diff --git a/.claude/skills/project-structure/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/project-structure/SKILL.md
index 5385074f71..4fc7ebf83e 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/project-structure/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/project-structure/SKILL.md
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ an MCP server, the request/response lifecycle, and a set of state stores.
 | `core/mcp/state/` | The stores `core/react/` hooks read |
 | `core/auth/` | OAuth end to end — providers, discovery, storage, endpoint overrides, scopes, revocation, mid-session recovery — split into isomorphic logic plus `browser/`, `node/` and `remote/` backends |
 | `core/auth/node/` | Node OAuth storage + loopback callback server, **and** the `SecretStore` backends (keychain / file / memory) and their selection policy |
-| `core/extension/<name>/` | Host-side adapters for MCP extensions whose protocol an upstream SDK owns. `tasks/` wraps `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-tasks` with what that package leaves to its host: the raw `rawDispatch` channel, progress routing, error identity, and task-view conversions. Imports nothing from `InspectorClient`; host state arrives through narrow interfaces |
+| `core/extension/<name>/` | Host-side adapters for MCP extensions whose protocol an upstream SDK owns. `tasks/` wraps `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-tasks` with what that package leaves to its host: the raw `rawDispatch` channel, progress routing, error identity, and task-view conversions. `skills/` keeps what `@modelcontextprotocol/client/ext/skills` leaves to an inspector: permissive entry schemas (the SDK's refuse a non-conforming entry), the per-check conformance and verification report, and `SKILL.md` frontmatter parsing; constants, limits and the directory-read schema come from the SDK. Imports nothing from `InspectorClient`; host state arrives through narrow interfaces |
 | `core/cli/` | Node-only surface the one-shot CLI and `mcpdo` both run on (#2461): `error-handler` (exit codes, `CliExitCodeError`, the error envelope), the method handlers and their option/format types (`handlers/`), the interactive OAuth connect flow (`cliOAuth`, `cli-oauth-navigation`) and output helpers (`style`, `utils/awaitable-log`). One-shot-only output (`emit-result`, `consume-outcome`, `servers-write`, …) stays in `clients/cli/src` |
 | `core/client/` | Install-level client config (`client.json`): browser-safe parse plus Node load/save, remote backend, secrets, runner |
 | `core/json/` | JSON + parameter/argument conversion; the schema normalizations all three form builders share (nullable unions, root composition) and the tool-schema portability lint |
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index aeefcce692..85ac58b11c 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ inspector/
 │   │                 exit codes, interactive OAuth flow, output styling); tested + gated by clients/cli
 │   ├── client/       Install-level client config (`client.json`)
 │   ├── extension/    Host-side adapters for MCP extensions whose protocol an upstream SDK owns
+│   │   ├── skills/   What the SDK's Skills client leaves to an inspector: permissive entry schemas, the
+│   │   │             per-check conformance + verification report, SKILL.md frontmatter parsing
 │   │   └── tasks/    The Inspector's glue around `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-tasks` (raw dispatch, progress routing)
 │   ├── json/         JSON/schema utilities shared by all three form builders
 │   ├── logging/      Silent pino logger singleton
diff --git a/clients/cli/__tests__/run-method-skills.test.ts b/clients/cli/__tests__/run-method-skills.test.ts
index 7b1d239848..bccde8b26e 100644
--- a/clients/cli/__tests__/run-method-skills.test.ts
+++ b/clients/cli/__tests__/run-method-skills.test.ts
@@ -6,9 +6,9 @@ import {
 } from "@inspector/core/cli/handlers/skills-verify.js";
 import { EXIT_CODES } from "@inspector/core/cli/error-handler.js";
 import type { InspectorClient } from "@inspector/core/mcp/index.js";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
-import { sha256Digest } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
-import type { SkillVerifyReport } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
+import { sha256Digest } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
+import type { SkillVerifyReport } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/verification.js";
 
 /**
  * The three SEP-2640 methods the CLI gained in #2248, plus `--verify`.
diff --git a/clients/cli/__tests__/skills-verify-cli.test.ts b/clients/cli/__tests__/skills-verify-cli.test.ts
index a3adc63a54..3a8e89c9b6 100644
--- a/clients/cli/__tests__/skills-verify-cli.test.ts
+++ b/clients/cli/__tests__/skills-verify-cli.test.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import {
   createTestServerHttp,
   createTestServerInfo,
 } from "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector-test-server";
-import type { SkillVerifyReport } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+import type { SkillVerifyReport } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/verification.js";
 import { runCli } from "../src/cli.js";
 import { consumeMethodOutcome } from "../src/handlers/consume-outcome.js";
 import { EXIT_CODES } from "@inspector/core/cli/error-handler.js";
diff --git a/clients/mcpdo/__tests__/skills-budget-hint.test.ts b/clients/mcpdo/__tests__/skills-budget-hint.test.ts
index 6ff17c7043..ef72c0f0bc 100644
--- a/clients/mcpdo/__tests__/skills-budget-hint.test.ts
+++ b/clients/mcpdo/__tests__/skills-budget-hint.test.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import {
   createTestServerHttp,
   createTestServerInfo,
 } from "@modelcontextprotocol/inspector-test-server";
-import type { SkillVerifyReport } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+import type { SkillVerifyReport } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/verification.js";
 import { runMcp, type McpResult } from "./helpers/mcp-runner.js";
 import {
   createTestConfig,
diff --git a/clients/tui/__tests__/SkillsTab.test.tsx b/clients/tui/__tests__/SkillsTab.test.tsx
index 1efe5faa1c..4672c14336 100644
--- a/clients/tui/__tests__/SkillsTab.test.tsx
+++ b/clients/tui/__tests__/SkillsTab.test.tsx
@@ -2,9 +2,12 @@ import React from "react";
 import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
 import { render } from "./helpers/renderTui";
 import type { InspectorClient } from "@inspector/core/mcp/index.js";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import { AuthRecoveryRequiredError } from "@inspector/core/auth/challenge.js";
-import { sha256Digest, textToBytes } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+import {
+  sha256Digest,
+  textToBytes,
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 
 // MUST mock ink-scroll-view: the real ScrollView renders a placeholder minimap
 // in the non-TTY test env and never mounts its children.
diff --git a/clients/tui/src/components/SkillsTab.tsx b/clients/tui/src/components/SkillsTab.tsx
index 361140db83..bb10549e67 100644
--- a/clients/tui/src/components/SkillsTab.tsx
+++ b/clients/tui/src/components/SkillsTab.tsx
@@ -36,17 +36,17 @@ import {
   skillEntryKey,
   skillUriIdentity,
   type SkillIssue,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import {
   DYNAMIC_RESOURCES,
   type SkillEntry,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import {
   verifySkills,
   type SkillBudgetHint,
   type SkillFileReport,
   type SkillVerifyReport,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/verification.js";
 import { useSelectableList } from "../hooks/useSelectableList.js";
 import { errorMessage } from "../utils/errorText.js";
 import { useListFilter } from "../hooks/useListFilter.js";
diff --git a/clients/web/src/App.tsx b/clients/web/src/App.tsx
index ebce84677d..15ea1de32f 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/App.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/App.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import type {
 } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
 import { InspectorClient } from "@inspector/core/mcp/index.js";
 import { getServerType } from "@inspector/core/mcp/config.js";
-import { getSkillsExtension } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+import { getSkillsExtension } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import type { JsonValue } from "@inspector/core/mcp/index.js";
 
