diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
index d6bc4ac..55e949c 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
@@ -34,8 +34,14 @@ first of these:
 `plugin.json` and no `apm.yml` falls through to project or user scope.
 
 `validate-provenance.sh` exits 0 silently when that walk does not land on a package root, and again
-when the package has no provenance data. Silence from it is a pass, not a skip you need to
-investigate.
+when the package has no provenance data. Check the exit code before you believe the silence:
+
+- **0** — a pass, not a skip you need to investigate. Both silent cases above land here.
+- **1** — real findings, on stdout with Why and Fix.
+- **2** — the check never ran. A missing, doubled, non-file or wrongly-named argument, an
+  undecodable `apm.yml`, or an absent `python3`, each with a diagnostic on stderr and no findings
+  at all. Report the `### Provenance` dimension as unverified and quote the reason. An exit 2 is
+  never a clean pass: empty stdout there means nothing was checked, not that nothing was wrong.
 
 ## Manual fallback
 
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 4b07ae3..1dcc003 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,30 @@ Arguments:
 Exit codes:
   0  All checks passed (or nothing to validate, or not plugin scope)
   1  One or more checks failed
-  2  Script error (unrecognized file extension — expected .md or .agent.md)
+  2  Usage error, or the argument is not an agent file this script can read
+
+An exit code of 2 is NOT a finding. SKILL.md tells the auditor to surface a
+non-zero exit as findings, so a usage error leaving exit 1 with nothing on
+stdout was indistinguishable from a clean-but-failing run. Environment and
+argument problems exit 2; only real findings exit 1.
+
+Exit 2 and the silent exit 0 answer two DIFFERENT questions, and neither may
+be spelled with the other's code:
+
+  exit 2  the argument is not something this script can audit at all — it is
+          missing, doubled, not a file, or not named .md / .agent.md. Decided
+          before the scope walk-up runs, from the argument alone.
+  exit 0  the argument IS a readable agent file, and the scope walk-up found
+          no type:-bearing apm.yml above it before hitting the \$HOME, .git or
+          filesystem-root boundary. That is a real verdict about a real file —
+          "this agent is user or project scope, so plugin-scope provenance
+          does not apply to it" — not a rejected input.
+
+scripts/check-scope-walkup-sync.sh's fixture 6 pins the second: a real agent
+file under a \$HOME with a type-bearing apm.yml ABOVE it must exit 0 with empty
+output. Widening exit 2 to cover "the walk-up found no package" would break
+that fixture AND would be wrong on its own terms, because new-agent.sh happily
+scaffolds exactly that layout.
 
 Checks performed:
   0  source_keys present in agent pair but sources.md absent
@@ -28,6 +51,13 @@ Checks performed:
      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
+
+This script has no counterpart to skill-audit's checks 6, 7 and 8 (Research
+doc field / upstream forward / upstream reverse are numbered 6, 7, 8 there and
+5 here): an agent at plugin scope is a single file with a plugin-root
+sources.md, so there is no references/ tree to walk and no upstream research
+source index to cross-check. parse_status() and the sources.md-basename gate
+that those checks need exist only in the skill-audit copy.
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -36,26 +66,131 @@ if [[ "${1:-}" == "--help" || "${1:-}" == "-h" ]]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+# Usage and environment problems exit 2, findings exit 1. See the usage text
+# above for why the two must not share a code, and for why "not plugin scope"
+# is neither of them. This is a deliberate divergence from validate.sh, which
+# has no 2 tier for content: validate.sh always prints PASS lines, so a usage
+# error there is visibly not a findings report. This script prints NOTHING on a
+# clean run, so exit 1 plus empty stdout was the only signal a caller got
+# either way.
 if [[ $# -lt 1 ]]; then
   echo "Error: agent-file is required." >&2
   echo "" >&2
   usage >&2
-  exit 1
+  exit 2
 fi
 
+# Extra positional arguments were silently dropped, so a typo'd flag or a second
+# path looked like it had been honoured.
+if [[ $# -gt 1 ]]; then
+  echo "Error: expected exactly one argument, got $#: $*" >&2
+  echo "" >&2
+  usage >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# python3 is a HARD dependency. Without this preflight a missing interpreter
+# produced 'line NN: python3: command not found' and exit 127 — an exit code no
+# caller maps to anything, from a message that names this script's line number
+# rather than the missing dependency.
+if ! command -v python3 > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: python3 is required but was not found on PATH." >&2
+  echo "  Why: skipping the provenance checks entirely would be a vacuous pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: install python3 (pre-commit itself is a Python application, so it is almost certainly already present)." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# A path that does not exist, or exists but is not a regular file, used to reach
+# the Python body, get os.path.dirname()'d into some ancestor directory and then
+# either report a silent exit 0 (no package above it) or — worse — audit a
+# DIFFERENT agent's package while naming the typo'd path. A typo'd target was
+# indistinguishable from a clean agent. vale-wrap.sh hard-errors on a
+# nonexistent path for exactly this reason.
+#
+# This is decided from the argument alone, before any walk-up runs, so it cannot
+# collide with the not-plugin-scope exit 0: that verdict is only ever reached by
+# a file that got past here.
+if [[ ! -e "$1" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: no such file: $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: a nonexistent target would otherwise report a silent pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the path of the agent file to validate." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "$1" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: not a regular file: $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: this script audits one agent file, not a directory of them, and reporting a directory as a pass hides the wrong-target mistake." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the agent file itself — .apm/agents/<name>.agent.md — not its parent directory." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# The extension check used to live inside the Python body. It stays exit 2 and
+# keeps its wording; it moves up here so that every "this argument is not
+# auditable" verdict is reached in one place, before the interpreter starts and
+# before the scope walk-up can turn a bad argument into a silent exit 0.
+case "$1" in
+  *.agent.md | *.md) ;;
+  *)
+    echo "Error: unrecognized extension '$(basename "$1")' — expected .md or .agent.md" >&2
+    exit 2
+    ;;
+esac
+
 python3 -u - "$1" <<'PYTHON'
 import sys
 import os
 import re
 
+# Output is UTF-8 for the same reason input is: under LC_ALL=C the streams
+# default to ASCII, and every finding this script prints contains an em dash.
+# Pinning only the reads moved the crash from the read to the write — a
+# UnicodeEncodeError inside print_findings(), which loses the whole report
+# after all the checks have already run.
+for _stream in (sys.stdout, sys.stderr):
+    try:
+        _stream.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8')
+    except AttributeError:  # pragma: no cover — Python < 3.7
+        pass
+
 agent_file = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[1])
-fname = os.path.basename(agent_file)
 agent_dir = os.path.dirname(agent_file)
 
-# --- Sanity-check extension (single vendor-neutral .agent.md file at plugin/APM scope) ---
-if not (fname.endswith('.agent.md') or fname.endswith('.md')):
-    print(f"Error: unrecognized extension '{fname}' — expected .md or .agent.md", file=sys.stderr)
-    sys.exit(2)
+# --- Input ----------------------------------------------------------------
+# Ported from the skill-audit copy, where the same two problems were already
+# fixed.
+#
+# read_text() pins UTF-8 explicitly instead of inheriting
+# locale.getpreferredencoding(), which is ASCII under LC_ALL=C — an ordinary em
+# dash in an agent file or in sources.md then aborted the run with a bare
+# UnicodeDecodeError traceback, or, at the one call site that wrapped its read
+# in `except Exception: return []`, reported the unreadable file as having no
+# source_keys and therefore as clean. A file that genuinely is not UTF-8 still
+# fails; it just says which file and why.
+#
+# strip_bom() runs on every read because a leading BOM defeats
+# parse_frontmatter()'s `^---` anchor, which silently disabled check 2 on a
+# BOM-prefixed agent file: no frontmatter parsed means no source_keys parsed
+# means nothing to validate.
+
+
+class EncodingError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def strip_bom(text):
+    return text[1:] if text.startswith(u'\ufeff') else text
+
+
+def read_text(path):
+    """File contents as text, UTF-8 and BOM-free, with a diagnostic instead of a traceback."""
+    try:
+        with open(path, encoding='utf-8') as fh:
+            return strip_bom(fh.read())
+    except UnicodeDecodeError as exc:
+        raise EncodingError(
+            "not valid UTF-8 (%s at byte %d) — re-save the file as UTF-8; "
+            "this gate does not guess at other encodings"
+            % (exc.reason, exc.start))
 
 # Matches a top-level `type:` line whose value is exactly one of the four
 # package content types — identical to validate.sh's APM_TYPE_RE. Group 1's
@@ -70,15 +205,31 @@ TYPE_RE = re.compile(r"^type:\s*(['\"]?)(instructions|skill|hybrid|prompts)\1(?:
 # keep walking. Stop at a $HOME boundary, a .git boundary, or the filesystem
 # root: none of these is plugin/APM scope, so this script has nothing to
 # check there.
+#
+# Returning None here means NOT PLUGIN SCOPE, which is a verdict, not an error:
+# the caller exits 0 silently, and scripts/check-scope-walkup-sync.sh fixture 6
+# pins that. It is deliberately NOT folded into the exit-2 tier above.
 def find_plugin_root(start_dir):
     home = os.path.expanduser('~')
     current = os.path.abspath(start_dir)
     while True:
         apm_yml = os.path.join(current, 'apm.yml')
         if os.path.isfile(apm_yml):
-            with open(apm_yml) as f:
-                if any(TYPE_RE.match(line) for line in f):
-                    return current
+            # An apm.yml is a manifest this script must be able to READ to
+            # classify scope at all. Under LC_ALL=C the old bare open() decoded
+            # as ASCII, so a manifest with an accented author name raised
+            # UnicodeDecodeError mid-walk and killed the run with a traceback.
+            # It is an environment problem, not a finding, so it exits 2 rather
+            # than being swallowed into a silent "no package here".
+            try:
+                content = read_text(apm_yml)
+            except EncodingError as exc:
+                print(
+                    "Error: %s is %s" % (apm_yml, exc),
+                    file=sys.stderr)
+                sys.exit(2)
+            if any(TYPE_RE.match(line) for line in content.splitlines()):
+                return current
         # $HOME is a non-plugin-scope boundary — checked before the .git test
         # below (mirrors validate.sh's detect_scope ordering), so a
         # dotfiles-managed $HOME (yadm, chezmoi bare-repo, etc.) can't shadow
@@ -104,7 +255,14 @@ if plugin_root is None:
 sources_md_path = os.path.join(plugin_root, 'sources.md')
 
 # --- Helpers ---
-PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:[^`\n]')
+
+# The trailing character class used to be CONSUMING — `[^`\n]` — so a
+# `FILL IN:` at end of line matched nothing and escaped checks 1 and 5
+# entirely. `- **Description:** FILL IN:` is the most likely spelling of a
+# half-written entry, and it was the one spelling the placeholder gate could
+# not see. The exclusion it was really expressing is "not inside backticks",
+# which a lookahead states without eating a character.
+PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:(?!`)')
 
 def parse_frontmatter(content):
     m = re.match(r'^---\n(.*?)\n---', content, re.DOTALL)
@@ -227,33 +385,48 @@ def parse_contributing_files(content, slug):
     return files or None
 # ===== END SHARED CONTRIBUTING-FILES PARSER =====
 
-def parse_research_doc(content, slug):
+def parse_research_docs(content, slug):
+    """Every Research doc value under a given slug H2, in document order.
+
+    The caller uses the first and reports the rest. Returning only the first —
+    what this did before — meant a second '- **Research doc:**' line in one
+    entry was silently ignored, so an author who added a doc rather than
+    replacing one got check 5 run against the old value and no hint that the
+    new one was never looked at.
+    """
     pattern = re.compile(
         r'^## ' + re.escape(slug) + r'\s*\n(.*?)(?=^## |\Z)',
         re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL
     )
     m = pattern.search(content)
     if not m:
-        return None
+        return []
     block = m.group(1)
-    rd_m = re.search(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)
-    if not rd_m:
-        return None
-    return rd_m.group(1).strip()
+    return [v.strip() for v in
+            re.findall(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)]
 
 findings = []
 has_fail = False
 
+# A finding identical in every field is the same finding, and the same file is
+# now reached by more than one check — the agent file is read once for its own
+# source_keys and again as a contributing file, so an unreadable one would
+# otherwise be reported twice with the same words. Distinct findings about the
+# same file still both appear.
+def _record(entry):
+    if entry not in findings:
+        findings.append(entry)
+
 def emit_fail(desc, fpath, why, fix):
     global has_fail
     has_fail = True
-    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
+    _record(("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))
+    _record(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
 
 def print_findings():
     for entry in findings:
@@ -273,38 +446,56 @@ def print_findings():
             print(f"      Note: {note}")
             print()
 
