diff --git a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index e1cee07..3f56f96 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "sage-instructor",
-  "version": "1.7.0",
+  "version": "1.7.1",
   "description": "Adaptive programming instructor — structured courses with discovery-first teaching, AskUserQuestion interactions, progress tracking, and pluggable curricula. Powered by the Three Axes Framework.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Lux Solari",
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 6d8936f..4a1a551 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,21 @@
 # Changelog
 
-## [1.7.0] — 2026-07-02
+## [1.7.1] — 2026-07-02
+
+### Fixed
+- **`scripts/check_framework_drift.py` crashed on Windows exactly when it
+  had something real to show.** Discovered while doing a fourth documentation
+  pass over the upstream `three-axes-framework` repo: editing that repo's
+  `SKILL.md` (a command-naming fix, unrelated to this project) caused genuine
+  drift, and running the drift checker to confirm it crashed with
+  `UnicodeEncodeError` trying to print the diff — Windows consoles default
+  stdout to the system codepage (e.g. `cp1252`), which can't encode
+  characters like the "↓" in SKILL.md's tier diagram. Forced UTF-8 output via
+  `sys.stdout.reconfigure(encoding="utf-8")` at the top of `main()`. Verified
+  against the actual pending drift: the script now prints the diff correctly,
+  and the upstream change turned out to be cosmetic (command-name formatting,
+  not a conceptual framework change) — accepted as the new baseline via
+  `--update-snapshot` rather than requiring a `philosophy.md` edit.
 
 ### Added
 - **`three-axes-framework` declared as a `plugin.json` dependency.** Claude
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index af02c66..db56b9a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Sage Instructor
 
 [![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg)](LICENSE)
-[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.7.0-informational.svg)](CHANGELOG.md)
+[![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.7.1-informational.svg)](CHANGELOG.md)
 
 A Claude Code plugin that turns Claude into **Sage** — an adaptive programming instructor that teaches through structured courses with discovery-first pedagogy, interactive exercises, and progress tracking.
 
diff --git a/scripts/check_framework_drift.py b/scripts/check_framework_drift.py
index 1d41fc6..956ef06 100644
--- a/scripts/check_framework_drift.py
+++ b/scripts/check_framework_drift.py
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ def fetch_upstream() -> str:
 
 
 def main() -> int:
+    # Windows consoles default stdout to the system codepage (e.g. cp1252),
+    # which can't encode characters like "↓" in SKILL.md's tier diagram --
+    # crashing exactly when there's a real diff to show. Force UTF-8 output
+    # regardless of platform/terminal default.
+    sys.stdout.reconfigure(encoding="utf-8")
+
     update_snapshot = "--update-snapshot" in sys.argv
 
     try:
diff --git a/skills/sage-instructor/references/.three-axes-upstream-snapshot.md b/skills/sage-instructor/references/.three-axes-upstream-snapshot.md
index 143792b..b531ee2 100644
--- a/skills/sage-instructor/references/.three-axes-upstream-snapshot.md
+++ b/skills/sage-instructor/references/.three-axes-upstream-snapshot.md
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Tier 1 — Persistent Profile (baseline, cross-session)
   ↓ overridden by
 
 Tier 2 — Session Commands (ephemeral, current session only)
-  ~/.claude/three-axes-session.json   written by /three-axes mode and /three-axes set
+  ~/.claude/three-axes-session.json   written by /three-axes-mode and /three-axes-set
   Cleared on startup, preserved across compact/resume
 
   ↓ overridden by