diff --git a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 068ac4fe5..0267accea 100644
--- a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -464,16 +464,17 @@ git push -u origin <branch-name>
 
 ## Step 20: Persist ship metrics
 
-Log coverage and plan completion data so `/retro` can track trends:
+Log coverage and plan completion data so `/retro` can track trends.
+
+Route the append through `gstack-review-log`. It resolves the project slug and
+the canonical branch form itself, creates the directory, validates the JSON, and
+enqueues the row for gbrain sync. It takes **no path argument** — never build a
+`<branch>-reviews.jsonl` path by hand. A branch with a `/` in it turns a
+hand-built path into a subdirectory write, and the row goes somewhere `/retro`
+will never look.
 
 ```bash
-eval "$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-slug 2>/dev/null)" && mkdir -p ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG
-```
-
-Append to `~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl`:
-
-```bash
-echo '{"skill":"ship","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","coverage_pct":COVERAGE_PCT,"plan_items_total":PLAN_TOTAL,"plan_items_done":PLAN_DONE,"verification_result":"VERIFY_RESULT","version":"VERSION","branch":"BRANCH"}' >> ~/.gstack/projects/$SLUG/$BRANCH-reviews.jsonl
+~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-review-log '{"skill":"ship","timestamp":"'"$(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)"'","coverage_pct":COVERAGE_PCT,"plan_items_total":PLAN_TOTAL,"plan_items_done":PLAN_DONE,"verification_result":"VERIFY_RESULT","version":"VERSION","branch":"'"$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"'"}'
 ```
 
 Substitute from earlier steps:
@@ -482,7 +483,9 @@ Substitute from earlier steps:
 - **PLAN_DONE**: count of DONE + CHANGED items from Step 8 (0 if no plan file)
 - **VERIFY_RESULT**: "pass", "fail", or "skipped" from Step 8.1
 - **VERSION**: from the VERSION file
-- **BRANCH**: current branch name
+
+The branch name is filled in by the shell — there is no `BRANCH` placeholder to
+substitute.
 
 This step is automatic — never skip it, never ask for confirmation.