diff --git a/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/SKILL.md b/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/SKILL.md
index 45c0eed81c3059..16ae145c7c290b 100644
--- a/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/SKILL.md
+++ b/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/SKILL.md
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ description: Analyze VMR codeflow PR status for dotnet repositories. Use when in
 
 # VMR Codeflow Status
 
-Analyze the health of VMR codeflow PRs (backflow from `dotnet/dotnet` to product repositories like `dotnet/sdk`).
+Analyze the health of VMR codeflow PRs in both directions:
+- **Backflow**: `dotnet/dotnet` → product repos (e.g., `dotnet/sdk`)
+- **Forward flow**: product repos → `dotnet/dotnet`
 
 ## When to Use This Skill
 
@@ -14,8 +16,8 @@ Use this skill when:
 - You need to check if a specific fix has flowed through the VMR pipeline to a codeflow PR
 - A PR has a Maestro staleness warning ("codeflow cannot continue") or conflict
 - You need to understand what manual commits would be lost if a codeflow PR is closed
-- You want to know if expected backflow PRs are missing for a repo/branch
-- Asked questions like "is this codeflow PR up to date", "has the runtime revert reached this PR", "why is the codeflow blocked"
+- You want to check the overall state of flow for a repo (backflow and forward flow health)
+- Asked questions like "is this codeflow PR up to date", "has the runtime revert reached this PR", "why is the codeflow blocked", "what is the state of flow for the sdk"
 
 ## Quick Start
 
@@ -29,7 +31,7 @@ Use this skill when:
 # Show individual VMR commits that are missing
 ./scripts/Get-CodeflowStatus.ps1 -PRNumber 52727 -Repository "dotnet/sdk" -ShowCommits
 
-# Check if any backflow PRs are missing for a repo
+# Check overall flow health for a repo (backflow + forward flow)
 ./scripts/Get-CodeflowStatus.ps1 -Repository "dotnet/roslyn" -CheckMissing
 
 # Check a specific branch only
@@ -44,7 +46,7 @@ Use this skill when:
 | `-Repository` | Target repo in `owner/repo` format (default: `dotnet/sdk`) |
 | `-TraceFix` | Trace a repo PR through the pipeline (e.g., `dotnet/runtime#123974`) |
 | `-ShowCommits` | Show individual VMR commits between PR snapshot and branch HEAD |
-| `-CheckMissing` | Check if backflow PRs are expected but missing for a repository |
+| `-CheckMissing` | Check overall flow health: missing backflow PRs and forward flow PR status |
 | `-Branch` | With `-CheckMissing`, only check a specific branch |
 
 ## What the Script Does
@@ -58,6 +60,7 @@ Use this skill when:
 7. **Traces fixes** (optional) — Checks if a specific fix has flowed through VMR → codeflow PR
 8. **Recommends actions** — Suggests force trigger, close/reopen, merge as-is, resolve conflicts, or wait
 9. **Checks for missing backflow** (optional) — Finds branches where a backflow PR should exist but doesn't
+10. **Scans forward flow** (optional) — Checks open forward flow PRs into `dotnet/dotnet` for staleness and conflicts
 
 ## Interpreting Results
 
diff --git a/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/scripts/Get-CodeflowStatus.ps1 b/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/scripts/Get-CodeflowStatus.ps1
index 50fb720837ffca..aa922126c12406 100644
--- a/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/scripts/Get-CodeflowStatus.ps1
+++ b/.github/skills/vmr-codeflow-status/scripts/Get-CodeflowStatus.ps1
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ function Invoke-GitHubApi {
             $args += '-H'
             $args += 'Accept: application/vnd.github.raw'
         }
-        $result = gh api @args 2>&1
+        $result = gh api @args 2>$null
         if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
             Write-Warning "GitHub API call failed: $Endpoint"
             return $null
@@ -186,12 +186,18 @@ if ($CheckMissing) {
         }
 
         # Get the PR body to extract VMR commit and VMR branch
-        $prDetailJson = gh pr view $lastPR.number -R $Repository --json body 2>&1
+        $prDetailJson = gh pr view $lastPR.number -R $Repository --json body 2>$null
         if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
             Write-Host "    ⚠️  Could not fetch PR #$($lastPR.number) details" -ForegroundColor Yellow
             continue
         }
-        $prDetail = ($prDetailJson -join "`n") | ConvertFrom-Json
+        try {
+            $prDetail = ($prDetailJson -join "`n") | ConvertFrom-Json
+        }
+        catch {
+            Write-Host "    ⚠️  Could not parse PR #$($lastPR.number) details" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+            continue
+        }
 
