Claude/Code/Q/In Claude Code settings, is it possible to declare additional directories that should be checked for the directories that skills are loaded from?

• In Claude/Code/Settings, is it possible to declare additional directories that should be checked for the directories that skills are loaded from?

  • AI Answer

    • AI/Response
      • Short answer: There is no settings.json key that points Claude Code at arbitrary extra skill roots (for example a custom path like ~/my-skills). Discovery is fixed to known layouts (~/.claude/skills/, project .claude/skills/, parent/nested project trees, plugins, enterprise). The closest settings-based knob is permissions.additionalDirectories, but that grants file access only and does not load skills from .claude/skills/ inside those paths — unlike --add-dir / /add-dir, which do load skills when the added tree contains .claude/skills/.
      • Built-in discovery (no extra setting):
        • Personal: ~/.claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md (all projects).
        • Project: .claude/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md in the starting directory, every parent up to the git/repo root, and nested .claude/skills/ under subdirectories you work in (monorepos).
        • Plugins / enterprise: plugin skills/ trees and managed settings (see Extend Claude with skills).
      • permissions.additionalDirectories in settings: Documented on Claude Code settings as extra working directories. The skills guide explicitly states this setting does not trigger skill discovery; only --add-dir and /add-dir load .claude/skills/ from added paths (Skills from additional directories). Other .claude/ config (subagents, commands, output styles) is also not discovered from additionalDirectories.
      • Practical workarounds:
        • Put shared skills under ~/.claude/skills/ or symlink skill folders there.
        • Use claude --add-dir /path/to/repo (or /add-dir in-session) when skills live in another checkout that has .claude/skills/.
        • Start Claude from the project root (or a parent) so ancestor .claude/skills/ directories are picked up automatically.
      • Cross-client note: The Agent Skills spec recommends clients also scan .agents/skills/ for interoperability (Agent/Skills/Dir); Claude Code’s primary native paths remain .claude/skills/ per the official docs above.