[BUG] --add-dir CLI flag does not load skills from added directory's .claude/skills/ (v2.1.89)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Skills defined in .claude/skills/ within a directory added via --add-dir (or /add-dir mid-session) are not loaded and do not appear in /skills.

This contradicts the documentation:

The --add-dir flag grants file access rather than configuration discovery, but skills are an exception: .claude/skills/ within an added directory is loaded automatically and picked up by live change detection, so you can edit those skills during a session without restarting.

Note: Related issues #30064 and #37553 report that additionalDirectories in settings does not load skills but --add-dir CLI does. In my case on v2.1.89, --add-dir also does not work. This may be a regression.

What Should Happen?

Skills from the --add-dir directory's .claude/skills/ should be loaded and appear in /skills, as documented.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Have a directory with .claude/skills/ outside the current git repository:

parent-dir/                          # NOT a git repo
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── skill-a/SKILL.md         # 13 skills total
│       ├── skill-b/SKILL.md
│       └── ...
└── git-repo/                        # git repository root
    ├── .claude/
    │   └── skills/                  # ← these load correctly
    └── subdir/                      # ← working directory
        └── .claude/
            └── skills/              # ← these load correctly

1. Start Claude Code from git-repo/subdir/
2. Run /add-dir /path/to/parent-dir (or start with --add-dir /path/to/parent-dir)
3. Run /skills

Result: Skills from parent-dir/.claude/skills/ do not appear. Skills from within the git repository load correctly.

Error Messages/Logs

No error messages. The skills simply do not appear in the /skills list.

Claude Model

Claude Opus 4.6

Is this a regression?

Possibly — #30064 (v2.1.63) and #37553 (v2.1.81) report that --add-dir CLI does load skills correctly, while additionalDirectories in settings does not. On v2.1.89, --add-dir also fails.

Last Working Version

_No response_

Claude Code Version

2.1.89 (Claude Code)

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS (Darwin 25.4.0, arm64)

Terminal/Shell

VS Code integrated terminal (bash)

Additional Information

• Related: #30064, #37553
• The added directory's CLAUDE.md is loaded into context (confirmed in system prompt), but skills from the same directory are not