diff --git a/packages/lint/src/context.ts b/packages/lint/src/context.ts
index c01fbadd59..fd6e48c0b6 100644
--- a/packages/lint/src/context.ts
+++ b/packages/lint/src/context.ts
@@ -64,7 +64,17 @@ export function buildLintContext(html: string, options: HyperframeLinterOptions
       rootRelativePath: style.rootRelativePath,
     })),
   ];
-  const scripts = structure.scripts;
+  const scripts = [
+    ...structure.scripts,
+    ...(options.externalScripts ?? []).map((script) => ({
+      attrs: script.attrs,
+      content: script.content,
+      raw: script.content,
+      index: -1,
+      file: script.file,
+      rootRelativePath: script.rootRelativePath,
+    })),
+  ];
   const compositionIds = collectCompositionIds(tags);
   const rootTag = findRootTag(source, tags);
   const rootCompositionId = readDecodedAttr(rootTag?.raw || "", "data-composition-id");
diff --git a/packages/lint/src/project.test.ts b/packages/lint/src/project.test.ts
index 9e39147c82..ac56524e08 100644
--- a/packages/lint/src/project.test.ts
+++ b/packages/lint/src/project.test.ts
@@ -566,6 +566,46 @@ describe("template shell style sources", () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe("local script files", () => {
+  const registryFindings = async (project: string) =>
+    (await lintProject(project)).results
+      .flatMap((entry) => entry.result.findings)
+      .filter((finding) => finding.code === "missing_timeline_registry");
+
+  function projectWithScript(script: string, attrs = ""): string {
+    const project = makeProject(
+      `<html><body>
+  <div data-composition-id="main" data-width="1920" data-height="1080" data-start="0" data-duration="10"></div>
+  <script ${attrs} src="animation.js"></script>
+</body></html>`,
+    );
+    writeFileSync(join(project, "animation.js"), script);
+    return project;
+  }
+
+  it("counts a timeline registered in a local script file", async () => {
+    const registered = projectWithScript(
+      'window.__timelines = window.__timelines || {};\nwindow.__timelines["main"] = gsap.timeline({ paused: true });',
+    );
+    expect(await registryFindings(registered)).toEqual([]);
+    expect(await registryFindings(projectWithScript("console.log('no timeline')"))).toHaveLength(1);
+  });
+
+  it("reads a module script file as a module", async () => {
+    const project = projectWithScript(
+      'import { gsap } from "gsap";\nwindow.__timelines = window.__timelines || {};\nwindow.__timelines["main"] = gsap.timeline({ paused: true });',
+      'type="module"',
+    );
+
+    const codes = (await lintProject(project)).results
+      .flatMap((entry) => entry.result.findings)
+      .map((finding) => finding.code);
+
+    expect(codes).not.toContain("invalid_inline_script_syntax");
+    expect(codes).not.toContain("missing_timeline_registry");
+  });
+});
+
 describe("sub-composition stylesheet links", () => {
   function projectWithSharedFonts(compDir: string, href: string): string {
     const project = makeProject(validHtml());
diff --git a/packages/lint/src/project.ts b/packages/lint/src/project.ts
index 0c26e5d5e1..e16877d5d2 100644
--- a/packages/lint/src/project.ts
+++ b/packages/lint/src/project.ts
@@ -155,6 +155,42 @@ export function collectExternalStyles(
   return styles;
 }
 
+const MAX_EXTERNAL_SCRIPT_BYTES = 1_000_000;
+
+function collectExternalScripts(
+  projectDir: string,
+  html: string,
+  compSrcPath?: string,
+): NonNullable<HyperframeLinterOptions["externalScripts"]> {
+  const scripts: NonNullable<HyperframeLinterOptions["externalScripts"]> = [];
+  const { document } = parseHTML(html);
+  for (const element of querySelectorAllIncludingTemplates(document, "script[src]")) {
+    const src = element.getAttribute("src") ?? "";
+    if (!isLocalStylesheetHref(src) || /\.min\.m?js(?:[?#]|$)/i.test(src)) continue;
+    const path = src.split(/[?#]/)[0] ?? src;
+    const besideFile = compSrcPath ? join(dirname(compSrcPath), path) : path;
+    const script =
+      resolveExistingLocalAsset(projectDir, besideFile) ??
