diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 9fcb494d..dbc7f852 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -591,6 +591,15 @@ jobs:
               bin.install "git-remote-gitlawb"
             end
 
+            def caveats
+              <<~CAVEATS
+                oh-my-zsh's git plugin aliases gl='git pull', which shadows this
+                binary in interactive shells. If \`gl\` prints "fatal: not a git
+                repository", run:
+                  echo 'unalias gl 2>/dev/null' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc
+              CAVEATS
+            end
+
             test do
               assert_match version.to_s, shell_output("#{bin}/gl --version")
             end
diff --git a/crates/gl/Cargo.toml b/crates/gl/Cargo.toml
index 9b11d573..d6e9fcf9 100644
--- a/crates/gl/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/gl/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ path = "src/main.rs"
 [dependencies]
 gitlawb-core = { path = "../gitlawb-core" }
 icaptcha-client = { path = "../icaptcha-client" }
+base64 = { workspace = true }
 tokio = { workspace = true }
 serde = { workspace = true }
 serde_json = { workspace = true }
diff --git a/crates/gl/src/cert.rs b/crates/gl/src/cert.rs
index 09823d5b..87ad5aec 100644
--- a/crates/gl/src/cert.rs
+++ b/crates/gl/src/cert.rs
@@ -41,6 +41,16 @@ pub enum CertCmd {
         node: String,
         #[arg(long)]
         dir: Option<PathBuf>,
+        /// Exit non-zero unless the Ed25519 signature verifies AND the
+        /// issuing node matches the queried node (or --expect-node)
+        #[arg(long)]
+        verify: bool,
+        /// Expected issuing node DID for --verify. A valid signature alone
+        /// only proves the cert is internally consistent — signed by whatever
+        /// key it names — so --verify also anchors the issuer to a DID you
+        /// trust: this value when given, else the queried node's DID.
+        #[arg(long, requires = "verify")]
+        expect_node: Option<String>,
     },
 }
 
@@ -52,7 +62,9 @@ pub async fn run(args: CertArgs) -> Result<()> {
             id,
             node,
             dir,
-        } => cmd_show(repo, id, node, dir).await,
+            verify,
+            expect_node,
+        } => cmd_show(repo, id, node, dir, verify, expect_node).await,
     }
 }
 
@@ -114,7 +126,14 @@ async fn cmd_list(repo: String, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()
     Ok(())
 }
 
-async fn cmd_show(repo: String, id: String, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>) -> Result<()> {
+async fn cmd_show(
+    repo: String,
+    id: String,
+    node: String,
+    dir: Option<PathBuf>,
+    require_valid: bool,
+    expect_node: Option<String>,
+) -> Result<()> {
     let (owner, name) = resolve_repo(&repo, &node, dir.as_deref()).await?;
 
     let client = signed_client(&node, dir.as_deref());
@@ -148,39 +167,124 @@ async fn cmd_show(repo: String, id: String, node: String, dir: Option<PathBuf>)
     println!("  Signature: {signature}");
     println!();
 
-    // Reconstruct the signing payload and verify
-    // Fetch the node's current public key to verify
-    let info: Value = client
-        .get("/")
-        .await?
-        .json()
-        .await
-        .context("failed to fetch node info")?;
-    let current_node_did = info["did"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
+    // Verify the Ed25519 signature: rebuild the exact canonical payload the
+    // node signed (see gitlawb-node/src/cert.rs::issue_ref_certificate) and
+    // check it against the public key embedded in the certificate's node DID.
+    // This proves the cert is internally authentic — signed by the key it
+    // names; the node-DID comparison below covers *which* node that is.
+    let repo_id = cert["repo_id"].as_str().unwrap_or("");
+    let verdict = verify_signature(
+        repo_id, ref_name, old_sha, new_sha, pusher, node_did, issued_at, signature,
+    );
 
     println!("Signature verification:");
-    println!("  Signing payload would be:");
-    println!("    {{\"repo_id\": ..., \"ref\": \"{ref_name}\", \"old\": \"{old_sha}\",");
-    println!("      \"new\": \"{new_sha}\", \"pusher\": \"{pusher}\",");
-    println!("      \"node\": \"{node_did}\", \"ts\": \"{issued_at}\"}}");
-    println!();
+    match &verdict {
+        Ok(()) => {
+            println!(
+                "  VALID — Ed25519 signature verified against the key the certificate names ({node_did})"
+            );
+        }
+        Err(reason) => {
+            println!("  INVALID — {reason}");
+        }
+    }
 