+def emit_unreadable(rel, exc):
+    """Report a file this script cannot decode. Never a silent skip."""
+    emit_fail(
+        f"File is {exc}",
+        rel,
+        f"'{rel}' cannot be decoded, so its frontmatter — and any source_keys in it — "
+        f"cannot be read. This used to be swallowed by a bare 'except Exception: return []', "
+        f"which reported the unreadable file as having no source_keys and therefore as clean.",
+        f"Re-save '{rel}' as UTF-8."
+    )
+
 # --- Collect source_keys from agent pair ---
-def get_source_keys_from_file(fpath):
+def get_source_keys_from_file(fpath, rel):
     if not os.path.isfile(fpath):
         return []
     try:
-        with open(fpath) as f:
-            content = f.read()
-    except Exception:
+        content = read_text(fpath)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable(rel, exc)
         return []
     fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(content)
     return parse_source_keys(fm)
 
 # Plugin/APM scope is a single vendor-neutral file — no counterpart to merge.
-given_keys = get_source_keys_from_file(agent_file)
+rel_given = os.path.relpath(agent_file, plugin_root)
+given_keys = get_source_keys_from_file(agent_file, rel_given)
 all_source_keys = given_keys
 
 sources_md_exists = os.path.isfile(sources_md_path)
 
-# Early exit: nothing to validate
+# Early exit: nothing to validate. The read above can itself raise a finding —
+# an unreadable agent file — so print before leaving; the clean case still
+# prints nothing and exits 0.
 if not all_source_keys and not sources_md_exists:
-    sys.exit(0)
+    print_findings()
+    sys.exit(1 if has_fail else 0)
 
 sources_content = None
 sources_slugs = set()
 if sources_md_exists:
-    with open(sources_md_path) as f:
-        sources_content = f.read()
+    try:
+        sources_content = read_text(sources_md_path)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable("sources.md", exc)
+        print_findings()
+        sys.exit(1)
     sources_slugs = set(parse_h2_slugs(sources_content))
 
 # --- Check 0: source_keys present but sources.md absent ---
 if not sources_md_exists and all_source_keys:
-    rel_given = os.path.relpath(agent_file, plugin_root)
     emit_fail(
         "source_keys declared but sources.md is absent",
         rel_given,
@@ -340,7 +531,31 @@ 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):
+
+# Every per-slug parser below — parse_contributing_files, parse_research_docs —
+# locates its block with pattern.search(), so a slug written twice resolves to
+# the FIRST block every time. Iterating the raw heading list therefore checked
+# the first block's fields twice and the second block's never: a duplicated slug
+# is half-validated, and looked fully validated. The duplicate is announced and
+# the repeat visit dropped.
+all_slugs = parse_h2_slugs(sources_content)
+unique_slugs = []
+for _slug in all_slugs:
+    if _slug in unique_slugs:
+        continue
+    unique_slugs.append(_slug)
+    _count = all_slugs.count(_slug)
+    if _count > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Duplicate '## {_slug}' entry in sources.md — only the first block is checked",
+            f"sources.md (## {_slug})",
+            f"'## {_slug}' appears {_count} times. Every field parser here takes the first match, so the "
+            f"second and later blocks' Contributing files and Research doc are never validated — "
+            f"checks 3, 4 and 5 did not run for them. "
+            f"Merge the blocks into one entry, or give each a distinct slug and reference it from source_keys."
+        )
+
+for slug in unique_slugs:
     # 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
@@ -370,8 +585,11 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                 )
             else:
                 # Check 4: Bidirectional — file should list slug in its source_keys
-                with open(cf_abs) as f:
-                    cf_content = f.read()
+                try:
+                    cf_content = read_text(cf_abs)
+                except EncodingError as exc:
+                    emit_unreadable(cf_rel, exc)
+                    continue
                 cf_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(cf_content)
                 cf_keys = parse_source_keys(cf_fm)
                 if slug not in cf_keys:
@@ -383,7 +601,17 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                     )
 
     # Check 5: Research doc field required
-    rd_value = parse_research_doc(sources_content, slug)
+    rd_values = parse_research_docs(sources_content, slug)
+    if len(rd_values) > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Multiple '- **Research doc:**' lines for '{slug}' — only the first is used",
+            f"sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has {len(rd_values)} Research doc lines; check 5 ran against the first "
+            f"('{rd_values[0]}') and never looked at the rest. "
+            f"Keep one Research doc line per entry — if a slug genuinely came from two documents, split it into two slugs, "
+            f"or name the extra document inside the first value's annotation where it is at least visible."
+        )
+    rd_value = rd_values[0] if rd_values else None
     if rd_value is None:
         emit_fail(
             "Research doc field missing",
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 186d484..7ae7edf 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/agent-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
@@ -570,3 +570,340 @@ EOF
     assert_output --partial "INFO  Contributing-file checks skipped for 'ghost-source'"
     assert_output --partial "Note:"
 }
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# The exit-2 tier, and its boundary with the silent exit 0
+#
+# Ported from the skill-audit sibling, which had already split usage and
+# environment errors (exit 2) away from findings (exit 1). SKILL.md tells the
+# auditor to surface a non-zero exit, so a usage error leaving exit 1 with
+# nothing on stdout was indistinguishable from a clean-but-failing run.
+#
+# The reconciliation this script needs and the sibling does not: "the walk-up
+# found no type:-bearing apm.yml" is NOT bad input. It is a verdict about a
+# real, readable agent file — user or project scope, where plugin-scope
+# provenance does not apply — and scripts/check-scope-walkup-sync.sh fixture 6
+# pins it as exit 0 with empty output. Every exit-2 gate is therefore decided
+# from the ARGUMENT ALONE, before the walk-up runs, so the two can never
+# collide. The two tests at the end of this block assert both halves.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "exit 2: no arguments is a usage error, not a finding" {
+    run bash "$SCRIPT"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "agent-file is required"
+}
+
+@test "exit 2: a second positional argument is rejected instead of silently dropped" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_clean_agent "$root"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md" --some-typo
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "expected exactly one argument"
+}
+
+@test "exit 2: a nonexistent path is an error, not a silent pass" {
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$TMPDIR/no-such-agent.agent.md"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "no such file"
+}
+
+@test "exit 2: a directory is not an agent file" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "not a regular file"
+}
+
+@test "exit 2: an unrecognized extension is rejected before the walk-up runs" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    echo "not an agent" > "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.txt"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.txt"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "unrecognized extension"
+}
+
+@test "exit 2: a PATH with no python3 names the missing dependency instead of exiting 127" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_clean_agent "$root"
+    local emptybin="$TMPDIR/emptybin"
+    mkdir -p "$emptybin"
+    local bash_bin
+    bash_bin="$(command -v bash)"
+    run env -i PATH="$emptybin" HOME="$HOME" "$bash_bin" "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    # The needle is the DIAGNOSTIC, not the bare word: with no preflight, bash's
+    # own "python3: command not found" would satisfy a bare-word match.
+    assert_output --partial "python3 is required"
+}
+
+@test "reconciliation: a REAL agent file at non-plugin scope still exits 0 silently, never 2" {
+    # scripts/check-scope-walkup-sync.sh fixture 6 in miniature. The exit-2 tier
+    # must not widen to cover "find_plugin_root returned None": the file exists,
+    # is readable and is correctly named — it is simply user/project scope.
+    local dir="$TMPDIR/anc"
+    mkdir -p "$dir"
+    cat > "$dir/apm.yml" <<EOF
+name: outer-package
+version: 0.1.0
+type: skill
+EOF
+    local fake_home="$dir/fakehome"
+    mkdir -p "$fake_home/.apm/agents"
+    cat > "$fake_home/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md" <<EOF
+---
+name: my-agent
+description: A valid agent description.
+source_keys:
+  - my-source
+---
+
+You are a test agent.
+EOF
+    run env HOME="$fake_home" bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_home/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    assert_output ""
+}
+
+@test "reconciliation: a nonexistent path inside a non-plugin-scope tree exits 2, not the old silent 0" {
+    # The other half. Before the exit-2 tier, a typo'd path anywhere outside a
+    # package took the not-plugin-scope exit and reported a silent pass, so the
+    # typo and a clean agent produced identical output and identical status.
+    local fake_home="$TMPDIR/plainhome"
+    mkdir -p "$fake_home/.apm/agents"
+    run env HOME="$fake_home" bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_home/.apm/agents/typo.agent.md"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "no such file"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# PLACEHOLDER_RE: the trailing character class was CONSUMING
+#
+# `(?<!\`)FILL IN:[^\`\n]` required a character after the colon, so a `FILL IN:`
+# at end of line matched nothing and escaped checks 1 and 5 entirely — and
+# `- **Description:** FILL IN:` is the most likely spelling of a half-written
+# entry. The lookahead states the same exclusion without eating a character.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "FAIL: a FILL IN: placeholder at end of line is caught, not skipped" {
+    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:** FILL IN:
+- **Contributing files:** .apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "Unfilled FILL IN: placeholder"
+}
+
+@test "FAIL: a Research doc value that is a bare end-of-line FILL IN: is caught" {
+    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/my-agent.agent.md
+- **Research doc:** FILL IN:
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "Research doc field is empty or placeholder"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Encoding, read side: read_text() pins UTF-8 and strips a BOM
+#
+# The old code used bare open() calls inheriting locale.getpreferredencoding(),
+# which is ASCII under LC_ALL=C, and wrapped exactly one of them in
+# `except Exception: return []` — so an unreadable agent file was reported as
+# having no source_keys and therefore as CLEAN. The other call sites had no
+# handler at all and died with a traceback.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "FAIL: an undecodable agent file is reported, not swallowed into a clean pass" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    printf '\xff\xfe---\nname: my-agent\n---\n' > "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    make_sources_md "$root" "my-source" "(none)"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "not valid UTF-8"
+    refute_output --partial "Traceback"
+}
+
+@test "FAIL: an undecodable contributing file is reported, not a traceback" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    printf '\xff\xfe---\nname: other\n---\n' > "$root/.apm/agents/other.agent.md"
+    make_sources_md "$root" "my-source" ".apm/agents/other.agent.md"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "not valid UTF-8"
+    refute_output --partial "Traceback"
+}
+
+@test "exit 2: an undecodable apm.yml names the file instead of dying mid walk-up" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_clean_agent "$root"
+    printf 'name: t\nversion: 0.1.0\ntype: skill\n# \xff\xfe\n' > "$root/apm.yml"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "not valid UTF-8"
+    refute_output --partial "Traceback"
+}
+
+@test "a BOM-prefixed agent file still has its source_keys read (check 2 runs)" {
+    # A leading BOM defeats parse_frontmatter()'s ^--- anchor, so no frontmatter
+    # parsed means no source_keys parsed means nothing to validate — check 2
+    # went silently missing on exactly the file it was pointed at.
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    printf '\xef\xbb\xbf---\nname: my-agent\ndescription: A valid agent description.\nsource_keys:\n  - ghost-source\n---\n\nYou are a test agent.\n' \
+      > "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    make_sources_md "$root" "my-source" "(none)"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "source_keys slug 'ghost-source' not found in sources.md"
+}
+
+@test "under LC_ALL=C a sources.md carrying an em dash is read, not a UnicodeDecodeError" {
+    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 — with an em dash.
+- **Contributing files:** .apm/agents/ghost.agent.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run env LC_ALL=C PYTHONUTF8=0 bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "Contributing file '.apm/agents/ghost.agent.md' does not exist"
+    refute_output --partial "Traceback"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Encoding, write side: sys.stdout/stderr.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8')
+#
+# Pinning only the reads moved the crash from the read to the WRITE. Every
+# finding this script prints contains an em dash, so under LC_ALL=C
+# print_findings() died with UnicodeEncodeError after every check had already
+# run — losing the whole report at the last step.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "under LC_ALL=C the findings report is printed, not lost to a UnicodeEncodeError" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    make_agent_with_source_keys "$root"
+    make_sources_md "$root" "my-source" ".apm/agents/ghost.agent.md"
+    run env LC_ALL=C PYTHONUTF8=0 bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "FAIL  Contributing file '.apm/agents/ghost.agent.md' does not exist"
+    assert_output --partial "Why:"
+    refute_output --partial "UnicodeEncodeError"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Half-validated entries announced instead of passing silently
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "INFO: a duplicated '## slug' says only the first block was checked" {
+    # Every per-slug parser locates its block with pattern.search(), so a slug
+    # written twice resolves to the FIRST block every time: the second block's
+    # fields are never validated, and the entry looked fully checked.
+    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:** (none)
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/dup
+- **Description:** A duplicate entry.
+- **Contributing files:** .apm/agents/ghost.agent.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Duplicate '## my-source' entry in sources.md"
+    # The second block's ghost contributing file is genuinely never checked —
+    # the INFO is what makes that visible rather than a silent half-pass.
+    refute_output --partial "does not exist"
+}
+
+@test "INFO: a second '- **Research doc:**' line in one entry is announced, not ignored" {
+    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:** (none)
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Research doc:** docs/research/added-later.md
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Multiple '- **Research doc:**' lines for 'my-source'"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Finding dedup
+#
+# The agent file is read once for its own source_keys and again as a
+# contributing file, so an unreadable one produced the identical finding twice.
+# Distinct findings about the same file still both appear.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "the same unreadable file reached by two checks is reported once, not twice" {
+    local root="$TMPDIR/package"
+    make_package "$root"
+    printf '\xff\xfe---\nname: my-agent\n---\n' > "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    make_sources_md "$root" "my-source" ".apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$root/.apm/agents/my-agent.agent.md"
+    assert_failure
+    local count
+    count="$(printf '%s\n' "$output" | grep -c "^FAIL  File is not valid UTF-8" || true)"
+    [ "$count" -eq 1 ]
+}
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
index 89c7788..a1ddb24 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
@@ -99,9 +99,12 @@ Three ways to read the result wrong:
 
