diff --git a/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.integration.test.ts b/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.integration.test.ts
index 5b215c1..a6dd63b 100644
--- a/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.integration.test.ts
+++ b/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.integration.test.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from "vitest";
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach, vi } from "vitest";
 import { mkdtemp, mkdir, writeFile, rm } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ description: Code review skill
   });
 
   afterEach(async () => {
+    vi.unstubAllEnvs();
     await rm(tmpDir, { recursive: true });
   });
 
@@ -134,6 +135,61 @@ description: A local skill
     }
   });
 
+  it("prefers an explicit ref over an inline ref for single and wildcard resolution", async () => {
+    await exec("git", ["branch", "inline-ref"], { cwd: repoDir });
+    await exec("git", ["checkout", "-b", "explicit-ref"], { cwd: repoDir });
+    await mkdir(join(repoDir, "explicit-only"), { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(
+      join(repoDir, "explicit-only", "SKILL.md"),
+      `---
+name: explicit-only
+description: Only available from the explicit ref
+---
+`,
+    );
+    await exec("git", ["add", "."], { cwd: repoDir });
+    await exec("git", ["commit", "-m", "add explicit-only skill"], {
+      cwd: repoDir,
+    });
+
+    vi.stubEnv("GIT_CONFIG_COUNT", "1");
+    vi.stubEnv(
+      "GIT_CONFIG_KEY_0",
+      `url.file://${repoDir}.insteadOf`,
+    );
+    vi.stubEnv(
+      "GIT_CONFIG_VALUE_0",
+      "https://github.com/example/skills",
+    );
+
+    const source = "https://github.com/example/skills@inline-ref";
+    const [single, wildcard] = await Promise.all([
+      resolveSkill(
+        "explicit-only",
+        { source, ref: "explicit-ref" },
+        { stateDir: join(stateDir, "single") },
+      ),
+      resolveWildcardSkills(
+        { source, ref: "explicit-ref" },
+        { stateDir: join(stateDir, "wildcard") },
+      ),
+    ]);
+
+    expect(single).toMatchObject({
+      type: "git",
+      resolvedRef: "explicit-ref",
+      resolvedPath: "explicit-only",
+    });
+    expect(wildcard).toContainEqual({
+      name: "explicit-only",
+      resolved: expect.objectContaining({
+        type: "git",
+        resolvedRef: "explicit-ref",
+        resolvedPath: "explicit-only",
+      }),
+    });
+  });
+
   it("throws ResolveError when skill not found in repo", async () => {
     await expect(
       resolveSkill(
diff --git a/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.ts b/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.ts
index 54711cc..3068cba 100644
--- a/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.ts
+++ b/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.ts
@@ -325,44 +325,93 @@ export interface ResolveOpts {
   trust?: TrustPolicy;
 }
 
-export async function resolveSkill(
-  skillName: string,
-  dep: { source: string; ref?: string; path?: string },
+type AcquiredSkillSource =
+  | { type: "local"; skillDir: string }
+  | { type: "well-known"; cacheDir: string | null; resolvedUrl: string }
+  | {
+      type: "git";
+      repoDir: string;
+      resolvedUrl: string;
+      resolvedRef?: string;
+      commit: string;
+    };
+
+async function acquireSkillSource(
+  dep: { source: string; ref?: string },
   opts: ResolveOpts,
-): Promise<ResolvedSkill> {
+): Promise<AcquiredSkillSource> {
   const sourceForResolve = applyDefaultRepositorySource(
     dep.source,
     opts.defaultRepositorySource,
   );
-  // Validate the EXPANDED source so that owner/repo shorthand under a non-default
-  // host (e.g. defaultRepositorySource: "gitlab") is checked against the actual
-  // clone URL, not the shorthand's implicit github.com mapping.
+  // Trust the expanded source before any local or network acquisition.
   if (opts.trust) {validateTrustedSource(sourceForResolve, opts.trust);}
 
   const parsed = parseSource(sourceForResolve);
-
   if (parsed.type === "local") {
     const projectRoot = opts.projectRoot || process.cwd();
     const skillDir = await resolveLocalSource(projectRoot, parsed.path!);
-    return { type: "local", source: dep.source, skillDir };
+    return { type: "local", skillDir };
   }
 