         $vmrCommitFromPR = $null
         $vmrBranchFromPR = $null
@@ -260,14 +266,96 @@ if ($CheckMissing) {
         }
     }
 
+    # --- Forward flow: check PRs from this repo into the VMR ---
+    $repoShortName = $Repository -replace '^dotnet/', ''
+    Write-Host ""
+    Write-Section "Forward flow PRs ($Repository → dotnet/dotnet)"
+
+    $fwdPRsJson = gh search prs --repo dotnet/dotnet --author "dotnet-maestro[bot]" --state open "Source code updates from dotnet/$repoShortName" --json number,title --limit 10 2>$null
+    $fwdPRs = @()
+    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0 -and $fwdPRsJson) {
+        try { $fwdPRs = ($fwdPRsJson -join "`n") | ConvertFrom-Json } catch { $fwdPRs = @() }
+    }
+    # Filter to exact repo match (avoid dotnet/sdk matching dotnet/sdk-container-builds)
+    $fwdPRs = @($fwdPRs | Where-Object { $_.title -match "from dotnet/$([regex]::Escape($repoShortName))$" })
+
+    $fwdHealthy = 0
+    $fwdStale = 0
+    $fwdConflict = 0
+
+    if ($fwdPRs.Count -eq 0) {
+        Write-Host "  No open forward flow PRs found" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+    }
+    else {
+        foreach ($fpr in $fwdPRs) {
+            $fprBranch = if ($fpr.title -match '^\[([^\]]+)\]') { $Matches[1] } else { "unknown" }
+            if ($Branch -and $fprBranch -ne $Branch) { continue }
+
+            # Get PR details for staleness/conflict check
+            $fprDetailJson = gh pr view $fpr.number -R dotnet/dotnet --json body,comments,updatedAt 2>$null
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+                Write-Host "  PR #$($fpr.number) [$fprBranch]: ⚠️  Could not fetch details" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                continue
+            }
+            try {
+                $fprDetail = ($fprDetailJson -join "`n") | ConvertFrom-Json
+            }
+            catch {
+                Write-Host "  PR #$($fpr.number) [$fprBranch]: ⚠️  Could not parse details" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                continue
+            }
+
+            # Check for staleness warnings and conflicts in comments
+            $hasStaleness = $false
+            $hasConflict = $false
+            if ($fprDetail.comments) {
+                foreach ($comment in $fprDetail.comments) {
+                    if ($comment.author.login -match '^dotnet-maestro') {
+                        if ($comment.body -match 'codeflow cannot continue|the source repository has received code changes') { $hasStaleness = $true }
+                        if ($comment.body -match 'Conflict detected') { $hasConflict = $true }
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            $status = "✅ Healthy"
+            $color = "Green"
+            if ($hasConflict) {
+                $status = "🔴 Conflict"
+                $color = "Red"
+                $fwdConflict++
+            }
+            elseif ($hasStaleness) {
+                $status = "⚠️  Stale"
+                $color = "Yellow"
+                $fwdStale++
+            }
+            else {
+                $fwdHealthy++
+            }
+
+            Write-Host "  PR #$($fpr.number) [$fprBranch]: $status" -ForegroundColor $color
+            Write-Host "    https://github.com/dotnet/dotnet/pull/$($fpr.number)" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+        }
+    }
+
     Write-Section "Summary"
-    Write-Host "  Branches with open backflow PRs: $coveredCount" -ForegroundColor Green
-    Write-Host "  Branches up to date (no PR needed): $upToDateCount" -ForegroundColor Green
+    Write-Host "  Backflow ($Repository ← dotnet/dotnet):" -ForegroundColor White
+    Write-Host "    Branches with open PRs: $coveredCount" -ForegroundColor Green
+    Write-Host "    Branches up to date: $upToDateCount" -ForegroundColor Green
     if ($missingCount -gt 0) {
-        Write-Host "  Branches MISSING backflow PRs: $missingCount" -ForegroundColor Red
+        Write-Host "    Branches MISSING backflow PRs: $missingCount" -ForegroundColor Red
     }
     else {
-        Write-Host "  No missing backflow PRs detected ✅" -ForegroundColor Green
+        Write-Host "    No missing backflow PRs ✅" -ForegroundColor Green
+    }
+    Write-Host "  Forward flow ($Repository → dotnet/dotnet):" -ForegroundColor White
+    if ($fwdPRs.Count -eq 0) {
+        Write-Host "    No open forward flow PRs" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
+    }
+    else {
+        if ($fwdHealthy -gt 0) { Write-Host "    Healthy: $fwdHealthy" -ForegroundColor Green }
+        if ($fwdStale -gt 0) { Write-Host "    Stale: $fwdStale" -ForegroundColor Yellow }
+        if ($fwdConflict -gt 0) { Write-Host "    Conflicted: $fwdConflict" -ForegroundColor Red }
     }
     return
 }
@@ -402,69 +490,101 @@ $freshnessRepoLabel = if ($isForwardFlow) { $sourceRepo } else { "VMR" }
 # Pre-load PR commits for use in validation and later analysis
 $prCommits = $pr.commits
 
