diff --git a/agent/auxiliary_client.py b/agent/auxiliary_client.py
index 35ba3c7b..49a78458 100644
--- a/agent/auxiliary_client.py
+++ b/agent/auxiliary_client.py
@@ -1142,7 +1142,13 @@ def resolve_provider_client(
     if provider == "codex":
         provider = "openai-codex"
     if provider == "main":
-        provider = "custom"
+        # Resolve to the user's actual main provider so named custom providers
+        # and non-aggregator providers (DeepSeek, Alibaba, etc.) work correctly.
+        main_prov = _read_main_provider()
+        if main_prov and main_prov not in ("auto", "main", ""):
+            provider = main_prov
+        else:
+            provider = "custom"
 
     # ── Auto: try all providers in priority order ────────────────────
     if provider == "auto":
@@ -1238,6 +1244,28 @@ def resolve_provider_client(
                        "but no endpoint credentials found")
         return None, None
 
+    # ── Named custom providers (config.yaml custom_providers list) ───
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.runtime_provider import _get_named_custom_provider
+        custom_entry = _get_named_custom_provider(provider)
+        if custom_entry:
+            custom_base = custom_entry.get("base_url", "").strip()
+            custom_key = custom_entry.get("api_key", "").strip() or "no-key-required"
+            if custom_base:
+                final_model = model or _read_main_model() or "gpt-4o-mini"
+                client = OpenAI(api_key=custom_key, base_url=custom_base)
+                logger.debug(
+                    "resolve_provider_client: named custom provider %r (%s)",
+                    provider, final_model)
+                return (_to_async_client(client, final_model) if async_mode
+                        else (client, final_model))
+            logger.warning(
+                "resolve_provider_client: named custom provider %r has no base_url",
+                provider)
+            return None, None
+    except ImportError:
+        pass
+
     # ── API-key providers from PROVIDER_REGISTRY ─────────────────────
     try:
         from hermes_cli.auth import PROVIDER_REGISTRY, resolve_api_key_provider_credentials
@@ -1358,6 +1386,11 @@ def _normalize_vision_provider(provider: Optional[str]) -> str:
     if provider == "codex":
         return "openai-codex"
     if provider == "main":
+        # Resolve to actual main provider — named custom providers and
+        # non-aggregator providers need to pass through as their real name.
+        main_prov = _read_main_provider()
+        if main_prov and main_prov not in ("auto", "main", ""):
+            return main_prov
         return "custom"
     return provider
 
