diff --git a/cmd/init.go b/cmd/init.go
index fa14996..2d1d251 100644
--- a/cmd/init.go
+++ b/cmd/init.go
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 
 	srctx "github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/context"
+	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/engine"
 	srerr "github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/errors"
 	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/git"
 	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/graph"
@@ -92,6 +93,21 @@ func runInit(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("stackr already initialized (use --reset to re-initialize)")
 	}
 
+	// A remote that already has stackr metadata means another clone initialized
+	// this repo — creating blank state here would silently shadow the shared
+	// graph. Adopt the remote's state instead. --reset keeps meaning "start
+	// over deliberately", so it skips the adoption.
+	if !initFlagReset {
+		if remote, ok := remoteWithStackrMeta(c); ok {
+			fmt.Printf("Found existing stackr metadata on %s — adopting it instead of initializing fresh.\n", remote)
+			if err := engine.PullMeta(c); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			maybeOfferClaudeInstall(c)
+			return nil
+		}
+	}
+
 	trunk := initFlagTrunk
 	if trunk == "" {
 		trunk, err = c.Git.DefaultBranch()
@@ -149,6 +165,27 @@ func runInit(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// remoteWithStackrMeta reports which remote, if any, already holds stackr
+// metadata. Best-effort by design: it probes the network, and a remote that
+// is unreachable is treated the same as one without metadata — init then
+// proceeds fresh, which is also what an offline `sr init` needs.
+func remoteWithStackrMeta(c *srctx.Context) (string, bool) {
+	rs, ok := c.Store.(*store.RefStore)
+	if !ok {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	remotes, err := c.Git.ListRemotes()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", false
+	}
+	for _, remote := range remotes {
+		if has, err := c.Git.RemoteHasRef(remote, rs.Ref()); err == nil && has {
+			return remote, true
+		}
+	}
+	return "", false
+}
+
 // maybeOfferClaudeInstall checks whether the stackr Claude Code prompt is
 // already reachable for this repo — in its own CLAUDE.md or the user's global
 // one — and, if not, offers to run the equivalent of `sr claude install`.
diff --git a/cmd/init_test.go b/cmd/init_test.go
index 6c71fb6..68b8a22 100644
--- a/cmd/init_test.go
+++ b/cmd/init_test.go
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"testing"
 
+	srctx "github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/context"
 	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/git"
+	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/store"
 	"github.com/amustafa/stackr/internal/ui"
 )
 
@@ -256,3 +258,63 @@ func TestApplyFormResultCustomBranch(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("should have created a commit")
 	}
 }
+
+// seedRemoteWithMeta creates a bare remote carrying refs/stackr/data and
+// returns a fresh clone's context — the "new collaborator" starting state.
+func seedRemoteWithMeta(t *testing.T, seed bool) *srctx.Context {
+	t.Helper()
+
+	remoteDir := t.TempDir()
+	remote := &git.Runner{Dir: remoteDir}
+	if _, err := remote.RunGitCapture("init", "--bare"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("git init bare: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if seed {
+		seedDir := t.TempDir()
+		seeder := &git.Runner{Dir: seedDir}
+		if _, err := seeder.RunGitCapture("clone", remoteDir, "."); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("clone seeder: %v", err)
+		}
+		seeder.RunGitCapture("config", "user.email", "seed@test.com")
+		seeder.RunGitCapture("config", "user.name", "Seeder")
+		gitDir, _ := seeder.GitCommonDir()
+		st := store.NewRefStore(seeder, gitDir)
+		if err := st.WriteConfig(&store.Config{Trunk: "main", Remote: "origin"}); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("seed WriteConfig: %v", err)
+		}
+		if err := st.Push("origin"); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("seed Push: %v", err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	runner := &git.Runner{Dir: dir}
+	if _, err := runner.RunGitCapture("clone", remoteDir, "."); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("clone: %v", err)
+	}
+	gitDir, _ := runner.GitCommonDir()
+	return &srctx.Context{
+		Git:   runner,
+		Store: store.NewRefStore(runner, gitDir),
+		Quiet: true,
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRemoteWithStackrMeta_FindsSeededRemote(t *testing.T) {
+	c := seedRemoteWithMeta(t, true)
+	remote, ok := remoteWithStackrMeta(c)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("must detect stackr metadata on the seeded remote")
+	}
+	if remote != "origin" {
+		t.Fatalf("remote = %q, want origin", remote)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRemoteWithStackrMeta_EmptyRemote(t *testing.T) {
+	c := seedRemoteWithMeta(t, false)
+	if remote, ok := remoteWithStackrMeta(c); ok {
+		t.Fatalf("must not detect metadata on an empty remote, got %q", remote)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/git/remote.go b/internal/git/remote.go
index 350a529..3062d3a 100644
--- a/internal/git/remote.go
+++ b/internal/git/remote.go
@@ -142,6 +142,18 @@ func (r *Runner) FetchPrune(remote string) error {
 	return r.RunGit("fetch", "--prune", remote)
 }
 
+// RemoteHasRef asks the remote itself (via ls-remote) whether ref exists.
+// Unlike RemoteBranchExists it does not depend on a prior fetch — custom refs
+// like refs/stackr/data are never fetched by default — at the cost of a
+// network round-trip.
+func (r *Runner) RemoteHasRef(remote, ref string) (bool, error) {
+	out, err := r.RunGitCapture("ls-remote", remote, ref)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	return strings.TrimSpace(out) != "", nil
+}
+
 // RemoteBranchExists checks if a branch exists on the remote.
 func (r *Runner) RemoteBranchExists(remote, branch string) (bool, error) {
 	_, err := r.RunGitCapture("rev-parse", "--verify", "refs/remotes/"+remote+"/"+branch)