diff --git a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
index d941cff..a5e8992 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     {
       "name": "last30days",
       "description": "Research any topic across Reddit, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Hacker News, Polymarket, GitHub, and 5+ more sources. AI agent scores by upvotes, likes, and real money - not editors.",
-      "version": "3.2.3",
+      "version": "3.2.4",
       "author": {
         "name": "Matt Van Horn",
         "url": "https://github.com/mvanhorn"
diff --git a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index 637a66b..3cb4e1b 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "last30days",
-  "version": "3.2.3",
+  "version": "3.2.4",
   "description": "Research any topic across Reddit, X, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Hacker News, Polymarket, GitHub, and 5+ more sources. AI agent scores by upvotes, likes, and real money - not editors.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Matt Van Horn",
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index cdf4f4c..bb9b03d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ### Changed
 
+- Replace the SKILL_ROOT resolver loops in Step 1 and comparison-mode with a single `SKILL_DIR` substitution pattern. The model templates the absolute path of the SKILL.md's own directory (which it always knows from the Read tool result); the bash block just validates that `scripts/last30days.py` lives there. Removes ~80 lines of bash across the two locations. Fixes a real bug: the previous resolver could pick a different install than the SKILL.md the model loaded from (spec-vs-engine divergence) and didn't enumerate harnesses like Hermes at all. The simplification works for any harness without enumeration because it just uses wherever SKILL.md was loaded from. STEP 0's marketplaces-stale-clone hop is unchanged.
 - Rename "Digg AI 1000" to just "Digg" in user-facing output (footer line, source label, inline-quote suffix, why_relevant, container attribution). Internal references to the upstream Digg AI 1000 product remain in code comments and docstrings.
 - Bump `POSTS_PER_CLUSTER` from 3 to 5 and the render-side display limit from 2 to 3 to match the per-source enrichment caps used by Reddit, HN, YouTube, TikTok, and GitHub. The previous 3/2 caps routinely truncated cluster context (e.g. dropped a Jason Calacanis quote tweet on a `cli-printing-press` run).
 - Rewrite SKILL.md path resolution. STEP 0 narrows from a global canonical-path enforcement to a Claude-Code-marketplaces-only stale-clone guard. Step 1 SKILL_ROOT resolver walks a single precedence list (Claude plugin cache, then `~/.codex/skills/`, `~/.agents/skills/`, repo checkout, `./.skills/last30days` for `npx skills add`, CWD, Gemini). Adds SKILL.md frontmatter fallback to `render.py::_skill_version` so the badge no longer prints `v?` on installs that don't include `.claude-plugin/plugin.json`.
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 69b8596..385a987 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [project]
 name = "last30days-skill"
-version = "3.2.3"
+version = "3.2.4"
 description = "Multi-source last-30-days research skill"
 readme = "README.md"
 requires-python = ">=3.12"
diff --git a/skills/last30days/SKILL.md b/skills/last30days/SKILL.md
index 7b9d257..d171313 100644
--- a/skills/last30days/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/last30days/SKILL.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: last30days
-version: "3.2.3"
+version: "3.2.4"
 description: "Research what people actually say about any topic in the last 30 days. Pulls posts and engagement from Reddit, X, YouTube, TikTok, Hacker News, Polymarket, GitHub, and the web."
 argument-hint: 'last30days nvidia earnings reaction | last30days AI video tools | last30days what users want in react'
 allowed-tools: Bash, Read, Write, AskUserQuestion, WebSearch
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ You are inside the `/last30days` SKILL. This is a specific research tool with a
 
 **How v3.0.7 fixes it:** three structural anchors.
 1. **The MANDATORY first-line badge** (`🌐 last30days v{VERSION} · synced {YYYY-MM-DD}`) at the top of every response is the LAW 2 / LAW 4 enforcement anchor. See "BADGE (MANDATORY, FIRST LINE OF OUTPUT)" in the synthesis section.
-2. **The SKILL_ROOT resolver** in the engine Bash calls walks a precedence list of known install locations and picks the highest-versioned freshest copy, never `~/.openclaw/` or other stale copies.
+2. **The SKILL_DIR substitution** in the engine Bash calls uses the directory of the SKILL.md the model just Read — no resolver list, no precedence walk. Whichever install the harness loaded SKILL.md from is the install whose engine runs. Aligns spec-with-code and works for any harness without enumerating its install path.
 3. **This preface** tells you plainly: do NOT improvise. Follow SKILL.md top to bottom.
 
