diff --git a/src/skills/__tests__/skills.test.ts b/src/skills/__tests__/skills.test.ts
index 3a1ca7b..2583010 100644
--- a/src/skills/__tests__/skills.test.ts
+++ b/src/skills/__tests__/skills.test.ts
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import * as path from "node:path"
 import { HeadlessSession } from "../../engine/loop.js"
 import type { ChatMessage, LlmClient, LlmRequest, LlmResponse } from "../../engine/types.js"
 import { createReadOnlyHeadlessExecutor } from "../../tools/executor.js"
-import { discoverSkills } from "../registry.js"
+import { discoverSkills, type SkillRegistry } from "../registry.js"
 import { runSkillsCli } from "../cli.js"
 import { readEnabledSkillRoots } from "../store.js"
 
@@ -307,6 +307,106 @@ async function testMockSessionActivatesCapturedSkillWithinMode(): Promise<void>
 	}
 }
 
+async function discoverEnabled(
+	root: string,
+	skills: string,
+): Promise<SkillRegistry> {
+	return discoverSkills(root, {
+		enabledRoots: [skills],
+		includeUserRoots: false,
+	})
+}
+
+async function testSnapshotOverflowPath(): Promise<void> {
+	const root = await fixtureRoot()
+	try {
+		const skills = path.join(root, "skills")
+		const extra: Record<string, string> = {}
+		for (let index = 0; index < 9; index++) {
+			extra[`data-${index}.txt`] = "x".repeat(60 * 1024)
+		}
+		const dir = await writeSkill(skills, "big-skill", "big-skill", "B", extra)
+		const registry = await discoverEnabled(root, skills)
+		assert.equal(registry.get("big-skill"), undefined)
+		const problem = registry.problems.find((item) =>
+			item.message.includes("512 KiB"))
+		assert.ok(problem)
+		assert.equal(problem.path, dir)
+	} finally {
+		await fs.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+	}
+}
+
+async function testSnapshotSymlinkPath(): Promise<void> {
+	const root = await fixtureRoot()
+	try {
+		const skills = path.join(root, "skills")
+		const dir = await writeSkill(skills, "link-skill", "link-skill", "B")
+		await fs.symlink(path.join(dir, "SKILL.md"), path.join(dir, "l.md"))
+		const registry = await discoverEnabled(root, skills)
+		assert.equal(registry.get("link-skill"), undefined)
+		const problem = registry.problems.find((item) =>
+			item.message.includes("symlinks are not allowed"))
+		assert.ok(problem)
+		assert.equal(problem.path, dir)
+	} finally {
+		await fs.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+	}
+}
+
+async function testManifestErrorPath(): Promise<void> {
+	const root = await fixtureRoot()
+	try {
+		const skills = path.join(root, "skills")
+		const dir = await writeSkill(skills, "bad-skill", "bad-skill", "B")
+		await fs.writeFile(path.join(dir, "SKILL.md"), "No frontmatter")
+		const registry = await discoverEnabled(root, skills)
+		assert.equal(registry.get("bad-skill"), undefined)
+		const problem = registry.problems.find((item) =>
+			item.message.includes("frontmatter"))
+		assert.ok(problem)
+		assert.equal(problem.path, path.join(dir, "SKILL.md"))
+	} finally {
+		await fs.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+	}
+}
+
+async function testOversizedManifestPath(): Promise<void> {
+	const root = await fixtureRoot()
+	try {
+		const skills = path.join(root, "skills")
+		const dir = await writeSkill(skills, "fat-skill", "fat-skill", "B")
+		await fs.writeFile(
+			path.join(dir, "SKILL.md"),
+			`---\nname: fat-skill\ndescription: x\n---\n${"y".repeat(70_000)}\n`,
+		)
+		const registry = await discoverEnabled(root, skills)
+		assert.equal(registry.get("fat-skill"), undefined)
+		const problem = registry.problems.find((item) =>
+			item.message.includes("64 KiB"))
+		assert.ok(problem)
+		assert.equal(problem.path, path.join(dir, "SKILL.md"))
+	} finally {
+		await fs.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+	}
+}
+
+async function testDirectoryMismatchPath(): Promise<void> {
+	const root = await fixtureRoot()
+	try {
+		const skills = path.join(root, "skills")
+		const dir = await writeSkill(skills, "wrong-dir", "right-name", "B")
+		const registry = await discoverEnabled(root, skills)
+		assert.equal(registry.get("right-name"), undefined)
+		const problem = registry.problems.find((item) =>
+			item.message.includes("directory name must match"))
+		assert.ok(problem)
+		assert.equal(problem.path, dir)
+	} finally {
+		await fs.rm(root, { recursive: true, force: true })
+	}
+}
+
 const tests: Array<[string, () => Promise<void>]> = [
 	["valid and invalid manifests plus bounded references", testValidInvalidManifestAndBoundedReference],
 	["duplicate precedence and explicitly enabled roots", testDuplicatePrecedenceAndEnabledRoots],
@@ -317,6 +417,11 @@ const tests: Array<[string, () => Promise<void>]> = [
 	["local imports are offline and idempotent", testImportIsOfflineAndIdempotent],
 	["enable records a root for discovery", testEnablePersistsAnExplicitRoot],
 	["mocked session activates a captured skill without widening mode tools", testMockSessionActivatesCapturedSkillWithinMode],
+	["snapshot overflow path", testSnapshotOverflowPath],
+	["snapshot symlink path", testSnapshotSymlinkPath],
+	["manifest error path", testManifestErrorPath],
+	["oversized manifest path", testOversizedManifestPath],
+	["directory mismatch path", testDirectoryMismatchPath],
 ]
 
