diff --git a/scripts/verify-repository-skill.mjs b/scripts/verify-repository-skill.mjs
index c18d7c62dd..861d633fb4 100644
--- a/scripts/verify-repository-skill.mjs
+++ b/scripts/verify-repository-skill.mjs
@@ -3,6 +3,26 @@ import { dirname, join, relative } from "node:path";
 
 import { exec, execNpm, pathExists } from "./lib/verify-package-core.mjs";
 
+/** Install the separately locked Skills CLI so verification resolves no registry metadata. */
+const lockedSkillsCli = async (root, workspace) => {
+  const tool = join(workspace, "skills-cli");
+  await mkdir(tool, { recursive: true });
+  for (const file of ["package.json", "package-lock.json"])
+    await cp(join(root, "scripts/verify-tools/skills", file), join(tool, file));
+  await execNpm(
+    ["ci", "--prefer-offline", "--ignore-scripts", "--no-audit", "--no-fund"],
+    { cwd: tool, timeout: 120_000 },
+  );
+  const installed = join(tool, "node_modules/skills");
+  const manifest = JSON.parse(
+    await readFile(join(installed, "package.json"), "utf8"),
+  );
+  return {
+    version: manifest.version,
+    entry: join(installed, manifest.bin.skills),
+  };
+};
+
 /** Exercise Skills' default root discovery without ignored build outputs. */
 export async function verifyRepositorySkill({ root, workspace }) {
   const snapshot = join(workspace, "repository");
@@ -33,15 +53,14 @@ export async function verifyRepositorySkill({ root, workspace }) {
     throw new Error("repository skill check must run without generated skills");
   await mkdir(consumer, { recursive: true });
   await mkdir(home, { recursive: true });
-  const skillsVersion = "1.7.2";
-  await execNpm(
+  const { version: skillsVersion, entry } = await lockedSkillsCli(
+    root,
+    workspace,
+  );
+  await exec(
+    process.execPath,
     [
-      "exec",
-      "--yes",
-      "--package",
-      `skills@${skillsVersion}`,
-      "--",
-      "skills",
+      entry,
       "add",
       snapshot,
       "--skill",
diff --git a/scripts/verify-tools/skills/package-lock.json b/scripts/verify-tools/skills/package-lock.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..817386596b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/verify-tools/skills/package-lock.json
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+{
+  "name": "rea-verify-skills-cli",
+  "lockfileVersion": 3,
+  "requires": true,
+  "packages": {
+    "": {
+      "name": "rea-verify-skills-cli",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "skills": "1.7.2"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/@isaacs/fs-minipass": {
+      "version": "4.0.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@isaacs/fs-minipass/-/fs-minipass-4.0.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-wgm9Ehl2jpeqP3zw/7mo3kRHFp5MEDhqAdwy1fTGkHAwnkGOVsgpvQhL8B5n1qlb01jV3n/bI0ZfZp5lWA1k4w==",
+      "license": "ISC",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "minipass": "^7.0.4"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=18.0.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/chownr": {
+      "version": "3.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/chownr/-/chownr-3.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-+IxzY9BZOQd/XuYPRmrvEVjF/nqj5kgT4kEq7VofrDoM1MxoRjEWkrCC3EtLi59TVawxTAn+orJwFQcrqEN1+g==",
+      "license": "BlueOak-1.0.0",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=18"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/minipass": {
+      "version": "7.1.3",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/minipass/-/minipass-7.1.3.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-tEBHqDnIoM/1rXME1zgka9g6Q2lcoCkxHLuc7ODJ5BxbP5d4c2Z5cGgtXAku59200Cx7diuHTOYfSBD8n6mm8A==",
+      "license": "BlueOak-1.0.0",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=16 || 14 >=14.17"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/minizlib": {
+      "version": "3.1.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/minizlib/-/minizlib-3.1.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-KZxYo1BUkWD2TVFLr0MQoM8vUUigWD3LlD83a/75BqC+4qE0Hb1Vo5v1FgcfaNXvfXzr+5EhQ6ing/CaBijTlw==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "minipass": "^7.1.2"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">= 18"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/skills": {
+      "version": "1.7.2",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/skills/-/skills-1.7.2.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-j+GzyF/oNahsjjjup6y3lJpFkC1lQjIkf4kAMXICA1hboBqi0fAGXAGoE4x9FRZiP1br/YE9+L3/Tqq6PIAe0A==",
+      "license": "MIT",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "tar": "^7.5.20",
+        "yaml": "^2.8.3"
+      },
+      "bin": {
+        "add-skill": "bin/cli.mjs",
+        "skills": "bin/cli.mjs"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=22.20.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/tar": {
+      "version": "7.5.22",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/tar/-/tar-7.5.22.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-MFO/QzvtAOmJbkhOaCTvbGcFN9L9b+JunIsDwaKljSOdcLMea3NJ1k9Usz/rjdfSXTq4dfzfeS7W4p4YOAAHeA==",
+      "license": "BlueOak-1.0.0",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "@isaacs/fs-minipass": "^4.0.0",
+        "chownr": "^3.0.0",
+        "minipass": "^7.1.2",
+        "minizlib": "^3.1.0",
+        "yallist": "^5.0.0"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=18"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/yallist": {
+      "version": "5.0.0",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/yallist/-/yallist-5.0.0.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-YgvUTfwqyc7UXVMrB+SImsVYSmTS8X/tSrtdNZMImM+n7+QTriRXyXim0mBrTXNeqzVF0KWGgHPeiyViFFrNDw==",
+      "license": "BlueOak-1.0.0",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">=18"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/yaml": {
+      "version": "2.9.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/yaml/-/yaml-2.9.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-3NxN8+78OdzbT7C/WjGsyfPAtJaN3FNDsWxv7Y7mcDsT/oOmgW8BpyQQFFBnvZE3j9Y2Sdz1ULFLezL7Eb2yFw==",
+      "license": "ISC",
+      "bin": {
+        "yaml": "bin.mjs"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">= 14.6"
+      },
+      "funding": {
+        "url": "https://github.com/sponsors/eemeli"
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/scripts/verify-tools/skills/package.json b/scripts/verify-tools/skills/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..88f6b63297
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/verify-tools/skills/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+{
+  "name": "rea-verify-skills-cli",
+  "private": true,
+  "description": "Lockfile-pinned Skills CLI for the repository skill check in verify:package.",
+  "dependencies": {
+    "skills": "1.7.2"
+  }
+}