-    if current_node_did == node_did {
-        println!("  Node DID matches current node. Signature is an Ed25519/base64url value.");
-        println!("  To verify offline, use the node's Ed25519 public key derived from:");
-        println!("    did:key → {node_did}");
-    } else {
-        println!("  WARNING: Certificate node DID ({node_did}) does not match");
-        println!("           current node DID ({current_node_did}).");
-        println!("           This certificate was issued by a different node.");
+    // Contextual only — the verdict above stands on its own, so a node-info
+    // hiccup here must not turn a successfully displayed certificate into an
+    // error exit.
+    let current_node_did = match client.get("/").await {
+        Ok(resp) => resp
+            .json::<Value>()
+            .await
+            .ok()
+            .and_then(|info| info["did"].as_str().map(str::to_string)),
+        Err(_) => None,
+    };
+    match current_node_did.as_deref() {
+        Some(current) if current == node_did => {
+            println!("  Issuing node DID matches the node being queried.");
+        }
+        Some(current) => {
+            println!("  WARNING: Certificate node DID ({node_did}) does not match");
+            println!("           current node DID ({current}).");
+            println!("           This certificate was issued by a different node.");
+        }
+        None => {
+            println!("  NOTE: could not fetch current node info — skipping node-DID comparison.");
+        }
     }
 
-    println!();
-    println!("  Signature (base64url): {signature}");
+    if require_valid {
+        if let Err(reason) = verdict {
+            anyhow::bail!("certificate signature did not verify: {reason}");
+        }
+        // A valid signature proves internal consistency only: the payload was
+        // signed by whatever key the certificate itself names. A hostile
+        // source can mint a keypair, put its DID in node_did, and self-sign.
+        // --verify therefore also anchors the issuer to a trusted DID:
+        // --expect-node when given, else the DID of the node being queried.
+        let expected = expect_node.as_deref().or(current_node_did.as_deref());
+        match expected {
+            Some(expected) if expected == node_did => {}
+            Some(expected) => anyhow::bail!(
+                "certificate is signed by {node_did}, but the expected issuer is {expected} — \
+                 a valid signature alone proves internal consistency, not a trusted issuer"
+            ),
+            None => anyhow::bail!(
+                "cannot anchor the issuer: node info is unreachable and no --expect-node was given"
+            ),
+        }
+    }
 