-# --- Step 2b: Cross-reference PR body snapshot against actual branch commits ---
+# --- Step 2b: Determine actual VMR snapshot on the PR branch ---
+# Priority: 1) Version.Details.xml (ground truth), 2) commit messages, 3) PR body
 $branchVmrCommit = $null
+$commitMsgVmrCommit = $null
+$versionDetailsVmrCommit = $null
+
+# First: check eng/Version.Details.xml on the PR branch (authoritative source)
+if (-not $isForwardFlow) {
+    $vdContent = Invoke-GitHubApi "/repos/$Repository/contents/eng/Version.Details.xml?ref=$([System.Uri]::EscapeDataString($pr.headRefName))" -Raw
+    if ($vdContent) {
+        try {
+            [xml]$vdXml = $vdContent
+            $sourceNode = $vdXml.Dependencies.Source
+            if ($sourceNode -and $sourceNode.Sha -and $sourceNode.Sha -match '^[a-fA-F0-9]{40}$') {
+                $versionDetailsVmrCommit = $sourceNode.Sha
+                $branchVmrCommit = $versionDetailsVmrCommit
+            }
+        }
+        catch {
+            # Fall back to regex if XML parsing fails
+            if ($vdContent -match '<Source\s+[^>]*Sha="([a-fA-F0-9]{40})"') {
+                $versionDetailsVmrCommit = $Matches[1]
+                $branchVmrCommit = $versionDetailsVmrCommit
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+# Second: scan commit messages for "Backflow from" / "Forward flow from" SHAs
 if ($prCommits) {
-    # Look through PR branch commits (newest first) for "Backflow from" or "Forward flow from" messages
-    # containing the actual VMR/source SHA that was used to create the branch content
     $reversedCommits = @($prCommits)
     [Array]::Reverse($reversedCommits)
     foreach ($c in $reversedCommits) {
         $msg = $c.messageHeadline
-        # Backflow commits: "Backflow from https://github.com/dotnet/dotnet / <sha> build <id>"
         if ($msg -match '(?:Backflow|Forward flow) from .+ / ([a-fA-F0-9]+)') {
-            $branchVmrCommit = $Matches[1]
-            # Keep scanning — we want the most recent (last in original order = first in reversed)
+            $commitMsgVmrCommit = $Matches[1]
             break
         }
     }
+    # For forward flow (no Version.Details.xml source), commit messages are primary
+    if (-not $branchVmrCommit -and $commitMsgVmrCommit) {
+        $branchVmrCommit = $commitMsgVmrCommit
+    }
 }
 
