diff --git a/hermes_cli/web_server.py b/hermes_cli/web_server.py
index df2985bdee..0aebafcd36 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/web_server.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/web_server.py
@@ -4604,12 +4604,22 @@ def _dashboard_spawn_executable() -> str:
         for rel in ("venv/bin/python", "venv/Scripts/python.exe"):
             candidate = PROJECT_ROOT / rel
             if candidate.is_file():
-                resolved = candidate.resolve()
                 # Same interpreter → keep sys.executable (preserves the
-                # docstring's console-ownership behavior verbatim).
-                if resolved == exe.resolve():
+                # docstring's console-ownership behavior verbatim). Compare
+                # UNRESOLVED normalized paths: a venv's bin/python is
+                # typically a SYMLINK to the base interpreter, so resolving
+                # both sides makes the venv python and the dependency-less
+                # base compare equal — exactly the SSH-runtime case this
+                # function exists to fix. The unresolved path IS the venv's
+                # identity (pyvenv.cfg discovery keys off argv0's location).
+                if os.path.normcase(os.path.normpath(str(candidate))) == (
+                    os.path.normcase(os.path.normpath(str(exe)))
+                ):
                     return sys.executable
-                return str(resolved)
+                # Return the candidate UNRESOLVED for the same reason:
+                # invoking the resolved target would bypass pyvenv.cfg and
+                # run the bare base interpreter again.
+                return str(candidate)
     except OSError:
         pass
     return sys.executable
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_spawn_executable.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_spawn_executable.py
index a9780e8743..de1bae8485 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_spawn_executable.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_dashboard_spawn_executable.py
@@ -67,3 +67,24 @@ class TestDashboardSpawnExecutable:
             patch.object(sys, "executable", str(base_interp)),
         ):
             assert web_server._dashboard_spawn_executable() == str(base_interp)
+
+    def test_venv_symlink_to_base_is_still_preferred_unresolved(self, tmp_path):
+        """The Linux-standard layout: venv/bin/python is a SYMLINK to the
+        base interpreter. The chooser must return the UNRESOLVED venv path —
+        resolving it would compare equal to the base interpreter (missing
+        the swap) or spawn the base directly (bypassing pyvenv.cfg). This is
+        the exact layout of the #90026 report."""
+        base = tmp_path / "uv-base" / "python"
+        base.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+        base.touch()
+        venv_py = tmp_path / "venv" / "bin" / "python"
+        venv_py.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+        venv_py.symlink_to(base)
+        with (
+            patch.object(web_server, "PROJECT_ROOT", tmp_path),
+            patch.object(sys, "executable", str(base)),
+        ):
+            chosen = web_server._dashboard_spawn_executable()
+        assert chosen == str(venv_py), (
+            "must return the unresolved venv path, not the symlink target"
+        )