diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d54294d..343e337 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,39 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## 0.21.7 — 2026-05-26
+
+### `bstack skills graduate` — crystallized Tier-2 migration (Phase 6b)
+
+New subcommand `bstack skills graduate <name>` that automates the Tier-2 skill-graduation pattern which ran **8 times manually** on 2026-05-25/26 (Phases 2–4f: strategy bundle, content ×2, research+finance, specialty, neuroscience, orcahand dedup). This is the P16 crystallization of that pattern — rule-of-three exceeded ~8× over.
+
+What it automates:
+1. Clone source repo + monorepo into temp worktrees
+2. Copy canonical content into `skills/<target>/` — excluding `.git`, dot-prefixed IDE-mirror dirs, `LICENSE`, `skills-lock.json` (the exact exclusion set learned across the 8 manual runs)
+3. Append a row to the monorepo README Tier-2 table
+4. Commit + push + open PR on the monorepo
+5. `--stub` (default ON): add a redirect-stub README to the source repo + open PR
+6. `--merge` (default OFF): merge the opened PRs
+7. Cleanup temp clones (trap on EXIT)
+
+Supports `--target` (rename, e.g. drop `-skill` suffix), `--source-repo`, `--monorepo`, `--category`, `--description`, `--exclude` (repeatable), `--dry-run`.
+
+The registry update (companion-skills.yaml + skills-roster.md + VERSION + CHANGELOG) is intentionally NOT automated — it needs a coordinated bstack version bump a human/agent reviews. The script PRINTS the exact registry entry to add (copy-paste ready).
+
+### Files
+
+- **NEW** `scripts/skill-graduate.sh` — the graduation engine (~230 lines). Env-overridable `BSTACK_GRADUATE_GH` / `BSTACK_GRADUATE_GIT` / `BSTACK_GRADUATE_TMPDIR` / `BSTACK_GRADUATE_DRY_RUN` for hermetic testing.
+- **NEW** `tests/skill-graduate.test.sh` — 9-test offline smoke (arg-parse, dry-run, rename detection, stub-gh/git execution path with copy + exclude verification, no-SKILL.md error). All 9 pass.
+- **CHANGED** `bin/bstack-skills` — adds `graduate)` dispatch + usage entry.
+- **CHANGED** `SKILL.md` + `bin/bstack` — advertise the subcommand.
+- **VERSION** `0.21.6` → `0.21.7`.
+
+### Provenance
+
+The pattern's 8 manual instances are the audit trail (broomva/skills PRs #2–#9 + broomva/bstack PRs #53–#59). Crystallization closes the loop: the next graduation is `bstack skills graduate <name>` instead of a full manual clone→copy→README→PR→stub→registry cycle.
+
+---
+
+
 ## 0.21.6 — 2026-05-26
 
 ### Phase 4f orcahand migration + dedup (final Tier-2 migration)
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 78cfa5e..aa53fc8 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.21.6
+0.21.7
diff --git a/bin/bstack b/bin/bstack
index bc2f4d2..99944d0 100755
--- a/bin/bstack
+++ b/bin/bstack
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@ Observability:
   status [--json|--setpoint X]    Substrate health summary (≥ 0.5.0).
   status --aggregate              Federation rollup across registered workspaces (≥ 0.18.0).
   skills install|status|list      Companion skill roster manager (≥ 0.7.0).
+  skills graduate <name>          Migrate a standalone skill repo into the
+                                  broomva/skills Tier-2 monorepo (≥ 0.21.7).
   crystallize candidates|promote  P16 rule-of-three candidate detector (≥ 0.9.5).
   bench run|compare|tasks|status  Skill-evolution benchmark harness (≥ 0.10.0).
 
diff --git a/bin/bstack-skills b/bin/bstack-skills
index 764609c..999bcbe 100755
--- a/bin/bstack-skills
+++ b/bin/bstack-skills
@@ -46,6 +46,9 @@ Subcommands:
                                  Install missing (or all) skills via npx
   status [--json]                Show installed/missing roster summary
   list [--json] [--required-only] List declared roster
+  graduate <name> [options]      Migrate a standalone broomva/<name> skill repo
+                                 into the broomva/skills Tier-2 monorepo
+                                 (≥ 0.21.7). Run `bstack skills graduate --help`.
