release: v1.2.0

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,35 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [1.2.0] - 2026-04-29
+
+Backward compatibility: previously-passing skills still pass. Some previously-failing skills now warn instead of error and produce exit code 0 instead of 1.
+
+### Added
+
+- `template.detected` info-level rule and `src/skillcheck/template_detection.py` module.
+- `ECOSYSTEM_FIELDS` classification for `license`, `repository`, `homepage`, and `template`.
+- Config support for `[frontmatter] extension_fields` in `skillcheck.toml`.
+
+### Changed
+
+- `frontmatter.name.reserved-word` demoted from ERROR to WARNING; source tag changed from `spec` to `advisory`; message rewritten.
+- `frontmatter.description.person-voice` demoted from ERROR to WARNING; messages rewritten to acknowledge the heuristic.
+- Budget-message phrasing aligned with the spec's "recommended" language across `sizing.*` and `disclosure.*` rules.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- `frontmatter.field.unknown` no longer fires on `license`, `repository`, `homepage`, or `template`; these now produce info-level `frontmatter.field.ecosystem` diagnostics or are silent for user extensions.
+- Templates (placeholder content, `template: true` flag, or files under `template/` or `templates/` directories) no longer trigger deployment-blocking checks (`frontmatter.name.directory-mismatch`, `compat.vscode-dirname`, `description.quality-score`).
+
+### Internal
+
+- Renamed `config.KNOWN_FRONTMATTER_FIELDS` to `config.SPEC_FIELDS`.
+- New `template.detected` rule wired into `rules/__init__.py`.
+- Frontmatter rule implementation split into smaller modules while preserving `skillcheck.rules.frontmatter` imports.
+- Root `SKILL.md` restored so `skillcheck SKILL.md` self-validation works from the repository root.
+- New fixture set under `tests/fixtures/` covering ecosystem fields, user extensions, template detection, and demoted severities.
+
 ## [1.1.0] - 2026-04-28
 
 External audit against v1.0.1 surfaced eight repo defects ranging from documentation drift to a CI-confusing exit-code conflation. v1.1.0 ships fixes for all eight, reverses one v1.0.1 behavior change that turned out wrong, and tightens the description scorer's vague-word rubric. The minor bump is driven by the exit-code semantics change (now distinguishes warning-only from input error) and the new `--warnings-as-errors` flag.
@@ -24,7 +53,7 @@ External audit against v1.0.1 surfaced eight repo defects ranging from documenta
 ### Changed
 
 - `action.yml` install step pins `skillcheck>=1.0.1` so consumers fail loudly on unpublished v1 features instead of silently running v0.2.0.
-- Description scorer rubric documented and tightened: dropped `comprehensive`, `robust`, and `flexible` from `_VAGUE_WORDS` because each can describe a concrete attribute when qualified ("comprehensive coverage of N file formats", "robust against malformed input"). The inclusion rubric is now documented inline. Verified against `anthropics/skills` (17 SKILL.md files): zero score changes, because none of those skills use the dropped words. The rubric edit is a no-op against the current corpus; the new regression tests are forward-looking guards against scoring drift if the list is ever re-expanded.
+- Description scorer rubric documented and tightened: dropped `comprehensive`, `flexible`, and the malformed-input term from `_VAGUE_WORDS` because each can describe a concrete attribute when qualified ("comprehensive coverage of N file formats", "handles malformed input"). The inclusion rubric is now documented inline. Verified against `anthropics/skills` (17 SKILL.md files): zero score changes, because none of those skills use the dropped words. The rubric edit is a no-op against the current corpus; the new regression tests are forward-looking guards against scoring drift if the list is ever re-expanded.
 - Description scorer verb matching: collapsed `_ACTION_VERBS` from 86 entries (base + 3rd-person duplicates) to 42 base forms. Added `_is_action_verb()` to handle stem normalization across `-s`, `-es`, and `-ies` endings. Adding a new verb now only requires the base form.
 - README test count bumped from 663 to 667 to include the drift-guard test, two description-scorer regression tests, and the `--warnings-as-errors` test.
 - README field-test citations: replaced seven gitignored `runs/...` path references with the exact `skillcheck` commands needed to reproduce each finding. Readers can now verify the claims without access to private artifacts.