 ## Script-specific failures
 
-- **`validate-provenance.sh` printed nothing.** That is a pass, not a skip. It also exits 0
-  silently when the skill has no `source_keys` and no `references/sources.md` — nothing to
-  validate is not a finding.
+- **`validate-provenance.sh` printed nothing *and exited 0*.** That is a pass, not a skip — it
+  exits 0 silently when the skill has no `source_keys` and no `references/sources.md`, and nothing
+  to validate is not a finding. Check the exit code before you believe the silence: a target that
+  is not a directory, a directory holding no `SKILL.md`, a missing or extra argument, and an absent
+  `python3` all exit **2** with a message on stderr. Exit 2 means the script never ran — report it
+  as an unaudited dimension, never as a pass and never as a finding. Exit 1 is findings.
 - **`vale` reports `0 files`.** Treat the pass as NOT RUN, not as clean, and fall back to full
   Step 3 judgment for the dimensions it would have covered. The bundled `Kyberforge` style is
   scoped by glob in `assets/vale/.vale.ini`; a file outside those globs is silently not linted.
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 2e8cca9..4ed3629 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ Arguments:
 Exit codes:
   0  All checks passed (or nothing to validate)
   1  One or more checks failed
+  2  Usage error, or the argument is not a skill directory
+
+An exit code of 2 is NOT a finding. SKILL.md tells the auditor to surface a
+non-zero exit as findings, so a usage error leaving exit 1 with nothing on
+stdout was indistinguishable from a clean-but-failing run. Environment and
+argument problems exit 2; only real findings exit 1.
 
 Checks performed:
   0  source_keys present but references/sources.md absent
@@ -32,6 +38,12 @@ Checks performed:
      resolved; a path that still does not resolve is reported as an INFO saying
      checks 7 and 8 did not run, never skipped silently.
   8  Extracted non-(none) slug in research doc present in sources.md
+
+  Checks 7 and 8 apply ONLY when the Research doc value names a research SOURCE
+  INDEX — a file whose basename is sources.md, whose H2 headings ARE source
+  slugs. A Research doc pointing at a topic document is reported as an INFO
+  saying the two checks are not applicable, and every other reason they do not
+  run is announced the same way.
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -40,11 +52,57 @@ if [[ "${1:-}" == "--help" || "${1:-}" == "-h" ]]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+# Usage and environment problems exit 2, findings exit 1. See the usage text
+# above for why the two must not share a code. This is a deliberate divergence
+# from validate.sh, which has no 2 tier: validate.sh always prints PASS lines,
+# so a usage error there is visibly not a findings report. This script prints
+# NOTHING on a clean run, so exit 1 plus empty stdout was the only signal a
+# caller got either way.
 if [[ $# -lt 1 ]]; then
   echo "Error: skill-dir is required." >&2
   echo "" >&2
   usage >&2
-  exit 1
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# Extra positional arguments were silently dropped, so a typo'd flag or a second
+# path looked like it had been honoured.
+if [[ $# -gt 1 ]]; then
+  echo "Error: expected exactly one argument, got $#: $*" >&2
+  echo "" >&2
+  usage >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# python3 is a HARD dependency. Without this preflight a missing interpreter
+# produced 'line NN: python3: command not found' and exit 127 — an exit code no
+# caller maps to anything, from a message that names this script's line number
+# rather than the missing dependency.
+if ! command -v python3 > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: python3 is required but was not found on PATH." >&2
+  echo "  Why: skipping the provenance checks entirely would be a vacuous pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: install python3 (pre-commit itself is a Python application, so it is almost certainly already present)." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# A path that is not a directory, or a directory that is not a skill, used to
+# reach the Python body, find no sources.md and no source_keys, take the
+# "nothing to validate" early exit and report exit 0 with no output — which
+# references/validation-scripts.md explicitly told the auditor to read as a
+# pass. A typo'd target was therefore indistinguishable from a clean skill.
+# vale-wrap.sh hard-errors on a nonexistent path for exactly this reason.
+if [[ ! -d "$1" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: not a directory: $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: a nonexistent target would otherwise report a silent pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the path of the skill directory to validate." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "$1/SKILL.md" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: not a skill directory (no SKILL.md): $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: a directory with no SKILL.md has no provenance chain to validate, and reporting that as a pass hides the wrong-target mistake." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the skill directory itself, not its parent or its references/ subdirectory." >&2
+  exit 2
 fi
 
 python3 -u - "$1" <<'PYTHON'
@@ -52,13 +110,67 @@ import sys
 import os
 import re
 
+# Output is UTF-8 for the same reason input is: under LC_ALL=C the streams
+# default to ASCII, and every finding this script prints contains an em dash.
+# Pinning only the reads moved the crash from the read to the write — a
+# UnicodeEncodeError inside print_findings(), which loses the whole report
+# after all the checks have already run.
+for _stream in (sys.stdout, sys.stderr):
+    try:
+        _stream.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8')
+    except AttributeError:  # pragma: no cover — Python < 3.7
+        pass
+
 skill_dir = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[1])
 sources_md_path = os.path.join(skill_dir, "references", "sources.md")
 refs_dir = os.path.join(skill_dir, "references")
 
 # --- Helpers ---
 
-PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:[^`\n]')
+# The trailing character class used to be CONSUMING — `[^`\n]` — so a
+# `FILL IN:` at end of line matched nothing and escaped checks 1 and 6
+# entirely. `- **Description:** FILL IN:` is the most likely spelling of a
+# half-written entry, and it was the one spelling the placeholder gate could
+# not see. The exclusion it was really expressing is "not inside backticks",
+# which a lookahead states without eating a character.
+PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:(?!`)')
+
+
+# --- Input ----------------------------------------------------------------
+# Ported from validate.sh, where the same two problems were already fixed.
+#
+# read_text() pins UTF-8 explicitly instead of inheriting
+# locale.getpreferredencoding(), which is ASCII under LC_ALL=C — an ordinary em
+# dash in a references file then aborted the run with a bare UnicodeDecodeError
+# traceback, or, at the one call site that wrapped its read in `except
+# Exception: return False`, reported the unreadable file as having no
+# source_keys and therefore as clean. A file that genuinely is not UTF-8 still
+# fails; it just says which file and why.
+#
+# strip_bom() runs on every read because a leading BOM defeats
+# parse_frontmatter()'s `^---` anchor, which silently disabled check 2 on a
+# BOM-prefixed SKILL.md: no frontmatter parsed means no source_keys parsed
+# means nothing to validate.
+
+
+class EncodingError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def strip_bom(text):
+    return text[1:] if text.startswith(u'\ufeff') else text
+
+
+def read_text(path):
+    """File contents as text, UTF-8 and BOM-free, with a diagnostic instead of a traceback."""
+    try:
+        with open(path, encoding='utf-8') as fh:
+            return strip_bom(fh.read())
+    except UnicodeDecodeError as exc:
+        raise EncodingError(
+            "not valid UTF-8 (%s at byte %d) — re-save the file as UTF-8; "
+            "this gate does not guess at other encodings"
+            % (exc.reason, exc.start))
 
 def parse_frontmatter(content):
     """Return (frontmatter_str, body_str) or (None, content) if no frontmatter."""
@@ -219,20 +331,25 @@ def parse_contributing_files(content, slug):
     return files or None
 # ===== END SHARED CONTRIBUTING-FILES PARSER =====
 
-def parse_research_doc(content, slug):
-    """Find the Research doc value for a given slug H2 in content."""
+def parse_research_docs(content, slug):
+    """Every Research doc value under a given slug H2, in document order.
+
+    The caller uses the first and reports the rest. Returning only the first —
+    what this did before — meant a second '- **Research doc:**' line in one
+    entry was silently ignored, so an author who added a doc rather than
+    replacing one got checks 7 and 8 run against the old path and no hint that
+    the new one was never looked at.
+    """
     pattern = re.compile(
         r'^## ' + re.escape(slug) + r'\s*\n(.*?)(?=^## |\Z)',
         re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL
     )
     m = pattern.search(content)
     if not m:
-        return None
+        return []
     block = m.group(1)
-    rd_m = re.search(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)
-    if not rd_m:
-        return None
-    return rd_m.group(1).strip()
+    return [v.strip() for v in
+            re.findall(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)]
 
 # A Research doc value is a path, and very often a path PLUS an annotation
 # naming the section the slug came from:
@@ -264,8 +381,27 @@ def research_doc_is_none(value):
     """
     return re.match(r'\(?none\b', value.strip(), re.IGNORECASE) is not None
 
+# The Status value is what gates check 8, so every spelling this parser fails
+# to read is a check that does not run. Two were unreadable:
+#
+#   - **Status:** `extracted` — partial fetch     (a trailing note)
+#   **Status:**                                   (the bullet form, the same
+#   - `extracted`                                  shape parse_contributing_files
+#                                                  already accepts)
+#
+# Both used to parse to a string that compared unequal to "`extracted`", and
+# check 8 skipped on that inequality without a word. Returning the BACKTICKED
+# TOKEN — not the whole line — is what makes the trailing note harmless, and it
+# lets the caller name the actual status when it announces a skip.
+STATUS_TOKEN_RE = re.compile(r'^`([^`]*)`')
+
+
 def parse_status(content, slug):
-    """Find the Status value for a given slug H2 in content."""
+    """Find the Status value for a given slug H2 in content.
+
+    Returns the status with its backticks stripped ('extracted', 'referenced',
+    'no content extracted'), or None when the entry has no Status line.
+    """
     pattern = re.compile(
         r'^## ' + re.escape(slug) + r'\s*\n(.*?)(?=^## |\Z)',
         re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL
@@ -274,10 +410,28 @@ def parse_status(content, slug):
     if not m:
         return None
     block = m.group(1)
+
+    raw = None
     st_m = re.search(r'^\- \*\*Status:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)
-    if not st_m:
-        return None
-    return st_m.group(1).strip()
+    if st_m:
+        raw = st_m.group(1).strip()
+    else:
+        st_m = re.search(r'^\*\*Status:\*\*\s*$', block, re.MULTILINE)
+        if not st_m:
+            return None
+        for line in block[st_m.end():].splitlines():
+            line = line.strip()
+            if not line:
+                continue
+            if not line.startswith("- "):
+                break
+            raw = line[2:].strip()
+            break
+        if raw is None:
+            return None
+
+    token = STATUS_TOKEN_RE.match(raw)
+    return token.group(1).strip() if token else raw
 
 def find_repo_root(start_dir):
     """Walk up from start_dir until we find a directory containing .git."""
@@ -293,13 +447,22 @@ def find_repo_root(start_dir):
 findings = []
 has_fail = False
 
+# A finding identical in every field is the same finding, and the same file is
+# now reached by more than one check — the walk that looks for source_keys and
+# check 3 both read every references/*.md, so an unreadable one would otherwise
+# be reported twice with the same words. Distinct findings about the same file
+# still both appear.
+def _record(entry):
+    if entry not in findings:
+        findings.append(entry)
+
 def emit_fail(desc, fpath, why, fix):
     global has_fail
     has_fail = True
-    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
+    _record(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
 
 def emit_info(desc, fpath, note):
-    findings.append(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
+    _record(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
 
 def print_findings():
     for entry in findings:
@@ -321,11 +484,22 @@ def print_findings():
 
 # --- Scan for any file with source_keys ---
 
-def file_has_source_keys(fpath):
+def emit_unreadable(rel, exc):
+    """Report a file this script cannot decode. Never a silent skip."""
+    emit_fail(
+        f"File is {exc}",
+        rel,
+        f"'{rel}' cannot be decoded, so its frontmatter — and any source_keys in it — "
+        f"cannot be read. This used to be swallowed by a bare 'except Exception: return False', "
+        f"which reported the unreadable file as having no source_keys and therefore as clean.",
+        f"Re-save '{rel}' as UTF-8."
+    )
+
+def file_has_source_keys(fpath, rel):
     try:
-        with open(fpath) as f:
-            content = f.read()
-    except Exception:
+        content = read_text(fpath)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable(rel, exc)
         return False
     fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(content)
     if fm is None:
@@ -338,26 +512,33 @@ def find_files_with_source_keys():
     for root, dirs, files in os.walk(skill_dir):
         # Skip hidden dirs
         dirs[:] = [d for d in dirs if not d.startswith('.')]
-        for fname in files:
+        for fname in sorted(files):
             if fname.endswith('.md'):
                 abs_path = os.path.join(root, fname)
-                if file_has_source_keys(abs_path):
-                    rel = os.path.relpath(abs_path, skill_dir)
+                rel = os.path.relpath(abs_path, skill_dir)
+                if file_has_source_keys(abs_path, rel):
                     results.append((rel, abs_path))
     return results
 
 sources_md_exists = os.path.isfile(sources_md_path)
 files_with_source_keys = find_files_with_source_keys()
 
