diff --git a/skills/continuous-learning-v2/SKILL.md b/skills/continuous-learning-v2/SKILL.md
index b00d4eeb0..e364f00df 100644
--- a/skills/continuous-learning-v2/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/continuous-learning-v2/SKILL.md
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ Session Activity (in a git repo)
 
 The system automatically detects your current project:
 
-1. **`CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR` env var** (highest priority)
+1. **`CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR` env var** (highest priority) -- honored as an explicit override even when the directory is not a git repo (hashed by its absolute path)
 2. **`git remote get-url origin`** -- hashed to create a portable project ID (same repo on different machines gets the same ID)
 3. **`git rev-parse --show-toplevel`** -- fallback using repo path (machine-specific)
 4. **Global fallback** -- if no project is detected, instincts go to global scope
diff --git a/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/detect-project.sh b/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/detect-project.sh
index 05bc20852..ddf8f4150 100755
--- a/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/detect-project.sh
+++ b/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/detect-project.sh
@@ -105,11 +105,23 @@ _clv2_detect_project() {
     return 0
   fi
 
-  # 1. Try CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR env var
-  if [ -n "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" ] && [ -d "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" ] && command -v git &>/dev/null; then
-    project_root=$(git -C "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || true)
-    if [ -n "$project_root" ]; then
-      source_hint="env"
+  # 1. Try CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR env var (explicit override)
+  if [ -n "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" ] && [ -d "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" ]; then
+    if command -v git &>/dev/null; then
+      project_root=$(git -C "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || true)
+      if [ -n "$project_root" ]; then
+        source_hint="env"
+      fi
+    fi
+    # Non-git directory explicitly pointed at by CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR: honor it as
+    # a project root (path-hash identity) rather than collapsing to the shared
+    # `global` bucket. Gated on the explicit env var so an arbitrary non-git cwd
+    # never becomes a "project" — priority 2 below stays git-only on purpose.
+    if [ -z "$project_root" ]; then
+      project_root=$(cd "$CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR" 2>/dev/null && pwd -P)
+      if [ -n "$project_root" ]; then
+        source_hint="env-nogit"
+      fi
     fi
   fi
 
diff --git a/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/instinct-cli.py b/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/instinct-cli.py
index 2274a852b..0a99f1fa0 100755
--- a/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/instinct-cli.py
+++ b/skills/continuous-learning-v2/scripts/instinct-cli.py
@@ -298,10 +298,19 @@ def detect_project() -> dict:
             "observations_file": GLOBAL_OBSERVATIONS_FILE,
         }
 
-    # 1. CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR env var
+    # 1. CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR env var (explicit override)
     env_dir = os.environ.get("CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR")
     if env_dir and os.path.isdir(env_dir):
         project_root = _git_repo_root(env_dir)
+        # Non-git directory explicitly pointed at by CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR: honor it
+        # as a project root (path-hash identity) rather than collapsing to the
+        # shared `global` bucket. Mirrors detect-project.sh so the observer
+        # (shell) and this CLI agree on the project id for the same directory;
+        # os.path.realpath matches the shell's `cd ... && pwd -P`. Gated on the
+        # explicit env var so an arbitrary non-git cwd (priority 2) never
+        # becomes a "project".
+        if not project_root:
+            project_root = os.path.realpath(env_dir)
 
