diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 351e7cabde..7f3e1b3ed9 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,12 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [1.60.2.0] - 2026-07-23
+
+### Fixed
+
+- `/ship` now preserves repositories that intentionally omit `VERSION`: classification returns an explicit `VERSIONLESS` state, keeps the existing `package.json` version untouched, skips versioned changelog and PR-title rules, and continues through commit, push, and PR creation. Repositories with a real `VERSION` retain the existing package-drift stop.
+- Generated Claude, Codex, Factory, and other host ship surfaces now carry the versionless dispatch, with golden fixtures and real-git regression coverage preventing the path from drifting.
+
 ## [1.60.1.0] - 2026-07-09
 
 ## **The /autoplan dual-voice eval is back on the board, catching real regressions.**
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index c4190e0048..762f175545 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.60.1.0
+1.60.2.0
diff --git a/bin/gstack-version-bump b/bin/gstack-version-bump
index 298fab17d4..95a28b49c4 100755
--- a/bin/gstack-version-bump
+++ b/bin/gstack-version-bump
@@ -15,8 +15,9 @@
 // Subcommands:
 //   classify --base <branch> [--version-path <p>]
 //       Compares VERSION vs origin/<base>:VERSION vs package.json.version.
-//       Emits JSON: { state, baseVersion, currentVersion, pkgVersion, pkgExists }
-//       state ∈ FRESH | ALREADY_BUMPED | DRIFT_STALE_PKG | DRIFT_UNEXPECTED
+//       Emits JSON: { state, baseVersion, currentVersion, pkgVersion, pkgExists,
+//                     baseVersionExists, versionExists }
+//       state ∈ VERSIONLESS | FRESH | ALREADY_BUMPED | DRIFT_STALE_PKG | DRIFT_UNEXPECTED
 //       Exit 0 on a decidable state (incl. DRIFT_UNEXPECTED — it's a real state
 //       the caller must handle), exit 2 on bad args / unresolvable base.
 //
@@ -41,7 +42,8 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 const VERSION_RE = /^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$/;
 const DEFAULT = "0.0.0.0";
 
-type State = "FRESH" | "ALREADY_BUMPED" | "DRIFT_STALE_PKG" | "DRIFT_UNEXPECTED";
+type State = "VERSIONLESS" | "FRESH" | "ALREADY_BUMPED" | "DRIFT_STALE_PKG" | "DRIFT_UNEXPECTED";
+type VersionFile = { exists: boolean; version: string };
 
 function fail(msg: string, code = 2): never {
   process.stderr.write(`gstack-version-bump: ${msg}\n`);
@@ -64,12 +66,12 @@ function resolveVersionPath(cwd: string, explicit?: string): string {
   return join(cwd, "VERSION");
 }
 
-function readVersionFile(p: string): string {
+function readVersionFile(p: string): VersionFile {
   try {
     const v = readFileSync(p, "utf-8").replace(/[\r\n\s]/g, "");
-    return v || DEFAULT;
+    return { exists: true, version: v || DEFAULT };
   } catch {
-    return DEFAULT;
+    return { exists: false, version: DEFAULT };
   }
 }
 
@@ -101,7 +103,7 @@ function writePkgVersion(cwd: string, version: string): void {
   writeFileSync(pkgPath, JSON.stringify(parsed, null, 2) + "\n");
 }
 
-function baseVersion(cwd: string, base: string, versionRel: string): string {
+function baseVersion(cwd: string, base: string, versionRel: string): VersionFile {
   // Verify the base ref resolves, mirroring the Step 12 guard.
   try {
     execFileSync("git", ["rev-parse", "--verify", `origin/${base}`], { cwd, stdio: "ignore" });
@@ -109,16 +111,23 @@ function baseVersion(cwd: string, base: string, versionRel: string): string {
     fail(`Unable to resolve origin/${base}. Run 'git fetch origin' or verify the base branch exists.`, 2);
   }
   try {
-    const out = execFileSync("git", ["show", `origin/${base}:${versionRel}`], { cwd }).toString();
+    const out = execFileSync("git", ["show", `origin/${base}:${versionRel}`], { cwd, stdio: "pipe" }).toString();
     const v = out.replace(/[\r\n\s]/g, "");
-    return v || DEFAULT;
+    return { exists: true, version: v || DEFAULT };
   } catch {
-    // VERSION absent on base (new repo / new file) → treat as 0.0.0.0.
-    return DEFAULT;
+    return { exists: false, version: DEFAULT };
   }
 }
 
-function classifyState(current: string, base: string, pkgExists: boolean, pkgVersion: string): State {
+function classifyState(
+  current: string,
+  base: string,
+  pkgExists: boolean,
+  pkgVersion: string,
+  versionExists: boolean,
+  baseVersionExists: boolean,
+): State {
+  if (!versionExists && !baseVersionExists) return "VERSIONLESS";
   if (current === base) {
     // VERSION unchanged vs base. A diverging package.json means someone hand-edited
     // package.json bypassing /ship — unsafe to guess which is authoritative.
@@ -138,14 +147,23 @@ function cmdClassify(args: string[], cwd: string): void {
   const current = readVersionFile(versionPath);
   const baseV = baseVersion(cwd, base!, versionRel);
   const pkg = readPkgVersion(cwd);
-  const state = classifyState(current, baseV, pkg.exists, pkg.version);
+  const state = classifyState(
+    current.version,
+    baseV.version,
+    pkg.exists,
+    pkg.version,
+    current.exists,
+    baseV.exists,
+  );
   process.stdout.write(
     JSON.stringify({
       state,
-      baseVersion: baseV,
-      currentVersion: current,
+      baseVersion: baseV.exists ? baseV.version : null,
+      currentVersion: current.exists ? current.version : null,
       pkgVersion: pkg.version || null,
       pkgExists: pkg.exists,
+      baseVersionExists: baseV.exists,
+      versionExists: current.exists,
     }) + "\n",
   );
   // DRIFT_UNEXPECTED is a real, decidable state — the caller stops on it, but the
@@ -178,9 +196,9 @@ function cmdWrite(args: string[], cwd: string): void {
 function cmdRepair(args: string[], cwd: string): void {
   const versionPath = resolveVersionPath(cwd, argVal(args, "--version-path"));
   const current = readVersionFile(versionPath);
-  if (!VERSION_RE.test(current)) {
+  if (!current.exists || !VERSION_RE.test(current.version)) {
     fail(
-      `VERSION file contents (${current}) do not match MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.MICRO. ` +
+      `VERSION file contents (${current.version}) do not match MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.MICRO. ` +
         "Refusing to propagate invalid semver into package.json. Fix VERSION, then re-run /ship.",
       2,
     );
@@ -189,11 +207,11 @@ function cmdRepair(args: string[], cwd: string): void {
     fail("repair: no package.json to sync.", 2);
   }
   try {
-    writePkgVersion(cwd, current);
+    writePkgVersion(cwd, current.version);
   } catch {
     fail("drift repair failed — could not update package.json.", 3);
   }
-  process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({ repaired: current }) + "\n");
+  process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify({ repaired: current.version }) + "\n");
 }
 
