diff --git a/plugins/gitea/.apm/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md b/plugins/gitea/.apm/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md
index 756778d..9c94072 100644
--- a/plugins/gitea/.apm/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md
+++ b/plugins/gitea/.apm/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@
 
 ## gitea-mcp-repo
 
-**Description:** Official gitea-mcp repository (v1.3.0); operation/*.go source files documenting all 55 MCP tools, their parameters, and CLI flags.
+**Description:** Official gitea-mcp repository (v1.3.0); operation/*.go source files documenting all 55 MCP tools, their parameters, and CLI flags. Tool parameters and SHA/concurrency behavior were cross-checked live against the deployed MCP tool schemas via `ToolSearch`, per this repo's process for resolving schema-vs-docs drift, rather than copied from the derived research doc.
 
 **Source:** https://gitea.com/gitea/gitea-mcp
 
 - **Research doc:** plugins/gitea/docs/research/docs/gitea/sources.md
 
-**Contributing files:** (tool parameters and SHA/concurrency behavior cross-checked live against the deployed MCP tool schemas via ToolSearch)
+**Contributing files:**
 - SKILL.md (Gotchas — cross-flow parameter and encoding traps; Dispatch)
 - references/reading.md (read-tool parameters, `ref`/`tree_sha` selection, tree pagination)
 - references/writing.md (write-tool parameters, SHA/concurrency behavior, canonical call sequences, failed-write triage)
@@ -45,4 +45,4 @@
 
 - **Research doc:** plugins/gitea/docs/research/docs/gitea/sources.md
 
-**Contributing files:** (none)
+- **Contributing files:** (none)
diff --git a/plugins/gitea/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md b/plugins/gitea/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md
index 756778d..9c94072 100644
--- a/plugins/gitea/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md
+++ b/plugins/gitea/skills/gitea-files/references/sources.md
@@ -2,13 +2,13 @@
 
 ## gitea-mcp-repo
 
-**Description:** Official gitea-mcp repository (v1.3.0); operation/*.go source files documenting all 55 MCP tools, their parameters, and CLI flags.
+**Description:** Official gitea-mcp repository (v1.3.0); operation/*.go source files documenting all 55 MCP tools, their parameters, and CLI flags. Tool parameters and SHA/concurrency behavior were cross-checked live against the deployed MCP tool schemas via `ToolSearch`, per this repo's process for resolving schema-vs-docs drift, rather than copied from the derived research doc.
 
 **Source:** https://gitea.com/gitea/gitea-mcp
 
 - **Research doc:** plugins/gitea/docs/research/docs/gitea/sources.md
 
-**Contributing files:** (tool parameters and SHA/concurrency behavior cross-checked live against the deployed MCP tool schemas via ToolSearch)
+**Contributing files:**
 - SKILL.md (Gotchas — cross-flow parameter and encoding traps; Dispatch)
 - references/reading.md (read-tool parameters, `ref`/`tree_sha` selection, tree pagination)
 - references/writing.md (write-tool parameters, SHA/concurrency behavior, canonical call sequences, failed-write triage)
@@ -45,4 +45,4 @@
 
 - **Research doc:** plugins/gitea/docs/research/docs/gitea/sources.md
 
-**Contributing files:** (none)
+- **Contributing files:** (none)
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
index a5525d1..4b07ae3 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ Checks performed:
   0  source_keys present in agent pair but sources.md absent
   1  FILL IN: placeholders in sources.md
   2  source_keys in agent files → slug exists in sources.md
-  3  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk (plugin-root relative)
+  3  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk (plugin-root
+     relative). An explicit '(none)' skips silently; a Contributing files block
+     this parser cannot read is reported as an INFO saying checks 3 and 4 did
+     not run, never skipped silently.
   4  Contributing files back-reference the parent slug in their source_keys
   5  Research doc field present and not placeholder
 EOF
@@ -244,14 +247,31 @@ has_fail = False
 def emit_fail(desc, fpath, why, fix):
     global has_fail
     has_fail = True
-    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix))
+    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
+
+# INFO does not set has_fail and does not change the exit code. It is for a
+# check that could not RUN — an unverified entry, not a broken one — and it
+# exists so that "did not run" is never spelled the same way as "passed".
+def emit_info(desc, fpath, note):
+    findings.append(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
 
 def print_findings():
-    for kind, desc, fpath, why, fix in findings:
-        print(f"FAIL  {desc} — {fpath}")
-        print(f"      Why: {why}")
-        print(f"      Fix: {fix}")
-        print()
+    for entry in findings:
+        kind = entry[0]
+        desc = entry[1]
+        fpath = entry[2]
+        why = entry[3]
+        fix = entry[4]
+        note = entry[5]
+        if kind == "FAIL":
+            print(f"FAIL  {desc} — {fpath}")
+            print(f"      Why: {why}")
+            print(f"      Fix: {fix}")
+            print()
+        else:
+            print(f"INFO  {desc} — {fpath}")
+            print(f"      Note: {note}")
+            print()
 