     # 2. git repo root
     if not project_root:
diff --git a/tests/hooks/detect-project-nongit.test.js b/tests/hooks/detect-project-nongit.test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e3f4613c6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/hooks/detect-project-nongit.test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,290 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for non-git CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR project detection (issue #2469)
+ *
+ * Validates that detect-project.sh honors an explicitly-provided
+ * CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR that is NOT a git repository, deriving a stable
+ * path-based PROJECT_ID instead of collapsing to the shared `global`
+ * bucket. A bare non-git cwd (no CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR) must still fall
+ * back to `global` — the fix is gated on the explicit env var so an
+ * arbitrary working directory never becomes a "project".
+ *
+ * Run with: node tests/hooks/detect-project-nongit.test.js
+ */
+
+// Skip on Windows — these tests invoke bash scripts directly
+if (process.platform === 'win32') {
+  console.log('Skipping bash-dependent non-git detection tests on Windows\n');
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+const assert = require('assert');
+const path = require('path');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const os = require('os');
+const { execFileSync, spawnSync } = require('child_process');
+
+// Locate a Python interpreter for the cross-implementation consistency check.
+// Absent Python just skips that one case (the bash path is the primary fix).
+function findPython() {
+  for (const bin of ['python3', 'python']) {
+    const r = spawnSync(bin, ['--version'], { encoding: 'utf8' });
+    if (!r.error && r.status === 0) return bin;
+  }
+  return null;
+}
+const PYTHON = findPython();
+
+let passed = 0;
+let failed = 0;
+let skipped = 0;
+
+function test(name, fn) {
+  try {
+    fn();
+    console.log(`  ✓ ${name}`);
+    passed++;
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.log(`  ✗ ${name}`);
+    console.log(`    Error: ${err.message}`);
+    failed++;
+  }
+}
+
+function createTempDir() {
+  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'ecc-nongit-test-'));
+}
+
+function cleanupDir(dir) {
+  try {
+    fs.rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  } catch {
+    // ignore cleanup errors
+  }
+}
+
+const repoRoot = path.resolve(__dirname, '..', '..');
+const detectProjectPath = path.join(
+  repoRoot,
+  'skills',
+  'continuous-learning-v2',
+  'scripts',
+  'detect-project.sh'
+);
+const instinctCliPath = path.join(
+  repoRoot,
+  'skills',
+  'continuous-learning-v2',
+  'scripts',
+  'instinct-cli.py'
+);
+
+// Resolve the project id the Python CLI (instinct-cli.py) assigns, so we can
+// prove it agrees with the shell observer for the same non-git directory.
+function pythonProjectId(projectDir, homeDir) {
+  const code =
+    'import importlib.util as u, sys;' +
+    `s=u.spec_from_file_location("icli", ${JSON.stringify(instinctCliPath)});` +
+    'm=u.module_from_spec(s); s.loader.exec_module(m);' +
+    'print(m.detect_project()["id"])';
+  const r = spawnSync(PYTHON, ['-c', code], {
+    cwd: projectDir,
+    timeout: 10000,
+    encoding: 'utf8',
+    env: {
+      ...process.env,
+      HOME: homeDir,
+      USERPROFILE: homeDir,
+      CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR: projectDir,
+    },
+  });
+  if (r.status !== 0) {
+    throw new Error(`instinct-cli.py detect_project failed: ${r.stderr || r.error}`);
+  }
+  return r.stdout.trim();
+}
+
+// Source detect-project.sh with an isolated HOME and the given
+// CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR, returning the exported PROJECT_* vars.
+function detect(projectDir, homeDir, { setProjectDir = true } = {}) {
+  const env = {
+    ...process.env,
+    HOME: homeDir,
+    USERPROFILE: homeDir,
+  };
+  if (setProjectDir) {
+    env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR = projectDir;
+  } else {
+    delete env.CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR;
+  }
+
+  // Suppress only stdout; keep stderr so a sourcing failure (e.g. a syntax
+  // error or missing _CLV2_PYTHON_CMD) surfaces instead of silently leaving
+  // the PROJECT_* vars empty and producing confusing assertion messages.
+  const script = `
+    source "${detectProjectPath}" >/dev/null
+    printf 'PROJECT_ID=%s\\n' "$PROJECT_ID"
+    printf 'PROJECT_NAME=%s\\n' "$PROJECT_NAME"
+    printf 'PROJECT_ROOT=%s\\n' "$PROJECT_ROOT"
+  `;
+
+  const out = execFileSync('bash', ['-lc', script], {
+    // Run from the project dir; it is not a git repo, so the cwd-git
+    // branch (priority 2) cannot fire and interfere with the assertions.
+    cwd: projectDir,
+    timeout: 10000,
+    env,
+  }).toString();
+
+  const vars = {};
+  for (const line of out.trim().split('\n')) {
+    const m = line.match(/^(PROJECT_ID|PROJECT_NAME|PROJECT_ROOT)=(.*)$/);
+    if (m) vars[m[1]] = m[2];
+  }
+  return vars;
+}
+
+console.log('\n=== Non-git CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR detection (issue #2469) ===\n');
+
+console.log('--- Content check ---');
+
+test('detect-project.sh has an env-nogit fallback for non-git dirs', () => {
+  const content = fs.readFileSync(detectProjectPath, 'utf8');
+  assert.ok(
+    content.includes('env-nogit'),
