diff --git a/src/commands/ai.ts b/src/commands/ai.ts
index 4653adc5..31aadd04 100644
--- a/src/commands/ai.ts
+++ b/src/commands/ai.ts
@@ -11,14 +11,13 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { parse as parseYaml, stringify as stringifyYaml } from "yaml";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const REGISTRY_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, "docs", "registry", "index.json");
+const PROFILES_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const REGISTRY_PATH = join(repoRoot(), "docs", "registry", "index.json");
 
 interface MatchedProfile {
   name: string;
diff --git a/src/commands/ask.ts b/src/commands/ask.ts
index ef576f36..fa6eb31b 100644
--- a/src/commands/ask.ts
+++ b/src/commands/ask.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,10 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   const query = args.filter(a => !a.startsWith("-")).join(" ");
diff --git a/src/commands/benchmark.ts b/src/commands/benchmark.ts
index b4b7c992..55b2e1e4 100644
--- a/src/commands/benchmark.ts
+++ b/src/commands/benchmark.ts
@@ -12,13 +12,11 @@
 import { existsSync, readdirSync, readFileSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
-import { resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { parse as parseYaml } from "yaml";
 
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 interface BenchmarkResult {
   profile: string;
@@ -154,7 +152,7 @@ function scanSessions(profileName: string): BenchmarkResult {
 
   // Load profile to find unused skills
   try {
-    const profilePath = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles", profileName, "profile.yaml");
+    const profilePath = join(repoRoot(), "profiles", profileName, "profile.yaml");
     if (existsSync(profilePath)) {
       const prof = parseYaml(readFileSync(profilePath, "utf8"));
       const declared = (prof.skills?.local ?? []).map((s: string | { id: string }) =>
@@ -226,7 +224,7 @@ Metrics:
   }
 
   if (all) {
-    const profilesDir = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+    const profilesDir = join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
     const profiles = readdirSync(profilesDir)
       .filter(d => !d.startsWith("_") && existsSync(join(profilesDir, d, "profile.yaml")));
 
diff --git a/src/commands/builtin.ts b/src/commands/builtin.ts
index d57a6000..89bcd14c 100644
--- a/src/commands/builtin.ts
+++ b/src/commands/builtin.ts
@@ -8,11 +8,10 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
 const CORE_YAML = join(PROFILES_DIR, "core", "profile.yaml");
 
 function getCoreSkills(): string[] {
diff --git a/src/commands/clean.ts b/src/commands/clean.ts
index 2871edf3..bbeead83 100644
--- a/src/commands/clean.ts
+++ b/src/commands/clean.ts
@@ -3,15 +3,14 @@
  */
 
 import { existsSync, readdirSync, rmSync, statSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 const RUNTIME_ROOT = join(process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ?? join(homedir(), ".config"), "cue", "runtime");
-const CACHE_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles", "_cache", "npx");
+const CACHE_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "profiles", "_cache", "npx");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   if (args.includes("-h") || args.includes("--help")) {
diff --git a/src/commands/cli.ts b/src/commands/cli.ts
index 974c989a..b4c0c678 100644
--- a/src/commands/cli.ts
+++ b/src/commands/cli.ts
@@ -16,16 +16,15 @@
 
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, dirname, resolve } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir, platform } from "node:os";
 
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import { requiredClisFor } from "../lib/cli-extractor";
 import { listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const RECIPES_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "cli-recipes.json");
+const RECIPES_PATH = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "cli-recipes.json");
 
 type Recipe = Partial<Record<"apt" | "brew" | "dnf" | "pacman" | "snap" | "winget" | "pip" | "pipx" | "npm" | "script" | "manual" | "needs", string>>;
 
diff --git a/src/commands/cloud.ts b/src/commands/cloud.ts
index 6e909138..d130369a 100644
--- a/src/commands/cloud.ts
+++ b/src/commands/cloud.ts
@@ -8,12 +8,11 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, existsSync, mkdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
 const CONFIG_DIR = join(process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ?? join(homedir(), ".config"), "cue");
 const CREDS_FILE = join(CONFIG_DIR, "credentials.json");
 const API_BASE = process.env.CUE_API_URL ?? "https://api.getcue.dev";
diff --git a/src/commands/cost.ts b/src/commands/cost.ts
index 7944104e..5be8c7a7 100644
--- a/src/commands/cost.ts
+++ b/src/commands/cost.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile, listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 import {
   skillAlwaysOnTokens,
   skillBodyTokens,
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import {
   SKILLS_ROOT,
 } from "../lib/profile-metrics";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 // Expand wildcard (*/*) to all actual skill IDs on disk.
 function expandSkillIds(ids: string[]): string[] {
@@ -39,7 +38,7 @@ function expandSkillIds(ids: string[]): string[] {
   }
   return result;
 }
-const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "configs");
+const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "configs");
 
 // Baseline always-on CLAUDE.md cost for a profile that hasn't been materialized
 // yet. Dominated by the shared `core` persona + integrity protocol, so it's
diff --git a/src/commands/create-profile.ts b/src/commands/create-profile.ts
index 1357f741..3b34679f 100644
--- a/src/commands/create-profile.ts
+++ b/src/commands/create-profile.ts
@@ -13,10 +13,9 @@
  */
 
 import { mkdir, writeFile, access } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 interface ParsedArgs {
   name: string | null;
@@ -101,7 +100,7 @@ export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
     return 1;
   }
 