 // Exported for unit tests (pure logic, no I/O).
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 846438a603..78b98a86f1 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "gstack",
-  "version": "1.60.1.0",
+  "version": "1.60.2.0",
   "description": "Garry's Stack — Claude Code skills + fast headless browser. One repo, one install, entire AI engineering workflow.",
   "license": "MIT",
   "type": "module",
diff --git a/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts b/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts
index 3d2e368a29..486204c5c1 100644
--- a/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts
+++ b/scripts/resolvers/utility.ts
@@ -397,6 +397,7 @@ export function generateChangelogWorkflow(_ctx: TemplateContext): string {
    - Refactoring
 
 5. **Write the CHANGELOG entry** covering ALL groups:
+   - If \`VERSIONED_SHIP=false\`, preserve the repository's existing unversioned CHANGELOG convention and skip the versioned-header rules below. Do not invent a version header; if no CHANGELOG exists, skip this step silently.
    - If existing CHANGELOG entries on the branch already cover some commits, replace them with one unified entry for the new version
    - Categorize changes into applicable sections:
      - \`### Added\` — new features
diff --git a/ship/SKILL.md b/ship/SKILL.md
index eadffaa8f6..d6e6f34418 100644
--- a/ship/SKILL.md
+++ b/ship/SKILL.md
@@ -1044,6 +1044,7 @@ stay agent judgment; the slot pick stays `gstack-next-version`.
    bun run ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-version-bump classify --base <base>
    ```
    Read the JSON `state` and dispatch:
+   - **VERSIONLESS** → preserve the repository's non-versioned convention: set `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 2-5, and continue to Step 13 without creating `VERSION` or changing `package.json.version`.
    - **FRESH** → do the bump (steps 2-4).
    - **ALREADY_BUMPED** → skip the bump, but run the queue-drift check (step 3) with the reported `currentVersion`. If the queue moved (next free version differs), **AskUserQuestion**: rebump to the new version (rewrites CHANGELOG header + PR title) or keep current (CI version-gate will reject until resolved).
    - **DRIFT_STALE_PKG** → run `gstack-version-bump repair` (syncs package.json to VERSION). No re-bump; reuse `currentVersion` for CHANGELOG + PR.
@@ -1208,7 +1209,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
    - **Infrastructure:** migrations, config changes, route additions
    - **Models & services:** new models, services, concerns (with their tests)
    - **Controllers & views:** controllers, views, JS/React components (with their tests)
-   - **VERSION + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
+   - **Release metadata (VERSION when present) + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
 
 3. **Rules for splitting:**
    - A model and its test file go in the same commit
@@ -1223,7 +1224,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
 5. Compose each commit message:
    - First line: `<type>: <summary>` (type = feat/fix/chore/refactor/docs)
    - Body: brief description of what this commit contains
-   - Only the **final commit** (VERSION + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag and co-author trailer:
+   - Only the **final commit** (release metadata + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag when `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false` and the co-author trailer:
 
 ```bash
 git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
@@ -1337,7 +1338,7 @@ git push -u origin <branch-name>
 
 ---
 
-**PR/MR title invariant (always applies — do not skip even if you don't open the section below):** Any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. Never create or edit a PR/MR title without this prefix. Compute the correct title with the single source of truth helper: `~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "<current title>"`. The full create/update procedure (idempotency, redaction scan, self-check) is in the section below.
+**PR/MR title invariant:** When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`, computed with `gstack-pr-title-rewrite`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's established unversioned PR title convention. The full create/update procedure is in the section below.
 
 > **STOP.** Before syncing docs and creating or updating the PR/MR (Steps 18-19), Read `~/.claude/skills/gstack/ship/sections/pr-body.md` and execute it
 > in full. Do not work from memory — that section is the source of truth for this step.
@@ -1361,7 +1362,7 @@ Substitute from earlier steps:
 - **PLAN_TOTAL**: total plan items extracted in Step 8 (0 if no plan file)
 - **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
+- **VERSION**: from the VERSION file, or `"none"` when `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`
 - **BRANCH**: current branch name
 
 This step is automatic — never skip it, never ask for confirmation.
@@ -1407,7 +1408,7 @@ through `gstack-version-bump`; never hand-roll the VERSION/package.json write.
 - **Never skip the pre-landing review.** If checklist.md is unreadable, stop.
 - **Never force push.** Use regular `git push` only.
 - **Never ask for trivial confirmations** (e.g., "ready to push?", "create PR?"). DO stop for: version bumps (MINOR/MAJOR), pre-landing review findings (ASK items), and Codex structured review [P1] findings (large diffs only).
-- **Always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
+- **For versioned repositories, always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
 - **Date format in CHANGELOG:** `YYYY-MM-DD`
 - **Split commits for bisectability** — each commit = one logical change.
 - **TODOS.md completion detection must be conservative.** Only mark items as completed when the diff clearly shows the work is done.
diff --git a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
index 068ac4fe54..3bfa151dd9 100644
--- a/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
+++ b/ship/SKILL.md.tmpl
@@ -166,6 +166,7 @@ stay agent judgment; the slot pick stays `gstack-next-version`.
    bun run ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-version-bump classify --base <base>
    ```
    Read the JSON `state` and dispatch:
+   - **VERSIONLESS** → preserve the repository's non-versioned convention: set `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 2-5, and continue to Step 13 without creating `VERSION` or changing `package.json.version`.
    - **FRESH** → do the bump (steps 2-4).
    - **ALREADY_BUMPED** → skip the bump, but run the queue-drift check (step 3) with the reported `currentVersion`. If the queue moved (next free version differs), **AskUserQuestion**: rebump to the new version (rewrites CHANGELOG header + PR title) or keep current (CI version-gate will reject until resolved).
    - **DRIFT_STALE_PKG** → run `gstack-version-bump repair` (syncs package.json to VERSION). No re-bump; reuse `currentVersion` for CHANGELOG + PR.
@@ -329,7 +330,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
    - **Infrastructure:** migrations, config changes, route additions
    - **Models & services:** new models, services, concerns (with their tests)
    - **Controllers & views:** controllers, views, JS/React components (with their tests)
-   - **VERSION + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
+   - **Release metadata (VERSION when present) + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
 
 3. **Rules for splitting:**
    - A model and its test file go in the same commit
@@ -344,7 +345,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
 5. Compose each commit message:
    - First line: `<type>: <summary>` (type = feat/fix/chore/refactor/docs)
    - Body: brief description of what this commit contains
-   - Only the **final commit** (VERSION + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag and co-author trailer:
+   - Only the **final commit** (release metadata + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag when `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false` and the co-author trailer:
 
