needed)" and before "Mutate (always two-step)"; tweak Workflow ordering
+- `skills/using-projects-meta/README.md` — mirror the rule in a new "Freshness gate" subsection of "Two operation classes"
+- `.wiki/concepts/projects-meta-skills.md` — append a "Freshness gate (v1.1.0)" subsection
+- `.wiki/log.md` — one entry
+
+## Decisions log
+- 2026-04-30: Threshold = 10 min cache age. Reason: balance between catching cross-machine pushes and not hitting Gitea on every casual `tasks_aggregate`. User-supplied number, codified.
+- 2026-04-30: For shared-wiki writes, pull is **unconditional** (not gated by cache age). Reason: sha-based optimistic lock in `knowledge_ingest` will reject the commit otherwise with a 422, and the failure mode is opaque ("why did it fail?"). The pull is cheap (fast-forward is a no-op when already current).
+- 2026-04-30: For tasks-mutations, sync via `dist/sync.js` is enough. Reason: there's no local clone of the target tasks repo — mutations go straight through Gitea API. The sync only refreshes the local view of all repos' STATUS.md so the agent reasons from current state when writing.
+- 2026-04-30: 401/403 from sync → send user to rotate `gitea_token` in `~/.config/projects-mcp/auth.toml`. Reason: silently failing or pretending sync succeeded leaves the agent reasoning on stale data. Loud failure is the whole point of the check.
+- 2026-04-30: Version bump 1.0.0 → 1.1.0 (additive behavior change — adds a pre-flight step, doesn't break existing usage). `using-context7` precedent: `version` in frontmatter, semver discipline.
+
+## Open questions
+- [ ] Should Step 0 apply to `meta_status` itself? Decision: no — that would be circular. `meta_status` is the freshness probe, not a read that depends on freshness.
+
+## Completed steps
+- [x] Open task in STATUS.md as 🔴 active
+- [x] Add Step 0 — Freshness gate section to `using-projects-meta/SKILL.md` (between Workflow header and Read sub-section); add Step 0 reference to Read and Mutate sub-flows; extend Common mistakes (3 new rows: stale aggregate, skipped pull, sync 401/403); extend Red flags (2 new bullets)
+- [x] Mirror rule in `using-projects-meta/README.md` as new "Step 0 — Freshness gate (v1.1.0, mandatory pre-flight)" section
+- [x] Bump `version: 1.0.0` → `1.1.0` in SKILL.md frontmatter
+- [x] First rebuild + reinstall — caused regression: full Step 0 inlined into description took it to ~1450 chars, exceeded harness limit, description silently dropped → listing showed `using-projects-meta: Using the projects-meta MCP server` (H1 fallback); fixed by trimming description to 924 chars with one-sentence pointer "v1.1.0 mandates a Step 0 freshness gate ... see SKILL body"
+- [x] Saved feedback memory `skill_description_length_limit.md` so future me checks length after frontmatter edits
+- [x] Wiki: appended "Freshness gate (v1.1.0)" subsection to `concepts/projects-meta-skills.md`; one entry in `log.md`
+- [x] Closed in STATUS.md (🟢 done); next: commit + push + MCP round-trip close
+
+## Notes
+- User-supplied draft text for the skill (verbatim): _"Step 0 — Freshness gate. Always call mcp__projects-meta__meta_status first. If cache_age_minutes > 10 or errors.length > 0, run node ~/.local/projects-meta-mcp/dist/sync.js before any read. For shared-wiki writes (knowledge_ingest, knowledge_promote), additionally run git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull --ff-only — sha-based optimistic lock will reject your commit otherwise."_
+- Trigger reason from user: "projects-meta — это шина между машинами. Юзер на ноуте может не знать, что на десктопе уже был коммит в shared wiki 5 минут назад. Без этого шага write-флоу ломается случайным образом, и баг трудно воспроизвести."
diff --git a/.wiki/concepts/projects-meta-skills.md b/.wiki/concepts/projects-meta-skills.md
index 1b093f3..010a49a 100644
--- a/.wiki/concepts/projects-meta-skills.md
+++ b/.wiki/concepts/projects-meta-skills.md
@@ -67,6 +67,20 @@ Both `setup-projects-meta` and `using-projects-meta` now write the canon path. `
 
 This is a meta-lesson: **always pull shared/multi-machine resources before relying on cached anchors**. Saved as a feedback memory.
 