 If you catch yourself about to write a `##` section header in a GENERAL-query body, a custom title line, a `Sources:` bullet list, a `for dir in ...` path-discovery loop, or a bare `python3 scripts/last30days.py "{TOPIC}"` engine call with no pre-flight flags — stop. Those are the exact failure modes the LAWs and this contract exist to prevent. The 10/10 beta validation from 2026-04-18 and the 0/8 public v3.0.6 regression from the same day had THE SAME MODEL and SIMILAR SKILL.md CONTENT; the delta is the three anchors this release restores. Read SKILL.md top to bottom before emitting your first response.
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ These anchors used to live at line 1094 of this file. Three independent Opus 4.7
 🌐 last30days v{VERSION} · synced {YYYY-MM-DD}
 ```
 
-Replace `{VERSION}` with the installed plugin version (`jq -r '.version' "$SKILL_ROOT/../../.claude-plugin/plugin.json" 2>/dev/null || awk '/^version:/{gsub(/"/,"",$2); print $2; exit}' "$SKILL_ROOT/SKILL.md"`) and `{YYYY-MM-DD}` with today's date. No other text on this line. One blank line after, then the synthesis begins.
+Replace `{VERSION}` with the installed plugin version (`jq -r '.version' "$SKILL_DIR/../../.claude-plugin/plugin.json" 2>/dev/null || awk '/^version:/{gsub(/"/,"",$2); print $2; exit}' "$SKILL_DIR/SKILL.md"`) and `{YYYY-MM-DD}` with today's date. No other text on this line. One blank line after, then the synthesis begins.
 
 **Why the badge is MANDATORY:** it is the structural anchor for the canonical output shape. Without it the model drifts into blog-post narrative format with `##` section headers and invented titles, violating LAW 2 and LAW 4. The 2026-04-18 public v3.0.6 0/8 regression produced outputs with section headers like "The headline", "Why he is everywhere", "1. gstack dominates", "The 'Homecoming' peak". Direct cause: this anchor was absent. Do NOT skip the badge. Do NOT describe it. Do NOT paraphrase it. Emit it verbatim as line 1.
 
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ If your Bash call to `last30days.py` does NOT include the FULL pre-flight checkl
 
 ---
 
-# last30days v3.2.3: Research Any Topic from the Last 30 Days
+# last30days v3.2.4: Research Any Topic from the Last 30 Days
 
 > **Permissions overview:** Reads public web/platform data and optionally saves research briefings to `LAST30DAYS_MEMORY_DIR` (defaults to `~/Documents/Last30Days`). X/Twitter search uses optional user-provided tokens (AUTH_TOKEN/CT0 env vars). Bluesky search uses optional app password (BSKY_HANDLE/BSKY_APP_PASSWORD env vars - create at bsky.app/settings/app-passwords). All credential usage and data writes are documented in the [Security & Permissions](#security--permissions) section.
 
@@ -592,27 +592,21 @@ When the user asks "X vs Y" (or "X vs Y vs Z"), the engine fans out N full `pipe
 
 **Invocation:**
 ```bash
-# Comparison mode skips Step 1, so resolve SKILL_ROOT inline here (same precedence
-# walk as Step 1 — keep the two in sync if you edit either).
-SKILL_ROOT=""
-CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT="$(find "$HOME/.claude/plugins/cache/last30days-skill/last30days" -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)"
-if [ -n "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT" ]; then
-  if [ -f "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/last30days/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
-    SKILL_ROOT="$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/last30days"
-  elif [ -f "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
-    SKILL_ROOT="$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT"
-  fi
-fi
-if [ -z "$SKILL_ROOT" ] || [ ! -f "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
-  for dir in \
-      "$HOME/.codex/skills/last30days" \
-      "$HOME/.agents/skills/last30days" \
-      "./skills/last30days" \
-      "./.skills/last30days" \
-      "." \
-      "${GEMINI_EXTENSION_DIR:-}"; do
-    [ -n "$dir" ] && [ -f "$dir/scripts/last30days.py" ] && SKILL_ROOT="$dir" && break
-  done
+# SKILL_DIR = absolute path of the directory containing THIS SKILL.md you just Read.
+# Substitute the actual path below — your harness told you where this file lives via
+# the Read tool result. Examples:
+#   Read ~/.claude/skills/last30days/SKILL.md      → SKILL_DIR=$HOME/.claude/skills/last30days
+#   Read ~/.codex/skills/last30days/SKILL.md       → SKILL_DIR=$HOME/.codex/skills/last30days
+#   Read ~/.claude/plugins/cache/last30days-skill/last30days/3.2.4/skills/last30days/SKILL.md
+#     → SKILL_DIR=$HOME/.claude/plugins/cache/last30days-skill/last30days/3.2.4/skills/last30days
+# scripts/last30days.py is always a direct child of SKILL_DIR (every install layout
+# packages SKILL.md and scripts/ as siblings).
+SKILL_DIR="<absolute path of the directory containing the SKILL.md you Read>"
+
+if [ ! -f "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: scripts/last30days.py not found under SKILL_DIR=$SKILL_DIR" >&2
+  echo "Re-check the directory of the SKILL.md you Read and substitute it as SKILL_DIR above." >&2
+  exit 1
 fi
 
 # Write the per-entity plan to a tmpfile and pass the path to the engine.
@@ -631,7 +625,7 @@ cat > "$COMPETITORS_PLAN_FILE" <<'PLAN_EOF'
 }
 PLAN_EOF
 
