diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 64deac0a4..e47e1de49 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -19,3 +19,11 @@ Custom label mapping: `confirmed` = AFK-agent-ready (bugs); `approved-enhancemen
 ### Domain docs
 
 Single-context repo — `CONTEXT.md` + `docs/adr/` at the root. See `docs/agents/domain.md`.
+
+## Memory
+
+This project uses MemPalace. At the start of every session, call
+`mempalace_status` to load the palace protocol. Before answering
+questions about people, past work, or prior decisions in this
+project, call `mempalace_search` or `mempalace_kg_query` first —
+do not guess from context alone.
diff --git a/tests/bug-2256-model-overrides-transport.test.cjs b/tests/bug-2256-model-overrides-transport.test.cjs
index 5e0e04727..967d634bd 100644
--- a/tests/bug-2256-model-overrides-transport.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-2256-model-overrides-transport.test.cjs
@@ -28,9 +28,8 @@ const {
   getCodexSkillAdapterHeader,
 } = require('../bin/install.js');
 
-function makeTmp(prefix) {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), `gsd-2256-${prefix}-`));
-}
+const { createTempDir } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const makeTmp = (prefix) => createTempDir(`gsd-2256-${prefix}-`);
 
 function writeJson(p, obj) {
   fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(p), { recursive: true });
diff --git a/tests/bug-2775-sdk-shim-path-verify.test.cjs b/tests/bug-2775-sdk-shim-path-verify.test.cjs
index 8f8adcef7..83c80c160 100644
--- a/tests/bug-2775-sdk-shim-path-verify.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-2775-sdk-shim-path-verify.test.cjs
@@ -39,39 +39,7 @@ const installModule = require('../bin/install.js');
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 const { installSdkIfNeeded } = installModule;
-const { createTempDir, cleanup } = require('./helpers.cjs');
-
-function captureConsole(fn) {
-  const stdout = [];
-  const stderr = [];
-  const origLog = console.log;
-  const origWarn = console.warn;
-  const origError = console.error;
-  console.log = (...a) => stdout.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.warn = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.error = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  let threw = null;
-  try {
-    fn();
-  } catch (e) {
-    threw = e;
-  } finally {
-    console.log = origLog;
-    console.warn = origWarn;
-    console.error = origError;
-  }
-  // Re-throw any captured exception AFTER restoring console so callers don't
-  // have to destructure-and-assert on `threw` (and a future regression that
-  // crashes before printing won't falsely pass `!hasReady`). (#2775
-  // CodeRabbit follow-up)
-  if (threw) throw threw;
-  // strip ANSI for matching
-  const strip = (s) => s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, '');
-  return {
-    stdout: stdout.map(strip).join('\n'),
-    stderr: stderr.map(strip).join('\n'),
-  };
-}
+const { createTempDir, cleanup, captureConsole } = require('./helpers.cjs');
 
 describe('bug #2775: installSdkIfNeeded must verify gsd-sdk on PATH before reporting ready',
   { skip: isWindows ? 'POSIX-only: asserts ~/.local/bin shebang shim with mode 0o755; Windows uses gsd-sdk.cmd + PATHEXT + registry Path' : false },
diff --git a/tests/bug-2794-opencode-model-profile-overrides.test.cjs b/tests/bug-2794-opencode-model-profile-overrides.test.cjs
index 6d73f5825..adbcca1e1 100644
--- a/tests/bug-2794-opencode-model-profile-overrides.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-2794-opencode-model-profile-overrides.test.cjs
@@ -35,9 +35,8 @@ const {
   install,
 } = require('../bin/install.js');
 