-# Early exit: nothing to validate
+# Early exit: nothing to validate. The scan itself can raise a finding — an
+# unreadable file — so print before leaving; the clean case still prints
+# nothing and exits 0.
 if not sources_md_exists and not files_with_source_keys:
-    sys.exit(0)
+    print_findings()
+    sys.exit(1 if has_fail else 0)
 
 # Load sources.md if it exists
 sources_content = None
 if sources_md_exists:
-    with open(sources_md_path) as f:
-        sources_content = f.read()
+    try:
+        sources_content = read_text(sources_md_path)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable("references/sources.md", exc)
+        print_findings()
+        sys.exit(1)
     sources_slugs = set(parse_h2_slugs(sources_content))
 else:
     sources_slugs = set()
@@ -388,8 +569,11 @@ for line in sources_content.splitlines():
 # --- Check 2: source_keys in SKILL.md → slug exists in sources.md ---
 skill_md_path = os.path.join(skill_dir, "SKILL.md")
 if os.path.isfile(skill_md_path):
-    with open(skill_md_path) as f:
-        skill_content = f.read()
+    try:
+        skill_content = read_text(skill_md_path)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable("SKILL.md", exc)
+        skill_content = ""
     skill_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(skill_content)
     skill_source_keys = parse_source_keys(skill_fm)
     for slug in skill_source_keys:
@@ -402,16 +586,29 @@ if os.path.isfile(skill_md_path):
             )
 
 # --- Check 3: source_keys in references/*.md → slug exists in sources.md (INFO if no source_keys) ---
+# os.walk, not os.listdir: find_files_with_source_keys() above already walks
+# references/ recursively, so a source_keys-bearing file in
+# references/<subdir>/ was collected there — and then never validated here,
+# because the flat listdir could not see it. The two halves of the same check
+# disagreed about which files exist.
 if os.path.isdir(refs_dir):
-    for fname in sorted(os.listdir(refs_dir)):
-        if not fname.endswith('.md'):
-            continue
-        if fname == "sources.md":
-            continue
-        fpath = os.path.join(refs_dir, fname)
+    ref_paths = []
+    for root, dirs, files in os.walk(refs_dir):
+        dirs[:] = sorted(d for d in dirs if not d.startswith('.'))
+        for fname in sorted(files):
+            if not fname.endswith('.md'):
+                continue
+            fpath = os.path.join(root, fname)
+            if os.path.relpath(fpath, refs_dir) == "sources.md":
+                continue
+            ref_paths.append(fpath)
+    for fpath in ref_paths:
         rel = os.path.relpath(fpath, skill_dir)
-        with open(fpath) as f:
-            ref_content = f.read()
+        try:
+            ref_content = read_text(fpath)
+        except EncodingError as exc:
+            emit_unreadable(rel, exc)
+            continue
         ref_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(ref_content)
         ref_keys = parse_source_keys(ref_fm)
         if not ref_keys:
@@ -442,9 +639,32 @@ if os.path.isdir(refs_dir):
 repo_root = find_repo_root(skill_dir)
 
 # Collect all research doc paths we'll check (for Check 8)
-research_docs_seen = {}  # abs_path → set of slugs in sources.md that reference it
+research_docs_seen = {}  # abs_path → (rel_path, slugs referencing it, content)
 
-for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
+# Every per-slug parser below — parse_contributing_files, parse_research_docs,
+# parse_status — locates its block with pattern.search(), so a slug written
+# twice resolves to the FIRST block every time. Iterating the raw heading list
+# therefore checked the first block's fields twice and the second block's
+# never: a duplicated slug is half-validated, and looked fully validated. The
+# duplicate is announced and the repeat visit dropped.
+all_slugs = parse_h2_slugs(sources_content)
+unique_slugs = []
+for _slug in all_slugs:
+    if _slug in unique_slugs:
+        continue
+    unique_slugs.append(_slug)
+    _count = all_slugs.count(_slug)
+    if _count > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Duplicate '## {_slug}' entry in sources.md — only the first block is checked",
+            f"references/sources.md (## {_slug})",
+            f"'## {_slug}' appears {_count} times. Every field parser here takes the first match, so the "
+            f"second and later blocks' Contributing files, Research doc and Status are never validated — "
+            f"checks 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 did not run for them. "
+            f"Merge the blocks into one entry, or give each a distinct slug and reference it from source_keys."
+        )
+
+for slug in unique_slugs:
     # 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
@@ -478,8 +698,11 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                 # Skip sources.md itself
                 if cf_rel == "references/sources.md":
                     continue
-                with open(cf_abs) as f:
-                    cf_content = f.read()
+                try:
+                    cf_content = read_text(cf_abs)
+                except EncodingError as exc:
+                    emit_unreadable(cf_rel, exc)
+                    continue
                 cf_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(cf_content)
                 cf_keys = parse_source_keys(cf_fm)
                 if slug not in cf_keys:
@@ -491,7 +714,17 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                     )
 
     # Check 6: Research doc field required
-    rd_value = parse_research_doc(sources_content, slug)
+    rd_values = parse_research_docs(sources_content, slug)
+    if len(rd_values) > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Multiple '- **Research doc:**' lines for '{slug}' — only the first is used",
+            f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has {len(rd_values)} Research doc lines; checks 7 and 8 ran against the first "
+            f"('{rd_values[0]}') and never looked at the rest. "
+            f"Keep one Research doc line per entry — if a slug genuinely came from two documents, split it into two slugs, "
+            f"or name the extra document inside the first value's annotation where it is at least visible."
+        )
+    rd_value = rd_values[0] if rd_values else None
     if rd_value is None:
         emit_fail(
             f"Research doc field missing",
@@ -537,9 +770,41 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                     f"Point the value at one existing file — a brace expansion, a comma-separated list of paths, or a bare section title does not resolve — "
                     f"or record '(none)' if no research doc backs this entry."
                 )
+            elif os.path.basename(rd_path) != "sources.md":
+                # Checks 7 and 8 both assume the Research doc is a research
+                # SOURCE INDEX — a sources.md whose H2 headings ARE source
+                # slugs. 30 of the 121 corpus entries point instead at a TOPIC
+                # DOCUMENT (remotes.md, gitflow.md, api-reference.md), whose
+                # H2s are headings like '## Core Philosophy'. A slug can never
+                # match one, so check 7 reported all 30 as "slug not found" —
+                # every one a false positive — and check 8, aimed at documents
+                # that carry no '- **Status:**' line at all, was saved from a
+                # matching flood of false FAILs only by an UNANNOUNCED skip on
+                # that missing status. The premise, not the corpus, was wrong.
+                #
+                # A topic-document reference is a legitimate, useful value; it
+                # just is not something these two checks can verify. Say that
+                # once, out loud, instead of failing 30 entries for it.
+                emit_info(
+                    f"Upstream checks not applicable for '{slug}' — research doc '{rd_path}' is a topic document, not a source index",
+                    f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+                    f"Checks 7 and 8 match slugs against the H2 headings of a research source index — a file named 'sources.md', "
+                    f"where each H2 IS a source slug. '{os.path.basename(rd_path)}' is a topic document, so its H2s are section "
+                    f"headings and no slug will ever match one. Checks 7 and 8 did not run for this slug. "
+                    f"This needs no fix: point the value at the research corpus's own sources.md only if you want the "
+                    f"provenance link machine-verified."
+                )
             else:
-                with open(rd_abs) as f:
-                    rd_content = f.read()
+                try:
+                    rd_content = read_text(rd_abs)
+                except EncodingError as exc:
+                    emit_info(
+                        f"Upstream checks skipped for '{slug}' — research doc '{rd_path}' is {exc}",
+                        f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+                        f"'{rd_path}' could not be decoded, so checks 7 and 8 did not run for this slug. "
+                        f"Re-save the research doc as UTF-8."
+                    )
+                    continue
                 rd_slugs = set(parse_h2_slugs(rd_content))
                 if slug not in rd_slugs:
                     emit_info(
@@ -548,15 +813,15 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                         f"The research doc '{rd_path}' does not have a '## {slug}' heading. "
                         f"The provenance link may be imprecise — the slug name in sources.md may differ from the research doc's heading."
                     )
-                # Track for Check 8
+                # Track for Check 8. The content is carried with the entry so
+                # check 8 reuses this read rather than decoding the file a
+                # second time, with a second chance to fail differently.
                 if rd_abs not in research_docs_seen:
-                    research_docs_seen[rd_abs] = (rd_path, set())
+                    research_docs_seen[rd_abs] = (rd_path, set(), rd_content)
                 research_docs_seen[rd_abs][1].add(slug)
 
 # --- Check 8: Upstream reverse ---
-for rd_abs, (rd_rel, known_slugs) in research_docs_seen.items():
-    with open(rd_abs) as f:
-        rd_content = f.read()
+for rd_abs, (rd_rel, known_slugs, rd_content) in research_docs_seen.items():
     for rd_slug in parse_h2_slugs(rd_content):
         # Parse this slug's Contributing files and Status in the research doc
         rd_cf = parse_contributing_files(rd_content, rd_slug)
@@ -564,8 +829,25 @@ for rd_abs, (rd_rel, known_slugs) in research_docs_seen.items():
         # Skip if the research doc explicitly records no contributing files
         if rd_cf == []:
             continue
-        # Skip if status is not `extracted`
-        if rd_status != "`extracted`":
+        # Skip if status is not `extracted` — and say so when the skip is what
+        # kept the slug out of the FAIL below. A status of `referenced` or
+        # `no content extracted` is a real reason not to demand the slug, but
+        # it was applied in silence, so an entry that should have been in
+        # sources.md and a status line nobody had updated produced the same
+        # output: nothing. Only a MATERIAL skip is announced; when the slug is
+        # already in sources.md the check passes either way and there is no
+        # fail-open to disclose.
+        if rd_status != "extracted":
+            if rd_slug not in sources_slugs:
+                shown = f"`{rd_status}`" if rd_status else "absent"
+                emit_info(
+                    f"Check 8 skipped for research-doc slug '{rd_slug}' — its Status is {shown}, not `extracted`",
+                    f"{rd_rel} (## {rd_slug})",
+                    f"'{rd_rel}' has '## {rd_slug}' with contributing files but Status {shown}, and this skill's "
+                    f"sources.md has no '## {rd_slug}' entry. Check 8 only demands an entry for an `extracted` slug, "
+                    f"so it did not run here. If that status is stale — the content was extracted and the line was never "
+                    f"updated — this skill is missing a source entry; if it is accurate, nothing needs doing."
+                )
             continue
         # This slug should be in sources.md
         if rd_slug not in sources_slugs:
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 aef8d83..c5f7d95 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/.apm/skills/skill-audit/tests/validate-provenance.bats
@@ -71,10 +71,10 @@ EOF
     # holding one skill whose single sources.md slug points at the given
     # Research doc value. Checks 7 and 8 only run for a skill inside a checkout,
     # so every upstream case needs this shape; the research doc itself is
-    # written per test into "$repo/docs/research/my-research.md".
+    # written per test into "$repo/docs/research/sources.md".
     make_upstream_skill() {
         local repo="$1"
-        local research="${2:-docs/research/my-research.md}"
+        local research="${2:-docs/research/sources.md}"
         local skill="$repo/my-skill"
         mkdir -p "$skill/references" "$repo/docs/research"
         touch "$repo/.git"
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ EOF
     # Create a research doc that does NOT have the slug
     local research_dir="$TMPDIR/research"
     mkdir -p "$research_dir"
-    cat > "$research_dir/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$research_dir/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## different-slug
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ EOF
 
     mkdir -p "$skill2/references"
     mkdir -p "$fake_repo/docs/research"
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## different-slug
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ EOF
 - **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
 - **Description:** A test source.
 - **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
-- **Research doc:** docs/research/my-research.md
+- **Research doc:** docs/research/sources.md
 - **Status:** \`extracted\`
 EOF
 
@@ -465,7 +465,7 @@ EOF
     mkdir -p "$fake_repo/docs/research"
 
     # Research doc has my-source (extracted, with a contributing file) AND extra-source (also extracted)
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -487,7 +487,7 @@ EOF
 - **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
 - **Description:** A test source.
 - **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
-- **Research doc:** docs/research/my-research.md
+- **Research doc:** docs/research/sources.md
 - **Status:** \`extracted\`
 EOF
 
