perf(gen-skill-docs): stop emitting the "When to invoke" body section

The Claude catalog trim moved each skill's routing prose ("Use when...",
"Proactively invoke...", voice triggers) out of the frontmatter description
into a "## When to invoke this skill" section at the top of the body. Claude
Code reads only name + description to choose a skill and loads the body after
the skill is invoked, so that text cannot route anything and costs tokens on
every invocation. Keep the one-line trimmed description; drop the section.

The routing prose stays in each template's description, which
--catalog-mode=full and the other hosts still render. Tests that pinned the
section now assert its absence, or check the template instead.

scripts/gen-skill-docs.ts

@@ -271,8 +271,9 @@ export { extractVoiceTriggers, processVoiceTriggers };
 // "(gstack)" tag. This pile is the always-loaded catalog surface — every
 // session pays for the full text. The catalog trim splits the description
 // into a one-line catalog entry (lead sentence + "(gstack)") that stays in
-// the frontmatter, and a "## When to invoke" body section that holds the
-// routing/voice triggers prose for in-skill discovery.
+// the frontmatter and drops the routing/voice prose. The body is not a home
+// for it: Claude Code loads a skill body only after the skill is invoked, so
+// routing text there can no longer route anything.
 //
 // Opt-out: `--catalog-mode=full` keeps v1.44 behavior (no trim, full
 // description in frontmatter). Use when debugging routing regressions or
@@ -358,20 +359,6 @@ export function buildTrimmedDescription(parts: CatalogParts): string {
   return `${lead}${suffix}`;
 }
 
-/** Build the body section that holds the routing/voice prose. */
-export function buildWhenToInvokeSection(parts: CatalogParts): string {
-  const lines: string[] = ['## When to invoke this skill', ''];
-  if (parts.routingProse) {
-    lines.push(parts.routingProse);
-    lines.push('');
-  }
-  if (parts.voiceLine) {
-    lines.push(parts.voiceLine);
-    lines.push('');
-  }
-  return lines.join('\n');
-}
-
 /**
  * Render a string as a YAML inline scalar value (the text after `key: `),
  * quoting only when a plain scalar would be invalid or ambiguous.
@@ -398,9 +385,6 @@ export function toYamlInlineScalar(s: string): string {
 /**
  * Apply catalog trim to a SKILL.md body:
  *  - shorten frontmatter `description:` to lead + (gstack)
- *  - insert "## When to invoke" body section AFTER the generated header
- *    (so it lands near the top of body content, where routing guidance
- *    belongs)
  *
  * Returns the rewritten content plus the extracted parts.
  */
@@ -445,16 +429,7 @@ export function applyCatalogTrim(content: string, skillName: string): { content:
   // pattern and silently corrupt the frontmatter.
   const newDescLine = `description: ${toYamlInlineScalar(newDesc)}\n`;
   const newFrontmatter = frontmatter.replace(descMatch[0], () => newDescLine);
-  let newContent = '---\n' + newFrontmatter + content.slice(fmEnd);
-
-  // Insert body section after frontmatter (after the closing ---\n and any
-  // existing GENERATED header). We insert before the first non-comment line.
-  const bodyStart = newContent.indexOf('\n---\n') + 5;
-  const whenToInvoke = '\n' + buildWhenToInvokeSection(parts).trim() + '\n';
-  // Skip past the generated header if present (it lives after frontmatter close)
-  const headerMatch = newContent.slice(bodyStart).match(/^(<!--[^>]*-->\s*\n)+/);
-  const insertAt = bodyStart + (headerMatch ? headerMatch[0].length : 0);
-  newContent = newContent.slice(0, insertAt) + whenToInvoke + '\n' + newContent.slice(insertAt);
+  const newContent = '---\n' + newFrontmatter + content.slice(fmEnd);
 