-function makeTmp(prefix) {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), `gsd-2794-${prefix}-`));
-}
+const { createTempDir } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const makeTmp = (prefix) => createTempDir(`gsd-2794-${prefix}-`);
 
 function writeJson(p, obj) {
   fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(p), { recursive: true });
diff --git a/tests/bug-2829-local-install-sdk-path.test.cjs b/tests/bug-2829-local-install-sdk-path.test.cjs
index d132d391e..4212f5cdd 100644
--- a/tests/bug-2829-local-install-sdk-path.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-2829-local-install-sdk-path.test.cjs
@@ -29,37 +29,10 @@ const fs = require('fs');
 const path = require('path');
 
 const { installSdkIfNeeded } = require('../bin/install.js');
-const { createTempDir, cleanup } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const { createTempDir, cleanup, captureConsole } = require('./helpers.cjs');
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 
-function captureConsole(fn) {
-  const stdout = [];
-  const stderr = [];
-  const origLog = console.log;
-  const origWarn = console.warn;
-  const origError = console.error;
-  console.log = (...a) => stdout.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.warn = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.error = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  let threw = null;
-  try {
-    fn();
-  } catch (e) {
-    threw = e;
-  } finally {
-    console.log = origLog;
-    console.warn = origWarn;
-    console.error = origError;
-  }
-  if (threw) throw threw;
-  const strip = (s) => s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, '');
-  return {
-    stdout: stdout.map(strip).join('\n'),
-    stderr: stderr.map(strip).join('\n'),
-  };
-}
-
 describe('bug #2829: local-mode install must materialize gsd-sdk on PATH',
   { skip: isWindows ? 'POSIX-only: asserts ~/.local/bin shebang shim; Windows uses gsd-sdk.cmd + USERPROFILE + PATHEXT' : false },
   () => {
diff --git a/tests/bug-3033-sdk-flag-wired.test.cjs b/tests/bug-3033-sdk-flag-wired.test.cjs
index c628aebbb..04b4e3be9 100644
--- a/tests/bug-3033-sdk-flag-wired.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-3033-sdk-flag-wired.test.cjs
@@ -26,37 +26,10 @@ const path = require('path');
 const os = require('os');
 
 const { installSdkIfNeeded } = require('../bin/install.js');
-const { createTempDir, cleanup } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const { createTempDir, cleanup, captureConsole } = require('./helpers.cjs');
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 
-function captureConsole(fn) {
-  const stdout = [];
-  const stderr = [];
-  const origLog = console.log;
-  const origWarn = console.warn;
-  const origError = console.error;
-  console.log = (...a) => stdout.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.warn = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.error = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  let threw = null;
-  try {
-    fn();
-  } catch (e) {
-    threw = e;
-  } finally {
-    console.log = origLog;
-    console.warn = origWarn;
-    console.error = origError;
-  }
-  if (threw) throw threw;
-  const strip = (s) => s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, '');
-  return {
-    stdout: stdout.map(strip).join('\n'),
-    stderr: stderr.map(strip).join('\n'),
-  };
-}
-
 describe('bug #3033: --sdk flag (opts.forceSdk) must be wired into installSdkIfNeeded',
   { skip: isWindows ? 'POSIX-only: forces shebang gsd-sdk shim into ~/.local/bin and asserts mode 0o755' : false },
   () => {
diff --git a/tests/bug-3211-windows-sdk-not-found.test.cjs b/tests/bug-3211-windows-sdk-not-found.test.cjs
index 0b09f6ef6..d69b1fcf4 100644
--- a/tests/bug-3211-windows-sdk-not-found.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-3211-windows-sdk-not-found.test.cjs
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ const cp = require('node:child_process');
 
 const ROOT = path.join(__dirname, '..');
 const installModule = require(path.join(ROOT, 'bin', 'install.js'));
+const { captureConsole } = require('./helpers.cjs');
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 
@@ -254,27 +255,6 @@ describe('bug #3211-D: installSdkIfNeeded — Windows _npx false-positive', () =
   let savedEnv;
   let origExecSync;
 