-  const profilesDir = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+  const profilesDir = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
   const profileDir = join(profilesDir, parsed.name);
   const yamlPath = join(profileDir, "profile.yaml");
 
diff --git a/src/commands/debug.ts b/src/commands/debug.ts
index 0848376d..57f09b29 100644
--- a/src/commands/debug.ts
+++ b/src/commands/debug.ts
@@ -11,15 +11,14 @@
 
 import { resolve, join, dirname } from "node:path";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, lstatSync, readlinkSync } from "node:fs";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
-const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "configs");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "configs");
 const RUNTIME_ROOT = join(homedir(), ".config", "cue", "runtime");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
@@ -119,7 +118,7 @@ export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   }
 
   // 4b. Rules / Commands / Hooks
-  const RESOURCES_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources");
+  const RESOURCES_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources");
   let resourceIssues = 0;
   for (const [kind, refs, base] of [
     ["Rules", profile.rules, join(RESOURCES_ROOT, "rules")],
diff --git a/src/commands/diff.ts b/src/commands/diff.ts
index 1beacfc1..47904a5b 100644
--- a/src/commands/diff.ts
+++ b/src/commands/diff.ts
@@ -4,14 +4,13 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 function estimateTokens(text: string): number { return Math.ceil(text.length / 4); }
 function getSkillTokens(id: string): number {
diff --git a/src/commands/discover.ts b/src/commands/discover.ts
index 3d908e14..95ef056f 100644
--- a/src/commands/discover.ts
+++ b/src/commands/discover.ts
@@ -12,8 +12,7 @@
 
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
@@ -21,8 +20,8 @@ import { clusterByKeywords, clusterByEmbeddings, unclustered, type Cluster, type
 import { findRealClaudeBin } from "../lib/claude-binary";
 import { fetchCompanionFiles, detectSkillPath } from "../lib/companion-fetch";
 import { gateFreshSkill } from "./security";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 // Cache path resolved lazily so tests can redirect via XDG_CONFIG_HOME without
 // re-importing the module. (Bun shares module state across test files; const
 // values captured at import time wouldn't see runtime env changes.)
@@ -30,7 +29,7 @@ function cacheDir(): string {
   return join(process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ?? join(homedir(), ".config"), "cue", "discover");
 }
 function cacheFile(): string { return join(cacheDir(), "gems.json"); }
-const DEFAULT_EXPORT = join(REPO_ROOT, "docs", "discovered.md");
+const DEFAULT_EXPORT = join(repoRoot(), "docs", "discovered.md");
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Types
@@ -438,7 +437,7 @@ export function tierColorFor(score: number): string {
  * Cheap enough to call per-gem (cached once per session via the closure pattern
  * in renderers).
  */
-export function getInstalledIn(gem: GemRepo, profilesDir = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles")): string[] {
+export function getInstalledIn(gem: GemRepo, profilesDir = join(repoRoot(), "profiles")): string[] {
   if (!existsSync(profilesDir)) return [];
   const hits: string[] = [];
   const slugs = [gem.name.toLowerCase(), gem.full_name.toLowerCase()];
@@ -2179,7 +2178,7 @@ async function cmdInstall(opts: { profile?: string; minScore: number; minQuality
     autoInstallClis(gem.name, { yes: opts.yes });
 
     // Add to profile.yaml
-    const profileYaml = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles", targetProfile, "profile.yaml");
+    const profileYaml = join(repoRoot(), "profiles", targetProfile, "profile.yaml");
     if (existsSync(profileYaml)) {
       const content = readFileSync(profileYaml, "utf8");
       // Find the skill ID (use repo name as fallback)
@@ -2598,7 +2597,7 @@ async function cmdDiscoverMcps(opts: { limit: number; minScore: number; json: bo
 
   if (opts.install) {
     const targetProfile = opts.profile ?? getActiveProfile() ?? "core";
-    const profileYaml = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles", targetProfile, "profile.yaml");
+    const profileYaml = join(repoRoot(), "profiles", targetProfile, "profile.yaml");
     if (!existsSync(profileYaml)) {
       process.stderr.write(`  ⚠️  Profile "${targetProfile}" not found at ${profileYaml}\n`);
       return 1;
@@ -2854,7 +2853,7 @@ Examples:
     const minSize = minSizeIdx >= 0 ? parseInt(args[minSizeIdx + 1] ?? "3", 10) : 3;
     const outIdx = args.indexOf("--out");
     const outDir = outIdx >= 0 && args[outIdx + 1] ? args[outIdx + 1]!
-      : join(REPO_ROOT, ".cue-suggestions");
+      : join(repoRoot(), ".cue-suggestions");
     const dryRun = args.includes("--dry-run");
     const noClaude = args.includes("--no-claude");
     const embeddings = args.includes("--embeddings");
diff --git a/src/commands/doctor.ts b/src/commands/doctor.ts
index b8dd8dcf..80cb8aa4 100644
--- a/src/commands/doctor.ts
+++ b/src/commands/doctor.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, lstatSync, readlinkSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
 import { readFile, writeFile, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 
 import { listProfiles, loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
@@ -28,12 +27,12 @@ import { detectMissingDependencies } from "../lib/skill-dependencies";
 import { shimInstalled, runInstall } from "./shell";
 import { findRealClaudeBin } from "../lib/claude-binary";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
-const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "configs");
-const QUALITY_GATES_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "quality-gates");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "configs");
+const QUALITY_GATES_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "quality-gates");
 const RUNTIME_ROOT = join(process.env.HOME ?? "~", ".config", "cue", "runtime");
 
 interface Issue {
@@ -555,7 +554,7 @@ async function runCliDoctor(profileName: string | null, json: boolean): Promise<
   }
 