     Ok(())
 }
 
+/// Rebuild the node's canonical signing payload (field order must match
+/// gitlawb-node/src/cert.rs::issue_ref_certificate exactly) and verify the
+/// certificate's Ed25519 signature against the key embedded in `node_did`.
+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
+fn verify_signature(
+    repo_id: &str,
+    ref_name: &str,
+    old_sha: &str,
+    new_sha: &str,
+    pusher: &str,
+    node_did: &str,
+    issued_at: &str,
+    signature_b64: &str,
+) -> std::result::Result<(), String> {
+    use base64::{engine::general_purpose::URL_SAFE_NO_PAD, Engine};
+    use std::str::FromStr;
+
+    let payload = serde_json::json!({
+        "repo_id": repo_id,
+        "ref":     ref_name,
+        "old":     old_sha,
+        "new":     new_sha,
+        "pusher":  pusher,
+        "node":    node_did,
+        "ts":      issued_at,
+    });
+    let payload_bytes =
+        serde_json::to_vec(&payload).map_err(|e| format!("could not serialize payload: {e}"))?;
+
+    let did =
+        gitlawb_core::did::Did::from_str(node_did).map_err(|e| format!("bad node DID: {e}"))?;
+    let verifying_key = did
+        .to_verifying_key()
+        .map_err(|e| format!("cannot derive a public key from {node_did}: {e}"))?;
+
+    let sig_vec = URL_SAFE_NO_PAD
+        .decode(signature_b64)
+        .map_err(|e| format!("signature is not valid base64url: {e}"))?;
+    let sig_bytes: [u8; 64] = sig_vec
+        .try_into()
+        .map_err(|_| "signature is not 64 bytes".to_string())?;
+
+    gitlawb_core::identity::verify(&verifying_key, &payload_bytes, &sig_bytes)
+        .map_err(|_| "Ed25519 signature does not match the signed payload".to_string())
+}
+
 async fn resolve_cert_id(client: &NodeClient, owner: &str, name: &str, id: &str) -> Result<String> {
     if id.len() >= 36 {
         return Ok(id.to_string());
@@ -209,3 +313,88 @@ async fn resolve_cert_id(client: &NodeClient, owner: &str, name: &str, id: &str)
         _ => anyhow::bail!("certificate prefix {id} matches multiple certificates"),
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    /// Pins gl's payload reconstruction to the frozen canonical byte form the
+    /// node signs (default serde_json maps = alphabetically ordered keys). If
+    /// serialization drifts — a field added, or a preserve_order feature
+    /// landing anywhere in the workspace (feature unification flips every
+    /// crate at once) — this literal stops matching and the test fails,
+    /// instead of every real certificate silently rendering INVALID.
+    #[test]
+    fn payload_serialization_matches_frozen_canonical_form() {
+        let payload = serde_json::json!({
+            "repo_id": "repo-1",
+            "ref":     "refs/heads/main",
+            "old":     "oldsha",
+            "new":     "newsha",
+            "pusher":  "did:key:z6MkPusher",
+            "node":    "did:key:z6MkNode",
+            "ts":      "2026-07-22T00:00:00+00:00",
+        });
+        let frozen = concat!(
+            r#"{"new":"newsha","node":"did:key:z6MkNode","old":"oldsha","#,
+            r#""pusher":"did:key:z6MkPusher","ref":"refs/heads/main","#,
+            r#""repo_id":"repo-1","ts":"2026-07-22T00:00:00+00:00"}"#,
+        );
+        assert_eq!(serde_json::to_string(&payload).unwrap(), frozen);
+    }
+
+    /// Signing exactly as the node does must round-trip through
+    /// verify_signature; any field tampering must fail it.
+    #[test]
+    fn verify_signature_round_trip_and_tamper() {
+        let kp = gitlawb_core::identity::Keypair::generate();
+        let node_did = kp.did().as_str().to_string();
+
+        let payload = serde_json::json!({
+            "repo_id": "repo-1",
+            "ref":     "refs/heads/main",
+            "old":     "0".repeat(40),
+            "new":     "a".repeat(40),
+            "pusher":  "did:key:z6MkPusher",
+            "node":    node_did,
+            "ts":      "2026-07-22T00:00:00+00:00",
+        });
+        let sig = kp.sign_b64(&serde_json::to_vec(&payload).unwrap());
+
+        let ok = verify_signature(
+            "repo-1",
+            "refs/heads/main",
+            &"0".repeat(40),
+            &"a".repeat(40),
+            "did:key:z6MkPusher",
+            &node_did,
+            "2026-07-22T00:00:00+00:00",
+            &sig,
+        );
+        assert!(ok.is_ok(), "expected valid signature, got: {ok:?}");
+
+        let tampered = verify_signature(
+            "repo-1",
+            "refs/heads/main",
+            &"0".repeat(40),
+            &"b".repeat(40), // new_sha changed after signing
+            "did:key:z6MkPusher",
+            &node_did,
+            "2026-07-22T00:00:00+00:00",
+            &sig,
+        );
+        assert!(tampered.is_err(), "tampered payload must not verify");
+
+        let garbage = verify_signature(
+            "repo-1",
+            "refs/heads/main",
+            &"0".repeat(40),
+            &"a".repeat(40),
+            "did:key:z6MkPusher",
+            &node_did,
+            "2026-07-22T00:00:00+00:00",
+            "not-base64url!!!",
+        );
+        assert!(garbage.is_err(), "malformed signature must not verify");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/gl/src/doctor.rs b/crates/gl/src/doctor.rs
index 1a5d96be..86f50334 100644
--- a/crates/gl/src/doctor.rs
+++ b/crates/gl/src/doctor.rs
@@ -142,18 +142,20 @@ pub async fn run(args: DoctorArgs) -> Result<()> {
 
