diff --git a/src/agents/skills-status.test.ts b/src/agents/skills-status.test.ts
index 3a2129153c9..8ce80855c96 100644
--- a/src/agents/skills-status.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/skills-status.test.ts
@@ -99,6 +99,29 @@ describe("buildWorkspaceSkillStatus", () => {
     expect(skill?.commandVisible).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  it("uses default-visible exposure semantics when older entries omit exposure fields", () => {
+    const entry: SkillEntry = {
+      skill: createFixtureSkill({
+        name: "legacy-exposure",
+        description: "test",
+        filePath: "/tmp/legacy-exposure/SKILL.md",
+        baseDir: "/tmp/legacy-exposure",
+        source: "test",
+      }),
+      frontmatter: {},
+      exposure: {
+        includeInRuntimeRegistry: true,
+      } as SkillEntry["exposure"],
+    };
+
+    const report = buildWorkspaceSkillStatus("/tmp/ws", { entries: [entry] });
+    const skill = report.skills[0];
+    expect(skill?.eligible).toBe(true);
+    expect(skill?.modelVisible).toBe(true);
+    expect(skill?.userInvocable).toBe(true);
+    expect(skill?.commandVisible).toBe(true);
+  });
+
   it("reports skills blocked by an agent skill filter", () => {
     const alpha: SkillEntry = {
       skill: createFixtureSkill({
diff --git a/src/agents/skills-status.ts b/src/agents/skills-status.ts
index 664974b4d56..4e584d24f53 100644
--- a/src/agents/skills-status.ts
+++ b/src/agents/skills-status.ts
@@ -176,20 +176,20 @@ function normalizeInstallOptions(
 
 function isSkillVisibleInAvailableSkillsPrompt(entry: SkillEntry): boolean {
   if (entry.exposure) {
-    return entry.exposure.includeInAvailableSkillsPrompt;
+    return entry.exposure.includeInAvailableSkillsPrompt !== false;
   }
   if (entry.invocation) {
-    return !entry.invocation.disableModelInvocation;
+    return entry.invocation.disableModelInvocation !== true;
   }
-  return !entry.skill.disableModelInvocation;
+  return entry.skill.disableModelInvocation !== true;
 }
 
 function isSkillUserInvocable(entry: SkillEntry): boolean {
   if (entry.exposure) {
-    return entry.exposure.userInvocable;
+    return entry.exposure.userInvocable !== false;
   }
   if (entry.invocation) {
-    return entry.invocation.userInvocable;
+    return entry.invocation.userInvocable !== false;
   }
   return true;
 }
diff --git a/src/cli/skills-cli.format.ts b/src/cli/skills-cli.format.ts
index acbeb8d6b13..43a5239f32d 100644
--- a/src/cli/skills-cli.format.ts
+++ b/src/cli/skills-cli.format.ts
@@ -28,15 +28,18 @@ function appendClawHubHint(output: string, json?: boolean): string {
 }
 
 function formatSkillStatus(skill: SkillStatusEntry): string {
-  if (skill.eligible) {
-    return theme.success("✓ ready");
-  }
   if (skill.disabled) {
     return theme.warn("⏸ disabled");
   }
   if (skill.blockedByAllowlist) {
     return theme.warn("🚫 blocked");
   }
+  if (skill.blockedByAgentFilter) {
+    return theme.warn("🚫 excluded");
+  }
+  if (skill.eligible) {
+    return theme.success("✓ ready");
+  }
   return theme.warn("△ needs setup");
 }
 
@@ -96,7 +99,9 @@ function formatSkillMissingSummary(skill: SkillStatusEntry): string {
 }
 
 export function formatSkillsList(report: SkillStatusReport, opts: SkillsListOptions): string {
-  const skills = opts.eligible ? report.skills.filter((s) => s.eligible) : report.skills;
+  const isReadyForAgent = (skill: SkillStatusEntry) =>
+    skill.eligible && !skill.blockedByAgentFilter;
+  const skills = opts.eligible ? report.skills.filter(isReadyForAgent) : report.skills;
 
   if (opts.json) {
     const jsonReport = sanitizeJsonValue({
@@ -130,7 +135,7 @@ export function formatSkillsList(report: SkillStatusReport, opts: SkillsListOpti
     return appendClawHubHint(message, opts.json);
   }
 
