diff --git a/hermes_cli/gateway.py b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
index a865bcaf8be2e..9881447d3a8b3 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/gateway.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/gateway.py
@@ -2103,6 +2103,23 @@ def _hermes_home_for_target_user(target_home_dir: str) -> str:
         return str(current_hermes)
 
 
+def _safe_is_dir(path: Path) -> bool:
+    """Return ``True`` iff ``path`` is a directory we can stat.
+
+    Wraps :meth:`pathlib.Path.is_dir` to treat unreachable paths
+    (``PermissionError``, broken symlinks, network mounts that error out
+    on ``stat``) as "not a directory" rather than crashing the caller.
+    ``generate_systemd_unit`` runs at install / setup time when the
+    target host may have a partially-locked-down ``~/.hermes`` (CI
+    sandboxes, multi-user systemd setups), so a stat failure must not
+    prevent unit generation.
+    """
+    try:
+        return path.is_dir()
+    except OSError:
+        return False
+
+
 def _build_service_path_dirs(project_root: Path | None = None) -> list[str]:
     """Build PATH directory list for service units, excluding non-existent dirs."""
     if project_root is None:
@@ -2111,21 +2128,21 @@ def _build_service_path_dirs(project_root: Path | None = None) -> list[str]:
     candidates = []
 
     venv_bin = project_root / "venv" / "bin"
-    if venv_bin.is_dir():
+    if _safe_is_dir(venv_bin):
         candidates.append(str(venv_bin))
     elif sys.prefix != sys.base_prefix:
         candidates.append(str(Path(sys.prefix) / "bin"))
 
     node_bin = project_root / "node_modules" / ".bin"
-    if node_bin.is_dir():
+    if _safe_is_dir(node_bin):
         candidates.append(str(node_bin))
 
     hermes_home = get_hermes_home()
     hermes_node = hermes_home / "node" / "bin"
-    if hermes_node.is_dir():
+    if _safe_is_dir(hermes_node):
         candidates.append(str(hermes_node))
     hermes_nm = hermes_home / "node_modules" / ".bin"
-    if hermes_nm.is_dir():
+    if _safe_is_dir(hermes_nm):
         candidates.append(str(hermes_nm))
 
     return candidates
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service_paths.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service_paths.py
index 71abc4aef2400..8fb112badcfe7 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service_paths.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_gateway_service_paths.py
@@ -29,3 +29,55 @@ def test_service_path_includes_hermes_home_node_modules(tmp_path):
     with patch("hermes_cli.gateway.get_hermes_home", return_value=tmp_path / ".hermes"):
         dirs = _build_service_path_dirs(project_root=tmp_path)
     assert str(hermes_nm) in dirs
+
+
+def test_service_path_treats_permission_error_as_missing(tmp_path):
+    """A ``PermissionError`` from ``is_dir()`` must not crash unit
+    generation — treat the path as missing and continue.
+
+    Reproduces the CI baseline (#26622 audit): on locked-down Ubuntu
+    runners, ``stat('/root/.hermes/node/bin')`` returns ``EACCES`` from
+    the sandboxed filesystem layer even when the path is otherwise
+    reachable. Before the guard, ``generate_systemd_unit()`` and
+    ``generate_launchd_plist()`` propagated the ``OSError`` and refused
+    to produce any unit at all.
+    """
+    from hermes_cli.gateway import _build_service_path_dirs
+
+    real_is_dir = Path.is_dir
+    target = tmp_path / ".hermes" / "node" / "bin"
+
+    def fake_is_dir(self):
+        # Only the hermes_home node/bin probe trips EACCES; other paths
+        # must keep their real behavior so the rest of the function is
+        # exercised normally.
+        if self == target:
+            raise PermissionError(13, "Permission denied", str(self))
+        return real_is_dir(self)
+
+    with patch("hermes_cli.gateway.get_hermes_home", return_value=tmp_path / ".hermes"), \
+         patch.object(Path, "is_dir", fake_is_dir):
+        dirs = _build_service_path_dirs(project_root=tmp_path)
+
+    assert str(target) not in dirs
+
+
+def test_service_path_treats_oserror_as_missing(tmp_path):
+    """Broken-symlink / unreachable network mount probes (``OSError``)
+    must also be treated as "directory not present" rather than crashing.
+    """
+    from hermes_cli.gateway import _build_service_path_dirs
+
+    real_is_dir = Path.is_dir
+    target = tmp_path / ".hermes" / "node_modules" / ".bin"
+
+    def fake_is_dir(self):
+        if self == target:
+            raise OSError(5, "Input/output error", str(self))
+        return real_is_dir(self)
+
+    with patch("hermes_cli.gateway.get_hermes_home", return_value=tmp_path / ".hermes"), \
+         patch.object(Path, "is_dir", fake_is_dir):
+        dirs = _build_service_path_dirs(project_root=tmp_path)
+
+    assert str(target) not in dirs