diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 439f07a..4771ee7 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -54,11 +54,11 @@ Skills compose by adoption-list order (`10123`) and trigger tags carry runtime e
 
 Didactyl will support local inference, which is very privacy preserving. Remote inference does however have it's advantages, and in those cases Didactyl supports using Bitcoin Lightning and eCash inference providers.
 
-## Current Status — v0.2.41
+## Current Status — v0.2.42
 
 **Active build — this project is barely working. Experiment at your own risk.**
 
-> Last release update: v0.2.41 — Fix adopted-skills cache to select latest kind 10123 event by created_at in agent refresh path
+> Last release update: v0.2.42 — Make skill_refresh re-query relays and reload self-skill cache before invalidating adopted-skills cache
 
 - Connects to configured relays with auto-reconnect and relay state transition logging
 - Publishes configured startup events per relay as each relay becomes connected
diff --git a/src/main.h b/src/main.h
index 0d5b33b..59cbfdb 100644
--- a/src/main.h
+++ b/src/main.h
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@
 // Using DIDACTYL_ prefix to avoid conflicts with nostr_core_lib VERSION macros
 #define DIDACTYL_VERSION_MAJOR 0
 #define DIDACTYL_VERSION_MINOR 2
-#define DIDACTYL_VERSION_PATCH 41
-#define DIDACTYL_VERSION "v0.2.41"
+#define DIDACTYL_VERSION_PATCH 42
+#define DIDACTYL_VERSION "v0.2.42"
 
 // Agent metadata
 #define DIDACTYL_NAME "Didactyl"
diff --git a/src/nostr_handler.c b/src/nostr_handler.c
index 090b360..113e93b 100644
--- a/src/nostr_handler.c
+++ b/src/nostr_handler.c
@@ -3694,6 +3694,75 @@ char* nostr_handler_get_self_skill_events_json(void) {
     return json ? json : strdup("[]");
 }
 
+int nostr_handler_refresh_self_skill_cache_from_relays(int timeout_ms) {
+    if (!g_cfg || !g_pool) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    int effective_timeout_ms = timeout_ms > 0 ? timeout_ms : 5000;
+
+    cJSON* filter = cJSON_CreateObject();
+    cJSON* kinds = cJSON_CreateArray();
+    cJSON* authors = cJSON_CreateArray();
+    if (!filter || !kinds || !authors) {
+        cJSON_Delete(filter);
+        cJSON_Delete(kinds);
+        cJSON_Delete(authors);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    cJSON_AddItemToArray(kinds, cJSON_CreateNumber(31123));
+    cJSON_AddItemToArray(kinds, cJSON_CreateNumber(31124));
+    cJSON_AddItemToArray(kinds, cJSON_CreateNumber(10123));
+    cJSON_AddItemToObject(filter, "kinds", kinds);
+
+    cJSON_AddItemToArray(authors, cJSON_CreateString(g_cfg->keys.public_key_hex));
+    if (g_cfg->admin.pubkey[0] != '\0' && strcmp(g_cfg->admin.pubkey, g_cfg->keys.public_key_hex) != 0) {
+        cJSON_AddItemToArray(authors, cJSON_CreateString(g_cfg->admin.pubkey));
+    }
+    cJSON_AddItemToObject(filter, "authors", authors);
+    cJSON_AddNumberToObject(filter, "limit", 500);
+
+    char* events_json = nostr_handler_query_json(filter, effective_timeout_ms);
+    cJSON_Delete(filter);
+    if (!events_json) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    cJSON* events = cJSON_Parse(events_json);
+    free(events_json);
+    if (!events || !cJSON_IsArray(events)) {
+        cJSON_Delete(events);
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    int merged = 0;
+    pthread_mutex_lock(&g_self_skill_mutex);
+    int n = cJSON_GetArraySize(events);
+    for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
+        cJSON* ev = cJSON_GetArrayItem(events, i);
+        if (!ev || !cJSON_IsObject(ev)) {
+            continue;
+        }
+
+        cJSON* kind = cJSON_GetObjectItemCaseSensitive(ev, "kind");
+        int kind_val = (kind && cJSON_IsNumber(kind)) ? (int)kind->valuedouble : -1;
+        if (kind_val == 31124) {
+            (void)normalize_private_skill_event_local(ev);
+        }
+
+        self_skill_cache_upsert_event_locked(ev);
+        merged++;
+    }
+    pthread_mutex_unlock(&g_self_skill_mutex);
+
+    cJSON_Delete(events);
+
+    agent_invalidate_adopted_skills_cache();
+    DEBUG_INFO("[didactyl] skill_refresh relay reload merged %d self-skill/adoption events", merged);
+    return 0;
+}
+
 int nostr_handler_is_event_in_self_cache(const char* event_id_hex) {
     if (!event_id_hex || strlen(event_id_hex) != 64U) {
         return 0;
diff --git a/src/nostr_handler.h b/src/nostr_handler.h
index 009c80b..7eb92b0 100644
--- a/src/nostr_handler.h
+++ b/src/nostr_handler.h
@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ int nostr_handler_validate_self_skill_cache(int* out_skill_count, int* out_adopt
 void nostr_handler_refresh_relay_statuses(void);
 int nostr_handler_sync_relays_from_config(void);
 char* nostr_handler_get_self_skill_events_json(void);
+int nostr_handler_refresh_self_skill_cache_from_relays(int timeout_ms);
 int nostr_handler_is_event_in_self_cache(const char* event_id_hex);
 const char* nostr_handler_get_startup_display_name(void);
 int nostr_handler_connected_relay_count(void);
diff --git a/src/tools/tool_skill.c b/src/tools/tool_skill.c
index 1ca2f43..4078eb8 100644
--- a/src/tools/tool_skill.c
+++ b/src/tools/tool_skill.c
@@ -2474,12 +2474,17 @@ char* execute_skill_refresh(tools_context_t* ctx, const char* args_json) {
     (void)args_json;
     if (!ctx || !ctx->cfg) return json_error_local("tool context unavailable");
 
+    int rc = nostr_handler_refresh_self_skill_cache_from_relays(5000);
+    if (rc != 0) {
+        return json_error_local("skill_refresh failed to reload self-skill cache from relays");
+    }
+
     agent_invalidate_adopted_skills_cache();
 
     cJSON* out = cJSON_CreateObject();
     if (!out) return NULL;
     cJSON_AddBoolToObject(out, "success", 1);
-    cJSON_AddStringToObject(out, "message", "adopted skills cache invalidated; next context build will reload skills");
+    cJSON_AddStringToObject(out, "message", "self-skill cache refreshed from relays; adopted skills cache invalidated; next context build will use latest relay data");
     char* json = cJSON_PrintUnformatted(out);
     cJSON_Delete(out);
     return json;