 ```bash
 git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
@@ -458,7 +459,7 @@ git push -u origin <branch-name>
 
 ---
 
-**PR/MR title invariant (always applies — do not skip even if you don't open the section below):** Any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. Never create or edit a PR/MR title without this prefix. Compute the correct title with the single source of truth helper: `~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "<current title>"`. The full create/update procedure (idempotency, redaction scan, self-check) is in the section below.
+**PR/MR title invariant:** When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`, computed with `gstack-pr-title-rewrite`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's established unversioned PR title convention. The full create/update procedure is in the section below.
 
 {{SECTION:pr-body}}
 
@@ -481,7 +482,7 @@ Substitute from earlier steps:
 - **PLAN_TOTAL**: total plan items extracted in Step 8 (0 if no plan file)
 - **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
+- **VERSION**: from the VERSION file, or `"none"` when `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`
 - **BRANCH**: current branch name
 
 This step is automatic — never skip it, never ask for confirmation.
@@ -527,7 +528,7 @@ through `gstack-version-bump`; never hand-roll the VERSION/package.json write.
 - **Never skip the pre-landing review.** If checklist.md is unreadable, stop.
 - **Never force push.** Use regular `git push` only.
 - **Never ask for trivial confirmations** (e.g., "ready to push?", "create PR?"). DO stop for: version bumps (MINOR/MAJOR), pre-landing review findings (ASK items), and Codex structured review [P1] findings (large diffs only).
-- **Always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
+- **For versioned repositories, always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
 - **Date format in CHANGELOG:** `YYYY-MM-DD`
 - **Split commits for bisectability** — each commit = one logical change.
 - **TODOS.md completion detection must be conservative.** Only mark items as completed when the diff clearly shows the work is done.
diff --git a/ship/sections/changelog.md b/ship/sections/changelog.md
index 1c0834618c..61b583d4c1 100644
--- a/ship/sections/changelog.md
+++ b/ship/sections/changelog.md
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
    - Refactoring
 
 5. **Write the CHANGELOG entry** covering ALL groups:
+   - If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's existing unversioned CHANGELOG convention and skip the versioned-header rules below. Do not invent a version header; if no CHANGELOG exists, skip this step silently.
    - If existing CHANGELOG entries on the branch already cover some commits, replace them with one unified entry for the new version
    - Categorize changes into applicable sections:
      - `### Added` — new features
diff --git a/ship/sections/pr-body.md b/ship/sections/pr-body.md
index 90888b7a90..d19fe7adc4 100644
--- a/ship/sections/pr-body.md
+++ b/ship/sections/pr-body.md
@@ -43,14 +43,16 @@ glab mr view -F json 2>/dev/null | jq -r 'if .state == "opened" then "MR_EXISTS"
 
 If an **open** PR/MR already exists: **update** the PR body using `gh pr edit --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"` (GitHub) or `glab mr update -d ...` (GitLab). Always regenerate the PR body from scratch using this run's fresh results (test output, coverage audit, review findings, adversarial review, TODOS summary, documentation_section from Step 18). Never reuse stale PR body content from a prior run. **Run the same redaction scan-at-sink (PR body + title) as the create path (Step 19) before editing — scan the temp file, then `gh pr edit --body-file` from it.**
 
-**Always update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>` — version ALWAYS first, no exceptions, no "custom title kept intentionally" escape hatch. The shared helper `bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh` is the single source of truth for the rule.
+**When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, do not rewrite the title; keep the repository's established unversioned title convention.
+
+If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 1-4 below. Otherwise:
 
 1. Read the current title: `CURRENT=$(gh pr view --json title -q .title)` (or `glab mr view -F json | jq -r .title`).
 2. Compute the corrected title: `NEW_TITLE=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "$CURRENT")`. The helper handles three cases: title already correct (no-op), title has a different `v<X.Y.Z.W>` prefix (replace it), or title has no version prefix (prepend one).
 3. If `NEW_TITLE` differs from `CURRENT`, run `gh pr edit --title "$NEW_TITLE"` (or `glab mr update -t "$NEW_TITLE"`).
 4. **Self-check:** re-fetch the title and assert it starts with `v$NEW_VERSION `. If it does not, retry the edit once. If still wrong, surface the failure to the user.
 
