diff --git a/packages/cli-workflow/src/__tests__/skill.test.ts b/packages/cli-workflow/src/__tests__/skill.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..34aa2f5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/cli-workflow/src/__tests__/skill.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { dirname, join } from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { describe, expect, test } from "vitest";
+
+const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+
+import {
+  cmdSkillArchitecture,
+  cmdSkillCli,
+  cmdSkillList,
+  cmdSkillModerator,
+  cmdSkillYaml,
+} from "../commands/skill.js";
+
+describe("skill commands", () => {
+  test("skill list returns all skill names", () => {
+    const result = cmdSkillList();
+    expect(result).toBeInstanceOf(Array);
+    expect(result).toContain("cli");
+    expect(result).toContain("architecture");
+    expect(result).toContain("yaml");
+    expect(result).toContain("moderator");
+    for (const name of result) {
+      expect(typeof name).toBe("string");
+      expect(name).toMatch(/^\S+$/);
+    }
+  });
+
+  test("skill architecture returns non-empty markdown string", () => {
+    const result = cmdSkillArchitecture();
+    expect(typeof result).toBe("string");
+    expect(result).toContain("CAS");
+    expect(result).toContain("Thread");
+    expect(result).toContain("Workflow");
+    expect(result).toContain("Step");
+    expect(result.length).toBeGreaterThan(200);
+  });
+
+  test("skill yaml returns non-empty markdown string", () => {
+    const result = cmdSkillYaml();
+    expect(typeof result).toBe("string");
+    expect(result).toContain("roles");
+    expect(result).toContain("graph");
+    expect(result).toContain("frontmatter");
+    expect(result.length).toBeGreaterThan(200);
+  });
+
+  test("skill moderator returns non-empty markdown string", () => {
+    const result = cmdSkillModerator();
+    expect(typeof result).toBe("string");
+    expect(result).toContain("routing");
+    expect(result).toContain("status");
+    expect(result.length).toBeGreaterThan(200);
+    // Check for edge or graph
+    expect(result).toMatch(/edge|graph/i);
+  });
+
+  test("skill cli returns CLI reference markdown", () => {
+    const result = cmdSkillCli();
+    expect(typeof result).toBe("string");
+    expect(result).toContain("uwf");
+  });
+
+  test("skill help subcommand is suppressed", () => {
+    const output = execFileSync("bun", ["src/cli.ts", "skill", "--help"], {
+      cwd: join(__dirname, "..", ".."),
+      encoding: "utf-8",
+      env: { ...process.env, PATH: `/opt/homebrew/bin:${process.env.PATH}` },
+    });
+    expect(output).not.toMatch(/help\s+\[command\]/i);
+    expect(output).toContain("cli");
+    expect(output).toContain("architecture");
+    expect(output).toContain("yaml");
+    expect(output).toContain("moderator");
+    expect(output).toContain("list");
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/cli-workflow/src/cli.ts b/packages/cli-workflow/src/cli.ts
index 6e84c91..9a76671 100755
--- a/packages/cli-workflow/src/cli.ts
+++ b/packages/cli-workflow/src/cli.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,13 @@ import {
 } from "./commands/cas.js";
 import { cmdLogClean, cmdLogList, cmdLogShow } from "./commands/log.js";
 import { cmdSetup, cmdSetupInteractive } from "./commands/setup.js";
-import { cmdSkillCli } from "./commands/skill.js";
+import {
+  cmdSkillArchitecture,
+  cmdSkillCli,
+  cmdSkillList,
+  cmdSkillModerator,
+  cmdSkillYaml,
+} from "./commands/skill.js";
 import { cmdStepFork, cmdStepList, cmdStepRead, cmdStepShow } from "./commands/step.js";
 import {
   cmdThreadCancel,
@@ -473,6 +479,7 @@ For more information, see: uwf help thread list
   });
 
 const skill = program.command("skill").description("Built-in skill references for agents");
+skill.addHelpCommand(false);
 
