fix(dashboard): profile-create validates the model in the dashboard's home, reports rejections

_write_profile_model validated under the NEW profile's HERMES_HOME. A just-created
profile has no providers:, no .env and no auth, so every non-env provider the
create dialog offered (anthropic, ollama, providers:-keyed custom) came back
'Unknown provider' / 'Could not resolve credentials' and create returned a
silent model_set: false. The picker read THIS dashboard's catalog, so validation
now runs scoped to the process home (validate_in) while the write still lands in
the new profile. PUT /api/profiles/{name}/model keeps validating in the target
profile (it is an existing, credentialed home). A real rejection now surfaces as
model_error in the create response instead of a log line.

hermes_cli/web_routers/profiles.py

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 from fastapi import APIRouter, HTTPException, Query
 
 from hermes_cli.web_deps import late
+from hermes_cli.config import get_process_hermes_home
 from hermes_cli.web_server_config import (
     _apply_main_model_assignment, _normalize_main_model_assignment, _validated_main_model_selection,
 )
@@ -97,14 +98,20 @@ def _profile_setup_command(name: str) -> str:
     return "hermes setup" if name == "default" else f"{name} setup"
 
 
-def _write_profile_model(profile_dir: Path, provider: str, model: str) -> None:
+def _write_profile_model(profile_dir: Path, provider: str, model: str, validate_in: Optional[Path] = None) -> None:
     """Write the main model assignment into ``profile_dir``'s config.yaml (HERMES_HOME-scoped)
-    through the same validated /model shape as ``POST /api/model/set``."""
+    through the same validated /model shape as ``POST /api/model/set``.
+
+    ``validate_in`` is the home whose ``providers:``/``.env``/catalog vouch for the pick (default:
+    ``profile_dir`` itself). Profile-create passes the dashboard's own home: the picker that offered
+    the model read THAT catalog, and a just-created profile has no credentials yet, so validating
+    in the empty profile rejected every non-env provider (anthropic, ollama, custom)."""
     from hermes_cli.config import load_config, save_config
-    with _hermes_home_scope(profile_dir):
+    with _hermes_home_scope(validate_in or profile_dir):
         provider, model = _normalize_main_model_assignment(provider, model)
+        result = _validated_main_model_selection(load_config(), provider, model)
+    with _hermes_home_scope(profile_dir):
         cfg = load_config()
-        result = _validated_main_model_selection(cfg, provider, model)
         cfg["model"] = _apply_main_model_assignment(cfg.get("model", {}), result)
         save_config(cfg)
 
@@ -684,9 +691,22 @@ async def create_profile_endpoint(body: ProfileCreate):
     # the whole create — the user can fix it from the dashboard or `<profile> setup`.
     provider = (body.provider or "").strip()
     model = (body.model or "").strip()
+    # Validate against THIS dashboard's home (the catalog the picker offered), not the empty
+    # new profile; the write still lands in the new profile. A rejection is reported (not just
+    # logged) so the dialog can say WHY the model was not set.
+    model_error = ""
+
+    def _set_model() -> bool:
+        nonlocal model_error
+        try:
+            _write_profile_model(path, provider, model, validate_in=get_process_hermes_home())
+        except HTTPException as exc:
+            model_error = str(exc.detail)
+            return False
+        return True
+
     model_set = bool(provider and model) and _best_effort(
-        "Setting model for new profile %s failed", body.name,
-        fn=lambda: (_write_profile_model(path, provider, model), True)[1], default=False)
+        "Setting model for new profile %s failed", body.name, fn=_set_model, default=False)
     mcp_written = _best_effort(
         "Writing MCP servers for new profile %s failed", body.name, default=0,
         fn=lambda: _write_profile_mcp_servers(path, body.mcp_servers)) if body.mcp_servers else 0
@@ -707,7 +727,7 @@ async def create_profile_endpoint(body: ProfileCreate):
             fn=lambda: _spawn_install(ident))}
         for ident in ((i or "").strip() for i in body.hub_skills) if ident]
 
-    return {"ok": True, "name": body.name, "path": str(path), "model_set": model_set,
+    return {"ok": True, "name": body.name, "path": str(path), "model_set": model_set, "model_error": model_error,
             "mcp_written": mcp_written, "skills_disabled": skills_disabled,
             "hub_installs": hub_installs}
 

tests/hermes_cli/test_web_server_profile_unification.py

@@ -261,6 +261,41 @@ class TestProfileScopedModel:
         if isinstance(default_model, dict):
             assert default_model.get("default") != "test/model-1"
 
+    def test_profile_create_validates_against_the_dashboard_home_and_writes_the_new_profile(
+        self, client, isolated_profiles, monkeypatch
+    ):
+        """The create dialog's picker read THIS dashboard's catalog; the new profile is empty
+        (no providers:, no .env), so validating there rejected every non-env provider and
+        create silently returned model_set: false. Validation must see the dashboard home's
+        config; the write must still land in the new profile only."""
+        import hermes_cli.profiles as profiles_mod
+        from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(profiles_mod, "create_wrapper_script", lambda name: None)
+        (isolated_profiles["default"] / "config.yaml").write_text(
+            "providers:\n  mybox:\n    base_url: http://box:8000/v1\n    key_env: MYBOX_KEY\n", encoding="utf-8")
+        seen: dict = {}
+
+        def _switch(*, raw_input, explicit_provider, user_providers, **_kw):
+            from hermes_cli.model_switch import ModelSwitchResult
+            seen["user_providers"] = user_providers
+            seen["home"] = get_hermes_home()
+            if explicit_provider not in user_providers:
+                return ModelSwitchResult(success=False, error_message=f"Unknown provider '{explicit_provider}'.")
+            return ModelSwitchResult(success=True, new_model=raw_input, target_provider=explicit_provider)
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr("hermes_cli.model_switch.switch_model", _switch)
+        resp = client.post("/api/profiles", json={"name": "newbie", "provider": "mybox", "model": "qwen3"})
+        assert resp.status_code == 200 and resp.json()["model_set"] is True
+        assert "mybox" in seen["user_providers"] and seen["home"] == isolated_profiles["default"]
+        new_home = isolated_profiles["default"] / "profiles" / "newbie"
+        assert _cfg(new_home)["model"]["provider"] == "mybox" and _cfg(new_home)["model"]["default"] == "qwen3"
+        assert "model" not in _cfg(isolated_profiles["default"])
+        # A genuine rejection is reported with its reason, not a silent model_set: false.
+        resp = client.post("/api/profiles", json={"name": "newbie2", "provider": "nobox", "model": "qwen3"})
+        assert resp.status_code == 200 and resp.json()["model_set"] is False
+        assert "Unknown provider 'nobox'" in resp.json()["model_error"]
+
     def test_main_assignment_reports_only_target_profile_cron_impact(
         self, client, isolated_profiles
     ):