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ EOF
     mkdir -p "$skill/references"
     mkdir -p "$fake_repo/docs/research"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ EOF
 - **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
 - **Description:** A test source.
 - **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
-- **Research doc:** docs/research/my-research.md
+- **Research doc:** docs/research/sources.md
 - **Status:** \`extracted\`
 EOF
 
@@ -566,7 +566,7 @@ EOF
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
     make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -592,7 +592,7 @@ EOF
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
     make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -618,7 +618,7 @@ EOF
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
     make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -644,7 +644,7 @@ EOF
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
     make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -670,7 +670,7 @@ EOF
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
     make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -727,7 +727,7 @@ EOF
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
     make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ EOF
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
     make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -864,9 +864,9 @@ EOF
 
 @test "check 7 runs: '§' section annotation is stripped before the path is resolved" {
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
-    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" 'docs/research/my-research.md § "Some Section"'
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" 'docs/research/sources.md § "Some Section"'
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## different-slug
@@ -877,15 +877,15 @@ EOF
 
     run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
     assert_success
-    assert_output --partial "Slug 'my-source' not found as H2 in research doc 'docs/research/my-research.md'"
+    assert_output --partial "Slug 'my-source' not found as H2 in research doc 'docs/research/sources.md'"
     refute_output --partial "§"
 }
 
 @test "check 7 runs: '→' section annotation is stripped before the path is resolved" {
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
-    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" 'docs/research/my-research.md → `## Pushing`'
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" 'docs/research/sources.md → `## Pushing`'
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## different-slug
@@ -896,15 +896,15 @@ EOF
 
     run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
     assert_success
-    assert_output --partial "Slug 'my-source' not found as H2 in research doc 'docs/research/my-research.md'"
+    assert_output --partial "Slug 'my-source' not found as H2 in research doc 'docs/research/sources.md'"
     refute_output --partial "→"
 }
 
 @test "check 7 runs: parenthetical annotation is stripped before the path is resolved" {
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
-    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" "docs/research/my-research.md (whole-document reference)"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" "docs/research/sources.md (whole-document reference)"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## different-slug
@@ -915,15 +915,15 @@ EOF
 
     run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
     assert_success
-    assert_output --partial "Slug 'my-source' not found as H2 in research doc 'docs/research/my-research.md'"
+    assert_output --partial "Slug 'my-source' not found as H2 in research doc 'docs/research/sources.md'"
     refute_output --partial "whole-document reference"
 }
 
 @test "check 7 runs: a bare path with no annotation survives the strip intact" {
     local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
-    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" "docs/research/my-research.md"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" "docs/research/sources.md"
 
-    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/my-research.md" <<EOF
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
 # Research
 
 ## my-source
@@ -978,7 +978,7 @@ EOF
 @test "INFO: no repo root above the skill directory names the slug instead of skipping silently" {
     local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
     make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
-    make_sources_md "$skill" "my-source" "SKILL.md" "docs/research/my-research.md"
+    make_sources_md "$skill" "my-source" "SKILL.md" "docs/research/sources.md"
 
     run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
     assert_success
@@ -1114,3 +1114,383 @@ EOF
     assert_output --partial "INFO"
     assert_output --partial "No source_keys frontmatter"
 }
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 20 — F: checks 7 and 8 apply only to a research SOURCE INDEX, and
+# every skip announces itself
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "F: a topic-doc Research doc is reported as not applicable, not as a missing slug" {
+    local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo" "docs/research/remotes.md"
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/remotes.md" <<EOF
+# Remotes
+
+## Core Philosophy
+
+Prose about remotes.
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Upstream checks not applicable for 'my-source'"
+    assert_output --partial "is a topic document, not a source index"
+    refute_output --partial "not found as H2 in research doc"
+}
+
+@test "F: check 7 still runs when the Research doc IS a source index" {
+    local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## different-slug
+
+- **Contributing files:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Slug 'my-source' not found as H2 in research doc 'docs/research/sources.md'"
+    refute_output --partial "not applicable"
+}
+
+@test "F: check 8 announces the slug it skipped for a non-extracted Status" {
+    local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/SKILL.md
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+
+## extra-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/references/extra.md
+- **Status:** \`referenced\`
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Check 8 skipped for research-doc slug 'extra-source'"
+    assert_output --partial "its Status is \`referenced\`, not \`extracted\`"
+}
+
+@test "F: a Status with a trailing note after the backticked value still reads as extracted" {
+    local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/SKILL.md
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+
+## extra-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/references/extra.md
+- **Status:** \`extracted\` — partial fetch, section 3 only
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "Research doc slug 'extra-source' missing from skill sources.md"
+}
+
+@test "F: a bullet-form Status still reads as extracted" {
+    local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/SKILL.md
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+
+## extra-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/references/extra.md
+
+**Status:**
+- \`extracted\`
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "Research doc slug 'extra-source' missing from skill sources.md"
+}
+
+@test "F: a research-doc slug with no Status line at all is announced, not skipped silently" {
+    local fake_repo="$TMPDIR/fakerepo"
+    make_upstream_skill "$fake_repo"
+    cat > "$fake_repo/docs/research/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/SKILL.md
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+
+## extra-source
+
+- **Contributing files:** some-skill/references/extra.md
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$fake_repo/my-skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Check 8 skipped for research-doc slug 'extra-source'"
+    assert_output --partial "its Status is absent, not \`extracted\`"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 21 — G1: a bad target is a hard error, not a silent pass
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "G1: a nonexistent directory is a hard error (exit 2), not a silent exit 0" {
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$TMPDIR/does-not-exist"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "not a directory"
+}
+
+@test "G1: a directory with no SKILL.md is a hard error (exit 2), not a silent exit 0" {
+    mkdir -p "$TMPDIR/not-a-skill/references"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$TMPDIR/not-a-skill"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "not a skill directory"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 22 — G2: a UTF-8 BOM does not disable check 2
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "G2: a BOM at the head of SKILL.md does not silently disable check 2" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    mkdir -p "$skill/references"
+    printf '\xef\xbb\xbf' > "$skill/SKILL.md"
+    cat >> "$skill/SKILL.md" <<EOF
+---
+name: my-skill
+description: A valid skill description.
+metadata:
+  source_keys:
+    - my-source
+---
+
+## Step 1
+
+Do the thing.
+EOF
+    cat > "$skill/references/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## different-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/different-source
+- **Description:** A test source.
+- **Contributing files:** references/sources.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "source_keys slug 'my-source' not found in sources.md"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 23 — G3: reads are UTF-8 and an unreadable file is a finding
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "G3: an em dash under LC_ALL=C is read, not turned into a traceback or a silent pass" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill"
+    cat > "$skill/references/topic.md" <<EOF
+---
+source_keys:
+  - ghost-source
+---
+
+Prose — with an em dash.
+EOF
+
+    LC_ALL=C PYTHONUTF8=0 PYTHONCOERCECLOCALE=0 run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "source_keys slug 'ghost-source' not found in sources.md"
+    refute_output --partial "Traceback"
+}
+
+@test "G3: a file that is genuinely not UTF-8 is a FAIL, not a clean pass" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill"
+    printf -- '---\nsource_keys:\n  - my-source\n---\n\nLatin-1 byte: \xe9\n' \
+        > "$skill/references/topic.md"
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "not valid UTF-8"
+    assert_output --partial "references/topic.md"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 24 — G4: check 3 walks references/ recursively
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "G4: a source_keys file in references/<subdir>/ is validated, not skipped" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill"
+    mkdir -p "$skill/references/nested"
+    cat > "$skill/references/nested/topic.md" <<EOF
+---
+source_keys:
+  - ghost-source
+---
+
+Nested prose.
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "source_keys slug 'ghost-source' not found in sources.md"
+    assert_output --partial "references/nested/topic.md"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 25 — G5: a placeholder at end of line is still a placeholder
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "G5: 'FILL IN:' at end of line is caught by check 1" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    mkdir -p "$skill/references"
+    cat > "$skill/references/sources.md" <<EOF
+# Sources
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source
+- **Description:** FILL IN:
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "Unfilled FILL IN: placeholder"
+}
+
+@test "G5: a Research doc value that is a bare 'FILL IN:' is caught by check 6" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_skill_with_source_keys "$skill"
+    make_sources_md "$skill" "my-source" "SKILL.md" "FILL IN:"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "Research doc field is empty or placeholder"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 26 — G6/G7: duplicated entries and duplicated fields are announced
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "G6: a duplicate '## slug' block is announced, not half-checked in silence" {
+    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.
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+
+## my-source
+
+- **URL:** https://example.com/my-source-again
+- **Description:** The same slug a second time.
+- **Contributing files:** references/nonexistent.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Duplicate '## my-source' entry in sources.md"
+    assert_output --partial "only the first block is checked"
+}
+
+@test "G7: a second '- **Research doc:**' line in one entry is announced" {
+    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.
+- **Contributing files:** SKILL.md
+- **Research doc:** (none)
+- **Research doc:** docs/research/sources.md
+- **Status:** \`extracted\`
+EOF
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_success
+    assert_output --partial "Multiple '- **Research doc:**' lines for 'my-source'"
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Cycle 27 — G8: usage and environment errors exit 2, never 1
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+@test "G8: a missing argument exits 2, not 1" {
+    run bash "$SCRIPT"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "skill-dir is required"
+}
+
+@test "G8: an extra positional argument is rejected, not silently ignored" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_clean_skill "$skill"
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill" extra
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "expected exactly one argument"
+}
+
+@test "G8: a missing python3 is reported by name and exits 2, not 127" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_clean_skill "$skill"
+    local stub="$TMPDIR/emptybin"
+    mkdir -p "$stub"
+    for cmd in bash cat sed; do
+        ln -s "$(command -v "$cmd")" "$stub/$cmd"
+    done
+    PATH="$stub" run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    [ "$status" -eq 2 ]
+    assert_output --partial "python3 is required"
+}
+
+@test "G3: an unreadable file is reported even when there is nothing else to validate" {
+    local skill="$TMPDIR/my-skill"
+    make_clean_skill "$skill"
+    mkdir -p "$skill/references"
+    printf -- '---\nsource_keys:\n  - my-source\n---\n\nLatin-1 byte: \xe9\n' \
+        > "$skill/references/topic.md"
+
+    run bash "$SCRIPT" "$skill"
+    assert_failure
+    assert_output --partial "not valid UTF-8"
+}
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
index d6bc4ac..55e949c 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
@@ -34,8 +34,14 @@ first of these:
 `plugin.json` and no `apm.yml` falls through to project or user scope.
 
 `validate-provenance.sh` exits 0 silently when that walk does not land on a package root, and again
-when the package has no provenance data. Silence from it is a pass, not a skip you need to
-investigate.
+when the package has no provenance data. Check the exit code before you believe the silence:
+
+- **0** — a pass, not a skip you need to investigate. Both silent cases above land here.
+- **1** — real findings, on stdout with Why and Fix.
+- **2** — the check never ran. A missing, doubled, non-file or wrongly-named argument, an
+  undecodable `apm.yml`, or an absent `python3`, each with a diagnostic on stderr and no findings
+  at all. Report the `### Provenance` dimension as unverified and quote the reason. An exit 2 is
+  never a clean pass: empty stdout there means nothing was checked, not that nothing was wrong.
 
 ## Manual fallback
 
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
index 4b07ae3..1dcc003 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -16,7 +16,30 @@ Arguments:
 Exit codes:
   0  All checks passed (or nothing to validate, or not plugin scope)
   1  One or more checks failed
-  2  Script error (unrecognized file extension — expected .md or .agent.md)
+  2  Usage error, or the argument is not an agent file this script can read
+
+An exit code of 2 is NOT a finding. SKILL.md tells the auditor to surface a
+non-zero exit as findings, so a usage error leaving exit 1 with nothing on
+stdout was indistinguishable from a clean-but-failing run. Environment and
+argument problems exit 2; only real findings exit 1.
+
+Exit 2 and the silent exit 0 answer two DIFFERENT questions, and neither may
+be spelled with the other's code:
+
+  exit 2  the argument is not something this script can audit at all — it is
+          missing, doubled, not a file, or not named .md / .agent.md. Decided
+          before the scope walk-up runs, from the argument alone.
+  exit 0  the argument IS a readable agent file, and the scope walk-up found
+          no type:-bearing apm.yml above it before hitting the \$HOME, .git or
+          filesystem-root boundary. That is a real verdict about a real file —
+          "this agent is user or project scope, so plugin-scope provenance
+          does not apply to it" — not a rejected input.
+
+scripts/check-scope-walkup-sync.sh's fixture 6 pins the second: a real agent
+file under a \$HOME with a type-bearing apm.yml ABOVE it must exit 0 with empty
+output. Widening exit 2 to cover "the walk-up found no package" would break
+that fixture AND would be wrong on its own terms, because new-agent.sh happily
+scaffolds exactly that layout.
 
