diff --git a/packages/plugins/sdk/src/testing.ts b/packages/plugins/sdk/src/testing.ts
index 0deb99eaab0..ce2e2d409a7 100644
--- a/packages/plugins/sdk/src/testing.ts
+++ b/packages/plugins/sdk/src/testing.ts
@@ -1275,6 +1275,7 @@ export function createTestHarness(options: TestHarnessOptions): TestHarness {
           } satisfies PluginManagedSkillResolution;
         },
         async reset(skillKey, companyId) {
+          requireCapability(manifest, capabilitySet, "skills.managed");
           const existing = await this.get(skillKey, companyId);
           const declaration = manifest.skills?.find((skill) => skill.skillKey === skillKey);
           if (!declaration) return existing;
diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/plugin-managed-skills.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/plugin-managed-skills.test.ts
index 0cb6ddf89ad..deb82643ed2 100644
--- a/server/src/__tests__/plugin-managed-skills.test.ts
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/plugin-managed-skills.test.ts
@@ -174,6 +174,25 @@ describeEmbeddedPostgres("plugin-managed skills", () => {
     expect(reset.skill?.markdown).toContain("key: \"plugin/paperclip-managed-skills-test/wiki-maintainer\"");
   });
 
+  it("does not rewrite managed skill bindings when defaults are unchanged", async () => {
+    const { companyId, services } = await seedCompanyAndPlugin();
+    const created = await services.skills.managedReconcile({ companyId, skillKey: "wiki-maintainer" });
+    expect(created.skillId).toBeTruthy();
+
+    const [binding] = await db.select().from(pluginManagedResources);
+    const oldUpdatedAt = new Date("2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z");
+    await db
+      .update(pluginManagedResources)
+      .set({ updatedAt: oldUpdatedAt })
+      .where(eq(pluginManagedResources.id, binding.id));
+
+    const reconciled = await services.skills.managedReconcile({ companyId, skillKey: "wiki-maintainer" });
+    const [bindingAfter] = await db.select().from(pluginManagedResources);
+
+    expect(reconciled.status).toBe("resolved");
+    expect(bindingAfter.updatedAt.toISOString()).toBe(oldUpdatedAt.toISOString());
+  });
+
   it("relinks an existing canonical skill without overwriting operator edits", async () => {
     const { companyId, services } = await seedCompanyAndPlugin();
     const created = await services.skills.managedReconcile({ companyId, skillKey: "wiki-maintainer" });
diff --git a/server/src/__tests__/plugin-sdk-testing.test.ts b/server/src/__tests__/plugin-sdk-testing.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b3efa7e19cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/server/src/__tests__/plugin-sdk-testing.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import type { PaperclipPluginManifestV1 } from "@paperclipai/shared";
+import { createTestHarness } from "@paperclipai/plugin-sdk/testing";
+
+describe("plugin SDK test harness", () => {
+  it("requires skills.managed capability before resetting a missing declaration", async () => {
+    const manifest: PaperclipPluginManifestV1 = {
+      id: "paperclip.test-missing-managed-skill-capability",
+      apiVersion: 1,
+      version: "0.1.0",
+      displayName: "Missing Managed Skill Capability",
+      description: "Test plugin",
+      author: "Paperclip",
+      categories: ["automation"],
+      capabilities: [],
+      entrypoints: { worker: "./dist/worker.js" },
+      skills: [{
+        skillKey: "wiki-maintainer",
+        displayName: "Wiki Maintainer",
+      }],
+    };
+    const harness = createTestHarness({ manifest });
+
+    await expect(harness.ctx.skills.managed.reset("unknown-skill", "company-1")).rejects.toThrow(
+      "missing required capability 'skills.managed'",
+    );
+  });
+});
diff --git a/server/src/services/plugin-managed-skills.ts b/server/src/services/plugin-managed-skills.ts
index 6610f6cb464..0d6ca9c3549 100644
--- a/server/src/services/plugin-managed-skills.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/plugin-managed-skills.ts
@@ -122,6 +122,17 @@ function buildSkillDefaults(
   };
 }
 
+function stableJson(value: unknown): string {
+  if (Array.isArray(value)) return `[${value.map(stableJson).join(",")}]`;
+  if (value && typeof value === "object") {
+    return `{${Object.entries(value as Record<string, unknown>)
+      .sort(([left], [right]) => left.localeCompare(right))
+      .map(([key, entry]) => `${JSON.stringify(key)}:${stableJson(entry)}`)
+      .join(",")}}`;
+  }
+  return JSON.stringify(value);
+}
+
 function resolution(
   pluginKey: string,
   companyId: string,
@@ -177,6 +188,12 @@ export function pluginManagedSkillService(
     const defaultsJson = buildSkillDefaults(options.pluginKey, declaration);
     const existing = await getBinding(companyId, declaration.skillKey);
     if (existing) {
+      if (
+        existing.resourceId === skillId &&
+        stableJson(existing.defaultsJson) === stableJson(defaultsJson)
+      ) {
+        return existing;
+      }
       return db
         .update(pluginManagedResources)
         .set({