   if (parsed.type === "well-known") {
-    const baseUrl = parsed.url!;
+    const resolvedUrl = parsed.url!;
     const cached = await ensureWellKnownCached({
       stateDir: opts.stateDir,
-      url: baseUrl,
-      cacheKey: wellKnownCacheKey(baseUrl),
+      url: resolvedUrl,
+      cacheKey: wellKnownCacheKey(resolvedUrl),
       ttlMs: opts.ttlMs,
     });
+    return {
+      type: "well-known",
+      cacheDir: cached?.cacheDir ?? null,
+      resolvedUrl,
+    };
+  }
+
+  const url = parsed.url!;
+  const resolvedUrl = parsed.cloneUrl ?? url;
+  const resolvedRef = dep.ref ?? parsed.ref;
+  const cacheKey = parsed.type === "github"
+    ? `${parsed.owner}/${parsed.repo}`
+    : sanitizeCacheKey(url);
+  const excluded = isSourceExcluded(dep.source, opts.minimumReleaseAgeExclude);
+  const cached = await ensureCached({
+    stateDir: opts.stateDir,
+    url: resolvedUrl,
+    cacheKey,
+    ref: resolvedRef,
+    minimumReleaseAge: excluded ? undefined : opts.minimumReleaseAge,
+  });
+
+  return {
+    type: "git",
+    repoDir: cached.repoDir,
+    resolvedUrl,
+    resolvedRef,
+    commit: cached.commit,
+  };
+}
+
+export async function resolveSkill(
+  skillName: string,
+  dep: { source: string; ref?: string; path?: string },
+  opts: ResolveOpts,
+): Promise<ResolvedSkill> {
+  const acquired = await acquireSkillSource(dep, opts);
 
-    if (!cached) {
+  if (acquired.type === "local") {
+    return { type: "local", source: dep.source, skillDir: acquired.skillDir };
+  }
+
+  if (acquired.type === "well-known") {
+    if (!acquired.cacheDir) {
       throw new ResolveError(
-        `No skills found at ${baseUrl}. If this is a git repository, use the git: prefix: git:${baseUrl}`,
+        `No skills found at ${acquired.resolvedUrl}. If this is a git repository, use the git: prefix: git:${acquired.resolvedUrl}`,
       );
     }
 
-    const discovered = await discoverSkill(cached.cacheDir, skillName, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
+    const discovered = await discoverSkill(acquired.cacheDir, skillName, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
     if (!discovered) {
       throw new ResolveError(
         `Skill "${skillName}" not found in ${dep.source}. ` +
@@ -373,37 +422,17 @@ export async function resolveSkill(
     return {
       type: "well-known",
       source: dep.source,
-      resolvedUrl: baseUrl,
-      skillDir: join(cached.cacheDir, discovered.path),
+      resolvedUrl: acquired.resolvedUrl,
+      skillDir: join(acquired.cacheDir, discovered.path),
     };
   }
 
-  // Git source (GitHub or generic git)
-  const url = parsed.url!;
-  const cloneUrl = parsed.cloneUrl ?? url;
-  const ref = dep.ref ?? parsed.ref;
-  const cacheKey =
-    parsed.type === "github"
-      ? `${parsed.owner}/${parsed.repo}`
-      : sanitizeCacheKey(url);
-
-  const excluded = isSourceExcluded(dep.source, opts.minimumReleaseAgeExclude);
-  const cached = await ensureCached({
-    stateDir: opts.stateDir,
-    url: cloneUrl,
-    cacheKey,
-    ref,
-    minimumReleaseAge: excluded ? undefined : opts.minimumReleaseAge,
-  });
-
-  // Discover the skill within the repo
   let discovered: DiscoveredSkill | null;
   if (dep.path) {
-    // Explicit path override — load directly
-    const meta = await loadSkillMd(join(cached.repoDir, dep.path, "SKILL.md"));
+    const meta = await loadSkillMd(join(acquired.repoDir, dep.path, "SKILL.md"));
     discovered = { path: dep.path, meta };
   } else {
-    discovered = await discoverSkill(cached.repoDir, skillName, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
+    discovered = await discoverSkill(acquired.repoDir, skillName, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
   }
 
   if (!discovered) {
@@ -416,11 +445,11 @@ export async function resolveSkill(
   return {
     type: "git",
     source: dep.source,
-    resolvedUrl: cloneUrl,
+    resolvedUrl: acquired.resolvedUrl,
     resolvedPath: discovered.path,
-    resolvedRef: ref,
-    commit: cached.commit,
-    skillDir: join(cached.repoDir, discovered.path),
+    resolvedRef: acquired.resolvedRef,
+    commit: acquired.commit,
+    skillDir: join(acquired.repoDir, discovered.path),
   };
 }
 
@@ -440,21 +469,11 @@ export async function resolveWildcardSkills(
   dep: WildcardDependencyInput,
   opts: ResolveOpts,
 ): Promise<NamedResolvedSkill[]> {
-  const sourceForResolve = applyDefaultRepositorySource(
-    dep.source,
-    opts.defaultRepositorySource,
-  );
-  // See note on resolveSkill: validate the expanded source so shorthand under a
-  // non-default host can't bypass the policy.
-  if (opts.trust) {validateTrustedSource(sourceForResolve, opts.trust);}
-
-  const parsed = parseSource(sourceForResolve);
+  const acquired = await acquireSkillSource(dep, opts);
   const excludeSet = new Set(dep.exclude);
 