   // Load the optimizer's CLI extraction logic
-  const SKILLS_ROOT_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+  const SKILLS_ROOT_PATH = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
   const HOME_SKILLS_PATH = join(process.env.HOME ?? "~", ".claude", "skills");
 
   // Load profile to get skills
diff --git a/src/commands/eval-behavior.ts b/src/commands/eval-behavior.ts
index 5b30cbf4..aff51a04 100644
--- a/src/commands/eval-behavior.ts
+++ b/src/commands/eval-behavior.ts
@@ -14,16 +14,15 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname, isAbsolute } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join, isAbsolute } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { loadProfile, listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import type { ResolvedProfile } from "../../profiles/_types";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const EVALS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "evals");
+const EVALS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "evals");
 
 const bold = (s: string) => `\x1b[1m${s}\x1b[0m`;
 const green = (s: string) => `\x1b[32m${s}\x1b[0m`;
diff --git a/src/commands/eval.ts b/src/commands/eval.ts
index 5da401da..db77afb4 100644
--- a/src/commands/eval.ts
+++ b/src/commands/eval.ts
@@ -15,21 +15,20 @@
  * cost-per-message and the score now use perMessage so they reflect reality.
  */
 
-import { resolve, join, dirname, isAbsolute } from "node:path";
+import { join, isAbsolute } from "node:path";
 import { readFileSync, } from "node:fs";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { loadProfile, listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import { computeStats } from "../lib/analytics";
 import type { ResolvedProfile } from "../../profiles/_types";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
-const RULES_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "rules");
-const COMMANDS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "commands");
-const HOOKS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "hooks");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const RULES_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "rules");
+const COMMANDS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "commands");
+const HOOKS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "hooks");
 
 // Approximate fixed per-message cost of one hook entry in settings.json
 // (matcher + command path + description). Hook scripts themselves never enter
diff --git a/src/commands/export-docker.ts b/src/commands/export-docker.ts
index c6684cc5..dc12d2f1 100644
--- a/src/commands/export-docker.ts
+++ b/src/commands/export-docker.ts
@@ -6,14 +6,13 @@
  */
 
 import { writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   if (args.includes("-h") || args.includes("--help")) {
@@ -67,7 +66,7 @@ Options:
 }
 
 function extractCliDeps(profile: { skills: { local: { id: string }[] } }): string[] {
-  const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+  const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
   const { readFileSync } = require("node:fs");
   const clis = new Set<string>();
 
diff --git a/src/commands/icon.ts b/src/commands/icon.ts
index f85e9859..711a646e 100644
--- a/src/commands/icon.ts
+++ b/src/commands/icon.ts
@@ -3,16 +3,15 @@
  */
 
 import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import * as p from "@clack/prompts";
 
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 import { configDir } from "../lib/config-paths";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 const ICONS = [
   "🐻", "🦋", "🦜", "🦉", "🐺", "🦚", "🐝", "🐆", "🐢", "🦄",
@@ -28,7 +27,7 @@ export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
     return 1;
   }
 
-  const profilesDir = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? process.env.SOUL_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+  const profilesDir = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? process.env.SOUL_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
   const yamlPath = join(profilesDir, profileName, "profile.yaml");
 
   let text: string;
diff --git a/src/commands/import-profile.ts b/src/commands/import-profile.ts
index 85c0e110..e4a7ccc6 100644
--- a/src/commands/import-profile.ts
+++ b/src/commands/import-profile.ts
@@ -4,13 +4,12 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join, } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   const sub = args[0];
@@ -104,7 +103,7 @@ async function cmdExport(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   const profile = await loadProfile(profileName);
   const yaml = require("yaml");
 
-  const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+  const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
   const base: Record<string, unknown> = {
     name: profile.name,
diff --git a/src/commands/install.ts b/src/commands/install.ts
index 2605fa09..752178f6 100644
--- a/src/commands/install.ts
+++ b/src/commands/install.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import {
 } from "../lib/runtime-install";
 import { resolveLocalSkill } from "../lib/resolver-local";
 import { run as cliRun } from "./cli";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
 type AnyAgent = AgentKind;
 
@@ -73,9 +74,8 @@ interface RepoArgs {
   force: boolean;
 }
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(import.meta.dirname, "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? process.env.SOUL_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? process.env.SOUL_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 const BYTE_CEILING = 160_000;
 
 function bold(s: string): string { return `\x1b[1m${s}\x1b[0m`; }
diff --git a/src/commands/lock.ts b/src/commands/lock.ts
index 9c368093..a060cb01 100644
--- a/src/commands/lock.ts
+++ b/src/commands/lock.ts
@@ -3,13 +3,12 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { createHash } from "node:crypto";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 export function isProfileLocked(profileName: string): { locked: boolean; by?: string; reason?: string } {
   const yamlPath = join(PROFILES_DIR, profileName, "profile.yaml");
diff --git a/src/commands/marketplace.ts b/src/commands/marketplace.ts
index f8bbda03..b1351e9f 100644
--- a/src/commands/marketplace.ts
+++ b/src/commands/marketplace.ts
@@ -12,17 +12,16 @@
  */
 
