diff --git a/skills/paperclip-dev/SKILL.md b/skills/paperclip-dev/SKILL.md
index 43f1ebbc..d392d327 100644
--- a/skills/paperclip-dev/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/paperclip-dev/SKILL.md
@@ -94,6 +94,49 @@ npx paperclipai worktree:merge-history --from paperclip-my-feature --to current
 npx paperclipai worktree:cleanup my-feature
 ```
 
+## Forks — Prefer Pushing to a User Fork
+
+If the user has a personal fork of `paperclipai/paperclip` configured as a git remote, push your feature branches to **that fork** instead of creating branches on the main repo. This keeps the upstream branch list clean and matches the standard open-source contribution flow.
+
+### Detect a fork remote
+
+Before pushing or creating a PR, list remotes and check for one that points at a non-`paperclipai` GitHub fork:
+
+```bash
+git remote -v
+```
+
+Treat any remote whose URL points to `github.com:<user>/paperclip` (or `github.com/<user>/paperclip.git`) as the user's fork. Common names are `fork`, `<username>`, or `myfork`. The remote named `origin` or `upstream` that points at `paperclipai/paperclip` is the canonical upstream — do not push feature branches there if a fork exists.
+
+### Pushing to the fork
+
+```bash
+# Push the current branch to the user's fork and set upstream
+git push -u <fork-remote> HEAD
+```
+
+Then create the PR from the fork branch:
+
+```bash
+gh pr create --repo paperclipai/paperclip --head <fork-owner>:<branch-name> ...
+```
+
+`gh pr create` usually figures out the head ref automatically when run from a branch tracking the fork; the explicit `--head <owner>:<branch>` form is the reliable fallback when it does not.
+
+### When no fork exists
+
+If `git remote -v` shows only `paperclipai/paperclip` remotes (no user fork), fall back to pushing branches to `origin` as before. Do NOT create a fork on the user's behalf — ask first.
+
+### Keeping the fork up to date
+
+The canonical remote that points at `paperclipai/paperclip` may be named `origin` **or** `upstream` depending on how the user set up the repo. Detect it the same way as in the "Detect a fork remote" step, then fetch and push from/with that remote so the sync works under either convention:
+
+```bash
+UPSTREAM_REMOTE=$(git remote -v | awk '/paperclipai\/paperclip.*\(fetch\)/{print $1; exit}')
+git fetch "$UPSTREAM_REMOTE"
+git push <fork-remote> "${UPSTREAM_REMOTE}/master:master"
+```
+
 ## Pull Requests
 
 > **MANDATORY PRE-FLIGHT:** Before creating ANY pull request, you MUST read the canonical source files listed below. Do NOT run `gh pr create` until you have read these files and verified your PR body matches every required section.
@@ -221,3 +264,4 @@ lsof -nP -iTCP:<port> -sTCP:LISTEN
 | CLI command fails | Do NOT work around it — report the error and block (see Hard Rules above) |
 | Agent tries manual postgres operations | NEVER do this — all DB ops go through the CLI (see Hard Rules above) |
 | Dev server dies between heartbeats | Launch in a detached `tmux` session — see "Persistent Dev Servers" above |
+| Pushed feature branch to `paperclipai/paperclip` when a fork exists | Push to the user's fork remote instead — see "Forks" above |