diff --git a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_met.test.sql b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_met.test.sql
index a3e275eb9..a0b1f4538 100644
--- a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_met.test.sql
+++ b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_met.test.sql
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ select pgflow.add_step(
   '{first}',  -- depends on first
   null, null, null, null,  -- default options
   'single',  -- step_type
-  '{"first": {"success": true}}'::jsonb,  -- condition: first.success must be true
+  '{"first": {"success": true}}'::jsonb,  -- if: first.success must be true
   'skip'  -- when_unmet
 );
 
diff --git a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_unmet_skip.test.sql b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_unmet_skip.test.sql
index 3dbf44a9a..be8c2b4ba 100644
--- a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_unmet_skip.test.sql
+++ b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/dependent_step_condition_unmet_skip.test.sql
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ select pgflow.add_step(
   '{first}',  -- depends on first
   null, null, null, null,  -- default options
   'single',  -- step_type
-  '{"first": {"success": true}}'::jsonb,  -- condition: first.success must be true
+  '{"first": {"success": true}}'::jsonb,  -- if: first.success must be true
   'skip'  -- when_unmet
 );
 
diff --git a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_iterates_until_convergence.test.sql b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_iterates_until_convergence.test.sql
index 49d43091e..faea7f191 100644
--- a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_iterates_until_convergence.test.sql
+++ b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_iterates_until_convergence.test.sql
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ select pgflow.add_step(
   '{}',  -- root step
   null, null, null, null,
   'single',
-  '{"enabled": true}'::jsonb,  -- condition: requires enabled=true
+  '{"enabled": true}'::jsonb,  -- if: requires enabled=true
   'skip'  -- plain skip
 );
 select pgflow.add_step(
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ select pgflow.add_step(
   '{step_a}',  -- depends on a
   null, null, null, null,
   'single',
-  '{"step_a": {"success": true}}'::jsonb,  -- condition: a.success must be true
+  '{"step_a": {"success": true}}'::jsonb,  -- if: a.success must be true
   'skip'  -- plain skip (won't be met since a was skipped)
 );
 select pgflow.add_step(
diff --git a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_propagates_to_map.test.sql b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_propagates_to_map.test.sql
index 7d0d31d0c..cd850c1ce 100644
--- a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_propagates_to_map.test.sql
+++ b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/plain_skip_propagates_to_map.test.sql
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ select pgflow.add_step(
   '{}',  -- root step
   null, null, null, null,  -- default options
   'single',  -- step_type
-  '{"enabled": true}'::jsonb,  -- condition: requires enabled=true
+  '{"enabled": true}'::jsonb,  -- if: requires enabled=true
   'skip'  -- when_unmet - plain skip (not skip-cascade)
 );
 -- Map consumer: no condition, just depends on producer
diff --git a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/skipped_deps_excluded_from_input.test.sql b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/skipped_deps_excluded_from_input.test.sql
index 8d3380d4f..abcdd5bb1 100644
--- a/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/skipped_deps_excluded_from_input.test.sql
+++ b/pkgs/core/supabase/tests/condition_evaluation/skipped_deps_excluded_from_input.test.sql
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ select pgflow.add_step(
   '{}',  -- root step
   null, null, null, null,
   'single',
-  '{"enabled": true}'::jsonb,  -- condition: requires enabled=true
+  '{"enabled": true}'::jsonb,  -- if: requires enabled=true
   'skip'  -- plain skip
 );
 select pgflow.add_step(
diff --git a/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/extract-flow-steps.test-d.ts b/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/extract-flow-steps.test-d.ts
index 6b8143703..ed5f3f92e 100644
--- a/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/extract-flow-steps.test-d.ts
+++ b/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/extract-flow-steps.test-d.ts
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
-import { Flow, type ExtractFlowSteps } from '../../src/index.js';
+import { Flow, type ExtractFlowSteps, type StepOutput } from '../../src/index.js';
 import { describe, it, expectTypeOf } from 'vitest';
 
