[BUG] Skill `paths` frontmatter is ignored for Plugin Skills (2.1.291)

Status Open
Reported on v2.1.291
Maintainer reply None cached
Activity 0 comments · opened Oct 8, 2026

The Skills documentation lists paths in the frontmatter table with no Plugin exception. On Claude Code 2.1.291 (macOS):

  • A project Skill (.claude/skills/<name>/SKILL.md) with paths: ["**/*.oled"] is absent from the model's skill listing until a matching file is read; it is then added. This matches the docs.
  • The same Skill shipped in a Plugin (paths: ["**/*.zled"]) is in the skill listing from the first request, with no file read and no matching file. Observed with --plugin-dir and with a Marketplace install at project scope. The model can invoke it on non-matching files.

Method: a local logging proxy on ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL captured each request body; the observation is whether the Skill name appears in the request messages that carry the skill listing.

Expected: Plugin Skills honour paths as project Skills do, or the docs state that paths does not apply to Plugin Skills.

Observed on 2.1.291. The 2.1.292 and 2.1.293 release notes list no change to this.

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