-  const eligible = skills.filter((s) => s.eligible);
+  const ready = skills.filter(isReadyForAgent);
   const tableWidth = getTerminalTableWidth();
   const rows = skills.map((skill) => {
     const missing = formatSkillMissingSummary(skill);
@@ -155,7 +160,7 @@ export function formatSkillsList(report: SkillStatusReport, opts: SkillsListOpti
 
   const lines: string[] = [];
   lines.push(
-    `${theme.heading("Skills")} ${theme.muted(`(${eligible.length}/${skills.length} ready)`)}`,
+    `${theme.heading("Skills")} ${theme.muted(`(${ready.length}/${skills.length} ready)`)}`,
   );
   lines.push(
     renderTable({
@@ -191,13 +196,15 @@ export function formatSkillInfo(
 
   const lines: string[] = [];
   const emoji = normalizeSkillEmoji(skill.emoji);
-  const status = skill.eligible
-    ? theme.success("✓ Ready")
-    : skill.disabled
-      ? theme.warn("⏸ Disabled")
-      : skill.blockedByAllowlist
-        ? theme.warn("🚫 Blocked by allowlist")
-        : theme.warn("△ Needs setup");
+  const status = skill.disabled
+    ? theme.warn("⏸ Disabled")
+    : skill.blockedByAllowlist
+      ? theme.warn("🚫 Blocked by allowlist")
+      : skill.blockedByAgentFilter
+        ? theme.warn("🚫 Excluded by agent allowlist")
+        : skill.eligible
+          ? theme.success("✓ Ready")
+          : theme.warn("△ Needs setup");
 