   return { content: newContent, parts };
 }

test/catalog-mode-full.test.ts

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ describe('catalog mode CLI behavior', () => {
   test('omitting the flag defaults to trim', () => {
     expect(frontmatter(defaultContent)).toMatch(/^description: "?Ship workflow:[^\n]*\(gstack\)"?$/m);
     expect(frontmatter(defaultContent)).not.toMatch(/Use when asked to/i);
-    expect(defaultContent).toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
+    expect(defaultContent).not.toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
   });
 
   for (const form of ['equals', 'separate'] as const) {
@@ -53,14 +53,12 @@ describe('catalog mode CLI behavior', () => {
       expect(fm).toMatch(/^description: \|\s*$/m);
       expect(fm).toMatch(/Use when asked to/i);
       expect(fm).not.toBe(frontmatter(defaultContent));
-      expect(result.content.slice(fm.length)).not.toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
     });
 
     test(`${form} flag form accepts explicit trim and matches the default catalog`, () => {
       const result = render(args('trim'));
       expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0);
       expect(frontmatter(result.content)).toBe(frontmatter(defaultContent));
-      expect(result.content).toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
     });
 
     test(`${form} flag form rejects invalid modes before writing output`, () => {

test/catalog-trim.test.ts

@@ -1,8 +1,7 @@
 /**
  * Unit tests for catalog-trim helpers (gen-skill-docs.ts T4 functions).
  *
- * splitCatalogDescription, buildTrimmedDescription, buildWhenToInvokeSection,
- * applyCatalogTrim — these handle every skill's frontmatter rewrite at gen
+ * splitCatalogDescription, buildTrimmedDescription, applyCatalogTrim — these handle every skill's frontmatter rewrite at gen
  * time. Two bugs already shipped here:
  *
  *   v1.45.0.0 design-consultation: when the first sentence exceeded 200 chars,
@@ -21,7 +20,6 @@ import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
 import {
   splitCatalogDescription,
   buildTrimmedDescription,
-  buildWhenToInvokeSection,
   applyCatalogTrim,
   toYamlInlineScalar,
 } from '../scripts/gen-skill-docs';
@@ -229,41 +227,6 @@ describe('buildTrimmedDescription', () => {
   });
 });
 
-describe('buildWhenToInvokeSection', () => {
-  test('produces markdown H2 with routing prose and voice line', () => {
-    const out = buildWhenToInvokeSection({
-      lead: 'Lead.',
-      routingProse: 'Use when asked to ship.',
-      voiceLine: 'Voice triggers (speech-to-text aliases): "ship it".',
-      hasGstackTag: true,
-    });
-    expect(out).toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
-    expect(out).toContain('Use when asked to ship.');
-    expect(out).toContain('Voice triggers');
-  });
-
-  test('omits routing block when routingProse is empty', () => {
-    const out = buildWhenToInvokeSection({
-      lead: 'Lead.',
-      routingProse: '',
-      voiceLine: null,
-      hasGstackTag: true,
-    });
-    expect(out).toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
-    expect(out).not.toContain('Use when');
-  });
-
-  test('emits even when only voice line is present', () => {
-    const out = buildWhenToInvokeSection({
-      lead: 'Lead.',
-      routingProse: '',
-      voiceLine: 'Voice triggers: x.',
-      hasGstackTag: true,
-    });
-    expect(out).toContain('Voice triggers: x.');
-  });
-});
-
 describe('applyCatalogTrim', () => {
   const minimalSkill = `---
 name: example
@@ -280,7 +243,7 @@ preamble-tier: 2
 Original body content here.
 `;
 
