diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 505c6e8e0..2ed9678ca 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -42,10 +42,11 @@
     "prepare": "command -v husky >/dev/null 2>&1 && husky || exit 0",
     "quality": "npm run format:check && npm run lint && npm run lint:md && npm run docs:build && npm run test:install && npm run test:urls && npm run validate:refs && npm run validate:skills && npm run docs:validate-sidebar",
     "rebundle": "node tools/installer/bundlers/bundle-web.js rebundle",
-    "test": "npm run test:refs && npm run test:install && npm run test:urls && npm run test:channels && npm run lint && npm run lint:md && npm run format:check",
+    "test": "npm run test:refs && npm run test:install && npm run test:urls && npm run test:channels && npm run test:skills && npm run lint && npm run lint:md && npm run format:check",
     "test:channels": "node test/test-installer-channels.js",
     "test:install": "node test/test-installation-components.js",
     "test:refs": "node test/test-file-refs-csv.js",
+    "test:skills": "node test/test-validate-skills.js",
     "test:urls": "node test/test-parse-source-urls.js",
     "validate:refs": "node tools/validate-file-refs.js --strict",
     "validate:skills": "node tools/validate-skills.js --strict"
diff --git a/test/fixtures/validate-skills/deprecated-shim/SKILL.md b/test/fixtures/validate-skills/deprecated-shim/SKILL.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..522889e0a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/validate-skills/deprecated-shim/SKILL.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+name: deprecated-shim
+description: 'DEPRECATED — consolidated into bmad-foo; this skill will be removed in v7 in favor of `bmad-foo`.'
+---
+
+# DEPRECATED — forwards to bmad-foo
+
+This skill was consolidated into `bmad-foo` and is retained as a thin compatibility
+shim so existing invocations keep working. New work should invoke `bmad-foo` directly.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/validate-skills/missing-trigger/SKILL.md b/test/fixtures/validate-skills/missing-trigger/SKILL.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1d098ea82
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/validate-skills/missing-trigger/SKILL.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+---
+name: missing-trigger
+description: 'Generates a thing and writes it to disk for the user.'
+---
+
+# Missing Trigger
+
+An active (non-deprecated) skill whose description omits a "Use when" trigger phrase.
+This fixture guards against regressions: SKILL-06 must still flag it.
diff --git a/test/fixtures/validate-skills/with-trigger/SKILL.md b/test/fixtures/validate-skills/with-trigger/SKILL.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1ae6f994b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/fixtures/validate-skills/with-trigger/SKILL.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+name: with-trigger
+description: 'Generates a thing and writes it to disk. Use when the user asks to scaffold a thing.'
+---
+
+# With Trigger
+
+An active skill whose description includes a "Use when" trigger phrase.
diff --git a/test/test-validate-skills.js b/test/test-validate-skills.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ddc518c59
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/test-validate-skills.js
@@ -0,0 +1,107 @@
+/**
+ * Skill Validation Test Runner
+ *
+ * Tests validateSkill() from validate-skills.js against fixtures, focused on
+ * SKILL-06 (description quality) and its deprecated-skill exemption.
+ *
+ * Usage: node test/test-validate-skills.js
+ * Exit codes: 0 = all tests pass, 1 = test failures
+ */
+
+const path = require('node:path');
+const { validateSkill } = require('../tools/validate-skills.js');
+
+// ANSI color codes
+const colors = {
+  reset: '\u001B[0m',
+  green: '\u001B[32m',
+  red: '\u001B[31m',
+  cyan: '\u001B[36m',
+  dim: '\u001B[2m',
+};
+
+const FIXTURES = path.join(__dirname, 'fixtures/validate-skills');
+
+let totalTests = 0;
+let passedTests = 0;
+const failures = [];
+
+/**
+ * Run a single named test case, recording the result and printing a status line.
+ * @param {string} name - Human-readable test description.
+ * @param {Function} fn - Test body; throw to signal failure.
