diff --git a/packages/cli/src/filesystem/manifest.ts b/packages/cli/src/filesystem/manifest.ts
index f78347bb..99698819 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/filesystem/manifest.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/filesystem/manifest.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import { CLIError } from "../util/cli-error";
 import { buildInvocation } from "../util/invocation";
+import { isRecord } from "../util/is-record";
 
 /**
  * The `.taskless/taskless.json` manifest: its shape, and reading and writing it.
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ export async function readRawManifest(
   // manifest. Reading `.version` off `null` would throw a bare TypeError, and
   // treating it as version 0 has the same consequence as an unparseable file:
   // the next write replaces whatever is there.
-  if (!isPlainObject(parsed)) {
+  if (!isRecord(parsed)) {
     throw unreadableManifest(path, "its top-level value is not a JSON object");
   }
 
@@ -189,8 +190,8 @@ export async function readManifest(
   return {
     manifest: {
       version,
-      install: isPlainObject(install) ? install : undefined,
-      rules: isPlainObject(rules) ? rules : undefined,
+      install: isRecord(install) ? install : undefined,
+      rules: isRecord(rules) ? rules : undefined,
     },
     raw,
   };
@@ -219,7 +220,3 @@ export async function writeManifest(
   }
   await writeRawManifest(directory, merged);
 }
-
-function isPlainObject(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
-  return typeof value === "object" && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value);
-}
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0002-install.ts b/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0002-install.ts
index 39ac609a..1a1f1ae6 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0002-install.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0002-install.ts
@@ -2,13 +2,10 @@ import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import type { Migration } from "../types";
+import { isRecord } from "../../util/is-record";
 
 const MANIFEST_FILE = "taskless.json";
 
-function isPlainObject(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
-  return typeof value === "object" && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value);
-}
-
 /**
  * Migration 2 — seed an empty `install` object in taskless.json.
  *
@@ -21,14 +18,14 @@ const migration: Migration = async (directory) => {
   try {
     const content = await readFile(manifestPath, "utf8");
     const parsed = JSON.parse(content) as unknown;
-    if (isPlainObject(parsed)) {
+    if (isRecord(parsed)) {
       raw = parsed;
     }
   } catch {
     // Missing or unparseable — fall through and write a minimal manifest
   }
 
-  if (!isPlainObject(raw.install)) {
+  if (!isRecord(raw.install)) {
     raw.install = {};
     await writeFile(manifestPath, JSON.stringify(raw, null, 2) + "\n", "utf8");
   }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0003-drop-installed-at.ts b/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0003-drop-installed-at.ts
index c8962f98..71eef762 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0003-drop-installed-at.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/filesystem/migrations/0003-drop-installed-at.ts
@@ -2,13 +2,10 @@ import { readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { join } from "node:path";
 
 import type { Migration } from "../types";
+import { isRecord } from "../../util/is-record";
 
 const MANIFEST_FILE = "taskless.json";
 
-function isPlainObject(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
-  return typeof value === "object" && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value);
-}
-
 /**
  * Migration 3 — drop the unused `install.installedAt` timestamp.
  *
@@ -22,7 +19,7 @@ const migration: Migration = async (directory) => {
   try {
     const content = await readFile(manifestPath, "utf8");
     const parsed = JSON.parse(content) as unknown;
-    if (isPlainObject(parsed)) {
+    if (isRecord(parsed)) {
       raw = parsed;
     }
   } catch {
@@ -31,7 +28,7 @@ const migration: Migration = async (directory) => {
   }
 
   const install = raw.install;
-  if (isPlainObject(install) && "installedAt" in install) {
+  if (isRecord(install) && "installedAt" in install) {
     delete install.installedAt;
     await writeFile(manifestPath, JSON.stringify(raw, null, 2) + "\n", "utf8");
   }