diff --git a/cmd/launch/hermes.go b/cmd/launch/hermes.go
index 56c40b9b..3fa7087e 100644
--- a/cmd/launch/hermes.go
+++ b/cmd/launch/hermes.go
@@ -452,12 +452,33 @@ func hermesWindowsBinaryFallbacks() []string {
 	return fallbacks
 }
 
-func hermesConfigPath() (string, error) {
+func hermesHomePath() (string, error) {
+	if hermesHome := strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv("HERMES_HOME")); hermesHome != "" {
+		return filepath.Clean(hermesHome), nil
+	}
+	if hermesGOOS == "windows" {
+		if localAppData := strings.TrimSpace(os.Getenv("LOCALAPPDATA")); localAppData != "" {
+			return filepath.Join(localAppData, "hermes"), nil
+		}
+		home, err := hermesUserHome()
+		if err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+		return filepath.Join(home, "AppData", "Local", "hermes"), nil
+	}
 	home, err := hermesUserHome()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
-	return filepath.Join(home, ".hermes", "config.yaml"), nil
+	return filepath.Join(home, ".hermes"), nil
+}
+
+func hermesConfigPath() (string, error) {
+	home, err := hermesHomePath()
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	return filepath.Join(home, "config.yaml"), nil
 }
 
 func hermesBaseURL() string {
@@ -465,11 +486,11 @@ func hermesBaseURL() string {
 }
 
 func hermesEnvPath() (string, error) {
-	home, err := hermesUserHome()
+	home, err := hermesHomePath()
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", err
 	}
-	return filepath.Join(home, ".hermes", ".env"), nil
+	return filepath.Join(home, ".env"), nil
 }
 
 func (h *Hermes) runGatewaySetupPreflight(args []string, runSetup func() error) error {
diff --git a/cmd/launch/hermes_test.go b/cmd/launch/hermes_test.go
index 162b8199..8dfd733a 100644
--- a/cmd/launch/hermes_test.go
+++ b/cmd/launch/hermes_test.go
@@ -423,19 +423,36 @@ func TestHermesConfigureMigratesLegacyManagedAliases(t *testing.T) {
 func TestHermesPathsUsesLocalConfigPathForNativeWindowsHermes(t *testing.T) {
 	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
 	winHome := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "winhome")
+	localAppData := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "LocalAppData")
 	setTestHome(t, winHome)
 	withHermesPlatform(t, "windows")
 	withHermesUserHome(t, winHome)
 	t.Setenv("PATH", tmpDir)
+	t.Setenv("LOCALAPPDATA", localAppData)
 	writeFakeBinary(t, tmpDir, "hermes")
 
 	got := (&Hermes{}).Paths()
-	want := filepath.Join(winHome, ".hermes", "config.yaml")
+	want := filepath.Join(localAppData, "hermes", "config.yaml")
 	if len(got) != 1 || got[0] != want {
 		t.Fatalf("expected local config path %q, got %v", want, got)
 	}
 }
 
+func TestHermesPathsUsesHermesHomeOverride(t *testing.T) {
+	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
+	hermesHome := filepath.Join(tmpDir, "custom-hermes-home")
+	setTestHome(t, filepath.Join(tmpDir, "home"))
+	withHermesPlatform(t, "windows")
+	t.Setenv("HERMES_HOME", hermesHome)
+	t.Setenv("LOCALAPPDATA", filepath.Join(tmpDir, "LocalAppData"))
+
+	got := (&Hermes{}).Paths()
+	want := filepath.Join(hermesHome, "config.yaml")
+	if len(got) != 1 || got[0] != want {
+		t.Fatalf("expected HERMES_HOME config path %q, got %v", want, got)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestHermesCurrentModelRequiresHealthyManagedConfig(t *testing.T) {
 	tmpDir := t.TempDir()
 	setTestHome(t, tmpDir)