diff --git a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
index b80c693..02f225e 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
       "name": "projectstore",
       "displayName": "projectstore",
       "description": "📚 Your project's knowledge base, written by your AI agent — ADRs · epics · stories · runbooks · research. An Obsidian-friendly markdown vault, agent-maintained, you approve every write. Like Karpathy's LLM Wiki, but for engineering project artifacts.",
-      "version": "0.10.0",
+      "version": "0.11.0",
       "author": {
         "name": "Evgenii Konev",
         "email": "ekonev@smartandpoint.com",
diff --git a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
index a12ddb0..f3b8b83 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/plugin.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "projectstore",
   "displayName": "projectstore",
-  "version": "0.10.0",
+  "version": "0.11.0",
   "description": "Opinionated project-management paradigms (ADR / epics / stories / kanban / runbooks) for agentic development. Markdown-first, git-portable, human-readable.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Evgenii Konev @ SmartAndPoint",
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index bde81ae..58bf7df 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ PreCompact [...pre-compact.mjs] completed successfully: {
 
 The packet contains the vault path, the command list, the last 15 vault touches, and the newest in-flight ADR / epic / story / research. The post-compact agent picks up drafting from where the previous one left off, no manual rehydration.
 
-## What's in the box (v0.10)
+## What's in the box (v0.11)
 
 - **14 commands** — `bind`, `scaffold`, `status`, `adr`, `epic`, `story`, `kanban`, `research`, `concept`, `meeting`, `runbook`, `search`, `review`, `statusline`
 - **3 passive skills** — `decision-detector`, `story-completion`, `peer-reviewer`. They suggest commands; they never write directly.
@@ -208,13 +208,13 @@ See the epic and story the agent is working on this session, right in Claude Cod
 
 ![projectstore status line: the 📚 epic › story line sitting above an existing oh-my-claudecode HUD](docs/images/statusline-hud.png)
 
-**It does not overwrite your current status-line settings.** `statusLine` is a single slot and not plugin-declarable, so projectstore ships `scripts/statusline.mjs` plus a `/projectstore:statusline on|off` command that wires it into the project's `.claude/settings.local.json` (local scope, this-project-only, reverts cleanly; conventionally git-ignored). Rather than clobber your HUD, the script **composes**: it re-runs whatever base `statusLine` command you already have — for example [oh-my-claudecode](https://github.com/Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode)'s HUD, read from `~/.claude/settings.json` — prints its output verbatim, and adds the `📚 <epic> › <story> (<status>)` line above it (position via `projectstore.json` → `statusline.position`, default `above`). With no base command it renders a standalone line: `<model> · <dir> · ⎇ <branch> · 📚 …`.
+**It does not overwrite your current status-line settings.** `statusLine` is a single slot and not plugin-declarable, so projectstore ships `scripts/statusline.mjs` plus a `/projectstore:statusline on|off` command. Enabling it just flips `statusline.enabled` in `.claude/projectstore.json`; the **SessionStart hook** then wires the project's `.claude/settings.local.json` (local scope, this-project-only, conventionally git-ignored) to the current plugin version's script — re-derived on every session start, so it keeps working across plugin updates with no path to maintain by hand. Rather than clobber your HUD, the script **composes**: it re-runs whatever base `statusLine` command you already have — for example [oh-my-claudecode](https://github.com/Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode)'s HUD, read from `~/.claude/settings.json` — prints its output verbatim, and adds the `📚 <epic> › <story> (<status>)` line above it (position via `projectstore.json` → `statusline.position`, default `above`). With no base command it renders a standalone line: `<model> · <dir> · ⎇ <branch> · 📚 …`.
 
