diff --git a/src/api/routes/company.js b/src/api/routes/company.js
index f035b39..85be584 100644
--- a/src/api/routes/company.js
+++ b/src/api/routes/company.js
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import * as db from '../../db/company.js';
 import * as googleAuth from '../../db/googleAuth.js';
 import { clearCachedUser } from '../middleware/auth.js';
+import { initCompanyVfs } from '../../tools/vfs.js';
 
 function userPayload(authRow) {
     return {
@@ -169,6 +170,11 @@ export function register(app, basePath = '') {
             const company = await db.createCompany(req.user.id, body);
             await googleAuth.setSelectedCompany(req.user.id, company.id);
             clearCachedUser(req.user.id);
+            try {
+                await initCompanyVfs({ googleAuthId: req.user.id });
+            } catch (vfsErr) {
+                console.error('Failed to initialize company VFS:', vfsErr);
+            }
             const authRow = await googleAuth.getAllowedEmail(req.user.email);
             res.status(201).json({ company, user: userPayload(authRow) });
         } catch (error) {
diff --git a/src/defaultSkills/image-search-inspect-present.SKILL b/src/defaultSkills/image-search-inspect-present.SKILL
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..627dce9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/defaultSkills/image-search-inspect-present.SKILL
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+Efficient image search, inspection, and presentation
+
+# Goal
+Find relevant online images, inspect the best candidates, and show the user the results with minimal turns and tool overhead.
+
+# Procedure
+1. Search with concise, specific queries. For Categories or brands photos down to 300x300 are ok, but prouct photos should be 800+
+2. **Search in parallel.** For multiple distinct subjects, call `search_images` concurrently, requesting a few candidates per query.
+3. Use the paths returned by `search_images`. If needed, check `find_files` to confirm paths.
+4. **Inspect candidates in one call.** Pass up to nine candidate paths to one `analyze_image` call.
+5. When you upload a photo using the API you also must show the photo to the user in markdown when summarizing. `![Descriptive alt text](images/candidate.avif)`
diff --git a/src/services/conversationManager.js b/src/services/conversationManager.js
index ada84ef..2c3150f 100644
--- a/src/services/conversationManager.js
+++ b/src/services/conversationManager.js
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { createDashbackRequestTool } from '../tools/dashback-request.js';
 import { createAskUserTool } from '../tools/ask-user.js';
 import { createJavascriptExecuteTool } from '../tools/javascript.js';
 import { createResetVfsTool } from '../tools/reset-vfs.js';
-import { resolveVfsRoot } from '../tools/vfs.js';
+import { prepareVfs, resolveVfsRoot } from '../tools/vfs.js';
 import { listSkillFiles } from '../tools/skill.js';
 import { createApiSuggestionsOrIssuesTool } from '../tools/apisuggestionsorissues.js';
 import { createFindFilesTool } from '../tools/find-files.js';
@@ -446,13 +446,16 @@ export class ConversationManager {
             // Transcript comes from the database (includes user, assistant, tool, reasoning).
             const history = await db.listMessages(googleAuthId, this.conversationId);
 
-            // Resolve the VFS root so the prompt can list the company's SKILL files. A failure
-            // here must not abort the turn — the prompt simply falls back to "no skills".
+            // Resolve and prepare the VFS root so the prompt can list the company's SKILL files.
+            // A failure here must not abort the turn — the prompt simply falls back to "no skills".
             let vfsRoot = null;
             try {
-                vfsRoot = await resolveVfsRoot(googleAuthId);
+                vfsRoot = await prepareVfs({ googleAuthId });
             } catch (err) {
-                console.warn('conversation: could not resolve VFS root for skill index:', err.message);
+                console.warn('conversation: could not prepare VFS root for skill index:', err.message);
+                try {
+                    vfsRoot = await resolveVfsRoot(googleAuthId);
+                } catch { /* ignore fallback error */ }
             }
 