-This keeps the title truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version, and forces the format on PRs that were created without it.
+This keeps versioned titles truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version without inventing a release convention for versionless repositories.
 
 Print the existing URL and continue to Step 20.
 
@@ -172,8 +174,10 @@ case $? in
   3) echo "BLOCKED — credential in PR body. Rotate + redact, do not create the PR."; exit 1 ;;
   2) echo "MEDIUM findings — confirm per finding (sterner on public) before proceeding." ;;
 esac
-# Also scan the title (short, single-line):
-printf '%s' "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" | ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
+# Also scan the title (short, single-line). Prefix it only for versioned ships:
+PR_TITLE="<type>: <summary>"
+[ "$VERSIONED_SHIP" = "false" ] || PR_TITLE="v$NEW_VERSION $PR_TITLE"
+printf '%s' "$PR_TITLE" | ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
 ```
 
 HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
@@ -182,18 +186,14 @@ HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
 **If GitHub:** create from the SCANNED file (exact bytes scanned = bytes sent):
 
 ```bash
-# PR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-gh pr create --base <base> --title "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
+gh pr create --base <base> --title "$PR_TITLE" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 rm -f "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 ```
 
 **If GitLab:**
 
 ```bash
-# MR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-glab mr create -b <base> -t "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
+glab mr create -b <base> -t "$PR_TITLE" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
 <MR body from above>
 EOF
 )"
diff --git a/ship/sections/pr-body.md.tmpl b/ship/sections/pr-body.md.tmpl
index 22ac0d668b..b1bbf62939 100644
--- a/ship/sections/pr-body.md.tmpl
+++ b/ship/sections/pr-body.md.tmpl
@@ -41,14 +41,16 @@ glab mr view -F json 2>/dev/null | jq -r 'if .state == "opened" then "MR_EXISTS"
 
 If an **open** PR/MR already exists: **update** the PR body using `gh pr edit --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"` (GitHub) or `glab mr update -d ...` (GitLab). Always regenerate the PR body from scratch using this run's fresh results (test output, coverage audit, review findings, adversarial review, TODOS summary, documentation_section from Step 18). Never reuse stale PR body content from a prior run. **Run the same redaction scan-at-sink (PR body + title) as the create path (Step 19) before editing — scan the temp file, then `gh pr edit --body-file` from it.**
 
-**Always update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>` — version ALWAYS first, no exceptions, no "custom title kept intentionally" escape hatch. The shared helper `bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh` is the single source of truth for the rule.
+**When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, do not rewrite the title; keep the repository's established unversioned title convention.
+
+If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 1-4 below. Otherwise:
 
 1. Read the current title: `CURRENT=$(gh pr view --json title -q .title)` (or `glab mr view -F json | jq -r .title`).
 2. Compute the corrected title: `NEW_TITLE=$(~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "$CURRENT")`. The helper handles three cases: title already correct (no-op), title has a different `v<X.Y.Z.W>` prefix (replace it), or title has no version prefix (prepend one).
 3. If `NEW_TITLE` differs from `CURRENT`, run `gh pr edit --title "$NEW_TITLE"` (or `glab mr update -t "$NEW_TITLE"`).
 4. **Self-check:** re-fetch the title and assert it starts with `v$NEW_VERSION `. If it does not, retry the edit once. If still wrong, surface the failure to the user.
 
-This keeps the title truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version, and forces the format on PRs that were created without it.
+This keeps versioned titles truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version without inventing a release convention for versionless repositories.
 
 Print the existing URL and continue to Step 20.
 
@@ -170,8 +172,10 @@ case $? in
   3) echo "BLOCKED — credential in PR body. Rotate + redact, do not create the PR."; exit 1 ;;
   2) echo "MEDIUM findings — confirm per finding (sterner on public) before proceeding." ;;
 esac
-# Also scan the title (short, single-line):
-printf '%s' "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" | ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
+# Also scan the title (short, single-line). Prefix it only for versioned ships:
+PR_TITLE="<type>: <summary>"
+[ "$VERSIONED_SHIP" = "false" ] || PR_TITLE="v$NEW_VERSION $PR_TITLE"
+printf '%s' "$PR_TITLE" | ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
 ```
 
 HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
@@ -180,18 +184,14 @@ HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
 **If GitHub:** create from the SCANNED file (exact bytes scanned = bytes sent):
 
 ```bash
-# PR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-gh pr create --base <base> --title "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
+gh pr create --base <base> --title "$PR_TITLE" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 rm -f "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 ```
 
 **If GitLab:**
 
 ```bash
-# MR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-glab mr create -b <base> -t "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
+glab mr create -b <base> -t "$PR_TITLE" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
 <MR body from above>
 EOF
 )"
diff --git a/test/fixtures/golden/claude-ship-SKILL.md b/test/fixtures/golden/claude-ship-SKILL.md
index eadffaa8f6..d6e6f34418 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/golden/claude-ship-SKILL.md
+++ b/test/fixtures/golden/claude-ship-SKILL.md
@@ -1044,6 +1044,7 @@ stay agent judgment; the slot pick stays `gstack-next-version`.
    bun run ~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-version-bump classify --base <base>
    ```
    Read the JSON `state` and dispatch:
+   - **VERSIONLESS** → preserve the repository's non-versioned convention: set `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 2-5, and continue to Step 13 without creating `VERSION` or changing `package.json.version`.
    - **FRESH** → do the bump (steps 2-4).
    - **ALREADY_BUMPED** → skip the bump, but run the queue-drift check (step 3) with the reported `currentVersion`. If the queue moved (next free version differs), **AskUserQuestion**: rebump to the new version (rewrites CHANGELOG header + PR title) or keep current (CI version-gate will reject until resolved).
    - **DRIFT_STALE_PKG** → run `gstack-version-bump repair` (syncs package.json to VERSION). No re-bump; reuse `currentVersion` for CHANGELOG + PR.
@@ -1208,7 +1209,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
    - **Infrastructure:** migrations, config changes, route additions
    - **Models & services:** new models, services, concerns (with their tests)
    - **Controllers & views:** controllers, views, JS/React components (with their tests)
-   - **VERSION + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
+   - **Release metadata (VERSION when present) + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
 
