diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 33e3440..ae2d6d5 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -4655,27 +4655,6 @@
         "node": ">= 8"
       }
     },
-    "node_modules/@remotion/renderer/node_modules/ws": {
-      "version": "8.17.1",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-8.17.1.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-6XQFvXTkbfUOZOKKILFG1PDK2NDQs4azKQl26T0YS5CxqWLgXajbPZ+h4gZekJyRqFU8pvnbAbbs/3TgRPy+GQ==",
-      "license": "MIT",
-      "engines": {
-        "node": ">=10.0.0"
-      },
-      "peerDependencies": {
-        "bufferutil": "^4.0.1",
-        "utf-8-validate": ">=5.0.2"
-      },
-      "peerDependenciesMeta": {
-        "bufferutil": {
-          "optional": true
-        },
-        "utf-8-validate": {
-          "optional": true
-        }
-      }
-    },
     "node_modules/@remotion/sfx": {
       "version": "4.0.451",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@remotion/sfx/-/sfx-4.0.451.tgz",
@@ -6060,27 +6039,6 @@
         "typescript": ">=4.8.4 <6.0.0"
       }
     },
-    "node_modules/@typescript-eslint/typescript-estree/node_modules/balanced-match": {
-      "version": "4.0.4",
-      "dev": true,
-      "license": "MIT",
-      "engines": {
-        "node": "18 || 20 || >=22"
-      }
-    },
-    "node_modules/@typescript-eslint/typescript-estree/node_modules/brace-expansion": {
-      "version": "5.0.5",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/brace-expansion/-/brace-expansion-5.0.5.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-VZznLgtwhn+Mact9tfiwx64fA9erHH/MCXEUfB/0bX/6Fz6ny5EGTXYltMocqg4xFAQZtnO3DHWWXi8RiuN7cQ==",
-      "dev": true,
-      "license": "MIT",
-      "dependencies": {
-        "balanced-match": "^4.0.2"
-      },
-      "engines": {
-        "node": "18 || 20 || >=22"
-      }
-    },
     "node_modules/@typescript-eslint/typescript-estree/node_modules/minimatch": {
       "version": "10.2.4",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/minimatch/-/minimatch-10.2.4.tgz",
@@ -6869,9 +6827,14 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/balanced-match": {
-      "version": "1.0.2",
+      "version": "4.0.4",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/balanced-match/-/balanced-match-4.0.4.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-BLrgEcRTwX2o6gGxGOCNyMvGSp35YofuYzw9h1IMTRmKqttAZZVU67bdb9Pr2vUHA8+j3i2tJfjO6C6+4myGTA==",
       "dev": true,
-      "license": "MIT"
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": "18 || 20 || >=22"
+      }
     },
     "node_modules/bare-events": {
       "version": "2.8.2",
@@ -7021,14 +6984,16 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/brace-expansion": {
-      "version": "1.1.13",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/brace-expansion/-/brace-expansion-1.1.13.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-9ZLprWS6EENmhEOpjCYW2c8VkmOvckIJZfkr7rBW6dObmfgJ/L1GpSYW5Hpo9lDz4D1+n0Ckz8rU7FwHDQiG/w==",
+      "version": "5.0.6",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/brace-expansion/-/brace-expansion-5.0.6.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-kLpxurY4Z4r9sgMsyG0Z9uzsBlgiU/EFKhj/h91/8yHu0edo7XuixOIH3VcJ8kkxs6/jPzoI6U9Vj3WqbMQ94g==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
-        "balanced-match": "^1.0.0",
-        "concat-map": "0.0.1"
+        "balanced-match": "^4.0.2"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": "18 || 20 || >=22"
       }
     },
     "node_modules/braces": {
@@ -7461,11 +7426,6 @@
       "integrity": "sha512-GpVkmM8vF2vQUkj2LvZmD35JxeJOLCwJ9cUkugyk2nuhbv3+mJvpLYYt+0+USMxE+oj+ey/lJEnhZw75x/OMcQ==",
       "license": "MIT"
     },
-    "node_modules/concat-map": {
-      "version": "0.0.1",
-      "dev": true,
-      "license": "MIT"
-    },
     "node_modules/convert-source-map": {
       "version": "2.0.0",
       "dev": true,
@@ -16237,7 +16197,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/ws": {
-      "version": "8.19.0",
+      "version": "8.21.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/ws/-/ws-8.21.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-Vsp28b7DRcimFQvrqu2Wek3z1iYxDCWqHYB8Qsnk/S4RfaCQzPGPyBNuVjJV3cd6UiKtUtp6sNM77gWvzcCH+g==",
       "license": "MIT",
       "engines": {
         "node": ">=10.0.0"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index a4ed3ae..578293b 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -113,7 +113,9 @@
     "lightningcss-linux-x64-gnu": "1.30.2"
   },
   "overrides": {
-    "postcss": "^8.5.10"
+    "postcss": "^8.5.10",
+    "ws": ">=8.21.0",
+    "brace-expansion": ">=5.0.6"
   },
   "lint-staged": {
     "*.{ts,tsx}": "eslint --max-warnings=0",
diff --git a/scripts/config/paths.test.ts b/scripts/config/paths.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d0f32c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/config/paths.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+import {
+  projectFile,
+  artifactDir,
+  transcribeInput,
+  transcriptRaw,
+  diarizationOutput,
+  hookQaDir,
+  transcriptOutput,
+  transcriptDoc,
+  syncVideoDir,
+  syncAudioDir,
+  syncOutputDir,
+  syncedVideo,
+  syncedVideoAngle,
+  cameraProfiles,
+  shortsDir,
+  shortClipDir,
+  shortTranscript,
+  shortDoc,
+  shortsCameraProfiles,
+  shortsTranscriptRaw,
+  carouselClipDir,
+  carouselTranscript,
+  carouselDoc,
+  thumbnailCameraProfiles,
+} from './paths';
+
+const ROOT = '/project/root';
+
+describe('project / artifact', () => {