     // ── 3. GITLAWB_NODE env var ───────────────────────────────────────────
     match std::env::var("GITLAWB_NODE") {
-        Ok(v) if !v.is_empty() && !v.contains("127.0.0.1") && !v.contains("localhost") => {
-            checks.push(Check::pass("GITLAWB_NODE", v.to_string()));
-        }
-        Ok(v) if v.contains("127.0.0.1") || v.contains("localhost") => {
-            checks.push(Check::fail(
+        // A loopback host is a legitimate setup (self-hosted node, dev
+        // harness) — the connectivity check below fails loudly if it is not
+        // actually reachable, so don't red-flag the configuration itself.
+        Ok(v) if is_loopback_url(&v) => {
+            checks.push(Check::pass(
                 "GITLAWB_NODE",
                 format!(
-                    "set to local address ({v}) — git push/clone will fail against remote nodes"
+                    "{v} (local node — intentional for self-hosting/dev; unset to target the public network)"
                 ),
-                "export GITLAWB_NODE=https://node.gitlawb.com",
             ));
         }
+        Ok(v) if !v.is_empty() => {
+            checks.push(Check::pass("GITLAWB_NODE", v.to_string()));
+        }
         _ => {
             checks.push(Check::fail(
                 "GITLAWB_NODE",
@@ -243,6 +245,15 @@ pub async fn run(args: DoctorArgs) -> Result<()> {
         ));
     }
 
+    // ── 5b. shell alias shadowing ─────────────────────────────────────────
+    // oh-my-zsh's default `git` plugin aliases gl='git pull', which silently
+    // shadows this binary in every interactive zsh — the classic symptom is
+    // `gl` printing "fatal: not a git repository". Aliases beat PATH, so no
+    // install method can fix it; the user's rc file has to unalias.
+    if let Some(check) = check_shell_alias_shadowing(dirs::home_dir()) {
+        checks.push(check);
+    }
+
     // ── 6. git ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
     match std::process::Command::new("git")
         .arg("--version")
@@ -309,6 +320,83 @@ pub async fn run(args: DoctorArgs) -> Result<()> {
 }
 