 import { spawn, spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
 
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import { fetchCompanionFiles, detectSkillPath } from "../lib/companion-fetch";
 import type { FileChange } from "../lib/pr-poster";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const REGISTRY_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, "docs", "registry", "index.json");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const REGISTRY_PATH = join(repoRoot(), "docs", "registry", "index.json");
 const REGISTRY_URL = "https://opencue.github.io/cue/registry/index.json";
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/commands/materialize.ts b/src/commands/materialize.ts
index 574a2513..3ba8848d 100644
--- a/src/commands/materialize.ts
+++ b/src/commands/materialize.ts
@@ -13,16 +13,15 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import { getAdapter, AGENT_IDS, } from "../lib/agent-adapters";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
-const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "configs");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "configs");
 
 function loadSkillContent(id: string): { id: string; content: string } | null {
   const path = join(SKILLS_ROOT, id, "SKILL.md");
diff --git a/src/commands/mcps.ts b/src/commands/mcps.ts
index c8c7a160..6426ce87 100644
--- a/src/commands/mcps.ts
+++ b/src/commands/mcps.ts
@@ -11,17 +11,16 @@
 
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "configs");
-const MCP_DOCS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "mcps");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const MCP_CONFIGS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "configs");
+const MCP_DOCS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "mcps");
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Helpers
diff --git a/src/commands/migrate.ts b/src/commands/migrate.ts
index 33776780..cd15b1a8 100644
--- a/src/commands/migrate.ts
+++ b/src/commands/migrate.ts
@@ -3,12 +3,11 @@
  */
 
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { parse as parseYaml, stringify as stringifyYaml } from "yaml";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+const PROFILES_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
 const CURRENT_SCHEMA_VERSION = 2;
 
 interface Migration {
diff --git a/src/commands/optimizer.ts b/src/commands/optimizer.ts
index fa926a27..b752df68 100644
--- a/src/commands/optimizer.ts
+++ b/src/commands/optimizer.ts
@@ -8,18 +8,17 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, readdirSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 
 import { listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { isKittyTerminal, transmitKittyImage, kittyPlaceholderLabel } from "../lib/kitty-image";
 import { getSkillIcon, getMcpIcon, getRepoIcon, getCliIcon } from "../lib/brand-icons";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 const HOME_SKILLS = join(homedir(), ".claude", "skills");
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/src/commands/packs.ts b/src/commands/packs.ts
index 1c9c3a6d..23de5186 100644
--- a/src/commands/packs.ts
+++ b/src/commands/packs.ts
@@ -8,13 +8,12 @@
  */
 
 import { writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { listPacks, loadPack } from "../lib/pack-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PACKS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skill-packs");
+const PACKS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skill-packs");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   const sub = args[0] ?? "list";
diff --git a/src/commands/playground.ts b/src/commands/playground.ts
index 3bf7a97b..9edb8dbe 100644
--- a/src/commands/playground.ts
+++ b/src/commands/playground.ts
@@ -6,15 +6,14 @@
  */
 
 import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join, } from "node:path";
 import { execSync, spawn } from "node:child_process";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   if (args.includes("-h") || args.includes("--help") || !args[0] || args[0].startsWith("-")) {
diff --git a/src/commands/profile-draft-skill.ts b/src/commands/profile-draft-skill.ts
index 1c63f00f..76883d17 100644
--- a/src/commands/profile-draft-skill.ts
+++ b/src/commands/profile-draft-skill.ts
@@ -21,15 +21,14 @@
 
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { clusterByKeywords, type ClusterItem } from "../lib/cluster-skills";
 import { readEvents, } from "../lib/analytics";
 import { findRealClaudeBin } from "../lib/claude-binary";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 const FIRST_PROMPTS_DIR = join(
   process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ?? join(homedir(), ".config"),
   "cue", "first-prompts",
@@ -210,7 +209,7 @@ Output: draft SKILL.md files under .cue-skill-drafts/<slug>/ for manual review.
   const minSize = minSizeIdx >= 0 ? parseInt(args[minSizeIdx + 1] ?? "3", 10) : 3;
   const outIdx = args.indexOf("--out");
   const outDir = outIdx >= 0 && args[outIdx + 1] ? args[outIdx + 1]!
-    : join(REPO_ROOT, ".cue-skill-drafts");
+    : join(repoRoot(), ".cue-skill-drafts");
   const dryRun = args.includes("--dry-run");
   const noClaude = args.includes("--no-claude");
 
diff --git a/src/commands/profile-suggest.ts b/src/commands/profile-suggest.ts
index 7560aa96..1242e200 100644
--- a/src/commands/profile-suggest.ts
+++ b/src/commands/profile-suggest.ts
@@ -10,8 +10,7 @@
  */
 
 import { readdirSync, readFileSync, existsSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { parse as parseYaml } from "yaml";
@@ -23,15 +22,15 @@ import {
   type ClusterItem,
 } from "../lib/cluster-skills";
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 import {
   computeContextBudget,
   resolveContextWindow,
   splitSkillBytes,
 } from "../lib/token-budget";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const SKILLS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const PROFILES_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const SKILLS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 const DISCOVER_CACHE = join(
   process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ?? join(homedir(), ".config"),
   "cue", "discover", "gems.json",
diff --git a/src/commands/score.ts b/src/commands/score.ts
index f9660724..8e2f30e3 100644
--- a/src/commands/score.ts
+++ b/src/commands/score.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,6 @@
  */
 
 import { writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
 
 import { loadProfile, listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
@@ -24,7 +22,6 @@ import {
   firedSkills,
 } from "../lib/profile-metrics";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 // Baseline always-on CLAUDE.md tokens for an un-materialized profile (shared
 // core persona + integrity protocol dominate). Mirrors cost.ts.
diff --git a/src/commands/security-audit.ts b/src/commands/security-audit.ts
index f3be4a4e..61e18c61 100644
--- a/src/commands/security-audit.ts
+++ b/src/commands/security-audit.ts
@@ -9,15 +9,14 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
 import { parseAllowedTools } from "../lib/skill-sandbox";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 type Severity = "critical" | "high" | "medium" | "low";
 