 skill
   .command("cli")
@@ -481,6 +488,34 @@ skill
     console.log(cmdSkillCli());
   });
 
+skill
+  .command("architecture")
+  .description("Print the architecture reference")
+  .action(() => {
+    console.log(cmdSkillArchitecture());
+  });
+
+skill
+  .command("yaml")
+  .description("Print the workflow YAML schema reference")
+  .action(() => {
+    console.log(cmdSkillYaml());
+  });
+
+skill
+  .command("moderator")
+  .description("Print the moderator reference")
+  .action(() => {
+    console.log(cmdSkillModerator());
+  });
+
+skill
+  .command("list")
+  .description("List all available skill names")
+  .action(() => {
+    console.log(cmdSkillList().join("\n"));
+  });
+
 program
   .command("setup")
   .description("Configure provider, model, and agent")
diff --git a/packages/cli-workflow/src/commands/skill.ts b/packages/cli-workflow/src/commands/skill.ts
index 59307ca..8a5ddeb 100644
--- a/packages/cli-workflow/src/commands/skill.ts
+++ b/packages/cli-workflow/src/commands/skill.ts
@@ -1 +1,12 @@
-export { generateCliReference as cmdSkillCli } from "@uncaged/workflow-util";
+export {
+  generateArchitectureReference as cmdSkillArchitecture,
+  generateCliReference as cmdSkillCli,
+  generateModeratorReference as cmdSkillModerator,
+  generateYamlReference as cmdSkillYaml,
+} from "@uncaged/workflow-util";
+
+const SKILL_NAMES = ["cli", "architecture", "yaml", "moderator"] as const;
+
+export function cmdSkillList(): ReadonlyArray<string> {
+  return [...SKILL_NAMES];
+}
diff --git a/packages/workflow-util/src/architecture-reference.ts b/packages/workflow-util/src/architecture-reference.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..59a80e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/workflow-util/src/architecture-reference.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+export function generateArchitectureReference(): string {
+  return `# Workflow Engine — Architecture Reference
+
+## Key Concepts
+
+### CAS (Content-Addressed Storage)
+Every artifact in the workflow engine is stored as a CAS node — an immutable, content-addressed record identified by its XXH64 hash (13-char Crockford Base32). CAS provides deduplication, integrity verification, and an append-only audit trail.
+
+Stored artifacts include:
+- **Workflow definitions** — the YAML-parsed payload
+- **Step nodes** — each moderator→agent→extract cycle
+- **Detail nodes** — per-step metadata and turn history
+- **Turn records** — individual agent interactions within a step
+
+### Thread
+A Thread is a single execution of a Workflow, identified by a ULID (26-char Crockford Base32: 10 timestamp + 16 random). Thread state is an immutable CAS chain — each step points to its predecessor via a \`prev\` hash, forming a linked list.
+
+Active threads are indexed in \`threads.yaml\`; completed threads move to \`history.jsonl\`.
+
+A thread progresses by running \`uwf thread exec\`, which performs one moderator→agent→extract cycle per step.
+
+### Workflow
+A Workflow is a YAML definition (\`WorkflowPayload\`) stored as a CAS node. It defines:
+- **Roles** — named actors with system prompts and output schemas
+- **Graph** — status-based routing edges between roles
+- **Conditions** — edge predicates evaluated by the moderator
+
+Workflow names follow verb-first kebab-case: \`solve-issue\`, \`review-code\`.
+
+### Step
+A Step is one moderator→agent→extract cycle, stored as a CAS node (\`StepNodePayload\`). Each step contains:
+- **output** — the agent's extracted frontmatter output
+- **detail** — a CAS reference to turn-level records
+- **prev** — CAS hash of the previous step (forming the chain)
+- **role** — which role produced this step
+
+### Turn
+A Turn is an agent-internal interaction within a single Step. Turns are stored per-turn in the detail node, capturing the raw agent I/O before extraction.
