diff --git a/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops-consolidated-20260725.md b/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops-consolidated-20260725.md
index aa896bd..fdc64f7 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops-consolidated-20260725.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops-consolidated-20260725.md
@@ -1,9 +1,8 @@
 <!-- CONSOLIDATED SKILL SNAPSHOT for Chat/project upload.
-     Source: .claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/ (SKILL.md + references/) at repo HEAD 951ba9c, 2026-07-25.
-     WHY: the Chat-side mount is stale (130 lines vs the repo's SKILL.md 244 + 6 references)
-     -- see docs/audit/skill-divergence-20260725.md. Chat's skill surface is single-file, so
-     the on-demand references are FLATTENED here into one uploadable document.
-     This is a POINT-IN-TIME snapshot; regenerate from the skill dir when the skill changes.
+     Source: .claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/ (SKILL.md + references/) regenerated at repo HEAD 4dcf898, 2026-07-25.
+     WHY: the Chat-side mount is stale (docs/audit/skill-divergence-20260725.md). Chat's skill
+     surface is single-file, so the on-demand references are FLATTENED here into one document.
+     DERIVED artifact -- regenerate from the skill dir at each stage-close sweep (SKILL.md rule).
      Authoritative copy remains .claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/ in the repo. -->
 
 # openstack-cloud-ops -- consolidated skill (Chat upload snapshot, 2026-07-25)
@@ -200,7 +199,14 @@
 branch to `main` (merge commit, NOT squash; operator-gated), then RETIRE the branch
 (local + remote). **ALSO sweep THIS skill in the same close:** fold in any new
 INVARIANT the stage established and reconcile any divergence from repo HEAD (facts
-delegate to the repo and go stale; invariants live here and must be kept current). The next stage branches off post-merge `main`. `main` is
+delegate to the repo and go stale; invariants live here and must be kept current). The
+AUTHORITATIVE, versioned skill is THIS dir (`.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/` -- SKILL.md
++ references); keep it current here. THEN REGENERATE the dated single-file Chat-upload
+snapshot from it (concatenate SKILL.md + references -> `.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops-consolidated-<date>.md`,
+ASCII/LF byte-verified) so the Chat/project skill surface can be refreshed -- the snapshot
+is a DERIVED artifact, never the source, and the Chat mount going stale is a known failure
+mode (it caused a failed clone + a mis-shaped handoff, 2026-07-25; docs/audit/skill-divergence-20260725.md).
+The next stage branches off post-merge `main`. `main` is
 trunk-of-record only for stages that have merged (precedents: Stage 2 -> PR #1 `e468d2e`
 2026-07-15; Stage 3 -> merge commit 2026-07-21, vr1-dc0 scope, dc1 HELD under G12). See
 `docs/dc-dc-deployment-workflow.md` "Cross-cutting discipline".
diff --git a/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/SKILL.md
index 711453d..4468553 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/SKILL.md
@@ -186,7 +186,14 @@
 branch to `main` (merge commit, NOT squash; operator-gated), then RETIRE the branch
 (local + remote). **ALSO sweep THIS skill in the same close:** fold in any new
 INVARIANT the stage established and reconcile any divergence from repo HEAD (facts
-delegate to the repo and go stale; invariants live here and must be kept current). The next stage branches off post-merge `main`. `main` is
+delegate to the repo and go stale; invariants live here and must be kept current). The
+AUTHORITATIVE, versioned skill is THIS dir (`.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops/` -- SKILL.md
++ references); keep it current here. THEN REGENERATE the dated single-file Chat-upload
+snapshot from it (concatenate SKILL.md + references -> `.claude/skills/openstack-cloud-ops-consolidated-<date>.md`,
+ASCII/LF byte-verified) so the Chat/project skill surface can be refreshed -- the snapshot
+is a DERIVED artifact, never the source, and the Chat mount going stale is a known failure
+mode (it caused a failed clone + a mis-shaped handoff, 2026-07-25; docs/audit/skill-divergence-20260725.md).
+The next stage branches off post-merge `main`. `main` is
 trunk-of-record only for stages that have merged (precedents: Stage 2 -> PR #1 `e468d2e`
 2026-07-15; Stage 3 -> merge commit 2026-07-21, vr1-dc0 scope, dc1 HELD under G12). See
 `docs/dc-dc-deployment-workflow.md` "Cross-cutting discipline".