diff --git a/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.test.ts b/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.test.ts
index a4303c7957..a04c8cba1c 100644
--- a/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.test.ts
+++ b/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.test.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import { describe, test, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'bun:test';
 import { homedir, tmpdir } from 'os';
 import { join } from 'path';
 import { existsSync } from 'fs';
-import { mkdir, rm, writeFile, lstat, readlink } from 'fs/promises';
+import { mkdir, rm, writeFile, lstat, readlink, symlink as fsSymlink } from 'fs/promises';
 
 const isWindows = process.platform === 'win32';
 
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import {
   resolveProjectRootFromCwd,
   ensureProjectStructure,
   createProjectSourceSymlink,
+  findMarkdownFilesRecursive,
 } from './archon-paths';
 
 /** All env vars that path functions depend on */
@@ -776,3 +777,90 @@ describe('createProjectSourceSymlink', () => {
     expect(stats.isSymbolicLink()).toBe(true);
   });
 });
+
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+// findMarkdownFilesRecursive — symlink handling
+//
+// Regression tests for #1501: symlinked .md files (e.g. team-shared
+// commands made available via `~/.archon/commands/foo.md` → repo path)
+// must be discovered, not silently ignored.
+// ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe.skipIf(isWindows)('findMarkdownFilesRecursive — symlinks', () => {
+  let tempRoot: string;
+  let realRepo: string;
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    const ts = Date.now() + Math.random();
+    tempRoot = join(tmpdir(), `archon-find-md-${ts}`);
+    realRepo = join(tmpdir(), `archon-find-md-source-${ts}`);
+    await mkdir(tempRoot, { recursive: true });
+    await mkdir(realRepo, { recursive: true });
+  });
+
+  afterEach(async () => {
+    await rm(tempRoot, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    await rm(realRepo, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  test('finds .md file reached via symlink in the search root', async () => {
+    // Real source file in a "team repo"-shaped location
+    await writeFile(join(realRepo, 'team-cmd.md'), '# team command');
+
+    // Symlink it into the search root (same shape as sync-to-archon.sh)
+    await fsSymlink(join(realRepo, 'team-cmd.md'), join(tempRoot, 'team-cmd.md'));
+
+    const found = await findMarkdownFilesRecursive(tempRoot);
+    expect(found.map(e => e.commandName)).toContain('team-cmd');
+  });
+
+  test('mixes regular files and symlinks in the same directory', async () => {
+    await writeFile(join(tempRoot, 'plain.md'), '# plain');
+    await writeFile(join(realRepo, 'linked.md'), '# linked');
+    await fsSymlink(join(realRepo, 'linked.md'), join(tempRoot, 'linked.md'));
+
+    const found = await findMarkdownFilesRecursive(tempRoot);
+    const names = found.map(e => e.commandName).sort();
+    expect(names).toEqual(['linked', 'plain']);
+  });
+
+  test('descends into a symlinked directory of .md files', async () => {
+    const realSubdir = join(realRepo, 'group');
+    await mkdir(realSubdir, { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(join(realSubdir, 'inside.md'), '# inside');
+
+    await fsSymlink(realSubdir, join(tempRoot, 'group'));
+
+    const found = await findMarkdownFilesRecursive(tempRoot);
+    expect(found.map(e => e.commandName)).toContain('inside');
+  });
+
+  test('skips broken symlinks silently', async () => {
+    await writeFile(join(tempRoot, 'real.md'), '# real');
+    await fsSymlink(join(realRepo, 'gone.md'), join(tempRoot, 'broken.md'));
+
+    const found = await findMarkdownFilesRecursive(tempRoot);
+    expect(found.map(e => e.commandName)).toEqual(['real']);
+  });
+
+  test('does not recurse infinitely on a self-referential symlink cycle', async () => {
+    // Symlink that points at the search root itself — the classic infinite
+    // loop trap. Walk must terminate and report only the real file.
+    await writeFile(join(tempRoot, 'top.md'), '# top');
+    await fsSymlink(tempRoot, join(tempRoot, 'loop'));
+
+    const found = await findMarkdownFilesRecursive(tempRoot);
+    expect(found.map(e => e.commandName)).toEqual(['top']);
+  });
+
+  test('does not recurse infinitely on a multi-level symlink cycle', async () => {
+    // tempRoot/a/back → tempRoot (loop via a sibling subdirectory).
+    const subA = join(tempRoot, 'a');
+    await mkdir(subA, { recursive: true });
+    await writeFile(join(subA, 'inside.md'), '# inside');
+    await fsSymlink(tempRoot, join(subA, 'back'));
+
+    const found = await findMarkdownFilesRecursive(tempRoot);
+    expect(found.map(e => e.commandName).sort()).toEqual(['inside']);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.ts b/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.ts
index 9a5d30aae4..199388730c 100644
--- a/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.ts
+++ b/packages/paths/src/archon-paths.ts
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 
 import { join, dirname, normalize, basename } from 'path';
 import { homedir } from 'os';
-import { access, mkdir, symlink, lstat, readdir, readlink, rm } from 'fs/promises';
+import { access, mkdir, symlink, lstat, readdir, readlink, realpath, rm, stat } from 'fs/promises';
 import { createLogger } from './logger';
 
