diff --git a/src/lib/skills/actions.js b/src/lib/skills/actions.ts
similarity index 98%
rename from src/lib/skills/actions.js
rename to src/lib/skills/actions.ts
index d1316d6..c5633dc 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/actions.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/actions.ts
@@ -168,7 +168,11 @@ export function buildPositionPrefill(question, categories = []) {
   const english = extractEnglish(question);
   const certifications = extractCertifications(question);
 
-  const prefill = {};
+  const prefill: {
+    role_category?: any; title?: any; location?: any;
+    pay_range_min?: any; pay_range_max?: any; min_experience_years?: any;
+    english_required?: any; certifications_required?: any;
+  } = {};
   if (role) {
     /* A known category fills the category field; anything else is a title, so a
        one-off role is not silently filed under the wrong category. Either way
@@ -378,7 +382,10 @@ export function buildSkillPrefill(question, categories = []) {
   const outline = template?.outline || [];
   const challengeType = template?.proof || null;
 
-  const prefill = {};
+  const prefill: {
+    title?: any; category?: any; difficulty?: any;
+    outline?: any; challengeType?: any;
+  } = {};
   if (title) prefill.title = title;
   if (category || template?.category) prefill.category = category || template.category;
   if (difficulty) prefill.difficulty = difficulty;
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/catalog.js b/src/lib/skills/catalog.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/catalog.js
rename to src/lib/skills/catalog.ts
index 39667d2..db2df72 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/catalog.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/catalog.ts
@@ -295,7 +295,7 @@ export const TYPE_LABEL = { owliver: 'Owliver', board: 'Board', both: 'Owliver +
 
 /** The sections a Board skill declares, flattened with the page each sits on. */
 function sectionsOf(skill) {
-  return Object.entries(skill.ui || {}).flatMap(([page, config]) =>
+  return Object.entries<any>(skill.ui || {}).flatMap(([page, config]) =>
     (config.sections || []).map((section) => ({
       id: section.id,
       title: section.title || sectionTypeLabel(section.type),
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/customSkills.js b/src/lib/skills/customSkills.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from src/lib/skills/customSkills.js
rename to src/lib/skills/customSkills.ts
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/dataResolver.js b/src/lib/skills/dataResolver.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/dataResolver.js
rename to src/lib/skills/dataResolver.ts
index 8339b04..f839637 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/dataResolver.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/dataResolver.ts
@@ -563,7 +563,7 @@ const RESOLVERS = {
 
     /* Deduped: overlapping windows — `today` inside `last-7-days` — would
        otherwise count the same application twice. */
-    const unique = [...new Map(pool.map((a) => [a.id, a])).values()];
+    const unique: any[] = [...new Map(pool.map((a) => [a.id, a])).values()];
 
     const scored = unique.filter((a) => a.ai_score > 0);
     const bands = [
@@ -797,11 +797,11 @@ const RESOLVERS = {
       ).values()]
       : activity;
 
-    const byType = events.reduce((acc, e) => {
+    const byType = events.reduce<Record<string, number>>((acc, e) => {
       acc[e.event_type] = (acc[e.event_type] || 0) + 1;
       return acc;
     }, {});
-    const byAccount = events.reduce((acc, e) => {
+    const byAccount = events.reduce<Record<string, number>>((acc, e) => {
       acc[e.user_name || e.user_email] = (acc[e.user_name || e.user_email] || 0) + 1;
       return acc;
     }, {});
@@ -1189,7 +1189,7 @@ const RESOLVERS = {
  * is missing returns `unavailable`, which the renderer states rather than
  * filling in.
  */
-export function resolveSkillData(section, context = {}, now = new Date()) {
+export function resolveSkillData(section, context: any = {}, now = new Date()) {
   const resolve = RESOLVERS[section?.source];
   if (!resolve) return { unavailable: true, emptyNote: `No resolver for ${section?.source}.` };
 