 import type { TypedEventGeneric } from "@inspector/core/mcp/typedEventTarget.js";
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/groups/ConnectionInfoContent/ConnectionInfoContent.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/groups/ConnectionInfoContent/ConnectionInfoContent.tsx
index 432688a16c..9edc730ce1 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/groups/ConnectionInfoContent/ConnectionInfoContent.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/groups/ConnectionInfoContent/ConnectionInfoContent.tsx
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ import {
 import { useTickingClock } from "../../../hooks/useTickingClock";
 import type { ListCount } from "../../../utils/listCount";
 import { TASKS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/extension/tasks/constants.js";
-import { getSkillsExtension } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+import { getSkillsExtension } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import type { OAuthClientRegistrationKind } from "@inspector/core/auth/types.js";
 import {
   CapabilityItem,
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx
index b2551e9460..5694ec3865 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/groups/ServerSettingsForm/ServerSettingsForm.tsx
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ import {
 import {
   isSkillCatalogLimit,
   resolveSkillCatalogBudget,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import type { Root } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
 
 /**
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.stories.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.stories.tsx
index cfb08b60ca..aa15ea0533 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.stories.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.stories.tsx
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ import { useState } from "react";
 import type { ComponentProps } from "react";
 import type { Meta, StoryObj } from "@storybook/react-vite";
 import { expect, fn, userEvent, waitFor, within } from "storybook/test";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas";
-import { sha256Bytes } from "@inspector/core/mcp/sha256";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas";
+import { sha256Bytes } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/sha256";
 import { SkillsScreen } from "./SkillsScreen";
 import type { SkillsUiState } from "./SkillsScreen";
 import { EMPTY_SKILLS_UI } from "../screenUiState";
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.test.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.test.tsx
index 54d1a04573..cfb58ad718 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.test.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.test.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 import { StrictMode, useState } from "react";
 import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
 import userEvent from "@testing-library/user-event";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas";
-import { sha256Digest, textToBytes } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas";
+import {
+  sha256Digest,
+  textToBytes,
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance";
 import {
   act,
   renderWithMantine,
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.tsx
index ccd800d22e..a4eb99c7d8 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen.tsx
@@ -22,11 +22,11 @@ import type {
   DirectoryReadResult,
   SkillEntry,
   SkillResource,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import {
   DIRECTORY_MIME_TYPE,
   DYNAMIC_RESOURCES,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import {
   checkSkillConformance,
   checkSkillFrontmatterMatch,
@@ -44,12 +44,12 @@ import {
   type SkillFileContents,
   type SkillIssue,
   type SkillVerification,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import { CodeHighlight } from "../../elements/CodeHighlight/CodeHighlight";
 import { ContentViewer } from "../../elements/ContentViewer/ContentViewer";
 import { ListToggle } from "../../elements/ListToggle/ListToggle";
 import { useValueChange } from "../../../hooks/useValueChange";
-import { splitSkillFile } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillFile.js";
+import { splitSkillFile } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/skillFile.js";
 import {
   inferMimeFromUri,
   isGenericMime,
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/InspectorView.tsx b/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/InspectorView.tsx
index 9688ed97db..5be44339b9 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/InspectorView.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/InspectorView.tsx
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import type { ServerEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/types.js";
 import { isTerminalStatus } from "@inspector/core/mcp/types.js";
 import { isAppTool } from "@inspector/core/mcp/apps.js";
 import { TASKS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/extension/tasks/constants.js";
-import { isSkillsExtensionSupported } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+import { isSkillsExtensionSupported } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import { ViewHeader } from "../../groups/ViewHeader/ViewHeader";
 import { VersionBadge } from "../../elements/VersionBadge/VersionBadge";
 import { CopyrightBadge } from "../../elements/CopyrightBadge/CopyrightBadge";
diff --git a/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/types.ts b/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/types.ts
index 7aef67b68e..3d1d86c3b5 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/types.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/components/views/InspectorView/types.ts
@@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ import type {
 } from "../../screens/ResourcesScreen/ResourcesScreen";
 import type { LogsUiState } from "../../screens/LoggingScreen/LoggingScreen";
 import type { SkillsUiState } from "../../screens/SkillsScreen/SkillsScreen";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
-import type { SkillFileContents } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
-import type { DirectoryReadResult } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
+import type { SkillFileContents } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
+import type { DirectoryReadResult } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import type { TasksUiState } from "../../screens/TasksScreen/TasksScreen";
 import type { ProtocolUiState } from "../../screens/ProtocolScreen/ProtocolScreen";
 import type { NetworkUiState } from "../../screens/NetworkScreen/NetworkScreen";
diff --git a/clients/web/src/hooks/useInspectorStores.ts b/clients/web/src/hooks/useInspectorStores.ts
index 0ae2858825..b731884df0 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/hooks/useInspectorStores.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/hooks/useInspectorStores.ts
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ import type {
   ResourceSubscriptionStreamState,
   StderrLogEntry,
 } from "@inspector/core/mcp/types.js";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import type { InspectorClient } from "@inspector/core/mcp/index.js";
 import { ManagedToolsState } from "@inspector/core/mcp/state/managedToolsState.js";
 import { ManagedPromptsState } from "@inspector/core/mcp/state/managedPromptsState.js";
diff --git a/clients/web/src/hooks/useServerCommands.tsx b/clients/web/src/hooks/useServerCommands.tsx
index 0cf9769dd5..be7a83c6b9 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/hooks/useServerCommands.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/hooks/useServerCommands.tsx
@@ -34,10 +34,10 @@ import type {
 } from "../components/screens/ToolsScreen/ToolsScreen";
 import type { GetPromptState } from "../components/screens/PromptsScreen/PromptsScreen";
 import type { ReadResourceState } from "../components/screens/ResourcesScreen/ResourcesScreen";
-import type { SkillFileContents } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
-import type { DirectoryReadResult } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
-import { normalizeSkillUri } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+import type { SkillFileContents } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
+import type { DirectoryReadResult } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
+import { normalizeSkillUri } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import { UrlElicitationErrorToastMessage } from "../components/elements/Toasts/UrlElicitationErrorToastMessage";
 import {
   errorCodeOf,
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skills.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/conformance.test.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skills.test.ts
rename to clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/conformance.test.ts
index 552b02e0a0..b4f93c8004 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skills.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/conformance.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import type { ServerCapabilities } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas";
-import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas";
+import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas";
 import {
   SKILL_MAX_RESOURCE_ENTRIES,
   SKILL_MAX_TOTAL_BYTES,
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ import {
   textToBytes,
   totalSkillBytes,
   verifySkillResource,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance";
 
