diff --git a/.claude/commands/sync-template.md b/.claude/commands/sync-template.md
index 66c7230..2022c8f 100644
--- a/.claude/commands/sync-template.md
+++ b/.claude/commands/sync-template.md
@@ -5,7 +5,8 @@ allowed-tools: Read, Edit, Bash, Agent
 
 Update this project's agent files with the latest CORE sections from the template repository.
 
-1. If `scripts/sync-from-template.sh` exists, run it. Otherwise tell Tim that the sync script arrives in Stage 6 of the build, and stop.
-2. The sync replaces only the content between the `<!-- BEGIN CORE -->` and `<!-- END CORE -->` markers in each agent file. It never touches the PROJECT OVERLAY section, so project-specific customisations are safe.
-3. Show Tim a clear summary of what changed in each agent file.
-4. Opening a pull request for the sync is a GitHub action: pre-approve it in the brief, or get Tim's approval at the time.
+1. Always do the sync on one stable branch: `chore/template-sync`. Never name the branch after the template version, and never invent a new name per run. If the branch already exists, check it out and reuse it; if not, create it. One stable branch means each repository holds at most one sync branch at a time, and a new sync updates the existing pull request instead of leaving a trail of version-named branches behind. This is a deliberate anti-clutter rule; see `docs/release-process.md` under "Post-merge branch cleanup" for why.
+2. If `scripts/sync-from-template.sh` exists, run it. Otherwise tell Tim that the sync script arrives in Stage 6 of the build, and stop.
+3. The sync replaces only the content between the `<!-- BEGIN CORE -->` and `<!-- END CORE -->` markers in each agent file. It never touches the PROJECT OVERLAY section, so project-specific customisations are safe.
+4. Show Tim a clear summary of what changed in each agent file.
+5. Open or update the pull request from `chore/template-sync`. If an open sync pull request already exists, push to its branch so it updates in place rather than opening a second one. Opening a pull request is a GitHub action: pre-approve it in the brief, or get Tim's approval at the time.
diff --git a/.claude/template-version b/.claude/template-version
index f8e233b..8fdcf38 100644
--- a/.claude/template-version
+++ b/.claude/template-version
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.9.0
+1.9.2