+// ExtractFlowSteps returns step slugs as keys
+// Use StepOutput<> to get the output type from a step
 describe('ExtractFlowSteps utility type', () => {
-  it('should correctly extract steps from a flow with defined input', () => {
+  it('should correctly extract step slugs from a flow', () => {
     const flow = new Flow<{ userId: number }>({ slug: 'user_flow' })
       .step({ slug: 'fetchUser' }, () => ({ name: 'John', age: 30 }))
       .step({ slug: 'fetchPosts', dependsOn: ['fetchUser'] }, () => [
@@ -12,15 +14,17 @@ describe('ExtractFlowSteps utility type', () => {
 
     type Steps = ExtractFlowSteps<typeof flow>;
 
-    expectTypeOf<Steps>().toMatchTypeOf<{
-      fetchUser: { name: string; age: number };
-      fetchPosts: Array<{ id: number; title: string }>;
-    }>();
+    // Keys are step slugs
+    expectTypeOf<keyof Steps>().toEqualTypeOf<'fetchUser' | 'fetchPosts'>();
 
-    // ensure it doesn't extract non-existent fields
-    expectTypeOf<Steps>().not.toMatchTypeOf<{
-      nonExistentStep: number;
+    // Use StepOutput to get output types (public API)
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof flow, 'fetchUser'>>().toMatchTypeOf<{
+      name: string;
+      age: number;
     }>();
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof flow, 'fetchPosts'>>().toMatchTypeOf<
+      Array<{ id: number; title: string }>
+    >();
   });
 
   it('should work with AnyFlow to extract steps from a generic flow', () => {
@@ -31,15 +35,14 @@ describe('ExtractFlowSteps utility type', () => {
 
     type Steps = ExtractFlowSteps<typeof anyFlow>;
 
-    expectTypeOf<Steps>().toMatchTypeOf<{
-      step1: number;
-      step2: string;
-      step3: { complex: { nested: boolean } };
-    }>();
+    // Keys are step slugs
+    expectTypeOf<keyof Steps>().toEqualTypeOf<'step1' | 'step2' | 'step3'>();
 
-    // ensure it doesn't extract non-existent fields
-    expectTypeOf<Steps>().not.toMatchTypeOf<{
-      nonExistentStep: number;
+    // Use StepOutput to verify output types
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof anyFlow, 'step1'>>().toEqualTypeOf<number>();
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof anyFlow, 'step2'>>().toEqualTypeOf<string>();
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof anyFlow, 'step3'>>().toMatchTypeOf<{
+      complex: { nested: boolean };
     }>();
   });
 
@@ -59,16 +62,15 @@ describe('ExtractFlowSteps utility type', () => {
 
     type Steps = ExtractFlowSteps<typeof primitiveFlow>;
 
-    expectTypeOf<Steps>().toMatchTypeOf<{
-      numberStep: number;
-      stringStep: string;
-      booleanStep: boolean;
-      nullStep: null;
-    }>();
+    // Keys are step slugs
+    expectTypeOf<keyof Steps>().toEqualTypeOf<
+      'numberStep' | 'stringStep' | 'booleanStep' | 'nullStep'
+    >();
 