 3. **Rules for splitting:**
    - A model and its test file go in the same commit
@@ -1223,7 +1224,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
 5. Compose each commit message:
    - First line: `<type>: <summary>` (type = feat/fix/chore/refactor/docs)
    - Body: brief description of what this commit contains
-   - Only the **final commit** (VERSION + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag and co-author trailer:
+   - Only the **final commit** (release metadata + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag when `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false` and the co-author trailer:
 
 ```bash
 git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
@@ -1337,7 +1338,7 @@ git push -u origin <branch-name>
 
 ---
 
-**PR/MR title invariant (always applies — do not skip even if you don't open the section below):** Any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. Never create or edit a PR/MR title without this prefix. Compute the correct title with the single source of truth helper: `~/.claude/skills/gstack/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "<current title>"`. The full create/update procedure (idempotency, redaction scan, self-check) is in the section below.
+**PR/MR title invariant:** When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`, computed with `gstack-pr-title-rewrite`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's established unversioned PR title convention. The full create/update procedure is in the section below.
 
 > **STOP.** Before syncing docs and creating or updating the PR/MR (Steps 18-19), Read `~/.claude/skills/gstack/ship/sections/pr-body.md` and execute it
 > in full. Do not work from memory — that section is the source of truth for this step.
@@ -1361,7 +1362,7 @@ Substitute from earlier steps:
 - **PLAN_TOTAL**: total plan items extracted in Step 8 (0 if no plan file)
 - **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
+- **VERSION**: from the VERSION file, or `"none"` when `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`
 - **BRANCH**: current branch name
 
 This step is automatic — never skip it, never ask for confirmation.
@@ -1407,7 +1408,7 @@ through `gstack-version-bump`; never hand-roll the VERSION/package.json write.
 - **Never skip the pre-landing review.** If checklist.md is unreadable, stop.
 - **Never force push.** Use regular `git push` only.
 - **Never ask for trivial confirmations** (e.g., "ready to push?", "create PR?"). DO stop for: version bumps (MINOR/MAJOR), pre-landing review findings (ASK items), and Codex structured review [P1] findings (large diffs only).
-- **Always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
+- **For versioned repositories, always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
 - **Date format in CHANGELOG:** `YYYY-MM-DD`
 - **Split commits for bisectability** — each commit = one logical change.
 - **TODOS.md completion detection must be conservative.** Only mark items as completed when the diff clearly shows the work is done.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/golden/codex-ship-SKILL.md b/test/fixtures/golden/codex-ship-SKILL.md
index d99630c4b3..6a8e109285 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/golden/codex-ship-SKILL.md
+++ b/test/fixtures/golden/codex-ship-SKILL.md
@@ -2186,6 +2186,7 @@ stay agent judgment; the slot pick stays `gstack-next-version`.
    bun run $GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-version-bump classify --base <base>
    ```
    Read the JSON `state` and dispatch:
+   - **VERSIONLESS** → preserve the repository's non-versioned convention: set `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 2-5, and continue to Step 13 without creating `VERSION` or changing `package.json.version`.
    - **FRESH** → do the bump (steps 2-4).
    - **ALREADY_BUMPED** → skip the bump, but run the queue-drift check (step 3) with the reported `currentVersion`. If the queue moved (next free version differs), **AskUserQuestion**: rebump to the new version (rewrites CHANGELOG header + PR title) or keep current (CI version-gate will reject until resolved).
    - **DRIFT_STALE_PKG** → run `gstack-version-bump repair` (syncs package.json to VERSION). No re-bump; reuse `currentVersion` for CHANGELOG + PR.
@@ -2239,6 +2240,7 @@ stay agent judgment; the slot pick stays `gstack-next-version`.
    - Refactoring
 
 5. **Write the CHANGELOG entry** covering ALL groups:
+   - If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's existing unversioned CHANGELOG convention and skip the versioned-header rules below. Do not invent a version header; if no CHANGELOG exists, skip this step silently.
    - If existing CHANGELOG entries on the branch already cover some commits, replace them with one unified entry for the new version
    - Categorize changes into applicable sections:
      - `### Added` — new features
@@ -2391,7 +2393,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
    - **Infrastructure:** migrations, config changes, route additions
    - **Models & services:** new models, services, concerns (with their tests)
    - **Controllers & views:** controllers, views, JS/React components (with their tests)
-   - **VERSION + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
+   - **Release metadata (VERSION when present) + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
 
 3. **Rules for splitting:**
    - A model and its test file go in the same commit
@@ -2406,7 +2408,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
 5. Compose each commit message:
    - First line: `<type>: <summary>` (type = feat/fix/chore/refactor/docs)
    - Body: brief description of what this commit contains
-   - Only the **final commit** (VERSION + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag and co-author trailer:
+   - Only the **final commit** (release metadata + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag when `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false` and the co-author trailer:
 
 ```bash
 git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
@@ -2520,7 +2522,7 @@ git push -u origin <branch-name>
 
 ---
 
-**PR/MR title invariant (always applies — do not skip even if you don't open the section below):** Any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. Never create or edit a PR/MR title without this prefix. Compute the correct title with the single source of truth helper: `$GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "<current title>"`. The full create/update procedure (idempotency, redaction scan, self-check) is in the section below.
+**PR/MR title invariant:** When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`, computed with `gstack-pr-title-rewrite`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's established unversioned PR title convention. The full create/update procedure is in the section below.
 
