diff --git a/src/Elastic.Documentation.Configuration/Assembler/AssemblyConfiguration.cs b/src/Elastic.Documentation.Configuration/Assembler/AssemblyConfiguration.cs
index 2390f5a273..f9f4b94bd7 100644
--- a/src/Elastic.Documentation.Configuration/Assembler/AssemblyConfiguration.cs
+++ b/src/Elastic.Documentation.Configuration/Assembler/AssemblyConfiguration.cs
@@ -60,6 +60,13 @@ public static AssemblyConfiguration Deserialize(string yaml, bool skipPrivateRep
 				.ToDictionary(kvp => kvp.Name, kvp => kvp);
 
 			config.PrivateRepositories = privateRepositories.Where(r => !r.Value.Skip).ToDictionary(kvp => kvp.Key, kvp => kvp.Value);
+			// All repos marked private: true, regardless of skip: true. Skip means "does not publish
+			// docs", not "is not private". This set is used for render-time link visibility so that
+			// entries like kibana-team (private: true, skip: true) still have their links hidden.
+			config.AllPrivateRepositoryNames = new HashSet<string>(
+				privateRepositories.Select(r => r.Key),
+				StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase
+			);
 			return config;
 		}
 		catch (Exception e)
@@ -119,6 +126,13 @@ public static AssemblyConfiguration Deserialize(string yaml, bool skipPrivateRep
 	[YamlIgnore]
 	public IReadOnlyDictionary<string, Repository> PrivateRepositories { get; private set; } = new Dictionary<string, Repository>();
 
+	/// All repository names marked <c>private: true</c>, regardless of <c>skip: true</c>.
+	/// <c>skip: true</c> means a repo does not publish docs, not that it is publicly visible.
+	/// Use this set for render-time link visibility rather than <see cref="PrivateRepositories"/>,
+	/// which excludes skipped repos because the cross-link fetcher has no link index for them.
+	[YamlIgnore]
+	public IReadOnlySet<string> AllPrivateRepositoryNames { get; private set; } = new HashSet<string>(StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
+
 	[YamlMember(Alias = "environments")]
 	public Dictionary<string, PublishEnvironment> Environments { get; set; } = [];
 
diff --git a/src/Elastic.Markdown/Myst/Directives/Changelog/ChangelogBlock.cs b/src/Elastic.Markdown/Myst/Directives/Changelog/ChangelogBlock.cs
index 75ecb59666..5caa9a86cf 100644
--- a/src/Elastic.Markdown/Myst/Directives/Changelog/ChangelogBlock.cs
+++ b/src/Elastic.Markdown/Myst/Directives/Changelog/ChangelogBlock.cs
@@ -484,9 +484,13 @@ private void LoadPrivateRepositories()
 	{
 		try
 		{
-			// Try to load assembler configuration to get private repositories
+			// Try to load assembler configuration to get private repositories.
+			// Use AllPrivateRepositoryNames rather than PrivateRepositories.Keys: PrivateRepositories
+			// excludes skip:true entries (because the cross-link fetcher has no link index for them),
+			// but skip:true means "does not publish docs", not "is public". Repos like kibana-team
+			// (private:true, skip:true) must still have their links hidden at render time.
 			var assemblerConfig = AssemblyConfiguration.Create(Build.ConfigurationFileProvider);
-			foreach (var repoName in assemblerConfig.PrivateRepositories.Keys)
+			foreach (var repoName in assemblerConfig.AllPrivateRepositoryNames)
 				_ = PrivateRepositories.Add(repoName);
 		}
 		catch
diff --git a/tests/Elastic.Markdown.Tests/Directives/ChangelogHideLinksTests.cs b/tests/Elastic.Markdown.Tests/Directives/ChangelogHideLinksTests.cs
index d2d23d8d13..39f7dd567d 100644
--- a/tests/Elastic.Markdown.Tests/Directives/ChangelogHideLinksTests.cs
+++ b/tests/Elastic.Markdown.Tests/Directives/ChangelogHideLinksTests.cs
@@ -130,6 +130,15 @@ public void PrivateRepositoriesPropertyIsAccessible() =>
 		// (may contain repos from embedded assembler.yml)
 		Block!.PrivateRepositories.Should().NotBeNull();
 
+	[Fact]
+	public void LoadPrivateRepositories_IncludesSkipTruePrivateRepos()
+	{
+		// kibana-team is marked private: true, skip: true in the embedded assembler.yml.
+		// skip: true means "does not publish docs", not "is public". LoadPrivateRepositories
+		// must include it so that its links are hidden at render time.
+		Block!.PrivateRepositories.Should().Contain("kibana-team");
+	}
+
 	[Fact]
 	public void RendersPrLinksForPublicRepo()
 	{