diff --git a/groups/main/CLAUDE.md b/groups/main/CLAUDE.md
index d07793f33..cb1c3cc6b 100644
--- a/groups/main/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/groups/main/CLAUDE.md
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
-@/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md
-
+@./.claude-global.md
 # Main
 
 You are Main, a personal assistant. You help with tasks, answer questions, and can schedule reminders.
diff --git a/scripts/migrate-group-claude-md.ts b/scripts/migrate-group-claude-md.ts
index 568e381cc..a1c16918d 100644
--- a/scripts/migrate-group-claude-md.ts
+++ b/scripts/migrate-group-claude-md.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,26 @@
 /**
- * One-shot migration: prepend `@/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md` to each
- * existing group's CLAUDE.md so it imports the global memory under the
- * new model where the host no longer reads global CLAUDE.md at bootstrap.
+ * One-shot migration: wire each existing group up to global memory via
+ * an in-tree symlink + @-import.
  *
- * - Skips entirely if `groups/global/CLAUDE.md` doesn't exist (nothing
- *   to import; running the script would just add a broken @-import).
- * - Skips any group whose CLAUDE.md already references
- *   `/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md` (idempotent).
- * - Skips groups with no CLAUDE.md (nothing to prepend to).
+ * Claude Code's @-import only follows paths inside cwd, so a direct
+ * `@/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md` or `@../global/CLAUDE.md` silently does
+ * nothing (the import line is parsed but the target file is never
+ * loaded into context). The working approach:
+ *
+ *   1. Symlink `groups/<folder>/.claude-global.md` →
+ *      `/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md` (container path; dangling on host,
+ *      valid inside the container via the /workspace/global mount).
+ *   2. Have the group's CLAUDE.md import the symlink:
+ *      `@./.claude-global.md`.
+ *
+ * This script:
+ *   - Creates the symlink if missing.
+ *   - Replaces any existing broken `@/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md` or
+ *     `@../global/CLAUDE.md` import line with the symlink form.
+ *   - Prepends the symlink import if neither form is present.
+ *   - Skips entirely if `groups/global/CLAUDE.md` doesn't exist.
+ *
+ * Idempotent — safe to re-run.
  *
  * Usage: npx tsx scripts/migrate-group-claude-md.ts
  */
@@ -17,11 +30,14 @@ import path from 'path';
 import { GROUPS_DIR } from '../src/config.js';
 
 const GLOBAL_CLAUDE_MD = path.join(GROUPS_DIR, 'global', 'CLAUDE.md');
-const IMPORT_LINE = '@/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md';
-// Must match the @-import syntax exactly — a bare path reference inside
-// instructional prose ("you can write to /workspace/global/CLAUDE.md")
-// shouldn't count as "already wired."
-const IMPORT_REGEX = /@\/workspace\/global\/CLAUDE\.md/;
+const GLOBAL_MEMORY_CONTAINER_PATH = '/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md';
+const GLOBAL_MEMORY_LINK_NAME = '.claude-global.md';
+const IMPORT_LINE = `@./${GLOBAL_MEMORY_LINK_NAME}`;
+
+// Match any existing @-import that points at global/CLAUDE.md, whether
+// via absolute path, relative path, or the new symlink form.
+const EXISTING_IMPORT_REGEX =
+  /^@(?:\/workspace\/global\/CLAUDE\.md|\.\.\/global\/CLAUDE\.md|\.\/\.claude-global\.md)\s*$/m;
 
 if (!fs.existsSync(GLOBAL_CLAUDE_MD)) {
   console.error(`No global CLAUDE.md at ${GLOBAL_CLAUDE_MD} — nothing to migrate.`);
@@ -37,12 +53,31 @@ const entries = fs.readdirSync(GROUPS_DIR, { withFileTypes: true });
 let updated = 0;
 let alreadyWired = 0;
 let missingClaudeMd = 0;
+let symlinksCreated = 0;
 
 for (const entry of entries) {
   if (!entry.isDirectory()) continue;
-  if (entry.name === 'global') continue; // not a group
+  if (entry.name === 'global') continue;
 
