diff --git a/apps/daemon/src/cli.ts b/apps/daemon/src/cli.ts
index ab785e847..217346657 100644
--- a/apps/daemon/src/cli.ts
+++ b/apps/daemon/src/cli.ts
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { parseDesignSystemRenameArgs } from './design-system-rename-args.js';
 import { runLiveArtifactsToolCli } from './tools-live-artifacts-cli.js';
 import { splitResearchSubcommand } from './research/cli-args.js';
 import { resolveDaemonUrl } from './daemon-url.js';
-import { buildSkillCatalogTree } from '@open-design/contracts';
+import { buildSkillCatalogTree, parseSkillSummaries } from '@open-design/contracts';
 import { requestJsonIpc } from '@open-design/sidecar';
 import { SIDECAR_ENV, SIDECAR_MESSAGES } from '@open-design/sidecar-proto';
 
@@ -5433,14 +5433,20 @@ async function runSkillsTree(args) {
   const resp = await fetch(`${base}/api/skills`);
   if (!resp.ok) return structuredHttpFailure(resp);
   const data = await resp.json().catch(() => null);
-  if (!data || !Array.isArray(data.skills)) {
+  let skills;
+  try {
+    skills = data && Array.isArray(data.skills) ? parseSkillSummaries(data.skills) : null;
+  } catch {
+    skills = null;
+  }
+  if (!skills) {
     return exitWithStructuredError({
       code: 'daemon-protocol-error',
       message: 'Malformed /api/skills response: expected { skills: SkillSummary[] }',
       data: { endpoint: '/api/skills' },
     });
   }
-  const tree = buildSkillCatalogTree(data.skills);
+  const tree = buildSkillCatalogTree(skills);
   if (flags.json) return process.stdout.write(JSON.stringify(tree, null, 2) + '\n');
   console.log(`Skills tree (${tree.total})`);
   for (const mode of tree.modes) {
diff --git a/apps/daemon/tests/skills-cli.test.ts b/apps/daemon/tests/skills-cli.test.ts
index 3813c609a..0e72ba4ae 100644
--- a/apps/daemon/tests/skills-cli.test.ts
+++ b/apps/daemon/tests/skills-cli.test.ts
@@ -39,11 +39,18 @@ describe('od skills CLI', () => {
             {
               id: 'dashboard',
               name: 'Dashboard',
+              description: 'A dashboard skill.',
+              triggers: [],
               mode: 'prototype',
               scenario: 'operation',
               platform: 'desktop',
               previewType: 'html',
               designSystemRequired: true,
+              defaultFor: [],
+              upstream: null,
+              hasBody: true,
+              examplePrompt: 'Build a dashboard.',
+              aggregatesExamples: false,
             },
           ],
         }));
@@ -139,4 +146,65 @@ describe('od skills CLI', () => {
       },
     );
   });
+
+  it('rejects malformed skill elements in skills tree responses', async () => {
+    await withSkillsServer(
+      (_req, res) => {
+        res.writeHead(200, { 'content-type': 'application/json' });
+        res.end(JSON.stringify({
+          skills: [
+            {
+              id: 'dashboard',
+              name: 'Dashboard',
+              description: 'A dashboard skill.',
+              triggers: [],
+              mode: 'prototype',
+              scenario: 'operation',
+              platform: 'desktop',
+              previewType: 'html',
+              designSystemRequired: true,
+              defaultFor: [],
+              upstream: null,
+              hasBody: true,
+              examplePrompt: 'Build a dashboard.',
+              aggregatesExamples: false,
+            },
+            { id: 'broken', mode: 'prototype' },
+          ],
+        }));
+      },
+      async (baseUrl) => {
+        try {
+          await execFileAsync(
+            process.execPath,
+            [
+              '--import',
+              'tsx',
+              cliEntry,
+              'skills',
+              'tree',
+              '--json',
+              '--daemon-url',
+              baseUrl,
+            ],
+            {
+              cwd: daemonRoot,
+              env: process.env,
+            },
+          );
+          throw new Error('skills tree command unexpectedly succeeded');
+        } catch (error: unknown) {
+          const failed = error as { code?: number; stderr?: string; stdout?: string };
+          expect(failed.code).toBe(74);
+          expect(failed.stdout ?? '').toBe('');
+          const envelope = JSON.parse(failed.stderr ?? '{}') as {
+            error?: { code?: string; message?: string; data?: { endpoint?: string } };
+          };
+          expect(envelope.error?.code).toBe('daemon-protocol-error');
+          expect(envelope.error?.message).toContain('Malformed /api/skills response');
+          expect(envelope.error?.data?.endpoint).toBe('/api/skills');
+        }
+      },
+    );
+  });
 });
diff --git a/apps/web/src/providers/registry.ts b/apps/web/src/providers/registry.ts
index bea088e41..d87d8dc49 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/providers/registry.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/providers/registry.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import type {
   ImportLocalDesignSystemResponse,
   ReplaceProjectWorkingDirResponse,
 } from '@open-design/contracts';
+import { parseSkillSummaries } from '@open-design/contracts';
 import type {
   AgentInfo,
   AppVersionInfo,
@@ -107,12 +108,12 @@ export async function fetchSkills(options?: { throwOnError?: boolean }): Promise
       if (options?.throwOnError) throw new Error(`skills ${resp.status}`);
       return [];
     }
-    const json = (await resp.json()) as { skills?: SkillSummary[] };
+    const json = await resp.json() as { skills?: unknown };
     if (!Array.isArray(json.skills)) {
       if (options?.throwOnError) throw new Error('skills response malformed');
       return [];
     }
-    return json.skills;
+    return parseSkillSummaries(json.skills);
   } catch (err) {
     if (options?.throwOnError) throw err;
     return [];
diff --git a/apps/web/tests/components/IntegrationsView.skills.test.tsx b/apps/web/tests/components/IntegrationsView.skills.test.tsx
index 7792c42a5..cac45720f 100644
--- a/apps/web/tests/components/IntegrationsView.skills.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/tests/components/IntegrationsView.skills.test.tsx
@@ -252,6 +252,21 @@ describe('IntegrationsView skills tree', () => {
     expect(screen.queryByText('No skills match these filters.')).toBeNull();
   });
 