 /// Check if a binary name exists anywhere on PATH.
+/// True when the rc file contains a real `unalias` command naming `gl` —
+/// not a comment, and not a longer word like `unalias global`. Ordering
+/// relative to oh-my-zsh loading is not modeled (an unalias placed before the
+/// plugin loads would be ineffective); acceptable slack for a warning check.
+fn rc_unaliases_gl(rc: &str) -> bool {
+    rc.lines().any(|line| {
+        let line = line.trim_start();
+        if line.starts_with('#') {
+            return false;
+        }
+        line.split([';', '&', '|']).any(|cmd| {
+            // A trailing comment must not count: `unalias foo  # gl`
+            let cmd = cmd.split('#').next().unwrap_or("");
+            let mut tokens = cmd.split_whitespace();
+            tokens.next() == Some("unalias") && tokens.any(|t| t == "gl")
+        })
+    })
+}
+
+/// True when the URL's host is exactly a loopback address. Substring checks
+/// misclassify hosts like `localhost.example` or URLs with "localhost" in the
+/// path, so parse and compare the actual host.
+fn is_loopback_url(value: &str) -> bool {
+    reqwest::Url::parse(value)
+        .ok()
+        .and_then(|u| {
+            u.host_str()
+                .map(|h| h == "localhost" || h == "127.0.0.1" || h == "[::1]" || h == "::1")
+        })
+        .unwrap_or(false)
+}
+
+/// Detect interactive-shell setups where an alias shadows `gl` (aliases beat
+/// PATH, so no install method can fix this). Best-effort heuristic over
+/// ~/.zshrc: an explicit `alias gl=`, or oh-my-zsh's `git` plugin (which
+/// ships gl='git pull'). Returns None when nothing suspicious is found or the
+/// rc file already contains an `unalias gl`.
+fn check_shell_alias_shadowing(home: Option<PathBuf>) -> Option<Check> {
+    let home = home?;
+    let rc = std::fs::read_to_string(home.join(".zshrc")).ok()?;
+    if rc_unaliases_gl(&rc) {
+        return None;
+    }
+
+    let explicit_alias = rc.lines().any(|l| l.trim_start().starts_with("alias gl="));
+    // Single-line `plugins=(git ...)` is the overwhelmingly common form; a
+    // multi-line plugins array slips past this heuristic, which is acceptable
+    // for a warning-level check.
+    let omz_git_plugin = home.join(".oh-my-zsh/plugins/git").exists()
+        && rc.lines().any(|l| {
+            let l = l.trim_start();
+            l.starts_with("plugins=")
+                && l.trim_start_matches("plugins=(")
+                    .trim_end_matches(')')
+                    .split_whitespace()
+                    .any(|p| p == "git")
+        });
+
+    if explicit_alias || omz_git_plugin {
+        let source = if explicit_alias {
+            "~/.zshrc defines `alias gl=`"
+        } else {
+            "oh-my-zsh's git plugin aliases gl='git pull'"
+        };
+        Some(Check::warn(
+            "shell alias",
+            format!(
+                "{source} — interactive shells run that instead of this binary \
+                 (symptom: `gl` prints \"fatal: not a git repository\")"
+            ),
+            "echo 'unalias gl 2>/dev/null' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc  (must come after oh-my-zsh loads)",
+        ))
+    } else {
+        None
+    }
+}
+
 fn which_in_path(name: &str) -> bool {
     std::env::var_os("PATH")
         .map(|paths| {
@@ -393,6 +481,88 @@ fn is_newer(latest: &str, current: &str) -> bool {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    fn fake_home(zshrc: Option<&str>, with_omz_git: bool) -> tempfile::TempDir {
+        let home = tempfile::TempDir::new().unwrap();
+        if let Some(rc) = zshrc {
+            std::fs::write(home.path().join(".zshrc"), rc).unwrap();
+        }
+        if with_omz_git {
+            std::fs::create_dir_all(home.path().join(".oh-my-zsh/plugins/git")).unwrap();
+        }
+        home
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn alias_shadowing_flags_omz_git_plugin() {
+        let home = fake_home(Some("plugins=(git z)\nsource $ZSH/oh-my-zsh.sh\n"), true);
+        let check = check_shell_alias_shadowing(Some(home.path().to_path_buf()));
+        assert!(check.is_some(), "omz git plugin without unalias must warn");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn alias_shadowing_flags_explicit_alias() {
+        let home = fake_home(Some("alias gl='git pull'\n"), false);
+        assert!(check_shell_alias_shadowing(Some(home.path().to_path_buf())).is_some());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn alias_shadowing_silent_when_unaliased() {
+        let home = fake_home(
+            Some("plugins=(git z)\nsource $ZSH/oh-my-zsh.sh\nunalias gl 2>/dev/null\n"),
+            true,
+        );
+        assert!(check_shell_alias_shadowing(Some(home.path().to_path_buf())).is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn alias_shadowing_ignores_fake_unaliases() {
+        // None of these actually free `gl` — the warning must survive them.
+        for rc in [
+            "plugins=(git)\n# unalias gl\n",          // commented out
+            "plugins=(git)\nunalias global\n",        // longer word
+            "plugins=(git)\nunalias foo  # gl\n",     // gl only in a comment
+            "plugins=(git)\necho unalias-gl-later\n", // not an unalias command
+        ] {
+            let home = fake_home(Some(rc), true);
+            assert!(
+                check_shell_alias_shadowing(Some(home.path().to_path_buf())).is_some(),
+                "must still warn for rc: {rc:?}"
+            );
+        }
+        // Real unalias forms that do free it — all must silence the warning.
+        for rc in [
+            "plugins=(git)\nunalias gl\n",
+            "plugins=(git)\nunalias gl 2>/dev/null\n",
+            "plugins=(git)\ntrue; unalias gl\n",
+            "plugins=(git)\nunalias glog gl gst\n",
+        ] {
+            let home = fake_home(Some(rc), true);
+            assert!(
+                check_shell_alias_shadowing(Some(home.path().to_path_buf())).is_none(),
+                "must be silent for rc: {rc:?}"
+            );
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn loopback_url_detection_is_host_exact() {
+        assert!(is_loopback_url("http://127.0.0.1:7545"));
+        assert!(is_loopback_url("http://localhost:7545"));
+        assert!(is_loopback_url("http://[::1]:7545"));
+        assert!(!is_loopback_url("https://localhost.example"));
+        assert!(!is_loopback_url("https://node.gitlawb.com/localhost"));
+        assert!(!is_loopback_url("not a url"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn alias_shadowing_silent_without_signals() {
+        let home = fake_home(Some("plugins=(z)\nexport EDITOR=vim\n"), false);
+        assert!(check_shell_alias_shadowing(Some(home.path().to_path_buf())).is_none());
+        let no_rc = fake_home(None, false);
+        assert!(check_shell_alias_shadowing(Some(no_rc.path().to_path_buf())).is_none());
+        assert!(check_shell_alias_shadowing(None).is_none());
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_is_newer_minor_bump() {
         assert!(is_newer("0.2.0", "0.1.0"));
diff --git a/crates/gl/src/init.rs b/crates/gl/src/init.rs
index d187c128..1bc3c406 100644
--- a/crates/gl/src/init.rs
+++ b/crates/gl/src/init.rs
@@ -38,13 +38,23 @@ pub async fn run(args: InitArgs) -> Result<()> {
     let git_dir = cwd.join(".git");
     if !git_dir.exists() {
         println!("Initializing git repository...");
+        // -b main: the push flow targets `main`; without it a fresh repo uses
+        // the user's init.defaultBranch (often `master`). Older git (<2.28)
+        // lacks the flag, so fall back to a plain init.
         let status = std::process::Command::new("git")
-            .args(["init"])
+            .args(["init", "-b", "main"])
             .current_dir(&cwd)
             .status()
             .context("failed to run git init")?;
         if !status.success() {
-            anyhow::bail!("git init failed");
+            let status = std::process::Command::new("git")
+                .args(["init"])
+                .current_dir(&cwd)
+                .status()
+                .context("failed to run git init")?;
+            if !status.success() {
+                anyhow::bail!("git init failed");
+            }
         }
     } else {
         println!("Git repository detected.");
@@ -165,9 +175,47 @@ pub async fn run(args: InitArgs) -> Result<()> {
         }
     }
 
