diff --git a/codex-rs/Cargo.lock b/codex-rs/Cargo.lock
index acddceab7..54ff61440 100644
--- a/codex-rs/Cargo.lock
+++ b/codex-rs/Cargo.lock
@@ -2695,6 +2695,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "tokio",
  "toml 0.9.11+spec-1.1.0",
  "tracing",
+ "tracing-test",
  "zip 2.4.2",
 ]
 
diff --git a/codex-rs/core-skills/Cargo.toml b/codex-rs/core-skills/Cargo.toml
index 3c18bee60..a769a36ae 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core-skills/Cargo.toml
+++ b/codex-rs/core-skills/Cargo.toml
@@ -41,3 +41,4 @@ zip = { workspace = true }
 [dev-dependencies]
 pretty_assertions = { workspace = true }
 tempfile = { workspace = true }
+tracing-test = { workspace = true, features = ["no-env-filter"] }
diff --git a/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader.rs b/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader.rs
index 88af6ada8..40318e86e 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader.rs
@@ -531,7 +531,9 @@ async fn discover_skills_under_root(
         let entries = match fs.read_directory(&dir, /*sandbox*/ None).await {
             Ok(entries) => entries,
             Err(e) => {
-                error!("failed to read skills dir {}: {e:#}", dir.display());
+                // Skill roots are optional discovery inputs. Keep a denied descendant visible,
+                // but do not emit an error that supervisors can mistake for a terminal run failure.
+                tracing::warn!("failed to read skills dir {}: {e:#}", dir.display());
                 continue;
             }
         };
diff --git a/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader_tests.rs b/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader_tests.rs
index f6c71b2be..4995ec88c 100644
--- a/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader_tests.rs
+++ b/codex-rs/core-skills/src/loader_tests.rs
@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ use std::path::PathBuf;
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use tempfile::TempDir;
 use toml::Value as TomlValue;
+#[cfg(unix)]
+use tracing_test::traced_test;
 
 const REPO_ROOT_CONFIG_DIR_NAME: &str = ".codex";
 
@@ -977,6 +979,68 @@ async fn loads_skills_via_symlinked_subdir_for_user_scope() {
     );
 }
 
+#[tokio::test]
+#[cfg(unix)]
+#[traced_test]
+async fn unreadable_unrelated_directory_does_not_emit_an_error() {
+    use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt;
+
+    let skills_root = tempfile::tempdir().expect("tempdir");
+    let skill_path = write_skill_at(skills_root.path(), "valid", "valid-skill", "still loads");
+    let unrelated_dir = skills_root.path().join("Photos Library.photoslibrary");
+    fs::create_dir_all(&unrelated_dir).unwrap();
+    fs::set_permissions(&unrelated_dir, fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o000)).unwrap();
+
+    let outcome = load_skills_from_roots([SkillRoot {
+        path: skills_root.path().abs(),
+        scope: SkillScope::User,
+        file_system: Arc::clone(&LOCAL_FS),
+        plugin_id: None,
+        plugin_root: None,
+    }])
+    .await;
+
+    fs::set_permissions(&unrelated_dir, fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o700)).unwrap();
+
+    assert!(
+        outcome.errors.is_empty(),
+        "unexpected errors: {:?}",
+        outcome.errors
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        outcome.skills,
+        vec![SkillMetadata {
+            name: "valid-skill".to_string(),
+            description: "still loads".to_string(),
+            short_description: None,
+            interface: None,
+            dependencies: None,
+            policy: None,
+            path_to_skills_md: normalized(&skill_path),
+            scope: SkillScope::User,
+            plugin_id: None,
+        }]
+    );
+    logs_assert(|lines: &[&str]| {
+        let line = lines
+            .iter()
+            .find(|line| {
+                line.contains("failed to read skills dir")
+                    && line.contains("Photos Library.photoslibrary")
+            })
+            .ok_or_else(|| "expected a diagnostic for the unreadable directory".to_string())?;
+        if line.contains("ERROR") {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "recoverable discovery failure was logged as ERROR: {line}"
+            ));
+        }
+        if !line.contains("WARN") {
+            return Err(format!("expected a WARN diagnostic: {line}"));
+        }
+        Ok(())
+    });
+}
+
 #[tokio::test]
 #[cfg(unix)]
 async fn ignores_symlinked_skill_file_for_user_scope() {