 So in a projectstore project you keep your full [oh-my-claudecode](https://github.com/Yeachan-Heo/oh-my-claudecode) context / rate-limit / session HUD **and** gain the current epic & story on top. The epic/story is derived from this session's `recent_activity` log — it appears once you touch an epic or story, and stays transparent (base HUD only) otherwise.
 
 ```
-/projectstore:statusline on      # wire it into this project (project-local)
-/projectstore:statusline off     # remove it
+/projectstore:statusline on      # enable (project-local); the hook wires + refreshes it
+/projectstore:statusline off     # disable it
 /projectstore:statusline status  # current state + the base HUD it composes over
 ```
 
@@ -222,7 +222,8 @@ So in a projectstore project you keep your full [oh-my-claudecode](https://githu
 
 | Version | What ships | Status |
 |---|---|---|
-| **v0.10** | Status line — current epic & story in the HUD, composes with an existing status line | ✅ current |
+| **v0.11** | Status line install simplified — opt-in flag + self-healing SessionStart wiring | ✅ current |
+| v0.10 | Status line — current epic & story in the HUD, composes with an existing status line | ✅ |
 | v0.9 | Bundled review agents (`projectstore-critic`, `code-planner`, `code-reviewer`) | ✅ |
 | v0.8 | Russian (`ru`) templates | ✅ |
 | v0.7 | First-run welcome (SessionStart one-shot), auto-update follow-up in `/projectstore:bind` | ✅ |
diff --git a/commands/statusline.md b/commands/statusline.md
index 90772db..5911bfe 100644
--- a/commands/statusline.md
+++ b/commands/statusline.md
@@ -1,55 +1,42 @@
 ---
-description: Enable/disable the projectstore status line (current epic & story in the HUD). Composes above an existing status line (e.g. oh-my-claudecode) instead of replacing it.
+description: Enable/disable the projectstore status line (current epic & story in the HUD). Flips a flag; the SessionStart hook does the wiring and keeps it current across plugin updates.
 argument-hint: "on | off | status"
 ---
 
-You are configuring the projectstore status line for THIS project. It shows the epic & story the agent is touching this session, composed **above** any existing status line: `scripts/statusline.mjs` delegates to the base `statusLine` command in your `settings.json`, prints its output verbatim, and adds one `📚 <epic> › <story>` line.
+You are toggling the projectstore status line for THIS project. When enabled, the **SessionStart hook** keeps the project's `.claude/settings.local.json` pointed at the current plugin version's `scripts/statusline.mjs` (it self-heals across plugin updates — no machine/version-specific path to maintain by hand). The status line shows `📚 <epic> › <story> (<status>)` **composed above** any existing HUD (e.g. oh-my-claudecode), never replacing it.
 
-`statusLine` is **not** plugin-declarable, so this writes a `statusLine` entry into the **project's `.claude/settings.local.json`** (local scope, highest precedence, conventionally git-ignored — it overrides a global HUD ONLY in this project, and reverts cleanly). If the project tracks `.claude/settings.local.json` in git, tell the user (the baked absolute path is machine-specific and shouldn't be committed).
+This command itself only flips a flag in `.claude/projectstore.json` — it does **not** touch `settings.local.json`; the hook owns that file.
 
-## 1. Parse `$ARGUMENTS`
+## 1. Require a bound project
 
-- `on` (or empty) — install / refresh the status line.
-- `off` — remove it.
-- `status` — report current state; modify nothing.
+Read `.claude/projectstore.json`. If missing → "No vault bound. Run `/projectstore:bind <vault-path>` first." and stop. (The epic/story segment needs a vault.)
 
-## 2. Resolve paths
+## 2. Parse `$ARGUMENTS`
 
-```bash
-echo "SCRIPT=$CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT/scripts/statusline.mjs"
-echo "SETTINGS=${CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR:-$PWD}/.claude/settings.local.json"
-```
-
-The `statusLine.command` MUST be a baked absolute path — `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}` is not expanded in `statusLine.command` (unlike in hooks). Build the command as `node "<SCRIPT>"` and **keep the inner quotes** — the plugin path may contain spaces, and `statusLine.command` runs in a shell.
+- `on` (or empty) — enable.
+- `off` — disable.
+- `status` — report only; modify nothing.
 
