diff --git a/REPL.md b/REPL.md
index 59e1cd6..4e8cc2a 100644
--- a/REPL.md
+++ b/REPL.md
@@ -78,6 +78,9 @@ cannot be persisted to a file and saved.
 Skills are modular knowledge or capability packs the LLM can load and unload mid-conversation. Multiple skills can be
 loaded at once; their instructions stack and their tools/MCP servers union with the active role/agent/session.
 
+> **Requires function calling.** Skills depend on Coyote's function calling system. If `function_calling_support: false`
+> in your global config, the `.skill load` and `.skill unload` commands refuse, and the model cannot load skills itself.
+
 | Command                | Description                                                                                       |
 |------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 | `.skill loaded`        | List currently-loaded skills in this session                                                      |
diff --git a/Skills.md b/Skills.md
index 9695deb..42ce164 100644
--- a/Skills.md
+++ b/Skills.md
@@ -11,6 +11,13 @@ Common uses:
 - **Toolkit unlocks** that grant a small bundle of tools or MCP servers without changing the active role.
 - **One-shot helpers** that auto-unload after the model finishes a task (see [auto_unload](#auto-unload)).
 
+> **Prerequisite: function calling must be enabled.** Skills are built on top of Coyote's function calling system so as
+> to not overwhelm the context with skill descriptions. `skill__list`, `skill__load`, and `skill__unload` meta-tools are
+> themselves function calls, and most skills grant tools the model needs to invoke. If your global config has 
+> `function_calling_support: false`, the entire skills system is disabled: the meta-tools are not registered, the REPL 
+> `.skill load` command refuses, and `coyote --skill <name>` exits with a clear error. See [Function Calling](Tools) to 
+> enable it.
+
 ---
 
 # Skill Definition
@@ -175,13 +182,19 @@ filtered out of the response and cannot be loaded. `skill__load` rejects it with
 
 ## Validation
 
-Three validation points enforce these rules:
+Four validation points enforce these rules:
 
-| Where                  | What is checked                                                                                                     | Severity                                                               |
-|------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-| **Config load**        | Every name in any `enabled_skills` exists on disk AND is in global `visible_skills` (when `visible_skills` is set). | **Hard error**. Refuses to start with the offending name + level.      |
-| **Runtime list/build** | For each enabled skill: declared tools require function calling; declared MCPs require MCP support.                 | **Filter + warn**. Incompatible skills are dropped from `skill__list`. |
-| **`skill__load` call** | Skill is in the effective enabled set AND compatible with current feature flags.                                    | **Tool error to model** with a distinct message per failure mode.      |
+| Where                   | What is checked                                                                                                     | Severity                                                                                   |
+|-------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| **Global feature gate** | `function_calling_support: true` is required for skills to exist at all (registry/tools/REPL/CLI).                  | **Skills are silently disabled**. No `skill__*` tools, `.skill load` and `--skill` refuse. |
+| **Config load**         | Every name in any `enabled_skills` exists on disk and is in global `visible_skills` (when `visible_skills` is set). | **Hard error**. Refuses to start with the offending name + level.                          |
+| **Runtime list/build**  | For each enabled skill: declared MCPs require MCP support.                                                          | **Filter + warn**. Incompatible skills are dropped from `skill__list`.                     |
+| **`skill__load` call**  | Skill is in the effective enabled set and its declared MCPs are usable.                                             | **Tool error to model** with a distinct message per failure mode.                          |
+
+> **Skills require function calling.** Skills are useless without it. The meta-tools (`skill__list`, `skill__load`, 
+> `skill__unload`) are themselves function calls, and most skills grant tools the model needs to invoke. If 
+> `function_calling_support: false` in your global config, the entire skills feature is off. The REPL `.skill load` 
+> command, the CLI `--skill <name>` flag, and the model's own `skill__load` invocation all refuse with a clear error.
 
 ---
 
@@ -274,4 +287,6 @@ When skills are enabled, the model has three tools available for managing them i
 | `skill__unload` | `name: string` | Unloads a loaded skill. Releases its MCP server handles.                                |
 
 These are how the model discovers and uses skills mid-conversation. You can disable this discovery channel by setting
-`skills_enabled: false` at any level; the three tools then disappear from the model's function list entirely.
+`skills_enabled: false` at any level; the three tools then disappear from the model's function list entirely. The same
+happens if `function_calling_support: false` is set globally. Without function calling, the skill system has no surface
+to operate on, so it is silently disabled across REPL, CLI, agents, and the model's tool list.