@@ -79,7 +78,7 @@ function auditProfile(profile: Awaited<ReturnType<typeof loadProfile>>): AuditFi
 
   // MEDIUM: Hooks that can be bypassed
   for (const hook of profile.hooks) {
-    const hookPath = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "hooks", hook);
+    const hookPath = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "hooks", hook);
     if (existsSync(hookPath)) {
       try {
         const content = readFileSync(hookPath, "utf8");
diff --git a/src/commands/security.ts b/src/commands/security.ts
index bd460b5f..51ea4a8e 100644
--- a/src/commands/security.ts
+++ b/src/commands/security.ts
@@ -12,15 +12,14 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, readdirSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { listAllSkillIds } from "../lib/resolver-local";
 import { loadProfile, } from "../lib/profile-loader";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 const GLOBAL_SKILLS_ROOT = join(homedir(), ".claude", "skills");
 
 export interface SecurityIssue {
diff --git a/src/commands/skills-lint.ts b/src/commands/skills-lint.ts
index 8c66f452..bfcb2811 100644
--- a/src/commands/skills-lint.ts
+++ b/src/commands/skills-lint.ts
@@ -12,13 +12,12 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { listAllSkillIds } from "../lib/resolver-local";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 interface LintIssue {
   code: string;
diff --git a/src/commands/skills-new.ts b/src/commands/skills-new.ts
index 738c1016..217c1310 100644
--- a/src/commands/skills-new.ts
+++ b/src/commands/skills-new.ts
@@ -8,13 +8,12 @@
  */
 
 import { mkdirSync, writeFileSync, existsSync, cpSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { lint } from "../lib/skill-linter";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 function getArg(args: string[], flag: string): string | undefined {
   const idx = args.indexOf(flag);
diff --git a/src/commands/skills-pin.ts b/src/commands/skills-pin.ts
index 373fd9c1..74c59565 100644
--- a/src/commands/skills-pin.ts
+++ b/src/commands/skills-pin.ts
@@ -6,12 +6,11 @@
 
 import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, existsSync, mkdirSync } from "node:fs";
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 const PIN_HISTORY_PATH = join(
   process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ?? join(homedir(), ".config"),
   "cue",
@@ -35,7 +34,7 @@ function saveHistory(h: PinHistory): void {
 function getCurrentCommit(skillId: string): string | null {
   const skillDir = join(SKILLS_ROOT, skillId);
   const res = spawnSync("git", ["log", "-1", "--format=%H", "--", skillDir], {
-    cwd: join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills"),
+    cwd: join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills"),
     encoding: "utf8",
   });
   return res.status === 0 ? res.stdout.trim().slice(0, 7) : null;
diff --git a/src/commands/skills.ts b/src/commands/skills.ts
index 3caa235b..845b6f47 100644
--- a/src/commands/skills.ts
+++ b/src/commands/skills.ts
@@ -13,8 +13,7 @@
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { readFileSync, readdirSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { styleText } from "node:util";
 
 import { parse as parseYaml } from "yaml";
@@ -25,9 +24,8 @@ import { listAllSkillIds } from "../lib/resolver-local";
 import { fetchCompanionFiles, readSourceFile, findIncompleteSkills } from "../lib/companion-fetch";
 import { gateFreshSkill } from "./security";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Skill metadata parsing
@@ -338,6 +336,7 @@ async function cmdRemoveFromProfile(id: string): Promise<number> {
 import * as p from "@clack/prompts";
 import { copyFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
 const INSTALL_DIRS = [
   join(homedir(), ".claude", "skills"),
diff --git a/src/commands/snapshot.ts b/src/commands/snapshot.ts
index c771e82d..460e4b13 100644
--- a/src/commands/snapshot.ts
+++ b/src/commands/snapshot.ts
@@ -4,13 +4,12 @@
  */
 
 import { writeFileSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   const sub = args[0];
@@ -79,7 +78,7 @@ async function cmdRestore(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
     return 1;
   }
 
-  const profileDir = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles", snapshot.profile.name);
+  const profileDir = join(repoRoot(), "profiles", snapshot.profile.name);
   const { mkdirSync } = require("node:fs");
   mkdirSync(profileDir, { recursive: true });
 
diff --git a/src/commands/sources.ts b/src/commands/sources.ts
index b859c6d6..505f4567 100644
--- a/src/commands/sources.ts
+++ b/src/commands/sources.ts
@@ -9,13 +9,12 @@
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { loadProfile, listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 const SKILLS_LOCK = join(homedir(), "skills-lock.json");
 
 interface LockEntry {
@@ -62,7 +61,7 @@ function cmdList(json: boolean): number {
   }
 
   // Local cue skills
-  const localSkillsRoot = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+  const localSkillsRoot = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
   if (existsSync(localSkillsRoot)) {
     let count = 0;
     try {
diff --git a/src/commands/suggest.ts b/src/commands/suggest.ts
index 704919e0..7ec9d89b 100644
--- a/src/commands/suggest.ts
+++ b/src/commands/suggest.ts
@@ -7,16 +7,15 @@
  */
 
