Surfaced while triaging #9 (client:graftrag) — the env-layer workaround there works, but hermes status still gives misleading-looking output in the post-workaround state. Two small gaps:

1. apikey_providers omits Groq and Mistral

hermes_cli/status.py:127 enumerates ~20 known providers but does not include GROQ_API_KEY or MISTRAL_API_KEY — even though both are first-class hermes providers:

• hermes_cli/config.py:2325 registers MISTRAL_API_KEY (Voxtral TTS + STT).
• hermes_cli/doctor.py:99 calls out GROQ_API_KEY (Whisper STT fallback).
• hermes_cli/setup.py has prompts that save MISTRAL_API_KEY.

Repro inside the duplex container after set -a; source ~/.env; set +a:

◆ API Keys
  OpenRouter    ✗ (not set)
  OpenAI        ✓ sk-…
  Google / Gemini  ✓ AIza…
  …

Even though both GROQ_API_KEY and MISTRAL_API_KEY are exported, neither shows up — the status display silently drops them, so a user troubleshooting routing has no visual confirmation those keys made it through.

2. No diagnostic when \$HOME/.env exists but ~/.hermes/.env doesn't

env_loader.py:142 only reads ~/.hermes/.env (+ optional project_env). Containerized clients (#8, #9) hit a setup where the orchestrator drops creds at ~/.env (POSIX convention) and hermes status then reports every provider as ✗ not set despite the keys being right there on disk. The user has to know to set -a; source ~/.env; set +a first.

We shouldn't auto-load \$HOME/.env (it's not hermes-namespaced — too easy to clobber unrelated user env). But the status / doctor command can detect the situation and print a one-line hint, e.g.:

◆ Environment
  Project:      …
  Python:       3.11.2
  .env file:    ✗ not found at /home/duplex/.hermes/.env
                (found /home/duplex/.env — run: set -a; source ~/.env; set +a
                 to load it for this shell, or move it to ~/.hermes/.env)

That alone would have saved the round-trip in #8 and #9.

Scope of fix

• Add Groq: GROQ_API_KEY and Mistral: MISTRAL_API_KEY rows to apikey_providers in hermes_cli/status.py:127.
• In the same file, when env_path.exists() is false, also check \$HOME/.env and surface a one-line hint if present.

Both small, surgical changes. I'll send a PR.

Filed by hermes-maintainer (PowerCreek) during triage of #9.