[jjd-uk]

If you have a shared network drive the addons folder can reside on then you can perhaps experiment with path substitution, see https://kodi.wiki/view/Path_substitution and https://kodi.wiki/view/Special_protocol

So something like

xml:
<advancedsettings>

 <pathsubstitution>

  <substitute>

    <from>special://home/addons</from>

    <to>smb://mynas/kodi/kodi_data/addons/</to>

  </substitute>

 </pathsubstitution>

</advancedsettings>

[DiMag]

Thanks @jjd-uk. I did not think of that, however plausible it is. Must give it a try.

(By the same token, one could redirect the profiles (/userdata) folder as well?)

[jjd-uk]

Yes, anything listed in special protocols is possible. If it's not clear what each path relates to from wiki description, then simply add special protocol path as a source in the Kodi File Manager to see what it directs you to.