diff --git a/api/main.py b/api/main.py
index 90380fa..0d1b197 100644
--- a/api/main.py
+++ b/api/main.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ from api.routes.admin_kb import router as admin_kb_router
 from api.routes.health import router as health_router
 from api.routes.kb_public import router as kb_public_router
 from api.routes.smart_assistant import router as smart_assistant_router
+from api.services.skills import seed_skills_from_image
 
 logging.basicConfig(
     level=logging.INFO,
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ app.include_router(kb_public_router)
 
 @app.on_event("startup")
 async def ensure_data_dirs():
-    """Create persistent data directories if they don't exist."""
+    """Create persistent data directories and seed any new baked-in skills."""
     data_dir = os.environ.get("SHIRA_DATA_DIR", "/opt/data")
     dirs = [
         f"{data_dir}/skills",
@@ -53,3 +54,6 @@ async def ensure_data_dirs():
     for d in dirs:
         Path(d).mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     logger.info("Data directories ready at %s", data_dir)
+
+    added, skipped = seed_skills_from_image()
+    logger.info("Skills seed: %d new baked skill(s) added, %d already present", added, skipped)
diff --git a/api/services/skills.py b/api/services/skills.py
index bfdabca..bc6931a 100644
--- a/api/services/skills.py
+++ b/api/services/skills.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import logging
 import os
 import re
+import shutil
 from pathlib import Path
 
 import yaml
@@ -13,6 +14,11 @@ logger = logging.getLogger("shira.skills")
 
 SKILLS_DIR = os.environ.get("SHIRA_DATA_DIR", "/opt/data") + "/skills"
 
+# Baked-in copy of pre-seeded skills, kept inside the image at /app/config/skills/.
+# Source-of-truth for skills shipped with the repo. Never under the persistent
+# volume mount, so it survives across deploys and is read-only at runtime.
+BAKED_SKILLS_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2] / "config" / "skills"
+
 _SAFE_NAME_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$")
 
 
@@ -24,6 +30,31 @@ def _safe_skill_name(name: str) -> str:
     return name
 
 
+def seed_skills_from_image() -> tuple[int, int]:
+    """Copy any baked-in skill that doesn't already exist in the persistent skills dir.
+
+    Runs at startup. Newly pre-seeded skills (added to config/skills/ in the repo)
+    appear after the next deploy. Existing skills — whether learned by the model
+    or edited by a user — are never touched. Returns (added, skipped).
+    """
+    target = Path(SKILLS_DIR)
+    target.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    if not BAKED_SKILLS_DIR.is_dir():
+        return 0, 0
+    added = skipped = 0
+    for src in sorted(BAKED_SKILLS_DIR.iterdir()):
+        if not (src.is_dir() and (src / "SKILL.md").is_file()):
+            continue
+        dst = target / src.name
+        if dst.exists():
+            skipped += 1
+            continue
+        shutil.copytree(src, dst)
+        added += 1
+        logger.info("[skills] seeded baked skill: %s", src.name)
+    return added, skipped
+
+
 def _parse_frontmatter(text: str) -> tuple[dict, str]:
     """Parse YAML frontmatter from a SKILL.md file. Returns (meta, body)."""
     if not text.startswith("---"):