 # --- Collect source_keys from agent pair ---
 def get_source_keys_from_file(fpath):
@@ -321,9 +341,24 @@ for fpath, keys in [(agent_file, given_keys)]:
 
 # --- Checks 3, 4, 5: Per-slug checks in sources.md ---
 for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
-    # Check 3: Contributing files exist (paths relative to plugin root)
+    # Checks 3 and 4: Contributing files exist (paths relative to plugin root),
+    # and back-reference the slug. `[]` and None are NOT the same answer here.
+    # `[]` is the author writing "(none)" — there is nothing to check and the
+    # skip is correct. None is a Contributing-files block this parser cannot
+    # read, and skipping THAT silently disables both checks on the one entry
+    # least likely to be right, which is the failure mode
+    # parse_contributing_files' own docstring warns about. Say so out loud.
     cf_files = parse_contributing_files(sources_content, slug)
-    if cf_files:
+    if cf_files is None:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Contributing-file checks skipped for '{slug}' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed",
+            f"sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has no Contributing files list this parser can read — a missing field, a bare heading, '*' bullets, a numbered list, or prose all read as unparsable rather than as an empty declaration. "
+            f"Checks 3 and 4 did not run for this slug, so nothing verified that its contributing files exist or name it back. "
+            f"Write the value as '- **Contributing files:** <comma-separated paths>', or as a '**Contributing files:**' heading followed by '- ' bullets — "
+            f"or record '(none)' if this source contributed no files."
+        )
+    elif cf_files:
         for cf_rel in cf_files:
             cf_abs = os.path.join(plugin_root, cf_rel)
             if not os.path.isfile(cf_abs):
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
index d14635c..186d484 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
@@ -433,3 +433,140 @@ EOF
     run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
     assert_success
 }
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Checks 3 and 4: None ("could not parse") is NOT [] ("explicitly (none)")
+#
+# parse_contributing_files returns three distinguishable answers and checks 3
+# and 4 have to honour all three. `[]` is the author writing "(none)" — the
+# skip is correct and silent. None is a Contributing files block the parser
+# cannot read, and skipping THAT silently disables both checks on the one entry
+# least likely to be right, which is the failure mode the parser's own
+# docstring warns about. The assertions below are therefore about the INFO
+# appearing; a silent exit 0 is exactly the bug.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "INFO: an unparsable Contributing files block names the slug instead of skipping checks 3 and 4 silently" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    cat > "$root/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
+- **Description:** A test source.
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+**Contributing files:**
+* .apm/agents/ghost.agent.md (asterisk bullets are not the bullet form)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "INFO"
+    assert_output --partial "Contributing-file checks skipped for 'my-source' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed"
+}
+
+@test "INFO: an entry with no Contributing files field at all is reported, not skipped silently" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    cat > "$root/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
+- **Description:** A test source.
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "INFO"
+    assert_output --partial "Contributing-file checks skipped for 'my-source' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed"
+}
+
+@test "checks 3 and 4 skipped silently: an explicit '(none)' emits no INFO" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    make_sources_md "$root" "my-source" "(none — not used directly)"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output ""
+}
+
+@test "checks 3 and 4 still run: a parseable Contributing files list is not diverted to the INFO" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    make_sources_md "$root" "my-source" ".apm/agents/nonexistent.agent.md"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "FAIL"
+    assert_output --partial "Contributing file '.apm/agents/nonexistent.agent.md' does not exist"
+    refute_output --partial "could not be parsed"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# The INFO tier itself: kind-aware printing and a kind-aware exit code
+#
+# INFO is new here — before it, findings was a 5-tuple and print_findings
+# stamped every entry FAIL. The two cases below pin the tier rather than any
+# one check: an INFO must print under the INFO prefix and leave the exit code
+# at 0, and a real FAIL must keep printing under the FAIL prefix and still exit
+# non-zero even when an INFO is sitting in the same findings list.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "INFO tier: an INFO alone prints as INFO with a Note and does not set a failing exit code" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    cat > "$root/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
+- **Description:** A test source.
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "INFO  Contributing-file checks skipped for 'my-source'"
+    assert_output --partial "Note:"
+    refute_output --partial "FAIL"
+}
+
+@test "FAIL tier: a genuine FAIL alongside an INFO still prints as FAIL and exits non-zero" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    cat > "$root/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
+- **Description:** A test source.
+- **Contributing files:** .apm/agents/nonexistent.agent.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+
+## ghost-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/ghost-source
+- **Description:** Another test source.
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "FAIL  Contributing file '.apm/agents/nonexistent.agent.md' does not exist"
+    assert_output --partial "Why:"
+    assert_output --partial "INFO  Contributing-file checks skipped for 'ghost-source'"
+    assert_output --partial "Note:"
+}
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
index 5524605..2e8cca9 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ Checks performed:
   3  source_keys in references/*.md → slug exists in sources.md (INFO if no
      source_keys; an explicit 'source_keys: []' declares the file house-authored
      and passes silently)
-  4  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk
+  4  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk. An explicit
+     '(none)' skips silently; a Contributing files block this parser cannot
+     read is reported as an INFO saying checks 4 and 5 did not run, never
+     skipped silently.
   5  Contributing files back-reference the parent slug in their source_keys
   6  Research doc field present and not placeholder
   7  Slug in sources.md present in upstream research doc (INFO only). A section
@@ -104,7 +107,13 @@ def parse_source_keys(fm):
 # claims that then have to be maintained in sources.md as well. A bare
 # `source_keys:` with nothing after it is NOT accepted here — that reads as a
 # truncated or half-written entry, not a decision.
-EMPTY_SOURCE_KEYS_RE = re.compile(r'^\s*source_keys:\s*\[\s*\]\s*$')
+#
+# The indent is pinned to the two positions parse_source_keys() actually reads
+# — column 0, or two spaces under `metadata:`. A permissive `^\s*` matched a
+# `source_keys: []` nested at ANY depth under an unrelated key, which
+# parse_source_keys() never reads, so a stray nested key silenced the check-3
+# INFO for a file that had declared nothing.
+EMPTY_SOURCE_KEYS_RE = re.compile(r'^(?:  )?source_keys:\s*\[\s*\]\s*$')
 