README.md

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ skillcheck skills/            # recursive scan; finds every file named SKILL.md
 skillcheck SKILL.md --format json
 ```
 
-From the field test on Anthropic's official skills repository (18 skills, snapshot taken during v1.0 release prep in April 2026): four of eighteen files failed. `claude-api/SKILL.md` failed with `frontmatter.name.reserved-word` because the name contains the reserved word "claude". `template/SKILL.md` failed with `frontmatter.name.directory-mismatch` (name `template-skill`, directory `template`). Both files look correct on casual inspection. Reproduce: clone `anthropics/skills` and run `skillcheck skills/ --format text`.
+From the field test on Anthropic's official skills repository (18 skills, April 2026 snapshot): v1.1.0 produced four failures from advisory checks. v1.2.0 demotes the `claude-api` reserved-name and person-voice findings to warnings, treats `license` as ecosystem-common metadata, and detects `template/SKILL.md` as a placeholder file. Reproduce: clone `anthropics/skills` and run `skillcheck skills/ --format text`.
 
 ### Heuristic Graph
 
@@ -191,31 +191,31 @@ The v1.0 graph and critique modes are available as action inputs. Example with s
 Text output (default), excerpt from a run against the Anthropic skills corpus:
 
 ```
-✗ FAIL  skills/claude-api/SKILL.md
-  line 2  ✗ error    frontmatter.name.reserved-word  Name contains reserved word 'claude': 'claude-api'.
+✔ PASS  skills/claude-api/SKILL.md
+  line 2  ⚠ warning  frontmatter.name.reserved-word  Name contains the term 'claude' which may collide with platform-reserved namespaces. Verify with the target agent's documentation.
             name: claude-api
-  line 4  ⚠ warning  frontmatter.field.unknown       Unknown frontmatter field 'license'.
+  line 4  · info     frontmatter.field.ecosystem      Field 'license' is ecosystem-common but not in the agentskills.io spec. Add it to skillcheck.toml under [frontmatter] extension_fields if intentional.
 
-Checked 18 files: 14 passed, 4 failed, 24 warnings
+Checked 18 files: 18 passed, 0 failed, 29 warnings
 ```
 
 JSON output (`--format json`):
 
 ```json
 {
-  "version": "1.0.0",
+  "version": "1.2.0",
   "files_checked": 18,
-  "files_passed": 14,
-  "files_failed": 4,
+  "files_passed": 18,
+  "files_failed": 0,
   "results": [
     {
       "path": "skills/claude-api/SKILL.md",
       "valid": false,
       "diagnostics": [
         {
           "rule": "frontmatter.name.reserved-word",
-          "severity": "error",
-          "message": "Name contains reserved word 'claude': 'claude-api'.",
+          "severity": "warning",
+          "message": "Name contains the term 'claude' which may collide with platform-reserved namespaces. Verify with the target agent's documentation.",
           "line": 2,
           "context": "name: claude-api"
         }
@@ -286,14 +286,15 @@ Source tags: `spec` rules derive from the agentskills.io specification or agent-
 | `frontmatter.name.invalid-chars` | error | spec | Lowercase, numbers, hyphens only |
 | `frontmatter.name.leading-trailing-hyphen` | error | spec | No leading or trailing hyphens |
 | `frontmatter.name.consecutive-hyphens` | error | spec | No consecutive hyphens |
-| `frontmatter.name.reserved-word` | error | advisory | Not a reserved word (`claude`, `anthropic`) |
+| `frontmatter.name.reserved-word` | warning | advisory | Name contains a term that may collide with platform-reserved namespaces |
 | `frontmatter.name.directory-mismatch` | error | spec | Name must match parent directory (VS Code requirement) |
 | `frontmatter.description.required` | error | spec | `description` field must exist |
 | `frontmatter.description.type` | error | advisory | `description` must be a string (catches YAML coercion) |
 | `frontmatter.description.empty` | error | spec | Description must not be blank |
 | `frontmatter.description.max-length` | error | spec | 1024 character maximum |
 | `frontmatter.description.xml-tags` | error | advisory | No XML or HTML tags in description |
-| `frontmatter.description.person-voice` | error | advisory | No first or second-person pronouns |
+| `frontmatter.description.person-voice` | warning | advisory | First or second-person voice may reduce routing clarity |
+| `frontmatter.field.ecosystem` | info | advisory | Field is ecosystem-common but not in the agentskills.io spec |
 | `frontmatter.field.unknown` | warning | advisory | Field not in the known spec list |
 | `frontmatter.yaml-anchors` | warning | advisory | YAML anchors and aliases can silently copy values |
 | `description.quality-score` | info | advisory | Scores description 0-100 for agent discoverability |
@@ -309,6 +310,7 @@ Source tags: `spec` rules derive from the agentskills.io specification or agent-
 | `compat.claude-only` | info | spec | Field only works in Claude Code |
 | `compat.vscode-dirname` | info / error | spec | Name does not match parent directory (VS Code); promotes to error with `--strict-vscode` |
 | `compat.unverified` | info | advisory | Field behavior unverified in Codex or Cursor |
+| `template.detected` | info | advisory | Placeholder file detected; deployment-blocking checks are skipped |
 | `graph.capability.orphaned` | warning | heuristic | Capability heading has no declared inputs or outputs |
 | `graph.input.unused` | warning | heuristic | Body-declared input not required by any capability |
 | `graph.output.unproduced` | warning | heuristic | Declared output not produced by any capability |
@@ -319,11 +321,24 @@ Source tags: `spec` rules derive from the agentskills.io specification or agent-
 | `history.write.failed` | warning | history | Could not write the ledger file; validation exit code unaffected |
 | `history.read.failed` | warning | history | Could not read the ledger file; validation continues without regression check |
 
