diff --git a/.changeset/agent-skills-token-based-length.md b/.changeset/agent-skills-token-based-length.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..468f2f40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/agent-skills-token-based-length.md
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+---
+'@gtbuchanan/eslint-plugin-agent-skills': major
+---
+
+Gate skill length on tokens rather than lines
+
+`configs.recommended` now caps both `SKILL.md` and
+`**/skills/*/references/**/*.md` with `agent-skills/max-tokens` at 5000,
+and applies `agent-skills/max-lines` to neither. The rule still ships, so
+a repo wanting the spec's 500-line figure can wire it explicitly:
+
+```js
+{
+  files: ['**/skills/*/SKILL.md'],
+  rules: { 'agent-skills/max-lines': ['warn', { max: 500 }] },
+}
+```
+
+Both rules proxy for how much context a skill costs to load, and tokens
+measure it directly. At the ~10-14 tokens per line typical of prose
+skills, 500 lines works out to 5200-7000 tokens, so the token cap is the
+one that fires. The line cap leads only below ~10 tokens per line, where
+it reports formatting — semantic line breaks and dense lists raise a line
+count without changing what the agent loads.
+
+The 300-line cap on `references/` had no upstream basis: the spec's third
+tier is "Resources (as needed)" and `skill-creator` calls bundled
+resources "unlimited, loaded as needed". The 5000 there is a backstop for
+a reference file costing more to load than the instructions tier it was
+split out of.
diff --git a/packages/eslint-config/e2e/skill.test.ts b/packages/eslint-config/e2e/skill.test.ts
index 7633721d..43dda430 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-config/e2e/skill.test.ts
+++ b/packages/eslint-config/e2e/skill.test.ts
@@ -154,7 +154,31 @@ describe.concurrent('SKILL.md validation', () => {
     expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/not found.*references\/MISSING\.md/v);
   });
 
-  it('caps file at 500 lines per the spec', async ({ fixture, expect }) => {
+  it('caps file at the spec token budget', async ({ fixture, expect }) => {
+    const name = skillName();
+    /* Four UTF-8 bytes per estimated token, so this body lands one
+       token past the 5000 the spec recommends for the instructions
+       tier. One line, so a line count can't stand in for it. */
+    const result = await fixture.run({
+      files: {
+        [`skills/${name}/SKILL.md`]: skill(
+          [
+            `name: ${name}`,
+            `description: ${faker.lorem.sentence()}`,
+          ],
+          ['# Example skill', '', 'word'.repeat(5001), ''],
+        ),
+      },
+    });
+
+    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/max-tokens/v);
+    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/Maximum recommended is 5000/v);
+  });
+
+  /* The recommended config gates length on tokens alone. `max-lines`
+     still ships, but a repo has to opt into it, so a long file of cheap
+     lines lints clean. */
+  it('does not cap file by line count', async ({ fixture, expect }) => {
     const name = skillName();
     const lines = Array.from(
       { length: 600 },
@@ -167,12 +191,12 @@ describe.concurrent('SKILL.md validation', () => {
             `name: ${name}`,
             `description: ${faker.lorem.sentence()}`,
           ],
-          [...lines, ''],
+          ['# Example skill', '', ...lines, ''],
         ),
       },
     });
 
-    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/max-lines/v);
-    expect(result.stdout).toMatch(/Maximum allowed is 500/v);
+    expect(result).toMatchObject({ exitCode: 0 });
+    expect(result.stdout).not.toMatch(/max-lines/v);
   });
 });
diff --git a/packages/eslint-config/src/plugins/agent-skills.ts b/packages/eslint-config/src/plugins/agent-skills.ts
index b89c7c5b..a9b8dfa9 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-config/src/plugins/agent-skills.ts
+++ b/packages/eslint-config/src/plugins/agent-skills.ts
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ const toSources = (
 