 ## Step 18: Documentation sync (via subagent, before PR creation)
 
@@ -2565,14 +2567,16 @@ glab mr view -F json 2>/dev/null | jq -r 'if .state == "opened" then "MR_EXISTS"
 
 If an **open** PR/MR already exists: **update** the PR body using `gh pr edit --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"` (GitHub) or `glab mr update -d ...` (GitLab). Always regenerate the PR body from scratch using this run's fresh results (test output, coverage audit, review findings, adversarial review, TODOS summary, documentation_section from Step 18). Never reuse stale PR body content from a prior run. **Run the same redaction scan-at-sink (PR body + title) as the create path (Step 19) before editing — scan the temp file, then `gh pr edit --body-file` from it.**
 
-**Always update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>` — version ALWAYS first, no exceptions, no "custom title kept intentionally" escape hatch. The shared helper `bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh` is the single source of truth for the rule.
+**When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, do not rewrite the title; keep the repository's established unversioned title convention.
+
+If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 1-4 below. Otherwise:
 
 1. Read the current title: `CURRENT=$(gh pr view --json title -q .title)` (or `glab mr view -F json | jq -r .title`).
 2. Compute the corrected title: `NEW_TITLE=$($GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "$CURRENT")`. The helper handles three cases: title already correct (no-op), title has a different `v<X.Y.Z.W>` prefix (replace it), or title has no version prefix (prepend one).
 3. If `NEW_TITLE` differs from `CURRENT`, run `gh pr edit --title "$NEW_TITLE"` (or `glab mr update -t "$NEW_TITLE"`).
 4. **Self-check:** re-fetch the title and assert it starts with `v$NEW_VERSION `. If it does not, retry the edit once. If still wrong, surface the failure to the user.
 
-This keeps the title truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version, and forces the format on PRs that were created without it.
+This keeps versioned titles truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version without inventing a release convention for versionless repositories.
 
 Print the existing URL and continue to Step 20.
 
@@ -2694,8 +2698,10 @@ case $? in
   3) echo "BLOCKED — credential in PR body. Rotate + redact, do not create the PR."; exit 1 ;;
   2) echo "MEDIUM findings — confirm per finding (sterner on public) before proceeding." ;;
 esac
-# Also scan the title (short, single-line):
-printf '%s' "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" | $GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
+# Also scan the title (short, single-line). Prefix it only for versioned ships:
+PR_TITLE="<type>: <summary>"
+[ "$VERSIONED_SHIP" = "false" ] || PR_TITLE="v$NEW_VERSION $PR_TITLE"
+printf '%s' "$PR_TITLE" | $GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
 ```
 
 HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
@@ -2704,18 +2710,14 @@ HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
 **If GitHub:** create from the SCANNED file (exact bytes scanned = bytes sent):
 
 ```bash
-# PR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-gh pr create --base <base> --title "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
+gh pr create --base <base> --title "$PR_TITLE" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 rm -f "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 ```
 
 **If GitLab:**
 
 ```bash
-# MR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-glab mr create -b <base> -t "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
+glab mr create -b <base> -t "$PR_TITLE" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
 <MR body from above>
 EOF
 )"
@@ -2747,7 +2749,7 @@ Substitute from earlier steps:
 - **PLAN_TOTAL**: total plan items extracted in Step 8 (0 if no plan file)
 - **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
+- **VERSION**: from the VERSION file, or `"none"` when `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`
 - **BRANCH**: current branch name
 
 This step is automatic — never skip it, never ask for confirmation.
@@ -2793,7 +2795,7 @@ through `gstack-version-bump`; never hand-roll the VERSION/package.json write.
 - **Never skip the pre-landing review.** If checklist.md is unreadable, stop.
 - **Never force push.** Use regular `git push` only.
 - **Never ask for trivial confirmations** (e.g., "ready to push?", "create PR?"). DO stop for: version bumps (MINOR/MAJOR), pre-landing review findings (ASK items), and Codex structured review [P1] findings (large diffs only).
-- **Always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
+- **For versioned repositories, always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
 - **Date format in CHANGELOG:** `YYYY-MM-DD`
 - **Split commits for bisectability** — each commit = one logical change.
 - **TODOS.md completion detection must be conservative.** Only mark items as completed when the diff clearly shows the work is done.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/golden/factory-ship-SKILL.md b/test/fixtures/golden/factory-ship-SKILL.md
index a2acad24f6..c0c84f1003 100644
--- a/test/fixtures/golden/factory-ship-SKILL.md
+++ b/test/fixtures/golden/factory-ship-SKILL.md
@@ -2592,6 +2592,7 @@ stay agent judgment; the slot pick stays `gstack-next-version`.
    bun run $GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-version-bump classify --base <base>
    ```
    Read the JSON `state` and dispatch:
+   - **VERSIONLESS** → preserve the repository's non-versioned convention: set `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 2-5, and continue to Step 13 without creating `VERSION` or changing `package.json.version`.
    - **FRESH** → do the bump (steps 2-4).
    - **ALREADY_BUMPED** → skip the bump, but run the queue-drift check (step 3) with the reported `currentVersion`. If the queue moved (next free version differs), **AskUserQuestion**: rebump to the new version (rewrites CHANGELOG header + PR title) or keep current (CI version-gate will reject until resolved).
    - **DRIFT_STALE_PKG** → run `gstack-version-bump repair` (syncs package.json to VERSION). No re-bump; reuse `currentVersion` for CHANGELOG + PR.
@@ -2645,6 +2646,7 @@ stay agent judgment; the slot pick stays `gstack-next-version`.
    - Refactoring
 
 5. **Write the CHANGELOG entry** covering ALL groups:
+   - If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's existing unversioned CHANGELOG convention and skip the versioned-header rules below. Do not invent a version header; if no CHANGELOG exists, skip this step silently.
    - If existing CHANGELOG entries on the branch already cover some commits, replace them with one unified entry for the new version
    - Categorize changes into applicable sections:
      - `### Added` — new features
@@ -2797,7 +2799,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
    - **Infrastructure:** migrations, config changes, route additions
    - **Models & services:** new models, services, concerns (with their tests)
    - **Controllers & views:** controllers, views, JS/React components (with their tests)
-   - **VERSION + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
+   - **Release metadata (VERSION when present) + CHANGELOG + TODOS.md:** always in the final commit
 
 3. **Rules for splitting:**
    - A model and its test file go in the same commit
@@ -2812,7 +2814,7 @@ user via AskUserQuestion rather than destroying non-WIP commits.
 5. Compose each commit message:
    - First line: `<type>: <summary>` (type = feat/fix/chore/refactor/docs)
    - Body: brief description of what this commit contains
-   - Only the **final commit** (VERSION + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag and co-author trailer:
+   - Only the **final commit** (release metadata + CHANGELOG) gets the version tag when `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false` and the co-author trailer:
 
