diff --git a/skills/skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py b/skills/skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py
index 8633fe9e3..182fbc626 100644
--- a/skills/skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py
+++ b/skills/skill-creator/scripts/init_skill.py
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ def init_skill(skill_name, path, resources, include_examples):
 
     skill_md_path = skill_dir / "SKILL.md"
     try:
-        skill_md_path.write_text(skill_content)
+        skill_md_path.write_text(skill_content, encoding="utf-8")
         print("[OK] Created SKILL.md")
     except Exception as e:
         print(f"[ERROR] Error creating SKILL.md: {e}")
diff --git a/skills/skill-creator/scripts/quick_validate.py b/skills/skill-creator/scripts/quick_validate.py
index 0547b4041..1e26c24a3 100644
--- a/skills/skill-creator/scripts/quick_validate.py
+++ b/skills/skill-creator/scripts/quick_validate.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ def validate_skill(skill_path):
     if not skill_md.exists():
         return False, "SKILL.md not found"
 
-    content = skill_md.read_text()
+    content = skill_md.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
     if not content.startswith("---"):
         return False, "No YAML frontmatter found"