 Checks performed:
   0  source_keys present in agent pair but sources.md absent
@@ -28,6 +51,13 @@ Checks performed:
      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
+
+This script has no counterpart to skill-audit's checks 6, 7 and 8 (Research
+doc field / upstream forward / upstream reverse are numbered 6, 7, 8 there and
+5 here): an agent at plugin scope is a single file with a plugin-root
+sources.md, so there is no references/ tree to walk and no upstream research
+source index to cross-check. parse_status() and the sources.md-basename gate
+that those checks need exist only in the skill-audit copy.
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -36,26 +66,131 @@ if [[ "${1:-}" == "--help" || "${1:-}" == "-h" ]]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+# Usage and environment problems exit 2, findings exit 1. See the usage text
+# above for why the two must not share a code, and for why "not plugin scope"
+# is neither of them. This is a deliberate divergence from validate.sh, which
+# has no 2 tier for content: validate.sh always prints PASS lines, so a usage
+# error there is visibly not a findings report. This script prints NOTHING on a
+# clean run, so exit 1 plus empty stdout was the only signal a caller got
+# either way.
 if [[ $# -lt 1 ]]; then
   echo "Error: agent-file is required." >&2
   echo "" >&2
   usage >&2
-  exit 1
+  exit 2
 fi
 
+# Extra positional arguments were silently dropped, so a typo'd flag or a second
+# path looked like it had been honoured.
+if [[ $# -gt 1 ]]; then
+  echo "Error: expected exactly one argument, got $#: $*" >&2
+  echo "" >&2
+  usage >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# python3 is a HARD dependency. Without this preflight a missing interpreter
+# produced 'line NN: python3: command not found' and exit 127 — an exit code no
+# caller maps to anything, from a message that names this script's line number
+# rather than the missing dependency.
+if ! command -v python3 > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: python3 is required but was not found on PATH." >&2
+  echo "  Why: skipping the provenance checks entirely would be a vacuous pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: install python3 (pre-commit itself is a Python application, so it is almost certainly already present)." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# A path that does not exist, or exists but is not a regular file, used to reach
+# the Python body, get os.path.dirname()'d into some ancestor directory and then
+# either report a silent exit 0 (no package above it) or — worse — audit a
+# DIFFERENT agent's package while naming the typo'd path. A typo'd target was
+# indistinguishable from a clean agent. vale-wrap.sh hard-errors on a
+# nonexistent path for exactly this reason.
+#
+# This is decided from the argument alone, before any walk-up runs, so it cannot
+# collide with the not-plugin-scope exit 0: that verdict is only ever reached by
+# a file that got past here.
+if [[ ! -e "$1" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: no such file: $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: a nonexistent target would otherwise report a silent pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the path of the agent file to validate." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "$1" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: not a regular file: $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: this script audits one agent file, not a directory of them, and reporting a directory as a pass hides the wrong-target mistake." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the agent file itself — .apm/agents/<name>.agent.md — not its parent directory." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# The extension check used to live inside the Python body. It stays exit 2 and
+# keeps its wording; it moves up here so that every "this argument is not
+# auditable" verdict is reached in one place, before the interpreter starts and
+# before the scope walk-up can turn a bad argument into a silent exit 0.
+case "$1" in
+  *.agent.md | *.md) ;;
+  *)
+    echo "Error: unrecognized extension '$(basename "$1")' — expected .md or .agent.md" >&2
+    exit 2
+    ;;
+esac
+
 python3 -u - "$1" <<'PYTHON'
 import sys
 import os
 import re
 
+# Output is UTF-8 for the same reason input is: under LC_ALL=C the streams
+# default to ASCII, and every finding this script prints contains an em dash.
+# Pinning only the reads moved the crash from the read to the write — a
+# UnicodeEncodeError inside print_findings(), which loses the whole report
+# after all the checks have already run.
+for _stream in (sys.stdout, sys.stderr):
+    try:
+        _stream.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8')
+    except AttributeError:  # pragma: no cover — Python < 3.7
+        pass
+
 agent_file = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[1])
-fname = os.path.basename(agent_file)
 agent_dir = os.path.dirname(agent_file)
 
-# --- Sanity-check extension (single vendor-neutral .agent.md file at plugin/APM scope) ---
-if not (fname.endswith('.agent.md') or fname.endswith('.md')):
-    print(f"Error: unrecognized extension '{fname}' — expected .md or .agent.md", file=sys.stderr)
-    sys.exit(2)
+# --- Input ----------------------------------------------------------------
+# Ported from the skill-audit copy, where the same two problems were already
+# fixed.
+#
+# read_text() pins UTF-8 explicitly instead of inheriting
+# locale.getpreferredencoding(), which is ASCII under LC_ALL=C — an ordinary em
+# dash in an agent file or in sources.md then aborted the run with a bare
+# UnicodeDecodeError traceback, or, at the one call site that wrapped its read
+# in `except Exception: return []`, reported the unreadable file as having no
+# source_keys and therefore as clean. A file that genuinely is not UTF-8 still
+# fails; it just says which file and why.
+#
+# strip_bom() runs on every read because a leading BOM defeats
+# parse_frontmatter()'s `^---` anchor, which silently disabled check 2 on a
+# BOM-prefixed agent file: no frontmatter parsed means no source_keys parsed
+# means nothing to validate.
+
+
+class EncodingError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def strip_bom(text):
+    return text[1:] if text.startswith(u'\ufeff') else text
+
+
+def read_text(path):
+    """File contents as text, UTF-8 and BOM-free, with a diagnostic instead of a traceback."""
+    try:
+        with open(path, encoding='utf-8') as fh:
+            return strip_bom(fh.read())
+    except UnicodeDecodeError as exc:
+        raise EncodingError(
+            "not valid UTF-8 (%s at byte %d) — re-save the file as UTF-8; "
+            "this gate does not guess at other encodings"
+            % (exc.reason, exc.start))
 
 # Matches a top-level `type:` line whose value is exactly one of the four
 # package content types — identical to validate.sh's APM_TYPE_RE. Group 1's
@@ -70,15 +205,31 @@ TYPE_RE = re.compile(r"^type:\s*(['\"]?)(instructions|skill|hybrid|prompts)\1(?:
 # keep walking. Stop at a $HOME boundary, a .git boundary, or the filesystem
 # root: none of these is plugin/APM scope, so this script has nothing to
 # check there.
+#
+# Returning None here means NOT PLUGIN SCOPE, which is a verdict, not an error:
+# the caller exits 0 silently, and scripts/check-scope-walkup-sync.sh fixture 6
+# pins that. It is deliberately NOT folded into the exit-2 tier above.
 def find_plugin_root(start_dir):
     home = os.path.expanduser('~')
     current = os.path.abspath(start_dir)
     while True:
         apm_yml = os.path.join(current, 'apm.yml')
         if os.path.isfile(apm_yml):
-            with open(apm_yml) as f:
-                if any(TYPE_RE.match(line) for line in f):
-                    return current
+            # An apm.yml is a manifest this script must be able to READ to
+            # classify scope at all. Under LC_ALL=C the old bare open() decoded
+            # as ASCII, so a manifest with an accented author name raised
+            # UnicodeDecodeError mid-walk and killed the run with a traceback.
+            # It is an environment problem, not a finding, so it exits 2 rather
+            # than being swallowed into a silent "no package here".
+            try:
+                content = read_text(apm_yml)
+            except EncodingError as exc:
+                print(
+                    "Error: %s is %s" % (apm_yml, exc),
+                    file=sys.stderr)
+                sys.exit(2)
+            if any(TYPE_RE.match(line) for line in content.splitlines()):
+                return current
         # $HOME is a non-plugin-scope boundary — checked before the .git test
         # below (mirrors validate.sh's detect_scope ordering), so a
         # dotfiles-managed $HOME (yadm, chezmoi bare-repo, etc.) can't shadow
@@ -104,7 +255,14 @@ if plugin_root is None:
 sources_md_path = os.path.join(plugin_root, 'sources.md')
 
 # --- Helpers ---
-PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:[^`\n]')
+
+# The trailing character class used to be CONSUMING — `[^`\n]` — so a
+# `FILL IN:` at end of line matched nothing and escaped checks 1 and 5
+# entirely. `- **Description:** FILL IN:` is the most likely spelling of a
+# half-written entry, and it was the one spelling the placeholder gate could
+# not see. The exclusion it was really expressing is "not inside backticks",
+# which a lookahead states without eating a character.
+PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:(?!`)')
 
 def parse_frontmatter(content):
     m = re.match(r'^---\n(.*?)\n---', content, re.DOTALL)
@@ -227,33 +385,48 @@ def parse_contributing_files(content, slug):
     return files or None
 # ===== END SHARED CONTRIBUTING-FILES PARSER =====
 
-def parse_research_doc(content, slug):
+def parse_research_docs(content, slug):
+    """Every Research doc value under a given slug H2, in document order.
+
+    The caller uses the first and reports the rest. Returning only the first —
+    what this did before — meant a second '- **Research doc:**' line in one
+    entry was silently ignored, so an author who added a doc rather than
+    replacing one got check 5 run against the old value and no hint that the
+    new one was never looked at.
+    """
     pattern = re.compile(
         r'^## ' + re.escape(slug) + r'\s*\n(.*?)(?=^## |\Z)',
         re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL
     )
     m = pattern.search(content)
     if not m:
-        return None
+        return []
     block = m.group(1)
-    rd_m = re.search(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)
-    if not rd_m:
-        return None
-    return rd_m.group(1).strip()
+    return [v.strip() for v in
+            re.findall(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)]
 
 findings = []
 has_fail = False
 
+# A finding identical in every field is the same finding, and the same file is
+# now reached by more than one check — the agent file is read once for its own
+# source_keys and again as a contributing file, so an unreadable one would
+# otherwise be reported twice with the same words. Distinct findings about the
+# same file still both appear.
+def _record(entry):
+    if entry not in findings:
+        findings.append(entry)
+
 def emit_fail(desc, fpath, why, fix):
     global has_fail
     has_fail = True
-    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
+    _record(("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))
+    _record(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
 
 def print_findings():
     for entry in findings:
@@ -273,38 +446,56 @@ def print_findings():
             print(f"      Note: {note}")
             print()
 
+def emit_unreadable(rel, exc):
+    """Report a file this script cannot decode. Never a silent skip."""
+    emit_fail(
+        f"File is {exc}",
+        rel,
+        f"'{rel}' cannot be decoded, so its frontmatter — and any source_keys in it — "
+        f"cannot be read. This used to be swallowed by a bare 'except Exception: return []', "
+        f"which reported the unreadable file as having no source_keys and therefore as clean.",
+        f"Re-save '{rel}' as UTF-8."
+    )
+
 # --- Collect source_keys from agent pair ---
-def get_source_keys_from_file(fpath):
+def get_source_keys_from_file(fpath, rel):
     if not os.path.isfile(fpath):
         return []
     try:
-        with open(fpath) as f:
-            content = f.read()
-    except Exception:
+        content = read_text(fpath)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable(rel, exc)
         return []
     fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(content)
     return parse_source_keys(fm)
 
 # Plugin/APM scope is a single vendor-neutral file — no counterpart to merge.
-given_keys = get_source_keys_from_file(agent_file)
+rel_given = os.path.relpath(agent_file, plugin_root)
+given_keys = get_source_keys_from_file(agent_file, rel_given)
 all_source_keys = given_keys
 
 sources_md_exists = os.path.isfile(sources_md_path)
 
-# Early exit: nothing to validate
+# Early exit: nothing to validate. The read above can itself raise a finding —
+# an unreadable agent file — so print before leaving; the clean case still
+# prints nothing and exits 0.
 if not all_source_keys and not sources_md_exists:
-    sys.exit(0)
+    print_findings()
+    sys.exit(1 if has_fail else 0)
 
 sources_content = None
 sources_slugs = set()
 if sources_md_exists:
-    with open(sources_md_path) as f:
-        sources_content = f.read()
+    try:
+        sources_content = read_text(sources_md_path)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable("sources.md", exc)
+        print_findings()
+        sys.exit(1)
     sources_slugs = set(parse_h2_slugs(sources_content))
 
 # --- Check 0: source_keys present but sources.md absent ---
 if not sources_md_exists and all_source_keys:
-    rel_given = os.path.relpath(agent_file, plugin_root)
     emit_fail(
         "source_keys declared but sources.md is absent",
         rel_given,
@@ -340,7 +531,31 @@ 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):
+
+# Every per-slug parser below — parse_contributing_files, parse_research_docs —
+# locates its block with pattern.search(), so a slug written twice resolves to
+# the FIRST block every time. Iterating the raw heading list therefore checked
+# the first block's fields twice and the second block's never: a duplicated slug
+# is half-validated, and looked fully validated. The duplicate is announced and
+# the repeat visit dropped.
+all_slugs = parse_h2_slugs(sources_content)
+unique_slugs = []
+for _slug in all_slugs:
+    if _slug in unique_slugs:
+        continue
+    unique_slugs.append(_slug)
+    _count = all_slugs.count(_slug)
+    if _count > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Duplicate '## {_slug}' entry in sources.md — only the first block is checked",
+            f"sources.md (## {_slug})",
+            f"'## {_slug}' appears {_count} times. Every field parser here takes the first match, so the "
+            f"second and later blocks' Contributing files and Research doc are never validated — "
+            f"checks 3, 4 and 5 did not run for them. "
+            f"Merge the blocks into one entry, or give each a distinct slug and reference it from source_keys."
+        )
+
+for slug in unique_slugs:
     # 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
@@ -370,8 +585,11 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                 )
             else:
                 # Check 4: Bidirectional — file should list slug in its source_keys
-                with open(cf_abs) as f:
-                    cf_content = f.read()
+                try:
+                    cf_content = read_text(cf_abs)
+                except EncodingError as exc:
+                    emit_unreadable(cf_rel, exc)
+                    continue
                 cf_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(cf_content)
                 cf_keys = parse_source_keys(cf_fm)
                 if slug not in cf_keys:
@@ -383,7 +601,17 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                     )
 
