Conciseness

The body is mostly efficient — tables for file purposes, the decision matrix, and anti-patterns are token-dense — but error handling is explained four separate times (Critical Rules 5 and 6, the 3-Strike Error Protocol, the Read/Write matrix rows, and two Anti-Patterns rows), and the 'Never Repeat Failures' section reduces to trivial pseudocode ('if action_failed: next_action != same_action') that Claude needs no help deriving. This matches 'Mostly efficient but includes some unnecessary explanation or could be tightened', not 4 — the repetition is more than minor trimming.

Actionability

Concrete, runnable guidance dominates: an exact session-catchup.py invocation with $(command -v python3 ...) substitution, 'run scripts/init-session.sh "Task Name"', 'sh "<skill-dir>/scripts/set-active-plan.sh" --list' with the PowerShell equivalent, and named scripts (resolve-plan-dir.sh, check-complete.sh) that all exist in scripts/. Minor gaps keep it from 5: the resolve-plan-dir.sh usage is described ('with the host's PLAN_ID and PWF_PLAN_ROOT') without a copy-paste example, and check-complete.sh is listed but never wired into the workflow with an example invocation.

Workflow Clarity

A clear ordered sequence exists — restore state (resolve plan dir, read the three files, git diff --stat), then Quick Start steps 1-4, with explicit correction handling ('If an explicit selector is rejected... correct the pin and do not fall back') and the 3-Strike protocol providing a genuine diagnose → alternative → rethink → escalate feedback loop. It is not 5 because validation is described but not checkpointed into the main flow: check-complete.sh is only listed under Scripts rather than placed as an explicit verify step after phases, and the checkpoint placement is implicit rather than sequenced.

Progressive Disclosure

The body is well-sectioned and clearly signals one-level-deep references (Templates, Scripts, Advanced Topics pointing to references.md/examples.md), and the scripts/ paths it cites all exist in the bundle. However, scoring against the actual bundle, the majority of outbound references are dangling: templates/ and its three template files, references.md, and examples.md do not exist in the bundle, so following the navigation fails. This sits between 'references present but not clearly signaled' (3) and broken navigation (below), landing at 3 with the missing files as the dominant defect.

Specificity

The description names concrete artifacts ("Keeps task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md on disk"), concrete mechanisms ("lifecycle hooks inject selected project planning context"), and concrete tool behaviors ("Explicit session-catchup.py --metadata reads same-project local agent session records and emits aggregate counts only"). It falls short of the 5 anchor because a sizable share of the budget goes to security non-capability caveats ("The skill has no network upload path") rather than comprehensive coverage of what the skill does, and it is above the 3 anchor because it lists several specific actions, not just 1-2.

Completeness

Both parts are explicitly present: a clear 'what' ("Persistent file-based planning for multi-step AI-agent work. Keeps task_plan.md, findings.md, and progress.md on disk") and a 'when' ("Use for research or work needing 5+ tool calls"). It is not a 5 because the when-clause is narrow and partially un-natural as a user trigger phrase, matching the anchor 'Has both what and when; when could be more explicit or specific'; it is clearly not a 3 since the when is explicit, not merely implied.

Trigger Term Quality

Natural trigger terms present are "planning", "multi-step", and "research", but the only explicit trigger clause is "Use for research or work needing 5+ tool calls" — users do not naturally count their tool calls, and common variations like "long task", "project planning", "task tracking", or "stay organized" are missing. This matches the anchor 'Some relevant keywords but missing common variations or synonyms', not 4 (which requires good coverage with only a few natural terms missing) nor 2 (which requires near-total absence of natural phrases).

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

The niche is distinct — persistent on-disk planning with named files (task_plan.md, findings.md, progress.md) and a named script (session-catchup.py) is unlikely to collide with unrelated skills. Minor overlap risk remains with generic todo/planning/task-management skills around the broad term "planning", so it fits 'Mostly distinct; minor overlap risk with closely related skills' rather than the 5 anchor's 'minimal conflict risk'.