+      (compSrcPath && staysInsideProjectRoot(path)
+        ? resolveExistingLocalAsset(projectDir, path)
+        : null);
+    if (!script) continue;
+    const read = readProjectFile(script.resolved);
+    if (read.kind !== "file" || read.text.length > MAX_EXTERNAL_SCRIPT_BYTES) continue;
+    const attrs = Array.from(element.attributes)
+      .map(({ name, value }) => `${name}="${value.replace(/&/g, "&amp;").replace(/"/g, "&quot;")}"`)
+      .join(" ");
+    scripts.push({
+      src,
+      attrs,
+      content: read.text,
+      file: join(projectDir, script.rootRelativePath),
+      rootRelativePath: script.rootRelativePath,
+    });
+  }
+  return scripts;
+}
+
 function collectCssSources(projectDir: string, html: string, compSrcPath?: string): CssSource[] {
   const sources: CssSource[] = [];
   const { document } = parseHTML(html);
@@ -268,6 +304,7 @@ export async function lintProject(
     compSrcPath: rootFile,
     externalStyles: collectExternalStyles(projectDir, rootHtml, rootCompSrcPath),
     projectFontFamilies,
+    externalScripts: collectExternalScripts(projectDir, rootHtml, rootCompSrcPath),
   });
   results.push({ file: rootFile, result: rootResult, contentHash: contentDigest(rootHtml) });
   totalErrors += rootResult.errorCount;
@@ -311,6 +348,7 @@ export async function lintProject(
         compSrcPath,
         externalStyles: collectExternalStyles(projectDir, html, compSrcPath),
         projectFontFamilies,
+        externalScripts: collectExternalScripts(projectDir, html, compSrcPath),
       });
       results.push({
         file: `compositions/${file}`,
diff --git a/packages/lint/src/rules/core.ts b/packages/lint/src/rules/core.ts
index 9ab93b8fb1..69f9e581b5 100644
--- a/packages/lint/src/rules/core.ts
+++ b/packages/lint/src/rules/core.ts
@@ -626,10 +626,14 @@ export const coreRules: Array<(ctx: LintContext) => HyperframeLintFinding[]> = [
     }
     if (/(?:^|\s)data-no-timeline(?=[\s=/]|$)/i.test(rootTag?.attrs || "")) return [];
     const findings: HyperframeLintFinding[] = [];
+    const registered = [source, ...(options.externalScripts ?? []).map((script) => script.content)];
     if (
-      !TIMELINE_REGISTRY_INIT_PATTERN.test(source) &&
-      !TIMELINE_REGISTRY_ASSIGN_PATTERN.test(source) &&
-      !TIMELINE_REGISTRY_OBJECT_LITERAL_PATTERN.test(source)
+      !registered.some(
+        (text) =>
+          TIMELINE_REGISTRY_INIT_PATTERN.test(text) ||
+          TIMELINE_REGISTRY_ASSIGN_PATTERN.test(text) ||
+          TIMELINE_REGISTRY_OBJECT_LITERAL_PATTERN.test(text),
+      )
     ) {
       findings.push({
         code: "missing_timeline_registry",
@@ -839,9 +843,9 @@ export const coreRules: Array<(ctx: LintContext) => HyperframeLintFinding[]> = [
   ({ scripts, locate }) => {
     const findings: HyperframeLintFinding[] = [];
     for (const script of scripts) {
-      const type = readDecodedAttr(script.raw, "type")?.trim().toLowerCase() ?? "";
-      if (readDecodedAttr(script.raw, "src") !== null || SCRIPT_SYNTAX_EXEMPT_TYPES.has(type))
-        continue;
+      const tag = `<script ${script.attrs}>`;
+      const type = readDecodedAttr(tag, "type")?.trim().toLowerCase() ?? "";
+      if (readDecodedAttr(tag, "src") !== null || SCRIPT_SYNTAX_EXEMPT_TYPES.has(type)) continue;
       const syntaxError = getInlineScriptSyntaxError(script.content);
       if (!syntaxError) continue;
       findings.push({
diff --git a/packages/lint/src/types.ts b/packages/lint/src/types.ts
index c8dcc928a2..d51f008884 100644
--- a/packages/lint/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/lint/src/types.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,13 @@ export type HyperframeLinterOptions = {
     file?: string;
     rootRelativePath?: string;
   }>;
+  externalScripts?: Array<{
+    src: string;
+    attrs: string;
+    content: string;
+    file: string;
+    rootRelativePath: string;
+  }>;
   /**
    * Set to `true` when linting compositions destined for distributed / Lambda
    * rendering, where system-font capture (`allowSystemFontCapture`) is