diff --git a/cheddahbot/tools/press_release.py b/cheddahbot/tools/press_release.py
index 314c9c5..e69b33e 100644
--- a/cheddahbot/tools/press_release.py
+++ b/cheddahbot/tools/press_release.py
@@ -49,11 +49,19 @@ def _set_status(ctx: dict | None, message: str) -> None:
 
 
 def _load_skill(filename: str) -> str:
-    """Read a markdown skill file from the skills/ directory."""
+    """Read a markdown skill file from the skills/ directory, stripping frontmatter."""
     path = _SKILLS_DIR / filename
     if not path.exists():
         raise FileNotFoundError(f"Skill file not found: {path}")
-    return path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    text = path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+    # Strip YAML frontmatter (--- ... ---) if present
+    if text.startswith("---"):
+        end = text.find("---", 3)
+        if end != -1:
+            text = text[end + 3 :].strip()
+
+    return text
 
 
 def _load_file_if_exists(path: Path) -> str: