Conciseness

The body is compact and free of explanations of concepts Claude already knows, but the two-tier split is stated three times (the Storage Locations table, the "Single Source of Truth Rule" section, and the "Output Format" section), and access-method enumerations ("URL, MCP name, file path, command") repeat across the table and the Reference Protocol. This matches the 3 anchor (mostly efficient but could be tightened) rather than the 4 anchor's "minor instances".

Actionability

Guidance is largely concrete and executable: exact paths (`docs/project-context/external-resources.md`), a fixed heading text ("External Resources Used"), a numbered reference protocol, and templates in `references/template.md` with literal markdown. Abstract policy phrasing such as "verify them within current authority" and "continue from governing and repository evidence" lacks concrete checks or examples, holding it below the fully executable 5 anchor.

Workflow Clarity

The Reference Protocol is a clear 1-2-3 sequence with an explicit failure branch ("When the file is absent or the resource is unreachable, continue from governing and repository evidence. Each consumer records the limitation in its applicable output."), and capture/update flow is delegated to hearing.md's stepwise process. The update-on-environment-change path and the split between capturing and consuming could be more sharply checkpointed, so it sits at 4 rather than 5.

Progressive Disclosure

The body is a well-organized ~45-line overview and every detail file is a real, one-hop reference, each annotated with its purpose ("Decision-specific capture and storage", "Frontend domain axes", etc.). Although hearing.md also links to the domain-cue files, those files are all directly listed in SKILL.md's References section, so no content is buried two levels deep — this matches the 5 anchor (clear overview, well-signaled one-level references, appropriate split).

Specificity

The description names the domain ("resources outside the repository") with a concrete enumeration of five resource types ("design source, design system, API schema, IaC source, secret store") and states the concrete actions of recording locations and access paths. It falls below the 5 anchor because the action set is essentially one capability (recording) rather than multiple distinct actions.

Completeness

Both halves are explicit: the "what" is "Records where resources outside the repository live ... and how design, implementation, and verification reach them", and the "when" is a concrete "Use when ..." clause listing specific trigger phrases. This matches the 5 anchor (clear what and when with concrete triggers); the 4 anchor applies only when the 'when' is weakly specified, which is not the case here.

Trigger Term Quality

"Use when work depends on an external resource, or when the user mentions design source, design system, API schema, IaC source, secret store, or canonical source" covers the natural domain vocabulary well. It misses common synonyms and tool names a user might actually say (e.g., Figma, OpenAPI spec, Terraform, design tokens, source of truth), keeping it below the comprehensive 5 anchor.

Distinctiveness Conflict Risk

The niche (recording external resource access points in a fixed project location) is distinct, and triggers like "IaC source" and "secret store" are unlikely to fire the wrong skill. The broad opening trigger "work depends on an external resource" leaves minor overlap risk with general context/docs skills, keeping it just below the 5 anchor.