Problem
Running the skills-ref validator against the git-repo skill's frontmatter reports two failures:
- The frontmatter includes a
depends-on field, which is not in the validator's allowed field list (allowed-tools / compatibility / description / license / metadata / name).
- The
description field is roughly 1636 characters, exceeding the validator's 1024-character limit.
Neither issue affects the skill's runtime behavior today, but it means the skill does not pass spec validation, and the over-length description is a maintenance smell (a frontmatter field is not the right place for that much text).
Scope
- Shorten
description to 1024 characters or fewer using standard reduction strategies (trim redundant phrasing, move detail into the skill body instead of the frontmatter field).
- Remove the
depends-on field from frontmatter, since it is not part of the allowed field list. If the dependency information it conveyed is still useful, express it in prose instead — for example as a "Topic Dependencies" section in the skill body — rather than as a frontmatter field.
- Re-run the skills-ref validator against the skill afterward to confirm both failures are resolved.
Verification
| Feature |
Procedure |
Expected Result |
| Description length |
Run the skills-ref validator against the skill's frontmatter |
description passes the length check (≤1024 chars) |
| Allowed-fields check |
Run the skills-ref validator against the skill's frontmatter |
No disallowed fields (e.g. depends-on) remain in frontmatter |
| Dependency info preserved |
Review the skill body |
If dependency information existed in the removed field, it is still findable in the skill body (e.g. a Topic Dependencies section) |
| No behavior regression |
Exercise the skill's existing topics |
Skill continues to load and function as before |
Problem
Running the skills-ref validator against the
git-reposkill's frontmatter reports two failures:depends-onfield, which is not in the validator's allowed field list (allowed-tools/compatibility/description/license/metadata/name).descriptionfield is roughly 1636 characters, exceeding the validator's 1024-character limit.Neither issue affects the skill's runtime behavior today, but it means the skill does not pass spec validation, and the over-length description is a maintenance smell (a frontmatter field is not the right place for that much text).
Scope
descriptionto 1024 characters or fewer using standard reduction strategies (trim redundant phrasing, move detail into the skill body instead of the frontmatter field).depends-onfield from frontmatter, since it is not part of the allowed field list. If the dependency information it conveyed is still useful, express it in prose instead — for example as a "Topic Dependencies" section in the skill body — rather than as a frontmatter field.Verification
descriptionpasses the length check (≤1024 chars)depends-on) remain in frontmatter