diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index f5b5bea41..000b4bd72 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ Most personal-knowledge tools force one fixed layout: their idea of "notes" + "p
 **gbrain doesn't have a fixed layout.** It ships with bundled schema packs and lets you author your own when none fit:
 
 - **`gbrain-base-v2`** (default as of v0.41.22) — 15-type DRY/MECE canonical taxonomy (14 canonical + `note` catch-all): `person`, `company`, `media`, `tweet`, `social-digest`, `analysis`, `atom`, `concept`, `source`, `deal`, `email`, `slack`, `writing`, `project`, `note`. Subtypes/format/origin pushed to frontmatter. The taxonomy that responds to issue #1479.
-- **`gbrain-base`** (legacy, v0.41 and earlier brains) — the original 24-type layout. Stays bundled for back-compat; brains on it can upgrade via `gbrain onboard --check --explain` → `gbrain jobs submit unify-types --allow-protected --params '{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2"}'`.
+- **`gbrain-base`** (legacy, v0.41 and earlier brains) — the original 24-type layout. Stays bundled for back-compat; brains on it can upgrade via `gbrain onboard --check --explain` → `gbrain jobs submit unify-types --allow-protected --params '{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2","apply":true}'` (omit `"apply":true` for a dry-run preview — that is the default).
 - **`gbrain-recommended`** — extends `gbrain-base` with the 13 additional directories from `docs/GBRAIN_RECOMMENDED_SCHEMA.md` (source, place, trip, conversation, personal, civic, project, etc.). Activate with `gbrain schema use gbrain-recommended`.
 - **Your own pack** — `gbrain schema detect` clusters your actual filesystem into proposed types, `gbrain schema suggest` runs an LLM pass over them, and `gbrain schema review-candidates --apply` promotes the ones you like. Three commands and the brain knows your shape. Authoring a successor pack (declares `migration_from:` so existing brains can opt in): see [`docs/architecture/pack-upgrade-mechanism.md`](docs/architecture/pack-upgrade-mechanism.md).
 
diff --git a/llms-full.txt b/llms-full.txt
index 27f17f2a5..b89b90a30 100644
--- a/llms-full.txt
+++ b/llms-full.txt
@@ -1730,7 +1730,7 @@ Most personal-knowledge tools force one fixed layout: their idea of "notes" + "p
 **gbrain doesn't have a fixed layout.** It ships with bundled schema packs and lets you author your own when none fit:
 
 - **`gbrain-base-v2`** (default as of v0.41.22) — 15-type DRY/MECE canonical taxonomy (14 canonical + `note` catch-all): `person`, `company`, `media`, `tweet`, `social-digest`, `analysis`, `atom`, `concept`, `source`, `deal`, `email`, `slack`, `writing`, `project`, `note`. Subtypes/format/origin pushed to frontmatter. The taxonomy that responds to issue #1479.
-- **`gbrain-base`** (legacy, v0.41 and earlier brains) — the original 24-type layout. Stays bundled for back-compat; brains on it can upgrade via `gbrain onboard --check --explain` → `gbrain jobs submit unify-types --allow-protected --params '{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2"}'`.
+- **`gbrain-base`** (legacy, v0.41 and earlier brains) — the original 24-type layout. Stays bundled for back-compat; brains on it can upgrade via `gbrain onboard --check --explain` → `gbrain jobs submit unify-types --allow-protected --params '{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2","apply":true}'` (omit `"apply":true` for a dry-run preview — that is the default).
 - **`gbrain-recommended`** — extends `gbrain-base` with the 13 additional directories from `docs/GBRAIN_RECOMMENDED_SCHEMA.md` (source, place, trip, conversation, personal, civic, project, etc.). Activate with `gbrain schema use gbrain-recommended`.
 - **Your own pack** — `gbrain schema detect` clusters your actual filesystem into proposed types, `gbrain schema suggest` runs an LLM pass over them, and `gbrain schema review-candidates --apply` promotes the ones you like. Three commands and the brain knows your shape. Authoring a successor pack (declares `migration_from:` so existing brains can opt in): see [`docs/architecture/pack-upgrade-mechanism.md`](docs/architecture/pack-upgrade-mechanism.md).
 
diff --git a/skills/conventions/schema-evolution.md b/skills/conventions/schema-evolution.md
index 519e5a00a..535096d2d 100644
--- a/skills/conventions/schema-evolution.md
+++ b/skills/conventions/schema-evolution.md
@@ -125,7 +125,8 @@ v0.41.22 ships **gbrain-base-v2** as the declared successor to
 gbrain-base@1.x — collapses 94 noisy types to 15 canonical via
 declarative mapping_rules. Run via `gbrain onboard --check --explain`
 (preview) → `gbrain jobs submit unify-types --allow-protected --params
-'{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2"}'` (apply). See
+'{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2","apply":true}'` (apply — `apply`
+defaults to false, so a bare submit is a dry run). See
 `skills/schema-unify/SKILL.md` for the full playbook.
 
 Authoring a successor pack: declare
diff --git a/skills/schema-unify/SKILL.md b/skills/schema-unify/SKILL.md
index ac9140457..aa1b65529 100644
--- a/skills/schema-unify/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/schema-unify/SKILL.md
@@ -90,9 +90,13 @@ The handler is PROTECTED (manual_only per D17) — autopilot will never auto-fir
 ```bash
 gbrain jobs submit unify-types \
   --allow-protected \
-  --params '{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2"}'
+  --params '{"target_pack":"gbrain-base-v2","apply":true}'
 ```
 
+`apply` defaults to **false** (dry-run) per the handler contract, so
+`"apply":true` is required here or the job reports success having retyped
+nothing and left the active pack unflipped. Omit it to preview.
+
 Watch progress per phase:
 
 ```bash