+    // The hint must match the repo's actual state: with no commits yet, a bare
+    // `git push` fails with "src refspec ... does not match any" — exactly the
+    // trap a zero-to-push command must not set.
+    let has_commits = std::process::Command::new("git")
+        .args(["rev-parse", "--verify", "HEAD"])
+        .current_dir(&cwd)
+        .stdout(std::process::Stdio::null())
+        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::null())
+        .status()
+        .map(|s| s.success())
+        .unwrap_or(false);
+    // symbolic-ref succeeds on a branch (including an unborn one) and fails
+    // on a detached HEAD — where guessing "main" could push the wrong ref.
+    let branch = std::process::Command::new("git")
+        .args(["symbolic-ref", "--short", "HEAD"])
+        .current_dir(&cwd)
+        .stderr(std::process::Stdio::null())
+        .output()
+        .ok()
+        .filter(|o| o.status.success())
+        .and_then(|o| String::from_utf8(o.stdout).ok())
+        .map(|s| s.trim().to_string())
+        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty());
+
     println!();
-    println!("Ready! Push with:");
-    println!("  git push gitlawb main");
+    match (branch, has_commits) {
+        (Some(branch), true) => {
+            println!("Ready! Push with:");
+            println!("  git push gitlawb {branch}");
+        }
+        (Some(branch), false) => {
+            println!("Ready! Nothing is committed yet — commit, then push:");
+            println!("  git add -A && git commit -m \"initial commit\"");
+            println!("  git push gitlawb {branch}");
+        }
+        (None, _) => {
+            println!("Ready! HEAD is detached — create or switch to a branch, then push:");
+            println!("  git switch -c main");
+            println!("  git push gitlawb main");
+        }
+    }
 
     Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/crates/gl/src/status.rs b/crates/gl/src/status.rs
index 2c77adab..cf477cc6 100644
--- a/crates/gl/src/status.rs
+++ b/crates/gl/src/status.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ pub async fn run(args: StatusArgs) -> Result<()> {
             println!("  repo      {short_did}/{repo}");
         }
         None => {
-            println!("  repo      (not in a gitlawb repo — no gitlawb:// origin)");
+            println!("  repo      (not in a gitlawb repo — no gitlawb:// remote)");
         }
     }
 