   help | --help                  This message
 
 Examples:
@@ -53,6 +56,7 @@ Examples:
   bstack skills install --required-only
   bstack skills install --dry-run
   bstack skills status --json
+  bstack skills graduate handoff --category lifecycle --dry-run
 EOF
 }
 
@@ -266,6 +270,7 @@ case "${1:-}" in
     install)            shift; cmd_install "$@" ;;
     status)             shift; cmd_status "$@" ;;
     list)               shift; cmd_list "$@" ;;
+    graduate)           shift; exec "$BSTACK_DIR/scripts/skill-graduate.sh" "$@" ;;
     -h|--help|help|"")  usage ;;
     *)
         echo "bstack-skills: unknown subcommand '$1'" >&2
diff --git a/scripts/skill-graduate.sh b/scripts/skill-graduate.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..1392431
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/skill-graduate.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# skill-graduate.sh — crystallized Tier-2 skill-graduation pattern (v0.21.7).
+#
+# Migrates a standalone `broomva/<name>` skill repo into the `broomva/skills`
+# Tier-2 monorepo, following the Phase 2-4f migration pattern that ran 8 times
+# manually on 2026-05-25/26 (strategy bundle + content + research + finance +
+# specialty + neuroscience + orcahand dedup). This script is the crystallization
+# of that repeated pattern (P16 — rule-of-three exceeded ~8x over).
+#
+# Invoked as: `bstack skills graduate <name> [options]`
+#
+# The pattern, automated:
+#   1. Clone source repo + monorepo into temp worktrees
+#   2. Copy canonical content into monorepo skills/<target>/ — EXCLUDING
+#      .git, dot-prefixed IDE-mirror dirs, LICENSE, skills-lock.json
+#   3. Commit + push branch + open PR on the monorepo
+#   4. (--stub)     add redirect-stub README to the source repo + open PR
+#   5. (--merge)    merge the opened PR(s)  [default: leave open for review]
+#   6. Cleanup temp clones (always, via trap)
+#
+# NOT automated (printed for manual follow-up, since both need human judgment):
+#   - The monorepo README Tier-2 table row — category placement varies; the
+#     script prints a ready-to-paste row instead of guessing the section.
+#   - The bstack registry (companion-skills.yaml + skills-roster.md + VERSION
+#     + CHANGELOG) — needs a coordinated version bump a human/agent reviews.
+#   Both are printed copy-paste-ready in the closing "NEXT" block.
+#
+# Env overrides (test fixtures use these to avoid network):
+#   BSTACK_GRADUATE_GH        gh command (default: gh)
+#   BSTACK_GRADUATE_GIT       git command (default: git)
+#   BSTACK_GRADUATE_TMPDIR    temp root (default: mktemp -d)
+#   BSTACK_GRADUATE_DRY_RUN   force dry-run (default: 0)
+set -euo pipefail
+
+GH="${BSTACK_GRADUATE_GH:-gh}"
+GIT="${BSTACK_GRADUATE_GIT:-git}"
+
+usage() {
+    cat <<'EOF'
+bstack skills graduate — migrate a standalone skill repo into broomva/skills monorepo
+
+Usage:
+  bstack skills graduate <name> [options]
+
+Arguments:
+  <name>                  Source skill name (the broomva/<name> repo)
+
+Options:
+  --target <name>         Rename during migration (e.g. drop -skill suffix).
+                          Default: same as <name>.
+  --source-repo <o/r>     Source GitHub repo. Default: broomva/<name>.
+  --monorepo <o/r>        Destination monorepo. Default: broomva/skills.
+  --category <cat>        Registry category (for the printed registry entry).
+                          One of: lifecycle knowledge orchestration safety meta
+                          design platform strategy content observability.
+  --description <text>    One-line description (README cell + registry entry).
+  --stub                  Add redirect-stub README to the source repo (default ON).
+  --no-stub               Skip the source redirect-stub.
+  --merge                 Merge opened PR(s) after opening (default: leave open).
+  --exclude <glob>        Extra exclude pattern (repeatable). Defaults always
+                          exclude: .git, .*  (dot dirs), LICENSE, skills-lock.json.
+  --dry-run               Print the plan; make no clones, commits, or PRs.
+  -h | --help             This message.
