diff --git a/internal/agents/hermes/adapter.go b/internal/agents/hermes/adapter.go
index fbe924892..c58b4faf6 100644
--- a/internal/agents/hermes/adapter.go
+++ b/internal/agents/hermes/adapter.go
@@ -161,8 +161,16 @@ func defaultStat(path string) statResult {
 	return statResult{isDir: info.IsDir()}
 }
 
-// ConfigPath returns the path to ~/.hermes, the Hermes global config directory.
+// ConfigPath returns the Hermes global config directory. It honors the
+// HERMES_HOME environment variable when set (the same override Hermes Desktop
+// itself uses), so that gentle-ai and Hermes agree on where persona/skills/MCP
+// config live. When HERMES_HOME is unset, the historical default of
+// filepath.Join(homeDir, ".hermes") is preserved to avoid changing existing
+// behavior on any platform.
 func ConfigPath(homeDir string) string {
+	if envHome := os.Getenv("HERMES_HOME"); envHome != "" {
+		return envHome
+	}
 	return filepath.Join(homeDir, ".hermes")
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/agents/hermes/adapter_test.go b/internal/agents/hermes/adapter_test.go
index 404585ac9..9584b0502 100644
--- a/internal/agents/hermes/adapter_test.go
+++ b/internal/agents/hermes/adapter_test.go
@@ -64,6 +64,7 @@ func TestDetect(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Setenv("HERMES_HOME", "")
 			a := &Adapter{
 				lookPath: func(string) (string, error) {
 					return tt.lookPathPath, tt.lookPathErr
@@ -103,6 +104,44 @@ func TestDetect(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestConfigPathHERMES_HOME(t *testing.T) {
+	homeDir := filepath.Join(string(filepath.Separator), "home", "test")
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		envs map[string]string
+		want string
+	}{
+		{
+			name: "HERMES_HOME overrides default",
+			envs: map[string]string{"HERMES_HOME": filepath.Join(homeDir, "custom")},
+			want: filepath.Join(homeDir, "custom"),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "HERMES_HOME empty falls back to ~/.hermes",
+			envs: map[string]string{"HERMES_HOME": ""},
+			want: filepath.Join(homeDir, ".hermes"),
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			cleared := map[string]string{"HERMES_HOME": ""}
+			for k := range cleared {
+				t.Setenv(k, "")
+			}
+			for k, v := range tt.envs {
+				t.Setenv(k, v)
+			}
+
+			got := ConfigPath(homeDir)
+			if got != tt.want {
+				t.Fatalf("ConfigPath() = %q, want %q", got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestInstallCommand(t *testing.T) {
 	a := NewAdapter()
 
@@ -131,6 +170,7 @@ func TestSupportsAutoInstall(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestConfigPaths(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Setenv("HERMES_HOME", "")
 	a := NewAdapter()
 	homeDir := filepath.Join(string(filepath.Separator), "home", "test")
 	configDir := filepath.Join(homeDir, ".hermes")