@@ -143,29 +143,68 @@ fn trust_bar(score: f64) -> String {
     format!("{}{}", "█".repeat(filled), "░".repeat(empty))
 }
 
-/// Parse `gitlawb://<did>/<repo>` from the git origin remote.
+/// Find a `gitlawb://<did>/<repo>` remote in the current repo.
+///
+/// Checks `origin` first (clones), then `gitlawb` (the name `gl init` adds),
+/// then any other remote with a gitlawb:// URL.
 fn detect_gitlawb_remote() -> Option<(String, String)> {
     let out = std::process::Command::new("git")
-        .args(["remote", "get-url", "origin"])
+        .args(["remote"])
         .stderr(std::process::Stdio::null())
         .output()
         .ok()?;
     if !out.status.success() {
         return None;
     }
-    let url = String::from_utf8(out.stdout).ok()?;
-    let rest = url.trim().strip_prefix("gitlawb://")?;
-    let slash = rest.rfind('/')?;
-    let did = rest[..slash].to_string();
-    let repo = rest[slash + 1..].to_string();
-    if did.is_empty() || repo.is_empty() {
-        return None;
+    let names: Vec<String> = String::from_utf8(out.stdout)
+        .ok()?
+        .lines()
+        .map(str::trim)
+        .filter(|l| !l.is_empty())
+        .map(str::to_string)
+        .collect();
+
+    let preferred = ["origin", "gitlawb"];
+    let ordered = preferred
+        .iter()
+        .filter(|p| names.iter().any(|n| n == *p))
+        .map(|p| p.to_string())
+        .chain(
+            names
+                .iter()
+                .filter(|n| !preferred.contains(&n.as_str()))
+                .cloned(),
+        );
+
+    for name in ordered {
+        // A remote can carry several URLs, and the gitlawb:// one may be a
+        // push URL behind an https fetch URL — check every fetch and push URL.
+        for extra in [&["--all"][..], &["--push", "--all"][..]] {
+            let mut args = vec!["remote", "get-url"];
+            args.extend_from_slice(extra);
+            args.push(&name);
+            let Ok(out) = std::process::Command::new("git")
+                .args(&args)
+                .stderr(std::process::Stdio::null())
+                .output()
+            else {
+                continue;
+            };
+            if !out.status.success() {
+                continue;
+            }
+            let Ok(urls) = String::from_utf8(out.stdout) else {
+                continue;
+            };
+            if let Some(parsed) = urls.lines().find_map(parse_gitlawb_url) {
+                return Some(parsed);
+            }
+        }
     }
-    Some((did, repo))
+    None
 }
 
-/// Parse a gitlawb:// URL string into (did, repo) — extracted for testing.
-#[cfg(test)]
+/// Parse a gitlawb:// URL string into (did, repo).
 fn parse_gitlawb_url(url: &str) -> Option<(String, String)> {
     let rest = url.trim().strip_prefix("gitlawb://")?;
     let slash = rest.rfind('/')?;
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 80bd3601..416e7c9f 100644
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -193,5 +193,19 @@ else
   echo "  gl quickstart"
 fi
 
+# oh-my-zsh's default git plugin aliases gl='git pull', which silently shadows
+# the gl binary in every interactive zsh (aliases beat PATH). Detect the common
+# setup and say so now, at install time, instead of letting the first `gl`
+# print git's baffling "fatal: not a git repository".
+if [ -f "$HOME/.zshrc" ] && [ -d "$HOME/.oh-my-zsh/plugins/git" ] \
+  && grep -Eq '^[[:space:]]*plugins=\(([^)]*[[:space:]])?git([[:space:]][^)]*)?\)' "$HOME/.zshrc" \
+  && ! grep -Eq '^([^#]*[[:space:];&|])?unalias[[:space:]]+([^;&|#]*[[:space:]])?gl([[:space:]]|$)' "$HOME/.zshrc"; then
+  echo ""
+  echo "NOTE: oh-my-zsh's git plugin aliases gl='git pull', which will shadow"
+  echo "the gl command in interactive shells. To use gl by name, run:"
+  echo ""
+  echo "  echo 'unalias gl 2>/dev/null' >> ~/.zshrc && source ~/.zshrc"
+fi
+
 echo ""
 echo "Docs: https://docs.gitlawb.com"