+## Freshness gate (v1.1.0)
+
+`using-projects-meta` v1.1.0 adds a mandatory pre-flight **Step 0** before any `tasks_*` / `knowledge_*` call:
+
+1. Probe `mcp__projects-meta__meta_status` (cache age + errors).
+2. If `cache_age_minutes > 10` or `errors_count > 0` → `node ~/.local/projects-meta-mcp/dist/sync.js`.
+3. For shared-wiki writes (`knowledge_ingest`, `knowledge_promote`) → **unconditional** `git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull --ff-only` (sha-based optimistic lock will reject otherwise with 422).
+4. For tasks-mutations (`tasks_create/update/close`) → sync via `dist/sync.js` is enough; no local clone of target tasks repo.
+5. 401/403 from sync → token dead → send user to `~/.config/projects-mcp/auth.toml`. Loud failure mandatory.
+
+Why: `projects-meta` is a bus between machines. Another host can push minutes ago without the agent knowing. Without Step 0, reads return stale data and writes hit opaque 422s — exactly the failure mode we hit during this very session (skipped initial pull → wiki anchors stale → had to rewrite three places after retroactive `git pull`). Codified the lesson into the skill so future sessions don't repeat it.
+
+10-minute threshold is the chosen balance: catches multi-machine drift, doesn't burn Gitea round-trips for casual back-to-back questions.
+
 ## Round-trip note
 
 The task `[projects-meta-skills]` was created on a different machine (`OpeItcLoc03@DESKTOP-NSEF0UK`) via `mcp__projects-meta__tasks_create target_project=claude-skills`. Closing it on this machine via `mcp__projects-meta__tasks_close target_project=claude-skills slug=projects-meta-skills` round-trips back to the same Gitea board — both sides see the 🟢 done state. First end-to-end multi-machine task lifecycle in the fleet.
diff --git a/.wiki/log.md b/.wiki/log.md
index 398b124..4414b73 100644
--- a/.wiki/log.md
+++ b/.wiki/log.md
@@ -30,5 +30,6 @@ Parseable: `grep "^## \[" .wiki/log.md | tail -20`.
 ## [2026-04-28] decision | install-portability — `install.sh`/`build.sh` patched to drop `mapfile`+`find -printf`; stock macOS (bash 3.2 + BSD find) now works; verified on git-bash (16 skills discovered, sorted, installed; build.sh produces archive)
 ## [2026-04-29] decision | projects-meta-skills — built `setup-projects-meta` (8-phase install of projects-meta-mcp + auth.toml + MCP registration) and `using-projects-meta` (runtime policy with local-first rule and two-step mutation); skill pair pattern applied for the 4th time (context7 / wiki / tasks / projects-meta); both built + installed; visible to the harness
 ## [2026-04-30] refactor | projects-meta-skills — wiki path canon corrected: `~/projects/.wiki` → `~/projects/projects-wiki/` (clone root), content at `~/projects/projects-wiki/.wiki/`. Old path caused write/read mismatch bug (fixed upstream in commit `621a69f` of `projects-meta-mcp`). Setup-projects-meta Phase 1 now detects legacy clone, Phase 4 re-clones to canon. Lesson: pull shared resources before relying on cached anchors
+## [2026-04-30] decision | using-projects-meta v1.1.0 — added mandatory Step 0 freshness gate: probe `meta_status`; if cache_age > 10min or errors > 0, `node dist/sync.js`; for shared-wiki writes unconditional `git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull --ff-only`; 401/403 → loud failure to user. Codifies the same-session lesson — `projects-meta` is a multi-machine bus, stale cache breaks read accuracy and write atomicity
 ## [2026-04-28] decision | project-bootstrap@1.1.0 — added Step 5.6: detects `superpowers@claude-plugins-official` via `~/.claude/plugins/installed_plugins.json` and prints install command + upstream link if missing; chat-only, never auto-installs (slash commands aren't callable from a skill, and silent plugin install is overreach)
 ## [2026-04-28] doc | README.md + README.ru.md — new "Using skills in projects" / "Использование в проектах" section after install quick-start; describes project-bootstrap workflow (git, .gitignore, README, .wiki/, .tasks/, CLAUDE.md, manifest, superpowers-plugin check) and the init/upgrade modes
diff --git a/dist/using-projects-meta.skill b/dist/using-projects-meta.skill
index 5f30ebe..e6cbc2d 100644
Binary files a/dist/using-projects-meta.skill and b/dist/using-projects-meta.skill differ
diff --git a/skills/using-projects-meta/README.md b/skills/using-projects-meta/README.md
index 4e3b9ee..612fcdc 100644
--- a/skills/using-projects-meta/README.md
+++ b/skills/using-projects-meta/README.md
@@ -49,6 +49,32 @@ wiki content. See the table below.
 | "Has the **shared** wiki got X?" | `mcp__projects-meta__knowledge_search` |
 | "Sync state across machines?" | `mcp__projects-meta__meta_status` |
 
