diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway.py b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
index a86b4078c8..0cab694892 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
@@ -3218,8 +3218,24 @@ def _systemd_scope_preamble(
     return system
 
 
+def _systemd_unit_belongs_to_current_home(system: bool = False) -> bool:
+    """False (with a warning) when the installed unit pins a HERMES_HOME other than this process's: the
+    service name then resolved to ANOTHER install's gateway, and stop/disable/unlink would take it down."""
+    _sync_hermes_home_from_systemd_unit(system=system)  # sudo strips HERMES_HOME; adopt the unit's first
+    unit_home = _hermes_home_from_systemd_unit_file(system=system)
+    if unit_home is None or Path(unit_home).expanduser().resolve() == get_hermes_home().resolve():
+        return True
+    print_warning(
+        f"Refusing to remove {get_systemd_unit_path(system=system)}: it runs HERMES_HOME={unit_home}, "
+        f"but this process has HERMES_HOME={get_hermes_home()}"
+    )
+    return False
+
+
 def systemd_uninstall(system: bool = False):
     system = _systemd_scope_preamble("uninstall", system, require_installed=False)
+    if not _systemd_unit_belongs_to_current_home(system):
+        return
     _run_systemctl(["stop", get_service_name()], system=system, check=False, timeout=90)
     _run_systemctl(["disable", get_service_name()], system=system, check=False, timeout=30)
 
diff --git a/hermes_cli/uninstall.py b/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
index a17ab7edc2..ba54931224 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/uninstall.py
@@ -192,12 +192,14 @@ def uninstall_gateway_service():
 
 def _remove_systemd_gateway() -> bool:
     """Linux: uninstall systemd services (both user and system scopes)."""
-    from hermes_cli.gateway import _systemctl_cmd, get_service_name, get_systemd_unit_path
+    from hermes_cli.gateway import (
+        _systemctl_cmd, _systemd_unit_belongs_to_current_home, get_service_name, get_systemd_unit_path,
+    )
     svc_name = get_service_name()
     removed_any = False
     for is_system, scope in ((False, "user"), (True, "system")):
         unit_path = get_systemd_unit_path(system=is_system)
-        if not unit_path.exists():
+        if not unit_path.exists() or not _systemd_unit_belongs_to_current_home(is_system):
             continue
         try:
             if is_system and os.geteuid() != 0:  # windows-footgun: ok — Linux-only systemd path
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py
index da3d2659bd..2b6159699d 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service.py
@@ -218,6 +218,25 @@ class TestServiceIdentityForForeignHome:
         assert gateway_cli.get_service_name() == "hermes-gateway-alpha"
 
 
+class TestUninstallRefusesForeignUnit:
+    """systemd_uninstall must not stop/disable/unlink a unit pinned to another HERMES_HOME."""
+
+    def test_unit_for_other_home_is_left_alone(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch, capsys):
+        unit_path = tmp_path / "hermes-gateway.service"
+        unit_path.write_text('[Service]\nEnvironment="HERMES_HOME=/somewhere/else"\n', encoding="utf-8")
+        monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path / "mine"))
+        monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_cli, "get_systemd_unit_path", lambda system=False: unit_path)
+        monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_cli, "_systemd_scope_preamble", lambda *a, **k: False)
+        calls = []
+        monkeypatch.setattr(gateway_cli, "_run_systemctl", lambda args, **k: calls.append(args))
+
+        gateway_cli.systemd_uninstall(system=False)
+
+        assert unit_path.exists()
+        assert calls == []
+        assert "/somewhere/else" in capsys.readouterr().out
+
+
 class TestGetCronDrainTimeout:
     def test_missing_config_falls_back_to_default(self, monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_CRON_DRAIN_TIMEOUT", raising=False)