-  test('rewrites multi-line description into one-line + body section', () => {
+  test('rewrites multi-line description into one line and adds no body section', () => {
     const result = applyCatalogTrim(minimalSkill, 'example');
     expect(result).not.toBeNull();
     const { content, parts } = result!;
@@ -288,10 +251,10 @@ Original body content here.
     // description with an interior colon ("Example skill:") is YAML-quoted, so
     // the value is wrapped in double quotes — tolerate the optional quotes.
     expect(content).toMatch(/^description: "?Example skill:[^\n]*\(gstack\)"?\n/m);
-    // Body has the When to invoke section
-    expect(content).toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
-    expect(content).toContain('Use when asked to do an example task.');
-    expect(content).toContain('Proactively suggest when');
+    // The body gains no routing section: Claude Code reads a skill body only
+    // after invocation, so routing prose there routes nothing.
+    expect(content).not.toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
+    expect(content).not.toContain('Use when asked to do an example task.');
     // Original body still present
     expect(content).toContain('# Example body');
     expect(content).toContain('Original body content here.');

test/cso-preserved.test.ts

@@ -103,6 +103,5 @@ describe('CSO v3 always-loaded policy', () => {
     const description = frontmatter.match(/^description:\s+(.+)$/m)![1].trim();
     expect(description.length).toBeLessThanOrEqual(200);
     expect(description).toContain('(gstack)');
-    expect(controller()).toContain('## When to invoke this skill');
   });
 });

test/gen-skill-docs.test.ts

@@ -437,14 +437,13 @@ describe('gen-skill-docs', () => {
   });
 
   test('benchmark routing is scoped to web page performance', () => {
-    const generated = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'benchmark', 'SKILL.md'), 'utf-8');
+    // The template description is the routing source; the Claude catalog trim
+    // drops its tail from benchmark/SKILL.md.
     const template = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'benchmark', 'SKILL.md.tmpl'), 'utf-8');
-    for (const content of [generated, template]) {
-      const useWhen = content.match(/Use when:[\s\S]*?(?=\n\n|\(gstack\))/)?.[0] ?? '';
-      expect(useWhen).toContain('"web performance benchmark"');
-      expect(useWhen).not.toMatch(/"benchmark"|"performance"/);
-      expect(content).toContain('/benchmark-models');
-    }
+    const useWhen = template.match(/Use when:[\s\S]*?(?=\n\n|\(gstack\))/)?.[0] ?? '';
+    expect(useWhen).toContain('"web performance benchmark"');
+    expect(useWhen).not.toMatch(/"benchmark"|"performance"/);
+    expect(template).toContain('/benchmark-models');
     const router = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'SKILL.md.tmpl'), 'utf-8');
     expect(router).toContain('web performance regression → invoke `/benchmark`');
     expect(router).toContain('model or skill benchmarks → invoke `/benchmark-models`');
@@ -4444,8 +4443,10 @@ describe('voice-triggers processing', () => {
     expect(processVoiceTriggers(content)).toBe(content);
   });
 
-  test('generated CSO SKILL.md contains voice triggers in description', () => {
-    const content = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'cso', 'SKILL.md'), 'utf-8');
+  test('CSO voice triggers fold into the full description', () => {
+    // The Claude catalog trim drops this line from cso/SKILL.md; full-mode and
+    // other-host renders still carry it.
+    const content = processVoiceTriggers(fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'cso', 'SKILL.md.tmpl'), 'utf-8'));
     expect(content).toContain('"see-so"');
     expect(content).toContain('Voice triggers (speech-to-text aliases):');
   });

test/helpers/parity-harness.ts

@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ const CARVED_INVARIANTS: ParityInvariant[] = Object.values(CARVE_GUARDS).map((g)
   mustContain: g.mustContain,
   // CSO's helper trust boundary requires its private startup; demanding the
   // shared Preamble here would silently reintroduce conflicting policy.
-  mustHaveHeadings: g.skill === 'cso' ? ['## When to invoke'] : ['## Preamble', '## When to invoke'],
+  mustHaveHeadings: g.skill === 'cso' ? [] : ['## Preamble'],
   maxSizeRatio: g.maxSizeRatio ?? 1.05,
 }));
 

