# witcheer's Wingtips #70: skills.external_dirs, one shared skills folder

Written by [witcheer](https://x.com/witcheer) at Nous Research. Republished with credit.

Canonical: https://hermeswatcher.com/wingtips/70  
Published: 2026-09-12  
[Original](https://notwitcheer.github.io/hermes-recipes/wingtips/70-skills-external-dirs/) · [On X](https://x.com/witcheer/status/2098679753960034724) · [Full collection](https://notwitcheer.github.io/hermes-recipes/) · [Official docs](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/skills#external-skill-directories)

[Source Markdown](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/notwitcheer/hermes-recipes/8653fb699a137a32e81936fa33cabacd3f4f2095/docs/wingtips/70-skills-external-dirs.md): use this file as the base for relative links in the verbatim text below.

Sources: [Hermes docs: Skills](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/skills#external-skill-directories)


you keep your skills in one folder for every agent tool you use, or your team keeps them in a shared repo.

Hermes Agent can scan those folders too.

add `external_dirs` under `skills` in config.yaml and every skill it finds there joins the index, shows up in `hermes skills list`, and answers to its `/skill-name` slash command, the same as a skill you installed yourself.

if a skill with the same name lives in both places, your local copy wins.

```yaml
skills:
  external_dirs:
    - /home/shared/team-skills
    - ${SKILLS_REPO}/skills
```

or from the terminal:

```
hermes config set skills.external_dirs '["/home/shared/team-skills"]'
```

paths take `~` and environment variables; a folder that does not exist is skipped. a writable external folder can be edited by the agent's `skill_manage` tool, so use filesystem permissions if the shared set must stay read-only.

docs: [external skill directories](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/skills#external-skill-directories)

hand this to your agent: "list every folder on this machine that holds SKILL.md files outside ~/.hermes/skills and tell me which ones are worth adding to skills.external_dirs. change nothing."