Conciseness

The body is dense and operational with no padding of general knowledge — every section covers tool-specific behavior Claude cannot infer (TTY vs piped behavior, the saved-SHA semantics of `base`, "`gh stack help <command>` does not work"), so every token earns its place per the level-5 anchor.

Actionability

Commands are copy-paste ready throughout: the setup block, the full core loop (init → commit → add → submit --auto → view --json), scoped merge invocations with explicit flags ("gh stack merge 42 --yes --squash"), and the always-run/never-run-bare table, covering the common cases per the level-5 anchor.

Workflow Clarity

Sequences are clear with explicit validation checkpoints and feedback loops: the core loop ends with `view --json` to confirm, branch placement verifies ownership via `git log --all -- <path>` before editing, the batch merge operation is gated on an explicit user request plus a `view --json` inspection and scoped target, and exit 3 has a full resolve→continue→abort recovery path. The destructive/batch cap does not apply because validation steps are present.

Progressive Disclosure

The SKILL.md is a clear overview that defers detail to three real, one-level-deep reference files, each well-signaled with an explicit trigger ("read before creating a stack", "read when a command fails unexpectedly", "read on a rebase conflict, after a squash-merge..."), plus guidance to load only the matching one — matching the level-5 anchor; all three bundle files were verified to exist and be substantive.

Specificity

The description names the domain and lists multiple concrete actions ("Manages stacked PRs and splits multi-part work into reviewable branches", plus creation, viewing, edits, push, submit, sync, rebase, merge, checkout), giving comprehensive coverage of the tool's operations rather than the 'minor gaps' of the level-4 anchor.

Completeness

Both 'what' ("Manages stacked PRs and splits multi-part work into reviewable branches with gh-stack") and 'when' ("Use for... whenever a user mentions a stack, branch layers, dependent PRs, or gh stack; or when a stack is checked out") are explicitly and concretely answered, matching the level-5 anchor.

Trigger Term Quality

It covers the natural terms users would say — "stack", "stacked PRs", "branch layers", "dependent PRs", "gh stack", "split or isolate work for review" — including the literal CLI invocation; no meaningful synonym family for this domain is missing, so it fits the comprehensive-coverage anchor better than level 4.

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

It carves out a clear niche (stacked-PR management with gh-stack) with tool-specific triggers like "gh stack" and "branch layers", so conflict with adjacent git/PR skills is minimal — the level-5 anchor is the best fit.