 /** The digest of the string "hello", precomputed so the assertion is a fact
  * about SHA-256 rather than a restatement of what the code just did. */
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/schemas.test.ts
similarity index 95%
rename from clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.test.ts
rename to clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/schemas.test.ts
index b6940910a7..327d33ab66 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/schemas.test.ts
@@ -14,7 +14,11 @@ import {
   SKILLS_GET_METHOD,
   SKILLS_LIST_METHOD,
   SkillEntrySchema,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas";
+import {
+  ReadResourceDirectoryResultSchema,
+  SKILLS_EXTENSION_ID,
+} from "@modelcontextprotocol/core/ext/skills";
 
 const ENTRY = {
   uri: "skill://demo/SKILL.md",
@@ -25,6 +29,15 @@ const ENTRY = {
 };
 
 describe("skills wire constants", () => {
+  // #2804: the SDK owns these, so a spec revision lands with an SDK bump. A
+  // local restatement would still pass the literal checks below.
+  it("takes the extension id and the directory schema from the SDK", () => {
+    expect(SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY).toBe(SKILLS_EXTENSION_ID);
+    expect(ModernDirectoryReadResultSchema).toBe(
+      ReadResourceDirectoryResultSchema,
+    );
+  });
+
   it("names the extension and its two required methods", () => {
     expect(SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY).toBe("io.modelcontextprotocol/skills");
     expect(SKILLS_LIST_METHOD).toBe("skills/list");
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/sha256.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/sha256.test.ts
similarity index 95%
rename from clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/sha256.test.ts
rename to clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/sha256.test.ts
index a0c66be31e..78d96d0948 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/sha256.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/sha256.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
-import { sha256Bytes } from "@inspector/core/mcp/sha256";
-import { sha256Digest, textToBytes } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills";
+import { sha256Bytes } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/sha256";
+import {
+  sha256Digest,
+  textToBytes,
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance";
 
 const hex = (bytes: Uint8Array) =>
   Array.from(bytes)
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillFile.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/skillFile.test.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillFile.test.ts
rename to clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/skillFile.test.ts
index bb9e5bcf50..b7a6782c5d 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillFile.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/skillFile.test.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
 import {
   parseSkillFrontmatter,
   splitSkillFile,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillFile.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/skillFile.js";
 
 describe("splitSkillFile", () => {
   it("separates a leading frontmatter fence from the body", () => {
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillFileBytes.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/skillFileBytes.test.ts
similarity index 93%
rename from clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillFileBytes.test.ts
rename to clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/skillFileBytes.test.ts
index 0aab3c9dab..60d1b7ccf2 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillFileBytes.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/skillFileBytes.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
-import { skillFileBytes } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+import { skillFileBytes } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 
 describe("skillFileBytes", () => {
   it("encodes a text content block as UTF-8", () => {
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillsVerification.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/verification.test.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillsVerification.test.ts
rename to clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/verification.test.ts
index 5ac858676a..0d23ec245e 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/skillsVerification.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/extension/skills/verification.test.ts
@@ -3,11 +3,11 @@ import type { InspectorClientProtocol } from "@inspector/core/mcp/inspectorClien
 import {
   DYNAMIC_RESOURCES,
   type SkillEntry,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import {
   SKILL_MAX_CATALOG_SKILLS,
   sha256Digest,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import { AuthRecoveryRequiredError } from "@inspector/core/auth/challenge.js";
 import {
   allSkillsVerified,
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
   DEFAULT_SKILL_BUDGET_HINT,
   utf8Length,
   verifySkills,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/verification.js";
 
 /**
  * `verifySkills` is the fetch-and-verify half of the SEP-2640 checks (#2248) —
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/extensions.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/extensions.test.ts
index 8ec3ff6540..dfafb99ba1 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/extensions.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/extensions.test.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import {
   isAdvertisedByDefault,
 } from "@inspector/core/mcp/extensions.js";
 import { TASKS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/extension/tasks/constants.js";
-import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 
 // The `ui` extension carries a non-empty advertisement value; the others are
 // declared with `{}`. Spelled out here so the map assertions stay readable.
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts
index 77eb4f0cae..aa6afa9547 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, vi } from "vitest";
 import { InspectorClient } from "@inspector/core/mcp/inspectorClient.js";
 import type { ServerCapabilities } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
-import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import { SdkError, SdkErrorCode } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
 
 /**
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.test.ts
index df22fae75d..39f87017de 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from "vitest";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas";
 import {
   ManagedSkillsState,
   REPEATED_CURSOR_MESSAGE,
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/core/react/useManagedSkills.test.tsx b/clients/web/src/test/core/react/useManagedSkills.test.tsx
index a9c744e48c..ffda98e73d 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/core/react/useManagedSkills.test.tsx
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/core/react/useManagedSkills.test.tsx
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from "vitest";
 import { act, renderHook } from "@testing-library/react";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsSchemas";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/schemas";
 import { FakeInspectorClient } from "@inspector/core/mcp/__tests__/fakeInspectorClient";
 import { ManagedSkillsState } from "@inspector/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState";
 import { useManagedSkills } from "@inspector/core/react/useManagedSkills";
diff --git a/clients/web/src/test/integration/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts b/clients/web/src/test/integration/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts
index aeab38bd5e..cdff0c6481 100644
--- a/clients/web/src/test/integration/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts
+++ b/clients/web/src/test/integration/mcp/inspectorClient-skills.test.ts
@@ -2,12 +2,12 @@ import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from "vitest";
 import { InspectorClient } from "@inspector/core/mcp/inspectorClient.js";
 import { createTransportNode } from "@inspector/core/mcp/node/transport.js";
 import { eraToVersionNegotiation } from "@inspector/core/mcp/types.js";
-import { getSkillsExtension } from "@inspector/core/mcp/skills.js";
+import { getSkillsExtension } from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import { ManagedSkillsState } from "@inspector/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.js";
 import {
   allSkillsVerified,
   verifySkills,
-} from "@inspector/core/mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+} from "@inspector/core/extension/skills/verification.js";
 import {
   createTestServerHttp,
   type TestServerHttp,
diff --git a/core/cli/handlers/output-file.ts b/core/cli/handlers/output-file.ts
index ee46c1719b..4ca1468756 100644
--- a/core/cli/handlers/output-file.ts
+++ b/core/cli/handlers/output-file.ts
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
  * with a file encoding would make `--format json --output x` ambiguous.
  */
 import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
-import { base64ToBytes } from "../../mcp/skills.js";
+import { base64ToBytes } from "../../extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import { CliExitCodeError, EXIT_CODES } from "../error-handler.js";
 import type { McpResponse } from "./method-types.js";
 
diff --git a/core/cli/handlers/run-method.ts b/core/cli/handlers/run-method.ts
index f2891e1f5d..3dd13900a2 100644
--- a/core/cli/handlers/run-method.ts
+++ b/core/cli/handlers/run-method.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import {
   ManagedSkillsState,
   MessageLogState,
 } from "../../mcp/state/index.js";
-import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "../../mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "../../extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import { CliExitCodeError, EXIT_CODES } from "../error-handler.js";
 import { collectAppInfo } from "./collect-app-info.js";
 import {
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ import {
 import {
   verifySkills,
   type SkillBudgetHint,
-} from "../../mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+} from "../../extension/skills/verification.js";
 import type {
   CliAppInfo,
   McpResponse,
diff --git a/core/cli/handlers/skills-verify.ts b/core/cli/handlers/skills-verify.ts
index be49f8b9a6..c33a29258f 100644
--- a/core/cli/handlers/skills-verify.ts
+++ b/core/cli/handlers/skills-verify.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import {
   anySkillUnverifiable,
   type SkillBudgetHint,
   type SkillVerifyReport,
-} from "../../mcp/skillsVerification.js";
+} from "../../extension/skills/verification.js";
 import { EXIT_CODES } from "../error-handler.js";
 