+
+Examples:
+  bstack skills graduate handoff --category lifecycle \
+    --description "Fresh-session handoff doc drafting"
+
+  bstack skills graduate omnivoice-skill --target omnivoice --category content \
+    --description "OmniVoice Studio — TTS, voice cloning, dubbing in 646 languages"
+
+  bstack skills graduate pre-mortem --category strategy --no-stub --dry-run
+EOF
+}
+
+# ---- defaults ----
+NAME=""
+TARGET=""
+SOURCE_REPO=""
+MONOREPO="broomva/skills"
+CATEGORY=""
+DESCRIPTION=""
+DO_STUB=1
+DO_MERGE=0
+DRY_RUN="${BSTACK_GRADUATE_DRY_RUN:-0}"
+EXTRA_EXCLUDES=()
+
+# ---- arg parsing ----
+if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then usage >&2; exit 2; fi
+while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
+    case "$1" in
+        --target)       TARGET="${2:?--target needs a value}"; shift 2 ;;
+        --source-repo)  SOURCE_REPO="${2:?--source-repo needs a value}"; shift 2 ;;
+        --monorepo)     MONOREPO="${2:?--monorepo needs a value}"; shift 2 ;;
+        --category)     CATEGORY="${2:?--category needs a value}"; shift 2 ;;
+        --description)  DESCRIPTION="${2:?--description needs a value}"; shift 2 ;;
+        --stub)         DO_STUB=1; shift ;;
+        --no-stub)      DO_STUB=0; shift ;;
+        --merge)        DO_MERGE=1; shift ;;
+        --exclude)      EXTRA_EXCLUDES+=("${2:?--exclude needs a value}"); shift 2 ;;
+        --dry-run)      DRY_RUN=1; shift ;;
+        -h|--help|help) usage; exit 0 ;;
+        -*)             echo "skill-graduate: unknown option: $1" >&2; usage >&2; exit 2 ;;
+        *)
+            if [ -z "$NAME" ]; then NAME="$1"; shift
+            else echo "skill-graduate: unexpected argument: $1" >&2; exit 2; fi ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+[ -n "$NAME" ] || { echo "skill-graduate: <name> is required" >&2; usage >&2; exit 2; }
+TARGET="${TARGET:-$NAME}"
+SOURCE_REPO="${SOURCE_REPO:-broomva/$NAME}"
+
+# Validate target name against agentskills.io spec (lowercase, hyphens, <=64).
+if ! printf '%s' "$TARGET" | grep -qE '^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{0,63}$'; then
+    echo "skill-graduate: invalid target name '$TARGET' (must match ^[a-z][a-z0-9-]{0,63}\$)" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+# Determine if this is a rename.
+RENAME_NOTE=""
+[ "$NAME" != "$TARGET" ] && RENAME_NOTE=" (renamed: $NAME -> $TARGET)"
+
+echo "skill-graduate plan:"
+echo "  source repo   : $SOURCE_REPO"
+echo "  monorepo      : $MONOREPO"
+echo "  skill path    : skills/$TARGET/$RENAME_NOTE"
+echo "  category      : ${CATEGORY:-<unset — registry entry will note TODO>}"
+echo "  redirect-stub : $([ "$DO_STUB" = 1 ] && echo yes || echo no)"
+echo "  auto-merge    : $([ "$DO_MERGE" = 1 ] && echo yes || echo no)"
+echo "  excludes      : .git .* LICENSE skills-lock.json ${EXTRA_EXCLUDES[*]:-}"
+echo ""
+
+if [ "$DRY_RUN" = 1 ]; then
+    echo "[dry-run] No clones, commits, or PRs will be made."
+    echo "[dry-run] Registry entry to add to broomva/bstack references/companion-skills.yaml:"
+    cat <<EOF
+
+  - name: $TARGET
+    repo: $MONOREPO
+    skillPath: skills/$TARGET/SKILL.md
+    category: ${CATEGORY:-TODO}
+    required: false
+    introduced_in: TODO
+    min_bstack_version: 0.21.0
+    description: "${DESCRIPTION:-TODO}"
+EOF
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+# ---- real execution ----
+TMP="${BSTACK_GRADUATE_TMPDIR:-$(mktemp -d)}"
+# BSTACK_GRADUATE_NO_CLEANUP=1 leaves TMP in place (test fixtures inspect the
+# copied tree). Default: always clean up.