 if ($branchVmrCommit -or $vmrCommit) {
     Write-Section "Snapshot Validation"
     $usedBranchSnapshot = $false
-    if ($branchVmrCommit -and $vmrCommit) {
-        $bodyShort = Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit
-        $branchShort = $branchVmrCommit  # already short from commit message
-        if ($vmrCommit.StartsWith($branchVmrCommit) -or $branchVmrCommit.StartsWith($vmrCommit)) {
-            Write-Host "  ✅ PR body snapshot ($bodyShort) matches branch commit ($branchShort)" -ForegroundColor Green
+
+    if ($branchVmrCommit) {
+        # We have a branch-derived snapshot (from Version.Details.xml or commit message)
+        $branchShort = Get-ShortSha $branchVmrCommit
+        $sourceLabel = if ($versionDetailsVmrCommit -and $branchVmrCommit -eq $versionDetailsVmrCommit) { "Version.Details.xml" } else { "branch commit" }
+
+        if ($vmrCommit) {
+            $bodyShort = Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit
+            if ($vmrCommit.StartsWith($branchVmrCommit, [StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase) -or $branchVmrCommit.StartsWith($vmrCommit, [StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
+                Write-Host "  ✅ $sourceLabel ($branchShort) matches PR body ($bodyShort)" -ForegroundColor Green
+            }
+            else {
+                Write-Host "  ⚠️  MISMATCH: $sourceLabel has $branchShort but PR body claims $bodyShort" -ForegroundColor Red
+                Write-Host "  PR body is stale — using $sourceLabel for freshness check" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+            }
+        }
+        else {
+            Write-Host "  ℹ️  PR body has no commit reference — using $sourceLabel ($branchShort)" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        }
+
+        # Resolve to full SHA for accurate comparison (skip API call if already full-length)
+        if ($branchVmrCommit.Length -ge 40) {
+            $vmrCommit = $branchVmrCommit
+            $usedBranchSnapshot = $true
         }
         else {
-            Write-Host "  ⚠️  MISMATCH: PR body claims $(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit) but branch commit references $branchVmrCommit" -ForegroundColor Red
-            Write-Host "  The PR body may be stale — using branch commit ($branchVmrCommit) for freshness check" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-            # Resolve the short SHA from the branch commit to a full SHA for accurate comparison
             $resolvedCommit = Invoke-GitHubApi "/repos/$freshnessRepo/commits/$branchVmrCommit"
             if ($resolvedCommit) {
                 $vmrCommit = $resolvedCommit.sha
                 $usedBranchSnapshot = $true
             }
+            elseif ($vmrCommit) {
+                Write-Host "  ⚠️  Could not resolve $sourceLabel SHA $branchShort — falling back to PR body ($(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit))" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+            }
             else {
-                Write-Host "  ⚠️  Could not resolve branch commit SHA $branchVmrCommit — falling back to PR body" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+                Write-Host "  ⚠️  Could not resolve $sourceLabel SHA $branchShort" -ForegroundColor Yellow
             }
         }
     }
-    elseif ($branchVmrCommit -and -not $vmrCommit) {
-        Write-Host "  ⚠️  PR body has no commit reference, but branch commit references $branchVmrCommit" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-        Write-Host "  Using branch commit for freshness check" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-        $resolvedCommit = Invoke-GitHubApi "/repos/$freshnessRepo/commits/$branchVmrCommit"
-        if ($resolvedCommit) {
-            $vmrCommit = $resolvedCommit.sha
-            $usedBranchSnapshot = $true
-        }
-    }
-    elseif ($vmrCommit -and -not $branchVmrCommit) {
+    else {
+        # No branch-derived snapshot — PR body only
         $commitCount = if ($prCommits) { $prCommits.Count } else { 0 }
-        if ($commitCount -eq 1) {
-            $firstMsg = $prCommits[0].messageHeadline
-            if ($firstMsg -match "^Initial commit for subscription") {
-                Write-Host "  ℹ️  PR has only an initial subscription commit — PR body snapshot ($(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit)) not yet verifiable from branch" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
-            }
-            else {
-                Write-Host "  ⚠️  No VMR SHA found in branch commit messages — trusting PR body ($(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit))" -ForegroundColor Yellow
-            }
+        if ($commitCount -eq 1 -and $prCommits[0].messageHeadline -match "^Initial commit for subscription") {
+            Write-Host "  ℹ️  PR has only an initial subscription commit — PR body snapshot ($(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit)) not yet verifiable" -ForegroundColor DarkGray
         }
         else {
-            Write-Host "  ⚠️  No VMR SHA found in $commitCount branch commit messages — trusting PR body ($(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit))" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+            Write-Host "  ⚠️  Could not verify PR body snapshot ($(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit)) from branch" -ForegroundColor Yellow
         }
     }
 }
@@ -485,7 +605,11 @@ if ($vmrCommit -and $vmrBranch) {
     if ($branchHead) {
         $sourceHeadSha = $branchHead.sha
         $sourceHeadDate = $branchHead.commit.committer.date
-        $snapshotSource = if ($usedBranchSnapshot) { "from branch commit" } else { "from PR body" }
+        $snapshotSource = if ($usedBranchSnapshot) {
+            if ($versionDetailsVmrCommit -and $vmrCommit.StartsWith($versionDetailsVmrCommit, [StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) { "from Version.Details.xml" }
+            elseif ($commitMsgVmrCommit) { "from branch commit" }
+            else { "from branch" }
+        } else { "from PR body" }
         Write-Status "PR snapshot" "$(Get-ShortSha $vmrCommit) ($snapshotSource)"
         Write-Status "$freshnessRepoLabel HEAD" "$(Get-ShortSha $sourceHeadSha) ($sourceHeadDate)"