 def declares_empty_source_keys(fm):
     """True when frontmatter carries an explicit, empty `source_keys: []`."""
@@ -436,9 +445,25 @@ repo_root = find_repo_root(skill_dir)
 research_docs_seen = {}  # abs_path → set of slugs in sources.md that reference it
 
 for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
-    # Check 4: Contributing files exist
+    # Checks 4 and 5: Contributing files exist, and back-reference the slug.
+    # `[]` and None are NOT the same answer here. `[]` is the author writing
+    # "(none)" — there is nothing to check and the skip is correct. None is a
+    # Contributing-files block this parser cannot read, and skipping THAT
+    # silently disables both checks on the one entry least likely to be right,
+    # which is the failure mode parse_contributing_files' own docstring warns
+    # about. Say so out loud instead, the same way an unresolvable Research doc
+    # value does.
     cf_files = parse_contributing_files(sources_content, slug)
-    if cf_files:
+    if cf_files is None:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Contributing-file checks skipped for '{slug}' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed",
+            f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has no Contributing files list this parser can read — a missing field, a bare heading, '*' bullets, a numbered list, or prose all read as unparsable rather than as an empty declaration. "
+            f"Checks 4 and 5 did not run for this slug, so nothing verified that its contributing files exist or name it back. "
+            f"Write the value as '- **Contributing files:** <comma-separated paths>', or as a '**Contributing files:**' heading followed by '- ' bullets — "
+            f"or record '(none)' if this source contributed no files."
+        )
+    elif cf_files:
         for cf_rel in cf_files:
             cf_abs = os.path.join(skill_dir, cf_rel)
             if not os.path.isfile(cf_abs):
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
index 7b0df0c..aef8d83 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
@@ -985,3 +985,132 @@ EOF
     assert_output --partial "INFO"
     assert_output --partial "Upstream checks skipped for 'my-source' — no repo root above the skill directory"
 }
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 16 — Checks 4 and 5: None ("could not parse") is NOT [] ("explicitly
+#            (none)"), on the sources.md side this time
+#
+# Cycle 13 pinned the distinction for check 8, which reads the parser's output
+# against a RESEARCH doc. Checks 4 and 5 read it against the skill's own
+# sources.md and honoured neither half: a truthiness test collapsed None into
+# [], so an unreadable Contributing files block disabled both checks and the
+# script still exited 0 with no output — the failure mode
+# parse_contributing_files' docstring names in as many words. The assertions
+# below are therefore about the INFO appearing; a silent exit 0 is exactly the
+# bug.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "INFO: an unparsable Contributing files block names the slug instead of skipping checks 4 and 5 silently" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    mkdir -p "$skill/references"
+    cat > "$skill/references/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
+- **Description:** A test source.
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+**Contributing files:**
+* references/ghost.md (asterisk bullets are not the bullet form)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "INFO"
+    assert_output --partial "Contributing-file checks skipped for 'my-source' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed"
+}
+
+@test "INFO: an entry with no Contributing files field at all is reported, not skipped silently" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    mkdir -p "$skill/references"
+    cat > "$skill/references/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
+- **Description:** A test source.
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "INFO"
+    assert_output --partial "Contributing-file checks skipped for 'my-source' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed"
+}
+
