diff --git a/hermes_cli/auth.py b/hermes_cli/auth.py
index 021905c3ec0..cfd4ad5f8a6 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/auth.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/auth.py
@@ -1561,6 +1561,21 @@ def resolve_provider(
     if has_usable_secret(os.getenv("OPENAI_API_KEY")) or has_usable_secret(os.getenv("OPENROUTER_API_KEY")):
         return "openrouter"
 
+    # Auto-detect an OpenRouter credential added via `hermes auth add openrouter`
+    # (manual pool entry, no env var). Without this, a key that only lives in
+    # the credential pool is invisible to auto-detection — the user sees
+    # `hermes auth list` showing the credential while requests go out with no
+    # Authorization header ("HTTP 401: Missing Authentication header"). The
+    # env-var check above only covers keys exported as OPENROUTER_API_KEY /
+    # OPENAI_API_KEY. See issue #42130.
+    try:
+        from agent.credential_pool import load_pool as _load_pool
+
+        if _load_pool("openrouter").has_credentials():
+            return "openrouter"
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.debug("Could not check OpenRouter credential pool: %s", e)
+
     # Auto-detect API-key providers by checking their env vars
     for pid, pconfig in PROVIDER_REGISTRY.items():
         if pconfig.auth_type != "api_key":
diff --git a/hermes_cli/dump.py b/hermes_cli/dump.py
index 98de32bcdea..16d6f6069f9 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/dump.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/dump.py
@@ -318,6 +318,17 @@ def run_dump(args):
             display = _redact(val)
         else:
             display = "set" if val else "not set"
+        # A credential added via `hermes auth add openrouter` lives in the
+        # credential pool, not as an env var — surface it so the dump doesn't
+        # misleadingly read "not set" while `hermes auth list` shows it (#42130).
+        if not val and label == "openrouter":
+            try:
+                from agent.credential_pool import load_pool as _load_pool
+
+                if _load_pool("openrouter").has_credentials():
+                    display = "set (auth pool)"
+            except Exception:
+                pass
         lines.append(f"  {label:<20} {display}")
 
     # Features summary
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_resolve_provider_openrouter_pool.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_resolve_provider_openrouter_pool.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a60cc1e81cb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_resolve_provider_openrouter_pool.py
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+"""Regression tests for issue #42130.
+
+A credential added via `hermes auth add openrouter` lives in the credential
+pool, NOT as an OPENROUTER_API_KEY env var. Before the fix, resolve_provider()
+auto-detection only checked env vars, so such a credential was invisible:
+the provider failed to resolve (AuthError) or resolved without a key, and
+requests went out with no Authorization header — OpenRouter's
+"HTTP 401: Missing Authentication header".
+
+These tests lock in that auto-detection consults the OpenRouter pool.
+"""
+
+import uuid
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _clean_inference_env(monkeypatch):
+    """Strip credential-shaped env vars so the pool is the only source."""
+    for key in (
+        "OPENROUTER_API_KEY",
+        "OPENAI_API_KEY",
+        "ANTHROPIC_API_KEY",
+        "ANTHROPIC_TOKEN",
+        "CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN",
+        "NOUS_API_KEY",
+        "HERMES_INFERENCE_PROVIDER",
+    ):
+        monkeypatch.delenv(key, raising=False)
+
+
+def _seed_openrouter_pool(token: str = "sk-or-FAKEKEY123") -> None:
+    """Mimic `hermes auth add openrouter <token>` — a manual pool entry."""
+    from agent.credential_pool import (
+        AUTH_TYPE_API_KEY,
+        SOURCE_MANUAL,
+        PooledCredential,
+        load_pool,
+    )
+
+    pool = load_pool("openrouter")
+    pool.add_entry(
+        PooledCredential(
+            provider="openrouter",
+            id=uuid.uuid4().hex[:6],
+            label="api-key-1",
+            auth_type=AUTH_TYPE_API_KEY,
+            priority=0,
+            source=SOURCE_MANUAL,
+            access_token=token,
+            base_url="https://openrouter.ai/api/v1",
+        )
+    )
+
+
+def test_auto_detects_openrouter_from_pool(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """With only a pool credential (no env var), auto-detection finds it."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path / "hermes"))
+    (tmp_path / "hermes").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    _seed_openrouter_pool()
+
+    from hermes_cli.auth import resolve_provider
+
+    assert resolve_provider("auto") == "openrouter"
+
+
+def test_no_credentials_still_raises(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Empty pool + no env var must still fail to resolve — no false positive."""
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path / "hermes"))
+    (tmp_path / "hermes").mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+    from hermes_cli.auth import AuthError, resolve_provider
+
+    with pytest.raises(AuthError):
+        resolve_provider("auto")