diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/scripts/new-agent.sh b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/scripts/new-agent.sh
index 89016ce..7c5bc22 100755
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/scripts/new-agent.sh
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/scripts/new-agent.sh
@@ -91,6 +91,9 @@ ROOT="$(cd "$ROOT" && pwd)"
 #     (plugin/APM scope) — stop and return it.
 #   - an apm.yml with no `type:` field is a marketplace-only manifest — skip
 #     it, keep walking up.
+#   - reaching $HOME marks the user-scope boundary — stop, even if $HOME is
+#     itself a .git-tracked dotfiles directory (checked before the .git test
+#     below, so a dotfiles repo at $HOME can't shadow user scope).
 #   - a .git directory marks the project-scope boundary — stop.
 #   - filesystem root reached with neither found — boundary-reached.
 find_package_root() {
@@ -101,6 +104,11 @@ find_package_root() {
       echo "$current"
       return
     fi
+    if [[ "$current" == "$HOME" ]]; then
+      echo "user"
+      echo "$current"
+      return
+    fi
     if [[ -d "$current/.git" ]]; then
       echo "project"
       echo "$current"
@@ -127,17 +135,16 @@ case "$WALK_KIND" in
     SCOPE="plugin"
     PACKAGE_ROOT="$WALK_ROOT"
     ;;
+  user)
+    SCOPE="user"
+    ;;
   project)
     SCOPE="project"
     ;;
   boundary-reached)
-    if [[ "$ROOT" == "$HOME" ]]; then
-      SCOPE="user"
-    else
-      # Default fallback, same as the pre-walk-up script: no plugin/APM
-      # marker and not exactly $HOME means project scope.
-      SCOPE="project"
-    fi
+    # Default fallback, same as the pre-walk-up script: no plugin/APM
+    # marker, no $HOME boundary, and no .git means project scope.
+    SCOPE="project"
     ;;
 esac
 
diff --git a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/tests/new-agent.bats b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/tests/new-agent.bats
index 634cc4c..6546174 100644
--- a/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/tests/new-agent.bats
+++ b/plugins/kyberforge/skills/agent-author/tests/new-agent.bats
@@ -211,6 +211,17 @@ teardown() {
     rm -rf "$FAKE_HOME"
 }
 
+@test "user scope: \$HOME being a dotfiles .git repo does not shadow user scope" {
+    FAKE_HOME="$(mktemp -d)"
+    mkdir "$FAKE_HOME/.git"
+    run env HOME="$FAKE_HOME" bash "$SCRIPT" my-agent "~"
+    assert_success
+    assert [ -f "$FAKE_HOME/.claude/agents/my-agent.md" ]
+    assert [ -f "$FAKE_HOME/.copilot/agents/my-agent.agent.md" ]
+    refute [ -d "$FAKE_HOME/.github" ]
+    rm -rf "$FAKE_HOME"
+}
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Name validation
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------