+cleanup() {
+    [ "${BSTACK_GRADUATE_NO_CLEANUP:-0}" = 1 ] && return 0
+    [ -n "${TMP:-}" ] && [ -d "$TMP" ] && rm -rf "$TMP"
+}
+trap cleanup EXIT
+
+MONO_DIR="$TMP/monorepo"
+SRC_DIR="$TMP/source"
+BRANCH="feat/graduate-$TARGET"
+
+# Idempotency pre-flight: bail if a PR for this branch already exists, rather
+# than re-pushing + failing opaquely inside the subshell on the 2nd run.
+if $GH pr list --repo "$MONOREPO" --head "$BRANCH" --state open --json number --jq '.[0].number' 2>/dev/null | grep -q '[0-9]'; then
+    echo "skill-graduate: an open PR for branch '$BRANCH' already exists on $MONOREPO." >&2
+    echo "  Close/merge it first, or pass --target to use a different skill name." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "==> cloning $MONOREPO + $SOURCE_REPO"
+$GH repo clone "$MONOREPO" "$MONO_DIR" -- --depth=10 >/dev/null 2>&1
+$GH repo clone "$SOURCE_REPO" "$SRC_DIR" -- --depth=10 >/dev/null 2>&1
+
+echo "==> copying canonical content into skills/$TARGET/"
+mkdir -p "$MONO_DIR/skills/$TARGET"
+# Build exclude test. Always exclude dot-entries, LICENSE, skills-lock.json.
+should_exclude() {
+    local item="$1"
+    case "$item" in
+        .*|LICENSE|skills-lock.json) return 0 ;;
+    esac
+    local ex
+    for ex in "${EXTRA_EXCLUDES[@]:-}"; do
+        [ -n "$ex" ] && [[ "$item" == $ex ]] && return 0
+    done
+    return 1
+}
+copied=0
+# Null-delimited iteration: robust against filenames with spaces, globs,
+# or newlines. `ls`-based word-splitting (the obvious naive loop) breaks on
+# spaced filenames under `set -e` mid-copy — regression-tested in
+# tests/skill-graduate.test.sh T10.
+while IFS= read -r -d '' path; do
+    item="$(basename "$path")"
+    if should_exclude "$item"; then continue; fi
+    cp -R "$path" "$MONO_DIR/skills/$TARGET/"
+    copied=$((copied + 1))
+done < <(find "$SRC_DIR" -mindepth 1 -maxdepth 1 -print0)
+echo "    copied $copied top-level items ($(find "$MONO_DIR/skills/$TARGET" -type f | wc -l | tr -d ' ') files total)"
+
+# Sanity: a SKILL.md must exist after copy.
+if [ ! -f "$MONO_DIR/skills/$TARGET/SKILL.md" ]; then
+    echo "skill-graduate: ERROR — no SKILL.md found in skills/$TARGET/ after copy." >&2
+    echo "  Source $SOURCE_REPO may keep its SKILL.md under a subdir; migrate manually." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "==> committing + opening PR on $MONOREPO"
+(
+    cd "$MONO_DIR"
+    $GIT checkout -b "$BRANCH" >/dev/null 2>&1
+    $GIT add "skills/$TARGET" >/dev/null 2>&1
+    $GIT commit -q -m "feat(monorepo): graduate $TARGET to Tier-2$RENAME_NOTE
+
+Migrated from $SOURCE_REPO via \`bstack skills graduate\`.
+Install: npx skills add $MONOREPO --skill $TARGET"
+    $GIT push -u origin "$BRANCH" >/dev/null 2>&1
+    $GH pr create --base main --head "$BRANCH" \
+        --title "feat(monorepo): graduate $TARGET to Tier-2$RENAME_NOTE" \
+        --body "Graduated from \`$SOURCE_REPO\` via \`bstack skills graduate\`. Install: \`npx skills add $MONOREPO --skill $TARGET\`.${DESCRIPTION:+
+
+$DESCRIPTION}" >/dev/null 2>&1
+    if [ "$DO_MERGE" = 1 ]; then
+        # Try delete-branch first; fall back to plain squash if branch
+        # deletion is blocked (protected). A genuine merge failure (red CI,
+        # conflicts) is surfaced, not swallowed.
