crewAIInc / crewAIInc/crewAI

[BUG] SKILL.md with a UTF-8 BOM fails frontmatter parse

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Python
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Description

Description

parse_frontmatter requires SKILL.md to start with ---. Files saved with a UTF-8 BOM start with \ufeff---, so valid skills raise SkillParseError. Editors on Windows commonly write a BOM.

Steps to Reproduce
from pathlib import Path
from crewai.skills.parser import parse_skill_md

path = Path("SKILL.md")
path.write_bytes(b"\xef\xbb\xbf---\nname: my-skill\ndescription: d\n---\nBody")
parse_skill_md(path)
Expected behavior

A leading UTF-8 BOM is ignored. The skill parses.

Screenshots/Code snippets

SkillParseError: SKILL.md must start with '---' frontmatter delimiter

Operating System

Windows 11

Python Version

3.12

crewAI Version

main

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start at crewai.skills.parser.parse_skill_md and inspect how the SKILL.md frontmatter opening delimiter is checked. Reproduce the issue with the BOM-prefixed bytes shown in the report; done means a leading UTF-8 BOM is ignored and the skill parses without SkillParseError.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
backend
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
84/100

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