# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Auxiliary tasks fallback to paid OpenRouter models instead of configured free ones

## Open now

- 1 issue, 0 PRs open on GitHub.
- #50954: Auxiliary fallback: make the hardcoded last-resort default genuinely free + add model-selection audit trail (follow-up to #36759)

Most members concern auxiliary-task model selection (compression, title generation, web tools) falling back to hardcoded or paid OpenRouter defaults rather than honoring user-configured fallback_providers, free-only settings, or session-level model switches. Proposed changes include removing hardcoded defaults, preserving the :free suffix, and propagating model switches.

## TL;DR

- 17 member(s): 1 open issue(s), 5 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 10 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #2464. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #2464 (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: `partially_resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-2464`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_PARTIAL`): some members are connected by structural evidence (shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference); the rest are joined by an automated relevance judgement over their text.
- Members outside that structural core may belong to a different underlying problem.
- Pairwise link density `0.09`: 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.

## Open related issues

- #50954: Auxiliary fallback: make the hardcoded last-resort default genuinely free + add model-selection audit trail (follow-up to #36759)

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #2453: \[Bug\]: Agent uses gemini 3 flash preview from openrouter for ( compression / auxiliary _client and web_tools)
- #24029: Auxiliary tasks silently fall back to paid OpenRouter models, bypassing user's free-only configuration
- #24039: Auxiliary fallback chain should reuse fallback_providers, not maintain a separate hardcoded list
- #36759: Auxiliary fallback ignores session-level model switch and routes to paid model via unselected credential pool
- #44894: When openrouter key hermes uses paid Auxiliary default models for silly things like session title generation

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#2464: fix(compression): remove hardcoded gemini-3-flash-preview as default summary model**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `cli.py`, `hermes_cli/config.py`
  - fix hunks:
  - `cli.py`

    ```diff
    @@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ def load_cli_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
             "compression": {
                 "enabled": True,      # Auto-compress when approaching context limit
                 "threshold": 0.50,    # Compress at 50% of model's context limit
    -            "summary_model": "google/gemini-3-flash-preview",  # Fast/cheap model for summaries
    +            "summary_model": "",  # Model for summaries (empty = use main model)
             },
             "smart_model_routing": {
                 "enabled": False,
    ```
  - `hermes_cli/config.py`

    ```diff
    @@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ def ensure_hermes_home():
         "compression": {
             "enabled": True,
             "threshold": 0.50,
    -        "summary_model": "google/gemini-3-flash-preview",
    +        "summary_model": "",  # empty = use main configured model
             "summary_provider": "auto",
             "summary_base_url": None,
         },
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -1659,7 +1659,8 @@ def show_config():
         print(f"  Enabled:      {'yes' if enabled else 'no'}")
         if enabled:
             print(f"  Threshold:    {compression.get('threshold', 0.50) * 100:.0f}%")
    -        print(f"  Model:        {compression.get('summary_model', 'google/gemini-3-flash-preview')}")
    +        _sm = compression.get('summary_model', '') or '(main model)'
    +        print(f"  Model:        {_sm}")
             comp_provider = compression.get('summary_provider', 'auto')
             if comp_provider != 'auto':
                 print(f"  Provider:     {comp_provider}")
    ```
- **#25180: fix(auxiliary): prefer fallback_providers model for OpenRouter aux tasks**. closed without merge · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#36759`, `#50954`
  - _suggested-tier fix detail withheld; re-request with `?tier=all` to include it._
- **#2457: fix(compression): remove hardcoded gemini-3-flash-preview as default summary model**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `#2464`
- **#25316: fix(auxiliary): preserve :free suffix in auxiliary fallback models**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#25180`
- **#36789: fix(agent): honor declared fallback chain for aux runtime overrides**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`
- **#38716: fix(agent): propagate mid-session model switch to auxiliary client (#36759)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `implemented_elsewhere`; implication `superseded`; refs `#36759`, `#50954`
- **#44939: fix(auxiliary): use empty default for OpenRouter auxiliary model (#44894)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `silent_close`; implication `active`
- **#45077: fix: When openrouter key hermes uses paid Auxiliary default models for silly things like session title generation (#44894)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#44939`, `#44894`, `#45091`
- **#45091: fix(provider): OpenRouter key uses paid Auxiliary default models for silly things like session title generation (#44894)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `duplicate_of`; implication `duplicate`; refs `#44939`, `#44894`
- **#45121: fix(auxiliary): use free default models for auxiliary tasks (#44894)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `superseded_by_pr`; implication `superseded`; refs `#44939`, `#44894`
- **#106319: feat(cli): add profile-scoped free-only OpenRouter choices**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `silent_close`; implication `active`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #2464 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-03-22`. This confirmation is old and may be out of date (a revert/reopen would not have invalidated it here); re-verify.
- Subsystem: `agent`