-"${LAST30DAYS_PYTHON}" "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/last30days.py" "{TOPIC_A} vs {TOPIC_B} vs {TOPIC_C}" \
+"${LAST30DAYS_PYTHON}" "${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/last30days.py" "{TOPIC_A} vs {TOPIC_B} vs {TOPIC_C}" \
   --emit=compact \
   --save-dir="${LAST30DAYS_MEMORY_DIR}" \
   --save-suffix=v3 \
@@ -916,44 +910,24 @@ Store your plan as `QUERY_PLAN_JSON` - you'll pass it to the script in the next
 **IMPORTANT: Include `--x-handle={RESOLVED_HANDLE}` in the command. For comparison mode: Pass `--x-handle={TOPIC_A_HANDLE}` to the first pass, `--x-handle={TOPIC_B_HANDLE}` to the second pass, and both to the head-to-head pass. Also include `--subreddits={RESOLVED_SUBREDDITS}`, `--tiktok-hashtags={RESOLVED_HASHTAGS}`, `--tiktok-creators={RESOLVED_TIKTOK_CREATORS}`, and `--ig-creators={RESOLVED_IG_CREATORS}` from Step 0.55. Omit any flag where the value was not resolved (empty).**
 
 ```bash
-# Resolve SKILL_ROOT by walking a precedence list of known install locations.
-# Claude Code plugin cache wins when present (highest version dir picked on upgrade),
-# then common per-harness skill dirs, then a repo checkout.
-SKILL_ROOT=""
+# SKILL_DIR = absolute path of the directory containing THIS SKILL.md you just Read.
+# Substitute the actual path below — your harness told you where this file lives via
+# the Read tool result. Examples:
+#   Read ~/.claude/skills/last30days/SKILL.md      → SKILL_DIR=$HOME/.claude/skills/last30days
+#   Read ~/.codex/skills/last30days/SKILL.md       → SKILL_DIR=$HOME/.codex/skills/last30days
+#   Read ~/.claude/plugins/cache/last30days-skill/last30days/3.2.4/skills/last30days/SKILL.md
+#     → SKILL_DIR=$HOME/.claude/plugins/cache/last30days-skill/last30days/3.2.4/skills/last30days
+# scripts/last30days.py is always a direct child of SKILL_DIR (every install layout
+# packages SKILL.md and scripts/ as siblings).
+SKILL_DIR="<absolute path of the directory containing the SKILL.md you Read>"
 
-# 1. Claude Code plugin cache (versioned, sort -V picks freshest). Two cache layouts ship in the wild:
-#    nested ({cache}/{version}/skills/last30days/scripts/...) and flat ({cache}/{version}/scripts/...).
-# `find` (not `ls + glob`) because zsh errors on globs that match nothing, leaking
-# noisy "no matches found" stderr in Codex/zsh sessions even with 2>/dev/null.
-CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT="$(find "$HOME/.claude/plugins/cache/last30days-skill/last30days" -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -type d 2>/dev/null | sort -V | tail -1)"
-if [ -n "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT" ]; then
-  if [ -f "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/last30days/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
-    SKILL_ROOT="$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/skills/last30days"
-  elif [ -f "$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
-    SKILL_ROOT="$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT"
-  fi
-fi
-
-# 2. Common per-harness skill dirs and repo checkout (npx skills, Codex, Agents, Gemini, etc).
-if [ -z "$SKILL_ROOT" ] || [ ! -f "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
-  for dir in \
-      "$HOME/.codex/skills/last30days" \
-      "$HOME/.agents/skills/last30days" \
-      "./skills/last30days" \
-      "./.skills/last30days" \
-      "." \
-      "${GEMINI_EXTENSION_DIR:-}"; do
-    [ -n "$dir" ] && [ -f "$dir/scripts/last30days.py" ] && SKILL_ROOT="$dir" && break
-  done
-fi
-
-if [ -z "${SKILL_ROOT:-}" ] || [ ! -f "$SKILL_ROOT/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
-  echo "ERROR: Could not find scripts/last30days.py in any known install location" >&2
-  echo "Searched: ~/.claude/plugins/cache/, ~/.codex/skills/, ~/.agents/skills/, ./skills/last30days, ./.skills/last30days, ." >&2
+if [ ! -f "$SKILL_DIR/scripts/last30days.py" ]; then
+  echo "ERROR: scripts/last30days.py not found under SKILL_DIR=$SKILL_DIR" >&2
+  echo "Re-check the directory of the SKILL.md you Read and substitute it as SKILL_DIR above." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
 
-"${LAST30DAYS_PYTHON}" "${SKILL_ROOT}/scripts/last30days.py" $ARGUMENTS --emit=compact --save-dir="${LAST30DAYS_MEMORY_DIR}" --save-suffix=v3
+"${LAST30DAYS_PYTHON}" "${SKILL_DIR}/scripts/last30days.py" $ARGUMENTS --emit=compact --save-dir="${LAST30DAYS_MEMORY_DIR}" --save-suffix=v3
 ```
 
 **If you ran Steps 0.55 and 0.75 (agent planning), pass the plan via a tmpfile and add the targeting flags:**
diff --git a/uv.lock b/uv.lock
index 8d0b760..c88bbfb 100644
--- a/uv.lock
+++ b/uv.lock
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ wheels = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "last30days-skill"
-version = "3.2.3"
+version = "3.2.4"
 source = { virtual = "." }
 
 [package.dev-dependencies]