diff --git a/apps/web/src/agents-api.ts b/apps/web/src/agents-api.ts
index c2f243344..629d0f186 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/agents-api.ts
+++ b/apps/web/src/agents-api.ts
@@ -396,8 +396,8 @@ export function setAgentDefinitionStatus(
 const DefinitionSkillsMap = type({ skills: { "[string]": "string[]" } });
 
 /** Every attached-skill list for the given definitions, keyed by definition
- * id. Best-effort at the call site — a bench with no skills backed asset
- * yet just gets `[]` for everything, never an error that blanks the page. */
+ * id. Call sites treat failure as its own outcome (`skillsError`) rather than
+ * coercing to `{}` — empty attachments and a failed read are different. */
 export function listAgentSkills(
   tenantId: string,
   definitionIds: readonly string[],
@@ -435,20 +435,32 @@ export type AgentDirectoryData = {
   /** Set when the model catalog failed independently; definitions and
    * instances still load so the page stays usable. */
   readonly modelsError?: string;
+  /** Set when the attached-skills batch failed independently; definitions
+   * and instances still load. Distinct from an empty `definitionSkills`
+   * map — failure must never read as "no skills attached". */
+  readonly skillsError?: string;
 };
 
 type ModelsOutcome =
   | { readonly ok: true; readonly models: readonly CatalogModel[] }
   | { readonly ok: false; readonly message: string };
 
+type SkillsOutcome =
+  | {
+      readonly ok: true;
+      readonly definitionSkills: Record<string, readonly string[]>;
+    }
+  | { readonly ok: false; readonly message: string };
+
 /**
  * Loads a bench's agent directory. Definitions and instances are required;
  * the model catalog and each definition's attached skills are best-effort
- * so either failing alone never blanks the page. `instances` comes from
- * `listTopLevelRuns`, which already excludes every folded run (workbench
- * host, invited agent) server-side — see `@corbits/folded-runs`'s
- * `scope-routes.ts` — so this page never has to derive that exclusion
- * itself from a tenant's workbenches.
+ * so either failing alone never blanks the page. Failures surface as
+ * `modelsError` / `skillsError` rather than silent empty collections.
+ * `instances` comes from `listTopLevelRuns`, which already excludes every
+ * folded run (workbench host, invited agent) server-side — see
+ * `@corbits/folded-runs`'s `scope-routes.ts` — so this page never has to
+ * derive that exclusion itself from a tenant's workbenches.
  */
 export async function loadAgentDirectory(
   tenantId: string,
@@ -465,34 +477,33 @@ export async function loadAgentDirectory(
     ),
   ]);
 
-  const definitionSkills = await listAgentSkills(
+  const skillsOutcome = await listAgentSkills(
     tenantId,
     definitions.map((definition) => definition.id),
-  ).catch(() => ({}) as Record<string, readonly string[]>);
-
-  if (modelsOutcome.ok) {
-    return {
-      tenantId,
-      definitions,
-      instances,
-      models: modelsOutcome.models,
-      definitionSkills,
-    };
-  }
+  ).then(
+    (definitionSkills): SkillsOutcome => ({ ok: true, definitionSkills }),
+    (cause: unknown): SkillsOutcome => ({
+      ok: false,
+      message: cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause),
+    }),
+  );
+
   return {
     tenantId,
     definitions,
     instances,
-    models: [],
-    definitionSkills,
-    modelsError: modelsOutcome.message,
+    models: modelsOutcome.ok ? modelsOutcome.models : [],
+    definitionSkills: skillsOutcome.ok ? skillsOutcome.definitionSkills : {},
+    ...(modelsOutcome.ok ? {} : { modelsError: modelsOutcome.message }),
+    ...(skillsOutcome.ok ? {} : { skillsError: skillsOutcome.message }),
   };
 }
 