+ */
+function test(name, fn) {
+  totalTests++;
+  try {
+    fn();
+    passedTests++;
+    console.log(`  ${colors.green}✓${colors.reset} ${name}`);
+  } catch (error) {
+    console.log(`  ${colors.red}✗${colors.reset} ${name} ${colors.red}${error.message}${colors.reset}`);
+    failures.push({ name, message: error.message });
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Throw an Error with `message` when `condition` is falsy.
+ * @param {boolean} condition - Expression that must hold.
+ * @param {string} message - Failure message.
+ */
+function assert(condition, message) {
+  if (!condition) throw new Error(message);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Whether validateSkill emitted the SKILL-06 "Use when/Use if" trigger finding
+ * for the given fixture skill directory.
+ * @param {string} skillName - Fixture subdirectory name under FIXTURES.
+ * @returns {boolean} True if the trigger-phrase finding was reported.
+ */
+function hasTriggerFinding(skillName) {
+  const findings = validateSkill(path.join(FIXTURES, skillName));
+  return findings.some((f) => f.rule === 'SKILL-06' && /trigger phrase/i.test(f.detail));
+}
+
+console.log(`\n${colors.cyan}Skill Validation — SKILL-06 trigger phrase${colors.reset}\n`);
+
+test('deprecated skill is exempt from the trigger-phrase requirement', () => {
+  assert(
+    hasTriggerFinding('deprecated-shim') === false,
+    'Expected no SKILL-06 trigger finding for a DEPRECATED skill',
+  );
+});
+
+test('active skill missing a trigger phrase is still flagged', () => {
+  assert(
+    hasTriggerFinding('missing-trigger') === true,
+    'Expected a SKILL-06 trigger finding for a non-deprecated skill without "Use when"',
+  );
+});
+
+test('active skill with a "Use when" trigger is not flagged', () => {
+  assert(
+    hasTriggerFinding('with-trigger') === false,
+    'Expected no SKILL-06 trigger finding when description contains "Use when"',
+  );
+});
+
+// --- Summary ---
+console.log(`\n${colors.cyan}${'═'.repeat(55)}${colors.reset}`);
+console.log(`${colors.cyan}Test Results:${colors.reset}`);
+console.log(`  Total:  ${totalTests}`);
+console.log(`  Passed: ${colors.green}${passedTests}${colors.reset}`);
+console.log(`  Failed: ${passedTests === totalTests ? colors.green : colors.red}${totalTests - passedTests}${colors.reset}`);
+console.log(`${colors.cyan}${'═'.repeat(55)}${colors.reset}\n`);
+
+if (failures.length > 0) {
+  console.log(`${colors.red}FAILED TESTS:${colors.reset}\n`);
+  for (const failure of failures) {
+    console.log(`${colors.red}✗${colors.reset} ${failure.name}`);
+    console.log(`  ${failure.message}\n`);
+  }
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+console.log(`${colors.green}All tests passed!${colors.reset}\n`);
+process.exit(0);
diff --git a/tools/validate-skills.js b/tools/validate-skills.js
index 8ab5bc2ad..979a695e8 100644
--- a/tools/validate-skills.js
+++ b/tools/validate-skills.js
@@ -312,6 +312,11 @@ function validateSkill(skillDir) {
   const name = skillFm && skillFm.name;
   const description = skillFm && skillFm.description;
 
+  // Deprecated skills are thin compatibility shims that forward to a replacement.
+  // They intentionally omit a "Use when" trigger so users are steered to the new
+  // skill instead, so exempt them from the SKILL-06 trigger-phrase requirement.
+  const isDeprecated = typeof description === 'string' && /^\s*deprecated\b/i.test(description);
+
   // --- SKILL-04: name format ---
   if (name && !NAME_REGEX.test(name)) {
     findings.push({
@@ -349,7 +354,7 @@ function validateSkill(skillDir) {
       });
     }
 
-    if (!/use\s+when\b/i.test(description) && !/use\s+if\b/i.test(description)) {
+    if (!isDeprecated && !/use\s+when\b/i.test(description) && !/use\s+if\b/i.test(description)) {
       findings.push({
         rule: 'SKILL-06',
         title: 'description Quality',