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_auxiliary_named_custom_providers.py b/tests/agent/test_auxiliary_named_custom_providers.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9ca0c5e5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/agent/test_auxiliary_named_custom_providers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+"""Tests for named custom provider and 'main' alias resolution in auxiliary_client."""
+
+import os
+from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
+
+import pytest
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(autouse=True)
+def _isolate(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Redirect HERMES_HOME and clear module caches."""
+    hermes_home = tmp_path / ".hermes"
+    hermes_home.mkdir()
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(hermes_home))
+    # Write a minimal config so load_config doesn't fail
+    (hermes_home / "config.yaml").write_text("model:\n  default: test-model\n")
+
+
+def _write_config(tmp_path, config_dict):
+    """Write a config.yaml to the test HERMES_HOME."""
+    import yaml
+    config_path = tmp_path / ".hermes" / "config.yaml"
+    config_path.write_text(yaml.dump(config_dict))
+
+
+class TestNormalizeVisionProvider:
+    """_normalize_vision_provider should resolve 'main' to actual main provider."""
+
+    def test_main_resolves_to_named_custom(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "my-model", "provider": "custom:beans"},
+            "custom_providers": [{"name": "beans", "base_url": "http://localhost/v1"}],
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import _normalize_vision_provider
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("main") == "custom:beans"
+
+    def test_main_resolves_to_openrouter(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4", "provider": "openrouter"},
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import _normalize_vision_provider
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("main") == "openrouter"
+
+    def test_main_resolves_to_deepseek(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "deepseek-chat", "provider": "deepseek"},
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import _normalize_vision_provider
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("main") == "deepseek"
+
+    def test_main_falls_back_to_custom_when_no_provider(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {"model": {"default": "gpt-4o"}})
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import _normalize_vision_provider
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("main") == "custom"
+
+    def test_bare_provider_name_unchanged(self):
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import _normalize_vision_provider
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("beans") == "beans"
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("deepseek") == "deepseek"
+
+    def test_codex_alias_still_works(self):
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import _normalize_vision_provider
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("codex") == "openai-codex"
+
+    def test_auto_unchanged(self):
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import _normalize_vision_provider
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider("auto") == "auto"
+        assert _normalize_vision_provider(None) == "auto"
+
+
+class TestResolveProviderClientMainAlias:
+    """resolve_provider_client('main', ...) should resolve to actual main provider."""
+
+    def test_main_resolves_to_named_custom_provider(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "my-model", "provider": "beans"},
+            "custom_providers": [
+                {"name": "beans", "base_url": "http://beans.local/v1", "api_key": "k"},
+            ],
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import resolve_provider_client
+        client, model = resolve_provider_client("main", "override-model")
+        assert client is not None
+        assert model == "override-model"
+        assert "beans.local" in str(client.base_url)
+
+    def test_main_with_custom_colon_prefix(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "my-model", "provider": "custom:beans"},
+            "custom_providers": [
+                {"name": "beans", "base_url": "http://beans.local/v1", "api_key": "k"},
+            ],
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import resolve_provider_client
+        client, model = resolve_provider_client("main", "test")
+        assert client is not None
+        assert "beans.local" in str(client.base_url)
+
+
+class TestResolveProviderClientNamedCustom:
+    """resolve_provider_client should resolve named custom providers directly."""
+
+    def test_named_custom_provider(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "test-model"},
+            "custom_providers": [
+                {"name": "beans", "base_url": "http://beans.local/v1", "api_key": "k"},
+            ],
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import resolve_provider_client
+        client, model = resolve_provider_client("beans", "my-model")
+        assert client is not None
+        assert model == "my-model"
+        assert "beans.local" in str(client.base_url)
+
+    def test_named_custom_provider_default_model(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "main-model"},
+            "custom_providers": [
+                {"name": "beans", "base_url": "http://beans.local/v1", "api_key": "k"},
+            ],
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import resolve_provider_client
+        client, model = resolve_provider_client("beans")
+        assert client is not None
+        # Should use _read_main_model() fallback
+        assert model == "main-model"
+
+    def test_named_custom_no_api_key_uses_fallback(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "test"},
+            "custom_providers": [
+                {"name": "local", "base_url": "http://localhost:8080/v1"},
+            ],
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import resolve_provider_client
+        client, model = resolve_provider_client("local", "test")
+        assert client is not None
+        # no-key-required should be used
+
+    def test_nonexistent_named_custom_falls_through(self, tmp_path):
+        _write_config(tmp_path, {
+            "model": {"default": "test"},
+            "custom_providers": [
+                {"name": "beans", "base_url": "http://beans.local/v1"},
+            ],
+        })
+        from agent.auxiliary_client import resolve_provider_client
+        # "coffee" doesn't exist in custom_providers
+        client, model = resolve_provider_client("coffee", "test")
+        assert client is None
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md b/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
index 2e26a9f6..468806b8 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@ Every model slot in Hermes — auxiliary tasks, compression, fallback — uses t
 
 When `base_url` is set, Hermes ignores the provider and calls that endpoint directly (using `api_key` or `OPENAI_API_KEY` for auth). When only `provider` is set, Hermes uses that provider's built-in auth and base URL.
 
-Available providers: `auto`, `openrouter`, `nous`, `codex`, `copilot`, `anthropic`, `main`, `zai`, `kimi-coding`, `minimax`, and any provider registered in the [provider registry](/docs/reference/environment-variables).
+Available providers: `auto`, `openrouter`, `nous`, `codex`, `copilot`, `anthropic`, `main`, `zai`, `kimi-coding`, `minimax`, any provider registered in the [provider registry](/docs/reference/environment-variables), or any named custom provider from your `custom_providers` list (e.g. `provider: "beans"`).
 
 ### Full auxiliary config reference
 
@@ -704,7 +704,7 @@ auxiliary:
     model: "my-local-model"
 ```
 
-`provider: "main"` follows the same custom endpoint Hermes uses for normal chat. That endpoint can be set directly with `OPENAI_BASE_URL`, or saved once through `hermes model` and persisted in `config.yaml`.
+`provider: "main"` uses whatever provider Hermes uses for normal chat — whether that's a named custom provider (e.g. `beans`), a built-in provider like `openrouter`, or a legacy `OPENAI_BASE_URL` endpoint.
 
 :::tip
 If you use Codex OAuth as your main model provider, vision works automatically — no extra configuration needed. Codex is included in the auto-detection chain for vision.