@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
                 "error":   "<error description>",
                 "suggest": "<how to fix>",
                 "fix":     "<the corrected value when the fix is unambiguous; else empty>",
+                "reason":  "<why a skipped check did not run, when known; else empty>",
             },
             ...
         ]
 
@@ -147,6 +147,9 @@ class CheckOutcome:
     fix: str = ""
     rule_id: str = ""
     docs_url: str = ""
+    # Why a skipped check did not run, when commit-check knows (the author
+    # is on an ``ignore_authors`` list); empty otherwise.
+    reason: str = ""
 
     def to_dict(self) -> dict[str, str]:
         """Serialise to a plain dict (suitable for JSON encoding)."""
@@ -159,6 +162,7 @@ def to_dict(self) -> dict[str, str]:
             "suggest": self.suggest,
             "fix": self.fix,
             "docs_url": self.docs_url,
+            "reason": self.reason,
         }
 
 
@@ -221,6 +225,10 @@ def __init__(self, rule: ValidationRule):
         # collection. Text-mode validation skips the extra lookups (e.g. a
         # git subprocess for the branch name) and keeps values empty.
         self._collect_value: bool = False
+        # Why the rule declined to run, when the reason is something the
+        # user configured (an ignored author). A bare "skipped" leaves the
+        # reader guessing whether the policy was bypassed on purpose.
+        self._skip_reason: str = ""
 
     @abstractmethod
     def validate(self, context: ValidationContext) -> ValidationResult:
@@ -300,6 +308,7 @@ def _author_in_ignore_list(self, context: ValidationContext) -> bool:
 
         current_author = self._resolve_current_author(context)
         if current_author and current_author in ignore_authors:
+            self._skip_reason = f"author {current_author} is in [commit].ignore_authors"
             return True
 
         # Check co-authors from the commit message body
@@ -312,7 +321,13 @@ def _author_in_ignore_list(self, context: ValidationContext) -> bool:
             message,
             re.MULTILINE,
         )
-        return any(co_author.strip() in ignore_authors for co_author in co_authors)
+        for co_author in co_authors:
+            if co_author.strip() in ignore_authors:
+                self._skip_reason = (
+                    f"co-author {co_author.strip()} is in [commit].ignore_authors"
+                )
+                return True
+        return False
 
     @staticmethod
     def _get_commit_body(context: ValidationContext) -> str:
@@ -362,6 +377,9 @@ def _should_skip_branch_validation(self, context: ValidationContext) -> bool:
         if ignore_authors:
             current_author = self._resolve_current_author(context)
             if current_author and current_author in ignore_authors:
+                self._skip_reason = (
+                    f"author {current_author} is in [branch].ignore_authors"
+                )
                 return True
         return context.piped_name is None and not has_commits()
 
@@ -1727,6 +1745,7 @@ def validate_all_detailed(self, context: ValidationContext) -> list[CheckOutcome
                         value="" if skipped else (validator._checked_value or ""),
                         rule_id=rule.rule_id or "",
                         docs_url=rule.docs_url or "",
+                        reason=validator._skip_reason if skipped else "",
                     )
                 )
 
 
@@ -552,6 +552,9 @@ def test_branch_ignored_author_uses_commit_author_when_no_stdin(self):
             result = validator.validate(context)
         # Skipped — the commit's author (dependabot[bot]) is in ignore_authors
         assert result == ValidationResult.SKIP
+        assert validator._skip_reason == (
+            "author dependabot[bot] is in [branch].ignore_authors"
+        )
 
 
 class TestAuthorValidator:
@@ -1722,6 +1725,29 @@ def test_validate_all_detailed_branch_reports_branch_name(self):
         outcomes = engine.validate_all_detailed(context)
         assert outcomes[0].status == "pass"
         assert outcomes[0].value == "feature/add-login"
+        assert outcomes[0].reason == ""
+
+    @pytest.mark.benchmark
+    def test_validate_all_detailed_skip_reports_ignored_author(self):
+        """A check skipped for an ignored author says so, not just "skip"."""
+        rules = [ValidationRule(check="message", regex=r"^feat:")]
+        engine = ValidationEngine(rules)
+        context = ValidationContext(
+            rev="HEAD",
+            config={"commit": {"ignore_authors": ["dependabot[bot]"]}},
+        )
+
+        with patch(
+            "commit_check.engine.get_commit_info", return_value="dependabot[bot]"
+        ):
+            outcomes = engine.validate_all_detailed(context)
+
+        assert outcomes[0].status == "skip"
+        assert outcomes[0].value == ""
+        assert outcomes[0].reason == (
+            "author dependabot[bot] is in [commit].ignore_authors"
+        )
+        assert outcomes[0].to_dict()["reason"] == outcomes[0].reason
 
     @pytest.mark.benchmark
     def test_validation_engine_validate_all_fail(self):
@@ -2193,6 +2219,9 @@ def test_co_author_in_ignore_list_skips_validation(self):
         with patch("commit_check.engine.get_commit_info", return_value="other-author"):
             result = validator.validate(context)
         assert result == ValidationResult.SKIP
+        assert validator._skip_reason == (
+            "co-author coderabbitai[bot] is in [commit].ignore_authors"
+        )
 
     @pytest.mark.benchmark
     def test_co_author_not_in_ignore_list_does_not_skip(self):
Original file line number	Diff line number	Diff line change
`@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@`
`29`	`29`	`"error": "<error description>",`
`30`	`30`	`"suggest": "<how to fix>",`
`31`	`31`	`"fix": "<the corrected value when the fix is unambiguous; else empty>",`
	`32`	`+ "reason": "<why a skipped check did not run, when known; else empty>",`
`32`	`33`	`},`
`33`	`34`	`...`
`34`	`35`	`]`