diff --git a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
index 69cf6a8..032d2b0 100644
--- a/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
+++ b/.claude-plugin/marketplace.json
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@
         "source": "github",
         "repo": "mattpocock/skills"
       },
-      "strict": false,
+      "strict": true,
       "description": "Curated picks from mattpocock/skills, tracking upstream.",
       "skills": [
         "./skills/productivity/caveman",
diff --git a/.claude/skills/create-hoopit-skill/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/create-hoopit-skill/SKILL.md
index 94fc5b7..2a49162 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/create-hoopit-skill/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/create-hoopit-skill/SKILL.md
@@ -70,8 +70,10 @@ The `README.md` does **not** list individual skills (deliberately — it was a
 maintenance burden), so adding a skill needs no README change.
 
 `hoopit-matt-picks` is special: it has a `github` source pointing at
-`mattpocock/skills` with `strict: false` and an explicit `skills` array, so its
-skills resolve against *that* repo. To curate it, edit only its `skills` array in
+`mattpocock/skills` with `strict: true` and an explicit `skills` array, so its
+skills resolve against *that* repo. `strict: true` is required because the
+upstream plugin ships its own manifest; it makes our `skills` list authoritative
+instead of conflicting with theirs. To curate it, edit only its `skills` array in
 the manifest.
 
 ## Checklist
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 0ca39e5..41a2f7f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -46,9 +46,10 @@ each group gets its own directory rather than a shared top-level `skills/` (a
 single shared folder would leak every skill into every plugin).
 
 `hoopit-matt-picks` is the exception: it uses a `github` source pointing at
-`mattpocock/skills` with `strict: false` and an explicit `skills` array listing
+`mattpocock/skills` with `strict: true` and an explicit `skills` array listing
 the specific skill paths to surface (a marketplace can list a plugin fetched from
-a different repo).
+a different repo). `strict: true` makes that curated list authoritative, so it
+overrides the upstream plugin's own manifest instead of conflicting with it.
 
 > **Adding or removing a Hoopit skill?** When working in this repo, Claude has a
 > project-local `create-hoopit-skill` skill (under `.claude/skills/`) that