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { loadProfile, } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { listAllSkillIds } from "../lib/resolver-local";
 import { resolveProfileForCwd } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 interface Suggestion {
   skillId: string;
diff --git a/src/commands/update.ts b/src/commands/update.ts
index 517e1555..d72cd6de 100644
--- a/src/commands/update.ts
+++ b/src/commands/update.ts
@@ -4,10 +4,9 @@
 
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { existsSync, } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 interface UpdateResult {
   repo: string;
@@ -16,7 +15,7 @@ interface UpdateResult {
 }
 
 function gitPull(dir: string): UpdateResult {
-  const name = dir === REPO_ROOT ? "cue" : dir.split("/").pop()!;
+  const name = dir === repoRoot() ? "cue" : dir.split("/").pop()!;
 
   if (!existsSync(join(dir, ".git"))) {
     return { repo: name, updated: false, changes: "not a git repo" };
@@ -51,16 +50,16 @@ export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
 
   const repos: string[] = [];
 
-  if (!skillsOnly) repos.push(REPO_ROOT);
-  repos.push(join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills"));
-  repos.push(join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps"));
+  if (!skillsOnly) repos.push(repoRoot());
+  repos.push(join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills"));
+  repos.push(join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps"));
 
   if (check) {
     // Just show what would change
     process.stdout.write("Checking for updates...\n\n");
     for (const dir of repos) {
       if (!existsSync(join(dir, ".git"))) continue;
-      const name = dir === REPO_ROOT ? "cue" : dir.split("/").pop()!;
+      const name = dir === repoRoot() ? "cue" : dir.split("/").pop()!;
       const res = spawnSync("git", ["log", "HEAD..@{u}", "--oneline"], { cwd: dir, encoding: "utf8" });
       spawnSync("git", ["fetch", "--quiet"], { cwd: dir, encoding: "utf8", timeout: 15000 });
       const pending = res.stdout.trim();
@@ -91,7 +90,7 @@ export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   // Run bun install if package.json changed
   if (!skillsOnly && results[0]?.updated) {
     process.stdout.write("\n  Running bun install...\n");
-    const bunRes = spawnSync("bun", ["install"], { cwd: REPO_ROOT, encoding: "utf8", timeout: 30000 });
+    const bunRes = spawnSync("bun", ["install"], { cwd: repoRoot(), encoding: "utf8", timeout: 30000 });
     if (bunRes.status === 0) {
       process.stdout.write("  ✅ Dependencies updated\n");
     } else {
diff --git a/src/commands/upgrade.ts b/src/commands/upgrade.ts
index c2e35ef4..f8773953 100644
--- a/src/commands/upgrade.ts
+++ b/src/commands/upgrade.ts
@@ -7,13 +7,12 @@
 
 import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, mkdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join, dirname } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const REGISTRY_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, "docs", "registry", "index.json");
+const REGISTRY_PATH = join(repoRoot(), "docs", "registry", "index.json");
 const REGISTRY_URL = "https://opencue.github.io/cue/registry/index.json";
-const UPGRADE_STATE = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles", "_cache", "last-upgrade.json");
+const UPGRADE_STATE = join(repoRoot(), "profiles", "_cache", "last-upgrade.json");
 
 interface RegistrySkill {
   id: string; name: string; description: string;
diff --git a/src/commands/watch-live.ts b/src/commands/watch-live.ts
index dec207b2..ea7119f8 100644
--- a/src/commands/watch-live.ts
+++ b/src/commands/watch-live.ts
@@ -6,15 +6,14 @@
  */
 
 import { watch, existsSync, } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const PROFILES_DIR = process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   if (args.includes("-h") || args.includes("--help")) {
@@ -84,7 +83,7 @@ Press Ctrl+C to stop.
   let debounceTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
 
   const rematerialize = async (changedPath: string) => {
-    const rel = changedPath.replace(REPO_ROOT + "/", "");
+    const rel = changedPath.replace(repoRoot() + "/", "");
     process.stdout.write(`[watch] Detected change in ${rel} → rematerializing...\n`);
     try {
       const { materializeRuntime } = await import("../lib/runtime-materializer");
diff --git a/src/commands/why.ts b/src/commands/why.ts
index 3a0282e6..9a1920fc 100644
--- a/src/commands/why.ts
+++ b/src/commands/why.ts
@@ -3,14 +3,13 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { loadProfile, listProfiles } from "../lib/profile-loader";
 import { resolveActiveProfile } from "../lib/cwd-resolver";
+import { repoRoot } from "../lib/repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PROFILES_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
+const PROFILES_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "profiles");
 
 export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
   const resource = args.find(a => !a.startsWith("-"));
@@ -87,7 +86,7 @@ export async function run(args: string[]): Promise<number> {
 
   // Disk path for skills
   if (skillMatch) {
-    result.diskPath = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills", skillMatch.id);
+    result.diskPath = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills", skillMatch.id);
   }
 
   if (json) {
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index be436b5f..1b3ba7d6 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -12,17 +12,15 @@
  *   2  internal error (uncaught exception, missing dep)
  */
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
-import { dirname, resolve } from "node:path";
+import { resolve } from "node:path";
 import { COMMANDS, type CommandName } from "./commands/_index";
+import { repoRoot } from "./lib/repo-root";
 
