# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Skill install fails when skills dir is symlinked

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These issues and PRs address a bug where skill installation or updates fail when the skills directory is a symlink or junction point, particularly on Windows. A fix involves resolving the skills directory path before performing relative path operations.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #86989. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #86989 (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: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-86989`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.67`: 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

- #86971: Skill install/update fails when skills/ directory is a symlink or junction (Windows)

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#86989: fix(skills): resolve skills dir before relative_to so junction installs work (#86971)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `hermes_cli/skills_hub.py`, `tests/tools/test_skill_bundle_provenance.py`, `tools/skills_hub.py`
- **#86984: Fix skills install paths under symlinked skills roots**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#64954`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #86989 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-08-16`.