+## Step 0 — Freshness gate (v1.1.0, mandatory pre-flight)
+
+`projects-meta` is a bus between machines — another host may have pushed
+minutes ago. Without this gate, reads return stale data and writes hit
+sha-based optimistic-lock 422s with no explanation.
+
+Before **any** `tasks_*` or `knowledge_*` call:
+
+1. `mcp__projects-meta__meta_status` — probe cache age + errors.
+2. If `cache_age_minutes` > 10 OR `errors_count` > 0 →
+   `node ~/.local/projects-meta-mcp/dist/sync.js`.
+3. For shared-wiki **writes** (`knowledge_ingest`, `knowledge_promote`) →
+   **also** `git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull --ff-only`. Unconditional.
+   The MCP server uses sha-based optimistic locking on the wiki repo;
+   without an up-to-date local SHA the commit is rejected with a 422.
+4. For tasks-mutations (`tasks_create`/`update`/`close`) → sync via
+   `dist/sync.js` is enough; there's no local clone of the target tasks repo.
+5. If sync returns **401 / 403** → STOP. Token is dead. Send the user to
+   `~/.config/projects-mcp/auth.toml` to rotate `gitea_token`. Don't
+   pretend success, don't retry silently.
+
+**Don't sync unconditionally** on every call — overhead + 401-risk for
+casual reads. The 10-minute window is the chosen threshold.
+
+**Don't apply Step 0 to `meta_status` itself** — it's the probe.
+
 ## Two operation classes
 
 ### Read (no confirmation)
diff --git a/skills/using-projects-meta/SKILL.md b/skills/using-projects-meta/SKILL.md
index c1a5898..bbadf40 100644
--- a/skills/using-projects-meta/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/using-projects-meta/SKILL.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 name: using-projects-meta
-version: 1.0.0
-description: Use when working across multiple projects on one or many machines — cross-project task aggregation (`mcp__projects-meta__tasks_*`), shared Gitea-backed wiki query / ingest (`mcp__projects-meta__knowledge_*`), or sync diagnostics (`mcp__projects-meta__meta_status`). Triggers on phrases like "across all projects", "what's on the boards", "check shared wiki", "search projects-wiki", "ingest into shared wiki", "что у меня на досках", "по всем проектам", "общая вики", "cross-project status", or any time the user wants to see / mutate state in another repo than the current cwd. Mutation tools (`tasks_create`, `tasks_update`, `tasks_close`, `knowledge_ingest`, `knowledge_promote`) require two-step preview → confirm. Skip for the **current** project's tasks/wiki — those live on disk in `.tasks/` / `.wiki/` and are read directly.
+version: 1.1.0
+description: Use when working across multiple projects on one or many machines — cross-project task aggregation (`mcp__projects-meta__tasks_*`), shared Gitea-backed wiki query / ingest (`mcp__projects-meta__knowledge_*`), or sync diagnostics (`mcp__projects-meta__meta_status`). Triggers on phrases like "across all projects", "what's on the boards", "check shared wiki", "search projects-wiki", "ingest into shared wiki", "что у меня на досках", "по всем проектам", "общая вики", "cross-project status", or any time the user wants to see / mutate state in another repo than the current cwd. v1.1.0 mandates a Step 0 freshness gate (probe `meta_status`, sync if stale, pull `projects-wiki` before shared-wiki writes) — see SKILL body. Mutation tools require two-step preview → confirm. Skip for the **current** project's tasks/wiki — those live on disk in `.tasks/` / `.wiki/`.
 ---
 
 # Using the projects-meta MCP server
@@ -56,11 +56,49 @@ Use MCP only for **other** projects, **other** machines, or **shared** wiki cont
 - Library / framework documentation — that's `using-context7`.
 - Code search — that's `Glob` / `Grep`.
 
+## Step 0 — Freshness gate (run before any tool)
+
+`projects-meta` is a bus between machines. Another host may have pushed minutes ago. Without this gate, reads return stale data and writes hit sha-based optimistic-lock 422s with no explanation. Mandatory pre-flight, every session, every workflow:
+
+```
+1. Call mcp__projects-meta__meta_status.
+
+2. Branch on cache freshness:
+   • If cache_age_minutes > 10 OR errors_count > 0:
+       run `node ~/.local/projects-meta-mcp/dist/sync.js`
+       (or `npm run sync` from ~/.local/projects-meta-mcp).
+   • Else: cache is fresh enough — skip sync, no need to hit the network.
+
+3. For shared-wiki WRITES (knowledge_ingest, knowledge_promote):
+   ALWAYS additionally run `git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull --ff-only`
+   regardless of cache age. The MCP server uses sha-based optimistic locking;
+   without an up-to-date local file SHA, the commit will be rejected (422)
+   and the failure mode is opaque to the user.
+
+4. For tasks-mutations (tasks_create, tasks_update, tasks_close):
+   sync via dist/sync.js is enough — there's no local clone of the target
+   tasks repo, mutations go straight through Gitea API. Sync only refreshes
+   the local view so you reason from current state.
+
+5. If sync returns 401 or 403:
+   STOP. The Gitea token in ~/.config/projects-mcp/auth.toml is dead or
+   wrong-scoped. Tell the user explicitly:
+     "Gitea sync failed with <401|403>. Rotate gitea_token in
+      ~/.config/projects-mcp/auth.toml (Gitea: settings/applications)
+      and rerun."
+   Do not pretend sync succeeded. Do not retry silently.
+```
+
+**Don't sync unconditionally on every call.** Network overhead + risk of 401 even on a casual "what's on my boards". The 10-minute cache window is the right balance — catches multi-machine drift without burning Gitea round-trips for back-to-back questions.
+
+**Don't apply Step 0 to `meta_status` itself** — it's the freshness probe, not a downstream read.
+
 ## Workflow
 
