# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Custom provider model.key_env key resolution in bare provider path

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

The members concern how a bare custom provider resolves the API key named by model.key_env, including one report of 401/403 errors in sessions after the first and two pull requests referencing #67453 that change config or provider handling. One also mentions a warning for unset key_env. Outcomes are not established from these titles.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #115791. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #115791 (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: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-115791`. 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evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.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 `0.67`: 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

- #67453: \[bug\] custom provider \`key_env\` only resolved for the first session after boot — all subsequent sessions get 401/403

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#115791: fix(providers): bare custom provider sends the key named by model.key_env; unset key_env is warned about (#67453, salvage #67554)**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `agent/model_metadata.py`, `hermes_cli/runtime_provider_backends.py`, `hermes_cli/runtime_provider_custom.py`, `tests/agent/test_output_cap_parsing.py`, `tests/hermes_cli/test_runtime_provider_resolution.py`, `website/docs/integrations/providers.md`
- **#67554: fix(config): resolve model.key_env in bare custom provider path (#67453)**. closed without merge
  - maintainer direction: category `merged_via`; implication `superseded`; refs `709e7adcc4ed`, `#115791`, `#67453`, `#67554`

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #115791 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-09-19`.
- Subsystem: `agent`