+        if ! $GH pr merge "$BRANCH" --squash --delete-branch >/dev/null 2>&1 \
+           && ! $GH pr merge "$BRANCH" --squash >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+            echo "    WARNING: auto-merge of monorepo PR failed (CI red, conflicts, or gate) — leaving PR open for manual review." >&2
+        fi
+    fi
+)
+MONO_PR=$($GH pr list --repo "$MONOREPO" --head "$BRANCH" --state all --json url --jq '.[0].url' 2>/dev/null || echo "(see $MONOREPO PRs)")
+echo "    monorepo PR: $MONO_PR"
+
+if [ "$DO_STUB" = 1 ]; then
+    echo "==> adding redirect-stub on $SOURCE_REPO"
+    (
+        cd "$SRC_DIR"
+        cat > README.md <<STUBEOF
+# $NAME (DEPRECATED — migrated to $MONOREPO monorepo)
+
+> **Status:** migrated to the [$MONOREPO](https://github.com/$MONOREPO) monorepo as a Tier-2 vendored skill$RENAME_NOTE. 6-month deprecation window before archival.
+
+## New install command
+
+\`\`\`bash
+npx skills add $MONOREPO --skill $TARGET
+\`\`\`
+
+## Skill home
+
+[$MONOREPO/skills/$TARGET](https://github.com/$MONOREPO/tree/main/skills/$TARGET)
+
+## License
+
+[MIT](LICENSE) — unchanged.
+STUBEOF
+        $GIT checkout -b chore/deprecate-redirect >/dev/null 2>&1
+        $GIT add README.md >/dev/null 2>&1
+        $GIT commit -q -m "chore(deprecate): redirect to $MONOREPO monorepo
+
+Migrated to $MONOREPO/skills/$TARGET via \`bstack skills graduate\`."
+        $GIT push -u origin chore/deprecate-redirect >/dev/null 2>&1
+        $GH pr create --base main --head chore/deprecate-redirect \
+            --title "chore(deprecate): redirect to $MONOREPO monorepo" \
+            --body "Migrated to \`$MONOREPO/skills/$TARGET\` via \`bstack skills graduate\`. Install: \`npx skills add $MONOREPO --skill $TARGET\`." >/dev/null 2>&1
+        if [ "$DO_MERGE" = 1 ]; then
+            if ! $GH pr merge chore/deprecate-redirect --squash --delete-branch >/dev/null 2>&1 \
+               && ! $GH pr merge chore/deprecate-redirect --squash >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+                echo "    WARNING: auto-merge of source redirect-stub PR failed — leaving it open." >&2
+            fi
+        fi
+    )
+    STUB_PR=$($GH pr list --repo "$SOURCE_REPO" --head chore/deprecate-redirect --state all --json url --jq '.[0].url' 2>/dev/null || echo "(see $SOURCE_REPO PRs)")
+    echo "    stub PR: $STUB_PR"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "==> NEXT: add this entry to broomva/bstack references/companion-skills.yaml + bump VERSION + CHANGELOG:"
+cat <<EOF
+
+  - name: $TARGET
+    repo: $MONOREPO
+    skillPath: skills/$TARGET/SKILL.md
+    category: ${CATEGORY:-TODO}
+    required: false
+    introduced_in: <next-bstack-version>
+    min_bstack_version: 0.21.0
+    description: "${DESCRIPTION:-TODO}"
+EOF
+echo ""
+echo "skill-graduate: done. $([ "$DO_MERGE" = 1 ] && echo 'PRs merged.' || echo 'PRs opened (review + merge when ready).')"
diff --git a/tests/skill-graduate.test.sh b/tests/skill-graduate.test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..48cff90
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/skill-graduate.test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# tests/skill-graduate.test.sh — Smoke tests for `bstack skills graduate`.
+#
+# Tests run offline. Arg-parse + dry-run paths make no network calls.
+# The execution path is exercised with stub `gh`/`git` (via
+# BSTACK_GRADUATE_GH / BSTACK_GRADUATE_GIT) against a fake source tree to
+# verify the copy + exclude logic without touching GitHub.