 /** Lazy-initialized logger (deferred so test mocks can intercept createLogger) */
@@ -218,12 +218,33 @@ export async function findMarkdownFilesRecursive(
   rootPath: string,
   relativePath = '',
   options?: { maxDepth?: number }
+): Promise<{ commandName: string; relativePath: string }[]> {
+  return findMarkdownFilesRecursiveImpl(rootPath, relativePath, options, new Set<string>());
+}
+
+async function findMarkdownFilesRecursiveImpl(
+  rootPath: string,
+  relativePath: string,
+  options: { maxDepth?: number } | undefined,
+  visitedRealPaths: Set<string>
 ): Promise<{ commandName: string; relativePath: string }[]> {
   const maxDepth = options?.maxDepth ?? Infinity;
   const currentDepth = relativePath ? relativePath.split(/[/\\]/).filter(Boolean).length : 0;
   const results: { commandName: string; relativePath: string }[] = [];
   const fullPath = join(rootPath, relativePath);
 
+  // Seed visited-set on first entry so a symlink that points back at the
+  // search root itself is detected as a cycle on the first descent.
+  if (visitedRealPaths.size === 0) {
+    try {
+      visitedRealPaths.add(await realpath(fullPath));
+    } catch (e) {
+      const err = e as NodeJS.ErrnoException;
+      if (err.code === 'ENOENT') return results;
+      throw err;
+    }
+  }
+
   let entries;
   try {
     entries = await readdir(fullPath, { withFileTypes: true });
@@ -238,18 +259,53 @@ export async function findMarkdownFilesRecursive(
       continue;
     }
 
-    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+    // Resolve the entry's actual type, following symlinks so that team-shared
+    // command/workflow files made available via symlink (e.g. `~/.archon/commands/foo.md`
+    // → `/path/to/team-repo/commands/foo.md`) are picked up. `Dirent.isFile()` /
+    // `Dirent.isDirectory()` both return false for symlinks, so without the
+    // stat() they would be silently skipped.
+    let isDir: boolean;
+    let isFile: boolean;
+    if (entry.isSymbolicLink()) {
+      try {
+        const targetStat = await stat(join(fullPath, entry.name));
+        isDir = targetStat.isDirectory();
+        isFile = targetStat.isFile();
+      } catch {
+        // Broken symlink — skip silently
+        continue;
+      }
+    } else {
+      isDir = entry.isDirectory();
+      isFile = entry.isFile();
+    }
+
+    if (isDir) {
       // Skip descending if we're already at the depth cap — files at deeper
       // levels are silently ignored (matches the convention that `.archon/*/`
       // folders support one level of grouping like `defaults/`).
       if (currentDepth >= maxDepth) continue;
-      const subResults = await findMarkdownFilesRecursive(
+
+      // Resolve the child directory's real path before descending. A symlink
+      // pointing back at an ancestor (or any already-visited target) would
+      // otherwise recurse forever.
+      let realChild: string;
+      try {
+        realChild = await realpath(join(fullPath, entry.name));
+      } catch {
+        continue;
+      }
+      if (visitedRealPaths.has(realChild)) continue;
+      visitedRealPaths.add(realChild);
+
+      const subResults = await findMarkdownFilesRecursiveImpl(
         rootPath,
         join(relativePath, entry.name),
-        options
+        options,
+        visitedRealPaths
       );
       results.push(...subResults);
-    } else if (entry.isFile() && entry.name.endsWith('.md')) {
+    } else if (isFile && entry.name.endsWith('.md')) {
       results.push({
         commandName: basename(entry.name, '.md'),
         relativePath: join(relativePath, entry.name),
diff --git a/packages/workflows/src/validator.test.ts b/packages/workflows/src/validator.test.ts
index 67b288b0e2..f6a6833902 100644
--- a/packages/workflows/src/validator.test.ts
+++ b/packages/workflows/src/validator.test.ts
@@ -22,13 +22,36 @@ import type { WorkflowDefinition, DagNode } from './schemas';
 // =============================================================================
 
 let tmpDir: string;
+// Isolated ARCHON_HOME so home-scoped command/workflow discovery never sees
+// the developer's real ~/.archon/. Without this, tests that assert "no
+// commands found" fail on machines where the user has personal commands in
+// their home dir.
+let tmpHomeDir: string;
+let originalArchonHome: string | undefined;
+let originalArchonDocker: string | undefined;
 
 beforeEach(async () => {
   tmpDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'validator-test-'));
+  tmpHomeDir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'validator-home-'));
+  originalArchonHome = process.env.ARCHON_HOME;
+  originalArchonDocker = process.env.ARCHON_DOCKER;
+  process.env.ARCHON_HOME = tmpHomeDir;
+  delete process.env.ARCHON_DOCKER;
 });
 
 afterEach(async () => {
   await rm(tmpDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  await rm(tmpHomeDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  if (originalArchonHome === undefined) {
+    delete process.env.ARCHON_HOME;
+  } else {
+    process.env.ARCHON_HOME = originalArchonHome;
+  }
+  if (originalArchonDocker === undefined) {
+    delete process.env.ARCHON_DOCKER;
+  } else {
+    process.env.ARCHON_DOCKER = originalArchonDocker;
+  }
 });
 
 function makeWorkflow(name: string, nodes: DagNode[], provider?: string): WorkflowDefinition {