diff --git a/hermes_cli/web_routers/models.py b/hermes_cli/web_routers/models.py
index 1ba5328032..f7e12c0171 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/web_routers/models.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/web_routers/models.py
@@ -186,7 +186,11 @@ def get_recommended_default_model(provider: str = "", profile: Optional[str] = N
 
     if slug == "nous":
         try:
-            return _nous_recommended_default()
+            # The tier, Portal URL and recommendation caches are all per profile home.
+            with _config_profile_scope(profile):
+                return _nous_recommended_default()
+        except HTTPException:
+            raise  # an unknown ?profile= is the scope's 404, not an empty recommendation
         except Exception:
             _log.exception("GET /api/model/recommended-default (nous) failed")
             return {"provider": "nous", "model": "", "free_tier": None}
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_web_recommended_default_profile.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_web_recommended_default_profile.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1e92ec1e28
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_web_recommended_default_profile.py
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+"""``GET /api/model/recommended-default?provider=nous`` answers for the requested profile.
+
+The Nous branch returned before the route entered the profile scope, so ``?profile=b`` got the
+tier read, Portal URL and caches of the profile that launched the dashboard, and an unknown
+profile answered 200 instead of the scope's 404. Only the Portal account read is stubbed.
+"""
+
+from types import SimpleNamespace
+
+import pytest
+
+pytest.importorskip("fastapi")
+from fastapi.testclient import TestClient  # noqa: E402
+
+
+@pytest.fixture()
+def client(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path))
+    from hermes_cli import profiles as profiles_mod
+
+    freebie = profiles_mod.get_profile_dir("freebie")
+    freebie.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    (freebie / "config.yaml").write_text("model: {}\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+    from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+    import hermes_cli.nous_account as nous_account
+
+    # The launch profile's account is paid, the "freebie" profile's is free tier.
+    monkeypatch.setattr(nous_account, "get_nous_portal_account_info", lambda **_k: SimpleNamespace(
+        is_free_tier=get_hermes_home().name == "freebie"))
+
+    from hermes_cli import web_server
+
+    with TestClient(web_server.app, raise_server_exceptions=False) as c:
+        c.headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {web_server._SESSION_TOKEN}"
+        yield c
+
+
+def test_nous_recommendation_reads_the_requested_profile(client):
+    launch = client.get("/api/model/recommended-default", params={"provider": "nous"})
+    named = client.get("/api/model/recommended-default",
+                       params={"provider": "nous", "profile": "freebie"})
+
+    assert launch.status_code == named.status_code == 200
+    assert launch.json()["free_tier"] is False
+    assert named.json()["free_tier"] is True
+
+
+def test_nous_recommendation_unknown_profile_is_404(client):
+    resp = client.get("/api/model/recommended-default",
+                      params={"provider": "nous", "profile": "no-such-profile"})
+
+    assert resp.status_code == 404, resp.text
+    assert "no-such-profile" in resp.json()["detail"]