Feature Request: Add /reload-skills command to dynamically reload skills without restarting

[barretlee]

Feature Request

Summary

Add a /reload-skills command (or similar mechanism) to dynamically reload/rescan the skills directory without requiring a full restart of Claude Code.

Current Behavior

• Skills are loaded only when Claude Code starts (scans ~/.claude/skills/ directory)
• When users install new skills via npx skills add during an active session, the new skills are not immediately available
• Users must exit and restart Claude Code to discover newly installed skills

Expected Behavior

Users should be able to reload skills dynamically during an active session using a command like:

/reload-skills

This would:

1. Re-scan the ~/.claude/skills/ directory
2. Load any newly installed skills
3. Update the available skills list
4. Make new skills immediately available for use

Use Cases

1. Development workflow: Developers testing or creating new skills need to restart frequently, disrupting their workflow
2. Skill management: Users adding multiple skills from a registry want them available immediately
3. Exploration: Users trying out different skills want to quickly add and test them without session interruption

Proposed Implementation

Option 1: Manual reload command

• Add a /reload-skills command that users can invoke when needed
• Simple, explicit, and gives users control

Option 2: Automatic detection

• Watch ~/.claude/skills/ directory for changes
• Automatically reload when new symlinks are created
• More seamless but potentially more complex

Option 3: Hybrid approach

• Auto-detect changes and show a notification: "New skills detected. Type /reload-skills to load them"
• Balances automation with user control

Additional Context

This issue came up while using the skills-manager skill, which helps manage and install skills from GitHub repositories. The current behavior requires frequent restarts when working with multiple skills, which impacts productivity.

Example workflow that would benefit:

# User installs a skill
npx skills add vercel-labs/agent-skills react-best-practices --agent claude-code

# Currently: Must exit and restart Claude Code
# Desired: Run /reload-skills to load it immediately

Related

• Skills can be installed via npx skills add command
• Skills directory: ~/.claude/skills/
• Skills are typically symlinks to ~/.agents/skills/

Would this feature be possible? I'd be happy to provide additional context or testing if needed.

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [FEATURE] allow using new Skill without requiring new Claude Code session #18193
2. [Feature Request] Hot-reload skills without requiring CLI restart #14314
3. Support hot-reload for plugins without session restart #18174

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically closed as a duplicate of #18193.

If this is incorrect, please re-open this issue or create a new one.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.