diff --git a/docs/skill-engine-seam.md b/docs/skill-engine-seam.md
index 6593282d1..cb3089223 100644
--- a/docs/skill-engine-seam.md
+++ b/docs/skill-engine-seam.md
@@ -115,6 +115,12 @@ can derive its own.
    `res.operatorMessages`, then `await onEvent({type:'operator', …})` before
    evaluating the next directive. An unresolved `{{var}}` in the body defers the
    whole block before any event fires (today's behavior, `skill-apply.ts:787`).
+   **Once the run is `blocked`** (an earlier bounce), operator directives are
+   skipped instead — no event, no `operatorMessages` entry, recorded in
+   `skipped`. Walking the human through steps whose side effects the run has
+   already gated ("a pairing code is about to appear" → nothing appears) is
+   actively misleading, and a failed run's manual-steps report must not include
+   steps predicated on the failure.
 3. Every `onEvent` call is awaited; a rejection from `onEvent` is treated like
    any other throw at that directive (bounce, not crash). This applies to
    operator events too: a consumer that throws from `onEvent` **accepts the
diff --git a/scripts/skill-apply.test.ts b/scripts/skill-apply.test.ts
index 5504188f7..1886e227e 100644
--- a/scripts/skill-apply.test.ts
+++ b/scripts/skill-apply.test.ts
@@ -762,6 +762,59 @@ describe('run-health gate (a bounce blocks later side effects)', () => {
     expect(gated).toHaveLength(2); // restart + step, both bounced by the gate
   });
 
+  // Once blocked, an operator block must not walk the human through steps the
+  // run has already gated ("a pairing code is about to appear" → nothing
+  // appears). No event ⇒ a consumer's URL offer / readiness confirm never
+  // fires; no operatorMessages entry ⇒ a failed run's manual-steps report
+  // omits steps predicated on the failure. A block BEFORE the failure still
+  // renders normally.
+  it('a bounce also silences later operator blocks — no event, no collected message', async () => {
+    writeFileSync(
+      join(gskill, 'SKILL.md'),
+      [
+        '# doomed walkthrough demo',
+        '',
+        '## Create the bot',
+        '```nc:operator',
+        'Make the bot first.',
+        '```',
+        '',
+        '## Validate the credential',
+        '```nc:run capture:who effect:fetch',
+        'verify-cred',
+        '```',
+        '',
+        '## Get ready to pair',
+        '```nc:operator',
+        'Open the bot — a pairing code is about to appear.',
+        '```',
+        '',
+        '## Pair',
+        '```nc:run effect:step capture:platform_id=PLATFORM_ID',
+        'run-pair-step',
+        '```',
+        '',
+      ].join('\n'),
+    );
+    const events: string[] = [];
+    const res = await applySkill(gskill, groot, {
+      inputs: {},
+      exec: (c) => {
+        if (c === 'verify-cred') throw new Error('401 bad credential');
+      },
+      execStream: async () => ({ ok: true, fields: { PLATFORM_ID: 'x' } }),
+      onEvent: (e) => {
+        if (e.type === 'operator') events.push(e.text);
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(events).toEqual(['Make the bot first.']); // pre-failure block rendered…
+    expect(res.operatorMessages).toEqual(['Make the bot first.']); // …and collected
+    expect(res.operatorMessages.join()).not.toContain('about to appear'); // doomed block silenced
+    expect(res.skipped).toContain('operator: skipped after an earlier failure');
+    expect(res.agentTasks.some((t) => /an earlier step did not complete/.test(t.reason))).toBe(true); // step still gated
+  });
+
   it('a deferred prompt does NOT block a later restart (headless rebuild stays runnable)', async () => {
     writeFileSync(join(gskill, 'SKILL.md'), DEFER_THEN_RESTART_SKILL);
     const cmds: string[] = [];
diff --git a/scripts/skill-apply.ts b/scripts/skill-apply.ts
index e562df81b..c8b8d83ea 100644
--- a/scripts/skill-apply.ts
+++ b/scripts/skill-apply.ts
@@ -768,6 +768,16 @@ export async function applySkill(skillDir: string, root: string, opts: ApplyOpti
         continue;
       }
       if (d.kind === 'operator') {
+        // Once the run is blocked, walking the human through further manual
+        // steps is actively misleading — the side effects those instructions
+        // lead up to ("a pairing code is about to appear") have already been
+        // gated. Skip: no event (so a consumer's URL offer / readiness confirm
+        // never fires), no operatorMessages entry (a failed run's manual-steps
+        // report must not include steps predicated on the failed one).
+        if (blocked) {
+          res.skipped.push('operator: skipped after an earlier failure');
+          continue;
+        }
         // Always collect the human-facing instructions into the result so a
         // programmatic caller can relay/output them. {{vars}} render so a
         // resolved value can be shown (throws → deferred if a referenced var is
diff --git a/setup/lib/channels-remote.sh b/setup/lib/channels-remote.sh
index eb67b8dd9..25a9ab970 100755
--- a/setup/lib/channels-remote.sh
+++ b/setup/lib/channels-remote.sh
@@ -20,10 +20,14 @@ resolve_channels_remote() {
     return 0
   fi
 
+  # Anchor the repo-name tail: the pattern must match the nanoclaw repo itself,
+  # never a sibling channel repo like qwibitai/nanoclaw-discord (which carries
+  # no channels branch — an unanchored `*nanoclaw*` glob picked those on
+  # multi-remote machines and broke every from-branch copy).
   local remote url
   while IFS=$'\t' read -r remote url; do
     case "$url" in
-      *qwibitai/nanoclaw*|*nanocoai/nanoclaw*)
+      *qwibitai/nanoclaw|*qwibitai/nanoclaw.git|*nanocoai/nanoclaw|*nanocoai/nanoclaw.git)
         printf '%s' "$remote"
         return 0
         ;;