-  function captureConsole(fn) {
-    const stdout = [];
-    const stderr = [];
-    const origLog = console.log;
-    const origWarn = console.warn;
-    const origError = console.error;
-    console.log = (...a) => stdout.push(a.join(' '));
-    console.warn = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-    console.error = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-    let threw = null;
-    try { fn(); } catch (e) { threw = e; }
-    finally {
-      console.log = origLog;
-      console.warn = origWarn;
-      console.error = origError;
-    }
-    if (threw) throw threw;
-    const strip = (s) => s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, '');
-    return { stdout: stdout.map(strip).join('\n'), stderr: stderr.map(strip).join('\n') };
-  }
-
   function makeSdkDir(root) {
     const dir = path.join(root, 'sdk');
     fs.mkdirSync(path.join(dir, 'dist'), { recursive: true });
diff --git a/tests/bug-3231-false-gsd-sdk-ready-linux.test.cjs b/tests/bug-3231-false-gsd-sdk-ready-linux.test.cjs
index eb2e7f0dd..9223194ff 100644
--- a/tests/bug-3231-false-gsd-sdk-ready-linux.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-3231-false-gsd-sdk-ready-linux.test.cjs
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ const os = require('node:os');
 const path = require('node:path');
 
 const installModule = require('../bin/install.js');
+const { captureConsole } = require('./helpers.cjs');
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 
@@ -49,33 +50,6 @@ const {
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Console capture helper (no ANSI)
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-function captureConsole(fn) {
-  const stdout = [];
-  const stderr = [];
-  const origLog = console.log;
-  const origWarn = console.warn;
-  const origError = console.error;
-  console.log = (...a) => stdout.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.warn = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.error = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  let threw = null;
-  try {
-    fn();
-  } catch (e) {
-    threw = e;
-  } finally {
-    console.log = origLog;
-    console.warn = origWarn;
-    console.error = origError;
-  }
-  if (threw) throw threw;
-  const strip = (s) => s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, '');
-  return {
-    stdout: stdout.map(strip).join('\n'),
-    stderr: stderr.map(strip).join('\n'),
-  };
-}
-
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 // Shared fixture helpers
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/bug-3288-model-catalog-install-path.test.cjs b/tests/bug-3288-model-catalog-install-path.test.cjs
index 3b1aece35..1fa31bd11 100644
--- a/tests/bug-3288-model-catalog-install-path.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-3288-model-catalog-install-path.test.cjs
@@ -39,13 +39,10 @@ const { install } = require('../bin/install.js');
 
 // ─── helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-function makeTmpDir(prefix) {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), prefix));
-}
+const { createTempDir, cleanup } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const makeTmpDir = createTempDir;
 
-function rmTmpDir(dir) {
-  fs.rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
-}
+const rmTmpDir = cleanup;
 
 /**
  * Silence console output during install to avoid noise in test output.
diff --git a/tests/bug-3359-stale-gsd-sdk-path-version.test.cjs b/tests/bug-3359-stale-gsd-sdk-path-version.test.cjs
index a1593d91f..786764462 100644
--- a/tests/bug-3359-stale-gsd-sdk-path-version.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-3359-stale-gsd-sdk-path-version.test.cjs
@@ -19,37 +19,10 @@ const path = require('path');
 const { installSdkIfNeeded, readGsdSdkVersion } = require('../bin/install.js');
 const cp = require('node:child_process');
 const pkg = require('../package.json');
-const { createTempDir, cleanup } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const { createTempDir, cleanup, captureConsole } = require('./helpers.cjs');
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 
-function captureConsole(fn) {
-  const stdout = [];
-  const stderr = [];
-  const origLog = console.log;
-  const origWarn = console.warn;
-  const origError = console.error;
-  console.log = (...a) => stdout.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.warn = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  console.error = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
-  let threw = null;
-  try {
-    fn();
-  } catch (e) {
-    threw = e;
-  } finally {
-    console.log = origLog;
-    console.warn = origWarn;
-    console.error = origError;
-  }
-  if (threw) throw threw;
-  const strip = (s) => s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, '');
-  return {
-    stdout: stdout.map(strip).join('\n'),
-    stderr: stderr.map(strip).join('\n'),
-  };
-}
-
 describe('bug #3359: installer detects stale gsd-sdk earlier on PATH',
   { skip: isWindows ? 'POSIX-only: stages bare gsd-sdk shebang shims in a PATH dir; Windows uses .cmd + PATHEXT resolution' : false },
   () => {
diff --git a/tests/bug-3491-nested-git-worktree.test.cjs b/tests/bug-3491-nested-git-worktree.test.cjs
index 3ccc5ccd2..bcc8ed7e4 100644
--- a/tests/bug-3491-nested-git-worktree.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-3491-nested-git-worktree.test.cjs
@@ -42,11 +42,9 @@ const WORKFLOW_PATH = path.join(
 // ─── Helper: create outer git repo with a nested workstream subdir ─────────
 
