diff --git a/tools/kanban_tools.py b/tools/kanban_tools.py
index de5d180c83..d0023a3078 100644
--- a/tools/kanban_tools.py
+++ b/tools/kanban_tools.py
@@ -40,13 +40,31 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 def _check_kanban_mode() -> bool:
-    """Tools are available iff the current process has ``HERMES_KANBAN_TASK``
-    set in its env, which the dispatcher sets when spawning a worker.
+    """Tools are available when:
 
-    Humans running ``hermes chat`` see zero kanban tools. Workers spawned
-    by the kanban dispatcher (gateway-embedded by default) see all seven.
+    1. ``HERMES_KANBAN_TASK`` is set (dispatcher-spawned worker), OR
+    2. The current profile has ``kanban`` in its toolsets config
+       (orchestrator profiles like techlead that route work via Kanban).
+
+    Humans running ``hermes chat`` without the kanban toolset see zero
+    kanban tools. Workers spawned by the kanban dispatcher (gateway-
+    embedded by default) and orchestrator profiles with the kanban
+    toolset enabled see all seven.
     """
-    return bool(os.environ.get("HERMES_KANBAN_TASK"))
+    if os.environ.get("HERMES_KANBAN_TASK"):
+        return True
+
+    # Check if the current profile has the kanban toolset enabled.
+    # Uses load_config() which has mtime-based caching, so this adds
+    # negligible overhead. The check_fn results are further TTL-cached
+    # (~30s) by the tool registry.
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.config import load_config
+        cfg = load_config()
+        toolsets = cfg.get("toolsets", [])
+        return "kanban" in toolsets
+    except Exception:
+        return False
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------