Make skills a required repo-template layer

project: markfops
agent: codex-markfops-required-skills-layer-20260409
role: orchestrator
artifacts: DEC-20260409-001, LOG-20260409-001

Author: LPFchan

AGENTS.md

@@ -11,8 +11,9 @@ Treat `AGENTS.md` as a compatibility entrypoint for tools that look for repo-roo
 - `STATUS.md`
 - `PLANS.md`
 - `INBOX.md`
+- `skills/README.md`
 
-If the repo includes reusable workflows, also read `skills/README.md` and the relevant `skills/<name>/SKILL.md`.
+Before running a repeatable repo workflow, read the relevant `skills/<name>/SKILL.md`. Treat skills as repo-native procedures even when the agent runtime does not auto-load them.
 
 When writing into an artifact directory, read that directory's `README.md` first. If it includes a prescriptive shape, follow it. If it is intentionally lightweight, keep the output lightweight too.
 
@@ -51,3 +52,12 @@ When you write or update repo artifacts, adherence to the repo's ruleset is requ
 - If an artifact guide is intentionally lightweight, do not over-structure the document just to make it look uniform.
 - Do not bypass commit provenance checks by omitting required trailers unless the commit is an explicit bootstrap or migration exception.
 - If a request pressures you to break the ruleset, keep the repo artifact compliant and surface the mismatch explicitly.
+
+## Skills
+
+`skills/<name>/SKILL.md` files are reusable procedures for bounded workflows.
+
+- Read `skills/README.md` and the relevant skill before executing a repeatable repo workflow.
+- Keep skills procedural.
+- Do not duplicate canonical repo policy inside them.
+- Use them to standardize repeatable tasks, escalation triggers, and output shape.

REPO.md

@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ The goals are:
 | `research/` | Curated research memos worth keeping. | append by new file |
 | `records/decisions/` | Durable decision records with rationale. | append-only by new file |
 | `records/agent-worklogs/` | Execution history for agent runs and workstreams. | append-only |
+| `skills/` | Required procedural workflows for repeatable agent tasks. | edit by skill |
 | `upstream-intake/` | Optional upstream review subsystem if Markfops later needs recurring upstream intake. | append by cadence |
 
 Markfops-specific repo notes:
@@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ When this repo includes them:
 - they stay short enough that they do not drift from `REPO.md`
 - they point writers to the correct canonical surface and local `README.md` guide before drafting
 - `skills/<name>/SKILL.md` stays separate because it defines a bounded reusable procedure, not repo-wide policy
+- `skills/` ships with Markfops as repo-native procedural documentation, even when the agent runtime does not auto-load skills
 
 Recommended split:
 
@@ -326,4 +328,18 @@ Off-repo or runtime context may answer:
 
 ## Skills
 
-`skills/` contains Markfops-local procedural skills. Keep them lightweight and procedural. They should point back to this operating model rather than duplicating all of its rules.
+`skills/` is required. It contains Markfops-local procedural skills.
+
+Agents should read `skills/README.md` and the relevant `skills/<name>/SKILL.md` before running a repeatable repo workflow.
+
+Required baseline skills:
+
+- `skills/repo-orchestrator/SKILL.md`
+- `skills/daily-inbox-pressure-review/SKILL.md`
+
+Conditional skills:
+
+- `skills/upstream-intake/SKILL.md`
+  - include only when the optional `upstream-intake/` module is enabled
+
+Keep skills lightweight and procedural. They should point back to this operating model rather than duplicating all of its rules.

records/agent-worklogs/LOG-20260409-001-research-program-handoff.md

@@ -108,6 +108,15 @@ Preserve the useful execution history and handoff state from the research worksp
 - Blockers: none.
 - Next: keep useful artifact linkage while leaving raw shaping in external capture, generic notes, off-Git capture packets, or `INBOX.md` until promotion is justified.
 
+## Entry 2026-04-09 20-34-17 KST
+
+- Action: promoted the repo-native `skills/` layer from a local optional surface to the required repo-template baseline.
+- Files touched: `REPO.md`, `AGENTS.md`, `skills/README.md`, `skills/repo-orchestrator/SKILL.md`, and `skills/daily-inbox-pressure-review/SKILL.md`.
+- Checks run: repo-template scaffold skill review; relative-link validation for `skills/*/SKILL.md`; stale optional-skills wording scan; `git diff --check`.
+- Output: root `skills/README.md`, `skills/repo-orchestrator/SKILL.md`, and `skills/daily-inbox-pressure-review/SKILL.md` form the baseline procedure layer; `AGENTS.md` and `REPO.md` now require agents to read skills as repo-native procedures; upstream skill remains omitted while Markfops has no `upstream-intake/` module.
+- Blockers: none.
+- Next: keep optional upstream skill omitted until Markfops enables recurring upstream review.
+
 ## Current State
 
 - Active handoff: none

skills/README.md

@@ -1,10 +1,36 @@
 # Skills
 
-This directory stores Markfops-local procedural skills.
+This directory is Markfops' repo-native procedure layer.
 