 ### Read (no confirmation needed)
 
 ```
+0. Run Step 0 — Freshness gate (above) first.
 1. Identify what you need: cross-project tasks? shared wiki page? sync state?
 2. Pick the right read tool (table below).
 3. Cite the result with the source slug / project name.
@@ -69,6 +107,9 @@ Use MCP only for **other** projects, **other** machines, or **shared** wiki cont
 ### Mutate (always two-step)
 
 ```
+0. Run Step 0 — Freshness gate (above) first.
+   For shared-wiki writes (knowledge_ingest, knowledge_promote): unconditional
+   `git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull --ff-only` is part of Step 0.
 1. Identify the mutation: tasks_create / tasks_update / tasks_close / knowledge_ingest / knowledge_promote.
 2. Call the tool WITHOUT `confirm: true` → returns a dry-run preview (the proposed file diff and the Gitea commit message).
 3. Show the preview to the user. Wait for explicit "ok" / "go" / "поехали".
@@ -180,7 +221,9 @@ User: "close `[projects-meta-skills]` in claude-skills"
 | Reading current project's tasks via `tasks_get` instead of disk | Read `.tasks/STATUS.md` directly. MCP is for *other* projects. |
 | Inlining `confirm: true` on the first mutation call | Always preview first; show user; only then `confirm: true`. |
 | Using `knowledge_search` for the project's own wiki | The shared wiki is a separate Gitea repo. Local `.wiki/` is in cwd. |
-| Acting on a stale `tasks_aggregate` without checking `meta_status` | If `age_seconds` > 3600 the cache may be behind reality. Either run `node dist/sync.js` or warn the user. |
+| Acting on a stale `tasks_aggregate` without checking `meta_status` | Step 0 — Freshness gate is mandatory. If `cache_age_minutes` > 10 (or errors > 0), run `node ~/.local/projects-meta-mcp/dist/sync.js` first. |
+| Skipping `git -C ~/projects/projects-wiki pull` before `knowledge_ingest` / `knowledge_promote` | sha-based optimistic lock will reject the commit (422) and the failure is opaque. Pull is unconditional for shared-wiki writes — fast-forward is a no-op when current. |
+| Treating sync 401/403 as "MCP is fine, the page just doesn't exist yet" | 401/403 means the Gitea token is dead. Stop, tell the user to rotate `gitea_token` in `~/.config/projects-mcp/auth.toml`. Never guess on stale data. |
 | Calling `knowledge_ingest` with the wrong `type` | `type` must be one of `entities` / `concepts` / `packages` / `sources` / `raw`. Mis-typed pages land in the wrong section and break `index.md`. |
 | Vague `knowledge_search` queries ("auth", "config") | Specific multi-word queries return targeted snippets; vague ones return noise. |
 | Forgetting `domain="all"` when searching across families | Default `domain` is auto-detected from cwd; use `"all"` if the wiki page lives in a different family. |
@@ -188,5 +231,6 @@ User: "close `[projects-meta-skills]` in claude-skills"
 ## Red flags
 
 - "I'll just commit it directly" → no. Mutation tools have a preview step for a reason — silent writes to another repo are a recipe for drift.
-- "The cache is fresh enough" → check `meta_status.age_seconds`. If it's >3600s and the user is about to act on the data, sync first.
+- "The cache is fresh enough" → run Step 0. The 10-minute window is the threshold; below it skip sync, above it sync. Don't eyeball this — the bus moves fast in cross-machine sessions.
+- "I'll skip the pull, my last write was 30 seconds ago" → another machine pushed in between. Always pull before shared-wiki writes; the sha-lock check is your only safety net.
 - "I'll skip the wiki page" → if you're answering a cross-cutting question and there's no wiki page, that's a `knowledge_ingest` candidate. Surface it to the user.