Problem

The clone-based installation validation scripts (validate-installation.ps1 and validate-installation.sh) check for agents, prompts, and instructions directories but omit .github/skills entirely. A user can receive a "validated successfully" result while skills are missing from their installation.

This is inconsistent with the installer SKILL.md which:

• Lists skills as installable content in Phase 1
• Configures chat.agentSkillsLocations in the settings template
• References skills throughout the decision matrix and method documentation

Expected Behavior

Validation should check for $basePath/.github/skills alongside the three existing directory checks and report pass/fail status for it.

The experimental collection folder ($basePath/.github/skills/experimental, $basePath/.github/agents/experimental, etc.) is an optional user selection during installation. Validation should check experimental subdirectories only when they are present and report them as informational (not as a failure when absent). The scripts cannot deterministically require experimental because the user may have opted out during the installer's opt-in prompt.

Files to Change

Reproduction

Run either validation script against a valid HVE-Core clone. Note that .github/skills is never checked:

# Bash
./scripts/validate-installation.sh 1 ../hve-core
# Output shows agents, prompts, instructions — no mention of skills

# PowerShell
./scripts/validate-installation.ps1 -BasePath ../hve-core -Method 1
# Same: skills directory silently skipped

Suggested Fix

PowerShell — expand the directory array:

foreach ($dir in @("$basePath/.github/agents", "$basePath/.github/prompts", "$basePath/.github/instructions", "$basePath/.github/skills")) {

Bash — expand the path list:

for path in "$base_path/.github/agents" "$base_path/.github/prompts" "$base_path/.github/instructions" "$base_path/.github/skills"; do

Experimental folder — add a conditional informational check after the required directory loop (both scripts):

# PowerShell example
$experimentalDirs = @("$basePath/.github/skills/experimental", "$basePath/.github/agents/experimental")
foreach ($dir in $experimentalDirs) {
    if (Test-Path $dir) { Write-Host "✅ Found optional: $dir" }
}

# Bash example
for path in "$base_path/.github/skills/experimental" "$base_path/.github/agents/experimental"; do
    if [ -d "$path" ]; then echo "✅ Found optional: $path"; fi
done

Missing experimental folders should not set valid=false.

Pester Test Updates

The existing test file at .github/skills/installer/hve-core-installer/tests/validate-installation.Tests.ps1 needs these changes:

1. Update all test fixture setup — Every test that creates .github/agents, .github/prompts, and .github/instructions directories must also create .github/skills so existing "passes validation" assertions continue to pass.
2. Add a "Checks skills directory" test — Mirror the existing "Checks agents directory" test: create agents, prompts, and instructions but omit skills, then assert the output matches Missing.*skills.
3. Add an "experimental" Context block with at least two tests:
   • Passes when experimental subdirectories are absent (no failure reported)
   • Reports optional directories when experimental subdirectories are present

Additional Context

The installer collection under .github/skills/installer/ should probably be excluded from installation-target validation since it is the installer itself (SKILL.md already excludes it from chat.agentSkillsLocations settings). The check should verify the directory exists at the top level; individual skill collection presence is not required for a passing validation.