 /**
  * Loads a bench's full agent directory. One query owns definitions +
- * instances + models (models are best-effort inside `loadAgentDirectory`) so
- * the page keeps a single loading/error envelope. Pass no reloadKey —
+ * instances + models + skills (models and skills are best-effort inside
+ * `loadAgentDirectory`, surfacing `modelsError` / `skillsError`) so the
+ * page keeps a single loading/error envelope. Pass no reloadKey —
  * invalidate `tenantKeys.agentDirectory(tenantId)` after create.
  */
 export function useAgentDirectory(
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pages/agent-detail-page.tsx b/apps/web/src/pages/agent-detail-page.tsx
index 490f2c093..4d2645731 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pages/agent-detail-page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/pages/agent-detail-page.tsx
@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ export function AgentDetailPage({
   onSaved,
   onDuplicated,
   onStatusChanged,
+  skillsError,
 }: {
   readonly tenantId: string;
   readonly definition: AgentDefinitionWithDisplayName;
@@ -191,6 +192,9 @@ export function AgentDetailPage({
   readonly onSaved: (report: SaveReport) => void;
   readonly onDuplicated: (slug: string) => Promise<void>;
   readonly onStatusChanged: () => void;
+  /** Set when the bench directory's attached-skills batch failed. Distinct
+   * from an agent that simply has no pins. */
+  readonly skillsError?: string;
 }) {
   const [displayName, setDisplayName] = useState(definition.displayName);
   const [systemPrompt, setSystemPrompt] = useState(detail.systemPrompt);
@@ -477,6 +481,11 @@ export function AgentDetailPage({
               title="Skills"
               description="Pinned skills this agent can load while it works."
             >
+              {skillsError !== undefined ? (
+                <p className="mb-3 text-sm text-destructive" role="alert">
+                  Could not load agent skills: {skillsError}
+                </p>
+              ) : null}
               <AgentSkillsPicker
                 tenantId={tenantId}
                 selected={[...skills]}
@@ -692,6 +701,9 @@ export function AgentDetailRoute({
         setReloadKey((key) => key + 1);
         void refreshDirectory();
       }}
+      {...(directory.data.skillsError !== undefined
+        ? { skillsError: directory.data.skillsError }
+        : {})}
     />
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/src/pages/agents-page.tsx b/apps/web/src/pages/agents-page.tsx
index c583b0d99..6f6db7a79 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/pages/agents-page.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/pages/agents-page.tsx
@@ -371,6 +371,7 @@ export function AgentsPage({
   onCreateOpenChange,
   onCreated,
   onArchiveSelected,
+  skillsError,
 }: {
   readonly tenantId: string | null;
   readonly definitions: readonly AgentDefinitionWithDisplayName[];
@@ -386,6 +387,9 @@ export function AgentsPage({
   readonly onCreateOpenChange: (open: boolean) => void;
   readonly onCreated: (definition: AgentDefinition) => void;
   readonly onArchiveSelected: (ids: readonly string[]) => void;
+  /** Set when the directory's attached-skills batch failed; distinct from
+   * agents that simply have no skills pinned. */
+  readonly skillsError?: string;
 }) {
   const selected = definitions.find((d) => d.id === selectedId) ?? null;
   const definitionIds = useMemo(
@@ -422,6 +426,14 @@ export function AgentsPage({
       <div className="flex min-h-0 flex-1">
         <div className="min-h-0 min-w-0 flex-1 overflow-auto">
           <PageShell width="full" className="page-fill">
+            {skillsError !== undefined ? (
+              <p
+                className="px-4 pb-3 text-sm text-destructive sm:px-7"
+                role="alert"
+              >
+                Could not load agent skills: {skillsError}
+              </p>
+            ) : null}
             {definitions.length === 0 ? (
               <RichEmptyState
                 icon={<Robot />}
@@ -702,6 +714,9 @@ export function AgentsRoute({
           toast(archiveResultToast(result));
         });
       }}
+      {...(directory.data.skillsError !== undefined
+        ? { skillsError: directory.data.skillsError }
+        : {})}
     />
   );
 }
diff --git a/apps/web/test/agent-detail-page.test.tsx b/apps/web/test/agent-detail-page.test.tsx
index 25344f6fb..4a302bcb7 100644
--- a/apps/web/test/agent-detail-page.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/test/agent-detail-page.test.tsx
@@ -203,6 +203,13 @@ describe("AgentDetailPage render", () => {
     expect(markup).toContain("skills");
     expect(markup).toContain("The registry is unreachable.");
   });
+
+  test("CL-6836: skillsError is an alert above Skills, never silent empty pins", () => {
+    const markup = renderPage({ skillsError: "500: down" });
+    expect(markup).toContain('role="alert"');
+    expect(markup).toContain("Could not load agent skills");
+    expect(markup).toContain("500: down");
+  });
 });
 
