diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d889466..89ae4be 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
-  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.2.16-blue" alt="Version 0.2.16" />
+  <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/version-0.2.17-blue" alt="Version 0.2.17" />
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/A2A-v0.3.0-blueviolet" alt="A2A v0.3.0" />
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-green" alt="MIT License" />
   <img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/status-beta-orange" alt="Status: Beta" />
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ The protocol version is defined in a single place:
 
 ```typescript
 // protocol/src/types.ts
-export const REEF_VERSION = "0.2.16";
+export const REEF_VERSION = "0.2.17";
 export const A2A_PROTOCOL_VERSION = "0.3.0";
 ```
 
diff --git a/client/package.json b/client/package.json
index 81d2ed5..bc2d0b9 100644
--- a/client/package.json
+++ b/client/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@reef-protocol/client",
-  "version": "0.2.16",
+  "version": "0.2.17",
   "description": "Reef Protocol client — daemon, CLI, and identity management",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "dist/daemon.js",
diff --git a/client/src/app-markdown.ts b/client/src/app-markdown.ts
index e816ba2..cc022b6 100644
--- a/client/src/app-markdown.ts
+++ b/client/src/app-markdown.ts
@@ -157,6 +157,11 @@ function parseFrontmatter(text: string): FrontmatterMap {
       const items: FrontmatterMap[] = [];
       i++;
       while (i < lines.length) {
+        // Skip blank lines between array items
+        if (!lines[i].trim()) {
+          i++;
+          continue;
+        }
         const itemLine = lines[i];
         if (!itemLine.match(/^\s+-\s/)) break;
 
@@ -176,8 +181,7 @@ function parseFrontmatter(text: string): FrontmatterMap {
           const contLine = lines[i];
           if (
             contLine.match(/^\s+-\s/) || // next array item
-            !contLine.match(/^\s/) || // back to top-level
-            !contLine.trim()
+            !contLine.match(/^\s/) // back to top-level
           ) {
             break;
           }
diff --git a/directory/package.json b/directory/package.json
index 2313d07..8ca046d 100644
--- a/directory/package.json
+++ b/directory/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "@reef-protocol/directory",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "0.2.16",
+  "version": "0.2.17",
   "description": "Reef Protocol directory server — agent discovery and network stats",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/openclaw/package.json b/openclaw/package.json
index cb81d41..50ab6a7 100644
--- a/openclaw/package.json
+++ b/openclaw/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@reef-protocol/reef-openclaw",
-  "version": "0.2.15",
+  "version": "0.2.17",
   "description": "Reef Protocol channel plugin for OpenClaw — receive and respond to A2A messages",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 814c4e5..d2612d3 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -32,5 +32,5 @@
     "typescript-eslint": "^8.56.0",
     "vitest": "^3.0.0"
   },
-  "version": "0.2.16"
+  "version": "0.2.17"
 }
diff --git a/protocol/package.json b/protocol/package.json
index dc61046..de5d73d 100644
--- a/protocol/package.json
+++ b/protocol/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@reef-protocol/protocol",
-  "version": "0.2.16",
+  "version": "0.2.17",
   "description": "Shared message types, envelope codec, and validation for Reef Protocol",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/protocol/src/types.ts b/protocol/src/types.ts
index e3f4910..020b4ca 100644
--- a/protocol/src/types.ts
+++ b/protocol/src/types.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 import type { AgentCard } from "@a2a-js/sdk";
 
-export const REEF_VERSION = "0.2.16";
+export const REEF_VERSION = "0.2.17";
 export const A2A_PROTOCOL_VERSION = "0.3.0";
 export const DEFAULT_DIRECTORY_URL =
   "https://reef-protocol-production.up.railway.app";