Conciseness

The body is dense and imperative with zero explanation of concepts Claude already knows; the only padding is the deliberate repetition of the public-record rule ("Never include private logs, run artifacts, credentials..." vs "never include private logs, run artifacts or screenshots' file paths") and a few overloaded sentences that could be tightened. Not 5: that repetition and sentence density mean not every token earns its place; not 3: there is no unnecessary explanation anywhere.

Actionability

Fully executable throughout: exact commands with the required env var ("CARNIVAL_APP_WRITER_HELD=1 node scripts/native/native.mjs backlog <file>"), the exact batch JSON shape, the exact gh api pagination command, and concrete capture invocations — copy-paste ready with the common cases covered.

Workflow Clarity

Three clearly sequenced MODE sections with explicit validation and feedback loops for batch operations: the script "refuses duplicates by title or scope", "When it reports `partial` with errors, fix the candidates it names and run it once more", crash-rerun guidance ("After a crash, rerun the same file"), an uncertain-state single rerun rule, and browser-QA verification gates before claiming a PR shipped.

Progressive Disclosure

A single well-sectioned file with no nested references; external materials (docs/visual-baseline/README.md, WORKSHOP.md, game READMEs) are signaled inline at the point of use, and decision logic is correctly delegated to the tested script. Not 5: the body is ~90 lines — beyond the under-50-line simple-skill exception — and per-mode rule lists (e.g. the MODE=backlog candidate rules) run long enough that modest splitting or tightening would improve navigation.

Specificity

The description lists multiple concrete actions across all three modes — "files exactly 18 distinct enhancement issues labelled `auto backlog`", "merges Tessl pull requests that pass the evolution merge gate on their exact current head", "runs the deterministic admission check", "hands an admitted issue to implement-github-issue" — with comprehensive coverage and no vague language.

Completeness

Both questions are answered explicitly: the "what" is the three concrete MODE behaviours, and the "when" is the closing clause "Use only from the native-intake schedules, the native-bot-backlog-labelled trigger (MODE=admit), or a manual verification trigger" — concrete trigger phrases rather than an implied or generic when.

Trigger Term Quality

Good keyword coverage including the natural phrases for this domain ("Tessl pull requests", "backlog issue", "merge gate", "native-intake schedules", "native-bot-backlog-labelled trigger"), but no synonyms or phrasing variations beyond the canonical project jargon. Not 3: the domain terms present are exactly what a user of this system would say; not 5: variations of the key phrases are absent.

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

It occupies a clear niche (carnival native creative intake) keyed to mode names and repo-specific triggers (`auto backlog`, `tessl`, `native-bot-backlog-labelled`), so the risk of it triggering for the wrong skill is minimal.