+
+## Data Flow
+
+\`\`\`
+uwf thread exec <thread-id>
+  → Moderator evaluates graph edges based on current status
+  → Selects next role (or $END)
+  → Agent CLI is spawned with context
+  → Agent produces frontmatter markdown
+  → Extract pipeline parses output into structured data
+  → New CAS step node is appended to the thread chain
+\`\`\`
+
+## Storage Layout
+
+All data lives under \`~/.uncaged/workflow/\`:
+- \`cas/\` — content-addressed store (XXH64-keyed)
+- \`threads.yaml\` — active thread index
+- \`history.jsonl\` — completed thread archive
+- \`registry.yaml\` — workflow name → CAS hash mapping
+`;
+}
diff --git a/packages/workflow-util/src/index.ts b/packages/workflow-util/src/index.ts
index a08f3ad..380c195 100644
--- a/packages/workflow-util/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/workflow-util/src/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+export { generateArchitectureReference } from "./architecture-reference.js";
 export { encodeUint64AsCrockford } from "./base32.js";
 export { generateCliReference } from "./cli-reference.js";
 export { env } from "./env.js";
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ export {
   validateFrontmatter,
 } from "./frontmatter-markdown/index.js";
 export { createLogger } from "./logger.js";
+export { generateModeratorReference } from "./moderator-reference.js";
 export type {
   CreateProcessLoggerOptions,
   ProcessLogFn,
@@ -25,3 +27,4 @@ export { err, ok } from "./result.js";
 export { getDefaultWorkflowStorageRoot, getGlobalCasDir } from "./storage-root.js";
 export type { LogFn, Result } from "./types.js";
 export { extractUlidTimestamp, generateUlid } from "./ulid.js";
+export { generateYamlReference } from "./yaml-reference.js";
diff --git a/packages/workflow-util/src/moderator-reference.ts b/packages/workflow-util/src/moderator-reference.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4303eb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/workflow-util/src/moderator-reference.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+export function generateModeratorReference(): string {
+  return `# Moderator Reference
+
+## Overview
+
+The moderator is the workflow engine's routing component. It evaluates the directed graph defined in the workflow YAML to determine the next role (or \`$END\`) after each step — with zero LLM cost.
+
+## Status-Based Routing
+
+The moderator uses **status-based routing**: it inspects the previous step's extracted output (specifically the \`$status\` field) and looks up the corresponding edge in the graph.
+
+### Graph Structure
+
+The graph is a nested map: \`Record<Role | "$START", Record<Status, Target>>\`. Each role maps its possible \`$status\` values to a target with a \`role\` and \`prompt\`:
+
+\`\`\`yaml
+graph:
+  $START:
+    _: { role: planner, prompt: "Analyze the issue." }
+  planner:
+    ready: { role: developer, prompt: "Implement the plan (CAS hash: {{{plan}}})." }
+    insufficient_info: { role: $END, prompt: "Not enough info." }
+  developer:
+    done: { role: reviewer, prompt: "Review branch {{{branch}}} at {{{worktree}}}." }
+    failed: { role: $END, prompt: "Developer failed: {{{reason}}}." }
+  reviewer:
+    approved: { role: tester, prompt: "Run tests on {{{branch}}} at {{{worktree}}}." }
+    rejected: { role: developer, prompt: "Fix issues: {{{comments}}}." }
+\`\`\`
+
+### Routing Algorithm
+
+1. Look up \`graph[lastRole]\` to get the status map for the current role
+2. Look up \`statusMap[lastOutput.$status]\` to get the target
+3. If target role is \`$END\`, mark thread as completed
+4. Otherwise, render the edge prompt (Mustache templates with \`{{{field}}}\` from output) and spawn the next agent
+
+### Edge Prompts and Mustache Templates
+
+Edge prompts use triple-brace Mustache syntax (\`{{{field}}}\`) to interpolate values from the previous step's output into the next agent's task prompt. This passes structured data (branch names, file paths, CAS hashes) between roles without manual wiring.
