diff --git a/hermes_constants.py b/hermes_constants.py
index d3a7790a54..21dda94ba5 100644
--- a/hermes_constants.py
+++ b/hermes_constants.py
@@ -217,23 +217,14 @@ def profile_name_for_home(path: str | Path | None) -> str | None:
     current = Path(path).expanduser()
     try:
         default_root = get_default_hermes_root()
-        if current == default_root:
-            return "default"
-        if current.parent.name == "profiles":
-            named = named_profile_home(current)
+        for candidate in (current, current.resolve(strict=False)):
+            if candidate == default_root or candidate == default_root.resolve(strict=False):
+                return "default"
+            named = named_profile_home(candidate)
             if named is not None:
                 return named.name
-            if current.name and not current.name.startswith("."):
-                return current.name
-        if current.resolve(strict=False) == default_root.resolve(strict=False):
-            return "default"
-        named = named_profile_home(current)
     except (OSError, RuntimeError, ValueError):
         return None
-    if named is not None:
-        return named.name
-    if current.parent.name == "profiles" and current.name and not current.name.startswith("."):
-        return current.name
     return None
 
 
diff --git a/tests/tui_gateway/test_default_profile_session_name.py b/tests/tui_gateway/test_default_profile_session_name.py
index 8b59c327ab..16767354a4 100644
--- a/tests/tui_gateway/test_default_profile_session_name.py
+++ b/tests/tui_gateway/test_default_profile_session_name.py
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ def test_default_home_aliases_are_reported_as_default(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     for alias in (default_home.name, "hermes"):
         assert server._response_profile_name(alias) == "default"
     assert server._session_info(None, {"profile_home": str(default_home)})["profile_name"] == "default"
+    # "hermes" is a legal profile id: a REAL named profile of that name is never swallowed by the alias.
+    (default_home / "profiles" / "hermes").mkdir(parents=True)
+    assert server._response_profile_name("hermes") == "hermes"
 
 
 def test_profile_home_resolution_stamps_default_rows(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
@@ -165,4 +168,3 @@ def test_custom_default_root_real_session_db_owner_stamping(tmp_path, monkeypatc
         assert launch_db.get_session("lazy-default") is None
         assert launch_db.get_session("seeded-default") is None
         assert launch_db.get_session("branched-default") is None
-
diff --git a/tests/tui_gateway/test_profile_target_unavailable.py b/tests/tui_gateway/test_profile_target_unavailable.py
index 1c8528d619..a632342e0c 100644
--- a/tests/tui_gateway/test_profile_target_unavailable.py
+++ b/tests/tui_gateway/test_profile_target_unavailable.py
@@ -35,13 +35,9 @@ def test_explicit_profile_target_never_falls_back(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     # A real resolution I/O failure must propagate, too (no predicate patch).
     profiles = home / "profiles"
     profiles.rename(home / "saved-profiles")
-    try:
-        profiles.symlink_to("profiles")
-    except OSError:
-        pass
-    else:
-        with pytest.raises((OSError, RuntimeError)):
-            server._profile_home("worker")
+    profiles.symlink_to("profiles")
+    with pytest.raises((OSError, RuntimeError)):
+        server._profile_home("worker")
 
 
 def test_custom_root_basename_target_fails_closed_when_unavailable(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
@@ -61,4 +57,3 @@ def test_custom_root_basename_target_fails_closed_when_unavailable(tmp_path, mon
     with pytest.raises(FileNotFoundError):
         with server._profile_db({"profile": "customer-data"}):
             pass
-
diff --git a/tui_gateway/server.py b/tui_gateway/server.py
index 50e3099c76..e3c486b48e 100644
--- a/tui_gateway/server.py
+++ b/tui_gateway/server.py
@@ -448,12 +448,14 @@ def _profile_db(params: dict | None = None):
 def _canonical_profile_request(name: str) -> str:
     """Canonicalize profile basenames emitted by older session-info payloads.
 
-    ``Path(default_home).name`` was historically sent as a profile id. Those
-    basenames are installation details, while explicit unknown profile names
-    must continue to fail closed in ``_profile_home``.
+    ``Path(default_home).name`` was historically sent as a profile id. Those basenames are
+    installation details — unless a real named profile of that name exists (``hermes`` is a legal
+    id), in which case it wins; other unknown names keep failing closed in ``_profile_home``.
     """
     if name.casefold() in {".hermes", "hermes"}:
-        return "default"
+        from hermes_cli import profiles as profiles_mod
+        if not Path(profiles_mod.get_profile_dir(name)).is_dir():
+            return "default"
     return name
 
 
@@ -478,12 +480,8 @@ def _profile_home(profile: str | None) -> Path | None:
     home = Path(profiles_mod.get_profile_dir(name))
     if not home.is_dir():
         raise FileNotFoundError(f"Profile '{name}' does not exist.")
-    launch = Path(_hermes_home)
-    if home == launch:
+    if home.resolve() == Path(_hermes_home).resolve():
         return None  # already the launch profile (no override needed)
-    if home.name == launch.name or home.is_symlink() or launch.is_symlink():
-        if home.resolve() == launch.resolve():
-            return None
     _served_profile_homes.add(home)  # the change watcher must stat every served sibling store too
     return home