 /**
diff --git a/core/mcp/skills.ts b/core/extension/skills/conformance.ts
similarity index 96%
rename from core/mcp/skills.ts
rename to core/extension/skills/conformance.ts
index cacb8f9f45..db465e9a00 100644
--- a/core/mcp/skills.ts
+++ b/core/extension/skills/conformance.ts
@@ -33,17 +33,34 @@
  * in transit and says nothing about whether the *listing* described that file
  * honestly. A server could advertise one description, serve another, and pass
  * every other check in this module. {@link checkSkillFrontmatterMatch} is the
- * check; it needs a real YAML parser, and `core/mcp/skillFile.ts` explains why
+ * check; it needs a real YAML parser, and `skillFile.ts` explains why
  * that dependency is imported rather than approximated.
+ *
+ * **Why this stays ours rather than the SDK's `SkillsClient` (#2804).** The SDK
+ * implements the same rules as a *host* needs them: `skills/list` refuses an
+ * entry that breaks one (or, with `skipInvalid`, replaces it with a one-line
+ * `reason`), and `read()` throws a `SkillVerificationError` on the first check
+ * that fails. Both are right for a host deciding whether to load a skill and
+ * wrong for a tool whose output *is* the list of what failed. This module
+ * reports every rule separately, with a code and a severity, keeps
+ * `"dynamic"` resources a warning rather than a silent `verified: false`
+ * (#2405), and runs against entries the SDK would never hand back. The
+ * interoperability limits and the digest grammar are the SDK's, though —
+ * {@link SKILL_MAX_RESOURCE_ENTRIES}, {@link SKILL_MAX_TOTAL_BYTES} and the
+ * digest pattern are read from `@modelcontextprotocol/core/ext/skills`.
  */
 
 import type { ServerCapabilities } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
+import {
+  SKILL_DIGEST_PATTERN,
+  SKILL_LIMITS,
+} from "@modelcontextprotocol/core/ext/skills";
 import {
   DYNAMIC_RESOURCES,
   SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY,
   type SkillEntry,
   type SkillResource,
-} from "./skillsSchemas.js";
+} from "./schemas.js";
 import { sha256Bytes } from "./sha256.js";
 import {
   jsonGraphError,
@@ -51,11 +68,17 @@ import {
   splitSkillFile,
 } from "./skillFile.js";
 
-/** Maximum resource entries a single skill may declare (SEP-2640). */
-export const SKILL_MAX_RESOURCE_ENTRIES = 512;
+/**
+ * Maximum resource entries a single skill may declare (SEP-2640) — the SDK's
+ * `SKILL_LIMITS.files`.
+ */
+export const SKILL_MAX_RESOURCE_ENTRIES = SKILL_LIMITS.files;
 
-/** Maximum total size, in bytes, of a single skill's resources (16 MiB). */
-export const SKILL_MAX_TOTAL_BYTES = 16 * 1024 * 1024;
+/**
+ * Maximum total size, in bytes, of a single skill's resources (16 MiB) — the
+ * SDK's `SKILL_LIMITS.bytes`.
+ */
+export const SKILL_MAX_TOTAL_BYTES = SKILL_LIMITS.bytes;
 
 /**
  * Maximum skills one verification run will actually read from, and the byte
@@ -123,8 +146,8 @@ export function resolveSkillCatalogBudget(settings?: {
 /** The suffix every skill URI ends with; the segment before it is the name. */
 export const SKILL_FILE_SUFFIX = "/SKILL.md";
 
-/** `sha256:` followed by exactly 64 lowercase hex characters. */
-const DIGEST_PATTERN = /^sha256:[0-9a-f]{64}$/;
+/** `sha256:` followed by exactly 64 lowercase hex characters (the SDK's). */
+const DIGEST_PATTERN = SKILL_DIGEST_PATTERN;
 
 /**
  * The Agent Skills name format SEP-2640 requires of `frontmatter.name`: 1–64
@@ -175,6 +198,12 @@ export interface SkillsExtensionSupport {
  * method names in either codec, so nothing about the negotiated era changes
  * whether the extension can be served or called. A legacy-era server that
  * declares it is serving it.
+ *
+ * Not the SDK's `skillsCapabilityOf` either, which runs the declaration
+ * through `SkillsCapabilitySchema` and returns `undefined` when it does not
+ * parse. A server declaring `{ directoryRead: "yes" }` would then lose the
+ * Skills tab outright, hiding the very server an inspector is for; here any
+ * object is a declaration and only a literal `true` enables `directoryRead`.
  */
 export function getSkillsExtension(
   capabilities: ServerCapabilities | undefined,
diff --git a/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.ts b/core/extension/skills/schemas.ts
similarity index 55%
rename from core/mcp/skillsSchemas.ts
rename to core/extension/skills/schemas.ts
index e915f91007..bfb76cb3b1 100644
--- a/core/mcp/skillsSchemas.ts
+++ b/core/extension/skills/schemas.ts
@@ -1,21 +1,28 @@
 /**
  * Skills extension wire schemas — SEP-2640 (`io.modelcontextprotocol/skills`).
  *
- * There is no `@modelcontextprotocol/ext-skills` package (404 on npm) and the
- * SDK's era codecs define none of these methods, so the Inspector drives them
- * as ordinary `client.request(…, ResultSchema)` calls with the explicit result
- * schemas below. That is exactly what the SDK prescribes for a consumer-owned
- * extension method: `Protocol._assertOutboundRequestInEra` only fires for names
- * one of the era codecs knows, so `skills/list` and `skills/get` are era-blind
- * and go out unchanged on both the 2025- and 2026-era legs. The raw-wire escape
- * hatch that modern `tasks/*` needs is deliberately NOT used here — `tasks/*`
- * are spec names the 2026 codec deleted, which is a different problem.
+ * **The SDK owns the wire constants, and owns the schemas wherever the
+ * Inspector can take them unchanged (#2804).** MCP TypeScript SDK 2.4.0 ships
+ * the client side of this extension (`@modelcontextprotocol/client/ext/skills`)
+ * and its schemas (`@modelcontextprotocol/core/ext/skills`). From the second
+ * this module re-exports the method names, the extension id and the directory
+ * mime type, and builds every caching attribute and the whole
+ * `resources/directory/read` result out of the SDK's schemas rather than
+ * restating them, so a spec revision lands with an SDK bump instead of a
+ * hand edit here.
  *
- * **This module is the wire surface for the two methods the Inspector calls.**
- * SEP-2640 is Accepted, so the method names and the entry shape are settled;
- * the skill *format* is delegated to the independently-versioned Agent Skills
- * specification. Keeping every wire type here makes a spec revision a
- * single-file edit (#2234).
+ * **The entry schemas stay the Inspector's, and that is the one deliberate
+ * divergence.** The SDK's `SkillSchema` is a *host's* schema: `digest` must
+ * match the `sha256:` pattern, `size` must be a non-negative integer, and
+ * `name` and `description` are required, so a non-conforming entry fails the
+ * parse. `SkillsClient` then either throws on it or, with `skipInvalid`,
+ * returns `{ index, uri, reason }` in place of the entry. An inspector has to
+ * show that entry — its frontmatter, its manifest and one finding per broken
+ * rule — so the schemas below parse it permissively and leave the verdict to
+ * `checkSkillConformance`. Taking the SDK's schema here would turn every
+ * finding the conformance report exists to show into a page that fails to
+ * load. The same reason keeps `SkillsClient.list()` / `get()` out of the call
+ * path: both run that schema over every entry.
  *
  * **Permissive where a defect should be reported; strict where a shape is
  * settled.** `looseObject`, and a `digest` typed as a plain string rather than
@@ -27,30 +34,48 @@
  * `skills/list`, `skills/get` or `resources/directory/read` result requires
  * the caching attributes (see `ModernListSkillsResultSchema`,
  * `ModernGetSkillEnvelopeSchema` and `ModernDirectoryReadResultSchema`).
+ *
+ * The method names are consumer-owned as far as the SDK's era codecs are
+ * concerned: `Protocol._assertOutboundRequestInEra` only fires for names one
+ * of the codecs knows, so `skills/list` and `skills/get` go out unchanged on
+ * both the 2025- and 2026-era legs as ordinary `client.request(…, Schema)`
+ * calls. The raw-wire escape hatch modern `tasks/*` needs is deliberately NOT
+ * used here — `tasks/*` are spec names the 2026 codec deleted, which is a
+ * different problem.
  */
 