 /**
  * Agent Skills `SKILL.md` validation. Delegates the entire wiring
- * (frontmatter schema rule, name-matches-dir rule, file-length cap)
+ * (frontmatter schema rule, name-matches-dir rule, token budget)
  * to the plugin's recommended flat-config block, then layers on the
  * frontmatter extensions of whichever hosts are selected.
  */
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/README.md b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/README.md
index d531ea5c..8901db46 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/README.md
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/README.md
@@ -19,17 +19,19 @@ constraints that pure schemas can't express. This package ships:
     spec's "one level deep" depth guidance.
   - `agent-skills/max-lines` — markdown-aware version of core's
     `max-lines` that fires under any markdown parser/language.
-  - `agent-skills/max-tokens` — the `SKILL.md` body must stay under
-    the spec's recommended instruction-tier token budget.
+  - `agent-skills/max-tokens` — a markdown body must stay under an
+    estimated token budget, defaulting to the spec's recommended
+    instruction-tier figure.
   - `agent-skills/min-evals` — each skill must ship at least N
     eval cases in `evals/evals.json`.
   - `agent-skills/evals-schema` — `evals/evals.json` matches the
     canonical schema, with sequential unique `id` values and a
     `skill_name` that matches the sibling `SKILL.md`.
 - A `configs.recommended` flat-config that wires the plugin's rules
-  for `**/skills/*/SKILL.md` (500 lines, 5000 estimated tokens),
-  `**/skills/*/references/**/*.md` (a tighter 300-line `max-lines`
-  cap, no token cap), and `**/skills/*/evals/evals.json`.
+  for `**/skills/*/SKILL.md` (5000 estimated tokens),
+  `**/skills/*/references/**/*.md` (a 5000-token backstop), and
+  `**/skills/*/evals/evals.json`. Length is gated on tokens alone;
+  `max-lines` ships but is opt-in.
 - A `defineSkillFrontmatterConfig` composer that overlays the
   frontmatter extensions of one or more agent hosts.
 
@@ -234,17 +236,28 @@ Caps a markdown file at a maximum line count. Mirrors core ESLint's
 rule's `Program` visitor never runs against `@eslint/markdown`'s
 `root` mdast node).
 
-The recommended config applies it twice, with different caps for
-different file roles per the spec's
-[Progressive disclosure](https://agentskills.io/specification#progressive-disclosure)
-guidance:
+**Not enabled by `configs.recommended`** — opt in explicitly if you
+want it. It remains exported because the spec does state a line figure
+("Keep your main `SKILL.md` under 500 lines."), so a repo that wants
+that enforced literally can wire it:
+
+```js
+{
+  files: ['**/skills/*/SKILL.md'],
+  rules: { 'agent-skills/max-lines': ['warn', { max: 500 }] },
+}
+```
+
+The recommended config gates length on `max-tokens` alone. Both rules
+proxy for how much context a skill costs to load, and tokens measure it
+directly. At the ~10–14 tokens per line typical of prose skills, 500
+lines works out to 5200–7000 tokens, so `max-tokens` is the one that
+fires. The line cap leads only below ~10 tokens per line — semantic line
+breaks, one-item-per-line lists, reflowed tables — and there it reports
+formatting, since none of those change what the agent loads.
 
-- `**/skills/*/SKILL.md` — 500 lines ("Keep your main `SKILL.md` under
-  500 lines.").
-- `**/skills/*/references/**/*.md` — 300 lines, since the spec calls
-  for ancillary reference files to be focused and smaller than
-  `SKILL.md`. 300 sits just above the p90 line count observed across
-  popular published skills.
+Note that this rule counts physical lines: there is no
+`skipBlankLines` / `skipComments` equivalent to core's `max-lines`.
 
 Options:
 
@@ -256,19 +269,19 @@ Caps the `SKILL.md` body at a maximum estimated token count, per the
 spec's
 [Progressive disclosure](https://agentskills.io/specification#progressive-disclosure)
 budget for the instructions tier ("**Instructions** (< 5000 tokens
-recommended)"). The recommended config applies it to
-`**/skills/*/SKILL.md` only — the spec names a token figure for that
-tier alone, and gives none for `references/`.
+recommended)").
+
+The recommended config applies it to `**/skills/*/SKILL.md` and to
+`**/skills/*/references/**/*.md`, both at 5000. On `SKILL.md` that is
+the spec's own figure. On `references/` it is a backstop rather than a
+spec limit — the spec caps no reference file, so the threshold worth
+flagging is a reference file that costs more to load than the entire
+instructions tier it was split out of.
 
 Frontmatter is excluded from the count. The spec accounts for `name`
 and `description` separately, as the ~100-token metadata tier loaded at
 startup, so a long description shouldn't eat the instruction budget.
 