 ## 3. `on`
 
-1. Read `SETTINGS` if it exists and `JSON.parse` it; keep **all** existing keys. If absent, start from `{}`.
-2. Inspect the existing `statusLine`:
-   - **Absent** → proceed.
-   - **Already ours** (`command` contains `scripts/statusline.mjs`) → tell the user it's already on; offer `off`. Stop.
-   - **A different local status line** → warn: the wrapper composes over a base command found in `~/.claude/settings.json` or `<project>/.claude/settings.json`, but NOT one already sitting in `settings.local.json`; replacing it here drops that local line. Ask via AskUserQuestion: **Replace / Cancel**.
-3. Set (preserving other keys) — note the escaped inner quotes around the path:
-   ```json
-   "statusLine": { "type": "command", "command": "node \"<SCRIPT>\"" }
-   ```
-4. **Preview** the full resulting file + path. **AskUserQuestion**: Yes / No.
-5. On **Yes** → create `.claude/` if needed and Write the file.
-6. Report: "Status line wired. `📚 <epic> › <story>` will appear above your existing HUD once this session touches an epic/story. statusLine loads at session start — if it doesn't show, restart Claude Code in this project."
+1. **Foreign status line check** (read-only): read `.claude/settings.local.json` if present. If it has a `statusLine` whose `command` does **not** contain `scripts/statusline.mjs`, warn — the hook will **not** clobber a foreign local status line, so enabling would silently do nothing (and `statusline.mjs` composes only over a base in `~/.claude/settings.json`, not one in `settings.local.json`). AskUserQuestion: **Proceed anyway / Help me clear it / Cancel**. If a base HUD lives in `~/.claude/settings.json` (e.g. oh-my-claudecode), that's fine — we compose over it; no warning needed.
+2. Read `.claude/projectstore.json`, set `statusline.enabled = true`. **Preserve `statusline.position`** if present (don't drop it); keep all other keys. Preview the change + **AskUserQuestion** (Yes / No), then Write.
+3. Report: "Enabled. On the next session start the hook wires `📚 <epic> › <story>` above your existing HUD. **Restart Claude Code in this project** to apply now (statusLine loads at session start). If `.claude/settings.local.json` is tracked in git, add it to `.gitignore` — the hook bakes a machine-specific absolute path."
 
 ## 4. `off`
 
-1. Read `SETTINGS`. No `statusLine` → say "already off"; stop.
-2. If `statusLine` is **not** ours → AskUserQuestion before removing (**Remove / Cancel**).
-3. Remove only the `statusLine` key; keep the rest. Preview + AskUserQuestion, then Write. (If the object becomes `{}`, leaving `{}` is fine.)
-4. Confirm removed; note a restart may be needed.
+1. Read `.claude/projectstore.json`. Set `statusline.enabled = false` (keep `statusline.position` + other keys) — write it **even if the flag was absent**, so the hook will remove any managed `statusLine` entry it previously wrote (e.g. an install carried over from an older projectstore version). Preview + AskUserQuestion, then Write.
+2. Report: "Disabled. The hook removes its `statusLine` entry from `settings.local.json` on next session start; restart to apply."
 
 ## 5. `status`
 
-Read `SETTINGS` and report: is `statusLine` present, and is it ours (`command` contains `scripts/statusline.mjs`)? Then read `~/.claude/settings.json` → `statusLine.command` and report the base HUD it will compose over (or "none — standalone line").
+Report, read-only:
+- `.claude/projectstore.json` → `statusline.enabled` and `statusline.position` (default `above`).
+- `.claude/settings.local.json` → whether `statusLine` is present and ours (`command` contains `scripts/statusline.mjs`), foreign, or absent.
+- `~/.claude/settings.json` → `statusLine.command` = the base HUD we compose over (or "none — standalone line").
 
 ## Notes
 
-- Every settings write goes through AskUserQuestion. Never write without approval.
-- The status line works without a bound vault (it shows the base line / passes the base HUD through); the `📚 epic › story` segment appears only in a projectstore-bound project after the session touches an epic/story.
-- Position of our line (`above` / `below` the base HUD) is read from `.claude/projectstore.json` → `statusline.position` (default `above`).
+- Every write goes through AskUserQuestion. Never write without approval.
+- The command writes only `.claude/projectstore.json`; the SessionStart hook reconciles `settings.local.json` (create/refresh/remove our entry) idempotently and never touches a foreign status line.
+- Config shape: `.claude/projectstore.json` → `"statusline": { "enabled": true, "position": "above" }`. `position` is `above` (default) or `below` — the side our 📚 line sits relative to the base HUD.
diff --git a/hooks/session-start.mjs b/hooks/session-start.mjs
index 2050758..a850b48 100644
--- a/hooks/session-start.mjs
+++ b/hooks/session-start.mjs
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import {
   removeLegacySessionIdFile,
   readStdinJson,
   projectRoot,
+  syncStatusLine,
 } from "../scripts/lib.mjs";
 
