diff --git a/hermes_cli/profiles.py b/hermes_cli/profiles.py
index e6979320afd..c4cb373bddc 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/profiles.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/profiles.py
@@ -994,12 +994,30 @@ def _maybe_register_gateway_service(profile_name: str) -> None:
     (``[gateway] port = …``) — there is no Python-side allocator
     (PR #30136 review item I5 retired the SHA-256-derived range
     [9200, 9800) because it was dead code through the entire stack).
+
+    Host short-circuit: check ``detect_service_manager()`` first and
+    return immediately if it isn't ``"s6"``. This keeps host
+    (systemd/launchd/windows) profile creation completely silent —
+    no ``get_service_manager()`` call, no exception path, no chance
+    of the ``⚠ Could not register s6 gateway service`` warning ever
+    rendering on a non-container machine. The earlier
+    ``supports_runtime_registration()`` check still catches the case
+    where detection somehow returns ``"s6"`` but the backend isn't
+    actually the S6 one.
     """
     try:
+        from hermes_cli.service_manager import detect_service_manager
+        if detect_service_manager() != "s6":
+            return  # host path — silent, no registration needed
         from hermes_cli.service_manager import get_service_manager
         mgr = get_service_manager()
     except RuntimeError:
         return  # no backend on this host — nothing to do
+    except Exception:
+        # Defensive: detect_service_manager failed for some other
+        # reason. Stay silent on host rather than printing a confusing
+        # s6 warning to users who have never touched the container.
+        return
     if not mgr.supports_runtime_registration():
         return  # host backend; no-op
     try:
@@ -1018,12 +1036,20 @@ def _maybe_unregister_gateway_service(profile_name: str) -> None:
 
     No-op on host. Idempotent: absent services are silently skipped
     by ``unregister_profile_gateway``.
+
+    Same host short-circuit as :func:`_maybe_register_gateway_service`
+    — see that docstring.
     """
     try:
+        from hermes_cli.service_manager import detect_service_manager
+        if detect_service_manager() != "s6":
+            return  # host path — silent
         from hermes_cli.service_manager import get_service_manager
         mgr = get_service_manager()
     except RuntimeError:
         return
+    except Exception:
+        return
     if not mgr.supports_runtime_registration():
         return
     try:
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_profiles_s6_hooks.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_profiles_s6_hooks.py
index c0ce1d0b189..db50debdcba 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_profiles_s6_hooks.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_profiles_s6_hooks.py
@@ -65,7 +65,30 @@ class _S6Manager:
         self.unregistered.append(profile)
 
 
+def _patch_detect_s6(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    """Pretend we're inside an s6 container so the host short-circuit
+    in :func:`_maybe_register_gateway_service` /
+    :func:`_maybe_unregister_gateway_service` doesn't fire.
+
+    Without this, ``detect_service_manager()`` runs its real
+    implementation (host Linux/macOS in CI), returns ``"systemd"`` or
+    ``"launchd"``, and the hooks return early before reaching the
+    patched ``get_service_manager``. Each s6-call-through test
+    explicitly opts into this so the host-no-op tests can still
+    exercise the early-return path.
+    """
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "hermes_cli.service_manager.detect_service_manager",
+        lambda: "s6",
+    )
+
+
 def test_register_noop_on_host(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    # NOTE: deliberately DO NOT patch detect_service_manager — we want
+    # the real host detection to kick in and short-circuit before
+    # get_service_manager is ever called. The lambda below is a
+    # defense-in-depth assertion that get_service_manager is never
+    # reached on host.
     monkeypatch.setattr(
         "hermes_cli.service_manager.get_service_manager",
         lambda: _HostManager(),
@@ -75,6 +98,7 @@ def test_register_noop_on_host(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
 
 
 def test_register_calls_through_on_s6(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    _patch_detect_s6(monkeypatch)
     mgr = _S6Manager()
     monkeypatch.setattr(
         "hermes_cli.service_manager.get_service_manager", lambda: mgr,
@@ -88,6 +112,7 @@ def test_register_swallows_duplicate_value_error(
 ) -> None:
     """A pre-existing s6 registration (from container-boot reconcile)
     is a benign condition — register must not propagate ValueError."""
+    _patch_detect_s6(monkeypatch)
     mgr = _S6Manager()
     mgr.raise_on_register = ValueError("already registered")
     monkeypatch.setattr(
@@ -102,6 +127,7 @@ def test_register_swallows_arbitrary_error(
 ) -> None:
     """Even an unexpected exception from the manager must not bring
     down `hermes profile create` — print and continue."""
+    _patch_detect_s6(monkeypatch)
     mgr = _S6Manager()
     mgr.raise_on_register = RuntimeError("svscanctl exploded")
     monkeypatch.setattr(
@@ -117,6 +143,7 @@ def test_register_swallows_no_backend_runtime_error(
 ) -> None:
     """When `get_service_manager()` raises RuntimeError (no backend
     detected), the hook must silently no-op."""
+    _patch_detect_s6(monkeypatch)
     def _no_backend() -> None:
         raise RuntimeError("no supported service manager detected")
     monkeypatch.setattr(
@@ -126,7 +153,32 @@ def test_register_swallows_no_backend_runtime_error(
     _maybe_register_gateway_service("anywhere")
 
 
+def test_register_silent_when_detect_throws(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
+) -> None:
+    """If detect_service_manager itself raises (e.g. a partial s6
+    install on a host machine), the hook must stay silent — no
+    confusing s6 warning printed to a user who has never touched a
+    container."""
+    def _broken_detect() -> str:
+        raise RuntimeError("detection blew up")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "hermes_cli.service_manager.detect_service_manager", _broken_detect,
+    )
+    # If get_service_manager is reached, the test will assert via
+    # _HostManager.register. It must NOT be reached.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        "hermes_cli.service_manager.get_service_manager",
+        lambda: _HostManager(),
+    )
+    _maybe_register_gateway_service("anywhere")
+    captured = capsys.readouterr()
+    assert "Could not register" not in captured.out
+    assert captured.out == ""
+
+
 def test_unregister_noop_on_host(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    # Same as test_register_noop_on_host: rely on real host detection.
     monkeypatch.setattr(
         "hermes_cli.service_manager.get_service_manager",
         lambda: _HostManager(),
@@ -135,6 +187,7 @@ def test_unregister_noop_on_host(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
 
 
 def test_unregister_calls_through_on_s6(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None:
+    _patch_detect_s6(monkeypatch)
     mgr = _S6Manager()
     monkeypatch.setattr(
         "hermes_cli.service_manager.get_service_manager", lambda: mgr,
@@ -146,6 +199,7 @@ def test_unregister_calls_through_on_s6(monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch) -> None
 def test_unregister_swallows_errors(
     monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch, capsys: pytest.CaptureFixture[str],
 ) -> None:
+    _patch_detect_s6(monkeypatch)
     mgr = _S6Manager()
     mgr.raise_on_unregister = RuntimeError("svc gone weird")
     monkeypatch.setattr(