diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 14eccb2..1d41226 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -98,8 +98,8 @@ OMX runtime state typically lives under `.omx/`:
 - OMX completion policy: when a task is done, the agent must commit the task changes, push the agent branch, and create/update a PR for those changes (via `codex-agent` or `agent-branch-finish`).
 - Auto-finish now waits for required checks/merge and then cleans merged sandbox branch/worktree by default.
 - Use `--no-cleanup` only when you explicitly need to keep a merged sandbox for audit/debug follow-up.
-- If codex-agent auto-finish cannot complete, immediately run `scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "<agent-branch>" --via-pr --wait-for-merge` and keep the branch open until checks/review pass.
-- If merge/rebase conflicts block auto-finish, run a conflict-resolution review pass in that sandbox branch, then rerun `agent-branch-finish.sh --via-pr` until merged.
+- If codex-agent auto-finish cannot complete, immediately run `scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "<agent-branch>" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge` and keep the branch open until checks/review pass.
+- If merge/rebase conflicts block auto-finish, run a conflict-resolution review pass in that sandbox branch, then rerun `agent-branch-finish.sh --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge` until merged.
 - Completion is not valid until these are true: commit exists on the agent branch, branch is pushed to `origin`, and PR/merge status is produced by `agent-branch-finish.sh` or `codex-agent`.
 - For every new task, including follow-up work in the same chat/session, if an assigned agent sub-branch/worktree is already open, continue in that sub-branch; otherwise create a fresh one from the current local base snapshot with `scripts/agent-branch-start.sh`.
 - Never implement directly on the local/base branch checkout; keep it unchanged and perform all edits in the agent sub-branch/worktree.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 5ee37b7..644dcbd 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -62,14 +62,14 @@ python3 scripts/agent-file-locks.py claim --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref
 npm test
 
 # 4) Finish (commit/push/PR/merge flow)
-bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
+bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge
 
 # 5) Optional cleanup after merge
 gx cleanup --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
 ```
 
 If you use `scripts/codex-agent.sh`, the finish flow is auto-run after the Codex session exits.
-It auto-commits sandbox changes, retries once after syncing if the branch moved behind base during the run, then pushes/opens PR merge flow against the current base branch.
+It auto-commits sandbox changes, retries once after syncing if the branch moved behind base during the run, then pushes/opens PR merge flow against `dev`.
 
 If you run Codex in multiple existing agent worktrees directly (for example from VS Code Source Control), finalize all completed branches with:
 
diff --git a/bin/multiagent-safety.js b/bin/multiagent-safety.js
index 45a84b2..fe23c28 100755
--- a/bin/multiagent-safety.js
+++ b/bin/multiagent-safety.js
@@ -226,10 +226,10 @@ const AI_SETUP_PROMPT = `Use this exact checklist to setup GuardeX (Guardian T-R
    bash scripts/codex-agent.sh "task" "agent-name"
    bash scripts/agent-branch-start.sh "task" "agent-name"
    python3 scripts/agent-file-locks.py claim --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" <file...>
-   bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
+   bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge
    - For every new user message/task, repeat the same cycle:
      start isolated agent branch/worktree -> claim file locks -> implement/verify ->
-     finish via PR/merge cleanup with scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh.
+     finish via PR/merge cleanup into dev with scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh.
    - Finished branches stay available by default for audit/follow-up.
