diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index d879086..4f95b6d 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 
 We love contributions! This guide will help you get started quickly.
 
+> Editing this file? `pnpm lint` checks that every `pnpm` script and repo path
+> named here still exists.
+
 ## What is this project?
 
 TrakRF Docs is the documentation site for the TrakRF platform, built with [Docusaurus](https://docusaurus.io/). It covers product documentation, API references, guides, and tutorials.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 22bbbb5..53a343f 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -8,12 +8,13 @@
     "build": "docusaurus build",
     "serve": "docusaurus serve --host 0.0.0.0",
     "typecheck": "tsc",
-    "lint": "prettier --check .",
+    "lint": "prettier --check . && node scripts/check-contributing.mjs",
     "lint:fix": "prettier --write .",
     "clear": "docusaurus clear",
     "swizzle": "docusaurus swizzle",
     "write-translations": "docusaurus write-translations",
-    "write-heading-ids": "docusaurus write-heading-ids"
+    "write-heading-ids": "docusaurus write-heading-ids",
+    "check:contributing": "node scripts/check-contributing.mjs"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@docusaurus/core": "3.9.2",
diff --git a/scripts/check-contributing.mjs b/scripts/check-contributing.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d8b4dd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-contributing.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+// Gives CONTRIBUTING.md a consumer.
+//
+// Nothing read that file, so it rotted: dead `cp` commands, branch conventions
+// nobody followed, a rule contradicting CLAUDE.md. Staleness announces itself
+// when someone follows an instruction and it fails — but only if someone does.
+// This is that someone. Run from `pnpm lint`, so the validate gate catches drift.
+
+import { readFileSync, existsSync } from "node:fs";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { dirname, join, resolve } from "node:path";
+
+const repoRoot = resolve(dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..");
+const docPath = join(repoRoot, "CONTRIBUTING.md");
+
+// pnpm subcommands that are pnpm's own, not this repo's scripts.
+const PNPM_BUILTINS = new Set([
+  "install",
+  "add",
+  "remove",
+  "update",
+  "dlx",
+  "exec",
+  "run",
+  "why",
+  "outdated",
+  "audit",
+  "store",
+  "list",
+  "test",
+  "start",
+  "publish",
+]);
+
+// Things that look like paths but are not repo files: URLs, placeholders, and
+// absolute paths — a leading slash means an API route (`/api/v1/`), not a file.
+const NOT_REPO_PATHS = /^(https?:|\/|<|YOUR_|\.\.?$|node_modules)/;
+
+const text = readFileSync(docPath, "utf8");
+const problems = [];
+
+// --- pnpm scripts -----------------------------------------------------------
+const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(join(repoRoot, "package.json"), "utf8"));
+const scripts = new Set(Object.keys(pkg.scripts ?? {}));
+
+for (const [, name] of text.matchAll(/\bpnpm\s+([a-z][a-z0-9:_-]*)/gi)) {
+  if (PNPM_BUILTINS.has(name) || scripts.has(name)) continue;
+  problems.push(`pnpm script "${name}" is referenced but not in package.json`);
+}
+
+// --- repo-relative paths in inline code spans -------------------------------
+// Only inline spans: fenced blocks and prose carry examples, not claims.
+const inlineCode = [...text.matchAll(/`([^`\n]+)`/g)].map((m) => m[1].trim());
+
+// A span is a path claim only if it ends in a known file extension or a
+// trailing slash. Anything looser also matches branch-name examples such as
+// `docs/tra-0000-update-getting-started`, which are illustrations rather than
+// claims — and a check that fails on a correct file is a check someone turns
+// off.
+const FILE_EXT = /\.(md|json|ts|tsx|js|mjs|yml|yaml|sql|sh)$/;
+
+for (const span of inlineCode) {
+  const looksLikePath = FILE_EXT.test(span) || span.endsWith("/");
+  if (!looksLikePath || NOT_REPO_PATHS.test(span)) continue;
+  if (!existsSync(join(repoRoot, span))) {
+    problems.push(`path \`${span}\` is referenced but does not exist`);
+  }
+}
+
+// --- report -----------------------------------------------------------------
+if (problems.length > 0) {
+  console.error("CONTRIBUTING.md references things that no longer exist:\n");
+  for (const p of [...new Set(problems)]) console.error(`  - ${p}`);
+  console.error(
+    "\nFix the file or the reference. This check exists because nothing else\n" +
+      "reads CONTRIBUTING.md, so drift here is otherwise silent.",
+  );
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+console.log("CONTRIBUTING.md: all referenced scripts and paths resolve.");