# NousResearch/hermes-agent · sync_skills shadowing external_dirs skill collision bug

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These members address a bug where sync_skills writes into profile homes in a way that shadows external_dirs, causing skill name collisions that crash worker agents. The fixes prevent sync_skills from overwriting or duplicating skills already present via external_dirs.

## TL;DR

- 5 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 3 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #53927. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #53927 (and any competing PRs below) before filing. Confirm the merged change covers your symptom.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `unresolved`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.40`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #28126: sync_skills writes into profile homes that delegate to default via external_dirs, causing skill name collisions that crash worker agents

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#53927: fix(skills): sync_skills no longer shadows external_dirs (closes #28126)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`; implication `superseded`
  - files: `infographic/skills-sync-external-dirs/infographic.png`, `tests/run_agent/test_24996_fallback_exhaustion_cooldown.py`, `tests/test_tui_gateway_server.py`, `tests/tools/test_skills_sync.py`, `tools/skills_sync.py`
- **#28187: fix: sync_skills skips bundled skills already in external_dirs**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `db11849c9`, `#53927`, `#33616`, `#33616`
- **#33552: fix(skills): sync_skills no longer shadows external_dirs (closes #28126)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#53927`, `#33616`, `#27136`, `#27136`
- **#33616: fix(skills): sync_skills no longer shadows external_dirs (closes #28126)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `db11849c9`, `#53927`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #53927 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-06-28`.
- Subsystem: `skills`