diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway.py b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
index df9694843c..10bf2c7ce4 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
@@ -119,14 +119,35 @@ def is_windows() -> bool:
 # Service Configuration
 # =============================================================================
 
-SERVICE_NAME = "hermes-gateway"
+_SERVICE_BASE = "hermes-gateway"
 SERVICE_DESCRIPTION = "Hermes Agent Gateway - Messaging Platform Integration"
 
 
+def get_service_name() -> str:
+    """Derive a systemd service name scoped to this HERMES_HOME.
+
+    Default ``~/.hermes`` returns ``hermes-gateway`` (backward compatible).
+    Any other HERMES_HOME appends a short hash so multiple installations
+    can each have their own systemd service without conflicting.
+    """
+    import hashlib
+    from pathlib import Path as _Path  # local import to avoid monkeypatch interference
+    home = _Path(os.getenv("HERMES_HOME", _Path.home() / ".hermes")).resolve()
+    default = (_Path.home() / ".hermes").resolve()
+    if home == default:
+        return _SERVICE_BASE
+    suffix = hashlib.sha256(str(home).encode()).hexdigest()[:8]
+    return f"{_SERVICE_BASE}-{suffix}"
+
+
+SERVICE_NAME = _SERVICE_BASE  # backward-compat for external importers; prefer get_service_name()
+
+
 def get_systemd_unit_path(system: bool = False) -> Path:
+    name = get_service_name()
     if system:
-        return Path("/etc/systemd/system") / f"{SERVICE_NAME}.service"
-    return Path.home() / ".config" / "systemd" / "user" / f"{SERVICE_NAME}.service"
+        return Path("/etc/systemd/system") / f"{name}.service"
+    return Path.home() / ".config" / "systemd" / "user" / f"{name}.service"
 
 
 def _systemctl_cmd(system: bool = False) -> list[str]:
@@ -362,6 +383,8 @@ def generate_systemd_unit(system: bool = False, run_as_user: str | None = None)
     sane_path = f"{venv_bin}:{node_bin}:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"
     hermes_cli = shutil.which("hermes") or f"{python_path} -m hermes_cli.main"
 
+    hermes_home = str(Path(os.getenv("HERMES_HOME", Path.home() / ".hermes")).resolve())
+
     if system:
         username, group_name, home_dir = _system_service_identity(run_as_user)
         return f"""[Unit]
@@ -380,6 +403,7 @@ Environment="USER={username}"
 Environment="LOGNAME={username}"
 Environment="PATH={sane_path}"
 Environment="VIRTUAL_ENV={venv_dir}"
+Environment="HERMES_HOME={hermes_home}"
 Restart=on-failure
 RestartSec=10
 KillMode=mixed
@@ -403,6 +427,7 @@ ExecStop={hermes_cli} gateway stop
 WorkingDirectory={working_dir}
 Environment="PATH={sane_path}"
 Environment="VIRTUAL_ENV={venv_dir}"
+Environment="HERMES_HOME={hermes_home}"
 Restart=on-failure
 RestartSec=10
 KillMode=mixed
@@ -455,7 +480,7 @@ def _print_linger_enable_warning(username: str, detail: str | None = None) -> No
     print(f"    sudo loginctl enable-linger {username}")
     print()
     print("  Then restart the gateway:")
-    print(f"    systemctl --user restart {SERVICE_NAME}.service")
+    print(f"    systemctl --user restart {get_service_name()}.service")
     print()
 
 
@@ -526,7 +551,7 @@ def systemd_install(force: bool = False, system: bool = False, run_as_user: str
     unit_path.write_text(generate_systemd_unit(system=system, run_as_user=run_as_user), encoding="utf-8")
 
     subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["daemon-reload"], check=True)
-    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["enable", SERVICE_NAME], check=True)
+    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["enable", get_service_name()], check=True)
 
     print()
     print(f"✓ {_service_scope_label(system).capitalize()} service installed and enabled!")
@@ -534,7 +559,7 @@ def systemd_install(force: bool = False, system: bool = False, run_as_user: str
     print("Next steps:")
     print(f"  {'sudo ' if system else ''}hermes gateway start{scope_flag}              # Start the service")
     print(f"  {'sudo ' if system else ''}hermes gateway status{scope_flag}             # Check status")
-    print(f"  {'journalctl' if system else 'journalctl --user'} -u {SERVICE_NAME} -f  # View logs")
+    print(f"  {'journalctl' if system else 'journalctl --user'} -u {get_service_name()} -f  # View logs")
     print()
 
     if system:
@@ -552,8 +577,8 @@ def systemd_uninstall(system: bool = False):
     if system:
         _require_root_for_system_service("uninstall")
 