      Remove them explicitly when done:
      gx cleanup --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ gx review --interval 30
 bash scripts/codex-agent.sh "task" "agent-name"
 bash scripts/agent-branch-start.sh "task" "agent-name"
 python3 scripts/agent-file-locks.py claim --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" <file...>
-bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
+bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge
 gx finish --all
 gx cleanup --branch "$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)"
 bash scripts/openspec/init-plan-workspace.sh "<plan-slug>"
@@ -2792,27 +2792,16 @@ function branchExists(repoRoot, branch) {
   return result.status === 0;
 }
 
-function resolveFinishBaseBranch(repoRoot, sourceBranch, explicitBase) {
+function resolveFinishBaseBranch(repoRoot, _sourceBranch, explicitBase) {
   if (explicitBase) {
     return explicitBase;
   }
 
-  const branchSpecific = readGitConfig(repoRoot, `branch.${sourceBranch}.musafetyBase`);
-  if (branchSpecific) {
-    return branchSpecific;
-  }
-
   const configured = readGitConfig(repoRoot, GIT_BASE_BRANCH_KEY);
   if (configured) {
     return configured;
   }
 
-  const current = gitRun(repoRoot, ['rev-parse', '--abbrev-ref', 'HEAD'], { allowFailure: true });
-  const currentBranch = String(current.stdout || '').trim();
-  if (current.status === 0 && currentBranch && currentBranch !== 'HEAD' && !currentBranch.startsWith('agent/')) {
-    return currentBranch;
-  }
-
   return DEFAULT_BASE_BRANCH;
 }
 
diff --git a/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh b/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh
index 13a6438..9be4944 100755
--- a/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh
+++ b/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh
@@ -162,28 +162,6 @@ if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 0 ]]; then
   fi
 fi
 
-if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-  branch_stored_base="$(git -C "$repo_root" config --get "branch.${SOURCE_BRANCH}.musafetyBase" || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$branch_stored_base" ]]; then
-    BASE_BRANCH="$branch_stored_base"
-  fi
-fi
-
-if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-  source_upstream="$(git -C "$repo_root" for-each-ref --format='%(upstream:short)' "refs/heads/${SOURCE_BRANCH}" | head -n 1)"
-  source_upstream="${source_upstream:-}"
-  if [[ "$source_upstream" == */* ]]; then
-    BASE_BRANCH="${source_upstream#*/}"
-  fi
-fi
-
-if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-  current_branch="$(git -C "$repo_root" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$current_branch" && "$current_branch" != "HEAD" && "$current_branch" != "$SOURCE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-    BASE_BRANCH="$current_branch"
-  fi
-fi
-
 if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
   BASE_BRANCH="dev"
 fi
diff --git a/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh b/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh
index ad41605..ffd8db8 100755
--- a/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh
+++ b/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh
@@ -375,4 +375,4 @@ echo "[agent-branch-start] Next steps:"
 echo "  cd \"${worktree_path}\""
 echo "  python3 scripts/agent-file-locks.py claim --branch \"${branch_name}\" <file...>"
 echo "  # implement + commit"
-echo "  bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${branch_name}\""
+echo "  bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${branch_name}\" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge"
diff --git a/scripts/codex-agent.sh b/scripts/codex-agent.sh
index ba923a7..a4f734d 100755
--- a/scripts/codex-agent.sh
+++ b/scripts/codex-agent.sh
@@ -192,13 +192,6 @@ resolve_start_base_branch() {
     return 0
   fi
 
-  local current_branch
-  current_branch="$(git -C "$repo_root" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$current_branch" && "$current_branch" != "HEAD" ]]; then
-    printf '%s' "$current_branch"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
   printf 'dev'
 }
 
@@ -338,30 +331,20 @@ has_origin_remote() {
 }
 
 resolve_worktree_base_branch() {
-  local wt="$1"
+  local _wt="$1"
   if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 1 && -n "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
     printf '%s' "$BASE_BRANCH"
     return 0
   fi
 
-  local branch
-  branch="$(git -C "$wt" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)"
-  if [[ -z "$branch" || "$branch" == "HEAD" ]]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-
-  local stored_base
-  stored_base="$(git -C "$repo_root" config --get "branch.${branch}.musafetyBase" || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$stored_base" ]]; then
-    printf '%s' "$stored_base"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
   local configured_base
   configured_base="$(git -C "$repo_root" config --get multiagent.baseBranch || true)"
   if [[ -n "$configured_base" ]]; then
     printf '%s' "$configured_base"
+    return 0
   fi
+
+  printf 'dev'
 }
 
 sync_worktree_with_base() {
@@ -598,12 +581,18 @@ looks_like_conflict_failure() {
 run_finish_flow() {
   local wt="$1"
   local branch="$2"
+  local finish_base_branch=""
   local finish_output=""
   local -a finish_args
 
   finish_args=(--branch "$branch")
-  if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 1 ]]; then
-    finish_args+=(--base "$BASE_BRANCH")
+  if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 1 && -n "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
+    finish_base_branch="$BASE_BRANCH"
+  else
+    finish_base_branch="$(resolve_worktree_base_branch "$wt")"
+  fi
+  if [[ -n "$finish_base_branch" ]]; then
+    finish_args+=(--base "$finish_base_branch")
   fi
   if [[ "$AUTO_CLEANUP" -eq 1 ]]; then
     finish_args+=(--cleanup)
@@ -613,9 +602,11 @@ run_finish_flow() {
   fi
 
   if has_origin_remote; then
-    if command -v gh >/dev/null 2>&1 || command -v "${MUSAFETY_GH_BIN:-gh}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-      finish_args+=(--via-pr)
+    if ! command -v "${MUSAFETY_GH_BIN:-gh}" >/dev/null 2>&1 && ! command -v gh >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      echo "[codex-agent] Auto-finish requires GitHub CLI for PR flow; command not found: ${MUSAFETY_GH_BIN:-gh}" >&2
+      return 2
     fi
+    finish_args+=(--via-pr)
   else
     echo "[codex-agent] No origin remote detected; skipping auto-finish merge/PR pipeline." >&2
     return 2
@@ -631,7 +622,7 @@ run_finish_flow() {
   if [[ "$AUTO_REVIEW_ON_CONFLICT" -eq 1 ]] && looks_like_conflict_failure "$finish_output"; then
     echo "[codex-agent] Auto-finish hit conflicts. Launching Codex conflict-review pass in sandbox..." >&2
     local review_prompt
-    review_prompt="Resolve git conflicts for branch ${branch} against ${BASE_BRANCH:-base branch}, then commit the resolution in this sandbox worktree and exit."