+  it('projectFile', () => {
+    expect(projectFile(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/.ragtech/project.json');
+  });
+
+  it('artifactDir', () => {
+    expect(artifactDir(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/.ragtech/artifacts');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('transcribe pipeline', () => {
+  it('transcribeInput', () => {
+    expect(transcribeInput(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/transcribe/input');
+  });
+
+  it('transcriptRaw', () => {
+    expect(transcriptRaw(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/transcribe/output/raw/transcript.raw.json');
+  });
+
+  it('diarizationOutput', () => {
+    expect(diarizationOutput(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/transcribe/output/raw/diarization.json');
+  });
+
+  it('hookQaDir', () => {
+    expect(hookQaDir(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/transcribe/output/hook-qa');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('edit / longform output', () => {
+  it('transcriptOutput', () => {
+    expect(transcriptOutput(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/edit/transcript.json');
+  });
+
+  it('transcriptDoc', () => {
+    expect(transcriptDoc(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/edit/transcript.doc.txt');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('sync pipeline', () => {
+  it('syncVideoDir', () => {
+    expect(syncVideoDir(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/sync/video');
+  });
+
+  it('syncAudioDir', () => {
+    expect(syncAudioDir(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/sync/audio');
+  });
+
+  it('syncOutputDir', () => {
+    expect(syncOutputDir(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/sync/output');
+  });
+
+  it('syncedVideo', () => {
+    expect(syncedVideo(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/sync/output/synced-output.mp4');
+  });
+
+  it('syncedVideoAngle — index 1', () => {
+    expect(syncedVideoAngle(1, ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/sync/output/synced-output-1.mp4');
+  });
+
+  it('syncedVideoAngle — index 2', () => {
+    expect(syncedVideoAngle(2, ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/sync/output/synced-output-2.mp4');
+  });
+
+  it('syncedVideoAngle — index 0 throws', () => {
+    expect(() => syncedVideoAngle(0, ROOT)).toThrow(RangeError);
+  });
+
+  it('syncedVideoAngle — negative index throws', () => {
+    expect(() => syncedVideoAngle(-1, ROOT)).toThrow(RangeError);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('camera', () => {
+  it('cameraProfiles', () => {
+    expect(cameraProfiles(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/camera/camera-profiles.json');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('shorts pipeline', () => {
+  it('shortsDir', () => {
+    expect(shortsDir(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/shorts');
+  });
+
+  it('shortClipDir', () => {
+    expect(shortClipDir('clip-01', ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/shorts/clip-01');
+  });
+
+  it('shortTranscript', () => {
+    expect(shortTranscript('clip-01', ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/shorts/clip-01/transcript.json');
+  });
+
+  it('shortDoc', () => {
+    expect(shortDoc('clip-01', ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/shorts/clip-01/transcript.doc.txt');
+  });
+
+  it('shortsCameraProfiles', () => {
+    expect(shortsCameraProfiles(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/shorts/camera-profiles.json');
+  });
+
+  it('shortsTranscriptRaw', () => {
+    expect(shortsTranscriptRaw(ROOT)).toBe(
+      '/project/root/public/shorts/transcribe/output/raw/transcript.raw.json',
+    );
+  });
+});
+
+describe('carousel pipeline', () => {
+  it('carouselClipDir', () => {
+    expect(carouselClipDir('ep-42', ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/carousel/ep-42');
+  });
+
+  it('carouselTranscript', () => {
+    expect(carouselTranscript('ep-42', ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/carousel/ep-42/transcript.json');
+  });
+
+  it('carouselDoc', () => {
+    expect(carouselDoc('ep-42', ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/carousel/ep-42/transcript.doc.txt');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('thumbnail pipeline', () => {
+  it('thumbnailCameraProfiles', () => {
+    expect(thumbnailCameraProfiles(ROOT)).toBe('/project/root/public/thumbnail/camera-profiles.json');
+  });
+});
+
+describe('cwd defaults', () => {
+  it('uses process.cwd() as root when cwd is omitted', () => {
+    const result = transcriptOutput();
+    expect(result.startsWith(process.cwd())).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.endsWith('/public/edit/transcript.json')).toBe(true);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('id guards', () => {
+  it('shortClipDir — empty string throws', () => {
+    expect(() => shortClipDir('', ROOT)).toThrow(TypeError);
+  });
+
+  it('carouselClipDir — empty string throws', () => {
+    expect(() => carouselClipDir('', ROOT)).toThrow(TypeError);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/scripts/config/paths.ts b/scripts/config/paths.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a1c7f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/config/paths.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+/**
+ * Centralized path resolution for all pipeline scripts.