 ```bash
 git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
@@ -2926,7 +2928,7 @@ git push -u origin <branch-name>
 
 ---
 
-**PR/MR title invariant (always applies — do not skip even if you don't open the section below):** Any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. Never create or edit a PR/MR title without this prefix. Compute the correct title with the single source of truth helper: `$GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "<current title>"`. The full create/update procedure (idempotency, redaction scan, self-check) is in the section below.
+**PR/MR title invariant:** When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, any PR or MR you create OR update in the next step MUST have a title that starts with `v$NEW_VERSION` (the version bumped in Step 12), in the format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`, computed with `gstack-pr-title-rewrite`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, preserve the repository's established unversioned PR title convention. The full create/update procedure is in the section below.
 
 ## Step 18: Documentation sync (via subagent, before PR creation)
 
@@ -2971,14 +2973,16 @@ glab mr view -F json 2>/dev/null | jq -r 'if .state == "opened" then "MR_EXISTS"
 
 If an **open** PR/MR already exists: **update** the PR body using `gh pr edit --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"` (GitHub) or `glab mr update -d ...` (GitLab). Always regenerate the PR body from scratch using this run's fresh results (test output, coverage audit, review findings, adversarial review, TODOS summary, documentation_section from Step 18). Never reuse stale PR body content from a prior run. **Run the same redaction scan-at-sink (PR body + title) as the create path (Step 19) before editing — scan the temp file, then `gh pr edit --body-file` from it.**
 
-**Always update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>` — version ALWAYS first, no exceptions, no "custom title kept intentionally" escape hatch. The shared helper `bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh` is the single source of truth for the rule.
+**When `VERSIONED_SHIP` is not `false`, update the PR title to start with `v$NEW_VERSION`.** PR titles use the workspace-aware format `v<NEW_VERSION> <type>: <summary>`. When `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, do not rewrite the title; keep the repository's established unversioned title convention.
+
+If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 1-4 below. Otherwise:
 
 1. Read the current title: `CURRENT=$(gh pr view --json title -q .title)` (or `glab mr view -F json | jq -r .title`).
 2. Compute the corrected title: `NEW_TITLE=$($GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh "$NEW_VERSION" "$CURRENT")`. The helper handles three cases: title already correct (no-op), title has a different `v<X.Y.Z.W>` prefix (replace it), or title has no version prefix (prepend one).
 3. If `NEW_TITLE` differs from `CURRENT`, run `gh pr edit --title "$NEW_TITLE"` (or `glab mr update -t "$NEW_TITLE"`).
 4. **Self-check:** re-fetch the title and assert it starts with `v$NEW_VERSION `. If it does not, retry the edit once. If still wrong, surface the failure to the user.
 
-This keeps the title truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version, and forces the format on PRs that were created without it.
+This keeps versioned titles truthful when Step 12's queue-drift detection rebumps a stale version without inventing a release convention for versionless repositories.
 
 Print the existing URL and continue to Step 20.
 
@@ -3100,8 +3104,10 @@ case $? in
   3) echo "BLOCKED — credential in PR body. Rotate + redact, do not create the PR."; exit 1 ;;
   2) echo "MEDIUM findings — confirm per finding (sterner on public) before proceeding." ;;
 esac
-# Also scan the title (short, single-line):
-printf '%s' "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" | $GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
+# Also scan the title (short, single-line). Prefix it only for versioned ships:
+PR_TITLE="<type>: <summary>"
+[ "$VERSIONED_SHIP" = "false" ] || PR_TITLE="v$NEW_VERSION $PR_TITLE"
+printf '%s' "$PR_TITLE" | $GSTACK_ROOT/bin/gstack-redact --repo-visibility "$REDACT_VIS" --json
 ```
 
 HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
@@ -3110,18 +3116,14 @@ HIGH blocks (exit 3, no skip). MEDIUM → AskUserQuestion (PII subset offers
 **If GitHub:** create from the SCANNED file (exact bytes scanned = bytes sent):
 
 ```bash
-# PR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-gh pr create --base <base> --title "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
+gh pr create --base <base> --title "$PR_TITLE" --body-file "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 rm -f "$PR_BODY_FILE"
 ```
 
 **If GitLab:**
 
 ```bash
-# MR title MUST start with v$NEW_VERSION — enforced on every run, no exceptions.
-# (See Step 19 idempotency block + bin/gstack-pr-title-rewrite.sh for the rule.)
-glab mr create -b <base> -t "v$NEW_VERSION <type>: <summary>" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
+glab mr create -b <base> -t "$PR_TITLE" -d "$(cat <<'EOF'
 <MR body from above>
 EOF
 )"
@@ -3153,7 +3155,7 @@ Substitute from earlier steps:
 - **PLAN_TOTAL**: total plan items extracted in Step 8 (0 if no plan file)
 - **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
+- **VERSION**: from the VERSION file, or `"none"` when `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`
 - **BRANCH**: current branch name
 
