Validate a Skill

cmdop skill check validates a Skill project’s declared contract without ever executing it, so it is safe to run against a project you did not write. Use --strict from the first check, because packing requires a warning-free strict pass anyway, and --json when a CI job needs to read the results.

cmdop skill check ./my-skill --strict

check reads the project’s files and validates the declared contract. It never executes the Skill, starts an interpreter, installs dependencies, or reaches the network — so it is safe to run against a project you did not write.

Use --strict from the start

--strict promotes warnings to errors. Run it that way from the first check, because cmdop skill pack requires a warning-free strict check anyway — leaving it until packing time just moves the same failures later.

Wire it into CI

cmdop skill check ./my-skill --strict --json

--json gives machine-readable results. Errors identify the file and the problem, so a CI job can report them without scraping the human output.

Packing is the second gate

cmdop skill pack ./my-skill

pack re-runs strict validation, writes a deterministic ZIP, and prints the logical sha256: digest that identifies the artifact. If two runs of the same project produce different digests, the project changed — the digest does not depend on paths, timestamps, umask, or ZIP metadata.

pack refuses to overwrite an existing artifact.

What validation does not tell you

A project that validates is well-formed. It is not tested behavior — validation checks the declared contract, not whether your instructions produce good results. Run the Skill and read what it does.

Validation also says nothing about publication or runtime availability. See Runtime status.

Related

• Author a Skill
• Skill project format
• Authoring guidance

Common questions

How do I validate a Cmdop Skill?

Run cmdop skill check ./my-skill --strict. Use --json when a CI job needs machine-readable output.

Does Skill validation execute code?

No. Validation reads the declared project contract. It does not run the Skill, start an interpreter, install dependencies, or reach the network.

Does validation prove the Skill behaves well?

No. It proves the project is well formed. To judge behavior, install and run the Skill, then review what it actually does.