   const safeName = sanitizeForLog(skill.name);
   const safeHomepage = skill.homepage ? sanitizeForLog(skill.homepage) : undefined;
@@ -214,6 +221,15 @@ export function formatSkillInfo(
   if (safeHomepage) {
     lines.push(`${theme.muted("  Homepage:")} ${safeHomepage}`);
   }
+  lines.push(
+    `${theme.muted("  Visible to model:")} ${skill.modelVisible ? theme.success("yes") : theme.warn("no")}`,
+  );
+  lines.push(
+    `${theme.muted("  Available as command:")} ${skill.commandVisible ? theme.success("yes") : theme.warn("no")}`,
+  );
+  if (skill.blockedByAgentFilter) {
+    lines.push(`${theme.muted("  Agent allowlist:")} excludes this skill`);
+  }
   if (skill.primaryEnv) {
     lines.push(`${theme.muted("  Primary env:")} ${skill.primaryEnv}`);
   }
@@ -377,6 +393,9 @@ export function formatSkillsCheck(report: SkillStatusReport, opts: SkillsCheckOp
   if (modelVisible.length > 0 || commandVisible.length > 0 || promptHidden.length > 0) {
     lines.push("");
     lines.push(theme.heading("What this means:"));
+    lines.push(
+      `  ${theme.muted("Eligible:")} installed and requirements pass; the agent may still exclude it.`,
+    );
     if (modelVisible.length > 0) {
       lines.push(
         `  ${theme.muted("Visible to model:")} the agent can see the skill instructions during normal chat.`,
@@ -389,7 +408,7 @@ export function formatSkillsCheck(report: SkillStatusReport, opts: SkillsCheckOp
     }
     if (promptHidden.length > 0) {
       lines.push(
-        `  ${theme.muted("Hidden from model prompt:")} installed and ready, but kept out of normal chat unless called explicitly.`,
+        `  ${theme.muted("Hidden from model prompt:")} installed and ready, but kept out of normal chat.`,
       );
     }
   }
@@ -408,9 +427,10 @@ export function formatSkillsCheck(report: SkillStatusReport, opts: SkillsCheckOp
     lines.push(theme.heading("Ready but hidden from model prompt:"));
     for (const skill of promptHidden) {
       const emoji = normalizeSkillEmoji(skill.emoji);
-      lines.push(
-        `  ${emoji} ${sanitizeForLog(skill.name)} ${theme.muted("(skill hides its instructions from the model; commands/cron may still use it)")}`,
-      );
+      const reason = skill.commandVisible
+        ? "skill hides its instructions from the model; commands/cron may still use it"
+        : "skill hides its instructions from the model and is not exposed as a command";
+      lines.push(`  ${emoji} ${sanitizeForLog(skill.name)} ${theme.muted(`(${reason})`)}`);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/cli/skills-cli.test.ts b/src/cli/skills-cli.test.ts
index 9c445b5185e..509c1831005 100644
--- a/src/cli/skills-cli.test.ts
+++ b/src/cli/skills-cli.test.ts
@@ -119,6 +119,26 @@ describe("skills-cli", () => {
       expect(output).toContain("eligible-one");
       expect(output).not.toContain("not-eligible");
     });
+
+    it("does not label agent-excluded skills as ready", () => {
+      const report = createMockReport([
+        createMockSkill({ name: "ready-one", eligible: true }),
+        createMockSkill({
+          name: "agent-excluded",
+          eligible: true,
+          blockedByAgentFilter: true,
+        }),
+      ]);
+
+      const output = formatSkillsList(report, {});
+      expect(output).toContain("1/2 ready");
+      expect(output).toContain("agent-excluded");
+      expect(output).toContain("excluded");
+
+      const eligibleOnly = formatSkillsList(report, { eligible: true });
+      expect(eligibleOnly).toContain("ready-one");
+      expect(eligibleOnly).not.toContain("agent-excluded");
+    });
   });
 
   describe("formatSkillInfo", () => {
@@ -201,6 +221,22 @@ describe("skills-cli", () => {
       const output = formatSkillInfo(report, "info-emoji", {});
       expect(output).toContain("🎛️");
     });
+
+    it("shows agent exclusion and visibility details in skill info", () => {
+      const report = createMockReport([
+        createMockSkill({
+          name: "agent-excluded",
+          eligible: true,
+          blockedByAgentFilter: true,
+        }),
+      ]);
+
+      const output = formatSkillInfo(report, "agent-excluded", {});
+      expect(output).toContain("Excluded by agent allowlist");
+      expect(output).toContain("Visible to model");
+      expect(output).toContain("Available as command");
+      expect(output).toContain("excludes this skill");
+    });
   });
 
   describe("formatSkillsCheck", () => {
@@ -270,8 +306,27 @@ describe("skills-cli", () => {
       expect(output).toContain("Excluded by agent allowlist");
       expect(output).toContain("not-assigned");
       expect(output).toContain("What this means");
+      expect(output).toContain("the agent may still exclude it");
       expect(output).toContain("people, scripts, or cron jobs can call the skill explicitly");
-      expect(output).toContain("kept out of normal chat unless called explicitly");
+      expect(output).toContain("kept out of normal chat");
+      expect(output).toContain("commands/cron may still use it");
+    });
+
+    it("does not imply prompt-hidden non-command skills can be called explicitly", () => {
+      const report = createMockReport([
+        createMockSkill({
+          name: "internal-hidden",
+          eligible: true,
+          modelVisible: false,
+          commandVisible: false,
+          userInvocable: false,
+        }),
+      ]);
+
+      const output = formatSkillsCheck(report, {});
+      expect(output).toContain("internal-hidden");
+      expect(output).toContain("is not exposed as a command");
+      expect(output).not.toContain("commands/cron may still use it");
     });
 
     it("summarizes a mixed bad skill pack in JSON", () => {