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/flows/employeeRole.js b/src/lib/skills/flows/employeeRole.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/flows/employeeRole.js
rename to src/lib/skills/flows/employeeRole.ts
index c625964..a731771 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/flows/employeeRole.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/flows/employeeRole.ts
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ const fields = {
  * `@workers` is the worker profiles the panel has already loaded for this
  * caller — org-scoped by the API, and nothing here widens that view.
  */
-const resolve = (token, { roles = [], postings = null }, draft = {}) => {
+const resolve = (token, { roles = [], postings = null }, draft: any = {}) => {
   switch (token) {
     case '@roles': return roles;
     case '@english': return ENGLISH_LEVELS.map((l) => l.label);
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ const resolve = (token, { roles = [], postings = null }, draft = {}) => {
  * how a role gets filed against the wrong person.
  */
 function extract(said, ctx, fieldNames) {
-  const patch = {};
+  const patch: any = {};
   const touched = new Set();
 
   if (fieldNames.has('role_category')) {
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/flows/index.js b/src/lib/skills/flows/index.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from src/lib/skills/flows/index.js
rename to src/lib/skills/flows/index.ts
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/flows/position.js b/src/lib/skills/flows/position.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/flows/position.js
rename to src/lib/skills/flows/position.ts
index 00c68f9..0f37a10 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/flows/position.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/flows/position.ts
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ const fields = {
  * provision a TENANT the operator cannot then see, because every read is
  * predicated on the session's own org_id.
  */
-const resolve = (token, { roles = [], companies = [], postings = null }, draft = {}) => {
+const resolve = (token, { roles = [], companies = [], postings = null }, draft: any = {}) => {
   switch (token) {
     case '@roles': return roles;
     case '@companies': return companies;
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ const resolve = (token, { roles = [], companies = [], postings = null }, draft =
 /** One sentence read against every field of a posting at once. */
 function extract(said, { roles = [] }, fieldNames) {
   const { prefill } = buildPositionPrefill(said, roles);
-  const patch = {};
+  const patch: any = {};
   const touched = new Set();
 
   if (fieldNames.has('role_category') && prefill.title) {
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/owliverConfig.js b/src/lib/skills/owliverConfig.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/owliverConfig.js
rename to src/lib/skills/owliverConfig.ts
index 81dc9e7..838b970 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/owliverConfig.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/owliverConfig.ts
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ const shapeOf = (capability) => owliverCapabilityFor(capability)?.shape || null;
  * section wins, in declaration order.
  */
 function inheritedSection(ui) {
-  for (const page of Object.values(ui || {})) {
+  for (const page of Object.values<any>(ui || {})) {
     const section = (page.sections || [])[0];
     if (section) return section;
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/owliverResolver.js b/src/lib/skills/owliverResolver.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/owliverResolver.js
rename to src/lib/skills/owliverResolver.ts
index 3d12365..45ce3ac 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/owliverResolver.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/owliverResolver.ts
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ const TOTAL = 4;
  * A suggestion naming a capability the skill does not offer is dropped rather
  * than shown and then refused.
  */
-export function owliverSuggestions(contextId, disabled = [], customSources = [], context = {}) {
+export function owliverSuggestions(contextId, disabled = [], customSources = [], context: any = {}) {
   const chips = [];
 
   for (const skill of owliverSkillsForContext(contextId, disabled, customSources)) {
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ export function matchOwliverSkill(question, skills = []) {
  * says which role they mean has said so, and answering about a different one
  * because a drawer happened to be open would be worse than asking.
  */
-export function resolveEntity(section, question, context = {}) {
+export function resolveEntity(section, question, context: any = {}) {
   const need = section.context;
   if (!need) return { context, ok: true };
 
@@ -338,7 +338,7 @@ export const responseTitle = (skill, section) =>
  * Returns `{ skill, capability, section, data, missing }`. `missing` names what
  * the caller must ask for; when it is null the reading is real and complete.
  */
-export function resolveOwliverResponse({ skill, capability, question, context = {}, now = new Date() }) {
+export function resolveOwliverResponse({ skill, capability, question, context = {}, now = new Date() }: any) {
   const section = skill.owliver.responses[capability];
   if (!section) return null;
 