 async function main(): Promise<void> {
diff --git a/src/skills/registry.ts b/src/skills/registry.ts
index 95c5bbf..7e62df2 100644
--- a/src/skills/registry.ts
+++ b/src/skills/registry.ts
@@ -248,6 +248,22 @@ export function defaultSkillRoots(workspaceRoot: string, options: DiscoverSkillO
 	return roots
 }
 
+function snapshotProblemPath(
+	skillDir: string,
+	manifestPath: string,
+	message: string,
+): string {
+	// snapshotSkillFiles reports oversized or binary companions as
+	// diagnostics, so a thrown size or binary error is SKILL.md itself.
+	if (
+		message.includes("64 KiB")
+		|| message.includes("binary files are unsupported")
+	) {
+		return manifestPath
+	}
+	return skillDir
+}
+
 /** Discover once and capture every skill file so a running session cannot see mid-turn edits. */
 export async function discoverSkills(workspaceRoot: string, options: DiscoverSkillOptions = {}): Promise<SkillRegistry> {
 	const problems: SkillProblem[] = []
@@ -282,8 +298,10 @@ export async function discoverSkills(workspaceRoot: string, options: DiscoverSki
 				break rootLoop
 			}
 			const manifestPath = path.join(skillDir, "SKILL.md")
+			let snapshotTaken = false
 			try {
 				const files = await snapshotSkillFiles(skillDir, rootReal, (problem) => problems.push(problem))
+				snapshotTaken = true
 				const raw = files.get("SKILL.md")
 				if (raw === undefined) throw new Error("SKILL.md is missing from the captured skill snapshot")
 				parseSkillManifest(raw)
@@ -295,7 +313,13 @@ export async function discoverSkills(workspaceRoot: string, options: DiscoverSki
 				const pinnedManifest = files.get("SKILL.md")
 				if (pinnedManifest === undefined) throw new Error("SKILL.md was not captured")
 				const pinned = parseSkillManifest(pinnedManifest)
-				if (path.basename(skillDir) !== pinned.name) throw new Error(`directory name must match manifest name '${pinned.name}'`)
+				if (path.basename(skillDir) !== pinned.name) {
+					problems.push({
+						path: skillDir,
+						message: `directory name must match manifest name '${pinned.name}'`,
+					})
+					continue
+				}
 				const digest = skillFilesDigest(files)
 				const item: SkillSnapshot = Object.freeze({
 					name: pinned.name,
@@ -314,7 +338,15 @@ export async function discoverSkills(workspaceRoot: string, options: DiscoverSki
 				referenceFiles.set(item.name, new Map(files))
 				registryBytes += snapshotBytes
 			} catch (error) {
-				if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code !== "ENOENT") problems.push({ path: manifestPath, message: error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error) })
+				if ((error as NodeJS.ErrnoException).code !== "ENOENT") {
+					const message = error instanceof Error
+						? error.message
+						: String(error)
+					const target = snapshotTaken
+						? manifestPath
+						: snapshotProblemPath(skillDir, manifestPath, message)
+					problems.push({ path: target, message })
+				}
 			}
 		}
 	}