diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 292b6de..ed17bc5 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -99,6 +99,12 @@ Start your agent and ask naturally:
 
 No special commands needed — the agent picks up the skill automatically.
 
+To check the installed skill version without authentication or a network request:
+
+```bash
+python skills/codealive-context-engine/scripts/get_version.py
+```
+
 ## License
 
 MIT
diff --git a/skills/codealive-context-engine/SKILL.md b/skills/codealive-context-engine/SKILL.md
index 68ae6fe..28548f7 100644
--- a/skills/codealive-context-engine/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/codealive-context-engine/SKILL.md
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ Do NOT retry the failed script until setup completes successfully.
 | **ArtifactQuery Schema** | `schema.py` | Fast | Free | Inspect supported metadata query entities, fields, and examples |
 | **Artifact Metadata Query** | `metadata.py` | Fast | Low | Read-only aggregate/query analytics across indexed repositories |
 | **Chat with Codebase** | `chat.py` | Slow | High | Stateless synthesized Q&A. Call ONLY when the user explicitly asks. |
+| **Get Version** | `get_version.py` | Instant | Free | Return the installed CodeAlive skill version as JSON; no API key or network call required |
 
 **Cost guidance:** `semantic_search` and `grep_search` are the default starting point — fast and cheap. Use `fetch_artifacts` to load full source and `get_artifact_relationships` to trace call graphs. All four tools are low-cost.
 
@@ -162,6 +163,15 @@ python scripts/chat.py "Given these prior findings and identifiers: ..., what ab
 
 ## Tool Reference
 
+### `get_version.py` — Get Installed Version
+
+Returns the installed CodeAlive Context Engine skill version as JSON. It does not require authentication or make a network request.
+
+```bash
+python scripts/get_version.py
+# {"name": "codealive-context-engine", "version": "3.0.0"}
+```
+
 ### `datasources.py` — List Data Sources
 
 ```bash
diff --git a/skills/codealive-context-engine/VERSION b/skills/codealive-context-engine/VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a36342
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skills/codealive-context-engine/VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+3.0.0
diff --git a/skills/codealive-context-engine/scripts/get_version.py b/skills/codealive-context-engine/scripts/get_version.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..44ee48c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skills/codealive-context-engine/scripts/get_version.py
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Return the installed CodeAlive Context Engine skill version."""
+
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+VERSION_FILE = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "VERSION"
+
+
+def get_version() -> str:
+    """Return the current installed skill version."""
+    return VERSION_FILE.read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip()
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    print(json.dumps({"name": "codealive-context-engine", "version": get_version()}))
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/tests/test_tool_api_v3.py b/tests/test_tool_api_v3.py
index 740479b..aa8e0f2 100644
--- a/tests/test_tool_api_v3.py
+++ b/tests/test_tool_api_v3.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ def _load_module(path: Path, name: str):
 
 
 skill_setup_module = _load_module(SKILL_ROOT / "setup.py", "codealive_skill_setup_v3")
+skill_version_module = _load_module(SKILL_ROOT / "scripts" / "get_version.py", "codealive_skill_version_v3")
 sys.path.insert(0, str(LIB_ROOT))
 from api_client import CodeAliveClient, format_codealive_error  # noqa: E402
 
@@ -38,6 +39,28 @@ def _header(headers: dict[str, str], name: str) -> str | None:
     return next((value for key, value in headers.items() if key.lower() == name.lower()), None)
 
 
+def test_get_version_matches_plugin_release_version():
+    plugin = json.loads((REPO_ROOT / ".claude-plugin" / "plugin.json").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+
+    assert skill_version_module.get_version() == "3.0.0"
+    assert skill_version_module.get_version() == plugin["version"]
+
+
+def test_get_version_script_returns_json_without_authentication():
+    result = subprocess.run(
+        [sys.executable, str(SKILL_ROOT / "scripts" / "get_version.py")],
+        check=True,
+        capture_output=True,
+        text=True,
+        env={},
+    )
+
+    assert json.loads(result.stdout) == {
+        "name": "codealive-context-engine",
+        "version": "3.0.0",
+    }
+
+
 def test_setup_normalize_base_url_accepts_origin_and_api_suffix():
     assert skill_setup_module.normalize_base_url("https://codealive.example.com") == "https://codealive.example.com"
     assert skill_setup_module.normalize_base_url("https://codealive.example.com/api") == "https://codealive.example.com"