+
+## Special Nodes
+
+- \`$START\` — entry point; uses status key \`_\` (unconditional) since there is no previous output
+- \`$END\` — terminal node; thread completes when reached and is moved to history
+
+## Integration with Steps
+
+Each \`uwf thread exec\` cycle:
+1. Moderator reads the thread's head step output
+2. Looks up \`graph[lastRole][output.$status]\` to pick the next role
+3. If next is \`$END\`, marks thread as completed
+4. Otherwise, renders the edge prompt and spawns the agent for the selected role
+5. Extract pipeline parses agent output → new step node → append to CAS chain
+`;
+}
diff --git a/packages/workflow-util/src/yaml-reference.ts b/packages/workflow-util/src/yaml-reference.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb47621
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/workflow-util/src/yaml-reference.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+export function generateYamlReference(): string {
+  return `# Workflow YAML Schema Reference
+
+## Top-Level Structure
+
+A workflow YAML file defines the complete workflow specification:
+
+\`\`\`yaml
+name: solve-issue          # verb-first kebab-case identifier
+description: "..."         # human-readable description
+
+roles:                     # named actors in the workflow
+  planner:
+    description: "Analyzes issue and outputs a plan"
+    goal: "You are a planning agent."
+    capabilities:
+      - issue-analysis
+      - planning
+    procedure: |
+      1. Read the issue
+      2. Produce a test spec
+    output: "Output the plan summary. Set $status to ready or insufficient_info."
+    frontmatter:           # JSON Schema for structured output (drives routing)
+      oneOf:
+        - properties:
+            $status: { const: ready }
+            plan: { type: string }
+          required: [$status, plan]
+        - properties:
+            $status: { const: insufficient_info }
+          required: [$status]
+
+graph:                     # status-based routing (nested map)
+  $START:
+    _: { role: planner, prompt: "Analyze the issue." }
+  planner:
+    ready: { role: developer, prompt: "Implement plan {{{plan}}}." }
+    insufficient_info: { role: $END, prompt: "Not enough info." }
+\`\`\`
+
+## roles
+
+Each role defines an actor in the workflow:
+
+| Field | Type | Description |
+|-------|------|-------------|
+| \`description\` | string | Short description of the role's purpose |
+| \`goal\` | string | System-level goal statement for the agent |
+| \`capabilities\` | string[] | Tags describing what the role can do |
+| \`procedure\` | string | Step-by-step instructions for the agent |
+| \`output\` | string | Description of expected output format |
+| \`frontmatter\` | JSON Schema | Defines the structured output the agent must produce |
+
+### frontmatter
+
+The \`frontmatter\` field is a standard JSON Schema object. The extract pipeline validates agent output against it. Key conventions:
+- \`$status\` field drives routing decisions in the graph
+- Use \`const\` or \`enum\` to constrain status values
+- Use \`oneOf\` to define multiple valid output shapes (one per status)
+- All \`required\` fields must appear in the agent's frontmatter output
+
+## graph
+
+The graph is a nested map defining status-based routing:
+
+\`\`\`
+Record<Role | "$START", Record<Status, { role: string, prompt: string }>>
+\`\`\`
+
+| Level | Key | Value |
+|-------|-----|-------|
+| Outer | Role name or \`$START\` | Status map for that role |
+| Inner | \`$status\` value (or \`_\` for unconditional) | Target: \`{ role, prompt }\` |
+
+### Special Nodes
+- \`$START\` — entry point; uses status key \`_\` (unconditional, no previous output)
+- \`$END\` — terminal node; thread completes when reached
+
+### Edge Prompts
+Prompts use triple-brace Mustache templates (\`{{{field}}}\`) to interpolate values from the previous step's output. Example: \`"Implement plan {{{plan}}} in repo {{{repoPath}}}."\`
+`;
+}