diff --git a/commands/gsd/add-backlog.md b/commands/gsd/add-backlog.md
index a144fb975..767a51bab 100644
--- a/commands/gsd/add-backlog.md
+++ b/commands/gsd/add-backlog.md
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ the normal phase sequence and accumulate context over time.
 
 3. **Create the phase directory:**
    ```bash
-   SLUG=$(node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" generate-slug "$ARGUMENTS")
+   SLUG=$(node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" generate-slug "$ARGUMENTS" --raw)
    mkdir -p ".planning/phases/${NEXT}-${SLUG}"
    touch ".planning/phases/${NEXT}-${SLUG}/.gitkeep"
    ```
diff --git a/commands/gsd/thread.md b/commands/gsd/thread.md
index fe921184b..adbdca5f4 100644
--- a/commands/gsd/thread.md
+++ b/commands/gsd/thread.md
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ Create a new thread:
 
 1. Generate slug from description:
    ```bash
-   SLUG=$(node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" generate-slug "$ARGUMENTS")
+   SLUG=$(node "$HOME/.claude/get-shit-done/bin/gsd-tools.cjs" generate-slug "$ARGUMENTS" --raw)
    ```
 
 2. Create the threads directory if needed:
diff --git a/get-shit-done/bin/lib/commands.cjs b/get-shit-done/bin/lib/commands.cjs
index 425199dde..173611d13 100644
--- a/get-shit-done/bin/lib/commands.cjs
+++ b/get-shit-done/bin/lib/commands.cjs
@@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ function cmdGenerateSlug(text, raw) {
   const slug = text
     .toLowerCase()
     .replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, '-')
-    .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '');
+    .replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '')
+    .substring(0, 60);
 
   const result = { slug };
   output(result, raw, slug);
diff --git a/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs b/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs
index e509e849a..0e77c572b 100644
--- a/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs
+++ b/get-shit-done/bin/lib/core.cjs
@@ -1061,7 +1061,7 @@ function pathExistsInternal(cwd, targetPath) {
 
 function generateSlugInternal(text) {
   if (!text) return null;
-  return text.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, '-').replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '');
+  return text.toLowerCase().replace(/[^a-z0-9]+/g, '-').replace(/^-+|-+$/g, '').substring(0, 60);
 }
 
 function getMilestoneInfo(cwd) {
diff --git a/tests/core.test.cjs b/tests/core.test.cjs
index 4211b3f8e..ccea7313c 100644
--- a/tests/core.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/core.test.cjs
@@ -366,6 +366,17 @@ describe('generateSlugInternal', () => {
   test('returns null for empty string', () => {
     assert.strictEqual(generateSlugInternal(''), null);
   });
+
+  test('strips newlines and control characters', () => {
+    assert.strictEqual(generateSlugInternal('hello\nworld'), 'hello-world');
+    assert.strictEqual(generateSlugInternal('tab\there'), 'tab-here');
+  });
+
+  test('truncates to 60 characters', () => {
+    const long = 'a'.repeat(100);
+    const result = generateSlugInternal(long);
+    assert.ok(result.length <= 60, `slug should be <=60 chars, got ${result.length}`);
+  });
 });
 
 // ─── normalizePhaseName / comparePhaseNum ──────────────────────────────────────