diff --git a/scripts/live-config-guard.cjs b/scripts/live-config-guard.cjs
index cdfe4d65f..eec8f65f5 100644
--- a/scripts/live-config-guard.cjs
+++ b/scripts/live-config-guard.cjs
@@ -116,6 +116,14 @@ function resolveLiveConfigRoots(deps = {}) {
 
   const roots = new Set();
   // 'grok' is a hardcoded branch of getGlobalConfigDir with no registry entry.
+  //
+  // DELIBERATE NON-ROOT: getGlobalSkillsBase(runtime) is NOT added here. The
+  // skills base (e.g. codex's ~/.agents/skills) is not a config ROOT, and the
+  // snapshot applies the config-root layout (GSD_OWNED_ENTRIES x
+  // GSD_PREFIXED_PARENTS) beneath every root it is given — measured on a
+  // sandboxed HOME, adding it both false-positives on `<skillsBase>/gsd-core`
+  // and misses a real `<skillsBase>/gsd-help` write. Watching skills bases
+  // needs its own layout, like resolveExtraWatchTargets — a separate change.
   for (const runtime of [...Object.keys(runtimes || {}), 'grok']) {
     try {
       const dir = getGlobalConfigDir(runtime);
diff --git a/tests/helpers-process-isolation.test.cjs b/tests/helpers-process-isolation.test.cjs
index cd93b61d3..d18e4f2b9 100644
--- a/tests/helpers-process-isolation.test.cjs
+++ b/tests/helpers-process-isolation.test.cjs
@@ -154,6 +154,50 @@ describe('#2665: TEST_ENV_BASE config-location coverage', () => {
     );
   });
 
+  test('skillsHome env vars are walked on BOTH descriptor rungs', () => {
+    // Round 4. A configHome descriptor can nest a second, independently-resolved
+    // descriptor (skillsHome → resolveSkillsBaseFromDescriptor), which carries
+    // its own env array. Walking configHome.env alone is the identical
+    // walk-one-field gap-shape rounds 2-3 closed for the registry and the
+    // non-registry set. Inert today — only kilo declares skillsHome, with
+    // env: [] — so this asserts the DERIVATION reaches the field, not that any
+    // var currently flows from it: every skillsHome-declared var (registry and
+    // non-registry alike) must land in TEST_ENV_BASE the moment one exists.
+    const { runtimes } = require('../gsd-core/bin/lib/capability-registry.cjs');
+    const {
+      NON_REGISTRY_CONFIG_HOME_DESCRIPTORS,
+    } = require('../gsd-core/bin/lib/runtime-homes.cjs');
+
+    const declared = [
+      ...new Set([
+        ...Object.values(runtimes).flatMap(
+          (r) => r?.runtime?.configHome?.skillsHome?.env ?? [],
+        ),
+        ...NON_REGISTRY_CONFIG_HOME_DESCRIPTORS.flatMap(
+          (d) => d?.skillsHome?.env ?? [],
+        ),
+      ]),
+    ];
+
+    // Anti-vacuity: at least one runtime must actually DECLARE skillsHome, or a
+    // registry reshape could rename the field and retire this test silently.
+    const declaringRuntimes = Object.values(runtimes).filter(
+      (r) => r?.runtime?.configHome?.skillsHome !== undefined,
+    );
+    assert.ok(
+      declaringRuntimes.length >= 1,
+      'expected at least one registry runtime to declare configHome.skillsHome — ' +
+        'if the field moved, this derivation needs updating, not deleting',
+    );
+
+    const missing = declared.filter((k) => !(k in TEST_ENV_BASE));
+    assert.deepStrictEqual(
+      missing,
+      [],
+      `skillsHome-declared config-location vars not scrubbed: ${missing.join(', ')}`,
+    );
+  });
+
   test("GSD's OWN location vars are scrubbed (a second family, not a registry gap)", () => {
     const { GSD_LOCATION_ENV_KEYS } = require('../gsd-core/bin/lib/runtime-homes.cjs');
 
diff --git a/tests/helpers.cjs b/tests/helpers.cjs
index 8b4a27f42..64161dee9 100644
--- a/tests/helpers.cjs
+++ b/tests/helpers.cjs
@@ -67,11 +67,23 @@ const NON_REGISTRY_CONFIG_LOCATION_ENV_KEYS = [
 
 const CONFIG_LOCATION_ENV_KEYS = [
   ...new Set([
-    // 1. Every runtime descriptor the capability registry carries.
+    // 1. Every runtime descriptor the capability registry carries — including
+    //    the nested skillsHome descriptor, which resolves independently of
+    //    configHome (resolveSkillsBaseFromDescriptor) and can carry its own
+    //    env array. Inert today (only kilo declares skillsHome, with env: []),
+    //    but walking configHome.env alone is the identical gap-shape this PR
+    //    closed twice already, one field over. (#2665 round 4)
     ...Object.values(runtimes).flatMap((r) => r?.runtime?.configHome?.env ?? []),
+    ...Object.values(runtimes).flatMap(
+      (r) => r?.runtime?.configHome?.skillsHome?.env ?? [],
+    ),
     // 2. Descriptor-shaped config homes resolved OUTSIDE the registry (kimi's
     //    native config.toml home via KIMI_SHARE_DIR). Derived, not hand-listed.
-    ...NON_REGISTRY_CONFIG_HOME_DESCRIPTORS.flatMap((d) => d?.env ?? []),
+    //    Same skillsHome walk as rung 1 — a descriptor is a descriptor.
+    ...NON_REGISTRY_CONFIG_HOME_DESCRIPTORS.flatMap((d) => [
+      ...(d?.env ?? []),
+      ...(d?.skillsHome?.env ?? []),
+    ]),
     // 3. GSD's OWN location vars — a different family: they decide where GSD keeps
     //    user-owned state ($GSD_HOME/.gsd/), not where a runtime keeps its config.
     ...GSD_LOCATION_ENV_KEYS,