diff --git a/setup/lib/skill-driver.test.ts b/setup/lib/skill-driver.test.ts
index ea56452c2..2501bfaab 100644
--- a/setup/lib/skill-driver.test.ts
+++ b/setup/lib/skill-driver.test.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
-import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync, chmodSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, chmodSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
 import { join } from 'node:path';
 
-import { runSkill, hostExec, hostExecStream, promptValidator, clackResolveInput, type RunSkillOptions } from './skill-driver.js';
+import { runSkill, hostExec, hostExecStream, labelOrdinals, promptValidator, clackResolveInput, type RunSkillOptions } from './skill-driver.js';
 import { fullyApplied, type ApplyEvent } from '../../scripts/skill-apply.js';
 
 // Shared test state for the clack + claude-handoff mocks (hoisted so the vi.mock
@@ -401,3 +401,43 @@ describe('thin skill driver', () => {
     expect(promptValidator(undefined, undefined, question)).toBeUndefined(); // no regex ⇒ no validator
   });
 });
+
+// Two steps under one heading share a spinner caption (build + test both read
+// "Build and validate") — the ordinal suffix marks them as a sequence, not a
+// stuttered duplicate. Solo captions stay unsuffixed.
+describe('labelOrdinals (repeated-caption disambiguation)', () => {
+  const MD = [
+    '# demo',
+    '',
+    '## Build and validate',
+    '```nc:run effect:build',
+    'pnpm run build',
+    '```',
+    '```nc:run effect:test',
+    'pnpm exec vitest run x.test.ts',
+    '```',
+    '',
+    '## Restart',
+    '```nc:run effect:restart',
+    'bash restart.sh',
+    '```',
+    '',
+  ].join('\n');
+
+  it('suffixes (1/2)/(2/2) on the shared caption and leaves the solo one alone', () => {
+    const ords = labelOrdinals(MD);
+    const buildLine = 4; // opening fence of the build run (1-based)
+    const testLine = 7;
+    const restartLine = 12;
+    expect(ords.get(buildLine)).toBe(' (1/2)');
+    expect(ords.get(testLine)).toBe(' (2/2)');
+    expect(ords.has(restartLine)).toBe(false); // unique caption — no suffix
+  });
+
+  it('the real add-telegram build+test pair (the live stutter) gets ordinals', () => {
+    const md = readFileSync(join(process.cwd(), '.claude/skills/add-telegram/SKILL.md'), 'utf8');
+    const suffixes = [...labelOrdinals(md).values()];
+    expect(suffixes).toContain(' (1/2)');
+    expect(suffixes).toContain(' (2/2)');
+  });
+});
diff --git a/setup/lib/skill-driver.ts b/setup/lib/skill-driver.ts
index a9e4e3b92..dbc51ebf2 100644
--- a/setup/lib/skill-driver.ts
+++ b/setup/lib/skill-driver.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   applySkill,
   fullyApplied,
   normalizeValue,
+  stepLabel,
   type ApplyEvent,
   type ApplyResult,
   type InputMeta,
@@ -288,12 +289,38 @@ const GATE_WORDING: Record<'readiness' | 'completed', string> = {
   completed: "Done with the steps above? Continue when you're ready.",
 };
 
+/**
+ * Where several steps under one heading share a spinner caption (a build and a
+ * test both labelled "5. Build and validate"), suffix an ordinal — "(1/2)",
+ * "(2/2)" — so consecutive spinners read as distinct steps, not a stutter.
+ * Keyed by directive line (the step events carry it). Counting is static
+ * (document order over the parsed directives); a runtime-skipped sibling can
+ * leave a gap in the rendered sequence — cosmetic only.
+ */
+export function labelOrdinals(md: string): Map<number, string> {
+  const byLabel = new Map<string, number[]>();
+  for (const d of parseDirectives(md)) {
+    const label = stepLabel(d, md);
+    if (label === null) continue;
+    const lines = byLabel.get(label) ?? [];
+    lines.push(d.line);
+    byLabel.set(label, lines);
+  }
+  const out = new Map<number, string>();
+  for (const lines of byLabel.values()) {
+    if (lines.length < 2) continue;
+    lines.forEach((ln, i) => out.set(ln, ` (${i + 1}/${lines.length})`));
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
 /**
  * The driver's DEFAULT `onEvent` handler — the whole wizard presentation policy:
  *
  *   • step-start/step-end → a per-step clack spinner (built on runner.ts's
  *     `startSpinner`), TTY-gated so piped/CI/test runs stay quiet. A null label
  *     is the engine's instant/renders-its-own-output declaration — no spinner.
+ *     Repeated captions under one heading get an ordinal suffix (labelOrdinals).
  *   • operator → render the block as a clack note, then the URL offer
  *     (extractOfferUrl → confirm → openUrl), then the natural-barrier confirm
  *     when gatePolicy says this block precedes a side-effecting directive.
@@ -308,11 +335,12 @@ function defaultOnEvent(
   open: (url: string) => Promise<void>,
 ): (e: ApplyEvent) => Promise<void> {
   const gates = gatePolicy(md);
+  const ordinals = labelOrdinals(md);
   let active: ReturnType<typeof startSpinner> | null = null;
   return async (e) => {
     if (e.type === 'step-start') {
       if (!process.stdout.isTTY || e.label === null) return; // quiet: non-TTY, or instant/cheap step
-      const base = e.label.replace(/…+$/, '');
+      const base = e.label.replace(/…+$/, '') + (ordinals.get(e.line) ?? '');
       active = startSpinner({ running: `${base}…`, done: base, failed: `${base} failed` });
       return;
     }