diff --git a/fish/conf.d/10-core.fish b/fish/conf.d/10-core.fish
index c8c8178..c47a5bb 100644
--- a/fish/conf.d/10-core.fish
+++ b/fish/conf.d/10-core.fish
@@ -105,6 +105,12 @@ else
     alias la 'ls -lah -A'
 end
 
+# gs sync installs the Gentle stack from main, so every host follows the beta
+# channel for gentle-ai install/upgrade and engram downloads.
+if not set -q GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL; or test -z "$GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL"
+    set -gx GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL beta
+end
+
 # gentle-ai's managed launchers (OpenCode background subagents) must win on PATH;
 # gentle-ai cannot persist PATH for fish login shells by itself.
 if test -d "$HOME/.gentle-ai/bin"
diff --git a/fish/conf.d/99-local.fish.example b/fish/conf.d/99-local.fish.example
index 15f6c5c..ae37e17 100644
--- a/fish/conf.d/99-local.fish.example
+++ b/fish/conf.d/99-local.fish.example
@@ -12,3 +12,5 @@
 # set -gx GS_SYNC_AGENTS claude-code,opencode,pi
 # Binaries only, no managed-config sync:
 # set -gx GS_SKIP_AI_SYNC 1
+# 10-core.fish defaults GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL to beta; override only on a host that must differ:
+# set -gx GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL stable
diff --git a/fish/tests/w7-gentle-ai-path.fish b/fish/tests/w7-gentle-ai-path.fish
index 37cba5d..5213794 100644
--- a/fish/tests/w7-gentle-ai-path.fish
+++ b/fish/tests/w7-gentle-ai-path.fish
@@ -24,5 +24,11 @@ test (count (string match -a -- "$ws/with/.gentle-ai/bin" (string split '|' -- "
 set -l without (env -i HOME="$ws/without" PATH=/usr/bin:/bin "$fish_bin" --no-config -c "$probe" "$core")
 string match -q '*gentle-ai*' -- "$without"; and fail "missing launcher dir added to PATH: $without"
 
+# Every host follows the beta channel (gs sync installs from main); a host may override.
+set -l channel (env -i HOME="$ws/without" PATH=/usr/bin:/bin "$fish_bin" --no-config -c 'source $argv[1]; echo $GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL' "$core")
+test "$channel" = beta; or fail "GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL default (expected beta, got '$channel')"
+set -l override (env -i HOME="$ws/without" PATH=/usr/bin:/bin GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL=stable "$fish_bin" --no-config -c 'source $argv[1]; echo $GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL' "$core")
+test "$override" = stable; or fail "GENTLE_AI_CHANNEL override not kept (got '$override')"
+
 rm -rf -- "$ws"
 printf 'gentle-ai path checks passed\n'