diff --git a/packages/skills-catalog/src/packaged-artifacts.test.ts b/packages/skills-catalog/src/packaged-artifacts.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e8fb872dd0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/skills-catalog/src/packaged-artifacts.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { mkdtempSync } from "node:fs";
+import { rm } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+
+const packageRoot = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..");
+
+function readPackMetadata(packDestination: string) {
+  const output = execFileSync("npm", ["pack", "--json", "--pack-destination", packDestination], {
+    cwd: packageRoot,
+    encoding: "utf8",
+  });
+  const metadata = JSON.parse(output);
+  if (!Array.isArray(metadata) || metadata.length === 0 || typeof metadata[0]?.filename !== "string") {
+    throw new Error(`Unexpected npm pack output from ${packageRoot}: ${output}`);
+  }
+  return metadata[0] as { filename: string; files: Array<{ path: string }> };
+}
+
+describe("skills catalog package artifacts", () => {
+  const cleanup: string[] = [];
+
+  function createPackDestination() {
+    const destination = mkdtempSync(path.join(tmpdir(), "paperclip-skills-catalog-pack-"));
+    cleanup.push(destination);
+    return destination;
+  }
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await Promise.all(cleanup.map((entry) => rm(entry, { force: true, recursive: true })));
+    cleanup.length = 0;
+  });
+
+  it("packs dist manifest and catalog files for npm artifact consumers", () => {
+    let metadata = readPackMetadata(createPackDestination());
+
+    if (!metadata.files.some((entry) => entry.path === "dist/generated/catalog.json")) {
+      execFileSync("pnpm", ["--filter", "@paperclipai/skills-catalog", "build"], {
+        cwd: packageRoot,
+        stdio: "ignore",
+      });
+      metadata = readPackMetadata(createPackDestination());
+    }
+
+    const paths = metadata.files.map((entry) => entry.path);
+
+    expect(paths).toContain("dist/generated/catalog.json");
+    expect(paths).toContain("generated/catalog.json");
+    expect(paths).toContain("catalog/bundled/software-development/github-pr-workflow/SKILL.md");
+    expect(paths).toContain("catalog/optional/browser/agent-browser/SKILL.md");
+    expect(paths).toContain("package.json");
+  }, 30_000);
+});