-  if (parsed.type === "local") {
-    const projectRoot = opts.projectRoot || process.cwd();
-    const skillDir = await resolveLocalSource(projectRoot, parsed.path!);
-    const discovered = await discoverAllSkills(skillDir, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
+  if (acquired.type === "local") {
+    const discovered = await discoverAllSkills(acquired.skillDir, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
     return discovered
       .filter(
         (d) =>
@@ -465,25 +484,20 @@ export async function resolveWildcardSkills(
         resolved: {
           type: "local" as const,
           source: dep.source,
-          skillDir: join(skillDir, d.path),
+          skillDir: join(acquired.skillDir, d.path),
         },
       }));
   }
 
-  if (parsed.type === "well-known") {
-    const baseUrl = parsed.url!;
-    const cached = await ensureWellKnownCached({
-      stateDir: opts.stateDir,
-      url: baseUrl,
-      cacheKey: wellKnownCacheKey(baseUrl),
-      ttlMs: opts.ttlMs,
-    });
-
-    if (!cached) {
+  if (acquired.type === "well-known") {
+    if (!acquired.cacheDir) {
       return [];
     }
 
-    const discovered = await discoverAllSkills(cached.cacheDir, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
+    const cacheDir = acquired.cacheDir;
+    const discovered = await discoverAllSkills(cacheDir, {
+      scanDirs: opts.scanDirs,
+    });
     return discovered
       .filter(
         (d) => !excludeSet.has(d.meta.name) && VALID_SKILL_NAME.test(d.meta.name),
@@ -493,31 +507,13 @@ export async function resolveWildcardSkills(
         resolved: {
           type: "well-known" as const,
           source: dep.source,
-          resolvedUrl: baseUrl,
-          skillDir: join(cached.cacheDir, d.path),
+          resolvedUrl: acquired.resolvedUrl,
+          skillDir: join(cacheDir, d.path),
         },
       }));
   }
 
-  // Git source
-  const url = parsed.url!;
-  const cloneUrl = parsed.cloneUrl ?? url;
-  const ref = dep.ref ?? parsed.ref;
-  const cacheKey =
-    parsed.type === "github"
-      ? `${parsed.owner}/${parsed.repo}`
-      : sanitizeCacheKey(url);
-
-  const excluded = isSourceExcluded(dep.source, opts.minimumReleaseAgeExclude);
-  const cached = await ensureCached({
-    stateDir: opts.stateDir,
-    url: cloneUrl,
-    cacheKey,
-    ref,
-    minimumReleaseAge: excluded ? undefined : opts.minimumReleaseAge,
-  });
-
-  const discovered = await discoverAllSkills(cached.repoDir, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
+  const discovered = await discoverAllSkills(acquired.repoDir, { scanDirs: opts.scanDirs });
 
   return discovered
     .filter(
@@ -528,11 +524,11 @@ export async function resolveWildcardSkills(
       resolved: {
         type: "git" as const,
         source: dep.source,
-        resolvedUrl: cloneUrl,
+        resolvedUrl: acquired.resolvedUrl,
         resolvedPath: d.path,
-        resolvedRef: ref,
-        commit: cached.commit,
-        skillDir: join(cached.repoDir, d.path),
+        resolvedRef: acquired.resolvedRef,
+        commit: acquired.commit,
+        skillDir: join(acquired.repoDir, d.path),
       },
     }));
 }
diff --git a/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.wellknown.test.ts b/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.wellknown.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..64059c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/dotagents-lib/src/skills/resolver.wellknown.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { ResolveError, resolveSkill, resolveWildcardSkills } from "./resolver.js";
+
+vi.mock("../sources/wellknown.js", () => ({
+  ensureWellKnownCached: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null),
+}));
+
+const STATE_DIR = "/tmp/dotagents-well-known-test-cache";
+const SOURCE = "https://skills.example.com";
+
+describe("missing well-known index", () => {
+  it("rejects single-skill resolution", async () => {
+    await expect(
+      resolveSkill("review", { source: SOURCE }, { stateDir: STATE_DIR }),
+    ).rejects.toThrow(ResolveError);
+  });
+
+  it("returns no wildcard skills", async () => {
+    await expect(
+      resolveWildcardSkills(
+        { source: SOURCE, exclude: [] },
+        { stateDir: STATE_DIR },
+      ),
+    ).resolves.toEqual([]);
+  });
+});