diff --git a/agent/context_compressor.py b/agent/context_compressor.py
index fbb7e6c5e82e0..59ae723d2bee1 100644
--- a/agent/context_compressor.py
+++ b/agent/context_compressor.py
@@ -6730,6 +6730,26 @@ def _is_nonempty_user_turn(message: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
         _strip_persistence_markers(compressed)
         self._last_compression_made_progress = True
 
+        # A successful compaction just freed the largest allocation a long
+        # session ever drops (the compressed-away message dicts), which makes
+        # this the natural point to hand allocator pages back to the OS.
+        # #76905's trim lifecycle covers the gateway/TUI housekeeping loops but
+        # not the CLI compression path, so RSS keeps the pre-compaction
+        # high-water mark until exit. The helper is glibc-gated, config-gated
+        # and rate-limited, so this is a safe no-op elsewhere. (#70782)
+        try:
+            from hermes_cli.mem_trim import trim_memory
+
+            trim_memory(reason="post-compression")
+        except Exception as exc:
+            # debug, not warning: sibling trim sites all log failures at
+            # debug, and compression must never fail because of a trim.
+            logger.debug(
+                "post-compression memory trim failed: %s: %s",
+                type(exc).__name__,
+                exc,
+            )
+
         # Batch compaction invalidates micro-compaction state: the batch
         # marker now holds MORE history than the in-memory rolling summary
         # (it summarized everything in the window, including exchanges micro
diff --git a/hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py b/hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py
index 6f8c9b30c6485..dd1d2c07c4b79 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py
@@ -230,6 +230,21 @@ def _parse_manifest(path: Path) -> CatalogEntry:
         scopes=list(auth_raw.get("scopes") or []),
         env_var=auth_raw.get("env_var"),
     )
+    if t_type == "http" and a_type == "api_key":
+        # _build_server_config emits an Authorization header referencing
+        # ${MCP_<NAME>_API_KEY} (via _bearer_auth_headers), but install_entry
+        # only persists the env vars DECLARED in auth.env. Enforce the naming
+        # contract at parse time, or a manifest declaring e.g. N8N_API_KEY
+        # would install cleanly yet send a literal-placeholder header (401)
+        # at connect time.
+        from hermes_cli.mcp_config import _env_key_for_server
+
+        _required_key = _env_key_for_server(name)
+        if not any(spec.name == _required_key for spec in env_list):
+            raise CatalogError(
+                f"{path}: http + api_key auth requires auth.env to declare "
+                f"'{_required_key}' (the key the Authorization header references)"
+            )
 
     tools_raw = data.get("tools") or {}
     if not isinstance(tools_raw, dict):
@@ -506,6 +521,10 @@ def _build_server_config(
         cfg["url"] = t.url
         if entry.auth.type == "oauth":
             cfg["auth"] = "oauth"
+        elif entry.auth.type == "api_key":
+            from hermes_cli.mcp_config import _bearer_auth_headers
+
+            cfg["headers"] = _bearer_auth_headers(entry.name)
     return cfg
 
 
diff --git a/tests/agent/test_post_compression_trim.py b/tests/agent/test_post_compression_trim.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..4cb1aadc39b3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/agent/test_post_compression_trim.py
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+"""A successful compaction hands allocator pages back to the OS.
+
+The compressed-away message dicts are the largest allocation a long session
+ever frees, but Python's arena allocator keeps those pages in the process heap
+— RSS retains the pre-compaction high-water mark until exit. #76905's
+trim_memory lifecycle covers the gateway/TUI housekeeping loops but not the
+CLI compression path, so compress() now calls
+``trim_memory(reason="post-compression")`` after a successful pass.
+
+trim_memory itself is glibc/Linux-gated (a fast no-op on macOS), so these
+tests monkeypatch the seam rather than asserting on RSS. Salvaged in spirit
+from #70782 (which reached for a bare gc.collect(); trim_memory is the
+house mechanism and already wraps a collect).
+"""
+import hermes_cli.mem_trim as mem_trim
+from agent.context_compressor import ContextCompressor
+
+
+def _compressor(threshold_tokens: int = 24_576) -> ContextCompressor:
+    cc = ContextCompressor(
+        model="test-model",
+        threshold_percent=0.75,
+        protect_first_n=5,
+        protect_last_n=20,
+        quiet_mode=True,
+        config_context_length=40960,
+        provider="test",
+    )
+    cc.threshold_tokens = threshold_tokens  # pin; don't couple to window math
+    cc._generate_summary = lambda *a, **k: "Summary of earlier turns."
+    return cc
+
+
+def _messages(n: int, size: int = 1500) -> list:
+    msgs = [{"role": "system", "content": "sys"}]
+    for i in range(n):
+        role = "user" if i % 2 == 0 else "assistant"
+        msgs.append({"role": role, "content": f"m{i} " + "z" * size})
+    return msgs
+
+
+def test_successful_compression_trims_memory_once(monkeypatch):
+    calls = []
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        mem_trim, "trim_memory", lambda *a, **kw: calls.append(kw) or False
+    )
+
+    cc = _compressor()
+    out = cc.compress(_messages(14), current_tokens=100_000)
+
+    assert len(out) < 15, "sanity: compaction should have made progress"
+    assert len(calls) == 1, "trim_memory must run exactly once per compaction"
+    assert calls[0].get("reason") == "post-compression"
+
+
+def test_trim_failure_does_not_break_compression(monkeypatch):
+    def boom(*a, **kw):
+        raise RuntimeError("allocator says no")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(mem_trim, "trim_memory", boom)
+
+    cc = _compressor()
+    out = cc.compress(_messages(14), current_tokens=100_000)
+
+    assert cc._last_compression_made_progress is True
+    assert isinstance(out, list) and out, "compress() must still return messages"
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_catalog.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_catalog.py
index a5b465dd80490..29e510b29e6b8 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_catalog.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_mcp_catalog.py
@@ -143,6 +143,41 @@ def test_api_key_auth(self, catalog_dir):
         assert e.auth.env[1].required is False
         assert e.auth.env[1].secret is False
 
