Conciseness

Lean and operational throughout — no concept explanations, every section carries gbrain-specific facts Claude cannot know ("once per 30 minutes per version", snooze escalation "24h → 48h → 7d", exit-code semantics). The deduction is for time-sensitive version-specific material cited inline ("skills/migrations/v0.46.3.0.md", "#5038", "v0.50.0.0.md") rather than placed in an old-patterns/deprecated section, per the guidelines.

Actionability

Fully executable: every flow is driven by copy-paste commands — `gbrain config get self_upgrade.mode`, `gbrain self-upgrade --check-only --json`, `gbrain autopilot pause --reason "upgrade"`, `gbrain upgrade --restart-only --dry-run --json`, `gbrain doctor --only runtime_build_skew,serve_build_drift --json` — plus a ready-to-present 4-option question template and exact one-line report strings for each outcome.

Workflow Clarity

The always-on flow is a numbered 6-step sequence (pause → drain → preview → upgrade → verify → resume) with explicit validation checkpoints (dry-run preview in step 3, per-install `gbrain --version` and doctor checks in step 5) and error-recovery feedback loops (`lock_busy` wait-and-retry, `restart_refused` exit 3 relay, `failed_versions` no-retry). The notify flow confirms a real update via check-only before prompting, and the mutating/batch nature is covered by validation, so no cap applies.

Progressive Disclosure

A single-file skill (no bundle files) with well-organized sections and one-level-deep, clearly signaled external references (the `skills/migrations/` playbooks with a published-repo link, `../conventions/agent-operator-protocol.md`, the upgrades guide). It sits below the anchor-5 example because nothing is split across files — the ~30-line always-on host runbook is inlined and could live in a reference file.

Specificity

Names several concrete actions — "prompt the operator with a 4-option question + snooze", "apply silently", "The action is always the hardcoded `gbrain self-upgrade`" — plus concrete detection conditions ("prints an `UPGRADE_AVAILABLE <old> <new>` marker"). It stops short of the comprehensive anchor because the `off` mode, the always-on host procedure, and failure handling are not mentioned.

Completeness

Explicitly answers both questions with concrete trigger phrases: what ("apply it per the configured self_upgrade.mode: notify (prompt the operator with a 4-option question + snooze) or auto (apply silently)") and when ("When a `gbrain` invocation prints an `UPGRADE_AVAILABLE <old> <new>` marker (or `gbrain self-upgrade --check-only` reports an update)"). Not subject to the missing-when cap; it reads like the anchor-5 example.

Trigger Term Quality

Good natural keyword coverage: "Keep gbrain current", "update", "gbrain self-upgrade", and the "UPGRADE_AVAILABLE <old> <new>" marker string a user would paste verbatim. Common variations such as "out of date" or "new version" are absent, so it falls just short of comprehensive synonym coverage.

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

The niche is unambiguous: every trigger and command is scoped to the named tool "gbrain" and its unique "UPGRADE_AVAILABLE" marker, with the hardcoded `gbrain self-upgrade` action. No realistic overlap with other skills; would not fire for the wrong skill.