Utility Pm Skill Validate

What the source does

• FilesystemNone observedNo reads or writes in the source
• NetworkNone observedNo outbound calls in the source
• ShellNone observedNo commands run in the source
• DependenciesPinnedNothing floats
• SecretsNone foundNo keys in source

Five audit layers

Gates applied: no behavioural pass.

Audit 0.4.1 · source sha 2abfbb961d31 · 19 Oct 2026Report an issue or request a re-scan

• Publisherproduct-on-purpose GitHub organizationOwner of the repository this skill is read from
• Source folderproduct-on-purpose/pm-skills/skills/utility-pm-skill-validateThe exact folder we audited
• LicenceApache-2.0As the repository states it
• Commit pinned for this verdict2abfbb961d31A new audit runs when the source changes
• Repository statusNot archivedLast push 1 day ago
• Sandboxed runNot runSkills are read, not executed; layer L4 is skipped

Its description: Audits an existing pm-skills skill against structural conventions and quality criteria. Produces a structured validation report with pass/fail checks, severity-graded findings, and actionable recommendations. Use when…

---
name: utility-pm-skill-validate
description: Audits an existing pm-skills skill against structural conventions and quality criteria. Produces a structured validation report with pass/fail checks, severity-graded findings, and actionable recommendations. Use when checking whether a skill meets repo standards before shipping or after making changes.
license: Apache-2.0
metadata:
  classification: utility
  version: "1.2.0"
  updated: 2026-07-04
  category: coordination
  frameworks: [triple-diamond]
  author: product-on-purpose
---
# PM Skill Validate

This skill audits an existing pm-skills skill against the repo's structural
conventions and quality criteria. It produces a validation report that a
human can scan and that `utility-pm-skill-iterate` can consume as input.

The validator checks two tiers:
- **Tier 1 (Structural)** - deterministic checks that mirror CI: frontmatter,
  naming, file presence, description word count.
- **Tier 2 (Quality)** - LLM-assessed coherence checks: does the output
  contract reference the template? Is the example complete? Are checklist
  items testable?

## When to Use

- After creating a skill with `utility-pm-skill-builder`, before shipping
- After manually editing a skill, to confirm it still passes conventions
- Before running `utility-pm-skill-iterate`, to identify what needs improvement
- When a convention changes, to audit which skills need updating (batch mode)
- When reviewing a contributed skill for quality and completeness

## When NOT to Use

- To create a new skill from scratch -> use `utility-pm-skill-builder`
- To fix or improve a skill -> use `utility-pm-skill-iterate` (feed it this report)
- To run CI checks in a pipeline -> use `scripts/lint-skills-frontmatter.sh`
  (this skill is for interactive, deeper-than-CI validation)
- To audit the whole catalog rather than one skill -> use `utility-pm-skill-auditor`. This skill goes deep on a single skill; the auditor goes wide across the repo and aggregates cross-cutting findings.

## Instructions

When asked to validate a skill, follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Target

Accept the skill name in any form:
- Directory name: `deliver-prd`
- Full path: `skills/deliver-prd/SKILL.md`
- Slash command: `deliver-prd`

Resolve to the canonical directory path: `skills/{name}/`.

If the skill directory does not exist, report immediately:

```
# Validation Report: {input}
Result: FAIL
Skill directory `skills/{input}/` does not exist.
```

**Batch mode:** If the input is `--all`, run Tier 1 structural checks
across all skills and produce a summary table (see Step 5). Do not run
Tier 2 in batch mode.

### Step 2: Read Skill Files

Read all files in the skill directory:

| File | Required | Purpose |
|------|----------|---------|
| `SKILL.md` | yes | Frontmatter + instructions |
| `references/TEMPLATE.md` | yes | Output template |
| `references/EXAMPLE.md` | yes | Worked example |
| `HISTORY.md` | no | Version history (if present) |
| `evals/trigger-fixtures.json` | no | Routing-eval fixtures (B-4); present for roster skills |
| `evals/output-scenarios/*.md` | no | Output-quality scenarios (B-7); present for evaled skills |

Also read:
- The corresponding command file: `commands/{command-name}.md`
- The AGENTS.md entry for this skill

If reading files is not possible (MCP/embedded environment), ask the user
to paste the content of each file before proceeding (see Degraded Mode).

### Step 3: Run Tier 1 - Structural Checks

Run these deterministic checks. Each produces a `PASS` or `FAIL` line.

| Check ID | What to check | Pass condition |
|----------|--------------|----------------|
| `frontmatter-at-byte-zero` | First line of SKILL.md, references/TEMPLATE.md, references/EXAMPLE.md is exactly `---` | Line 1 is the opening `---` fence with no preceding HTML comment, BOM, or whitespace. Severity: FAIL. Reference: `library/skill-output-samples/SAMPLE_CREATION.md` Section 5. |
| `name-match` | Frontmatter `name` matches directory name | Exact string match |
| `description-present` | Frontmatter `description` exists | Non-empty value |
| `description-length` | Description word count | 20-100 words |
| `version-present` | Frontmatter `version` exists | Non-empty, valid SemVer |
| `updated-present` | Frontmatter `updated` exists | Non-empty, ISO date |
| `license-present` | Frontmatter `license` exists | Non-empty value |
| `phase-classification` | Phase/classification consistency | Domain has `phase:`, foundation/utility has `classification:`, not both |
| `template-exists` | `references/TEMPLATE.md` exists | File present |
| `template-sections` | TEMPLATE.md has sufficient structure | ≥3 `##` level-2 headers |
| `example-exists` | `references/EXAMPLE.md` exists | File present |
| `command-exists` | Command file exists in `commands/` | File present and references correct skill path |
| `agents-entry` | AGENTS.md has an entry for this skill | Entry exists with matching `**Path:**` |
| `eval-trigger-fixtures` | Routing fixtures present + well-formed (B-4) | If `evals/trigger-fixtures.json` exists: `schema:1`, `skill` matches dir, >=16 queries, >=8 per class (trigger / no-trigger), >=2 near-misses. If absent: INFO (not in the trigger-eval roster, or fixtures not yet authored). Authoritative gate: `scripts/check-trigger-fixtures.mjs`. |
| `eval-output-scenarios` | Output scenarios present + well-formed (B-7) | If `evals/output-scenarios/*.md` exist: each has `scenario`/`skill`/`family` frontmatter, `skill` matches dir, `family` maps to an existing `docs/internal/eval-rubrics/{family}.md`, body >=100 chars. If absent: INFO (not yet output-evaled). Authoritative gate: `scripts/check-output-eval-assets.mjs`. |
| `reciprocal-boundary-pointers` | Declared collision pairs cross-point (C-5) | If the skill appears in `COLLISION_PAIRS` (`scripts/check-trigger-fixtures.mjs`): its `When NOT to Use` names each partner AND each partner's `When NOT to Use` names it back. FAIL if a declared pair is one-directional. If 

Excerpt, first 6,000 characters of SKILL.md, verbatim from the audited commit. It is text from someone else’s repository, quoted so you can judge it before your agent reads it.

git clone https://github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills
git -C pm-skills checkout 2abfbb961d31

Works in

1. 2026-10-19
   ✓SAFE B 89 / 100

   first audit · source 2abfbb961d31

Questions about Utility Pm Skill Validate

• github.com/product-on-purpose/pm-skills/tree/main/skills/utility — the audited source at commit 2abfbb961d31 and every finding aboveObserved · 19 Oct 2026

Spotted something wrong? Report a correction · Methodology