# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Auth bootstrap fails to recognize custom/openrouter providers

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

A regression in boot/inventory logic caused custom and OpenRouter model providers to be unrecognized during bootstrap, triggering a spurious 'needs a model provider' error. Multiple fix attempts target the provider detection logic in auth configuration.

## TL;DR

- 4 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 2 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #118321. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #118321 (and any competing PRs below) before filing. Confirm the merged change covers your symptom.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `unresolved`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.50`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #109397: \[Bug\]: Dashboard TUI shows "Hermes needs a model provider before the TUI can start a session" for \`provider: custom\` installs (0.21.2 free-tier bootstrap regression)

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#118321: fix(auth): boot inventory recognises model.provider openrouter and bare providers: pins (salvage of #114351)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `contributors/emails/[redacted:email]`, `hermes_cli/auth.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_resolve_provider_custom_endpoint.py`
- **#109416: fix(auth): recognize custom and openrouter in _config_model_provider for bootstrap (#109397)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#109256`, `#109072`
- **#114351: fix(auth): recognise model.provider openrouter in boot inventory**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `34ad35e474`, `#118321`, `#109416`, `#109256`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #118321 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-09-21`.