diff --git a/src/agent/pi-coding-tools.ts b/src/agent/pi-coding-tools.ts
index c346321..332fe83 100644
--- a/src/agent/pi-coding-tools.ts
+++ b/src/agent/pi-coding-tools.ts
@@ -55,6 +55,13 @@ export class PiCodingToolsExecutor {
   }
 
   private canUsePath(rawPath: string, options?: { allowSkillRootsForRead?: boolean }): boolean {
+    return this.resolvePath(rawPath, options) !== null;
+  }
+
+  private resolvePath(
+    rawPath: string,
+    options?: { allowSkillRootsForRead?: boolean },
+  ): string | null {
     const resolved = resolveWorkspacePathPolicy({
       workspaceDir: this.config.workspaceDir,
       inputPath: rawPath,
@@ -62,7 +69,7 @@ export class PiCodingToolsExecutor {
       workspaceOnly: this.config.codingTools.workspaceOnly,
       allowSkillRootsForRead: options?.allowSkillRootsForRead,
     });
-    return resolved.ok;
+    return resolved.ok && resolved.resolved ? resolved.resolved : null;
   }
 
   private resolveWorkdir(inputPath?: string): string | null {
@@ -94,11 +101,12 @@ export class PiCodingToolsExecutor {
     }
 
     if (action.type === "read") {
-      if (!this.canUsePath(action.path, { allowSkillRootsForRead: true })) {
+      const resolvedReadPath = this.resolvePath(action.path, { allowSkillRootsForRead: true });
+      if (!resolvedReadPath) {
         return null;
       }
       const result = await this.readTool.execute("pi-read", {
-        path: action.path,
+        path: resolvedReadPath,
         offset: action.from,
         limit: action.lines,
       });
diff --git a/src/agent/tool-policy.ts b/src/agent/tool-policy.ts
index 2cd068b..40b349d 100644
--- a/src/agent/tool-policy.ts
+++ b/src/agent/tool-policy.ts
@@ -99,24 +99,38 @@ export function resolveWorkspacePathPolicy(params: ResolveWorkspacePathPolicyPar
   }
 
   const resolved = path.resolve(params.workspaceDir, expandTilde(raw));
-  if (!params.workspaceOnly) {
-    return { ok: true, resolved };
-  }
-  if (pathWithin(params.workspaceDir, resolved)) {
-    return { ok: true, resolved };
-  }
 
+  // Skill root resolution must run BEFORE the workspace check.
+  // Paths like ".openpocket/skills/..." resolve inside the workspace dir
+  // (e.g. /workspace/.openpocket/skills/...) and would pass pathWithin,
+  // returning the wrong path.  We need to redirect them to the real
+  // skill root under the user's home directory first.
   if (params.allowSkillRootsForRead) {
     const skillRoots = [
       path.join(params.workspaceDir, "skills"),
       path.join(openpocketHome(), "skills"),
       BUNDLED_SKILLS_DIR,
     ];
+
+    // The model may output home-relative paths without the ~ prefix
+    // (e.g. ".openpocket/skills/...").  Try resolving against $HOME.
+    const homeResolved = path.resolve(os.homedir(), raw);
+    if (homeResolved !== resolved && skillRoots.some((root) => pathWithin(root, homeResolved))) {
+      return { ok: true, resolved: homeResolved };
+    }
+
     if (skillRoots.some((root) => pathWithin(root, resolved))) {
       return { ok: true, resolved };
     }
   }
 
+  if (!params.workspaceOnly) {
+    return { ok: true, resolved };
+  }
+  if (pathWithin(params.workspaceDir, resolved)) {
+    return { ok: true, resolved };
+  }
+
   return { ok: false, error: `${params.purpose}: path escapes workspace (${raw}).` };
 }
 
diff --git a/src/gateway/run-loop.ts b/src/gateway/run-loop.ts
index 0cccc84..3911bb3 100644
--- a/src/gateway/run-loop.ts
+++ b/src/gateway/run-loop.ts
@@ -22,12 +22,15 @@ export async function runGatewayLoop(params: GatewayRunLoopParams): Promise<void
 
   const request = (action: "stop" | "restart", signal: NodeJS.Signals): void => {
     if (shuttingDown) {
-      return;
+      log(
+        `[OpenPocket][gateway-loop][warn] ${new Date().toISOString()} signal=${signal} received again — forcing exit`,
+      );
+      process.exit(1);
     }
     shuttingDown = true;
     restarting = action === "restart";
     log(
-      `[OpenPocket][gateway-loop][warn] ${new Date().toISOString()} signal=${signal} action=${restarting ? "restart" : "stop"}`,
+      `[OpenPocket][gateway-loop][warn] ${new Date().toISOString()} signal=${signal} action=${restarting ? "restart" : "stop"} (press Ctrl+C again to force quit)`,
     );
     void Promise.resolve(current?.stop(`signal:${signal}`))
       .catch(() => {
diff --git a/test/tool-policy-hooks.test.mjs b/test/tool-policy-hooks.test.mjs
index 5dedc38..918e8ef 100644
--- a/test/tool-policy-hooks.test.mjs
+++ b/test/tool-policy-hooks.test.mjs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ const { loadConfig } = await import("../dist/config/index.js");
 const { PiCodingToolsExecutor } = await import("../dist/agent/pi-coding-tools.js");
 const { CodingExecutor } = await import("../dist/tools/coding-executor.js");
 const { ScriptExecutor } = await import("../dist/tools/script-executor.js");
+const { resolveWorkspacePathPolicy } = await import("../dist/agent/tool-policy.js");
 
 async function withTempHome(prefix, fn) {
   const home = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), prefix));
@@ -117,6 +118,32 @@ test("tool policy strips sensitive env vars for coding and script command execut
   });
 });
 
+test("resolveWorkspacePathPolicy redirects home-relative skill paths to real skill root", async () => {
+  await withTempHome("openpocket-skill-resolve-", async (opHome) => {
+    const skillDir = path.join(opHome, "skills", "my-skill");
+    fs.mkdirSync(skillDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(path.join(skillDir, "SKILL.md"), "# test");
+
+    const workspaceDir = path.join(opHome, "workspace");
+    fs.mkdirSync(workspaceDir, { recursive: true });
+
+    // Model outputs ".openpocket/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md" without ~ prefix.
+    // openpocketHome() returns opHome (set via OPENPOCKET_HOME env).
+    // The path ".openpocket/skills/..." resolved against workspace would
+    // land inside workspace, but the REAL file lives under opHome/skills/.
+    // With the home-relative fallback this must resolve to the real location.
+    const result = resolveWorkspacePathPolicy({
+      workspaceDir,
+      inputPath: path.relative(os.homedir(), path.join(opHome, "skills", "my-skill", "SKILL.md")),
+      purpose: "read",
+      workspaceOnly: true,
+      allowSkillRootsForRead: true,
+    });
+    assert.equal(result.ok, true, `expected ok but got: ${result.error}`);
+    assert.equal(result.resolved, path.join(skillDir, "SKILL.md"));
+  });
+});
+
 test("workspace boundary checks remain enforced across coding paths", async () => {
   await withTempHome("openpocket-policy-workspace-", async () => {
     const cfg = loadConfig();