-const HERE = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(HERE, "..");
 
 function readVersion(): string {
   try {
     const pkg = JSON.parse(
-      readFileSync(resolve(REPO_ROOT, "package.json"), "utf8"),
+      readFileSync(resolve(repoRoot(), "package.json"), "utf8"),
     ) as { version?: string };
     return pkg.version ?? "0.0.0";
   } catch {
diff --git a/src/lib/brand-icons.ts b/src/lib/brand-icons.ts
index ad97ba2f..eb3dcfae 100644
--- a/src/lib/brand-icons.ts
+++ b/src/lib/brand-icons.ts
@@ -9,12 +9,11 @@
  */
 
 import { existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
-const ICONS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "icons");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const ICONS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "icons");
 
 // Known brand → asset file mappings (skill slug or MCP id → relative icon path)
 const BRAND_ICONS: Record<string, string> = {
@@ -118,12 +117,12 @@ export function getSkillIcon(skillSlug: string): string | null {
 export function getMcpIcon(mcpId: string): string | null {
   // 1. Check MCP_ICONS map
   if (MCP_ICONS[mcpId]) {
-    const p = join(REPO_ROOT, MCP_ICONS[mcpId]!);
+    const p = join(repoRoot(), MCP_ICONS[mcpId]!);
     if (existsSync(p)) return p;
   }
 
   // 2. Check resources/mcps/mcps/<id>/ for any icon
-  const mcpDir = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "mcps", mcpId);
+  const mcpDir = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "mcps", mcpId);
   if (existsSync(mcpDir)) {
     try {
       const { readdirSync } = require("node:fs");
diff --git a/src/lib/cli-extractor.ts b/src/lib/cli-extractor.ts
index ff9d5c51..62d3220c 100644
--- a/src/lib/cli-extractor.ts
+++ b/src/lib/cli-extractor.ts
@@ -10,15 +10,14 @@
  */
 
 import { existsSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
 
 import { loadProfile } from "./profile-loader";
 import { extractCLIsFromSkill } from "../commands/optimizer";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 const HOME_SKILLS = join(homedir(), ".claude", "skills");
 
 export interface CliRequirement {
diff --git a/src/lib/colony-dispatch.ts b/src/lib/colony-dispatch.ts
index 6c9b8397..2e462323 100644
--- a/src/lib/colony-dispatch.ts
+++ b/src/lib/colony-dispatch.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,10 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const RULES_PATH = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "colony-profiles.yaml");
+const RULES_PATH = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "colony-profiles.yaml");
 
 interface Rule {
   match: string[];
diff --git a/src/lib/conflict-detector.ts b/src/lib/conflict-detector.ts
index 73b3a5a2..4322e8c4 100644
--- a/src/lib/conflict-detector.ts
+++ b/src/lib/conflict-detector.ts
@@ -4,11 +4,9 @@
 
 import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
-import { resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 interface Directive {
   skillId: string;
diff --git a/src/lib/mcp-materializer.ts b/src/lib/mcp-materializer.ts
index 64193547..50790c91 100644
--- a/src/lib/mcp-materializer.ts
+++ b/src/lib/mcp-materializer.ts
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@
  */
 
 import { readFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { ProfileError, type ResolvedProfile } from "../../profiles/_types";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Errors
@@ -72,13 +72,8 @@ export class UnresolvedEnvPlaceholder extends ProfileError {
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 /** Resolve repo root: env override first, else walk up from this file. */
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(
-  dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)),
-  "..",
-  "..",
-);
 
-const DEFAULT_CONFIGS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "configs");
+const DEFAULT_CONFIGS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "configs");
 
 export interface MaterializeOptions {
   /**
diff --git a/src/lib/pack-resolver.ts b/src/lib/pack-resolver.ts
index a9949b2f..45fae9fc 100644
--- a/src/lib/pack-resolver.ts
+++ b/src/lib/pack-resolver.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,10 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, readdirSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const PACKS_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skill-packs");
+const PACKS_DIR = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skill-packs");
 
 export interface SkillPack {
   name: string;
diff --git a/src/lib/profile-generator.ts b/src/lib/profile-generator.ts
index 6b15e065..b25f4b68 100644
--- a/src/lib/profile-generator.ts
+++ b/src/lib/profile-generator.ts
@@ -15,21 +15,15 @@ import {
 } from "node:fs/promises";
 import type { Dirent } from "node:fs";
 import { homedir } from "node:os";
-import {
-  dirname,
-  join,
-  relative,
-  resolve,
-  sep,
-} from "node:path";
+import { dirname, join, relative, resolve, sep } from "node:path";
 import { fileURLToPath, pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
 
 import { parse as parseYaml } from "yaml";
 
 import type { NpxSkillRef, Profile } from "../../profiles/_types";
+import { repoRoot as cueRepoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
 const HERE = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(HERE, "..", "..");
 
 export type SkillOrigin = "local" | "npx" | "plugin";
 
@@ -317,11 +311,11 @@ const STOP_WORDS = new Set([
   "with",
 ]);
 
-export function defaultProfilesDir(repoRoot = REPO_ROOT): string {
+export function defaultProfilesDir(repoRoot = cueRepoRoot()): string {
   return process.env.CUE_PROFILES_DIR ?? process.env.SOUL_PROFILES_DIR ?? join(repoRoot, "profiles");
 }
 
-export function defaultSkillsRoot(repoRoot = REPO_ROOT): string {
+export function defaultSkillsRoot(repoRoot = cueRepoRoot()): string {
   return join(repoRoot, "resources", "skills", "skills");
 }
 