 This step is automatic — never skip it, never ask for confirmation.
@@ -3199,7 +3201,7 @@ through `gstack-version-bump`; never hand-roll the VERSION/package.json write.
 - **Never skip the pre-landing review.** If checklist.md is unreadable, stop.
 - **Never force push.** Use regular `git push` only.
 - **Never ask for trivial confirmations** (e.g., "ready to push?", "create PR?"). DO stop for: version bumps (MINOR/MAJOR), pre-landing review findings (ASK items), and Codex structured review [P1] findings (large diffs only).
-- **Always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
+- **For versioned repositories, always use the 4-digit version format** from the VERSION file.
 - **Date format in CHANGELOG:** `YYYY-MM-DD`
 - **Split commits for bisectability** — each commit = one logical change.
 - **TODOS.md completion detection must be conservative.** Only mark items as completed when the diff clearly shows the work is done.
diff --git a/test/gstack-version-bump.test.ts b/test/gstack-version-bump.test.ts
index ffcecd1a7f..12c474f0f1 100644
--- a/test/gstack-version-bump.test.ts
+++ b/test/gstack-version-bump.test.ts
@@ -15,23 +15,26 @@ import { classifyState, VERSION_RE } from '../bin/gstack-version-bump';
 const BIN = path.join(import.meta.dir, '..', 'bin', 'gstack-version-bump');
 
 describe('classifyState (idempotency)', () => {
+  test('VERSIONLESS when VERSION is absent on base and branch', () => {
+    expect(classifyState('0.0.0.0', '0.0.0.0', true, '1.0.0', false, false)).toBe('VERSIONLESS');
+  });
   test('FRESH when VERSION matches base and pkg agrees', () => {
-    expect(classifyState('1.1.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.1.0.0')).toBe('FRESH');
+    expect(classifyState('1.1.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.1.0.0', true, true)).toBe('FRESH');
   });
   test('FRESH when VERSION matches base and no package.json', () => {
-    expect(classifyState('1.1.0.0', '1.1.0.0', false, '')).toBe('FRESH');
+    expect(classifyState('1.1.0.0', '1.1.0.0', false, '', true, true)).toBe('FRESH');
   });
   test('ALREADY_BUMPED when VERSION moved past base and pkg agrees (re-run)', () => {
-    expect(classifyState('1.2.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.2.0.0')).toBe('ALREADY_BUMPED');
+    expect(classifyState('1.2.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.2.0.0', true, true)).toBe('ALREADY_BUMPED');
   });
   test('ALREADY_BUMPED when VERSION moved past base, no package.json', () => {
-    expect(classifyState('1.2.0.0', '1.1.0.0', false, '')).toBe('ALREADY_BUMPED');
+    expect(classifyState('1.2.0.0', '1.1.0.0', false, '', true, true)).toBe('ALREADY_BUMPED');
   });
   test('DRIFT_STALE_PKG when VERSION bumped but pkg lagging', () => {
-    expect(classifyState('1.2.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.1.0.0')).toBe('DRIFT_STALE_PKG');
+    expect(classifyState('1.2.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.1.0.0', true, true)).toBe('DRIFT_STALE_PKG');
   });
   test('DRIFT_UNEXPECTED when VERSION matches base but pkg diverges (manual edit)', () => {
-    expect(classifyState('1.1.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.2.0.0')).toBe('DRIFT_UNEXPECTED');
+    expect(classifyState('1.1.0.0', '1.1.0.0', true, '1.2.0.0', true, true)).toBe('DRIFT_UNEXPECTED');
   });
 });
 
@@ -131,3 +134,31 @@ describe('classify (idempotency over a real git base)', () => {
     expect(parsed.currentVersion).toBe('1.1.0.0');
   });
 });
+
+describe('classify (repository without VERSION)', () => {
+  const dir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'vbump-versionless-'));
+  afterAll(() => { try { fs.rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }); } catch { /* noop */ } });
+
+  const git = (...a: string[]) => execFileSync('git', a, { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, 'package.json'), JSON.stringify({ name: 'x', version: '1.0.0' }, null, 2) + '\n');
+  git('init', '-q', '-b', 'main');
+  git('config', 'user.email', 't@t'); git('config', 'user.name', 't');
+  git('add', '-A'); git('commit', '-q', '-m', 'base');
+  const head = git('rev-parse', 'HEAD').toString().trim();
+  fs.mkdirSync(path.join(dir, '.git', 'refs', 'remotes', 'origin'), { recursive: true });
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, '.git', 'refs', 'remotes', 'origin', 'main'), head + '\n');
+
+  test('reports VERSIONLESS and preserves the established package version', () => {
+    const out = execFileSync('bun', [BIN, 'classify', '--base', 'main'], { cwd: dir }).toString();
+    expect(JSON.parse(out)).toEqual({
+      state: 'VERSIONLESS',
+      baseVersion: null,
+      currentVersion: null,
+      pkgVersion: '1.0.0',
+      pkgExists: true,
+      baseVersionExists: false,
+      versionExists: false,
+    });
+    expect(fs.existsSync(path.join(dir, 'VERSION'))).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/test/ship-version-sync.test.ts b/test/ship-version-sync.test.ts
index c657795c5f..76bf46073e 100644
--- a/test/ship-version-sync.test.ts
+++ b/test/ship-version-sync.test.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import { mkdtempSync, writeFileSync, readFileSync, rmSync, existsSync } from "no
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
+const SHIP_TEMPLATE = readFileSync(join(import.meta.dir, "..", "ship", "SKILL.md.tmpl"), "utf8");
+
 let dir: string;
 beforeEach(() => {
   dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "ship-drift-"));
@@ -148,6 +150,14 @@ test("DRIFT_UNEXPECTED: VERSION == base, pkg edited (exits non-zero)", () => {
   expect(r.code).toBe(1);
 });
 
+test("ship dispatch preserves the non-versioned path without weakening real drift stops", () => {
+  expect(SHIP_TEMPLATE).toContain("**VERSIONLESS** → preserve the repository's non-versioned convention");
+  expect(SHIP_TEMPLATE).toContain('**DRIFT_UNEXPECTED** → **STOP**');
+  expect(SHIP_TEMPLATE).toContain('VERSIONED_SHIP=false');
+  expect(readFileSync(join(import.meta.dir, "..", "ship", "sections", "pr-body.md.tmpl"), "utf8"))
+    .toContain("If `VERSIONED_SHIP=false`, skip steps 1-4 below.");
+});
+
 // --- Parse failures: 2 cases ---
 
 test("idempotency: invalid JSON exits non-zero with clear error", () => {