Conciseness

The body is dense with Trellis-specific facts Claude could not know (config keys like 'channel.worker_guard.idle_timeout', archive-slug collision rules, lockstep dual-package releases) — no padding explaining generic concepts, so it is well above anchors 2-3. It falls short of anchor 5 because of minor repetition and bloat: the lockstep-package rule appears twice ('both @mindfoldhq/trellis and @mindfoldhq/trellis-core ship as published packages sharing one version' at the top and again nearly verbatim in Do Not), and the platform-directory enumeration in the scope list is a long inline run-on that could be delegated to platform-map.md.

Actionability

Fully concrete, copy-paste-ready guidance throughout: exact commands ('task.py create --parent <slug>', 'task.py add-subtask <parent> <child>', 'task.py list-context <task>', 'trellis channel spawn --agent <name>', 'trellis workflow --template <id>', 'trellis mem list | search | context | extract | projects'), exact file paths ('~/.trellis/channels/<project>/<channel>/events.jsonl', '.trellis/.template-hashes.json'), and exact config keys ('hooks.after_create / after_start / after_finish / after_archive', 'codex.dispatch_mode: inline | sub-agent'). This is an instruction/config skill and the guidance is fully actionable, matching anchor 5.

Workflow Clarity

The 'How To Use' section gives a clear conditional 5-step sequence (read overview first, branch by request type, then 'Before editing, read the actual files in the user project and treat local content as authoritative'), and the Do Not section supplies real guardrails: 'check .trellis/.template-hashes.json first and prefer .new sidecar files over destructive overwrites' and 'cross-check against the local .trellis/config.yaml and the installed CLI's trellis --help before claiming a knob exists'. It stops short of anchor 5 because there is no explicit validate-then-retry feedback loop and the pre-edit checklist is spread across sections rather than consolidated as a checklist.

Progressive Disclosure

Exemplary structure: the SKILL.md is an overview with a guided reading order ('Read references/local-architecture/overview.md first'), and every one of the 23 cited reference files exists in the bundle and is one level deep — no nested references. Each reference carries a one-line description ('references/local-architecture/multi-agent-channel.md: trellis channel subcommands, project-scoped event store, forum/thread channels...'), grouped under three clear headings. This matches anchor 5 (clear overview with well-signaled one-level-deep references, easy navigation).

Specificity

The description opens with two somewhat generic verbs ("Understand and customize the local Trellis architecture") but then enumerates a long list of concrete objects: ".trellis plus platform hooks, settings, agents, skills, commands, prompts, workflows, the channel runtime (trellis channel), bundled runtime agents under .trellis/agents/, selectable workflow templates, registry-backed spec refresh, cross-session memory (trellis mem)". This matches anchor 4 (several specific actions, minor gaps) rather than anchor 5, because the actions themselves remain only 'understand' and 'customize' rather than multiple distinct concrete actions like 'extract', 'fill', 'merge'.

Completeness

It explicitly answers 'what' ("Understand and customize the local Trellis architecture inside a user project") and 'when' with a concrete "Use when modifying .trellis plus platform hooks, settings, agents, skills, commands, prompts, workflows..." clause enumerating concrete trigger scenarios. This matches the anchor 5 example pattern (what + explicit 'Use when' with concrete triggers); it is not a 4 because the 'when' clause is explicit and specific rather than merely present.

Trigger Term Quality

Good natural-keyword coverage: users would plausibly say "modify .trellis", "platform hooks", "settings", "agents", "skills", "commands", "workflow templates", "trellis channel", "trellis mem", and the bundled skill names (trellis-channel, trellis-session-insight, trellis-spec-bootstrap). It sits at anchor 4 rather than 5 because a few natural variations are missing (e.g., 'customize', 'change behavior', 'trellis init output', plain 'Trellis' as a trigger) and the density of parenthetical jargon slightly dilutes the natural phrasing.

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

It carves a clear niche: meta-customization of a specific local tool's architecture, with distinctive triggers ('.trellis', 'trellis channel', 'trellis mem', 'trellis init', named bundled skills) unlikely to fire for unrelated skills. It clearly matches anchor 5 (clear niche with distinct triggers, minimal conflict risk); anchor 4 would require some overlap with closely related skills, which is not evident here.