diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 48aa8405..44feffc2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ Package metadata lives in [prpm.json](prpm.json). The repo currently publishes `
 | [choosing-swarm-patterns](skills/choosing-swarm-patterns/SKILL.md) | 1.1.5 | Pick the right Agent Relay orchestration pattern across the 10 core swarm patterns plus specialized patterns. |
 | [writing-agent-relay-workflows](skills/writing-agent-relay-workflows/SKILL.md) | 2.0.0 | **DEPRECATED** - the superseded v1 `@relayflows/core` WorkflowBuilder engine. Use [`writing-relayflows`](skills/writing-relayflows/SKILL.md) for v2; keep this only to maintain an existing v1 workflow. |
 | [setting-up-relayfile](skills/setting-up-relayfile/SKILL.md) | 1.1.2 | Set up Relayfile mounts and writeback for provider files through local filesystem access. |
-| [setting-up-agent-relay-desktop](skills/setting-up-agent-relay-desktop/SKILL.md) | 1.1.8 | Install and configure Agent Relay Desktop end-to-end from a Codex or Claude session, including headless Linux, device login, registration, webhooks, integrations, and verification. |
-| [setting-up-agent-relay-sessions](skills/setting-up-agent-relay-sessions/SKILL.md) | 0.2.7 | Set a person up for live agent-to-agent session handoff end-to-end from a Codex or Claude session: reuse `setting-up-agent-relay-desktop` for the desktop leg, install the agent-sessions cloud MCP before the session starts, confirm the handoff tools loaded, and prove a live round trip with a teammate (or self-verify the roster + own-session read path when no teammate is online yet). |
+| [setting-up-agent-relay-desktop](skills/setting-up-agent-relay-desktop/SKILL.md) | 1.1.9 | Install and configure Agent Relay Desktop end-to-end from a Codex or Claude session, including headless Linux, device login, registration, webhooks, integrations, and verification. |
+| [setting-up-agent-relay-sessions](skills/setting-up-agent-relay-sessions/SKILL.md) | 0.2.8 | Set a person up for live agent-to-agent session handoff end-to-end from a Codex or Claude session: reuse `setting-up-agent-relay-desktop` for the desktop leg, install the agent-sessions cloud MCP before the session starts, confirm the handoff tools loaded, and prove a live round trip with a teammate (or self-verify the roster + own-session read path when no teammate is online yet). |
 | [signing-in-to-agent-relay-cloud](skills/signing-in-to-agent-relay-cloud/SKILL.md) | 0.1.0 | Sign a person in to Agent Relay Cloud through the OAuth device flow from an agent session: device grant, polling, refresh, whoami, and the CLI credential handoff, with no token printed. |
 | [setting-up-agent-relay-flows](skills/setting-up-agent-relay-flows/SKILL.md) | 0.1.0 | Choose a catalog flow and repository, connect tools and coding-agent credentials, activate the listener through the direct-source deploy API, and verify it is listening. Builds on `signing-in-to-agent-relay-cloud`. |
 | [subscribing-relay-webhooks-and-writebacks](skills/subscribing-relay-webhooks-and-writebacks/SKILL.md) | 0.1.7 | Subscribe a session to GitHub PR and Slack channel events so they are injected, and write back to providers through a Relayfile mount, with the verified steps and known defects. |
diff --git a/prpm.json b/prpm.json
index 1e31ef65..2f806774 100644
--- a/prpm.json
+++ b/prpm.json
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@
     },
     {
       "name": "setting-up-agent-relay-desktop",
-      "version": "1.1.8",
+      "version": "1.1.9",
       "description": "Set up or repair Agent Relay Desktop end-to-end from a running Codex or Claude session on macOS or Linux, including verified installation, headless systemd service, device sign-in, new-session uploads, self-registration, direct delivery, webhooks, GitHub subscriptions, and delivery verification.",
       "format": "claude",
       "subtype": "skill",
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@
     },
     {
       "name": "setting-up-agent-relay-sessions",
-      "version": "0.2.7",
+      "version": "0.2.8",
       "description": "Get a person set up for live agent-to-agent session handoff on Agent Relay end-to-end from a running Codex or Claude session: verify desktop setup (reusing setting-up-agent-relay-desktop), install the agent-sessions cloud MCP before the session starts, confirm the handoff tools loaded, and prove one live round trip. Use when a human asks an agent to set them up for session handoff or connect their agent to a teammate.",
       "format": "claude",
       "subtype": "skill",
diff --git a/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-desktop/SKILL.md b/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-desktop/SKILL.md
index 41393e2a..130f8301 100644
--- a/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-desktop/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-desktop/SKILL.md
@@ -184,18 +184,19 @@ and at least 13.0.0. Find the same user-level npm, mise, or nvm CLI the app
 discovers; never run the desktop's `/usr/bin/agent-relay` launcher as a CLI:
 
 ```sh
-relay_cli=
-for candidate in \
-  "$HOME/.local/bin/agent-relay" \
-  "$HOME/.npm-global/bin/agent-relay" \
-  "$HOME/.agentworkforce/relay/bin/agent-relay"
-do
-  if test -x "$candidate" && test "$candidate" != /usr/bin/agent-relay; then
-    relay_cli=$candidate
-    break
-  fi
-done
-if test -z "$relay_cli"; then
+# The installed Agent Relay CLI: user-level npm, mise or nvm, then PATH;
+# never the .deb's /usr/bin/agent-relay Desktop launcher. Section 2 and
+# section 6 define this identically; change both together.