 import { z } from "zod/v4";
-import { ResourceSchema } from "@modelcontextprotocol/core";
-
-/** SEP-2133 extension identifier for the Skills extension (SEP-2640). */
-export const SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY = "io.modelcontextprotocol/skills";
-
-/** The `skills/list` JSON-RPC method name. */
-export const SKILLS_LIST_METHOD = "skills/list";
-
-/** The `skills/get` JSON-RPC method name. */
-export const SKILLS_GET_METHOD = "skills/get";
+import {
+  ReadResourceDirectoryResultSchema,
+  SkillCacheScopeSchema,
+} from "@modelcontextprotocol/core/ext/skills";
 
 /**
- * The `resources/directory/read` method name, gated on the server declaring
- * `directoryRead: true` in its extension advertisement. Declared here so the
- * one wire-surface module names every method the extension defines, even though
- * the Inspector does not call it yet (phase 3 of #2234).
+ * SEP-2133 extension identifier, the three method names and the directory
+ * mime type, re-exported from the SDK rather than restated so each string has
+ * one owner — the same shape `core/extension/tasks/constants.ts` uses.
+ * `RESOURCES_DIRECTORY_READ_METHOD` is gated on the server declaring
+ * `directoryRead: true`.
  */
-export const RESOURCES_DIRECTORY_READ_METHOD = "resources/directory/read";
+export {
+  SKILLS_EXTENSION_ID as SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY,
+  SKILLS_LIST_METHOD,
+  SKILLS_GET_METHOD,
+  RESOURCES_DIRECTORY_READ_METHOD,
+  DIRECTORY_MIME_TYPE,
+} from "@modelcontextprotocol/core/ext/skills";
 
-/** `mimeType` marking a resource as a directory rather than a file. */
-export const DIRECTORY_MIME_TYPE = "inode/directory";
+/**
+ * `CacheableResult`'s two attributes, as the SDK states them: `ttlMs` a
+ * non-negative integer, `cacheScope` `public` or `private`. Taken from the
+ * SDK's own directory-read schema, the one result schema it exports that the
+ * Inspector uses whole, so the caching fields on every era-aware schema here
+ * are the SDK's and cannot drift from it.
+ */
+const CACHE_FIELDS = {
+  ttlMs: ReadResourceDirectoryResultSchema.shape.ttlMs,
+  cacheScope: SkillCacheScopeSchema,
+};
 
 /**
  * The literal `resources` value meaning "this skill's file set is generated and
@@ -119,13 +144,13 @@ export type ListSkillsResult = z.infer<typeof ListSkillsResultSchema>;
  *
  * SEP-2640's `skills/list` section states: *"In protocol versions 2026-07-28
  * and later, the result also carries … `ttlMs` and `cacheScope`."* The field
- * shapes mirror `ModernResultEnvelopeSchema` in `listSalvage.ts`, which is this
- * repo's existing statement of a modern result envelope and is already applied
- * to modern list results on the salvage path — so the two cannot drift.
+ * shapes are the SDK's own ({@link CACHE_FIELDS}), the same two `SkillsClient`
+ * requires of a modern page.
  *
- * The era split is load-bearing rather than defensive. `skills/*` is a
- * consumer-owned method, so it is absent from the SDK's cacheable-method
- * registry and **nothing else validates this**: without an era-aware schema a
+ * The era split is load-bearing rather than defensive. `skills/*` is a method
+ * the SDK's era codecs do not define, so it is absent from their
+ * cacheable-method registry and **nothing else validates this**: without an
+ * era-aware schema a
  * modern server could answer `{ skills: [] }` and the conformance UI would
  * present it as a clean list. The legacy shape stays permissive because these
  * are 2026-era attributes a legacy server has no business sending.
@@ -143,13 +168,11 @@ export type ListSkillsResult = z.infer<typeof ListSkillsResultSchema>;
  * lifts them for a consumer-owned method, so this schema is still the only
  * thing that does.
  */
-export const ModernListSkillsResultSchema = ListSkillsResultSchema.extend({
-  // A non-negative INTEGER, matching the codec: `ttlMs: -1` or `0.5` is an
-  // envelope violation, and accepting it here would hide exactly the kind of
-  // defect this schema exists to surface.
-  ttlMs: z.int().min(0),
-  cacheScope: z.enum(["public", "private"]),
-});
+export const ModernListSkillsResultSchema =
+  // A non-negative INTEGER `ttlMs`, as the SDK states it: `ttlMs: -1` or `0.5`
+  // is an envelope violation, and accepting it here would hide exactly the
+  // kind of defect this schema exists to surface.
+  ListSkillsResultSchema.extend(CACHE_FIELDS);
 
 /**
  * The `skills/get` result envelope on a **legacy** connection: the entry
@@ -183,10 +206,8 @@ export const GetSkillEnvelopeSchema = z.looseObject({
  *
  * ⚠️ Picked by `InspectorClient.getSkillResult` from the negotiated era.
  */
-export const ModernGetSkillEnvelopeSchema = GetSkillEnvelopeSchema.extend({
-  ttlMs: z.int().min(0),
-  cacheScope: z.enum(["public", "private"]),
-});
+export const ModernGetSkillEnvelopeSchema =
+  GetSkillEnvelopeSchema.extend(CACHE_FIELDS);
 