-    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["stop", SERVICE_NAME], check=False)
-    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["disable", SERVICE_NAME], check=False)
+    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["stop", get_service_name()], check=False)
+    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["disable", get_service_name()], check=False)
 
     unit_path = get_systemd_unit_path(system=system)
     if unit_path.exists():
@@ -569,7 +594,7 @@ def systemd_start(system: bool = False):
     if system:
         _require_root_for_system_service("start")
     refresh_systemd_unit_if_needed(system=system)
-    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["start", SERVICE_NAME], check=True)
+    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["start", get_service_name()], check=True)
     print(f"✓ {_service_scope_label(system).capitalize()} service started")
 
 
@@ -578,7 +603,7 @@ def systemd_stop(system: bool = False):
     system = _select_systemd_scope(system)
     if system:
         _require_root_for_system_service("stop")
-    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["stop", SERVICE_NAME], check=True)
+    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["stop", get_service_name()], check=True)
     print(f"✓ {_service_scope_label(system).capitalize()} service stopped")
 
 
@@ -588,7 +613,7 @@ def systemd_restart(system: bool = False):
     if system:
         _require_root_for_system_service("restart")
     refresh_systemd_unit_if_needed(system=system)
-    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["restart", SERVICE_NAME], check=True)
+    subprocess.run(_systemctl_cmd(system) + ["restart", get_service_name()], check=True)
     print(f"✓ {_service_scope_label(system).capitalize()} service restarted")
 
 
@@ -613,12 +638,12 @@ def systemd_status(deep: bool = False, system: bool = False):
         print()
 
     subprocess.run(
-        _systemctl_cmd(system) + ["status", SERVICE_NAME, "--no-pager"],
+        _systemctl_cmd(system) + ["status", get_service_name(), "--no-pager"],
         capture_output=False,
     )
 
     result = subprocess.run(
-        _systemctl_cmd(system) + ["is-active", SERVICE_NAME],
+        _systemctl_cmd(system) + ["is-active", get_service_name()],
         capture_output=True,
         text=True,
     )
@@ -657,7 +682,7 @@ def systemd_status(deep: bool = False, system: bool = False):
     if deep:
         print()
         print("Recent logs:")
-        subprocess.run(_journalctl_cmd(system) + ["-u", SERVICE_NAME, "-n", "20", "--no-pager"])
+        subprocess.run(_journalctl_cmd(system) + ["-u", get_service_name(), "-n", "20", "--no-pager"])
 
 
 # =============================================================================
@@ -1118,7 +1143,7 @@ def _is_service_running() -> bool:
 
         if user_unit_exists:
             result = subprocess.run(
-                _systemctl_cmd(False) + ["is-active", SERVICE_NAME],
+                _systemctl_cmd(False) + ["is-active", get_service_name()],
                 capture_output=True, text=True
             )
             if result.stdout.strip() == "active":
@@ -1126,7 +1151,7 @@ def _is_service_running() -> bool:
 
         if system_unit_exists:
             result = subprocess.run(
-                _systemctl_cmd(True) + ["is-active", SERVICE_NAME],
+                _systemctl_cmd(True) + ["is-active", get_service_name()],
                 capture_output=True, text=True
             )
             if result.stdout.strip() == "active":
diff --git a/hermes_cli/main.py b/hermes_cli/main.py
index b835efb0f5..2cb220df69 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/main.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/main.py
@@ -2301,26 +2301,60 @@ def cmd_update(args):
         print()
         print("✓ Update complete!")
         