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/pageSkills.js b/src/lib/skills/pageSkills.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/pageSkills.js
rename to src/lib/skills/pageSkills.ts
index 669ab68..9ac16b7 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/pageSkills.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/pageSkills.ts
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ export function skillStatesForPage(pageId, courses = [], profile = null, options
  * Same definitions, same graph, same derivation as the page-scoped version
  * above: this is a second question asked of one dataset, not a second dataset.
  */
-export function workforceSkillStates(courses = [], profile = null, options = {}) {
+export function workforceSkillStates(courses = [], profile = null, options: any = {}) {
   const { customSources = [], disabled = [] } = options;
   return allSkills(customSources)
     .filter((s) => s.kind === 'workforce' && s.status === 'active' && !disabled.includes(s.id))
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/positionFlow.js b/src/lib/skills/positionFlow.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from src/lib/skills/positionFlow.js
rename to src/lib/skills/positionFlow.ts
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/registry.js b/src/lib/skills/registry.ts
similarity index 97%
rename from src/lib/skills/registry.js
rename to src/lib/skills/registry.ts
index 188a956..d97a817 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/registry.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/registry.ts
@@ -57,7 +57,29 @@ export const normalizeDefinition = (raw) => String(raw ?? '')
 export const hasFrontmatter = (raw) => /^---[ \t]*\n[\s\S]*?\n---[ \t]*(?=\n|$)/
   .test(normalizeDefinition(raw));
 
-export function parseFrontmatter(raw) {
+/**
+ * A definition file split into its YAML head and its Markdown body.
+ *
+ * `data` is `any` because it is whatever the author wrote. It comes back from
+ * `parseYaml`, which reads an arbitrary mapping out of the frontmatter, and the
+ * keys it may carry are the whole of the skill format — `pages:`, `owliver:`,
+ * `actions:`, `ui:` and the rest, each optional and each shaped differently.
+ * Describing it properly means describing that format as a type, which is a
+ * much larger piece of work than a rename and belongs with the format, not
+ * here.
+ *
+ * Without this annotation the two `return` statements unify to `{}`: the
+ * no-frontmatter branch hands back a literal `{}`, and TypeScript takes the
+ * common shape of the two, which has no properties at all. That is how one
+ * empty object in an early return came to make twenty-five readings of `data`
+ * further down look like mistakes.
+ */
+export interface Frontmatter {
+  data: any;
+  body: string;
+}
+
+export function parseFrontmatter(raw): Frontmatter {
   const text = normalizeDefinition(raw);
   const match = /^---[ \t]*\n([\s\S]*?)\n---[ \t]*(?=\n|$)/.exec(text);
   if (!match) return { data: {}, body: text };
@@ -249,7 +271,7 @@ export const SKILL_FACETS = ['ui', 'owliver'];
  * and are managed in Skill Development, so they carry no facet and appear on
  * neither list.
  */
-export function skillFacets({ data = {}, kind, ui = {}, owliver, conversation = [] }) {
+export function skillFacets({ data = {}, kind, ui = {}, owliver, conversation = [] }: any) {
   if (kind === 'workforce') return [];
 
   const extendsPage = Object.keys(ui).length > 0;
@@ -643,7 +665,7 @@ export function skillDiagnostics(customSources = []) {
 export function unresolvableSections(skill) {
   const problems = [];
 
-  for (const [page, config] of Object.entries(skill?.ui || {})) {
+  for (const [page, config] of Object.entries<any>(skill?.ui || {})) {
     for (const section of config.sections || []) {
       if (!section.context) continue;
       if (placementProvides(page, section.placement).includes(section.context)) continue;
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/skillFields.js b/src/lib/skills/skillFields.ts
similarity index 99%
rename from src/lib/skills/skillFields.js
rename to src/lib/skills/skillFields.ts
index 175f6ef..bffac75 100644
--- a/src/lib/skills/skillFields.js
+++ b/src/lib/skills/skillFields.ts
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ export function boardFieldsFromSource(source) {
        can show. `pages` still carries every page the definition reaches, and
        `uiIsEditableFromFields` is what stops those fields writing over the
        ones this record cannot represent. */
-    const section = Object.values(skill.ui || {}).flatMap((p) => p.sections || [])[0];
+    const section = Object.values<any>(skill.ui || {}).flatMap((p) => p.sections || [])[0];
     return {
       id: skill.id,
       name: skill.name,
@@ -564,7 +564,7 @@ function responseFor(fields, capability) {
   const source = response?.source || '';
   if (!source) return null;
 
-  const entry = { source };
+  const entry: any = { source };
   if (response.periods?.length && sourceSupportsOption(source, 'periods')) {
     entry.periods = response.periods;
   }
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/tools.js b/src/lib/skills/tools.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from src/lib/skills/tools.js
rename to src/lib/skills/tools.ts
diff --git a/src/lib/skills/usePageSkills.js b/src/lib/skills/usePageSkills.ts
similarity index 100%
rename from src/lib/skills/usePageSkills.js
rename to src/lib/skills/usePageSkills.ts