+ *
+ * All helpers are pure functions — no filesystem reads, no side effects.
+ * Pass `cwd` (defaults to `process.cwd()`) to get absolute paths.
+ *
+ * Internal dir helpers (not exported) are kept private to allow restructuring
+ * without breaking callers. Export only the paths scripts actually reference.
+ */
+
+import path from 'path';
+import { PROJECT_DIR, PROJECT_FILENAME } from './project';
+import { ARTIFACTS_DIR } from './artifacts';
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Project / artifact store
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+export function projectFile(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, PROJECT_DIR, PROJECT_FILENAME);
+}
+
+export function artifactDir(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, ARTIFACTS_DIR);
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Transcribe pipeline
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/** Directory where raw audio/video input files are placed before transcription. */
+export function transcribeInput(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'transcribe', 'input');
+}
+
+function transcribeRawDir(cwd: string): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'transcribe', 'output', 'raw');
+}
+
+export function transcriptRaw(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(transcribeRawDir(cwd), 'transcript.raw.json');
+}
+
+export function diarizationOutput(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(transcribeRawDir(cwd), 'diarization.json');
+}
+
+export function hookQaDir(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'transcribe', 'output', 'hook-qa');
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Edit / longform output
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+export function transcriptOutput(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'edit', 'transcript.json');
+}
+
+export function transcriptDoc(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'edit', 'transcript.doc.txt');
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Sync pipeline
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+export function syncVideoDir(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'sync', 'video');
+}
+
+export function syncAudioDir(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'sync', 'audio');
+}
+
+/** Directory containing synced output videos. Use for readdir; prefer {@link syncedVideo} or {@link syncedVideoAngle} for specific files. */
+export function syncOutputDir(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'sync', 'output');
+}
+
+/**
+ * Single-angle synced video (`synced-output.mp4`).
+ * For multi-angle recordings use {@link syncedVideoAngle} instead.
+ */
+export function syncedVideo(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(syncOutputDir(cwd), 'synced-output.mp4');
+}
+
+/**
+ * Multi-angle synced video — produces `synced-output-{index}.mp4`.
+ * Index is 1-based. Throws if index < 1.
+ * For single-angle recordings use {@link syncedVideo} instead.
+ */
+export function syncedVideoAngle(index: number, cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  if (index < 1) throw new RangeError(`syncedVideoAngle: index must be ≥ 1, got ${index}`);
+  return path.join(syncOutputDir(cwd), `synced-output-${index}.mp4`);
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Camera
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+function cameraProfilesDir(cwd: string): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'camera');
+}
+
+export function cameraProfiles(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cameraProfilesDir(cwd), 'camera-profiles.json');
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Shorts pipeline
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/** Root shorts directory. Use for existence checks and readdir. */
+export function shortsDir(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'shorts');
+}
+
+export function shortClipDir(id: string, cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  if (!id) throw new TypeError('shortClipDir: id must not be empty');
+  return path.join(shortsDir(cwd), id);
+}
+
+export function shortTranscript(id: string, cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(shortClipDir(id, cwd), 'transcript.json');
+}
+
+export function shortDoc(id: string, cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(shortClipDir(id, cwd), 'transcript.doc.txt');
+}
+
+export function shortsCameraProfiles(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(shortsDir(cwd), 'camera-profiles.json');
+}
+
+function shortsTranscribeRawDir(cwd: string): string {
+  return path.join(shortsDir(cwd), 'transcribe', 'output', 'raw');
+}
+
+export function shortsTranscriptRaw(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(shortsTranscribeRawDir(cwd), 'transcript.raw.json');
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Carousel pipeline
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+function carouselDir(cwd: string): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'carousel');
+}
+
+export function carouselClipDir(id: string, cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  if (!id) throw new TypeError('carouselClipDir: id must not be empty');
+  return path.join(carouselDir(cwd), id);
+}
+
+export function carouselTranscript(id: string, cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(carouselClipDir(id, cwd), 'transcript.json');
+}
+
+export function carouselDoc(id: string, cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(carouselClipDir(id, cwd), 'transcript.doc.txt');
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Thumbnail pipeline
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+function thumbnailDir(cwd: string): string {
+  return path.join(cwd, 'public', 'thumbnail');
+}
+
+export function thumbnailCameraProfiles(cwd: string = process.cwd()): string {
+  return path.join(thumbnailDir(cwd), 'camera-profiles.json');
+}