diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 51ecb28..a088122 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -226,12 +226,15 @@ not retroactively renamed.
 - **Gitea issues** (since 2026-05-20) are the forward queue —
   milestones, features, todos, and ideas. Browse:
   http://192.168.178.103:3000/Brummel/AILang/issues. CLI: `tea
-  issues ls --repo Brummel/AILang`. Labels: `feature`
-  (substantive addition, no full spec), `bug` (observable
-  misbehaviour — surface inconsistency, false positive, wrong
-  output), `idea` (may be cut, no commitment), `in-progress`
-  (work has started). An unlabelled issue is the default: a
-  concrete task to just do, no spec needed. Big chunks live as Gitea **milestone containers**
+  issues ls --repo Brummel/AILang`. Labels (precedence order
+  matters): `BLOCKER` (core functionality broken — preempts
+  everything, /boss handles it before any other queue item;
+  typically also carries `bug`), `feature` (substantive
+  addition, no full spec), `bug` (observable misbehaviour —
+  surface inconsistency, false positive, wrong output), `idea`
+  (may be cut, no commitment), `in-progress` (work has
+  started). An unlabelled issue is the default: a concrete task
+  to just do, no spec needed. Big chunks live as Gitea **milestone containers**
   (first-class Gitea concept, not a label — needs a
   `docs/specs/` entry, opening one bounces back to the user in
   /boss); smaller items are standalone issues. No formal
diff --git a/skills/boss/SKILL.md b/skills/boss/SKILL.md
index 6be88e4..f40c025 100644
--- a/skills/boss/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/boss/SKILL.md
@@ -77,6 +77,16 @@ Big chunks live as Gitea **milestone containers** — list via
 `tea milestones ls --repo Brummel/AILang`. Read a candidate
 issue body with `tea issues <N> --repo Brummel/AILang`.
 
+**`BLOCKER` always takes precedence.** Before any other pick,
+run `tea issues ls --repo Brummel/AILang --labels BLOCKER
+--state open`. If even one open `BLOCKER` exists, that is the
+next dispatch — preempting current iter, audit, fieldtest,
+anything. Hand off to `skills/debug` for RED-first TDD per the
+universal bug-fix rule. A `BLOCKER` mid-session preempts the
+current step; finish the running agent call first (don't
+strand a working-tree mid-edit), then redirect. Only after the
+`BLOCKER` queue is empty does ordinary pickup resume.
+
 There is no formal priority axis (`prio:*` labels were retired
 2026-05-20). Pick the next item by orchestrator judgement:
 typically the simplest in-flight follow-up to the just-closed
diff --git a/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md b/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md
index 940c773..2172511 100644
--- a/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/brainstorm/SKILL.md
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ interpretation:
    ```bash
    tea issues create --repo Brummel/AILang \
      --title "<idea title>" \
-     --labels "<feature|bug|idea>" \
+     --labels "<feature|bug|idea>" \   # add BLOCKER prefix if core-functionality-broken
      --description "<one-line description>
 
    **context:** <why this is deferred>