 /**
  * The `skills/get` result envelope as the SDK decoded it: the `skill` wrapper
@@ -218,46 +239,50 @@ export const GetSkillResultSchema = GetSkillEnvelopeSchema.transform(
 export type GetSkillResult = SkillEntry;
 
 /**
- * One `resources/directory/read` child: **the SDK's own `Resource`**, not a
- * shape restated here.
+ * `resources/directory/read` result on a **modern** (2026-07-28+) connection:
+ * **the SDK's own `ReadResourceDirectoryResultSchema`**, used whole (#2804).
+ *
+ * Unlike the skill entry schemas above, nothing here needed to stay ours. A
+ * directory child is a base-protocol `Resource` — SEP-2640 defines the result
+ * as carrying "the same `Resource` objects that `resources/list` returns, with
+ * the same `nextCursor` pagination contract" — and the SDK's
+ * `DirectoryResourceSchema` is exactly `ResourceSchema`'s shape. The stable
+ * ext-skills specification makes the result a `CacheableResult` (ext-skills#157,
+ * #2740), so `ttlMs` and `cacheScope` are required, and the SDK's schema says
+ * so.
  *
- * SEP-2640 defines the result as carrying "the same `Resource` objects that
- * `resources/list` returns, with the same `nextCursor` pagination contract", so
- * the schema that already decodes `resources/list` in this app is the literal
- * statement of that sentence — and one the SDK, not this module, keeps current.
- * Restating it would let the two drift, at which point a directory child and a
- * listed resource could disagree about what a `Resource` is while both claimed
- * to be one.
+ * ⚠️ It is **stricter than the entry schemas**, and that is the deliberate
+ * exception rather than an oversight. `Resource` requires `name`, so one child
+ * missing `name` rejects the whole page instead of being reported as a
+ * per-child finding — the opposite of the posture the entry schemas take. The
+ * reason the trade goes the other way here is ownership: the skills entry
+ * types are consumer-owned in the sense that nothing else reports on them, so
+ * this module has to; `Resource` is base-protocol and already validated
+ * exactly this strictly on the `resources/list` path, where `listSalvage` is
+ * the answer to a single bad entry. Being *more* permissive here would mean a
+ * URI that fails as a listed resource succeeds as a directory child, which is
+ * a worse inconsistency than an all-or-nothing page.
  *
- * ⚠️ It is **stricter than everything else in this module**, and that is the
- * deliberate exception rather than an oversight. `ResourceSchema` requires
- * `name` and strips unknown members, so one child missing `name` rejects the
- * whole page instead of being reported as a per-child finding — the opposite of
- * the posture the entry schemas above take. The reason the trade goes the other
- * way here is ownership: the skills entry types are consumer-owned and nothing
- * else validates them, so this module has to be the reporter; `Resource` is
- * base-protocol and already validated exactly this strictly on the
- * `resources/list` path, where {@link listSalvage} is the answer to a single bad
- * entry. Being *more* permissive here would mean a URI that fails as a listed
- * resource succeeds as a directory child, which is a worse inconsistency than
- * an all-or-nothing page.
+ * The SDK codec checks and lifts `resultType` on a modern result (#2373) but,
+ * for a method it does not define, neither caching attribute — so this schema
+ * is the only thing that does.
+ *
+ * ⚠️ Picked by `InspectorClient.readResourceDirectory` from the negotiated
+ * era — a schema cannot know it on its own.
  */
-export const DirectoryChildSchema = ResourceSchema;
+export const ModernDirectoryReadResultSchema =
+  ReadResourceDirectoryResultSchema;
 
 /**
- * `resources/directory/read` result on a **legacy** connection: the directory's
- * direct children plus the opaque cursor, and nothing required beyond that.
- *
- * Its modern counterpart is {@link ModernDirectoryReadResultSchema}. The
- * caching attributes are 2026-era, so the legacy shape stays permissive,
- * exactly as {@link ListSkillsResultSchema} and {@link GetSkillEnvelopeSchema}
- * do: `looseObject`, so a legacy server that also sends them is not failed for
- * doing so.
+ * `resources/directory/read` result on a **legacy** connection: the SDK's
+ * schema with the caching attributes made optional, which is exactly how
+ * `SkillsClient` decodes a 2025-11-25 result (the backport has no caching
+ * fields). Still `looseObject`, so a legacy server that also sends them is not
+ * failed for doing so — the same posture {@link ListSkillsResultSchema} and
+ * {@link GetSkillEnvelopeSchema} take.
  */
-export const DirectoryReadResultSchema = z.looseObject({
-  resources: z.array(DirectoryChildSchema),
-  nextCursor: z.string().optional(),
-});
+export const DirectoryReadResultSchema =
+  ReadResourceDirectoryResultSchema.partial({ ttlMs: true, cacheScope: true });
 
 /**
  * The result as the SDK decoded it, on either era. Typed from the legacy
@@ -266,34 +291,3 @@ export const DirectoryReadResultSchema = z.looseObject({
  * {@link GetSkillEnvelope} is typed from the legacy envelope.
  */
 export type DirectoryReadResult = z.infer<typeof DirectoryReadResultSchema>;
-
-/**
- * `resources/directory/read` result on a **modern** (2026-07-28+) connection:
- * the page plus `CacheableResult`'s required `ttlMs` / `cacheScope` (#2740).
- *
- * SEP-2640 as accepted said nothing about caching attributes on this method,
- * and its one worked example carried `resultType` alone — so an earlier
- * revision of this module deliberately had no modern variant here, on the
- * reading that requiring more than the SEP's own example would fail a
- * conforming server. The stable ext-skills specification settles it the way
- * it settled `skills/get` (#2404): *"`ReadResourceDirectoryResult` extends
- * `CacheableResult`, so `ttlMs` and `cacheScope` are **REQUIRED**, as they
- * are on `resources/list`, and carry the same semantics. They describe the
- * freshness of the directory listing, not of the held entry"* (ext-skills#157,
- * recorded in its `docs/decisions.md`), and its directory-read examples now
- * carry `"ttlMs": 300000, "cacheScope": "public"`.
- *
- * Same field shapes as {@link ModernListSkillsResultSchema}, and the same
- * reason it exists: this is a consumer-owned method, so the SDK codec checks
- * and lifts `resultType` (#2373) but checks neither caching attribute, and
- * without this a modern server omitting them would be reported as clean.
- *
- * ⚠️ Picked by `InspectorClient.readResourceDirectory` from the negotiated
- * era — a schema cannot know it on its own.
- */
-export const ModernDirectoryReadResultSchema = DirectoryReadResultSchema.extend(
-  {
-    ttlMs: z.int().min(0),
-    cacheScope: z.enum(["public", "private"]),
-  },
-);
diff --git a/core/mcp/sha256.ts b/core/extension/skills/sha256.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from core/mcp/sha256.ts
rename to core/extension/skills/sha256.ts
diff --git a/core/mcp/skillFile.ts b/core/extension/skills/skillFile.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from core/mcp/skillFile.ts
rename to core/extension/skills/skillFile.ts
diff --git a/core/mcp/skillsVerification.ts b/core/extension/skills/verification.ts
similarity index 95%
rename from core/mcp/skillsVerification.ts
rename to core/extension/skills/verification.ts
index dc570a9713..3d0887b973 100644
--- a/core/mcp/skillsVerification.ts
+++ b/core/extension/skills/verification.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
  * Fetch-and-verify: run every SEP-2640 check that needs the *bytes* of a skill's
  * files, over a whole set of entries (#2248).
  *
- * Separate from `skills.ts`, which is deliberately I/O-free —
+ * Separate from `conformance.ts`, which is deliberately I/O-free —
  * `checkSkillConformance` reads a manifest, `verifySkillResource` compares bytes
  * it is handed, `checkSkillFrontmatterMatch` compares text it is handed, and
  * none of them knows how to obtain a file. This module is the part that does,
@@ -24,9 +24,11 @@
  * CI diff of two reports shows what changed rather than what raced.
  */
 