             const messages = [
diff --git a/src/tools/reset-vfs.js b/src/tools/reset-vfs.js
index c7142dc..cbe3808 100644
--- a/src/tools/reset-vfs.js
+++ b/src/tools/reset-vfs.js
@@ -50,6 +50,9 @@ export function createResetVfsTool({ googleAuthId }) {
             // touching disk so a store failure cannot leave the disk wiped while the database
             // still claims the files exist.
             for (const file of existing) {
+                if (file.name === '.vfs_initialized') {
+                    continue;
+                }
                 if (keepSkills && isSkillPath(file.name)) {
                     keptSkills.push(file.name);
                     continue;
@@ -63,6 +66,9 @@ export function createResetVfsTool({ googleAuthId }) {
             let deletedCount = 0;
             if (fs.existsSync(vfsRoot)) {
                 for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(vfsRoot)) {
+                    if (entry === '.vfs_initialized') {
+                        continue;
+                    }
                     // Only root-level entries can be SKILL files, so the bare name is enough
                     // to decide here — nested directories are always disposable.
                     if (keepSkills && isSkillPath(entry)) {
diff --git a/src/tools/skill.js b/src/tools/skill.js
index d00411a..865c331 100644
--- a/src/tools/skill.js
+++ b/src/tools/skill.js
@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'url';
+
+const __filename = fileURLToPath(import.meta.url);
+const __dirname = path.dirname(__filename);
+
+export const DEFAULT_SKILLS_DIR = fs.existsSync(path.resolve(__dirname, '../defaultSkills'))
+    ? path.resolve(__dirname, '../defaultSkills')
+    : path.resolve(process.cwd(), 'defaultSkills');
 
 /**
  * skill.js — the `SKILL` VFS file type.
@@ -185,4 +193,32 @@ export function listSkillFiles(vfsRoot) {
 
     out.sort((a, b) => a.path.localeCompare(b.path));
     return out;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Reads all default skill files from DEFAULT_SKILLS_DIR.
+ * @returns {Array<{ name: string, content: string }>}
+ */
+export function getDefaultSkills() {
+    if (!fs.existsSync(DEFAULT_SKILLS_DIR)) return [];
+    let dirents;
+    try {
+        dirents = fs.readdirSync(DEFAULT_SKILLS_DIR, { withFileTypes: true });
+    } catch {
+        return [];
+    }
+
+    const out = [];
+    for (const dirent of dirents) {
+        if (!dirent.isFile() || !isSkillName(dirent.name)) continue;
+        const absPath = path.join(DEFAULT_SKILLS_DIR, dirent.name);
+        try {
+            const content = fs.readFileSync(absPath, 'utf8');
+            out.push({ name: dirent.name, content });
+        } catch (err) {
+            console.warn(`[skill] failed to read default skill "${dirent.name}":`, err.message);
+        }
+    }
+    out.sort((a, b) => a.name.localeCompare(b.name));
+    return out;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/tools/vfs.js b/src/tools/vfs.js
index 4ad4e71..00e155b 100644
--- a/src/tools/vfs.js
+++ b/src/tools/vfs.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ import fs from 'fs';
 import path from 'path';
 import { getStore } from '../db/store.js';
 import env from '../config/env.js';
+import { isSkillPath, getDefaultSkills } from './skill.js';
 
 const FULL_HASH_REGEX = /^[a-fA-F0-9]{64}$/;
 const VIRTUAL_IMAGE_FOLDERS = new Set(['image', 'images']);
@@ -96,8 +97,72 @@ async function vfsRootFor(store, googleAuthId) {
     return path.resolve(process.cwd(), 'data/vfs', String(companyId));
 }
 