+    review_prompt="Resolve git conflicts for branch ${branch} against ${finish_base_branch:-dev}, then commit the resolution in this sandbox worktree and exit."
 
     (
       cd "$wt"
@@ -735,7 +726,7 @@ else
     if [[ "$auto_finish_completed" -eq 1 ]]; then
       echo "[codex-agent] Branch kept intentionally. Cleanup on demand: gx cleanup --branch \"${worktree_branch}\""
     else
-      echo "[codex-agent] If finished, merge with: bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${worktree_branch}\" --via-pr"
+      echo "[codex-agent] If finished, merge with: bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${worktree_branch}\" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge"
       echo "[codex-agent] Cleanup on demand: gx cleanup --branch \"${worktree_branch}\""
     fi
   fi
diff --git a/templates/AGENTS.multiagent-safety.md b/templates/AGENTS.multiagent-safety.md
index 0bbf17d..6c4f187 100644
--- a/templates/AGENTS.multiagent-safety.md
+++ b/templates/AGENTS.multiagent-safety.md
@@ -16,8 +16,8 @@
 - OMX completion policy: when a task is done, the agent must commit the task changes, push the agent branch, and create/update a PR for those changes (via `codex-agent` or `agent-branch-finish`).
 - Auto-finish now waits for required checks/merge and then cleans merged sandbox branch/worktree by default.
 - Use `--no-cleanup` only when you explicitly need to keep a merged sandbox for audit/debug follow-up.
-- If codex-agent auto-finish cannot complete, immediately run `scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "<agent-branch>" --via-pr --wait-for-merge` and keep the branch open until checks/review pass.
-- If merge/rebase conflicts block auto-finish, run a conflict-resolution review pass in that sandbox branch, then rerun `agent-branch-finish.sh --via-pr` until merged.
+- If codex-agent auto-finish cannot complete, immediately run `scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch "<agent-branch>" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge` and keep the branch open until checks/review pass.
+- If merge/rebase conflicts block auto-finish, run a conflict-resolution review pass in that sandbox branch, then rerun `agent-branch-finish.sh --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge` until merged.
 - Completion is not valid until these are true: commit exists on the agent branch, branch is pushed to `origin`, and PR/merge status is produced by `agent-branch-finish.sh` or `codex-agent`.
 - For every new task, including follow-up work in the same chat/session, if an assigned agent sub-branch/worktree is already open, continue in that sub-branch; otherwise create a fresh one from the current local base snapshot with `scripts/agent-branch-start.sh`.
 - Never implement directly on the local/base branch checkout; keep it unchanged and perform all edits in the agent sub-branch/worktree.
diff --git a/templates/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh b/templates/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh
index 13a6438..9be4944 100755
--- a/templates/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh
+++ b/templates/scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh
@@ -162,28 +162,6 @@ if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 0 ]]; then
   fi
 fi
 
-if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-  branch_stored_base="$(git -C "$repo_root" config --get "branch.${SOURCE_BRANCH}.musafetyBase" || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$branch_stored_base" ]]; then
-    BASE_BRANCH="$branch_stored_base"
-  fi
-fi
-
-if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-  source_upstream="$(git -C "$repo_root" for-each-ref --format='%(upstream:short)' "refs/heads/${SOURCE_BRANCH}" | head -n 1)"
-  source_upstream="${source_upstream:-}"
-  if [[ "$source_upstream" == */* ]]; then
-    BASE_BRANCH="${source_upstream#*/}"
-  fi
-fi
-
-if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-  current_branch="$(git -C "$repo_root" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$current_branch" && "$current_branch" != "HEAD" && "$current_branch" != "$SOURCE_BRANCH" ]]; then
-    BASE_BRANCH="$current_branch"
-  fi
-fi
-
 if [[ -z "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
   BASE_BRANCH="dev"
 fi
diff --git a/templates/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh b/templates/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh
index ad41605..ffd8db8 100755
--- a/templates/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh
