diff --git a/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/spec-template.md b/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/spec-template.md
index b0e4f53d3..7849094ba 100644
--- a/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/spec-template.md
+++ b/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/spec-template.md
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ title: '{title}'
 type: 'feature' # feature | bugfix | refactor | chore
 created: '{date}'
 status: 'draft' # draft | ready-for-dev | in-progress | in-review | done
+review_loop_iteration: 0 # incremented by step-04 before each review loopback
 context: [] # optional: `{project-root}/`-prefixed paths to project-wide standards/docs the implementation agent should load. Keep short — only what isn't already distilled into the spec body.
 ---
 
diff --git a/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/step-04-review.md b/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/step-04-review.md
index 40ed85532..f5c5411e8 100644
--- a/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/step-04-review.md
+++ b/src/bmm-skills/4-implementation/bmad-quick-dev/step-04-review.md
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 ---
 deferred_work_file: '{implementation_artifacts}/deferred-work.md'
-specLoopIteration: 1
 ---
 
 # Step 4: Review
@@ -37,7 +36,7 @@ Launch two subagents without conversation context. If no sub-agents are availabl
    - **patch** — caused by the change; trivially fixable without human input. Just part of the diff.
    - **defer** — pre-existing issue not caused by this story, surfaced incidentally by the review. Collect for later focused attention.
    - **reject** — noise. Drop silently. When unsure between defer and reject, prefer reject — only defer findings you are confident are real.
-3. Process findings in cascading order. If intent_gap or bad_spec findings exist, they trigger a loopback — lower findings are moot since code will be re-derived. If neither exists, process patch and defer normally. Increment `{specLoopIteration}` on each loopback. If it exceeds 5, HALT and escalate to the human.
+3. Process findings in cascading order. If intent_gap or bad_spec findings exist, they trigger a loopback — lower findings are moot since code will be re-derived. If neither exists, process patch and defer normally. Before each loopback, read `{spec_file}` frontmatter `review_loop_iteration` (missing means `0`), increment it by 1, and write it back. If it exceeds 5, HALT and escalate to the human.
    - **intent_gap** — Root cause is inside `<frozen-after-approval>`. Revert code changes. Loop back to the human to resolve. Once resolved, read fully and follow `./step-02-plan.md` to re-run steps 2–4.
    - **bad_spec** — Root cause is outside `<frozen-after-approval>`. Before reverting code: extract KEEP instructions for positive preservation (what worked well and must survive re-derivation). Revert code changes. Read the `## Spec Change Log` in `{spec_file}` and strictly respect all logged constraints when amending the non-frozen sections that contain the root cause. Append a new change-log entry recording: the triggering finding, what was amended, the known-bad state avoided, and the KEEP instructions. Read fully and follow `./step-03-implement.md` to re-derive the code, then this step will run again.
    - **patch** — Auto-fix. These are the only findings that survive loopbacks.