+@test "checks 4 and 5 skipped silently: an explicit '(none)' emits no INFO" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill" "my-source" "(none — not used directly)"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output ""
+}
+
+@test "checks 4 and 5 still run: a parseable Contributing files list is not diverted to the INFO" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill" "my-source" "references/nonexistent.md"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "FAIL"
+    assert_output --partial "Contributing file 'references/nonexistent.md' does not exist"
+    refute_output --partial "could not be parsed"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 17 — Check 3 (#111): 'source_keys: []' only declares anything in the
+#            two positions parse_source_keys() actually reads
+#
+# The declaration and the parse have to agree on WHERE the key lives. They did
+# not: the declaration regex accepted any indent, so a `source_keys: []` buried
+# under an unrelated key — a position parse_source_keys() never reads — passed
+# as a house-authored declaration and silenced the INFO for a file that had
+# declared nothing.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "INFO: 'source_keys: []' nested under an unrelated key is not a declaration" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill"
+    cat > "$skill/references/extra.md" <<EOF
+---
+title: Extra Reference
+unrelated:
+  nested:
+      source_keys: []
+---
+
+# Extra Reference
+
+The empty list is nested where parse_source_keys never looks.
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "INFO"
+    assert_output --partial "No source_keys frontmatter"
+}
+
+@test "INFO: a four-space-indented 'source_keys: []' is not a declaration either" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill"
+    cat > "$skill/references/extra.md" <<EOF
+---
+metadata:
+    source_keys: []
+---
+
+# Extra Reference
+
+Two spaces is the position parse_source_keys reads under metadata:, not four.
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "INFO"
+    assert_output --partial "No source_keys frontmatter"
+}
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
index a5525d1..4b07ae3 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -22,7 +22,10 @@ Checks performed:
   0  source_keys present in agent pair but sources.md absent
   1  FILL IN: placeholders in sources.md
   2  source_keys in agent files → slug exists in sources.md
-  3  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk (plugin-root relative)
+  3  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk (plugin-root
+     relative). An explicit '(none)' skips silently; a Contributing files block
+     this parser cannot read is reported as an INFO saying checks 3 and 4 did
+     not run, never skipped silently.
   4  Contributing files back-reference the parent slug in their source_keys
   5  Research doc field present and not placeholder
 EOF
@@ -244,14 +247,31 @@ has_fail = False
 def emit_fail(desc, fpath, why, fix):
     global has_fail
     has_fail = True
-    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix))
+    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
+
+# INFO does not set has_fail and does not change the exit code. It is for a
+# check that could not RUN — an unverified entry, not a broken one — and it
+# exists so that "did not run" is never spelled the same way as "passed".
+def emit_info(desc, fpath, note):
+    findings.append(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
 
 def print_findings():
-    for kind, desc, fpath, why, fix in findings:
-        print(f"FAIL  {desc} — {fpath}")
-        print(f"      Why: {why}")
-        print(f"      Fix: {fix}")
-        print()
+    for entry in findings:
+        kind = entry[0]
+        desc = entry[1]
+        fpath = entry[2]
+        why = entry[3]
+        fix = entry[4]
+        note = entry[5]
+        if kind == "FAIL":
+            print(f"FAIL  {desc} — {fpath}")
+            print(f"      Why: {why}")
+            print(f"      Fix: {fix}")
+            print()
+        else:
+            print(f"INFO  {desc} — {fpath}")
+            print(f"      Note: {note}")
+            print()
 
 # --- Collect source_keys from agent pair ---
 def get_source_keys_from_file(fpath):
@@ -321,9 +341,24 @@ for fpath, keys in [(agent_file, given_keys)]:
 
