SKM-N05 · Error
`name` does not match the parent directory
The spec requires `name` to match the folder the SKILL.md lives in — a mismatch is a silent failure.
What the rule is
The specification requires `name` to match the parent directory the SKILL.md file lives in. This is one of the two most consequential rules in the format, because the failure mode is silent — there's no error, the skill just doesn't appear.
The reference page for this site's own troubleshooting research states it plainly: 'A mismatch is a silent failure' — grouped alongside the filename-case issue (SKM-X01) as the two checks worth ruling out first when a skill never shows up at all.
Where it comes from
- Agent Skills — SpecificationSpecification
- Agent skills not workingDiagnosis
Which runtimes enforce it
| Runtime | Effect | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Claude Code | Breaks the skill | Stated directly: 'A mismatch is a silent failure' — the skill doesn't error, it just doesn't show up. |
| Codex | Breaks the skill | Stated directly: 'A mismatch is a silent failure' — the skill doesn't error, it just doesn't show up. |
| Cursor | Breaks the skill | Stated directly: 'A mismatch is a silent failure' — the skill doesn't error, it just doesn't show up. |
| OpenClaw | Breaks the skill | Stated directly: 'A mismatch is a silent failure' — the skill doesn't error, it just doesn't show up. |
| Hermes Agent | Breaks the skill | Stated directly: 'A mismatch is a silent failure' — the skill doesn't error, it just doesn't show up. |
How to fix it
- Rename either the `name` field or the containing folder so the two are identical, character for character.
Elsewhere
- SKILL.md, the formatThe full frontmatter field table this rule is drawn from.
- Agent Skills Not WorkingThe diagnostic reference this rule’s portability and failure evidence comes from.
- All rulesEvery check the validator runs, grouped by class.