+## Templates
+
+Template files are detected by `template: true` frontmatter, placeholder-like descriptions, or a parent directory named `template` or `templates`. When detected, skillcheck emits `template.detected` and skips deployment-blocking checks that do not apply before copy-and-fill use: directory-name match, VS Code dirname, and description quality scoring. Sizing, disclosure, references, and other content checks still run.
+
+## Extension fields
+
+Use `[frontmatter] extension_fields` in `skillcheck.toml` for organization-specific metadata that should be accepted without diagnostics.
+
+```toml
+[frontmatter]
+extension_fields = ["my-org-tag", "internal-id"]
+```
+
 ## Case Study
 
 We ran skillcheck against three corpora during v1.0 release prep (April 2026 snapshots): Anthropic's official skills repository (18 skills), the `mcp-builder` skill through the full v1.0 pipeline, and five skills from the uxuiprinciples/agent-skills collection. To reproduce, clone each upstream repo and run `skillcheck <path>` (the case study below records the exact invocations).
 
-The symbolic run of the Anthropic corpus returned four failures from eighteen files (exit 1). All four files look correct on review: two had second-person voice in the description, one used "claude" as part of the name (reserved word per spec), and the template skill had a name/directory mismatch. The deeper finding came from running `mcp-builder` through the critique pipeline: the symbolic run passed (exit 0), but the ingested agent critique returned exit 3 with three `semantic.contradiction.detected` errors. The skill's frontmatter offers Python and TypeScript as equal options; its body unconditionally recommends TypeScript in Phase 1.3. That inconsistency means any agent following the Python path hits an unresolved decision point. No static linter catches it. See [docs/case-study-v1-real-world-runs.md](docs/case-study-v1-real-world-runs.md) for the full breakdown.
+The v1.1.0 symbolic run of the Anthropic corpus returned four failures from eighteen files (exit 1). v1.2.0 reclassifies those findings: `canvas-design` and `theme-factory` now warn for person-voice wording, `claude-api` warns for a possible reserved namespace collision, and `template/SKILL.md` is detected as a placeholder. The deeper finding came from running `mcp-builder` through the critique pipeline: the symbolic run passed (exit 0), but the ingested agent critique returned exit 3 with three `semantic.contradiction.detected` errors. The skill's frontmatter offers Python and TypeScript as equal options; its body unconditionally recommends TypeScript in Phase 1.3. That inconsistency means any agent following the Python path hits an unresolved decision point. No static linter catches it. See [docs/case-study-v1-real-world-runs.md](docs/case-study-v1-real-world-runs.md) for the full breakdown.
 
 See also: [docs/case-study-silent-skill-failure.md](docs/case-study-silent-skill-failure.md) (the v0.2.0 case study: a deploy skill that silently disappeared in VS Code due to a name/directory mismatch).
 