+    'detect-project.sh should set source_hint="env-nogit" for non-git CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR'
+  );
+});
+
+console.log('\n--- Behavior: non-git CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR ---');
+
+test('non-git CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR yields a non-global, path-derived PROJECT_ID', () => {
+  const testDir = createTempDir();
+  try {
+    const homeDir = path.join(testDir, 'home');
+    const projectDir = path.join(testDir, 'my-plain-project');
+    fs.mkdirSync(homeDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+    assert.ok(!fs.existsSync(path.join(projectDir, '.git')), 'guard: project dir must not be a git repo');
+
+    const vars = detect(projectDir, homeDir);
+    assert.ok(
+      vars.PROJECT_ID && vars.PROJECT_ID !== 'global',
+      `PROJECT_ID should not be "global", got: "${vars.PROJECT_ID || ''}"`
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      /^[0-9a-f]{12}$/.test(vars.PROJECT_ID),
+      `PROJECT_ID should be a 12-char hex hash, got: "${vars.PROJECT_ID || ''}"`
+    );
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      vars.PROJECT_NAME,
+      'my-plain-project',
+      `PROJECT_NAME should be the directory basename, got: "${vars.PROJECT_NAME || ''}"`
+    );
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      vars.PROJECT_ROOT,
+      fs.realpathSync(projectDir),
+      `PROJECT_ROOT should be the canonicalized project dir, got: "${vars.PROJECT_ROOT || ''}"`
+    );
+  } finally {
+    cleanupDir(testDir);
+  }
+});
+
+test('PROJECT_ID is stable across repeated invocations of the same dir', () => {
+  const testDir = createTempDir();
+  try {
+    const homeDir = path.join(testDir, 'home');
+    const projectDir = path.join(testDir, 'stable-project');
+    fs.mkdirSync(homeDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+
+    const first = detect(projectDir, homeDir).PROJECT_ID;
+    const second = detect(projectDir, homeDir).PROJECT_ID;
+    assert.ok(first && first !== 'global', 'first run should produce a real id');
+    assert.strictEqual(second, first, 'the same non-git dir must hash to the same PROJECT_ID');
+  } finally {
+    cleanupDir(testDir);
+  }
+});
+
+test('distinct non-git dirs produce distinct PROJECT_IDs', () => {
+  const testDir = createTempDir();
+  try {
+    const homeDir = path.join(testDir, 'home');
+    const dirA = path.join(testDir, 'project-a');
+    const dirB = path.join(testDir, 'project-b');
+    fs.mkdirSync(homeDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(dirA, { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(dirB, { recursive: true });
+
+    const idA = detect(dirA, homeDir).PROJECT_ID;
+    const idB = detect(dirB, homeDir).PROJECT_ID;
+    assert.ok(idA && idA !== 'global' && idB && idB !== 'global', 'both dirs should get real ids');
+    assert.notStrictEqual(idA, idB, 'different non-git dirs must not share a project id');
+  } finally {
+    cleanupDir(testDir);
+  }
+});
+
+console.log('\n--- Gating: bare non-git cwd stays global ---');
+
+test('non-git cwd with no CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR still falls back to global', () => {
+  const testDir = createTempDir();
+  try {
+    const homeDir = path.join(testDir, 'home');
+    const projectDir = path.join(testDir, 'unregistered');
+    fs.mkdirSync(homeDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.mkdirSync(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+
+    const vars = detect(projectDir, homeDir, { setProjectDir: false });
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      vars.PROJECT_ID,
+      'global',
+      `without CLAUDE_PROJECT_DIR an arbitrary non-git cwd must stay "global", got: "${vars.PROJECT_ID || ''}"`
+    );
+  } finally {
+    cleanupDir(testDir);
+  }
+});
+
+console.log('\n--- Cross-impl consistency: shell observer vs Python CLI ---');
+
+// Guard the Python-dependent case OUTSIDE test() so an unmet prerequisite is
+// counted as skipped, never as a silent pass. This is not a hard failure:
+// detect-project.sh itself degrades gracefully without Python (it falls back to
+// shasum/sha256sum), so a Python-less host is a supported environment where the
+// cross-check simply cannot run.
+if (!PYTHON) {
+  console.log('  ⊘ instinct-cli.py cross-impl check (skipped — no Python interpreter available)');
+  skipped++;
+} else {
+  test('instinct-cli.py assigns the same non-global id as detect-project.sh', () => {
+    const testDir = createTempDir();
+    try {
+      const homeDir = path.join(testDir, 'home');
+      const projectDir = path.join(testDir, 'shared-nongit-project');
+      fs.mkdirSync(homeDir, { recursive: true });
+      fs.mkdirSync(projectDir, { recursive: true });
+
+      const shellId = detect(projectDir, homeDir).PROJECT_ID;
+      const pyId = pythonProjectId(projectDir, homeDir);
+      assert.ok(shellId && shellId !== 'global', `shell id should be real, got "${shellId}"`);
+      assert.ok(pyId && pyId !== 'global', `python id should be real, got "${pyId}"`);
+      assert.strictEqual(
+        pyId,
+        shellId,
+        `observer (${shellId}) and CLI (${pyId}) must agree so observations/instincts stay grouped`
+      );
+    } finally {
+      cleanupDir(testDir);
+    }
+  });
+}
+
+console.log('\n=== Test Results ===');
+console.log(`Passed:  ${passed}`);
+console.log(`Failed:  ${failed}`);
+console.log(`Skipped: ${skipped}`);
+console.log(`Total:   ${passed + failed + skipped}\n`);
+
+process.exit(failed > 0 ? 1 : 0);