-        # Auto-restart gateway if it's running as a systemd service
+        # Auto-restart gateway if it's running.
+        # Uses the PID file (scoped to HERMES_HOME) to find this
+        # installation's gateway — safe with multiple installations.
         try:
-            check = subprocess.run(
-                ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", "hermes-gateway"],
-                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
-            )
-            if check.stdout.strip() == "active":
-                print()
-                print("→ Gateway service is running — restarting to pick up changes...")
-                restart = subprocess.run(
-                    ["systemctl", "--user", "restart", "hermes-gateway"],
-                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15,
+            from gateway.status import get_running_pid, remove_pid_file
+            from hermes_cli.gateway import get_service_name
+            import signal as _signal
+
+            _gw_service_name = get_service_name()
+            existing_pid = get_running_pid()
+            has_systemd_service = False
+
+            try:
+                check = subprocess.run(
+                    ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", _gw_service_name],
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
                 )
-                if restart.returncode == 0:
-                    print("✓ Gateway restarted.")
-                else:
-                    print(f"⚠ Gateway restart failed: {restart.stderr.strip()}")
-                    print("  Try manually: hermes gateway restart")
-        except (FileNotFoundError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
-            pass  # No systemd (macOS, WSL1, etc.) — skip silently
+                has_systemd_service = check.stdout.strip() == "active"
+            except (FileNotFoundError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired):
+                pass
+
+            if existing_pid or has_systemd_service:
+                print()
+
+                # Kill the PID-file-tracked process (may be manual or systemd)
+                if existing_pid:
+                    try:
+                        os.kill(existing_pid, _signal.SIGTERM)
+                        print(f"→ Stopped gateway process (PID {existing_pid})")
+                    except ProcessLookupError:
+                        pass  # Already gone
+                    except PermissionError:
+                        print(f"⚠ Permission denied killing gateway PID {existing_pid}")
+                    remove_pid_file()
+
+                # Restart the systemd service (starts a fresh process)
+                if has_systemd_service:
+                    import time as _time
+                    _time.sleep(1)  # Brief pause for port/socket release
+                    print("→ Restarting gateway service...")
+                    restart = subprocess.run(
+                        ["systemctl", "--user", "restart", _gw_service_name],
+                        capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15,
+                    )
+                    if restart.returncode == 0:
+                        print("✓ Gateway restarted.")
+                    else:
+                        print(f"⚠ Gateway restart failed: {restart.stderr.strip()}")
+                        print("  Try manually: hermes gateway restart")
+                elif existing_pid:
+                    print("  ℹ️  Gateway was running manually (not as a service).")
+                    print("  Restart it with: hermes gateway run")
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.debug("Gateway restart during update failed: %s", e)
         
         print()
         print("Tip: You can now select a provider and model:")
diff --git a/hermes_cli/setup.py b/hermes_cli/setup.py
index 1f57d86d01..e751811a18 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/setup.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/setup.py
@@ -743,6 +743,7 @@ def setup_model_provider(config: dict):
     selected_provider = (
         None  # "nous", "openai-codex", "openrouter", "custom", or None (keep)
     )
+    selected_base_url = None  # deferred until after model selection
     nous_models = []  # populated if Nous login succeeds
 
     if provider_idx == 0:  # Nous Portal (OAuth)
@@ -1025,8 +1026,8 @@ def setup_model_provider(config: dict):
         if existing_custom:
             save_env_value("OPENAI_BASE_URL", "")
             save_env_value("OPENAI_API_KEY", "")
-        _update_config_for_provider("zai", zai_base_url, default_model="glm-5")
         _set_model_provider(config, "zai", zai_base_url)
+        selected_base_url = zai_base_url
 
     elif provider_idx == 5:  # Kimi / Moonshot
         selected_provider = "kimi-coding"
@@ -1058,8 +1059,8 @@ def setup_model_provider(config: dict):
         if existing_custom:
             save_env_value("OPENAI_BASE_URL", "")
             save_env_value("OPENAI_API_KEY", "")
-        _update_config_for_provider("kimi-coding", pconfig.inference_base_url, default_model="kimi-k2.5")
         _set_model_provider(config, "kimi-coding", pconfig.inference_base_url)
+        selected_base_url = pconfig.inference_base_url
 
     elif provider_idx == 6:  # MiniMax
         selected_provider = "minimax"
@@ -1091,8 +1092,8 @@ def setup_model_provider(config: dict):
         if existing_custom:
             save_env_value("OPENAI_BASE_URL", "")
             save_env_value("OPENAI_API_KEY", "")
-        _update_config_for_provider("minimax", pconfig.inference_base_url, default_model="MiniMax-M2.5")
         _set_model_provider(config, "minimax", pconfig.inference_base_url)
+        selected_base_url = pconfig.inference_base_url
 
     elif provider_idx == 7:  # MiniMax China
         selected_provider = "minimax-cn"
@@ -1124,8 +1125,8 @@ def setup_model_provider(config: dict):
         if existing_custom:
             save_env_value("OPENAI_BASE_URL", "")
             save_env_value("OPENAI_API_KEY", "")
-        _update_config_for_provider("minimax-cn", pconfig.inference_base_url, default_model="MiniMax-M2.5")
         _set_model_provider(config, "minimax-cn", pconfig.inference_base_url)
+        selected_base_url = pconfig.inference_base_url
 
     elif provider_idx == 8:  # Anthropic
         selected_provider = "anthropic"
@@ -1228,8 +1229,8 @@ def setup_model_provider(config: dict):
             save_env_value("OPENAI_API_KEY", "")
         # Don't save base_url for Anthropic — resolve_runtime_provider()
         # always hardcodes it. Stale base_urls contaminate other providers.
-        _update_config_for_provider("anthropic", "", default_model="claude-opus-4-6")
         _set_model_provider(config, "anthropic")
+        selected_base_url = ""
 