test/helpers/skill-fixture.ts

@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ import * as path from 'path';
 /** /review E2E (sql-injection, enum-completeness, design-lite): the core
  *  review workflow without the shared preamble, Review Army, or Fix-First. */
 export const REVIEW_E2E_SECTIONS = [
-  'When to invoke this skill',
   'Step 0: Detect platform and base branch',
   'Step 1: Check branch',
   'Step 2: Read the checklist',
@@ -54,7 +53,6 @@ export const REVIEW_E2E_SECTIONS = [
  *  (delivery-audit test) + Step 4.5 specialist dispatch (quality score,
  *  JSON findings schema, MULTI-SPECIALIST consensus, Red Team). */
 export const REVIEW_ARMY_E2E_SECTIONS = [
-  'When to invoke this skill',
   'Step 0: Detect platform and base branch',
   'Step 1: Check branch',
   'Step 1.5: Scope Drift Detection',
@@ -72,7 +70,6 @@ export const REVIEW_ARMY_E2E_SECTIONS = [
  *  + the narrative report template. Global mode and Compare mode are not
  *  exercised by the E2E tests and are dropped. */
 export const RETRO_E2E_SECTIONS = [
-  'When to invoke this skill',
   'Step 0: Detect platform and base branch',
   'User-invocable',
   'Arguments',
@@ -86,8 +83,7 @@ export const RETRO_E2E_SECTIONS = [
 
 /** codex-review-findings E2E against the Codex host variant
  *  (.agents/skills/gstack-review/SKILL.md). Same core workflow as
- *  REVIEW_E2E_SECTIONS, minus "When to invoke this skill" (the Codex host
- *  adapter does not emit that section). */
+ *  REVIEW_E2E_SECTIONS. */
 export const CODEX_REVIEW_E2E_SECTIONS = [
   'Step 0: Detect platform and base branch',
   'Step 1: Check branch',

test/skill-e2e-retro.test.ts

@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ const evalCollector = createEvalCollector('e2e-retro');
 // still an extraction, not a full-file copy (sections ARE the minimal
 // on-demand units; same pattern as skill-e2e-review-army.test.ts).
 const RETRO_SKELETON_SECTIONS = [
-  'When to invoke this skill',
   'Step 0: Detect platform and base branch',
   'User-invocable',
   'Arguments',

test/skill-validation.test.ts

@@ -1779,14 +1779,13 @@ describe('Skill trigger phrases', () => {
   ];
 
   for (const skill of SKILLS_REQUIRING_TRIGGERS) {
-    test(`${skill}/SKILL.md has "Use when" trigger phrases`, () => {
-      const skillPath = path.join(ROOT, skill, 'SKILL.md');
+    test(`${skill}/SKILL.md.tmpl has "Use when" trigger phrases`, () => {
+      const skillPath = path.join(ROOT, skill, 'SKILL.md.tmpl');
       if (!fs.existsSync(skillPath)) return;
       const content = fs.readFileSync(skillPath, 'utf-8');
-      // v1.45.0.0 catalog trim moved trigger prose out of frontmatter into a
-      // body "## When to invoke" section. Search the full file content, not
-      // just frontmatter. The trigger phrase must still appear somewhere in
-      // the skill so agents can match user requests to the skill.
+      // The catalog trim drops trigger prose from the Claude SKILL.md, so check
+      // the template description: --catalog-mode=full and the other hosts
+      // still route on it.
       expect(content).toMatch(/Use when/i);
     });
   }
@@ -1799,11 +1798,11 @@ describe('Skill trigger phrases', () => {
   ];
 
   for (const skill of SKILLS_REQUIRING_PROACTIVE) {
-    test(`${skill}/SKILL.md has proactive routing phrase`, () => {
-      const skillPath = path.join(ROOT, skill, 'SKILL.md');
+    test(`${skill}/SKILL.md.tmpl has proactive routing phrase`, () => {
+      const skillPath = path.join(ROOT, skill, 'SKILL.md.tmpl');
       if (!fs.existsSync(skillPath)) return;
       const content = fs.readFileSync(skillPath, 'utf-8');
-      // Same catalog-trim consideration — search the full file content.
+      // Same catalog-trim consideration — check the template description.
       expect(content).toMatch(/Proactively (suggest|invoke)/i);
     });
   }