+/**
+ * Loads default SKILL files into the selected company's VFS (both modelvfs table and disk cache).
+ *
+ * @param {{ googleAuthId: number, store?: object, vfsRoot?: string }} ctx
+ * @returns {Promise<Array<string>>} List of loaded skill file names
+ */
+export async function loadDefaultSkills({ googleAuthId, store: passedStore, vfsRoot: passedVfsRoot } = {}) {
+    const store = passedStore || await getStore();
+    const vfsRoot = passedVfsRoot || await vfsRootFor(store, googleAuthId);
+    fs.mkdirSync(vfsRoot, { recursive: true });
+
+    const defaultSkills = getDefaultSkills();
+    const loaded = [];
+
+    for (const skill of defaultSkills) {
+        try {
+            await store.modelvfs.write(googleAuthId, {
+                name: skill.name,
+                mime: 'text/markdown',
+                content: Buffer.from(skill.content, 'utf8'),
+            });
+        } catch (err) {
+            console.error(`[vfs] failed to write default skill "${skill.name}" to modelvfs:`, err.message);
+        }
+
+        try {
+            const diskPath = path.resolve(vfsRoot, skill.name);
+            fs.writeFileSync(diskPath, skill.content, 'utf8');
+            loaded.push(skill.name);
+        } catch (err) {
+            console.error(`[vfs] failed to write default skill "${skill.name}" to disk:`, err.message);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return loaded;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Initializes the VFS for the selected company with default SKILL files and marks it initialized.
+ *
+ * @param {{ googleAuthId: number, store?: object, vfsRoot?: string }} ctx
+ * @returns {Promise<string>} vfsRoot directory path
+ */
+export async function initCompanyVfs({ googleAuthId, store: passedStore, vfsRoot: passedVfsRoot } = {}) {
+    const store = passedStore || await getStore();
+    const vfsRoot = passedVfsRoot || await vfsRootFor(store, googleAuthId);
+    fs.mkdirSync(vfsRoot, { recursive: true });
+
+    await loadDefaultSkills({ googleAuthId, store, vfsRoot });
+
+    try {
+        await store.modelvfs.write(googleAuthId, {
+            name: '.vfs_initialized',
+            mime: 'text/plain',
+            content: Buffer.from('1', 'utf8'),
+        });
+    } catch (err) {
+        console.warn('[vfs] failed to mark .vfs_initialized in modelvfs:', err.message);
+    }
+
+    return vfsRoot;
+}
+
 /**
  * Ensure the local directory for this company's VFS exists and is hydrated from modelvfs.
+ * If the company has no initialized VFS and no skills yet, loads default skills automatically.
  *
  * @param {{ googleAuthId: number }} ctx
  * @returns {Promise<string>} vfsRoot directory path
@@ -108,8 +173,25 @@ export async function prepareVfs({ googleAuthId }) {
     fs.mkdirSync(vfsRoot, { recursive: true });
 
     try {
-        const files = await store.modelvfs.list(googleAuthId);
+        let files = await store.modelvfs.list(googleAuthId);
+        const hasInitMarker = files.some((f) => f.name === '.vfs_initialized');
+        const hasAnySkills = files.some((f) => isSkillPath(f.name));
+
+        if (!hasInitMarker && !hasAnySkills) {
+            await initCompanyVfs({ googleAuthId, store, vfsRoot });
+            files = await store.modelvfs.list(googleAuthId);
+        } else if (!hasInitMarker) {
+            try {
+                await store.modelvfs.write(googleAuthId, {
+                    name: '.vfs_initialized',
+                    mime: 'text/plain',
+                    content: Buffer.from('1', 'utf8'),
+                });
+            } catch { /* ignore */ }
+        }
+
         for (const file of files) {
+            if (file.name.startsWith('.')) continue;
             const diskPath = path.resolve(vfsRoot, file.name);
             if (!diskPath.startsWith(vfsRoot)) continue;
             if (!fs.existsSync(diskPath)) {
@@ -127,6 +209,7 @@ export async function prepareVfs({ googleAuthId }) {
     return vfsRoot;
 }
 
+
 /**
  * Syncs any modified or newly written files from the disk vfsRoot back to the modelvfs table.
  *