-import { AuthRecoveryRequiredError } from "../auth/challenge.js";
-import type { InspectorClientProtocol } from "./inspectorClientProtocol.js";
-import type { RequestMetadata } from "./types.js";
+import { AuthRecoveryRequiredError } from "../../auth/challenge.js";
+import type {
+  RequestMetadata,
+  ResourceReadInvocation,
+} from "../../mcp/types.js";
 import {
   bytesToText,
   checkSkillConformance,
@@ -41,12 +43,15 @@ import {
   verifySkillResource,
   type SkillIssue,
   type SkillVerification,
-} from "./skills.js";
+} from "./conformance.js";
+
+/** The per-server settings {@link resolveSkillCatalogBudget} reads. */
+type SkillCatalogSettings = Parameters<typeof resolveSkillCatalogBudget>[0];
 import {
   DYNAMIC_RESOURCES,
   type SkillEntry,
   type SkillResource,
-} from "./skillsSchemas.js";
+} from "./schemas.js";
 
 /**
  * What a client tells its user to do about a skill the run's catalog budget
@@ -81,6 +86,30 @@ export const DEFAULT_SKILL_BUDGET_HINT: SkillBudgetHint = {
   verifyOne: "by verifying this skill alone",
 };
 
+/**
+ * What the walk needs from a connection: `resources/read`, and the server's
+ * catalog-budget settings.
+ *
+ * Declared here rather than taking `InspectorClientProtocol`, so this module
+ * imports nothing from `InspectorClient` — the rule every
+ * `core/extension/<name>/` module keeps. `InspectorClient` satisfies it as is.
+ *
+ * ⚠️ **Not the SDK's `SkillsClient.read()`.** That method verifies a file and
+ * throws a `SkillVerificationError` on the first check that fails, and it
+ * refuses an entry that is not valid before any request. This walk reads every
+ * file of every entry it is given, valid or not, and records each check's
+ * outcome — including `unverifiable` for a missing or malformed digest and the
+ * read-budget cut-off — which is a report a thrown error cannot carry (#2804).
+ */
+export interface SkillResourceReader {
+  readResource(
+    uri: string,
+    metadata?: RequestMetadata,
+  ): Promise<ResourceReadInvocation>;
+  /** Optional, so a test double need not implement it — see `verifySkills`. */
+  getServerSettings?(): SkillCatalogSettings | undefined;
+}
+
 /** One manifest entry's outcome. `read-error` means the fetch itself failed. */
 export type SkillFileStatus = SkillVerification["status"] | "read-error";
 
@@ -346,7 +375,7 @@ function responseBytes(result: unknown): number {
  * could not be read, with no way offered to fix it.
  */
 export async function verifySkills(
-  client: InspectorClientProtocol,
+  client: SkillResourceReader,
   entries: readonly SkillEntry[],
   metadata?: RequestMetadata,
   budgetHint: SkillBudgetHint = DEFAULT_SKILL_BUDGET_HINT,
diff --git a/core/mcp/__tests__/fakeInspectorClient.ts b/core/mcp/__tests__/fakeInspectorClient.ts
index 2c230df3be..83706a5518 100644
--- a/core/mcp/__tests__/fakeInspectorClient.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/__tests__/fakeInspectorClient.ts
@@ -42,8 +42,11 @@ import type { TaskCapabilities } from "@modelcontextprotocol/ext-tasks/client";
 import { INACTIVE_SUBSCRIPTION_STREAM_STATE } from "../types.js";
 import type { MalformedListItem } from "../listSalvage.js";
 import type { ConnectionDiagnostics } from "../connectionDiagnostics.js";
-import type { SkillEntry, SkillResource } from "../skillsSchemas.js";
-import type { SkillsExtensionSupport } from "../skills.js";
+import type {
+  SkillEntry,
+  SkillResource,
+} from "../../extension/skills/schemas.js";
+import type { SkillsExtensionSupport } from "../../extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import type { JsonValue } from "../../json/jsonUtils.js";
 
 type ListResult<TKey extends string, TItem> = {
diff --git a/core/mcp/extensions.ts b/core/mcp/extensions.ts
index 538c4655d6..ef7ca7abe8 100644
--- a/core/mcp/extensions.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/extensions.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import type { ClientCapabilities } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
 import { RESOURCE_MIME_TYPE } from "@modelcontextprotocol/ext-apps/app-bridge";
 import { TASKS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "../extension/tasks/constants.js";
-import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "./skillsSchemas.js";
+import { SKILLS_EXTENSION_KEY } from "../extension/skills/schemas.js";
 
