diff --git a/ARCHITECTURE.md b/ARCHITECTURE.md
index af7bc0b..e80872c 100644
--- a/ARCHITECTURE.md
+++ b/ARCHITECTURE.md
@@ -147,14 +147,14 @@ cd ~/mempalace-toolkit
 # 3. Ensure ~/.local/bin is on PATH (installer warns if not)
 export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
 
-# 4. Initialize palace if needed (one-time, platform-wide)
-mempalace init --yes
-
-# 5. Mine opencode history into the palace
+# 4. Mine opencode history into the palace
+#    (No global init step needed — the palace is created on first write.
+#     `mempalace init <dir>` is per-project, not global, and is optional.)
 mempalace-session --dry-run              # preview scope
 mempalace-session                        # do it for real (~20 min for ~60 sessions)
 
-# 6. Mine project docs (per project)
+# 5. Mine project docs (per project — run `mempalace init --yes <dir>`
+#    first if you want to customize the wing name or entity detection)
 mempalace-docs /workspace/my_project --dry-run
 mempalace-docs /workspace/my_project
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7d9b0ff..c86ecee 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -170,21 +170,24 @@ Ensure `~/.local/bin` is on `$PATH`:
 export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
 ```
 
+**If `install.sh` reports `Skipping <name> — already exists`:** there's a leftover symlink or file at `~/.local/bin/<name>` from a previous install (e.g. the pre-split `cli_utils` days). The installer prints the exact `rm && ./install.sh` command to fix it — remove the stale entry and re-run. It will never clobber an existing file without the user explicitly removing it first.
+
 ### First mine
 
 ```bash
-# One-time palace init (if not done)
-mempalace init --yes
-
-# Mine opencode session history into wing_conversations
+# Mine opencode session history into wing_conversations (no init needed)
 mempalace-session --dry-run      # preview qualifying sessions
 mempalace-session                # do it (~20 min per 60 sessions)
 
-# Mine a project (docs only)
+# Mine a project (docs only). If you want to pre-init the project with a
+# custom wing name or entity config, run `mempalace init --yes <dir>` first;
+# otherwise `mempalace-docs` derives the wing from the directory name.
 mempalace-docs /workspace/my_project --dry-run
 mempalace-docs /workspace/my_project
 ```
 
+> **Note:** mempalace has no one-time global init. The palace itself is created lazily on first write (at `~/.mempalace/palace/`). `mempalace init <dir>` is a *per-project* command that sets up a `mempalace.yaml` + entity list for a specific source directory — optional, not a prerequisite for either wrapper.
+
 ### Keeping it fresh (automation)
 
 Manual invocation is fine while you're actively driving the machine, but long-running devboxes benefit from a weekly automated mine. [`contrib/`](contrib/) ships ready-to-install templates:
diff --git a/SKILL.md b/SKILL.md
index 6aa4f0f..c9686b6 100644
--- a/SKILL.md
+++ b/SKILL.md
@@ -46,14 +46,14 @@ cd ~/mempalace-toolkit
 # 3. Verify ~/.local/bin is on PATH
 which mempalace-session mempalace-docs
 
-# 4. Initialize palace (one-time, platform-wide)
-mempalace init --yes
-
-# 5. Mine opencode session history into wing_conversations
+# 4. Mine opencode session history into wing_conversations
+#    (No global init needed — the palace is created lazily on first write.
+#     `mempalace init <dir>` is per-project and optional.)
 mempalace-session --dry-run              # preview: which sessions qualify?
 mempalace-session                        # do it (~20 min per 60 sessions)
 
-# 6. Mine project docs per project (docs only — no source code)
+# 5. Mine project docs per project (docs only — no source code)
+#    Optional: `mempalace init --yes <dir>` first to customize wing/entities
 mempalace-docs /workspace/my_project --dry-run
 mempalace-docs /workspace/my_project
 
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index 91b4aca..02edb43 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@ install_bin() {
     mkdir -p "$BIN_DEST"
     note "Symlinking bin/ executables into $BIN_DEST"
     local count=0
+    local skipped=0
     for src in "$BIN_SRC"/*; do
         [[ -x "$src" && -f "$src" ]] || continue
         local name; name=$(basename "$src")
@@ -86,7 +87,17 @@ install_bin() {
                 count=$((count+1))
                 continue
             else
-                warn "Skipping $name: $dest exists and is not our symlink"
+                # Tell the user exactly what's in the way and how to fix it.
+                local what="real file"
+                if [[ -L "$dest" ]]; then
+                    local current_target
+                    current_target=$(readlink "$dest")
+                    what="symlink → $current_target"
+                fi
+                warn "Skipping $name — $dest already exists ($what)"
+                printf '       If stale (e.g. an old cli_utils install), remove and re-run:\n'
+                printf '           rm %q && %q/install.sh\n' "$dest" "$SCRIPT_DIR"
+                skipped=$((skipped+1))
                 continue
             fi
         fi
@@ -96,6 +107,9 @@ install_bin() {
     done
     echo
     ok "Installed $count executable(s)"
+    if (( skipped > 0 )); then
+        warn "$skipped executable(s) skipped — see notes above"
+    fi
 }
 
 install_skill() {