 // On Windows the runtime emits forward slashes (git's convention) while
-// path.join produces backslashes — normalize both sides before any
-// equality comparison against the handler's git_worktree_root.
-function normalizePath(p) {
-  return p == null ? p : p.split(path.sep).join('/');
-}
+// path.join produces backslashes — normalize both sides via the shared
+// toPosixPath helper before any equality comparison.
+const { toPosixPath: normalizePath } = require('./helpers.cjs');
 
 function createOuterRepoWithSubdir(prefix = 'bug-3491-') {
   const outer = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), prefix));
diff --git a/tests/bug-3571-configuration-manifest-install-path.test.cjs b/tests/bug-3571-configuration-manifest-install-path.test.cjs
index c5b9fd2ac..ab16aba89 100644
--- a/tests/bug-3571-configuration-manifest-install-path.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/bug-3571-configuration-manifest-install-path.test.cjs
@@ -20,9 +20,8 @@ const SDK_SHARED_DIR = path.join(REPO_ROOT, 'sdk', 'shared');
 
 const { install } = require('../bin/install.js');
 
-function makeTmpDir() {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gsd-3571-'));
-}
+const { createTempDir } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const makeTmpDir = () => createTempDir('gsd-3571-');
 
 function silenceConsole(fn) {
   const original = {
diff --git a/tests/feat-3023-phase-type-models.test.cjs b/tests/feat-3023-phase-type-models.test.cjs
index d0b0f5051..056f3bb63 100644
--- a/tests/feat-3023-phase-type-models.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/feat-3023-phase-type-models.test.cjs
@@ -36,9 +36,8 @@ const {
 } = require('../get-shit-done/bin/lib/model-profiles.cjs');
 const { isValidConfigKey } = require('../get-shit-done/bin/lib/config-schema.cjs');
 
-function makeTmp(prefix) {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), `gsd-3023-${prefix}-`));
-}
+const { createTempDir } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const makeTmp = (prefix) => createTempDir(`gsd-3023-${prefix}-`);
 
 function writeConfig(projectDir, config) {
   const planningDir = path.join(projectDir, '.planning');
diff --git a/tests/feat-3024-dynamic-routing.test.cjs b/tests/feat-3024-dynamic-routing.test.cjs
index 22feb23d6..091d479fe 100644
--- a/tests/feat-3024-dynamic-routing.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/feat-3024-dynamic-routing.test.cjs
@@ -60,9 +60,8 @@ const {
 } = require('../get-shit-done/bin/lib/model-profiles.cjs');
 const { isValidConfigKey } = require('../get-shit-done/bin/lib/config-schema.cjs');
 