 /**
  * Extension identifier for SEP-2350 enterprise-managed authorization. Advertised
diff --git a/core/mcp/inspectorClient.ts b/core/mcp/inspectorClient.ts
index c0fe604f33..4a60dfd323 100644
--- a/core/mcp/inspectorClient.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/inspectorClient.ts
@@ -194,8 +194,11 @@ import {
   SKILLS_GET_METHOD,
   SKILLS_LIST_METHOD,
   type SkillEntry,
-} from "./skillsSchemas.js";
-import { getSkillsExtension, type SkillsExtensionSupport } from "./skills.js";
+} from "../extension/skills/schemas.js";
+import {
+  getSkillsExtension,
+  type SkillsExtensionSupport,
+} from "../extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import {
   getElicitationUiResourceUri,
   isFormElicitation,
diff --git a/core/mcp/inspectorClientProtocol.ts b/core/mcp/inspectorClientProtocol.ts
index 2aeb860631..c290be0059 100644
--- a/core/mcp/inspectorClientProtocol.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/inspectorClientProtocol.ts
@@ -42,9 +42,9 @@ import type { JsonValue } from "../json/jsonUtils.js";
 import type { MalformedListItem } from "./listSalvage.js";
 import type { ConnectionDiagnostics } from "./connectionDiagnostics.js";
 import type { InspectorClientEventTarget } from "./inspectorClientEventTarget.js";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "./skillsSchemas.js";
-import type { SkillsExtensionSupport } from "./skills.js";
-import type { DirectoryReadResult } from "./skillsSchemas.js";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "../extension/skills/schemas.js";
+import type { SkillsExtensionSupport } from "../extension/skills/conformance.js";
+import type { DirectoryReadResult } from "../extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import type { TaskCapabilities } from "@modelcontextprotocol/ext-tasks/client";
 import type { SamplingCreateMessage } from "./samplingCreateMessage.js";
 import type { ElicitationCreateMessage } from "./elicitationCreateMessage.js";
diff --git a/core/mcp/node/config.ts b/core/mcp/node/config.ts
index 00b7b45572..e4ba610198 100644
--- a/core/mcp/node/config.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/node/config.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import type {
   StreamableHttpServerConfig,
 } from "../types.js";
 import { isProtocolEra, normalizeServerType } from "../serverList.js";
-import { isSkillCatalogLimit } from "../skills.js";
+import { isSkillCatalogLimit } from "../../extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import type { ServerProtocolEra } from "../types.js";
 import { toRecord } from "../../json/jsonUtils.js";
 import { getOwnEntry } from "../../storage/own-entry.js";
diff --git a/core/mcp/remote/node/server.ts b/core/mcp/remote/node/server.ts
index db64eb74c9..37176aa403 100644
--- a/core/mcp/remote/node/server.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/remote/node/server.ts
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ import {
   stripInspectorFields,
 } from "../../serverList.js";
 import { toRecord } from "../../../json/jsonUtils.js";
-import { isSkillCatalogLimit } from "../../skills.js";
+import { isSkillCatalogLimit } from "../../../extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import { resolveImportSource } from "../../import/resolveSource.js";
 import { RemoteSession } from "./remote-session.js";
 import { createRemoteAuthProvider } from "./tokenAuthProvider.js";
diff --git a/core/mcp/serverList.ts b/core/mcp/serverList.ts
index 1849c2ff4e..9707bab885 100644
--- a/core/mcp/serverList.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/serverList.ts
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ import {
   isSkillCatalogLimit,
   SKILL_MAX_CATALOG_BYTES,
   SKILL_MAX_CATALOG_SKILLS,
-} from "./skills.js";
+} from "../extension/skills/conformance.js";
 import type { Root } from "@modelcontextprotocol/client";
 import type {
   ElicitCapabilityMode,
diff --git a/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.ts b/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.ts
index c0d75bf8a2..07767c23ad 100644
--- a/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.ts
+++ b/core/mcp/state/managedSkillsState.ts
@@ -46,7 +46,10 @@
  */
 
 import type { InspectorClientProtocol } from "../inspectorClientProtocol.js";
-import { SKILLS_LIST_METHOD, type SkillEntry } from "../skillsSchemas.js";
+import {
+  SKILLS_LIST_METHOD,
+  type SkillEntry,
+} from "../../extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import { LIST_MAX_PAGES, isClientDecodeRejection } from "../listSalvage.js";
 import { isTerminalStatus } from "../types.js";
 import type { RequestMetadata } from "../types.js";
diff --git a/core/react/useManagedSkills.ts b/core/react/useManagedSkills.ts
index e02e121940..27381a8023 100644
--- a/core/react/useManagedSkills.ts
+++ b/core/react/useManagedSkills.ts
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import type {
   ManagedSkillsState,
   SkillsPaginationState,
 } from "../mcp/state/managedSkillsState.js";
-import type { SkillEntry } from "../mcp/skillsSchemas.js";
+import type { SkillEntry } from "../extension/skills/schemas.js";
 import { useListError } from "./useListError.js";
 import { useStoreSnapshot } from "./useStoreSnapshot.js";
 
diff --git a/docs/inspector-roadmap-2026-h2.md b/docs/inspector-roadmap-2026-h2.md
index 3e4998c541..66effcb557 100644
--- a/docs/inspector-roadmap-2026-h2.md
+++ b/docs/inspector-roadmap-2026-h2.md
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ official status through the Extensions Track of
 | -------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | --- | --- | --- | ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 | MCP Apps                         | `io.modelcontextprotocol/ui`                               | ✅  | —  | —   | Inspector row, cell blank | Apps tab. Columns are rendering support: rendering needs a browser, so neither CLI nor TUI renders Apps (the CLI does offer an `--app-info` metadata probe). The shared client still advertises the extension from CLI and TUI, which is a compatibility bug tracked in [#2403](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/2403). |
 | Tasks                            | `io.modelcontextprotocol/tasks`                            | 🟡  | 🟡  | 🟡  | No column in the matrix | Raw-wire channel; stays for the horizon (§3.1). All three clients are currently partial, for two separate reasons. (1) Over Streamable HTTP, the shared `InspectorClient` sends modern `tasks/*` requests without the `Mcp-Name` header SEP-2663 requires, so strict servers reject them; stdio is unaffected. It is fixed once the upstream SDK change tracked by #1917 is released. (2) CLI and TUI have no user-facing task surface: `mcp-inspector --cli` rejects `tasks/*` (they are not in `ONE_SHOT_METHODS`), and the TUI has no Tasks pane. #1917 does not change that. |
-| Skills over MCP                  | `io.modelcontextprotocol/skills`                           | ✅  | ✅  | ✅  | "Partial" (CLI README)  | [#2234](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/2234), [#2248](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/2248). Checks mean the inspection surface is complete (list, get, digest and frontmatter verification), including the cache fields the stable spec requires on modern `skills/list` and `skills/get` results ([#2404](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/2404)). Host behaviors (activation, per-skill consent, content-bound approval) are out of scope by design, since the Inspector is not a host (`core/mcp/skills.ts`); that is also why the upstream matrix says "Partial".                                                                 |
+| Skills over MCP                  | `io.modelcontextprotocol/skills`                           | ✅  | ✅  | ✅  | "Partial" (CLI README)  | [#2234](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/2234), [#2248](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/2248). Checks mean the inspection surface is complete (list, get, digest and frontmatter verification), including the cache fields the stable spec requires on modern `skills/list` and `skills/get` results ([#2404](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/2404)). Host behaviors (activation, per-skill consent, content-bound approval) are out of scope by design, since the Inspector is not a host (`core/extension/skills/conformance.ts`); that is also why the upstream matrix says "Partial".                                                                 |
 | Enterprise-Managed Authorization | `io.modelcontextprotocol/enterprise-managed-authorization` | ✅  | 🟡  | 🟡  | Inspector row, cell blank | [#1509](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/1509). CLI and TUI have no in-client Client Settings surface; they consume the `client.json` / `mcp.json` and keychain state the web settings flows write (or hand-edited files), and terminal EMA follow-ups remain (`specification/v2_auth_ema.md`).                                                                                                                                         |
 | OAuth Client Credentials         | `io.modelcontextprotocol/oauth-client-credentials`         | ❌  | ❌  | ❌  | Inspector row, cell blank | **Gap** (§3.3). [#1225](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/inspector/issues/1225) was closed only because v1 is frozen.                                                                                    |