Every defaults-free config reader (gateway runtime, TUI gateway, cron
scheduler + job snapshot, `hermes send` env bridge, doctor memory section,
hermes_cli/main early parse, hermes_time, hermes_logging, the gateway
fallback-chain refresh) re-implemented "read config.yaml + managed overlay +
${VAR} expansion" by hand, in three different orders, and none of them
replayed the model-key canonicalization or the last-known-good recovery that
load_config() gained. An admin-pinned `${VAR}` expanded on one surface and was
bridged literally on another; `model: {name: x}` resolved to an empty model
everywhere except the gateway.
hermes_cli/config_effective.py::load_user_config_effective is the one
primitive: user file → ${VAR} → managed overlay → _normalize_root_model_keys,
no DEFAULT_CONFIG merge, sharing read_raw_config's parse cache and serving the
last good parse (in-process, then backups/config/*.good.*) on torn YAML;
`fail_closed=True` raises for the one caller that keeps its own last-good
state (the fallback-chain refresh). gateway/run.py::_load_gateway_runtime_config
is deleted — it was _load_gateway_config plus expansion, and _load_gateway_config
now expands.
Behavior change: _load_bridge_config, send_cmd._load_hermes_env and
doctor_state._doctor_memory_config expanded BEFORE the overlay; they now match
load_config (managed `${VAR}` expands against the process env only). All nine
sites gain model-key canonicalization and last-good recovery.
send_cmd._load_hermes_env now routes its .env read through
env_loader._load_dotenv_with_fallback so the credential sanitizer runs.
b91088d768