diff --git a/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md b/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md
index 03e84d93f..2b462e186 100644
--- a/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md
+++ b/website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ All variables go in `~/.hermes/.env`. You can also set them with `hermes config
 | `VOICE_TOOLS_OPENAI_KEY` | Preferred OpenAI key for OpenAI speech-to-text and text-to-speech providers |
 | `HERMES_LOCAL_STT_COMMAND` | Optional local speech-to-text command template. Supports `{input_path}`, `{output_dir}`, `{language}`, and `{model}` placeholders |
 | `HERMES_LOCAL_STT_LANGUAGE` | Default language passed to `HERMES_LOCAL_STT_COMMAND` or auto-detected local `whisper` CLI fallback (default: `en`) |
-| `HERMES_HOME` | Override Hermes config directory (default: `~/.hermes`) |
+| `HERMES_HOME` | Override Hermes config directory (default: `~/.hermes`). Also scopes the gateway PID file and systemd service name, so multiple installations can run concurrently |
 
 ## Provider Auth (OAuth)
 
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md
index fea310d21..0c17e65e6 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/index.md
@@ -244,10 +244,10 @@ Background tasks on messaging platforms are fire-and-forget — you don't need t
 
 ```bash
 hermes gateway install               # Install as user service
-systemctl --user start hermes-gateway
-systemctl --user stop hermes-gateway
-systemctl --user status hermes-gateway
-journalctl --user -u hermes-gateway -f
+hermes gateway start                 # Start the service
+hermes gateway stop                  # Stop the service
+hermes gateway status                # Check status
+journalctl --user -u hermes-gateway -f  # View logs
 
 # Enable lingering (keeps running after logout)
 sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER
@@ -263,6 +263,10 @@ Use the user service on laptops and dev boxes. Use the system service on VPS or
 
 Avoid keeping both the user and system gateway units installed at once unless you really mean to. Hermes will warn if it detects both because start/stop/status behavior gets ambiguous.
 
+:::info Multiple installations
+If you run multiple Hermes installations on the same machine (with different `HERMES_HOME` directories), each gets its own systemd service name. The default `~/.hermes` uses `hermes-gateway`; other installations use `hermes-gateway-<hash>`. The `hermes gateway` commands automatically target the correct service for your current `HERMES_HOME`.
+:::
+
 ### macOS (launchd)
 
 ```bash