diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ea567526..2a023bf5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# CodeLens v8.2 — AI-Native Code Intelligence
+# CodeLens — AI-Native Code Intelligence
 
 > **Before an AI writes a new class/id/function, CodeLens must be checked. This is not optional.**
 
diff --git a/SKILL-QUICK.md b/SKILL-QUICK.md
index 1d7f58c5..31b8f31f 100755
--- a/SKILL-QUICK.md
+++ b/SKILL-QUICK.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# CodeLens v8.2 — Quick Reference
+# CodeLens — Quick Reference
 
 **MUST activate before writing/editing/deleting any class, id, or function.**
 
diff --git a/SKILL.md b/SKILL.md
index 587853db..4435803e 100755
--- a/SKILL.md
+++ b/SKILL.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ description: >
   For version history, see CHANGELOG.md.
 ---
 
-# CodeLens v8.1
+# CodeLens
 
 Before an AI writes a new class/id/function, CodeLens must be checked. This is not optional.
 
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index 514e689f..59f5ad93 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "setuptools.build_meta"
 
 [project]
 name = "codelens"
-version = "7.2.0"
+version = "8.2.0"
 description = "Live Codebase Reference Intelligence — 45 commands for AI-powered code analysis, security auditing, and quality scoring"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = {text = "MIT"}
diff --git a/scripts/utils.py b/scripts/utils.py
index dbfc5248..e3644b9e 100644
--- a/scripts/utils.py
+++ b/scripts/utils.py
@@ -390,7 +390,7 @@ def _identify_signature(sig: bytes) -> Optional[str]:
 
 # ─── Version ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-CODELENS_VERSION = "8.0.0"
+CODELENS_VERSION = "8.2.0"
 
 
 # ─── Generated File Detection ───────────────────────────────
diff --git a/skill.json b/skill.json
index 2239cb55..69610288 100755
--- a/skill.json
+++ b/skill.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "codelens",
-  "version": "7.2.0",
+  "version": "8.2.0",
   "description": "Live Codebase Reference Intelligence. 45 commands for AI-powered code analysis, security auditing, quality scoring, and pre-write safety checks. Supports 28+ languages with regex+AST hybrid parsing. Must activate before writing/editing/deleting any class, id, or function.",
   "author": "codelens",
   "command_categories": {
diff --git a/tests/test_version_consistency.py b/tests/test_version_consistency.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..de99a218
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_version_consistency.py
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+"""
+Tests for version consistency across CodeLens metadata files.
+
+Issue #37 reported version drift across 6 files: pyproject.toml,
+skill.json, scripts/utils.py, README.md, SKILL.md, SKILL-QUICK.md.
+This test file is the CI guard that prevents future drift.
+
+Contract:
+  - ``scripts/utils.py:CODELENS_VERSION`` is the single source of truth.
+  - ``pyproject.toml`` ``version`` field must equal ``CODELENS_VERSION``.
+  - ``skill.json`` ``version`` field must equal ``CODELENS_VERSION``.
+  - Documentation H1 headings (README.md, SKILL.md, SKILL-QUICK.md)
+    must NOT embed a ``vX.Y`` literal — readers should run
+    ``codelens --version`` for the live version.
+
+Run:
+    python3 -m pytest tests/test_version_consistency.py -v
+"""
+
+import json
+import os
+import re
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+# Make scripts/ importable so we can read the canonical CODELENS_VERSION
+# directly. Same convention as tests/test_cli.py.
+SCRIPT_DIR = os.path.join(
+    os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__))), "scripts"
+)
+sys.path.insert(0, SCRIPT_DIR)
+
+from utils import CODELENS_VERSION  # noqa: E402
+
+REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+PYPROJECT_PATH = REPO_ROOT / "pyproject.toml"
+SKILL_JSON_PATH = REPO_ROOT / "skill.json"
+DOC_PATHS = [
+    REPO_ROOT / "README.md",
+    REPO_ROOT / "SKILL.md",
+    REPO_ROOT / "SKILL-QUICK.md",
+]
+
+# A "vX.Y" or "vX.Y.Z" literal embedded in a doc H1. We reject any
+# version-like prefix on the title line because the live version lives
+# in CODELENS_VERSION, not in markdown.
+_DOC_VERSION_PATTERN = re.compile(r"v\d+\.\d+")
+
+
+def _read_pyproject_version() -> str:
+    """Return the ``version`` value from ``[project]`` in pyproject.toml.
+
+    Prefers ``tomllib`` (stdlib in Python 3.11+) for a clean parse.
+    Falls back to a regex on the ``version = "..."`` line for older
+    Python (3.8-3.10) where ``tomllib`` is not available and we don't
+    want to add ``tomli`` as a test-only dependency.
+
+    Returns:
+        The version string declared in pyproject.toml.
+
+    Raises:
+        AssertionError: if the version field cannot be located.
+    """
+    try:
+        import tomllib  # type: ignore[import-not-found]
+    except ModuleNotFoundError:
+        # Python 3.8-3.10 fallback: regex the version line. Safe here
+        # because pyproject.toml has exactly one top-level
+        # ``version = "..."`` line (verified by the test below).
+        text = PYPROJECT_PATH.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        match = re.search(r'^version\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"', text, re.MULTILINE)
+        assert match, (
+            f"Could not find `version = \"...\"` in {PYPROJECT_PATH}. "
+            f"Is the [project] table still present?"
+        )
+        return match.group(1)
+
+    with PYPROJECT_PATH.open("rb") as fh:
+        data = tomllib.load(fh)
+    project_table = data.get("project", {})
+    version = project_table.get("version")
+    assert version, (
+        f"pyproject.toml [project] table has no `version` key. "
+        f"Either hardcode it or wire up dynamic = ['version']."
+    )
+    # If dynamic versioning is ever enabled, `version` will be None and
+    # the assert above will fire — surfacing the regression explicitly
+    # rather than silently passing the test.
+    return str(version)
+
+
+def test_pyproject_version_matches_utils() -> None:
+    """``pyproject.toml`` version must equal ``utils.CODELENS_VERSION``.
+
+    This is the CI guard for the PyPI/packaging metadata side of the
+    drift reported in issue #37. If a maintainer bumps
+    ``CODELENS_VERSION`` without also bumping ``pyproject.toml``, this
+    test fails.
+
+    The single source of truth is ``utils.CODELENS_VERSION`` — when
+    the two disagree, this test treats the constant as canonical and
+    reports the pyproject value as the one that needs updating.
+    """
+    pyproject_version = _read_pyproject_version()
+    assert pyproject_version == CODELENS_VERSION, (
+        f"Version drift: pyproject.toml declares version="
+        f"{pyproject_version!r} but scripts/utils.py:CODELENS_VERSION="
+        f"{CODELENS_VERSION!r}. Bump pyproject.toml to match "
+        f"(CODELENS_VERSION is the single source of truth)."
+    )
+
+
+def test_skill_json_version_matches_utils() -> None:
+    """``skill.json`` version must equal ``utils.CODELENS_VERSION``.
+
+    ``skill.json`` is the MCP server's externally-advertised manifest
+    (and what AI hosts read to decide whether to activate the skill).
+    A stale ``version`` field here is the most user-visible symptom of
+    drift — it tells AI agents the wrong capability level.
+    """
+    with SKILL_JSON_PATH.open("r", encoding="utf-8") as fh:
+        skill_data = json.load(fh)
+    skill_version = skill_data.get("version")
+    assert skill_version is not None, (
+        f"skill.json has no top-level `version` field. "
+        f"Add one matching CODELENS_VERSION={CODELENS_VERSION!r}."
+    )
+    assert skill_version == CODELENS_VERSION, (
+        f"Version drift: skill.json declares version={skill_version!r} "
+        f"but scripts/utils.py:CODELENS_VERSION={CODELENS_VERSION!r}. "
+        f"Bump skill.json to match (CODELENS_VERSION is the single "
+        f"source of truth)."
+    )
+
+
+def test_no_version_in_doc_headings() -> None:
+    """Doc H1 headings must NOT embed a ``vX.Y`` literal.
+
+    The live version lives in ``CODELENS_VERSION`` and is queried via
+    ``codelens --version``. Hardcoding ``v8.2`` (or any other literal)
+    in the README/SKILL/SKILL-QUICK H1 headings creates a third source
+    of truth that drifts the moment a maintainer bumps
+    ``CODELENS_VERSION`` without remembering to edit markdown — which
+    is exactly how issue #37's drift happened.
+
+    This test scans the first line of each doc and fails if a
+    ``v<digit>.<digit>`` pattern appears anywhere on it.
+    """
+    missing = [p for p in DOC_PATHS if not p.exists()]
+    assert not missing, f"Doc file(s) missing: {missing}"
+
+    drifted: list[str] = []
+    for path in DOC_PATHS:
+        first_line = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8").splitlines()[0]
+        match = _DOC_VERSION_PATTERN.search(first_line)
+        if match is not None:
+            drifted.append(
+                f"{path.name}:1 — H1 contains version literal "
+                f"{match.group(0)!r} in line: {first_line!r}"
+            )
+
+    assert not drifted, (
+        f"Doc H1 headings must not embed version literals — "
+        f"CODELENS_VERSION={CODELENS_VERSION!r} is the single source "
+        f"of truth. Readers should run `codelens --version` for the "
+        f"live version. Drift found in:\n  - " + "\n  - ".join(drifted)
+    )