+++ b/templates/scripts/agent-branch-start.sh
@@ -375,4 +375,4 @@ echo "[agent-branch-start] Next steps:"
 echo "  cd \"${worktree_path}\""
 echo "  python3 scripts/agent-file-locks.py claim --branch \"${branch_name}\" <file...>"
 echo "  # implement + commit"
-echo "  bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${branch_name}\""
+echo "  bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${branch_name}\" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge"
diff --git a/templates/scripts/codex-agent.sh b/templates/scripts/codex-agent.sh
index ba923a7..a4f734d 100755
--- a/templates/scripts/codex-agent.sh
+++ b/templates/scripts/codex-agent.sh
@@ -192,13 +192,6 @@ resolve_start_base_branch() {
     return 0
   fi
 
-  local current_branch
-  current_branch="$(git -C "$repo_root" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$current_branch" && "$current_branch" != "HEAD" ]]; then
-    printf '%s' "$current_branch"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
   printf 'dev'
 }
 
@@ -338,30 +331,20 @@ has_origin_remote() {
 }
 
 resolve_worktree_base_branch() {
-  local wt="$1"
+  local _wt="$1"
   if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 1 && -n "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
     printf '%s' "$BASE_BRANCH"
     return 0
   fi
 
-  local branch
-  branch="$(git -C "$wt" rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD 2>/dev/null || true)"
-  if [[ -z "$branch" || "$branch" == "HEAD" ]]; then
-    return 0
-  fi
-
-  local stored_base
-  stored_base="$(git -C "$repo_root" config --get "branch.${branch}.musafetyBase" || true)"
-  if [[ -n "$stored_base" ]]; then
-    printf '%s' "$stored_base"
-    return 0
-  fi
-
   local configured_base
   configured_base="$(git -C "$repo_root" config --get multiagent.baseBranch || true)"
   if [[ -n "$configured_base" ]]; then
     printf '%s' "$configured_base"
+    return 0
   fi
+
+  printf 'dev'
 }
 
 sync_worktree_with_base() {
@@ -598,12 +581,18 @@ looks_like_conflict_failure() {
 run_finish_flow() {
   local wt="$1"
   local branch="$2"
+  local finish_base_branch=""
   local finish_output=""
   local -a finish_args
 
   finish_args=(--branch "$branch")
-  if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 1 ]]; then
-    finish_args+=(--base "$BASE_BRANCH")
+  if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH_EXPLICIT" -eq 1 && -n "$BASE_BRANCH" ]]; then
+    finish_base_branch="$BASE_BRANCH"
+  else
+    finish_base_branch="$(resolve_worktree_base_branch "$wt")"
+  fi
+  if [[ -n "$finish_base_branch" ]]; then
+    finish_args+=(--base "$finish_base_branch")
   fi
   if [[ "$AUTO_CLEANUP" -eq 1 ]]; then
     finish_args+=(--cleanup)
@@ -613,9 +602,11 @@ run_finish_flow() {
   fi
 
   if has_origin_remote; then
-    if command -v gh >/dev/null 2>&1 || command -v "${MUSAFETY_GH_BIN:-gh}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-      finish_args+=(--via-pr)
+    if ! command -v "${MUSAFETY_GH_BIN:-gh}" >/dev/null 2>&1 && ! command -v gh >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+      echo "[codex-agent] Auto-finish requires GitHub CLI for PR flow; command not found: ${MUSAFETY_GH_BIN:-gh}" >&2
+      return 2
     fi
+    finish_args+=(--via-pr)
   else
     echo "[codex-agent] No origin remote detected; skipping auto-finish merge/PR pipeline." >&2
     return 2
@@ -631,7 +622,7 @@ run_finish_flow() {
   if [[ "$AUTO_REVIEW_ON_CONFLICT" -eq 1 ]] && looks_like_conflict_failure "$finish_output"; then
     echo "[codex-agent] Auto-finish hit conflicts. Launching Codex conflict-review pass in sandbox..." >&2
     local review_prompt
-    review_prompt="Resolve git conflicts for branch ${branch} against ${BASE_BRANCH:-base branch}, then commit the resolution in this sandbox worktree and exit."
+    review_prompt="Resolve git conflicts for branch ${branch} against ${finish_base_branch:-dev}, then commit the resolution in this sandbox worktree and exit."
 
     (
       cd "$wt"
@@ -735,7 +726,7 @@ else
     if [[ "$auto_finish_completed" -eq 1 ]]; then
       echo "[codex-agent] Branch kept intentionally. Cleanup on demand: gx cleanup --branch \"${worktree_branch}\""
     else
-      echo "[codex-agent] If finished, merge with: bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${worktree_branch}\" --via-pr"
+      echo "[codex-agent] If finished, merge with: bash scripts/agent-branch-finish.sh --branch \"${worktree_branch}\" --base dev --via-pr --wait-for-merge"
       echo "[codex-agent] Cleanup on demand: gx cleanup --branch \"${worktree_branch}\""
     fi
   fi