+  it('shows a load failure when skills payload contains malformed entries', async () => {
+    renderSkillsIntegration([], {
+      skillsBody: {
+        skills: [
+          skill({ id: 'dashboard', name: 'Dashboard' }),
+          { id: 'broken', mode: 'prototype' },
+        ],
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(await screen.findByText('Could not load skills. Make sure the local daemon is running, then try again.')).toBeTruthy();
+    expect(screen.queryByText('No skills match these filters.')).toBeNull();
+    expect(screen.queryByTestId('integrations-skill-list-row-dashboard')).toBeNull();
+  });
+
   it('localizes tree guide and legend labels', async () => {
     renderSkillsIntegration([
       skill({ id: 'dashboard', name: 'Dashboard', scenario: 'operation', platform: 'desktop' }),
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/api/registry.ts b/packages/contracts/src/api/registry.ts
index 2f5684c7d..fb5cd0c03 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/api/registry.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/api/registry.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import { z } from 'zod';
+
 export interface AgentModelOption {
   id: string;
   label: string;
@@ -140,6 +142,52 @@ export interface SkillsResponse {
   skills: SkillSummary[];
 }
 
+export const SkillSummarySchema: z.ZodType<SkillSummary> = z.object({
+  id: z.string(),
+  name: z.string(),
+  displayName: z.record(z.string()).optional(),
+  description: z.string(),
+  descriptionI18n: z.record(z.string()).optional(),
+  triggers: z.array(z.string()),
+  mode: z.enum([
+    'prototype',
+    'deck',
+    'template',
+    'design-system',
+    'image',
+    'video',
+    'audio',
+  ]),
+  surface: z.enum(['web', 'image', 'video', 'audio']).optional(),
+  platform: z.enum(['desktop', 'mobile']).nullable().optional(),
+  scenario: z.string().nullable().optional(),
+  category: z.string().nullable().optional(),
+  source: z.enum(['built-in', 'user']).optional(),
+  previewType: z.string(),
+  designSystemRequired: z.boolean(),
+  defaultFor: z.array(z.string()),
+  upstream: z.string().nullable(),
+  featured: z.number().nullable().optional(),
+  fidelity: z.enum(['wireframe', 'high-fidelity']).nullable().optional(),
+  speakerNotes: z.boolean().nullable().optional(),
+  animations: z.boolean().nullable().optional(),
+  craftRequires: z.array(z.string()).optional(),
+  hasBody: z.boolean(),
+  examplePrompt: z.string(),
+  examplePromptI18n: z.record(z.string()).optional(),
+  aggregatesExamples: z.boolean(),
+}).passthrough() as z.ZodType<SkillSummary>;
+
+export const SkillSummaryArraySchema = z.array(SkillSummarySchema);
+
+export function parseSkillSummaries(value: unknown): SkillSummary[] {
+  return SkillSummaryArraySchema.parse(value);
+}
+
+export function isSkillSummaries(value: unknown): value is SkillSummary[] {
+  return SkillSummaryArraySchema.safeParse(value).success;
+}
+
 export interface SkillCatalogTreeSkill {
   id: string;
   name: string;
diff --git a/packages/contracts/tests/skill-catalog-tree.test.ts b/packages/contracts/tests/skill-catalog-tree.test.ts
index 8ae267f82..71619e518 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/tests/skill-catalog-tree.test.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/tests/skill-catalog-tree.test.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
 import {
   buildSkillCatalogTree,
+  parseSkillSummaries,
   type SkillSummary,
 } from '../src/api/registry.js';
 
@@ -111,3 +112,21 @@ describe('buildSkillCatalogTree', () => {
     expect(leaf?.skill).toBe(source);
   });
 });
+
+describe('parseSkillSummaries', () => {
+  it('accepts valid skill summary arrays', () => {
+    const summaries = parseSkillSummaries([
+      skill({ id: 'dashboard', name: 'Dashboard' }),
+    ]);
+
+    expect(summaries).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(summaries[0]?.id).toBe('dashboard');
+  });
+
+  it('rejects malformed skill summary array elements', () => {
+    expect(() => parseSkillSummaries([
+      skill({ id: 'dashboard', name: 'Dashboard' }),
+      { id: 'broken', mode: 'prototype' },
+    ])).toThrow();
+  });
+});