     # Check 5: Research doc field required
-    rd_value = parse_research_doc(sources_content, slug)
+    rd_values = parse_research_docs(sources_content, slug)
+    if len(rd_values) > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Multiple '- **Research doc:**' lines for '{slug}' — only the first is used",
+            f"sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has {len(rd_values)} Research doc lines; check 5 ran against the first "
+            f"('{rd_values[0]}') and never looked at the rest. "
+            f"Keep one Research doc line per entry — if a slug genuinely came from two documents, split it into two slugs, "
+            f"or name the extra document inside the first value's annotation where it is at least visible."
+        )
+    rd_value = rd_values[0] if rd_values else None
     if rd_value is None:
         emit_fail(
             "Research doc field missing",
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
index 89c7788..a1ddb24 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/references/validation-scripts.md
@@ -99,9 +99,12 @@ Three ways to read the result wrong:
 
 ## Script-specific failures
 
-- **`validate-provenance.sh` printed nothing.** That is a pass, not a skip. It also exits 0
-  silently when the skill has no `source_keys` and no `references/sources.md` — nothing to
-  validate is not a finding.
+- **`validate-provenance.sh` printed nothing *and exited 0*.** That is a pass, not a skip — it
+  exits 0 silently when the skill has no `source_keys` and no `references/sources.md`, and nothing
+  to validate is not a finding. Check the exit code before you believe the silence: a target that
+  is not a directory, a directory holding no `SKILL.md`, a missing or extra argument, and an absent
+  `python3` all exit **2** with a message on stderr. Exit 2 means the script never ran — report it
+  as an unaudited dimension, never as a pass and never as a finding. Exit 1 is findings.
 - **`vale` reports `0 files`.** Treat the pass as NOT RUN, not as clean, and fall back to full
   Step 3 judgment for the dimensions it would have covered. The bundled `Kyberforge` style is
   scoped by glob in `assets/vale/.vale.ini`; a file outside those globs is silently not linted.
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
index 2e8cca9..4ed3629 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/skill-audit/scripts/validate-provenance.sh
@@ -13,6 +13,12 @@ Arguments:
 Exit codes:
   0  All checks passed (or nothing to validate)
   1  One or more checks failed
+  2  Usage error, or the argument is not a skill directory
+
+An exit code of 2 is NOT a finding. SKILL.md tells the auditor to surface a
+non-zero exit as findings, so a usage error leaving exit 1 with nothing on
+stdout was indistinguishable from a clean-but-failing run. Environment and
+argument problems exit 2; only real findings exit 1.
 
 Checks performed:
   0  source_keys present but references/sources.md absent
@@ -32,6 +38,12 @@ Checks performed:
      resolved; a path that still does not resolve is reported as an INFO saying
      checks 7 and 8 did not run, never skipped silently.
   8  Extracted non-(none) slug in research doc present in sources.md
+
+  Checks 7 and 8 apply ONLY when the Research doc value names a research SOURCE
+  INDEX — a file whose basename is sources.md, whose H2 headings ARE source
+  slugs. A Research doc pointing at a topic document is reported as an INFO
+  saying the two checks are not applicable, and every other reason they do not
+  run is announced the same way.
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -40,11 +52,57 @@ if [[ "${1:-}" == "--help" || "${1:-}" == "-h" ]]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+# Usage and environment problems exit 2, findings exit 1. See the usage text
+# above for why the two must not share a code. This is a deliberate divergence
+# from validate.sh, which has no 2 tier: validate.sh always prints PASS lines,
+# so a usage error there is visibly not a findings report. This script prints
+# NOTHING on a clean run, so exit 1 plus empty stdout was the only signal a
+# caller got either way.
 if [[ $# -lt 1 ]]; then
   echo "Error: skill-dir is required." >&2
   echo "" >&2
   usage >&2
-  exit 1
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# Extra positional arguments were silently dropped, so a typo'd flag or a second
+# path looked like it had been honoured.
+if [[ $# -gt 1 ]]; then
+  echo "Error: expected exactly one argument, got $#: $*" >&2
+  echo "" >&2
+  usage >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# python3 is a HARD dependency. Without this preflight a missing interpreter
+# produced 'line NN: python3: command not found' and exit 127 — an exit code no
+# caller maps to anything, from a message that names this script's line number
+# rather than the missing dependency.
+if ! command -v python3 > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "Error: python3 is required but was not found on PATH." >&2
+  echo "  Why: skipping the provenance checks entirely would be a vacuous pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: install python3 (pre-commit itself is a Python application, so it is almost certainly already present)." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# A path that is not a directory, or a directory that is not a skill, used to
+# reach the Python body, find no sources.md and no source_keys, take the
+# "nothing to validate" early exit and report exit 0 with no output — which
+# references/validation-scripts.md explicitly told the auditor to read as a
+# pass. A typo'd target was therefore indistinguishable from a clean skill.
+# vale-wrap.sh hard-errors on a nonexistent path for exactly this reason.
+if [[ ! -d "$1" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: not a directory: $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: a nonexistent target would otherwise report a silent pass." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the path of the skill directory to validate." >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f "$1/SKILL.md" ]]; then
+  echo "Error: not a skill directory (no SKILL.md): $1" >&2
+  echo "  Why: a directory with no SKILL.md has no provenance chain to validate, and reporting that as a pass hides the wrong-target mistake." >&2
+  echo "  Fix: pass the skill directory itself, not its parent or its references/ subdirectory." >&2
+  exit 2
 fi
 
 python3 -u - "$1" <<'PYTHON'
@@ -52,13 +110,67 @@ import sys
 import os
 import re
 
+# Output is UTF-8 for the same reason input is: under LC_ALL=C the streams
+# default to ASCII, and every finding this script prints contains an em dash.
+# Pinning only the reads moved the crash from the read to the write — a
+# UnicodeEncodeError inside print_findings(), which loses the whole report
+# after all the checks have already run.
+for _stream in (sys.stdout, sys.stderr):
+    try:
+        _stream.reconfigure(encoding='utf-8')
+    except AttributeError:  # pragma: no cover — Python < 3.7
+        pass
+
 skill_dir = os.path.abspath(sys.argv[1])
 sources_md_path = os.path.join(skill_dir, "references", "sources.md")
 refs_dir = os.path.join(skill_dir, "references")
 
 # --- Helpers ---
 
-PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:[^`\n]')
+# The trailing character class used to be CONSUMING — `[^`\n]` — so a
+# `FILL IN:` at end of line matched nothing and escaped checks 1 and 6
+# entirely. `- **Description:** FILL IN:` is the most likely spelling of a
+# half-written entry, and it was the one spelling the placeholder gate could
+# not see. The exclusion it was really expressing is "not inside backticks",
+# which a lookahead states without eating a character.
+PLACEHOLDER_RE = re.compile(r'(?<!`)FILL IN:(?!`)')
+
+
+# --- Input ----------------------------------------------------------------
+# Ported from validate.sh, where the same two problems were already fixed.
+#
+# read_text() pins UTF-8 explicitly instead of inheriting
+# locale.getpreferredencoding(), which is ASCII under LC_ALL=C — an ordinary em
+# dash in a references file then aborted the run with a bare UnicodeDecodeError
+# traceback, or, at the one call site that wrapped its read in `except
+# Exception: return False`, reported the unreadable file as having no
+# source_keys and therefore as clean. A file that genuinely is not UTF-8 still
+# fails; it just says which file and why.
+#
+# strip_bom() runs on every read because a leading BOM defeats
+# parse_frontmatter()'s `^---` anchor, which silently disabled check 2 on a
+# BOM-prefixed SKILL.md: no frontmatter parsed means no source_keys parsed
+# means nothing to validate.
+
+
+class EncodingError(Exception):
+    pass
+
+
+def strip_bom(text):
+    return text[1:] if text.startswith(u'\ufeff') else text
+
+
+def read_text(path):
+    """File contents as text, UTF-8 and BOM-free, with a diagnostic instead of a traceback."""
+    try:
+        with open(path, encoding='utf-8') as fh:
+            return strip_bom(fh.read())
+    except UnicodeDecodeError as exc:
+        raise EncodingError(
+            "not valid UTF-8 (%s at byte %d) — re-save the file as UTF-8; "
+            "this gate does not guess at other encodings"
+            % (exc.reason, exc.start))
 
 def parse_frontmatter(content):
     """Return (frontmatter_str, body_str) or (None, content) if no frontmatter."""
@@ -219,20 +331,25 @@ def parse_contributing_files(content, slug):
     return files or None
 # ===== END SHARED CONTRIBUTING-FILES PARSER =====
 
-def parse_research_doc(content, slug):
-    """Find the Research doc value for a given slug H2 in content."""
+def parse_research_docs(content, slug):
+    """Every Research doc value under a given slug H2, in document order.
+
+    The caller uses the first and reports the rest. Returning only the first —
+    what this did before — meant a second '- **Research doc:**' line in one
+    entry was silently ignored, so an author who added a doc rather than
+    replacing one got checks 7 and 8 run against the old path and no hint that
+    the new one was never looked at.
+    """
     pattern = re.compile(
         r'^## ' + re.escape(slug) + r'\s*\n(.*?)(?=^## |\Z)',
         re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL
     )
     m = pattern.search(content)
     if not m:
-        return None
+        return []
     block = m.group(1)
-    rd_m = re.search(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)
-    if not rd_m:
-        return None
-    return rd_m.group(1).strip()
+    return [v.strip() for v in
+            re.findall(r'^\- \*\*Research doc:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)]
 
 # A Research doc value is a path, and very often a path PLUS an annotation
 # naming the section the slug came from:
@@ -264,8 +381,27 @@ def research_doc_is_none(value):
     """
     return re.match(r'\(?none\b', value.strip(), re.IGNORECASE) is not None
 
+# The Status value is what gates check 8, so every spelling this parser fails
+# to read is a check that does not run. Two were unreadable:
+#
+#   - **Status:** `extracted` — partial fetch     (a trailing note)
+#   **Status:**                                   (the bullet form, the same
+#   - `extracted`                                  shape parse_contributing_files
+#                                                  already accepts)
+#
+# Both used to parse to a string that compared unequal to "`extracted`", and
+# check 8 skipped on that inequality without a word. Returning the BACKTICKED
+# TOKEN — not the whole line — is what makes the trailing note harmless, and it
+# lets the caller name the actual status when it announces a skip.
+STATUS_TOKEN_RE = re.compile(r'^`([^`]*)`')
+
+
 def parse_status(content, slug):
-    """Find the Status value for a given slug H2 in content."""
+    """Find the Status value for a given slug H2 in content.
+
+    Returns the status with its backticks stripped ('extracted', 'referenced',
+    'no content extracted'), or None when the entry has no Status line.
+    """
     pattern = re.compile(
         r'^## ' + re.escape(slug) + r'\s*\n(.*?)(?=^## |\Z)',
         re.MULTILINE | re.DOTALL
@@ -274,10 +410,28 @@ def parse_status(content, slug):
     if not m:
         return None
     block = m.group(1)
+
+    raw = None
     st_m = re.search(r'^\- \*\*Status:\*\* (.+)$', block, re.MULTILINE)
-    if not st_m:
-        return None
-    return st_m.group(1).strip()
+    if st_m:
+        raw = st_m.group(1).strip()
+    else:
+        st_m = re.search(r'^\*\*Status:\*\*\s*$', block, re.MULTILINE)
+        if not st_m:
+            return None
+        for line in block[st_m.end():].splitlines():
+            line = line.strip()
+            if not line:
+                continue
+            if not line.startswith("- "):
+                break
+            raw = line[2:].strip()
+            break
+        if raw is None:
+            return None
+
+    token = STATUS_TOKEN_RE.match(raw)
+    return token.group(1).strip() if token else raw
 
 def find_repo_root(start_dir):
     """Walk up from start_dir until we find a directory containing .git."""
@@ -293,13 +447,22 @@ def find_repo_root(start_dir):
 findings = []
 has_fail = False
 