 describe("describeSaveReport", () => {
diff --git a/apps/web/test/agents-api.test.ts b/apps/web/test/agents-api.test.ts
index 6558c1af6..1046f8449 100644
--- a/apps/web/test/agents-api.test.ts
+++ b/apps/web/test/agents-api.test.ts
@@ -217,9 +217,10 @@ describe("loadAgentDirectory", () => {
 
     const directory = await loadAgentDirectory("tnt_1");
     expect(directory.definitionSkills).toEqual({ wfd_1: ["web-research"] });
+    expect(directory.skillsError).toBeUndefined();
   });
 
-  test("a broken skills endpoint degrades to no attachments rather than blanking the page", async () => {
+  test("CL-6836: a broken skills endpoint keeps the page and surfaces skillsError, never silent empty", async () => {
     stubFetch((path) => {
       if (path.includes("/workflows/definitions")) {
         return json({ data: [definitionFixture], nextCursor: null });
@@ -237,7 +238,10 @@ describe("loadAgentDirectory", () => {
     });
 
     const directory = await loadAgentDirectory("tnt_1");
+    expect(directory.definitions).toEqual([definitionFixture]);
+    expect(directory.instances).toEqual([instanceFixture]);
     expect(directory.definitionSkills).toEqual({});
+    expect(directory.skillsError).toMatch(/500|down/i);
   });
 
   test("reads instances from the server-scoped top-level-runs endpoint, never /workflows/runs", async () => {
diff --git a/apps/web/test/agents-page.test.tsx b/apps/web/test/agents-page.test.tsx
index 25ec80982..6daf10b74 100644
--- a/apps/web/test/agents-page.test.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/test/agents-page.test.tsx
@@ -329,4 +329,45 @@ describe("AgentsPage", () => {
     expect(markup).not.toContain("Delete");
     expect(markup).not.toContain("data-bulk-action");
   });
+
+  test("CL-6836: skillsError is an alert, never silent 'no skills'", () => {
+    const markup = renderToStaticMarkup(
+      <AgentsPage
+        tenantId="tnt_1"
+        definitions={[triage]}
+        workbenches={new Map()}
+        instances={[]}
+        now={NOW}
+        selectedId={null}
+        onSelect={noop}
+        createOpen={false}
+        onCreateOpenChange={noop}
+        onCreated={noop}
+        onArchiveSelected={noop}
+        skillsError="500: down"
+      />,
+    );
+    expect(markup).toContain('role="alert"');
+    expect(markup).toContain("Could not load agent skills");
+    expect(markup).toContain("500: down");
+  });
+
+  test("CL-6836: without skillsError, the skills failure alert is absent", () => {
+    const markup = renderToStaticMarkup(
+      <AgentsPage
+        tenantId="tnt_1"
+        definitions={[triage]}
+        workbenches={new Map()}
+        instances={[]}
+        now={NOW}
+        selectedId={null}
+        onSelect={noop}
+        createOpen={false}
+        onCreateOpenChange={noop}
+        onCreated={noop}
+        onArchiveSelected={noop}
+      />,
+    );
+    expect(markup).not.toContain("Could not load agent skills");
+  });
 });