+#
+# Run from the bstack repo root:
+#   bash tests/skill-graduate.test.sh
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+BSTACK_REPO="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
+SKILLS_BIN="$BSTACK_REPO/bin/bstack-skills"
+GRADUATE_SH="$BSTACK_REPO/scripts/skill-graduate.sh"
+
+PASS=0
+FAIL=0
+FAILED_TESTS=()
+
+assert_pass() { PASS=$((PASS + 1)); echo "  [pass] $1"; }
+assert_fail() { FAIL=$((FAIL + 1)); FAILED_TESTS+=("$1"); echo "  [FAIL] $1"; [ -n "${2:-}" ] && echo "         $2"; }
+
+echo "── skill-graduate CLI smoke tests ─────────────────────────────────"
+
+# T1: bstack-skills usage advertises graduate
+t="bstack-skills --help advertises graduate"
+if "$SKILLS_BIN" --help 2>&1 | grep -q 'graduate <name>'; then assert_pass "$t"; else assert_fail "$t"; fi
+
+# T2: graduate --help routes to the script's usage
+t="graduate --help routes to script"
+if "$SKILLS_BIN" graduate --help 2>&1 | grep -q 'migrate a standalone skill repo'; then assert_pass "$t"; else assert_fail "$t"; fi
+
+# T3: missing <name> exits non-zero
+t="missing <name> exits 2"
+"$GRADUATE_SH" --category content >/dev/null 2>&1; rc=$?
+if [ "$rc" -eq 2 ]; then assert_pass "$t"; else assert_fail "$t" "expected exit 2, got $rc"; fi
+
+# T4: invalid target name exits non-zero
+t="invalid target name exits 2"
+"$GRADUATE_SH" foo --target "Bad_Name" --dry-run >/dev/null 2>&1; rc=$?
+if [ "$rc" -eq 2 ]; then assert_pass "$t"; else assert_fail "$t" "expected exit 2, got $rc"; fi
+
+# T5: unknown option exits non-zero
+t="unknown option exits 2"
+"$GRADUATE_SH" foo --bogus >/dev/null 2>&1; rc=$?
+if [ "$rc" -eq 2 ]; then assert_pass "$t"; else assert_fail "$t" "expected exit 2, got $rc"; fi
+
+# T6: dry-run prints plan + registry entry, exits 0, makes no network calls
+t="dry-run prints plan + registry entry"
+out=$("$GRADUATE_SH" myskill --category content --description "Does a thing" --dry-run 2>&1); rc=$?
+if [ "$rc" -eq 0 ] && echo "$out" | grep -q 'skillPath: skills/myskill/SKILL.md' && echo "$out" | grep -q 'category: content'; then
+    assert_pass "$t"
+else
+    assert_fail "$t" "rc=$rc"
+fi
+
+# T7: rename detection in dry-run output
+t="rename detection (foo-skill -> foo)"
+out=$("$GRADUATE_SH" foo-skill --target foo --dry-run 2>&1)
+if echo "$out" | grep -q 'renamed: foo-skill -> foo' && echo "$out" | grep -q 'skillPath: skills/foo/SKILL.md'; then
+    assert_pass "$t"
+else
+    assert_fail "$t"
+fi
+
+# Shared stub-builder: writes a gh stub (clone copies a fixture; pr/* are no-ops)
+# and a no-op git stub into $1/bin. $2 = source fixture dir.
+build_stubs() {
+    local bindir="$1" src="$2"
+    mkdir -p "$bindir"
+    cat > "$bindir/gh" <<STUBGH
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+case "\$1" in
+  repo) dir="\$4"; if echo "\$3" | grep -q 'broomva/skills'; then mkdir -p "\$dir"; else cp -R "$src/." "\$dir"; fi ;;
+  pr)
+    # 'gh pr list ...' must return empty (no existing PR) for the idempotency check
+    if [ "\$2" = "list" ]; then echo ""; else echo "https://github.com/stub/pr/1"; fi ;;
+  *) : ;;
+esac
+exit 0
+STUBGH
+    cat > "$bindir/git" <<'STUBGIT'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+exit 0
+STUBGIT
+    chmod +x "$bindir/gh" "$bindir/git"
+}
+
+# T8: execution path — inspect the COPIED TREE (not just exit code)
+t="execution copies canonical content + excludes dot-dirs/LICENSE/lock"
+WORK="$(mktemp -d)"
+SRC_FIXTURE="$WORK/src"
+mkdir -p "$SRC_FIXTURE/references" "$SRC_FIXTURE/.claude" "$SRC_FIXTURE/scripts"
+printf -- '---\nname: testskill\n---\nbody\n' > "$SRC_FIXTURE/SKILL.md"
+echo "ref" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/references/r.md"
+echo "scr" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/scripts/s.sh"
+echo "MIT" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/LICENSE"
+echo "{}" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/skills-lock.json"
+echo "mirror" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/.claude/m.md"
+build_stubs "$WORK/bin" "$SRC_FIXTURE"
+RUN_TMP="$WORK/run"; mkdir -p "$RUN_TMP"
+BSTACK_GRADUATE_GH="$WORK/bin/gh" BSTACK_GRADUATE_GIT="$WORK/bin/git" \
+  BSTACK_GRADUATE_TMPDIR="$RUN_TMP" BSTACK_GRADUATE_NO_CLEANUP=1 \
+  "$GRADUATE_SH" testskill --category knowledge --no-stub >/dev/null 2>&1; rc=$?