+# A finding identical in every field is the same finding, and the same file is
+# now reached by more than one check — the walk that looks for source_keys and
+# check 3 both read every references/*.md, so an unreadable one would otherwise
+# be reported twice with the same words. Distinct findings about the same file
+# still both appear.
+def _record(entry):
+    if entry not in findings:
+        findings.append(entry)
+
 def emit_fail(desc, fpath, why, fix):
     global has_fail
     has_fail = True
-    findings.append(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
+    _record(("FAIL", desc, fpath, why, fix, None))
 
 def emit_info(desc, fpath, note):
-    findings.append(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
+    _record(("INFO", desc, fpath, None, None, note))
 
 def print_findings():
     for entry in findings:
@@ -321,11 +484,22 @@ def print_findings():
 
 # --- Scan for any file with source_keys ---
 
-def file_has_source_keys(fpath):
+def emit_unreadable(rel, exc):
+    """Report a file this script cannot decode. Never a silent skip."""
+    emit_fail(
+        f"File is {exc}",
+        rel,
+        f"'{rel}' cannot be decoded, so its frontmatter — and any source_keys in it — "
+        f"cannot be read. This used to be swallowed by a bare 'except Exception: return False', "
+        f"which reported the unreadable file as having no source_keys and therefore as clean.",
+        f"Re-save '{rel}' as UTF-8."
+    )
+
+def file_has_source_keys(fpath, rel):
     try:
-        with open(fpath) as f:
-            content = f.read()
-    except Exception:
+        content = read_text(fpath)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable(rel, exc)
         return False
     fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(content)
     if fm is None:
@@ -338,26 +512,33 @@ def find_files_with_source_keys():
     for root, dirs, files in os.walk(skill_dir):
         # Skip hidden dirs
         dirs[:] = [d for d in dirs if not d.startswith('.')]
-        for fname in files:
+        for fname in sorted(files):
             if fname.endswith('.md'):
                 abs_path = os.path.join(root, fname)
-                if file_has_source_keys(abs_path):
-                    rel = os.path.relpath(abs_path, skill_dir)
+                rel = os.path.relpath(abs_path, skill_dir)
+                if file_has_source_keys(abs_path, rel):
                     results.append((rel, abs_path))
     return results
 
 sources_md_exists = os.path.isfile(sources_md_path)
 files_with_source_keys = find_files_with_source_keys()
 
-# Early exit: nothing to validate
+# Early exit: nothing to validate. The scan itself can raise a finding — an
+# unreadable file — so print before leaving; the clean case still prints
+# nothing and exits 0.
 if not sources_md_exists and not files_with_source_keys:
-    sys.exit(0)
+    print_findings()
+    sys.exit(1 if has_fail else 0)
 
 # Load sources.md if it exists
 sources_content = None
 if sources_md_exists:
-    with open(sources_md_path) as f:
-        sources_content = f.read()
+    try:
+        sources_content = read_text(sources_md_path)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable("references/sources.md", exc)
+        print_findings()
+        sys.exit(1)
     sources_slugs = set(parse_h2_slugs(sources_content))
 else:
     sources_slugs = set()
@@ -388,8 +569,11 @@ for line in sources_content.splitlines():
 # --- Check 2: source_keys in SKILL.md → slug exists in sources.md ---
 skill_md_path = os.path.join(skill_dir, "SKILL.md")
 if os.path.isfile(skill_md_path):
-    with open(skill_md_path) as f:
-        skill_content = f.read()
+    try:
+        skill_content = read_text(skill_md_path)
+    except EncodingError as exc:
+        emit_unreadable("SKILL.md", exc)
+        skill_content = ""
     skill_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(skill_content)
     skill_source_keys = parse_source_keys(skill_fm)
     for slug in skill_source_keys:
@@ -402,16 +586,29 @@ if os.path.isfile(skill_md_path):
             )
 
 # --- Check 3: source_keys in references/*.md → slug exists in sources.md (INFO if no source_keys) ---
+# os.walk, not os.listdir: find_files_with_source_keys() above already walks
+# references/ recursively, so a source_keys-bearing file in
+# references/<subdir>/ was collected there — and then never validated here,
+# because the flat listdir could not see it. The two halves of the same check
+# disagreed about which files exist.
 if os.path.isdir(refs_dir):
-    for fname in sorted(os.listdir(refs_dir)):
-        if not fname.endswith('.md'):
-            continue
-        if fname == "sources.md":
-            continue
-        fpath = os.path.join(refs_dir, fname)
+    ref_paths = []
+    for root, dirs, files in os.walk(refs_dir):
+        dirs[:] = sorted(d for d in dirs if not d.startswith('.'))
+        for fname in sorted(files):
+            if not fname.endswith('.md'):
+                continue
+            fpath = os.path.join(root, fname)
+            if os.path.relpath(fpath, refs_dir) == "sources.md":
+                continue
+            ref_paths.append(fpath)
+    for fpath in ref_paths:
         rel = os.path.relpath(fpath, skill_dir)
-        with open(fpath) as f:
-            ref_content = f.read()
+        try:
+            ref_content = read_text(fpath)
+        except EncodingError as exc:
+            emit_unreadable(rel, exc)
+            continue
         ref_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(ref_content)
         ref_keys = parse_source_keys(ref_fm)
         if not ref_keys:
@@ -442,9 +639,32 @@ if os.path.isdir(refs_dir):
 repo_root = find_repo_root(skill_dir)
 
 # Collect all research doc paths we'll check (for Check 8)
-research_docs_seen = {}  # abs_path → set of slugs in sources.md that reference it
+research_docs_seen = {}  # abs_path → (rel_path, slugs referencing it, content)
 
-for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
+# Every per-slug parser below — parse_contributing_files, parse_research_docs,
+# parse_status — locates its block with pattern.search(), so a slug written
+# twice resolves to the FIRST block every time. Iterating the raw heading list
+# therefore checked the first block's fields twice and the second block's
+# never: a duplicated slug is half-validated, and looked fully validated. The
+# duplicate is announced and the repeat visit dropped.
+all_slugs = parse_h2_slugs(sources_content)
+unique_slugs = []
+for _slug in all_slugs:
+    if _slug in unique_slugs:
+        continue
+    unique_slugs.append(_slug)
+    _count = all_slugs.count(_slug)
+    if _count > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Duplicate '## {_slug}' entry in sources.md — only the first block is checked",
+            f"references/sources.md (## {_slug})",
+            f"'## {_slug}' appears {_count} times. Every field parser here takes the first match, so the "
+            f"second and later blocks' Contributing files, Research doc and Status are never validated — "
+            f"checks 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 did not run for them. "
+            f"Merge the blocks into one entry, or give each a distinct slug and reference it from source_keys."
+        )
+
+for slug in unique_slugs:
     # 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
@@ -478,8 +698,11 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                 # Skip sources.md itself
                 if cf_rel == "references/sources.md":
                     continue
-                with open(cf_abs) as f:
-                    cf_content = f.read()
+                try:
+                    cf_content = read_text(cf_abs)
+                except EncodingError as exc:
+                    emit_unreadable(cf_rel, exc)
+                    continue
                 cf_fm, _ = parse_frontmatter(cf_content)
                 cf_keys = parse_source_keys(cf_fm)
                 if slug not in cf_keys:
@@ -491,7 +714,17 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                     )
 
     # Check 6: Research doc field required
-    rd_value = parse_research_doc(sources_content, slug)
+    rd_values = parse_research_docs(sources_content, slug)
+    if len(rd_values) > 1:
+        emit_info(
+            f"Multiple '- **Research doc:**' lines for '{slug}' — only the first is used",
+            f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+            f"The '## {slug}' entry has {len(rd_values)} Research doc lines; checks 7 and 8 ran against the first "
+            f"('{rd_values[0]}') and never looked at the rest. "
+            f"Keep one Research doc line per entry — if a slug genuinely came from two documents, split it into two slugs, "
+            f"or name the extra document inside the first value's annotation where it is at least visible."
+        )
+    rd_value = rd_values[0] if rd_values else None
     if rd_value is None:
         emit_fail(
             f"Research doc field missing",
@@ -537,9 +770,41 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                     f"Point the value at one existing file — a brace expansion, a comma-separated list of paths, or a bare section title does not resolve — "
                     f"or record '(none)' if no research doc backs this entry."
                 )
+            elif os.path.basename(rd_path) != "sources.md":
+                # Checks 7 and 8 both assume the Research doc is a research
+                # SOURCE INDEX — a sources.md whose H2 headings ARE source
+                # slugs. 30 of the 121 corpus entries point instead at a TOPIC
+                # DOCUMENT (remotes.md, gitflow.md, api-reference.md), whose
+                # H2s are headings like '## Core Philosophy'. A slug can never
+                # match one, so check 7 reported all 30 as "slug not found" —
+                # every one a false positive — and check 8, aimed at documents
+                # that carry no '- **Status:**' line at all, was saved from a
+                # matching flood of false FAILs only by an UNANNOUNCED skip on
+                # that missing status. The premise, not the corpus, was wrong.
+                #
+                # A topic-document reference is a legitimate, useful value; it
+                # just is not something these two checks can verify. Say that
+                # once, out loud, instead of failing 30 entries for it.
+                emit_info(
+                    f"Upstream checks not applicable for '{slug}' — research doc '{rd_path}' is a topic document, not a source index",
+                    f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+                    f"Checks 7 and 8 match slugs against the H2 headings of a research source index — a file named 'sources.md', "
+                    f"where each H2 IS a source slug. '{os.path.basename(rd_path)}' is a topic document, so its H2s are section "
+                    f"headings and no slug will ever match one. Checks 7 and 8 did not run for this slug. "
+                    f"This needs no fix: point the value at the research corpus's own sources.md only if you want the "
+                    f"provenance link machine-verified."
+                )
             else:
-                with open(rd_abs) as f:
-                    rd_content = f.read()
+                try:
+                    rd_content = read_text(rd_abs)
+                except EncodingError as exc:
+                    emit_info(
+                        f"Upstream checks skipped for '{slug}' — research doc '{rd_path}' is {exc}",
+                        f"references/sources.md (## {slug})",
+                        f"'{rd_path}' could not be decoded, so checks 7 and 8 did not run for this slug. "
+                        f"Re-save the research doc as UTF-8."
+                    )
+                    continue
                 rd_slugs = set(parse_h2_slugs(rd_content))
                 if slug not in rd_slugs:
                     emit_info(
@@ -548,15 +813,15 @@ for slug in parse_h2_slugs(sources_content):
                         f"The research doc '{rd_path}' does not have a '## {slug}' heading. "
                         f"The provenance link may be imprecise — the slug name in sources.md may differ from the research doc's heading."
                     )
-                # Track for Check 8
+                # Track for Check 8. The content is carried with the entry so
+                # check 8 reuses this read rather than decoding the file a
+                # second time, with a second chance to fail differently.
                 if rd_abs not in research_docs_seen:
-                    research_docs_seen[rd_abs] = (rd_path, set())
+                    research_docs_seen[rd_abs] = (rd_path, set(), rd_content)
                 research_docs_seen[rd_abs][1].add(slug)
 
 # --- Check 8: Upstream reverse ---
-for rd_abs, (rd_rel, known_slugs) in research_docs_seen.items():
-    with open(rd_abs) as f:
-        rd_content = f.read()
+for rd_abs, (rd_rel, known_slugs, rd_content) in research_docs_seen.items():
     for rd_slug in parse_h2_slugs(rd_content):
         # Parse this slug's Contributing files and Status in the research doc
         rd_cf = parse_contributing_files(rd_content, rd_slug)
@@ -564,8 +829,25 @@ for rd_abs, (rd_rel, known_slugs) in research_docs_seen.items():
         # Skip if the research doc explicitly records no contributing files
         if rd_cf == []:
             continue
-        # Skip if status is not `extracted`
-        if rd_status != "`extracted`":
+        # Skip if status is not `extracted` — and say so when the skip is what
+        # kept the slug out of the FAIL below. A status of `referenced` or
+        # `no content extracted` is a real reason not to demand the slug, but
+        # it was applied in silence, so an entry that should have been in
+        # sources.md and a status line nobody had updated produced the same
+        # output: nothing. Only a MATERIAL skip is announced; when the slug is
+        # already in sources.md the check passes either way and there is no
+        # fail-open to disclose.
+        if rd_status != "extracted":
+            if rd_slug not in sources_slugs:
+                shown = f"`{rd_status}`" if rd_status else "absent"
+                emit_info(
+                    f"Check 8 skipped for research-doc slug '{rd_slug}' — its Status is {shown}, not `extracted`",
+                    f"{rd_rel} (## {rd_slug})",
+                    f"'{rd_rel}' has '## {rd_slug}' with contributing files but Status {shown}, and this skill's "
+                    f"sources.md has no '## {rd_slug}' entry. Check 8 only demands an entry for an `extracted` slug, "
+                    f"so it did not run here. If that status is stale — the content was extracted and the line was never "
+                    f"updated — this skill is missing a source entry; if it is accurate, nothing needs doing."
+                )
             continue
         # This slug should be in sources.md
         if rd_slug not in sources_slugs: