diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 328683ef..7bf30718 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Fixed
+
+- Web UI profile creation now seeds bundled profile skills for newly-created non-cloned profiles, matching CLI behavior while leaving cloned profiles unchanged. Seed failures are logged as warnings and do not prevent profile creation. (Closes #2305, refs #749)
+
 ### Added
 
 - **PR #2099** by @dobby-d-elf — Adds an opt-in `Settings → Preferences → Fade text effect` toggle (off by default). When enabled, newly streamed output tokens are revealed through an adaptive playout buffer and animated with an opacity-only fade similar to ChatGPT and other frontier LLM apps. Implementation details: fade locked per stream to avoid mid-stream toggle rewind; reduced-motion users get non-animated text; live cursor hidden while fade is active; custom renderer on `streaming-markdown` parser wraps only newly-appended words; animated spans replace themselves with plain text on `animationend` (no long-lived wrapper buildup in long responses); unsafe streamed `href`/`src` values blocked in fade renderer `set_attr` path. Performance tuning: 200ms base fade duration scaling to 350ms for fast output, 16ms word stagger, 320ms done-drain wait cap, 160 wps visual cap, max 2-3 words/frame, brief pauses after sentence punctuation. Default-off means existing users see no change. 293-line regression test pinning the contract.
diff --git a/api/profiles.py b/api/profiles.py
index 35440b47..979933c2 100644
--- a/api/profiles.py
+++ b/api/profiles.py
@@ -1060,6 +1060,28 @@ def create_profile_api(name: str, clone_from: str = None,
             break
 
     profile_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+    # Seed bundled skills for non-cloned profiles (#2305).
+    # Cloned profiles should preserve the clone-source behaviour and must not
+    # receive a second bundled-skill overlay.
+    if clone_from is None:
+        try:
+            from hermes_cli.profiles import seed_profile_skills
+            seed_profile_skills(profile_path, quiet=True)
+        except ImportError:
+            logger.debug(
+                'seed_profile_skills unavailable — bundled skills not seeded '
+                'for profile %s (hermes_cli not in path)',
+                name,
+            )
+        except Exception:
+            logger.warning(
+                'Bundled skills could not be seeded for profile %s; '
+                'profile created successfully anyway',
+                name,
+                exc_info=True,
+            )
+
     _write_endpoint_to_config(profile_path, base_url=base_url, api_key=api_key)
     _write_model_defaults_to_config(
         profile_path,
diff --git a/tests/test_issue2305_profile_create_seeds_skills.py b/tests/test_issue2305_profile_create_seeds_skills.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4a2e1dc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_issue2305_profile_create_seeds_skills.py
@@ -0,0 +1,262 @@
+# coding: utf-8
+# Regression coverage for issue #2305 — seed bundled skills on profile creation.
+#
+# IMPORTANT: All filesystem operations use temporary directories only.
+# Do NOT touch real ~/.hermes, real credentials, or real profile directories.
+#
+# Test strategy:
+#   - Mock _DEFAULT_HERMES_HOME to a tmp_path so _resolve_base_hermes_home()
+#     picks up the isolated root.
+#   - Inject a mock 'hermes_cli.profiles' module directly into sys.modules so
+#     that the `from hermes_cli.profiles import seed_profile_skills` inside
+#     create_profile_api resolves to the mock (not the real module).
+#   - Stub hermes_cli.profiles.create_profile to create the profile dir.
+#   - Stub hermes_cli.profiles.seed_profile_skills to record calls.
+#   - Verify the no-clone path calls seed exactly once with the resolved path.
+#   - Verify the clone path calls seed zero times.
+#   - Verify a raising seed still returns a profile dict (best-effort).
+#
+# Acceptance criteria:
+#   1. create_profile_api(name, clone_from=None) → seed called once, path = profile_path.
+#   2. create_profile_api(name, clone_from=<str>) → seed never called.
+#   3. seed raising → profile dict returned, warning logged.
+
+import logging
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+from types import ModuleType
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+
+import pytest
+
+# Import the module under test directly (isolated from any real HERMES_HOME env).
+import api.profiles as profiles_mod
+
+
+# ── Helpers ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def _isolated_profiles_root(fake_home: Path) -> Path:
+    return fake_home / 'profiles'
+
+
+def _make_profile_dir(base: Path, name: str) -> Path:
+    p = base / name
+    p.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    return p
+
+
+# ── Fixtures ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def fake_hermes_home(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    # Point _DEFAULT_HERMES_HOME at an isolated temp directory so that
+    # profile-path resolution does not touch the real ~/.hermes.
+    fake_home = tmp_path / '.hermes'
+    fake_home.mkdir(parents=True)
+    monkeypatch.setenv('HERMES_BASE_HOME', str(fake_home))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(profiles_mod, '_DEFAULT_HERMES_HOME', fake_home)
+    return fake_home
+
+
+def _install_hermes_cli_profiles_mock(create_impl, seed_impl):
+    # Inject a mock 'hermes_cli.profiles' module directly into sys.modules.
+    # This is the only way to intercept `from hermes_cli.profiles import X`
+    # inside create_profile_api — patch.dict(sys.modules, ...) only modifies
+    # existing keys and cannot add new ones.
+    mock = ModuleType('hermes_cli.profiles')
+    mock.create_profile = create_impl
+    mock.seed_profile_skills = seed_impl
+    sys.modules['hermes_cli'] = ModuleType('hermes_cli')
+    sys.modules['hermes_cli.profiles'] = mock
+    return mock
+
+
+def _remove_hermes_cli():
+    for key in list(sys.modules):
+        if key == 'hermes_cli' or key.startswith('hermes_cli.'):
+            del sys.modules[key]
+
+
+# Module references saved at import time so we can restore the real hermes_cli
+# after each test that overwrites sys.modules['hermes_cli.profiles'].  This
+# prevents the `FallbackDoesNotCrash` tests from finding a deleted entry and
+# incorrectly skipping.
+_real_hermes_cli = sys.modules.get('hermes_cli')
+_real_hermes_cli_profiles = sys.modules.get('hermes_cli.profiles')
+
+
+def _restore_real_hermes_cli():
+    if _real_hermes_cli is not None:
+        sys.modules['hermes_cli'] = _real_hermes_cli
+    if _real_hermes_cli_profiles is not None:
+        sys.modules['hermes_cli.profiles'] = _real_hermes_cli_profiles
+
+
+# ── Tests ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+class TestNoCloneSeedsSkills:
+    def test_seed_called_once_with_resolved_path(self, fake_hermes_home):
+        calls = []
+
+        def fake_create(name, **kw):
+            _make_profile_dir(_isolated_profiles_root(fake_hermes_home), name)
+
+        def fake_seed(profile_path, quiet=None):
+            calls.append({'profile_path': profile_path, 'quiet': quiet})
+
+        _remove_hermes_cli()
+        _install_hermes_cli_profiles_mock(fake_create, fake_seed)
+
+        try:
+            with patch.object(profiles_mod, 'list_profiles_api', return_value=[]):
+                result = profiles_mod.create_profile_api('testprofile')
+        finally:
+            _remove_hermes_cli()
+            _restore_real_hermes_cli()
+
+        # seed_profile_skills must have been called exactly once.
+        assert len(calls) == 1, f'Expected 1 seed call, got {len(calls)}: {calls}'
+        # quiet=True is required.
+        assert calls[0]['quiet'] is True
+        # Path must be the resolved profile directory under the fake hermes home.
+        expected_path = _isolated_profiles_root(fake_hermes_home) / 'testprofile'
+        assert calls[0]['profile_path'] == expected_path, (
+            f'Expected seed path {expected_path}, got {calls[0]}'
+        )
+        # Profile dict must be returned.
+        assert result['name'] == 'testprofile'
+
+
+class TestCloneSkipsSeeding:
+    def test_seed_not_called_when_clone_from_is_set(self, fake_hermes_home):
+        calls = []
+
+        def fake_create(name, clone_from=None, **kw):
+            _make_profile_dir(_isolated_profiles_root(fake_hermes_home), name)
+
+        def fake_seed(profile_path, quiet=None):
+            calls.append({'profile_path': profile_path, 'quiet': quiet})
+
+        _remove_hermes_cli()
+        _install_hermes_cli_profiles_mock(fake_create, fake_seed)
+
+        try:
+            with patch.object(profiles_mod, 'list_profiles_api', return_value=[]):
+                result = profiles_mod.create_profile_api(
+                    'clonedprofile', clone_from='sourceprofile'
+                )
+        finally:
+            _remove_hermes_cli()
+            _restore_real_hermes_cli()
+
+        # seed must not be called at all when cloning.
+        assert calls == [], f'seed_profile_skills was called during clone: {calls}'
+        # Profile dict must still be returned.
+        assert result['name'] == 'clonedprofile'
+
+
+class TestSeedFailureIsBestEffort:
+    def test_seed_raising_logs_warning_and_still_returns_profile(self, fake_hermes_home, caplog):
+        import logging as std_logging
+
+        def fake_create(name, **kw):
+            _make_profile_dir(_isolated_profiles_root(fake_hermes_home), name)
+
+        def fake_seed(profile_path, quiet=None):
+            raise RuntimeError('Bundled skill installation failed')
+
+        _remove_hermes_cli()
+        _install_hermes_cli_profiles_mock(fake_create, fake_seed)
+
+        try:
+            with caplog.at_level(std_logging.WARNING):
+                with patch.object(profiles_mod, 'list_profiles_api', return_value=[]):
+                    result = profiles_mod.create_profile_api('failprofile')
+        finally:
+            _remove_hermes_cli()
+            _restore_real_hermes_cli()
+
+        # A warning must have been logged naming the profile.
+        warning_messages = [rec.message for rec in caplog.records if rec.levelno == std_logging.WARNING]
+        assert any('failprofile' in msg for msg in warning_messages), (
+            f'No warning mentioning profile name found. Logged: {warning_messages}'
+        )
+        # Profile dict is returned (best-effort).
+        assert result['name'] == 'failprofile'
+        assert 'path' in result
+
+
+class TestHermesCliUnavailableFallbackDoesNotCrash:
+    def test_fallback_create_still_produces_profile_dict(self, fake_hermes_home):
+        # Simulate hermes_cli being present but create_profile raising ImportError
+        # (e.g. in a Docker/standalone environment where the profiles sub-module
+        # fails to load). This exercises the _create_profile_fallback path and
+        # confirms the new seed block does not interfere with it.
+        #
+        # We cannot permanently delete hermes_cli.profiles from sys.modules (it
+        # may be needed by other tests in this process), so we raise ImportError
+        # at the call site by temporarily replacing create_profile on the real
+        # module with a function that raises ImportError.
+
+        real_mod = sys.modules.get('hermes_cli.profiles')
+        if real_mod is None:
+            # hermes_cli.profiles was already cleaned up by a prior test in this
+            # process — skip rather than failing with a confusing assertion.
+            pytest.skip('hermes_cli.profiles not in sys.modules (cleaned up by prior test)')
+
+        orig_create = real_mod.create_profile
+        real_mod.create_profile = MagicMock(side_effect=ImportError('hermes_cli profiles unavailable'))
+        try:
+            with patch.object(profiles_mod, 'list_profiles_api', return_value=[]):
+                result = profiles_mod.create_profile_api('isolatedprofile')
+        finally:
+            real_mod.create_profile = orig_create
+
+        # Fallback path must have created the profile and returned a dict.
+        assert result['name'] == 'isolatedprofile'
+        expected_path = _isolated_profiles_root(fake_hermes_home) / 'isolatedprofile'
+        assert Path(result['path']) == expected_path
+
+    def test_seed_unavailable_logs_debug_without_crashing(self, fake_hermes_home, caplog):
+        import logging as std_logging
+
+        def fake_create(name, **kw):
+            _make_profile_dir(_isolated_profiles_root(fake_hermes_home), name)
+
+        # Grab references BEFORE we overwrite sys.modules — once saved here we
+        # can safely restore them in finally regardless of what happens in between.
+        real_mod = sys.modules.get('hermes_cli.profiles')
+        real_hermes_cli = sys.modules.get('hermes_cli')
+        if real_mod is None or real_hermes_cli is None:
+            pytest.skip('hermes_cli.profiles not in sys.modules (cleaned up by prior test)')
+
+        # We need hermes_cli.profiles.seed_profile_skills to not exist so that
+        # `from hermes_cli.profiles import seed_profile_skills` raises ImportError.
+        # We achieve this by putting a mock module with no seed attr in sys.modules
+        # and restoring the real module in the finally block.
+        _remove_hermes_cli()
+        mock = ModuleType('hermes_cli.profiles')
+        mock.create_profile = fake_create
+        # NO seed_profile_skills attribute — absence causes ImportError in the
+        # import statement inside create_profile_api.
+        fake_hermes_cli = ModuleType('hermes_cli')
+        sys.modules['hermes_cli'] = fake_hermes_cli
+        sys.modules['hermes_cli.profiles'] = mock
+
+        try:
+            with caplog.at_level(std_logging.DEBUG):
+                with patch.object(profiles_mod, 'list_profiles_api', return_value=[]):
+                    result = profiles_mod.create_profile_api('nohermesprofile')
+        finally:
+            # Restore the real modules so subsequent tests can use them.
+            _remove_hermes_cli()
+            sys.modules['hermes_cli'] = real_hermes_cli
+            sys.modules['hermes_cli.profiles'] = real_mod
+
+        # Profile is still created.
+        assert result['name'] == 'nohermesprofile'
+        # Debug log about unavailable seed_profile_skills.
+        debug_messages = [rec.message for rec in caplog.records if rec.levelno == std_logging.DEBUG]
+        assert any('seed_profile_skills' in msg for msg in debug_messages), (
+            f'No debug log about unavailable seed_profile_skills. Logged: {debug_messages}'
+        )
\ No newline at end of file