 function welcomedMarkerPath(proj) {
@@ -110,6 +111,12 @@ function main() {
     if (welcome) emit(welcome, welcomeSystemMessage);
     process.exit(0);
   }
+
+  // Opt-in status line: keep settings.local.json pointed at this plugin
+  // version's statusline.mjs (self-heals on update). Best-effort; a settings
+  // write must never break session-context injection.
+  try { syncStatusLine(cfg, proj); } catch {}
+
   if (cfg.auto_inject === false) {
     if (welcome) emit(welcome, welcomeSystemMessage);
     process.exit(0);
diff --git a/scripts/lib.mjs b/scripts/lib.mjs
index dee1523..888370e 100644
--- a/scripts/lib.mjs
+++ b/scripts/lib.mjs
@@ -38,6 +38,61 @@ export function writeConfig(cfg) {
   writeFileSync(p, JSON.stringify(cfg, null, 2) + "\n", "utf8");
 }
 
+// ─── Status line wiring (SessionStart-managed) ─────────────────────────
+//
+// The Claude Code statusLine slot is single and NOT plugin-declarable, so
+// when a bound project opts in (projectstore.json → statusline.enabled=true)
+// the SessionStart hook keeps <project>/.claude/settings.local.json pointing
+// at THIS plugin version's scripts/statusline.mjs. The path is re-derived from
+// pluginRoot() every session start, so it self-heals across plugin updates.
+// Idempotent (writes only when the value changes); never clobbers a foreign
+// statusLine; bails on an unparseable settings file. Returns a status string,
+// never throws — the caller wraps it, and this must not break session start.
+export function syncStatusLine(cfg, projectDir) {
+  const st = cfg && cfg.statusline;
+  if (!st || typeof st.enabled !== "boolean") return "no-flag"; // absent → leave manual installs alone
+
+  const p = join(projectDir, ".claude", "settings.local.json");
+  const desired = `node "${join(pluginRoot(), "scripts", "statusline.mjs")}"`;
+
+  let settings = {};
+  if (existsSync(p)) {
+    try {
+      settings = JSON.parse(readFileSync(p, "utf8"));
+    } catch {
+      return "skipped-unparseable"; // never clobber a file we cannot read
+    }
+    if (!settings || typeof settings !== "object" || Array.isArray(settings)) {
+      return "skipped-nonobject";
+    }
+  }
+
+  const cur = settings.statusLine;
+  const curCmd = cur && typeof cur.command === "string" ? cur.command : null;
+  const isOurs = curCmd ? curCmd.includes("scripts/statusline.mjs") : false;
+
+  let changed = false;
+  if (st.enabled) {
+    if (cur && !isOurs) return "foreign-present"; // any existing non-ours entry: leave the slot to its owner
+    if (!cur || curCmd !== desired) {
+      settings.statusLine = { type: "command", command: desired };
+      changed = true;
+    }
+  } else if (isOurs) {
+    delete settings.statusLine; // disabled: remove only our entry, keep the rest
+    changed = true;
+  }
+
+  if (!changed) return "unchanged";
+  try {
+    mkdirSync(dirname(p), { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(p, JSON.stringify(settings, null, 2) + "\n", "utf8");
+  } catch {
+    return "write-failed";
+  }
+  return st.enabled ? "enabled" : "disabled";
+}
+
 // ─── Layouts ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 export function loadLayout(name) {
diff --git a/scripts/statusline.mjs b/scripts/statusline.mjs
index 7fb5686..0509748 100644
--- a/scripts/statusline.mjs
+++ b/scripts/statusline.mjs
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ function discoverBaseCommand(projectDir) {
         typeof cmd === "string" &&
         cmd.trim() &&
         !cmd.includes(SELF) &&
-        !cmd.includes("statusline.mjs")
+        !cmd.includes("scripts/statusline.mjs")
       ) {
         return cmd;
       }