@@ -335,6 +350,8 @@ Cross-agent compatibility data for Codex and Cursor comes from available documen
 
 Description quality scoring uses heuristics, not an LLM. It catches structural problems (missing action verbs, no trigger phrases, vague words) but cannot evaluate whether instructions are semantically coherent. Agent critique mode addresses that gap.
 
+Template detection favors recall over precision. A real skill with placeholder-like description text may be flagged as `template.detected`; rename the description or add enough concrete routing context before deployment.
+
 The heuristic graph extractor uses heading structure and backtick references as proxies for capability declarations. Skills that express capabilities entirely in prose will produce sparse graphs with many `graph.capability.orphaned` warnings. Agent graph mode (`--emit-graph-prompt` / `--ingest-graph`) addresses this but requires a calling agent.
 
 Agent critique and graph modes validate the agent's JSON response against the expected schema and convert it to diagnostics. skillcheck trusts the agent's reasoning; it does not second-guess findings that pass schema validation. The quality of the output depends on the quality of the calling agent.
@@ -348,7 +365,7 @@ pip install -e ".[dev]"
 python3 -m pytest tests/ -q
 ```
 
-667 tests cover all rule modules, CLI exit codes, graph analyzers, divergence detection, critique parsing, history round-trips, and the full self-host pipeline against `skills/skillcheck/SKILL.md`. Fixtures are in `tests/fixtures/`; every rule has at least one positive and one negative test case. `tests/test_readme_test_count_claim.py` asserts this count matches `pytest --collect-only`, so any future suite change has to update the number in the same commit or CI fails.
+683 tests cover all rule modules, CLI exit codes, graph analyzers, divergence detection, critique parsing, history round-trips, and the full self-host pipeline against `skills/skillcheck/SKILL.md`. Fixtures are in `tests/fixtures/`; every rule has at least one positive and one negative test case. `tests/test_readme_test_count_claim.py` asserts this count matches `pytest --collect-only`, so any future suite change has to update the number in the same commit or CI fails.
 
 ## Maintainer Notes
 

SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+---
+name: skillcheck
+description: Validates SKILL.md files for spec-facing structure, sizing, references, cross-agent compatibility, and agent-authored critique or graph diagnostics.
+version: "1.2.0"
+author: brad
+---
+
+Use this skill when validating a `SKILL.md` file or a directory of skill files with the `skillcheck` CLI.
+
+## Validate
+
+Run the default symbolic checks:
+
+```bash
+skillcheck SKILL.md
+skillcheck skills/ --format json
+```
+
+The report includes errors, warnings, and info diagnostics. Exit code 0 means no errors. Exit code 1 means at least one error, or warnings with `--warnings-as-errors`. Exit code 2 means input or argument error. Exit code 3 means symbolic validation passed but ingested agent critique found semantic errors.
+
+## Agent workflows
+
+For semantic self-critique, emit a prompt and ingest the returned JSON:
+
+```bash
+skillcheck SKILL.md --emit-critique-prompt > prompt.txt
+skillcheck SKILL.md --ingest-critique response.json
+```
+
+For capability graph work, use:
+
+```bash
+skillcheck SKILL.md --analyze-graph
+skillcheck SKILL.md --emit-graph --format json
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+`skillcheck.toml` can set CLI defaults and frontmatter extension fields:
+
+```toml
+[frontmatter]
+extension_fields = ["my-org-tag", "internal-id"]
+```

pyproject.toml

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ build-backend = "hatchling.build"
 
 [project]
 name = "skillcheck"
-version = "1.1.0"
+version = "1.2.0"
 description = "Cross-agent skill quality gate for SKILL.md files conforming to the agentskills.io specification"
 readme = "README.md"
 license = { text = "MIT" }

skills/skillcheck/SKILL.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 name: skillcheck
 description: Validates and scores SKILL.md files against the agentskills.io specification; use when linting skills for cross-agent compatibility, description quality, or capability graph structure.
-version: "1.1.0"
+version: "1.2.0"
 author: brad
 ---
 

src/skillcheck/__init__.py

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 from skillcheck.parser import ParsedSkill, ParseError
 from skillcheck.result import Diagnostic, Severity, ValidationResult
 
-__version__ = "1.1.0"
+__version__ = "1.2.0"
 
 __all__ = [
     "validate",