     # else: provider_idx == 9 (Keep current) — only shown when a provider already exists
     # Normalize "keep current" to an explicit provider so downstream logic
@@ -1459,6 +1460,12 @@ def setup_model_provider(config: dict):
             )
             print_success(f"Model set to: {_display}")
 
+    # Write provider+base_url to config.yaml only after model selection is complete.
+    # This prevents a race condition where the gateway picks up a new provider
+    # before the model name has been updated to match.
+    if selected_provider in ("zai", "kimi-coding", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "anthropic") and selected_base_url is not None:
+        _update_config_for_provider(selected_provider, selected_base_url)
+
     save_config(config)
 
 
diff --git a/hermes_cli/status.py b/hermes_cli/status.py
index db7ce06413..be490e9306 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/status.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/status.py
@@ -275,8 +275,13 @@ def show_status(args):
     print(color("◆ Gateway Service", Colors.CYAN, Colors.BOLD))
     
     if sys.platform.startswith('linux'):
+        try:
+            from hermes_cli.gateway import get_service_name
+            _gw_svc = get_service_name()
+        except Exception:
+            _gw_svc = "hermes-gateway"
         result = subprocess.run(
-            ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", "hermes-gateway"],
+            ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", _gw_svc],
             capture_output=True,
             text=True
         )
diff --git a/hermes_cli/uninstall.py b/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
index d70405ce31..40ff75f16a 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
@@ -133,7 +133,13 @@ def uninstall_gateway_service():
     if platform.system() != "Linux":
         return False
     
-    service_file = Path.home() / ".config" / "systemd" / "user" / "hermes-gateway.service"
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.gateway import get_service_name
+        svc_name = get_service_name()
+    except Exception:
+        svc_name = "hermes-gateway"
+
+    service_file = Path.home() / ".config" / "systemd" / "user" / f"{svc_name}.service"
     
     if not service_file.exists():
         return False
@@ -141,14 +147,14 @@ def uninstall_gateway_service():
     try:
         # Stop the service
         subprocess.run(
-            ["systemctl", "--user", "stop", "hermes-gateway"],
+            ["systemctl", "--user", "stop", svc_name],
             capture_output=True,
             check=False
         )
         
         # Disable the service
         subprocess.run(
-            ["systemctl", "--user", "disable", "hermes-gateway"],
+            ["systemctl", "--user", "disable", svc_name],
             capture_output=True,
             check=False
         )
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
index 29da657e2f..52d43fd081 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway.py
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ def test_systemd_status_warns_when_linger_disabled(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys
     monkeypatch.setattr(gateway, "get_systemd_linger_status", lambda: (False, ""))
 
     def fake_run(cmd, capture_output=False, text=False, check=False):
-        if cmd[:4] == ["systemctl", "--user", "status", gateway.SERVICE_NAME]:
+        if cmd[:4] == ["systemctl", "--user", "status", gateway.get_service_name()]:
             return SimpleNamespace(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
         if cmd[:3] == ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active"]:
             return SimpleNamespace(returncode=0, stdout="active\n", stderr="")
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ def test_systemd_install_checks_linger_status(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys):
     assert unit_path.exists()
     assert [cmd for cmd, _ in calls] == [
         ["systemctl", "--user", "daemon-reload"],
-        ["systemctl", "--user", "enable", gateway.SERVICE_NAME],
+        ["systemctl", "--user", "enable", gateway.get_service_name()],
     ]
     assert helper_calls == [True]
     assert "User service installed and enabled" in out
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ def test_systemd_install_system_scope_skips_linger_and_uses_systemctl(monkeypatc
     assert unit_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "scope=True user=alice\n"
     assert [cmd for cmd, _ in calls] == [
         ["systemctl", "daemon-reload"],
-        ["systemctl", "enable", gateway.SERVICE_NAME],
+        ["systemctl", "enable", gateway.get_service_name()],
     ]
     assert helper_calls == []
     assert "Configured to run as: alice" not in out  # generated test unit has no User= line
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_linger.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_linger.py
index cdc07f95fe..b21e3f7623 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_linger.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_linger.py
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ def test_systemd_install_calls_linger_helper(monkeypatch, tmp_path, capsys):
     assert unit_path.exists()
     assert [cmd for cmd, _ in calls] == [
         ["systemctl", "--user", "daemon-reload"],
-        ["systemctl", "--user", "enable", gateway.SERVICE_NAME],
+        ["systemctl", "--user", "enable", gateway.get_service_name()],
     ]
     assert helper_calls == [True]
     assert "User service installed and enabled" in out
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py
index ce41a57a12..708d0ee8d0 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ class TestSystemdServiceRefresh:
         assert unit_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "new unit\n"
         assert calls[:2] == [
             ["systemctl", "--user", "daemon-reload"],
-            ["systemctl", "--user", "start", gateway_cli.SERVICE_NAME],
+            ["systemctl", "--user", "start", gateway_cli.get_service_name()],
         ]
 
