Naming

Naming

Five different strings show up across this codebase, npm, and GitHub, and they mean five different things. None of them are interchangeable, and none of them are going away — this doc just says what each one actually is.

String	What it is
Open .skill Protocol	The project/spec identity — what this whole thing is. Used in titles: repo descriptions, site title, README headings. Not a company name, not a product brand.
.skill	The file format and extension. The thing a user downloads, inspects, mints, and runs.
dot-skill	The GitHub organization (github.com/dot-skill) and the frozen wire identifiers: manifest kind: "dot-skill", media types application/vnd.dot-skill+zip and application/vnd.dot-skill-manifest+json. Predates the protocol-first framing — kept exactly as-is for compatibility. Never changed by a rebrand: any package that has ever read a .skill file checks for kind: "dot-skill", and that check must keep working forever.
@skillerr/*	The npm scope for the reference implementation packages (@skillerr/protocol, @skillerr/core, @skillerr/runtime, @skillerr/workspace, @skillerr/registry, @skillerr/cli). One implementation of the protocol, not the protocol itself — an independent Go or Rust implementation would carry its own package name, not this scope.
skillerr	The public npm package (npm i -g skillerr) and its CLI bins (skill, skillerr). This is the name people type, not a brand identity — see ROADMAP.md and the site for why titles lead with "Open .skill Protocol" instead.

Why this split exists

The project started under the dot-skill name before the protocol-first framing was adopted (see the site and README history). Renaming the wire identifiers or the GitHub org at this point would break every .skill file and every integration that already checks kind: "dot-skill" — so those stay frozen. What did change is which name leads in prose: titles, headings, and pitch copy now say "Open .skill Protocol," and "Skillerr"/skillerr is scoped down to meaning the package and CLI, not the project's identity.

If you're writing docs or copy: lead with Open .skill Protocol when describing what this is. Use skillerr only when you mean the literal install command, package, or binary. Never use "Skillerr" as a proper-noun subject ("Skillerr does X") — say "the protocol does X" or "skillerr (the CLI) does X" instead.

What this doc does not cover

This is a naming reference, not a rebrand. It does not change:

• The manifest kind field, media types, or file extension
• The dot-skill GitHub org name
• Any published package name or npm scope
• Existing .skill files — they remain valid exactly as minted