diff --git a/hermes_cli/models.py b/hermes_cli/models.py
index d03d15c6b9..3ea93debd2 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/models.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/models.py
@@ -1511,7 +1511,11 @@ def _profile_live_catalog(normalized: str) -> Optional[list[str]]:
     # Every non-api-key profile falls back to its own fallback_models (OAuth plugins have no
     # static _PROVIDER_MODELS row), exactly as api_key plugins do below.
     if profile.auth_type == "external_process":
-        live = profile.fetch_models()
+        try:
+            live = profile.fetch_models()
+        except Exception as exc:  # a failed subprocess launch degrades to the curated list, like api_key below
+            logger.debug("external_process catalog fetch failed for %s: %s", normalized, exc)
+            live = None
         return list(live) if live else (list(profile.fallback_models) or None)
     if not (profile.auth_type == "api_key" and profile.base_url):
         return list(profile.fallback_models) or None
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_provider_picker_admission.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_provider_picker_admission.py
index b482df29a7..abe5ab809d 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_provider_picker_admission.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_provider_picker_admission.py
@@ -19,8 +19,13 @@ def _register(monkeypatch, profile):
 
     monkeypatch.setitem(providers._REGISTRY, profile.name, profile)
     monkeypatch.delitem(auth.PROVIDER_REGISTRY, profile.name, raising=False)
-    auth._register_plugin_provider(profile)  # what plugin discovery does at import time
-    monkeypatch.setitem(auth.PROVIDER_REGISTRY, profile.name, auth.PROVIDER_REGISTRY[profile.name])
+    # Mirror into the auth registry the way plugin discovery does; built from public types so the
+    # helper is independent of the auth module's private mirroring function.
+    pconfig = auth.ProviderConfig(
+        profile.name, profile.display_name or profile.name, profile.auth_type, inference_base_url=profile.base_url)
+    if profile.auth_type == "api_key" and profile.env_vars:
+        pconfig = auth._api_key_provider(profile.name, profile.display_name or profile.name, profile.base_url, tuple(profile.env_vars), "")
+    monkeypatch.setitem(auth.PROVIDER_REGISTRY, profile.name, pconfig)
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("auth_type", ["external_process", "oauth_external", "oauth_device_code", "api_key"])