-This complements `max-lines` rather than duplicating it. The two catch
-different shapes of the same problem: a table- or code-heavy skill can
-sit well under 500 lines and still blow the token budget, and a skill
-of many short lines can do the reverse.
-
 Options:
 
 - `max` — maximum estimated token count. Defaults to `5000`.
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/index.ts b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/index.ts
index e77d4479..11fa89b1 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/index.ts
@@ -93,7 +93,15 @@ export const configs: {
       },
       rules: {
         'agent-skills/file-references': 'warn',
-        'agent-skills/max-lines': ['warn', { max: 500 }],
+        /*
+         * `max-lines` is deliberately absent, though the spec does say
+         * "Keep your main `SKILL.md` under 500 lines". At the ~10-14
+         * tokens/line typical of prose skills, 500 lines is 5200-7000
+         * tokens, so `max-tokens` is the one that fires; the line cap
+         * leads only below ~10 tokens/line, where semantic line breaks
+         * or dense lists raise it without changing what the agent loads.
+         * The rule stays exported for repos wanting the spec's figure.
+         */
         'agent-skills/max-tokens': ['warn', { max: 5000 }],
         'agent-skills/min-evals': 'warn',
         'agent-skills/name-matches-dir': 'warn',
@@ -105,7 +113,15 @@ export const configs: {
       language: 'markdown/commonmark',
       plugins: { 'agent-skills': plugin, markdown },
       rules: {
-        'agent-skills/max-lines': ['warn', { max: 300 }],
+        /*
+         * A backstop, not a spec limit. Nothing upstream caps a
+         * reference file: the spec's third tier is "Resources (as
+         * needed)" and `skill-creator` calls bundled resources
+         * "unlimited, loaded as needed". What is still worth flagging is
+         * one costing more to load than the instructions tier it was
+         * split out of — hence the same 5000 tokens.
+         */
+        'agent-skills/max-tokens': ['warn', { max: 5000 }],
       },
     },
     {
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/rules/max-tokens.ts b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/rules/max-tokens.ts
index b4d3c7e7..f83647f1 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/rules/max-tokens.ts
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/src/rules/max-tokens.ts
@@ -83,9 +83,10 @@ const measureBody = (
  * as the ~100-token metadata tier loaded at startup, so a long
  * description shouldn't eat the instruction budget.
  *
- * Complements `max-lines` rather than duplicating it — a table- or
- * code-heavy skill can sit well under 500 lines and still blow the
- * token budget, and a skill of many short lines can do the reverse.
+ * Supersedes `max-lines` in the recommended config rather than
+ * complementing it: both proxy for context cost and this one measures
+ * it directly, so at typical prose density the line cap cannot fire
+ * first, and where it does move independently it reports formatting.
  *
  * The count is an estimate — see `bytesPerToken` for how it is derived
  * and where it stops holding. Every agent host tokenizes differently
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/test/max-lines.test.ts b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/test/max-lines.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c5ae3f36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/test/max-lines.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import { RuleTester } from 'eslint';
+import { describe, it } from 'vitest';
+import { maxLines } from '#src/rules/max-lines.js';
+import * as parser from './parser.js';
+
+const ruleTester = new RuleTester({
+  languageOptions: { parser },
+});
+
+const filename = '/repo/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md';
+
+/* Numbered so a miscount shows up as the wrong number in the message
+   rather than as an off-by-one nobody can see. */
+const body = (lineCount: number): string => Array
+  .from({ length: lineCount }, (_unused, index) => `Line ${(index + 1).toString()}.`)
+  .join('\n');
+
+describe.concurrent('agent-skills/max-lines', () => {
+  it('passes when the file is at the limit', ({ expect }) => {
+    expect(() => {
+      ruleTester.run('agent-skills/max-lines', maxLines, {
+        invalid: [],
+        valid: [{ code: body(500), filename }],
+      });
+    }).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it('flags when the file exceeds the limit', ({ expect }) => {
+    expect(() => {
+      ruleTester.run('agent-skills/max-lines', maxLines, {
+        invalid: [
+          {
+            code: body(501),
+            errors: [{ message: /501.*Maximum allowed is 500/v }],
+            filename,
+          },
+        ],
+        valid: [],
+      });
+    }).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it('honors an explicit max option', ({ expect }) => {
+    expect(() => {
+      ruleTester.run('agent-skills/max-lines', maxLines, {
+        invalid: [
+          {
+            code: body(11),
+            errors: [{ message: /11.*Maximum allowed is 10/v }],
+            filename,
+            options: [{ max: 10 }],
+          },
+        ],
+        valid: [{ code: body(10), filename, options: [{ max: 10 }] }],
+      });
+    }).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  /* Unlike core's `max-lines`, this rule takes the file's physical line
+     count — there is no `skipBlankLines`/`skipComments` equivalent, so
+     structural lines are counted like any other. */
+  it('counts blank lines', ({ expect }) => {
+    expect(() => {
+      ruleTester.run('agent-skills/max-lines', maxLines, {
+        invalid: [
+          {
+            code: '\n'.repeat(10),
+            errors: [{ message: /11.*Maximum allowed is 10/v }],
+            filename,
+            options: [{ max: 10 }],
+          },
+        ],
+        valid: [],
+      });
+    }).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  it('reports from the first line past the limit to end of file', ({ expect }) => {
+    expect(() => {
+      ruleTester.run('agent-skills/max-lines', maxLines, {
+        invalid: [
+          {
+            code: 'a\nb\nc',
+            errors: [{
+              column: 1,
+              endColumn: 2,
+              endLine: 3,
+              line: 3,
+              messageId: 'tooLong',
+            }],
+            filename,
+            options: [{ max: 2 }],
+          },
+        ],
+        valid: [],
+      });
+    }).not.toThrow();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/test/recommended.test.ts b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/test/recommended.test.ts
index 547dc5be..632d5bf6 100644
--- a/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/test/recommended.test.ts
+++ b/packages/eslint-plugin-agent-skills/test/recommended.test.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ const buildBody = (lineCount: number): string => Array
   .from({ length: lineCount }, (_unused, index) => `Line ${(index + 1).toString()}.`)
   .join('\n');
 