-  const claudeMd = path.join(GROUPS_DIR, entry.name, 'CLAUDE.md');
+  const groupDir = path.join(GROUPS_DIR, entry.name);
+
+  // Symlink (idempotent — skip if already present)
+  const linkPath = path.join(groupDir, GLOBAL_MEMORY_LINK_NAME);
+  let linkExists = false;
+  try {
+    fs.lstatSync(linkPath);
+    linkExists = true;
+  } catch {
+    /* missing */
+  }
+  if (!linkExists) {
+    fs.symlinkSync(GLOBAL_MEMORY_CONTAINER_PATH, linkPath);
+    console.log(`[link]  ${entry.name}: created ${GLOBAL_MEMORY_LINK_NAME}`);
+    symlinksCreated++;
+  }
+
+  // CLAUDE.md import wiring
+  const claudeMd = path.join(groupDir, 'CLAUDE.md');
   if (!fs.existsSync(claudeMd)) {
     console.log(`[skip]  ${entry.name}: no CLAUDE.md`);
     missingClaudeMd++;
@@ -50,16 +85,29 @@ for (const entry of entries) {
   }
 
   const body = fs.readFileSync(claudeMd, 'utf-8');
-  if (IMPORT_REGEX.test(body)) {
+  const match = body.match(EXISTING_IMPORT_REGEX);
+
+  if (match && match[0] === IMPORT_LINE) {
     console.log(`[wired] ${entry.name}: already imports ${IMPORT_LINE}`);
     alreadyWired++;
     continue;
   }
 
-  const newBody = `${IMPORT_LINE}\n\n${body}`;
+  let newBody: string;
+  if (match) {
+    // Replace the broken import with the working form
+    newBody = body.replace(EXISTING_IMPORT_REGEX, IMPORT_LINE);
+    console.log(`[fix]   ${entry.name}: rewrote ${match[0]} → ${IMPORT_LINE}`);
+  } else {
+    // Prepend fresh
+    newBody = `${IMPORT_LINE}\n\n${body}`;
+    console.log(`[ok]    ${entry.name}: prepended ${IMPORT_LINE}`);
+  }
+
   fs.writeFileSync(claudeMd, newBody);
-  console.log(`[ok]    ${entry.name}: prepended import`);
   updated++;
 }
 
-console.log(`\nDone. updated=${updated} alreadyWired=${alreadyWired} missingClaudeMd=${missingClaudeMd}`);
+console.log(
+  `\nDone. updated=${updated} alreadyWired=${alreadyWired} missingClaudeMd=${missingClaudeMd} symlinksCreated=${symlinksCreated}`,
+);
diff --git a/src/group-init.ts b/src/group-init.ts
index 6419632a2..a04679ff5 100644
--- a/src/group-init.ts
+++ b/src/group-init.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,17 @@ import { DATA_DIR, GROUPS_DIR } from './config.js';
 import { log } from './log.js';
 import type { AgentGroup } from './types.js';
 
-const GLOBAL_CLAUDE_IMPORT = '@/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md';
+// Container path where groups/global is mounted. The symlink we drop
+// into each group's dir resolves to this target inside the container.
+// It's a dangling symlink on the host — that's fine, host tools don't
+// follow it and the container mount makes it valid at read time.
+const GLOBAL_MEMORY_CONTAINER_PATH = '/workspace/global/CLAUDE.md';
+
+// Symlink name inside the group's dir. Claude Code's @-import only
+// follows paths inside cwd, so we can't reference /workspace/global
+// directly — we symlink into the group dir and import the symlink.
+export const GLOBAL_MEMORY_LINK_NAME = '.claude-global.md';
+export const GLOBAL_CLAUDE_IMPORT = `@./${GLOBAL_MEMORY_LINK_NAME}`;
 
 const DEFAULT_SETTINGS_JSON =
   JSON.stringify(
@@ -41,6 +51,23 @@ export function initGroupFilesystem(group: AgentGroup, opts?: { instructions?: s
     initialized.push('groupDir');
   }
 
+  // groups/<folder>/.claude-global.md — symlink into the group dir so
+  // Claude Code's @-import can follow it. Uses lstat to avoid tripping
+  // existsSync on a dangling symlink (target only resolves inside the
+  // container).
+  const globalLinkPath = path.join(groupDir, GLOBAL_MEMORY_LINK_NAME);
+  let linkExists = false;
+  try {
+    fs.lstatSync(globalLinkPath);
+    linkExists = true;
+  } catch {
+    /* missing — recreate */
+  }
+  if (!linkExists) {
+    fs.symlinkSync(GLOBAL_MEMORY_CONTAINER_PATH, globalLinkPath);
+    initialized.push('.claude-global.md');
+  }
+
   // groups/<folder>/CLAUDE.md — written once, then owned by the group
   const claudeMdFile = path.join(groupDir, 'CLAUDE.md');
   if (!fs.existsSync(claudeMdFile)) {