+DST="$RUN_TMP/monorepo/skills/testskill"
+if [ "$rc" -eq 0 ] \
+   && [ -f "$DST/SKILL.md" ] \
+   && [ -f "$DST/references/r.md" ] \
+   && [ -f "$DST/scripts/s.sh" ] \
+   && [ ! -e "$DST/.claude" ] \
+   && [ ! -e "$DST/LICENSE" ] \
+   && [ ! -e "$DST/skills-lock.json" ]; then
+    assert_pass "$t"
+else
+    assert_fail "$t" "rc=$rc; tree: $(ls -A "$DST" 2>/dev/null | tr '\n' ' ')"
+fi
+rm -rf "$WORK"
+
+# T10: regression — source filename WITH A SPACE must not break the copy loop
+t="regression: spaced filename in source copies cleanly (no word-split break)"
+WORK="$(mktemp -d)"
+SRC_FIXTURE="$WORK/src"; mkdir -p "$SRC_FIXTURE/references"
+printf -- '---\nname: spacetest\n---\n' > "$SRC_FIXTURE/SKILL.md"
+echo "spaced" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/references/a file with spaces.md"
+echo "glob" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/references/star[1].md"
+build_stubs "$WORK/bin" "$SRC_FIXTURE"
+RUN_TMP="$WORK/run"; mkdir -p "$RUN_TMP"
+BSTACK_GRADUATE_GH="$WORK/bin/gh" BSTACK_GRADUATE_GIT="$WORK/bin/git" \
+  BSTACK_GRADUATE_TMPDIR="$RUN_TMP" BSTACK_GRADUATE_NO_CLEANUP=1 \
+  "$GRADUATE_SH" spacetest --category knowledge --no-stub >/dev/null 2>&1; rc=$?
+DST="$RUN_TMP/monorepo/skills/spacetest"
+if [ "$rc" -eq 0 ] && [ -f "$DST/references/a file with spaces.md" ] && [ -f "$DST/references/star[1].md" ]; then
+    assert_pass "$t"
+else
+    assert_fail "$t" "rc=$rc — spaced/glob filename broke the copy loop"
+fi
+rm -rf "$WORK"
+
+# T9: execution fails cleanly when source has no SKILL.md
+t="execution errors when no SKILL.md in source"
+WORK="$(mktemp -d)"; SRC_FIXTURE="$WORK/src"; mkdir -p "$SRC_FIXTURE"
+echo "no skill here" > "$SRC_FIXTURE/README.md"
+STUB_BIN="$WORK/bin"; mkdir -p "$STUB_BIN"
+cat > "$STUB_BIN/gh" <<STUBGH
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+case "\$1" in
+  repo) dir="\$4"; if echo "\$3" | grep -q 'skills'; then mkdir -p "\$dir"; else cp -R "$SRC_FIXTURE/." "\$dir"; fi ;;
+  pr) echo "stub" ;; *) : ;;
+esac
+exit 0
+STUBGH
+cat > "$STUB_BIN/git" <<'STUBGIT'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+exit 0
+STUBGIT
+chmod +x "$STUB_BIN/gh" "$STUB_BIN/git"
+BSTACK_GRADUATE_GH="$STUB_BIN/gh" BSTACK_GRADUATE_GIT="$STUB_BIN/git" BSTACK_GRADUATE_TMPDIR="$WORK/run" \
+  "$GRADUATE_SH" emptyskill --no-stub >/dev/null 2>&1; rc=$?
+if [ "$rc" -eq 1 ]; then assert_pass "$t"; else assert_fail "$t" "expected exit 1 (no SKILL.md), got $rc"; fi
+rm -rf "$WORK"
+
+echo ""
+echo "── results: $PASS passed, $FAIL failed ────────────────────────────"
+if [ "$FAIL" -gt 0 ]; then
+    printf '  failed: %s\n' "${FAILED_TESTS[@]}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+exit 0