@@ -332,7 +326,7 @@ export function validateProfileName(name: string): boolean {
 export async function scanInstalledSkills(
   options: ScanOptions = {},
 ): Promise<ScanResult> {
-  const repoRoot = options.repoRoot ?? REPO_ROOT;
+  const repoRoot = options.repoRoot ?? cueRepoRoot();
   const diagnostics: string[] = [];
   const skills: DiscoveredSkill[] = [];
 
diff --git a/src/lib/profile-linter.ts b/src/lib/profile-linter.ts
index a5859d1f..4f4a52e3 100644
--- a/src/lib/profile-linter.ts
+++ b/src/lib/profile-linter.ts
@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, readdir, readFile, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { existsSync, type Dirent } from "node:fs";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
-import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
 
 import { parse as parseYaml } from "yaml";
 
@@ -45,16 +44,15 @@ import {
 } from "./resolver-npx";
 import { PluginNotInstalled, resolvePlugins } from "./resolver-plugins";
 import { parseSkillFromPath } from "./skill-router";
+import { repoRoot as cueRepoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const HERE = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(HERE, "..", "..");
-const DEFAULT_PROFILES_DIR = join(REPO_ROOT, "profiles");
-const DEFAULT_SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
-const DEFAULT_CONFIGS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "mcps", "configs");
-const DEFAULT_RULES_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "rules");
-const DEFAULT_COMMANDS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "commands");
-const DEFAULT_HOOKS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "hooks");
-const DEFAULT_SUBAGENTS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "subagents");
+const DEFAULT_PROFILES_DIR = join(cueRepoRoot(), "profiles");
+const DEFAULT_SKILLS_ROOT = join(cueRepoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const DEFAULT_CONFIGS_ROOT = join(cueRepoRoot(), "resources", "mcps", "configs");
+const DEFAULT_RULES_ROOT = join(cueRepoRoot(), "resources", "rules");
+const DEFAULT_COMMANDS_ROOT = join(cueRepoRoot(), "resources", "commands");
+const DEFAULT_HOOKS_ROOT = join(cueRepoRoot(), "resources", "hooks");
+const DEFAULT_SUBAGENTS_ROOT = join(cueRepoRoot(), "resources", "subagents");
 
 export type LintRuleId =
   | "W1" | "W2" | "W3" | "W4" | "W5" | "W6" | "W7" | "W8" | "W9"
@@ -172,7 +170,7 @@ function profilesDir(opts: ProfileLinterOptions): string {
 }
 
 function repoRoot(opts: ProfileLinterOptions): string {
-  return opts.repoRoot ?? process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? REPO_ROOT;
+  return opts.repoRoot ?? process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? cueRepoRoot();
 }
 
 function addIssue(
diff --git a/src/lib/profile-metrics.ts b/src/lib/profile-metrics.ts
index cef766df..aa5f6646 100644
--- a/src/lib/profile-metrics.ts
+++ b/src/lib/profile-metrics.ts
@@ -21,12 +21,11 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
 import { configDir } from "./config-paths";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-export const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+export const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 export function estimateTokens(text: string): number {
   return Math.ceil(text.length / 4);
diff --git a/src/lib/skill-compressor.ts b/src/lib/skill-compressor.ts
index a2376081..d71e0d69 100644
--- a/src/lib/skill-compressor.ts
+++ b/src/lib/skill-compressor.ts
@@ -4,11 +4,9 @@
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
 import { join } from "node:path";
-import { resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 interface SkillSummary {
   id: string;
diff --git a/src/lib/skill-deps.ts b/src/lib/skill-deps.ts
index 1256971f..0311e961 100644
--- a/src/lib/skill-deps.ts
+++ b/src/lib/skill-deps.ts
@@ -6,11 +6,10 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync, } from "node:fs";
-import { join, resolve, dirname } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
-const SKILLS_ROOT = join(REPO_ROOT, "resources", "skills", "skills");
+const SKILLS_ROOT = join(repoRoot(), "resources", "skills", "skills");
 
 function skillsRoot(): string {
   return process.env.CUE_SKILLS_ROOT ?? SKILLS_ROOT;
diff --git a/src/lib/skill-quality.ts b/src/lib/skill-quality.ts
index 5b49bea9..65a1c92d 100644
--- a/src/lib/skill-quality.ts
+++ b/src/lib/skill-quality.ts
@@ -3,19 +3,18 @@
  */
 
 import { existsSync, readFileSync, readdirSync, statSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot as cueRepoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 function getSkillsRoot(): string {
-  const root = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? REPO_ROOT;
+  const root = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? cueRepoRoot();
   return join(root, "resources", "skills", "skills");
 }
 
 function getRepoRoot(): string {
-  return process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? REPO_ROOT;
+  return process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? cueRepoRoot();
 }
 
 interface ScoreBreakdown {
diff --git a/src/lib/skill-sandbox.ts b/src/lib/skill-sandbox.ts
index 8369ac64..70fc7ef2 100644
--- a/src/lib/skill-sandbox.ts
+++ b/src/lib/skill-sandbox.ts
@@ -6,13 +6,12 @@
  */
 
 import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
-import { resolve, dirname, join } from "node:path";
-import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { repoRoot } from "./repo-root";
 
-const REPO_ROOT = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? process.env.SOUL_REPO_ROOT ?? resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
 
 function getSkillsRoot(): string {
-  const root = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? REPO_ROOT;
+  const root = process.env.CUE_REPO_ROOT ?? repoRoot();
   return join(root, "resources", "skills", "skills");
 }