diff --git a/hermes_cli/main.py b/hermes_cli/main.py
index 256b0d46f43..ef6d1ecf996 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/main.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/main.py
@@ -2058,7 +2058,8 @@ def _model_flow_ai_gateway(config, current_model=""):
     api_key = get_env_value("AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY")
     if not api_key:
         print("No Vercel AI Gateway API key configured.")
-        print("Get one at: https://vercel.com/dashboard/ai-gateway")
+        print("Create API key here: https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai-gateway&title=AI+Gateway")
+        print("Add a payment method to get $5 in free credits.")
         print()
         try:
             import getpass
diff --git a/hermes_cli/models.py b/hermes_cli/models.py
index 5428fa5d82a..0feed76bd85 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/models.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/models.py
@@ -574,7 +574,7 @@ class ProviderEntry(NamedTuple):
 CANONICAL_PROVIDERS: list[ProviderEntry] = [
     ProviderEntry("nous",           "Nous Portal",              "Nous Portal (Nous Research subscription)"),
     ProviderEntry("openrouter",     "OpenRouter",               "OpenRouter (100+ models, pay-per-use)"),
-    ProviderEntry("ai-gateway",     "Vercel AI Gateway",        "Vercel AI Gateway (200+ models, pay-per-use)"),
+    ProviderEntry("ai-gateway",     "Vercel AI Gateway",        "Vercel AI Gateway (200+ models, $5 free credit, no markup)"),
     ProviderEntry("anthropic",      "Anthropic",                "Anthropic (Claude models — API key or Claude Code)"),
     ProviderEntry("openai-codex",   "OpenAI Codex",             "OpenAI Codex"),
     ProviderEntry("xiaomi",         "Xiaomi MiMo",              "Xiaomi MiMo (MiMo-V2 models — pro, omni, flash)"),