-    // ensure it doesn't extract non-existent fields
-    expectTypeOf<Steps>().not.toMatchTypeOf<{
-      nonExistentStep: number;
-    }>();
+    // Use StepOutput to verify output types
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof primitiveFlow, 'numberStep'>>().toEqualTypeOf<number>();
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof primitiveFlow, 'stringStep'>>().toEqualTypeOf<string>();
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof primitiveFlow, 'booleanStep'>>().toEqualTypeOf<boolean>();
+    expectTypeOf<StepOutput<typeof primitiveFlow, 'nullStep'>>().toEqualTypeOf<null>();
   });
 });
diff --git a/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/skippable-deps.test-d.ts b/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/skippable-deps.test-d.ts
index fc7d66330..54c2a8d3e 100644
--- a/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/skippable-deps.test-d.ts
+++ b/pkgs/dsl/__tests__/types/skippable-deps.test-d.ts
@@ -438,3 +438,111 @@ describe('skippable deps type safety', () => {
     });
   });
 });
+
+/**
+ * Compile-time error tests for skippable deps
+ *
+ * These tests use @ts-expect-error to verify that TypeScript correctly
+ * rejects invalid patterns when accessing skippable dependencies.
+ */
+describe('skippable deps compile-time errors', () => {
+  describe('direct property access on optional deps', () => {
+    it('should reject direct property access on skippable dep without null check', () => {
+      new Flow<{ value: number }>({ slug: 'test' })
+        .step({ slug: 'maybeSkipped', retriesExhausted: 'skip' }, () => ({
+          data: 'result',
+        }))
+        .step({ slug: 'consumer', dependsOn: ['maybeSkipped'] }, (deps) => {
+          // @ts-expect-error - deps.maybeSkipped is optional, cannot access .data directly
+          const result: string = deps.maybeSkipped.data;
+          return { result };
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should reject direct property access with else: skip', () => {
+      new Flow<{ value: number }>({ slug: 'test' })
+        .step({ slug: 'conditional', if: { value: 42 }, else: 'skip' }, () => ({
+          processed: true,
+        }))
+        .step({ slug: 'next', dependsOn: ['conditional'] }, (deps) => {
+          // @ts-expect-error - deps.conditional is optional due to else: 'skip'
+          const flag: boolean = deps.conditional.processed;
+          return { flag };
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should reject direct property access with else: skip-cascade', () => {
+      new Flow<{ value: number }>({ slug: 'test' })
+        .step(
+          { slug: 'cascading', if: { value: 42 }, else: 'skip-cascade' },
+          () => ({ count: 10 })
+        )
+        .step({ slug: 'next', dependsOn: ['cascading'] }, (deps) => {
+          // @ts-expect-error - deps.cascading is optional due to else: 'skip-cascade'
+          const num: number = deps.cascading.count;
+          return { num };
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should reject direct property access with retriesExhausted: skip-cascade', () => {
+      new Flow<{ value: number }>({ slug: 'test' })
+        .step({ slug: 'risky', retriesExhausted: 'skip-cascade' }, () => ({
+          status: 'ok',
+        }))
+        .step({ slug: 'next', dependsOn: ['risky'] }, (deps) => {
+          // @ts-expect-error - deps.risky is optional due to retriesExhausted: skip-cascade
+          const s: string = deps.risky.status;
+          return { s };
+        });
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('mixed deps - optional and required', () => {
+    it('should allow direct access on required dep but reject on optional', () => {
+      new Flow<{ value: number }>({ slug: 'test' })
+        .step({ slug: 'required' }, () => ({ reqData: 'always' }))
+        .step({ slug: 'optional', retriesExhausted: 'skip' }, () => ({
+          optData: 'maybe',
+        }))
+        .step(
+          { slug: 'consumer', dependsOn: ['required', 'optional'] },
+          (deps) => {
+            // This is fine - required dep is always present
+            const req: string = deps.required.reqData;
+
+            // @ts-expect-error - deps.optional is optional, cannot access .optData directly
+            const opt: string = deps.optional.optData;
+
+            return { req, opt };
+          }
+        );
+    });
+  });
+
+  describe('array and map steps with skip modes', () => {
+    it('should reject direct access on skippable array step output', () => {
+      new Flow<{ items: string[] }>({ slug: 'test' })
+        .array({ slug: 'processed', retriesExhausted: 'skip' }, (input) =>
+          input.items.map((s) => s.toUpperCase())
+        )
+        .step({ slug: 'consumer', dependsOn: ['processed'] }, (deps) => {
+          // @ts-expect-error - deps.processed is optional, cannot access .length directly
+          const len: number = deps.processed.length;
+          return { len };
+        });
+    });
+
+    it('should reject direct access on skippable map step output', () => {
+      new Flow<string[]>({ slug: 'test' })
+        .map(
+          { slug: 'doubled', retriesExhausted: 'skip' },
+          (item) => item + item
+        )
+        .step({ slug: 'consumer', dependsOn: ['doubled'] }, (deps) => {
+          // @ts-expect-error - deps.doubled is optional, cannot access [0] directly
+          const first: string = deps.doubled[0];
+          return { first };
+        });
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/pkgs/dsl/src/dsl.ts b/pkgs/dsl/src/dsl.ts
index 8703705a2..9805f03b5 100644
--- a/pkgs/dsl/src/dsl.ts
+++ b/pkgs/dsl/src/dsl.ts
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ export interface StepRuntimeOptions extends RuntimeOptions {
   /**
    * What to do when the 'if' pattern doesn't match the input
    *
-   * @default 'fail'
+   * @default 'skip'
    *
    * @example
    * { else: 'fail' }        // Pattern doesn't match -> step fails -> run fails