+/* One estimated token per 4 characters. Kept on a single line so a line
+   count can never stand in for the token count being asserted. */
+const buildTokens = (tokenCount: number): string => 'word'.repeat(tokenCount);
+
 const lint = (
   code: string,
   filename = referencesFile,
@@ -33,37 +37,37 @@ const maxTokensMessages = (
 
 const frontmatter = '---\nname: my-skill\ndescription: ok.\n---\n';
 
-/* One estimated token per 4 characters. Kept on a single line so the
-   500-line `max-lines` cap can't fire alongside the token cap. */
-const buildTokens = (tokenCount: number): string => 'word'.repeat(tokenCount);
-
-describe('configs.recommended references/ max-lines', () => {
-  it('passes when the file is at the 300-line limit', ({ expect }) => {
-    const messages = maxLinesMessages(lint(buildBody(300)));
+describe('configs.recommended references/ max-tokens', () => {
+  it('passes when the file is at the 5000-token limit', ({ expect }) => {
+    const messages = maxTokensMessages(lint(buildTokens(5000)));
 
     expect(messages).toStrictEqual([]);
   });
 
-  it('flags when the file exceeds the 300-line limit', ({ expect }) => {
-    const [message, ...rest] = maxLinesMessages(lint(buildBody(301)));
+  it('flags when the file exceeds the 5000-token limit', ({ expect }) => {
+    const [message, ...rest] = maxTokensMessages(
+      lint(`${buildTokens(5000)}over`),
+    );
 
     expect(rest).toStrictEqual([]);
-    expect(message?.message).toMatch(/301.*Maximum allowed is 300/v);
+    expect(message?.message).toMatch(/~5001 tokens.*recommended is 5000/v);
     expect(message?.severity).toBe(1);
   });
 
   it('honors a top-of-file eslint-disable HTML comment', ({ expect }) => {
     const code =
-      '<!-- eslint-disable agent-skills/max-lines -->\n' +
-      buildBody(500);
+      '<!-- eslint-disable agent-skills/max-tokens -->\n' +
+      buildTokens(6000);
 
-    const messages = maxLinesMessages(lint(code));
+    const messages = maxTokensMessages(lint(code));
 
     expect(messages).toStrictEqual([]);
   });
 
-  it('does not apply the 300-line cap to SKILL.md', ({ expect }) => {
-    const messages = maxLinesMessages(lint(buildBody(400), skillFile));
+  /* The spec caps the instructions tier but leaves resources "as needed",
+     so a reference file is bounded by context cost alone. */
+  it('does not cap references/ by line count', ({ expect }) => {
+    const messages = maxLinesMessages(lint(buildBody(400)));
 
     expect(messages).toStrictEqual([]);
   });
@@ -88,8 +92,14 @@ describe('configs.recommended SKILL.md max-tokens', () => {
     expect(message?.severity).toBe(1);
   });
 
-  it('does not apply a token cap to references/', ({ expect }) => {
-    const messages = maxTokensMessages(lint(buildTokens(6000)));
+  /* `max-lines` stays exported for repos that want the spec's 500-line
+     figure enforced literally, but the recommended config gates on
+     tokens alone — see the rule's own docs for why the two aren't the
+     complementary pair they look like. */
+  it('does not cap SKILL.md by line count', ({ expect }) => {
+    const messages = maxLinesMessages(
+      lint(frontmatter + buildBody(600), skillFile),
+    );
 
     expect(messages).toStrictEqual([]);
   });