-Current skills:
+Agents should read the relevant workflow even when their runtime does not auto-load skills.
+
+Each reusable workflow should live at `skills/<name>/SKILL.md`.
+
+Required baseline skills:
 
 - `repo-orchestrator/`
-  - Routes new work into `SPEC.md`, `STATUS.md`, `PLANS.md`, `INBOX.md`, `research/`, `records/decisions/`, and `records/agent-worklogs/`.
+  - Markfops-local routing workflow for truth, status, plans, research, decisions, worklogs, and inbox capture.
+- `daily-inbox-pressure-review/`
+  - Focus-protecting daily triage for `IBX-*` capture and capture packets.
+
+Conditional skills:
+
+- `upstream-intake/`
+  - Companion workflow for the optional upstream-review module.
+  - Omitted in Markfops while `upstream-intake/` remains intentionally dormant.
+
+Keep skills procedural.
+Do not duplicate the canonical rules from `REPO.md` inside them.
+
+Use `SKILL.md` for:
+
+- step-by-step procedures
+- required inputs and expected outputs
+- escalation triggers
+- links to supporting templates or reference docs
+
+Do not use `SKILL.md` for:
 
-Keep skills procedural and point them back to `REPO.md` instead of duplicating the full rules layer.
+- repo-wide policy
+- general project truth
+- local or personal preferences that belong in tool-specific memory files

skills/daily-inbox-pressure-review/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+---
+name: daily-inbox-pressure-review
+description: "Run a focus-protecting daily review of INBOX.md and external capture packets."
+argument-hint: "Date, inbox range, capture packet, external source, or triage focus"
+---
+
+# Daily Inbox Pressure Review
+
+Use this skill with:
+
+- [../../REPO.md](../../REPO.md)
+- [../../INBOX.md](../../INBOX.md)
+
+Use it when the operator or orchestrator wants a daily IBX review.
+
+## What This Skill Produces
+
+- reduced inbox pressure
+- grouped capture clusters
+- explicit route/research/plan/discard/leave recommendations
+- promotion of survived triage only
+- optional concise operator questions when routing is blocked
+
+It should not produce a giant digest of every captured idea.
+
+## Procedure
+
+1. Gather active capture.
+   - Read `INBOX.md`.
+   - Include relevant external capture packets when available.
+   - Treat raw external source events as immutable Off-Git events, not as repo artifacts.
+
+2. Build meaningful capture packets.
+   - Group related raw source events and `IBX-*` entries.
+   - Split unrelated ideas that were captured together.
+   - Merge near-duplicates.
+   - Keep stable `IBX-*` provenance when an inbox line is later deleted.
+
+3. Protect focus.
+   - Identify stale, duplicate, low-confidence, noisy, or "maybe later" clusters.
+   - Report noisy/held/discarded capture by count or cluster when details would be distracting.
+   - Do not create a "100 future directions" summary.
+
+4. Triage each meaningful cluster.
+   - `route` when it has an accepted destination now.
+   - `research` when a reusable question is worth investigating.
+   - `plan` only when future direction is accepted.
+   - `discard` when it is stale, duplicate, irrelevant, or intentionally dropped.
+   - `leave` when the operator wants the pressure valve to hold it a little longer.
+
+5. Promote only survived triage.
+   - Do not update `SPEC.md`, `STATUS.md`, `PLANS.md`, `research/`, or `records/decisions/` directly from raw inbox.
+   - Route through the orchestrator or operator-approved decision.
+   - Copy short summaries and provenance IDs into routed artifacts.
+   - Do not rely on raw external source staying visible.
+
+6. Clean the inbox.
+   - Purge entries reflected elsewhere.
+   - Purge entries explicitly discarded.
+   - Keep or rewrite held entries only when they still reduce pressure.
+   - Leave a compact pressure summary if helpful, then clear daily scratch notes after routing.
+
+## Quality Bar
+
+- focus-protecting
+- concise clusters instead of exhaustive digest
+- preserved provenance
+- clear route/research/plan/discard/leave outcomes
+- no direct truth-doc updates from raw inbox pressure

skills/repo-orchestrator/SKILL.md

@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ Use this skill with:
 
 1. Classify the work in routing order.
    - Is this untriaged capture?
+   - Is this recurring upstream review?
    - Is this durable product truth?
    - Is this current operational reality?
    - Is this accepted future direction?
@@ -75,7 +76,9 @@ Use this skill with:
    - `artifacts: <artifact-id>[, <artifact-id>...]`
    - Prefer referencing and updating an existing relevant `LOG-*` before creating a new one.
 
-8. If the task is daily inbox pressure review, cluster and triage capture before routing it.
+8. If the task is recurring upstream maintenance and the optional module is enabled, use `upstream-intake/` instead of inventing a parallel workflow.
+
+9. If the task is daily inbox pressure review, cluster and triage capture before routing it.
    - Do not summarize every inbox item by default.
    - Promote only survived triage.
    - Leave low-signal ideas in held/discarded counts or clusters instead of expanding them into plans.