diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
index 09bccfa..7bd8101 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -13,3 +13,4 @@
 
 - Keep the PR focused.
 - Call out any follow-up work explicitly instead of bundling it into this change.
+- Do not relax branch protection, required reviews, or required CI checks to merge this PR. Governance changes should be handled separately from feature or docs changes.
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f251ab2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+# Agent Instructions
+
+This repository is maintained under strict branch protection. Treat those protections as part of the repository policy, not as temporary friction to work around.
+
+## Branch Protection Policy
+
+- Never change branch protection rules, rulesets, required reviews, required status checks, or admin enforcement in order to land a change unless the user explicitly asks for that exact repository-governance change.
+- Never disable `CODEOWNERS` review requirements, required approving review counts, required conversation resolution, or required CI checks just to merge a PR.
+- Never push directly to a protected branch to bypass the normal review or CI path.
+- Never use admin merge, force push, or equivalent bypass mechanisms to land a change unless the user explicitly asks for that governance exception.
+- If branch protection blocks a merge, stop and tell the user what requirement is still unmet.
+
+## Preferred Flow
+
+1. Make the change on a feature branch.
+2. Open a PR.
+3. Let required CI checks complete.
+4. Wait for the required review state.
+5. Merge only through the normal repository policy path.
+
+## If Blocked
+
+- Report the exact protection rule that is blocking progress.
+- Ask the user whether they want to satisfy the rule or intentionally change repository governance.
+- Treat repository-governance changes as a separate task from the feature or docs change that triggered the block.
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index d210b22..8647553 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ Thanks for contributing to `react-devtool-cli`.
 - Add or update tests when behavior changes.
 - Preserve the CLI's bias toward deterministic, structured output.
 - Do not bundle unrelated refactors into the same PR.
+- Do not weaken branch protection, bypass required reviews, or disable required CI checks to land a change. If protection blocks a merge, satisfy the rule or ask the maintainer whether repository governance should change as a separate decision.
 
 ## Development
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index a71622d..a6f90f9 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -19,6 +19,70 @@ This follows the same overall shape as Playwright's own CLI surface: one command
 npm install -g react-devtool-cli
 ```
 
+## Install the bundled agent skill
+
+If you want an AI coding agent to know how to operate the published `rdt` CLI, install the bundled `react-devtool-cli` skill with the method that matches your toolchain.
+
+### Codex
+
+Copy `skills/react-devtool-cli` into `$CODEX_HOME/skills` (`~/.codex/skills` by default), then restart Codex.
+
+macOS/Linux:
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/Ring-wdr/react-devtool-cli.git
+mkdir -p ~/.codex/skills
+cp -R react-devtool-cli/skills/react-devtool-cli ~/.codex/skills/react-devtool-cli
+```
+
+Windows PowerShell:
+
+```powershell
+git clone https://github.com/Ring-wdr/react-devtool-cli.git
+New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force "$env:USERPROFILE/.codex/skills" | Out-Null
+Copy-Item -Recurse -Force ".\\react-devtool-cli\\skills\\react-devtool-cli" "$env:USERPROFILE/.codex/skills/react-devtool-cli"
+```
+
+### Claude Code
+
+Claude Code discovers skills from `~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md` for personal skills and `.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md` for project-scoped skills. Copy this repository's bundled skill directory into one of those locations:
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/Ring-wdr/react-devtool-cli.git
+mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills
+cp -R react-devtool-cli/skills/react-devtool-cli ~/.claude/skills/react-devtool-cli
+```
+
+For project-only usage, copy it to `.claude/skills/react-devtool-cli` inside your repo instead.
+
+### Gemini CLI
+
+Gemini CLI has built-in skill management. Install directly from this repo:
+
+```bash
+gemini skills install https://github.com/Ring-wdr/react-devtool-cli.git --path skills/react-devtool-cli
+```
+
+If you already cloned this repository locally, you can also link the whole skills folder and let Gemini discover it:
+
+```bash
+gemini skills link /path/to/react-devtool-cli/skills --scope workspace
+```
+
+Reload discovered skills with `/skills reload` if the current session is already open.
+
+### skills.sh
+
+If you want one installer path that configures the skill for a supported agent automatically, use `skills.sh`:
+
+```bash
+npx skills add https://github.com/Ring-wdr/react-devtool-cli --skill react-devtool-cli
+```
+
+This is the easiest cross-tool path when you are using ecosystems such as Claude Code, Gemini CLI, Codex, or Antigravity.
+
+If you are working on the repository itself rather than using the published CLI, install `skills/react-devtool-cli-repo` with the same tool-specific pattern.
+
 Published package notes:
 
 - npm consumers receive built files from `dist/`, not the repository source tree.
@@ -251,9 +315,13 @@ Use `node pick` when the agent knows the visible element but not the component n
 
 ## Skills
 
-- Installed CLI user skill: [skills/react-devtool-cli/SKILL.md](./skills/react-devtool-cli/SKILL.md)
+Bundled skill directories in this repository:
+
+- CLI user skill: [skills/react-devtool-cli/SKILL.md](./skills/react-devtool-cli/SKILL.md)
 - Repository maintenance skill: [skills/react-devtool-cli-repo/SKILL.md](./skills/react-devtool-cli-repo/SKILL.md)
 
+Use the installation routes above to place either skill into your agent's skill directory or installer flow.
+
 ## Notes
 
 - Initial browser support is Chromium-only
diff --git a/docs/public-repo-strategy.md b/docs/public-repo-strategy.md
index 18de6d9..e95a35b 100644
--- a/docs/public-repo-strategy.md
+++ b/docs/public-repo-strategy.md
@@ -51,3 +51,10 @@ This repository is run as a solo-maintainer open source project. The operating m
 - Discussions disabled unless issue volume justifies a separate support channel
 - Secret scanning enabled when available
 - Topic metadata kept current so the repo is discoverable without overselling scope
+
+## 8. Governance Guardrails
+
+- Branch protection is part of the maintenance policy, not a convenience setting.
+- Do not reduce required reviews, required checks, or code owner enforcement just to land an otherwise-ready PR.
+- Do not use admin overrides for normal day-to-day maintenance.
+- If a branch protection rule becomes counterproductive, change that governance intentionally in a separate maintainer decision, not as part of shipping an unrelated fix.