diff --git a/orchestrate/skills/orchestrate/scripts/__tests__/prompt-literal-values.test.ts b/orchestrate/skills/orchestrate/scripts/__tests__/prompt-literal-values.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1d0ed5ba9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/orchestrate/skills/orchestrate/scripts/__tests__/prompt-literal-values.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+import { describe, expect, test } from "bun:test";
+import { renderPromptTemplate } from "../core/prompts.ts";
+
+describe("literal template values", () => {
+  const values = {
+    goal: "Build a feature",
+    agentId: "agent-123",
+    dispatcherInstruction: "",
+    slackChannelInstruction: "",
+    loopHygiene: "",
+  };
+
+  test("preserves JavaScript replacement tokens in a task goal", () => {
+    const goal = "Implement replacements $& and $` and $' literally";
+    expect(renderPromptTemplate("root", { ...values, goal })).toContain(goal);
+  });
+
+  test("preserves code template braces in a task goal", () => {
+    const goal = "Render the user template {{customer}} literally";
+    expect(renderPromptTemplate("root", { ...values, goal })).toContain(goal);
+  });
+
+  test("does not replace inserted text with other template variable values", () => {
+    const goal = "Test literal {{agentId}} syntax";
+    expect(renderPromptTemplate("root", { ...values, goal })).toContain(goal);
+  });
+
+  test("ordinary template variables still render", () => {
+    const rendered = renderPromptTemplate("root", values);
+    expect(rendered).toContain(values.goal);
+    expect(rendered).toContain(values.agentId);
+  });
+
+  test("missing template variables still fail with an actionable error", () => {
+    expect(() => renderPromptTemplate("root", { goal: "test" })).toThrow("unrendered placeholders");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/orchestrate/skills/orchestrate/scripts/core/prompts.ts b/orchestrate/skills/orchestrate/scripts/core/prompts.ts
index f80f7f703..e3df9ba11 100644
--- a/orchestrate/skills/orchestrate/scripts/core/prompts.ts
+++ b/orchestrate/skills/orchestrate/scripts/core/prompts.ts
@@ -34,14 +34,14 @@ export function renderPromptTemplate(
     templateCache.set(name, template);
   }
 
-  let rendered = template;
-  for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(vars)) {
-    rendered = rendered.replaceAll(`{{${key}}}`, value);
-  }
-
-  const unrendered = [...rendered.matchAll(/{{([^{}]+)}}/g)].map(m =>
-    m[1].trim()
-  );
+  const unrendered: string[] = [];
+  // Match placeholders in the template once. Values are task content, so they
+  // must not be interpreted as replacement tokens or additional placeholders.
+  const rendered = template.replace(/{{([^{}]+)}}/g, (placeholder, key: string) => {
+    if (Object.hasOwn(vars, key)) return vars[key];
+    unrendered.push(key.trim());
+    return placeholder;
+  });
   if (unrendered.length > 0) {
     const placeholders = [...new Set(unrendered)].join(", ");
     throw new PlanValidationError(