     def test_systemd_restart_refreshes_outdated_unit(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ class TestSystemdServiceRefresh:
         assert unit_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "new unit\n"
         assert calls[:2] == [
             ["systemctl", "--user", "daemon-reload"],
-            ["systemctl", "--user", "restart", gateway_cli.SERVICE_NAME],
+            ["systemctl", "--user", "restart", gateway_cli.get_service_name()],
         ]
 
 
@@ -92,9 +92,9 @@ class TestGatewayServiceDetection:
         )
 
         def fake_run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, **kwargs):
-            if cmd == ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", gateway_cli.SERVICE_NAME]:
+            if cmd == ["systemctl", "--user", "is-active", gateway_cli.get_service_name()]:
                 return SimpleNamespace(returncode=0, stdout="inactive\n", stderr="")
-            if cmd == ["systemctl", "is-active", gateway_cli.SERVICE_NAME]:
+            if cmd == ["systemctl", "is-active", gateway_cli.get_service_name()]:
                 return SimpleNamespace(returncode=0, stdout="active\n", stderr="")
             raise AssertionError(f"Unexpected command: {cmd}")
 
diff --git a/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md b/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md
index 03e84d93f2..2b462e1863 100644
--- a/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md
+++ b/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ All variables go in `~/.hermes/.env`. You can also set them with `hermes config
 | `VOICE_TOOLS_OPENAI_KEY` | Preferred OpenAI key for OpenAI speech-to-text and text-to-speech providers |
 | `HERMES_LOCAL_STT_COMMAND` | Optional local speech-to-text command template. Supports `{input_path}`, `{output_dir}`, `{language}`, and `{model}` placeholders |
 | `HERMES_LOCAL_STT_LANGUAGE` | Default language passed to `HERMES_LOCAL_STT_COMMAND` or auto-detected local `whisper` CLI fallback (default: `en`) |
-| `HERMES_HOME` | Override Hermes config directory (default: `~/.hermes`) |
+| `HERMES_HOME` | Override Hermes config directory (default: `~/.hermes`). Also scopes the gateway PID file and systemd service name, so multiple installations can run concurrently |
 
 ## Provider Auth (OAuth)
 
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md
index fea310d21e..0c17e65e6b 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md
@@ -244,10 +244,10 @@ Background tasks on messaging platforms are fire-and-forget — you don't need t
 
 ```bash
 hermes gateway install               # Install as user service
-systemctl --user start hermes-gateway
-systemctl --user stop hermes-gateway
-systemctl --user status hermes-gateway
-journalctl --user -u hermes-gateway -f
+hermes gateway start                 # Start the service
+hermes gateway stop                  # Stop the service
+hermes gateway status                # Check status
+journalctl --user -u hermes-gateway -f  # View logs
 
 # Enable lingering (keeps running after logout)
 sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER
@@ -263,6 +263,10 @@ Use the user service on laptops and dev boxes. Use the system service on VPS or
 
 Avoid keeping both the user and system gateway units installed at once unless you really mean to. Hermes will warn if it detects both because start/stop/status behavior gets ambiguous.
 
+:::info Multiple installations
+If you run multiple Hermes installations on the same machine (with different `HERMES_HOME` directories), each gets its own systemd service name. The default `~/.hermes` uses `hermes-gateway`; other installations use `hermes-gateway-<hash>`. The `hermes gateway` commands automatically target the correct service for your current `HERMES_HOME`.
+:::
+
 ### macOS (launchd)
 
 ```bash