diff --git a/skills/email/himalaya/SKILL.md b/skills/email/himalaya/SKILL.md
index d7392e6bdc8..79da4133f02 100644
--- a/skills/email/himalaya/SKILL.md
+++ b/skills/email/himalaya/SKILL.md
@@ -17,6 +17,11 @@ prerequisites:
 
 Himalaya is a CLI email client that lets you manage emails from the terminal using IMAP, SMTP, Notmuch, or Sendmail backends.
 
+This skill is separate from the Hermes Email gateway adapter. The gateway
+adapter lets people email the agent and uses Hermes' built-in IMAP/SMTP
+adapter; this skill lets the agent operate a mailbox from terminal tools and
+requires the external `himalaya` CLI.
+
 ## References
 
 - `references/configuration.md` (config file setup + IMAP/SMTP authentication)
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/email.md b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/email.md
index c1cf6f5f3fe..d67307be771 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/email.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/email.md
@@ -8,10 +8,17 @@ description: "Set up Hermes Agent as an email assistant via IMAP/SMTP"
 
 Hermes can receive and reply to emails using standard IMAP and SMTP protocols. Send an email to the agent's address and it replies in-thread — no special client or bot API needed. Works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Fastmail, or any provider that supports IMAP/SMTP.
 
-:::info No External Dependencies
-The Email adapter uses Python's built-in `imaplib`, `smtplib`, and `email` modules. No additional packages or external services are required.
+:::info Gateway adapter only: no external dependencies
+This page covers the Email gateway adapter, which uses Python's built-in `imaplib`, `smtplib`, and `email` modules. No additional packages or external services are required for this gateway path.
 :::
 
+This is separate from the bundled [Himalaya email skill](/docs/user-guide/skills/bundled/email/email-himalaya), which lets the agent manage email through terminal commands and requires the external `himalaya` CLI plus a Himalaya config file.
+
+| Use case | What to configure | External dependency |
+|---|---|---|
+| Let people email the Hermes agent and receive replies | Email gateway adapter on this page | None beyond an IMAP/SMTP email account |
+| Let the agent inspect, compose, move, and manage mailbox messages from terminal tools | Himalaya email skill | `himalaya` CLI and `~/.config/himalaya/config.toml` |
+
 ---
 
 ## Prerequisites