+    def test_http_api_key_builds_bearer_headers_template(self, catalog_dir):
+        body = _basic_manifest(
+            transport={"type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse"},
+            auth={
+                "type": "api_key",
+                "env": [{"name": "MCP_DEMO_API_KEY", "prompt": "key", "secret": True}],
+            },
+        )
+        _write_manifest(catalog_dir, "demo", body)
+        from hermes_cli.mcp_catalog import _build_server_config
+
+        cfg = _build_server_config(_entry("demo"), None)
+        assert cfg["url"] == "https://mcp.example.com/sse"
+        assert cfg["headers"] == {"Authorization": "Bearer ${MCP_DEMO_API_KEY}"}
+
+    def test_http_api_key_requires_matching_env_declaration(self, catalog_dir):
+        """http+api_key manifests must declare the env key the header references.
+
+        install_entry only persists auth.env-declared vars; a manifest naming
+        its key e.g. N8N_API_KEY would install cleanly but send a literal
+        ${MCP_DEMO_API_KEY} placeholder at connect time (silent 401).
+        """
+        body = _basic_manifest(
+            transport={"type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse"},
+            auth={
+                "type": "api_key",
+                "env": [{"name": "DEMO_API_KEY", "prompt": "key", "secret": True}],
+            },
+        )
+        path = _write_manifest(catalog_dir, "demo", body)
+        from hermes_cli.mcp_catalog import CatalogError, _parse_manifest
+
+        with pytest.raises(CatalogError, match="MCP_DEMO_API_KEY"):
+            _parse_manifest(path)
+
 
 
 
@@ -193,6 +228,36 @@ def test_install_with_api_key_prompts_and_saves(self, catalog_dir, monkeypatch):
         assert get_env_value("DEMO_KEY") == "secret-val"
         assert "demo" in load_config()["mcp_servers"]
 
+    def test_install_http_api_key_writes_bearer_headers(self, catalog_dir, monkeypatch):
+        body = _basic_manifest(
+            transport={"type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.example.com/sse"},
+            auth={
+                "type": "api_key",
+                "env": [{"name": "MCP_DEMO_API_KEY", "prompt": "key", "secret": True}],
+            },
+        )
+        _write_manifest(catalog_dir, "demo", body)
+
+        from hermes_cli import mcp_catalog
+
+        monkeypatch.setattr(mcp_catalog, "_prompt_input", lambda *a, **kw: "secret-val")
+
+        from hermes_cli.mcp_catalog import install_entry
+        from hermes_cli.config import load_config
+
+        install_entry(_entry("demo"), enable=True)
+
+        server = load_config()["mcp_servers"]["demo"]
+        assert server["url"] == "https://mcp.example.com/sse"
+        assert server["headers"] == {"Authorization": "Bearer secret-val"}
+        # The raw file must carry the ${...} template, never the secret —
+        # load_config resolves it; config.yaml itself stays secret-free.
+        from hermes_cli.config import get_config_path
+
+        raw = get_config_path().read_text()
+        assert "${MCP_DEMO_API_KEY}" in raw
+        assert "secret-val" not in raw
+