@memosr's PR #27612 put the inference_base_url allowlist check only at the
Nous proxy adapter forward boundary. The poisoned URL, however, lands in
``auth.json`` upstream of that — at five refresh / agent-key-mint payload
read sites inside ``resolve_nous_runtime_credentials`` and
``_extend_state_from_refresh``. Without gating those sites, a single MITM
on a refresh response persists the attacker's URL across restarts, even
if the proxy adapter's defense-in-depth check would later catch it on
the way out.
Replace ``_optional_base_url`` with ``_validate_nous_inference_url_from_network``
at all five Portal-network reads:
- hermes_cli/auth.py L4840 (refresh-only access-token path)
- hermes_cli/auth.py L4876 (mint payload path)
- hermes_cli/auth.py L5154 (terminal-runtime access-token refresh)
- hermes_cli/auth.py L5262 (cross-process serialized refresh)
- hermes_cli/auth.py L5317 (terminal-runtime mint payload)
The state-read path at L5025 (``state.get("inference_base_url")``) is
deliberately NOT gated — pre-existing state in ``auth.json`` is either
already validated (it came from one of the five network sites above) or
set by a trusted local actor (manual edit, ``_setup_nous_auth`` test
fixture, ``hermes login nous`` against a staging endpoint via the
documented ``NOUS_INFERENCE_BASE_URL`` env override). Direct write_file /
patch tampering with auth.json is independently blocked by PR #14157.
Adds tests/hermes_cli/test_nous_inference_url_validation.py covering:
- validator https + host + edge-case rules (12 cases)
- all 5 network call sites grep contracts (no _optional_base_url
regression possible without test failure)
- proxy adapter defense-in-depth check still present
- env override path NOT gated (documented dev/staging behaviour)
18 new tests, all 119 Nous-auth tests green.