 # --- Checks 3, 4, 5: Per-slug checks in sources.md ---
 for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
-    # Check 3: Contributing files exist (paths relative to plugin root)
+    # Checks 3 and 4: Contributing files exist (paths relative to plugin root),
+    # and back-reference the slug. `[]` and None are NOT the same answer here.
+    # `[]` is the author writing "(none)" — there is nothing to check and the
+    # skip is correct. None is a Contributing-files block this parser cannot
+    # read, and skipping THAT silently disables both checks on the one entry
+    # least likely to be right, which is the failure mode
+    # parse_contributing_files' own docstring warns about. Say so out loud.
     cf_files = parse_contributing_files(sources_content, slug)
-    if cf_files:
+    if cf_files is None:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Contributing-file checks skipped for '{slug}' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed",
+            f"sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has no Contributing files list this parser can read — a missing field, a bare heading, '*' bullets, a numbered list, or prose all read as unparsable rather than as an empty declaration. "
+            f"Checks 3 and 4 did not run for this slug, so nothing verified that its contributing files exist or name it back. "
+            f"Write the value as '- **Contributing files:** <comma-separated paths>', or as a '**Contributing files:**' heading followed by '- ' bullets — "
+            f"or record '(none)' if this source contributed no files."
+        )
+    elif cf_files:
         for cf_rel in cf_files:
             cf_abs = os.path.join(plugin_root, cf_rel)
             if not os.path.isfile(cf_abs):
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
index 5524605..2e8cca9 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -21,7 +21,10 @@ Checks performed:
   3  source_keys in references/*.md → slug exists in sources.md (INFO if no
      source_keys; an explicit 'source_keys: []' declares the file house-authored
      and passes silently)
-  4  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk
+  4  Contributing files listed in sources.md exist on disk. An explicit
+     '(none)' skips silently; a Contributing files block this parser cannot
+     read is reported as an INFO saying checks 4 and 5 did not run, never
+     skipped silently.
   5  Contributing files back-reference the parent slug in their source_keys
   6  Research doc field present and not placeholder
   7  Slug in sources.md present in upstream research doc (INFO only). A section
@@ -104,7 +107,13 @@ def parse_source_keys(fm):
 # claims that then have to be maintained in sources.md as well. A bare
 # `source_keys:` with nothing after it is NOT accepted here — that reads as a
 # truncated or half-written entry, not a decision.
-EMPTY_SOURCE_KEYS_RE = re.compile(r'^\s*source_keys:\s*\[\s*\]\s*$')
+#
+# The indent is pinned to the two positions parse_source_keys() actually reads
+# — column 0, or two spaces under `metadata:`. A permissive `^\s*` matched a
+# `source_keys: []` nested at ANY depth under an unrelated key, which
+# parse_source_keys() never reads, so a stray nested key silenced the check-3
+# INFO for a file that had declared nothing.
+EMPTY_SOURCE_KEYS_RE = re.compile(r'^(?:  )?source_keys:\s*\[\s*\]\s*$')
 
 def declares_empty_source_keys(fm):
     """True when frontmatter carries an explicit, empty `source_keys: []`."""
@@ -436,9 +445,25 @@ repo_root = find_repo_root(skill_dir)
 research_docs_seen = {}  # abs_path → set of slugs in sources.md that reference it
 
 for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
-    # Check 4: Contributing files exist
+    # Checks 4 and 5: Contributing files exist, and back-reference the slug.
+    # `[]` and None are NOT the same answer here. `[]` is the author writing
+    # "(none)" — there is nothing to check and the skip is correct. None is a
+    # Contributing-files block this parser cannot read, and skipping THAT
+    # silently disables both checks on the one entry least likely to be right,
+    # which is the failure mode parse_contributing_files' own docstring warns
+    # about. Say so out loud instead, the same way an unresolvable Research doc
+    # value does.
     cf_files = parse_contributing_files(sources_content, slug)
-    if cf_files:
+    if cf_files is None:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Contributing-file checks skipped for '{slug}' — the Contributing files block could not be parsed",
+            f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has no Contributing files list this parser can read — a missing field, a bare heading, '*' bullets, a numbered list, or prose all read as unparsable rather than as an empty declaration. "
+            f"Checks 4 and 5 did not run for this slug, so nothing verified that its contributing files exist or name it back. "
+            f"Write the value as '- **Contributing files:** <comma-separated paths>', or as a '**Contributing files:**' heading followed by '- ' bullets — "
+            f"or record '(none)' if this source contributed no files."
+        )
+    elif cf_files:
         for cf_rel in cf_files:
             cf_abs = os.path.join(skill_dir, cf_rel)
             if not os.path.isfile(cf_abs):