-function makeTmp(prefix) {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), `gsd-3024-${prefix}-`));
-}
+const { createTempDir } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const makeTmp = (prefix) => createTempDir(`gsd-3024-${prefix}-`);
 function writeConfig(dir, config) {
   const planningDir = path.join(dir, '.planning');
   fs.mkdirSync(planningDir, { recursive: true });
diff --git a/tests/feat-3595-fs-fault-injection-atomic-write.test.cjs b/tests/feat-3595-fs-fault-injection-atomic-write.test.cjs
index cf1f585ef..a15bb371c 100644
--- a/tests/feat-3595-fs-fault-injection-atomic-write.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/feat-3595-fs-fault-injection-atomic-write.test.cjs
@@ -48,9 +48,8 @@ const {
  * Create a fresh real-fs scratch dir per test so no two faults share
  * state. Returns the directory; caller must clean up.
  */
-function mkScratch(name) {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), `fs-fault-${name}-`));
-}
+const { createTempDir } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const mkScratch = (name) => createTempDir(`fs-fault-${name}-`);
 
 /**
  * Enumerate orphan tmp files left behind by platformWriteSync. The
diff --git a/tests/helpers.cjs b/tests/helpers.cjs
index b2ee8ec8d..8aa5d58a8 100644
--- a/tests/helpers.cjs
+++ b/tests/helpers.cjs
@@ -175,4 +175,52 @@ function isUsageOutput(text) {
   return /Usage:\s*gsd-tools/.test(text) && /Commands:/.test(text);
 }
 
-module.exports = { runGsdTools, createTempDir, createTempProject, createTempGitProject, cleanup, parseFrontmatter, isUsageOutput, TOOLS_PATH };
+/**
+ * Run `fn` with console.log/warn/error captured, returning {stdout, stderr}
+ * with ANSI colors stripped. Re-throws any exception fn threw AFTER restoring
+ * the real console so the caller's assertion path sees the failure (without
+ * this, a fn that crashes before printing would falsely pass !hasReady-style
+ * assertions). #2775 CR follow-up established this exact contract.
+ *
+ * Previously duplicated in bug-2775, bug-2829, bug-3033, bug-3211, bug-3231,
+ * bug-3359, and installer-migration-install-integration.
+ */
+function captureConsole(fn) {
+  const stdout = [];
+  const stderr = [];
+  const origLog = console.log;
+  const origWarn = console.warn;
+  const origError = console.error;
+  console.log = (...a) => stdout.push(a.join(' '));
+  console.warn = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
+  console.error = (...a) => stderr.push(a.join(' '));
+  let threw = null;
+  try {
+    fn();
+  } catch (e) {
+    threw = e;
+  } finally {
+    console.log = origLog;
+    console.warn = origWarn;
+    console.error = origError;
+  }
+  if (threw) throw threw;
+  const strip = (s) => s.replace(/\x1b\[[0-9;]*m/g, '');
+  return {
+    stdout: stdout.map(strip).join('\n'),
+    stderr: stderr.map(strip).join('\n'),
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Normalize platform path separators to POSIX forward slashes. Use for
+ * cross-platform path comparisons in test assertions where the runtime
+ * emits the platform-native separator (\ on Windows) but the test
+ * fixture or expected literal is POSIX. Returns the input unchanged if
+ * null/undefined so it composes safely with optional chaining.
+ */
+function toPosixPath(p) {
+  return p == null ? p : p.split(path.sep).join('/');
+}
+
+module.exports = { runGsdTools, createTempDir, createTempProject, createTempGitProject, cleanup, parseFrontmatter, isUsageOutput, captureConsole, toPosixPath, TOOLS_PATH };
diff --git a/tests/project-root-generator.test.cjs b/tests/project-root-generator.test.cjs
index f1c39a792..46302767b 100644
--- a/tests/project-root-generator.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/project-root-generator.test.cjs
@@ -27,9 +27,8 @@ before(async () => {
 
 // ── Fixture helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-function makeTmp() {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'gsd-parity-'));
-}
+const { createTempDir } = require('./helpers.cjs');
+const makeTmp = () => createTempDir('gsd-parity-');
 
 function writeConfig(dir, content) {
   fs.mkdirSync(path.join(dir, '.planning'), { recursive: true });