+find_relay_cli() {
+  for candidate in \
+    "$HOME/.local/bin/agent-relay" \
+    "$HOME/.npm-global/bin/agent-relay" \
+    "$HOME/.agentworkforce/relay/bin/agent-relay"
+  do
+    if test -x "$candidate" && test "$candidate" != /usr/bin/agent-relay; then
+      printf '%s\n' "$candidate"; return
+    fi
+  done
   for relay_root in \
     "$HOME/.local/share/mise/installs/node" \
     "$HOME/.nvm/versions/node"
@@ -204,11 +205,15 @@ if test -z "$relay_cli"; then
     candidate=$(find -L "$relay_root" -mindepth 3 -maxdepth 3 \
       -path '*/bin/agent-relay' -type f -perm -u+x -print -quit 2>/dev/null)
     if test -n "$candidate" && test "$candidate" != /usr/bin/agent-relay; then
-      relay_cli=$candidate
-      break
+      printf '%s\n' "$candidate"; return
     fi
   done
-fi
+  candidate=$(command -v agent-relay 2>/dev/null || true)
+  if test -n "$candidate" && test -x "$candidate" && test "$candidate" != /usr/bin/agent-relay; then
+    printf '%s\n' "$candidate"
+  fi
+}
+relay_cli=$(find_relay_cli)
 if test -n "$relay_cli"; then
   "$relay_cli" --version
   "$relay_cli" integration subscribe --help >/dev/null
@@ -897,6 +902,39 @@ is set:
 
 ```sh
 pull_glob='/github/repos/OWNER/REPO/pulls/NUMBER/**'
+# Shell variables do not survive between tool calls: when relay_cli is unset
+# here, find the installed CLI again with section 2's helper, so an installed
+# CLI is not replaced by the npx fallback.
+# The installed Agent Relay CLI: user-level npm, mise or nvm, then PATH;
+# never the .deb's /usr/bin/agent-relay Desktop launcher. Section 2 and
+# section 6 define this identically; change both together.
+find_relay_cli() {
+  for candidate in \
+    "$HOME/.local/bin/agent-relay" \
+    "$HOME/.npm-global/bin/agent-relay" \
+    "$HOME/.agentworkforce/relay/bin/agent-relay"
+  do
+    if test -x "$candidate" && test "$candidate" != /usr/bin/agent-relay; then
+      printf '%s\n' "$candidate"; return
+    fi
+  done
+  for relay_root in \
+    "$HOME/.local/share/mise/installs/node" \
+    "$HOME/.nvm/versions/node"
+  do
+    test -d "$relay_root" || continue
+    candidate=$(find -L "$relay_root" -mindepth 3 -maxdepth 3 \
+      -path '*/bin/agent-relay' -type f -perm -u+x -print -quit 2>/dev/null)
+    if test -n "$candidate" && test "$candidate" != /usr/bin/agent-relay; then
+      printf '%s\n' "$candidate"; return
+    fi
+  done
+  candidate=$(command -v agent-relay 2>/dev/null || true)
+  if test -n "$candidate" && test -x "$candidate" && test "$candidate" != /usr/bin/agent-relay; then
+    printf '%s\n' "$candidate"
+  fi
+}
+test -n "${relay_cli:-}" || relay_cli=$(find_relay_cli)
 relay_cli_major=
 if test -n "${relay_cli:-}"; then
   relay_cli_major=$("$relay_cli" --version 2>/dev/null | sed -n 's/^[^0-9]*\([0-9][0-9]*\)\..*/\1/p' | sed -n '1p')
@@ -915,7 +953,8 @@ else
 fi
 ```
 
-Use the `relay_cli` found in section 2, never a bare `agent-relay`: on a
+Use the `relay_cli` found in section 2 (re-discovered above when this runs in
+a new shell), never a bare `agent-relay`: on a
 `.deb` host `/usr/bin/agent-relay` is the Desktop launcher, and `PATH` may
 resolve to it or to a different, older CLI than the one whose version was
 checked.
diff --git a/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-sessions/SKILL.md b/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-sessions/SKILL.md
index 15b0ffdc..95b527ff 100644
--- a/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-sessions/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/setting-up-agent-relay-sessions/SKILL.md
@@ -174,12 +174,14 @@ relay_cli_version=
 if test -n "$relay_cli"; then
   relay_cli_version=$("$relay_cli" --version 2>/dev/null | grep -oE '[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+' | head -1)
 fi
+# Gate only these optional checks on 13.x; keep relay_cli itself, which
+# setting-up-agent-relay-desktop section 6 uses with its own version handling.
+relay_cli_checks=
 case "$relay_cli_version" in
-  13.*) ;;
-  *) test -n "$relay_cli" && printf 'agent-relay %s is not 13.x; read the workspace from /setup/status instead.\n' "${relay_cli_version:-unknown}" >&2
-     relay_cli= ;;
+  13.*) relay_cli_checks=1 ;;
+  *) test -n "$relay_cli" && printf 'agent-relay %s is not 13.x; read the workspace from /setup/status instead.\n' "${relay_cli_version:-unknown}" >&2 ;;
 esac
-if test -n "$relay_cli"; then
+if test -n "$relay_cli_checks"; then
   "$relay_cli" cloud whoami       # signed in, and as whom
   "$relay_cli" workspace active   # the active Cloud workspace (keys stay masked)
   "$relay_cli" cloud workspaces   # every workspace this login can use, with ids