diff --git a/docs/seed-reconciliation.md b/docs/seed-reconciliation.md
index b8ca03c3..9414426e 100644
--- a/docs/seed-reconciliation.md
+++ b/docs/seed-reconciliation.md
@@ -66,6 +66,39 @@ plants `DEFAULT_ROUTINE_PRESETS` through `POST /routines` with a
 - A routine whose preset no longer ships is deleted only while pristine
   (`updatedAt` still equals `createdAt`); a member-touched row is kept.
 
+## Default skills (`workbench seed`)
+
+`plantDefaultSkills` (`packages/hub-client/src/seed.ts`) plants each
+`DEFAULT_SKILLS` entry through `POST /api/tenants/:id/skills`, after
+first checking `GET /api/tenants/:id/skills/:name`.
+
+- An existing row the by-name GET finds is skipped outright.
+- A `409` from the create call itself — a row the GET missed (an
+  inherited/other-scope row, or a race with a concurrent seed pass) —
+  is also a skip, never a fatal error. Every seed step treats
+  "already exists" as done, not as a reason to abort the run the
+  hub's own error advice told the operator to re-run.
+
+## Tool registry publish (`workbench seed`, ahead of every workflow deploy)
+
+`publishCorbitsToolsRegistry` (`packages/tool-registry-publish/src/publish.ts`)
+finds-or-creates the tenant's `corbits-tools` package-registry asset,
+then PUTs whatever tarball is missing. Two properties keep a failed
+publish from stranding a usable-looking-but-empty asset:
+
+- `checkToolPackageFreshness` runs **before** the asset is ever
+  created — a version-bump violation aborts the publish with no HTTP
+  call made and no asset row planted, so this exact failure can never
+  leave a dangling registry asset behind on a fresh tenant again.
+- Listing tarballs on an asset whose repo has no commits yet (a
+  never-published asset, or one whose row survived from before the
+  point above shipped) answers an empty list rather than throwing —
+  so a re-run of `publishCorbitsToolsRegistry` treats it exactly like
+  a brand-new registry and pushes every package, which is what
+  actually creates the repo's first commit. Repairing a tenant with
+  this history is the same operation as seeding one for the first
+  time: re-run `workbench seed`.
+
 ## Env provider credentials (hub boot)
 
 `apps/hub/src/env-credential-plant.ts` delegates to
diff --git a/packages/hub-client/src/seed.ts b/packages/hub-client/src/seed.ts
index e71cc897..f67804d2 100644
--- a/packages/hub-client/src/seed.ts
+++ b/packages/hub-client/src/seed.ts
@@ -521,6 +521,14 @@ async function plantDefaultSkills(
       },
       cookies,
     );
+    if (created.status === 409) {
+      // The by-name GET above missed a row that the create route still
+      // considers a conflict (an inherited/other-scope row, or a race
+      // with a concurrent seed pass) — "already exists" is a skip, not
+      // a fatal error, exactly like every other seed step's 409.
+      log(`skill ${skill.name} already exists (skipped)`);
+      continue;
+    }
     if (created.status !== 201) {
       throw new CliError(
         `the hub rejected the default skill "${skill.name}" with status ${created.status}: ${JSON.stringify(created.data)}`,
diff --git a/packages/hub-client/test/seed.test.ts b/packages/hub-client/test/seed.test.ts
index e65e9251..77bdf66f 100644
--- a/packages/hub-client/test/seed.test.ts
+++ b/packages/hub-client/test/seed.test.ts
@@ -1281,6 +1281,51 @@ describe("default skills seeding", () => {
 
     expect(lines.some((l) => l.includes("already exists"))).toBe(true);
   });
+
+  test("a skill the by-name GET misses but the create route rejects as a conflict is skipped, not fatal", async () => {
+    // Reproduces the live incident: a half-seeded tenant re-running
+    // `workbench seed` hit `409 already exists` on skill creation and
+    // aborted the whole run, even though the hub's own error advice was
+    // "re-run: workbench seed". A step that already succeeded must never
+    // kill a re-run.
+    const { lines, log } = collector();
+    const { push } = recordingPusher();
+    const conflictingSkillName = DEFAULT_SKILLS[0]?.name;
+    if (conflictingSkillName === undefined) {
+      throw new Error("DEFAULT_SKILLS must not be empty for this test");
+    }
+    const handler: FakeHandler = (method, path) => {
+      if (
+        method === "GET" &&
+        path.startsWith(`/api/tenants/${TENANT_ID}/skills/`)
+      )
+        return { status: 404, data: {} };
+      if (method === "POST" && path === `/api/tenants/${TENANT_ID}/skills`)
+        return {
+          status: 409,
+          data: {
+            code: "conflict",
+            message: `a skill named "${conflictingSkillName}" already exists in this workbench`,
+          },
+        };
+      const base = baseRoutes(method, path);
+      if (base) return base;
+      return workflowRoutes(method, path);
+    };
+
+    const echoOnly = DEFAULT_WORKFLOWS.filter((w) => w.assetName === "echo");
+    await seedTenant(
+      args({
+        api: fakeAPI(handler),
+        pushWorkflow: push,
+        log,
+        workflows: echoOnly,
+        confirmDeployments: false,
+      }),
+    );
+
+    expect(lines.some((l) => l.includes("already exists"))).toBe(true);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("seedCatalog", () => {