diff --git a/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/AgentAvatarContext.tsx b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/AgentAvatarContext.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..52b7d7923
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/AgentAvatarContext.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+import { createContext, useContext } from "react";
+
+/** Appearance of the profile/agent that owns the current chat, so the avatar
+ *  shown next to agent turns matches the one on the Profiles page. */
+export interface AgentAppearance {
+  /** Profile name — drives the letter/default colour fallback. */
+  name?: string;
+  /** Accent colour for the letter fallback. */
+  color?: string | null;
+  /** Custom avatar image as a data URL; when set it wins over the logo. */
+  avatar?: string | null;
+}
+
+const AgentAvatarContext = createContext<AgentAppearance>({});
+
+export const AgentAvatarProvider = AgentAvatarContext.Provider;
+
+export function useAgentAppearance(): AgentAppearance {
+  return useContext(AgentAvatarContext);
+}
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/Chat.tsx b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/Chat.tsx
index e5a842f86..6972c323f 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/Chat.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/Chat.tsx
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { Zap, Globe } from "lucide-react";
 import { ChatInput, type ChatInputHandle } from "./ChatInput";
 import { ChatEmptyState } from "./ChatEmptyState";
 import { MessageList } from "./MessageList";
+import { AgentAvatarProvider } from "./AgentAvatarContext";
 import { ModelPicker } from "./ModelPicker";
 import { ReasoningEffortPicker } from "./ReasoningEffortPicker";
 import { ContextFolderChip } from "./ContextFolderChip";
@@ -53,6 +54,9 @@ interface ChatProps {
   /** Whether this run is the one currently shown (drives keyboard handlers). */
   active?: boolean;
   profile?: string;
+  /** Appearance (colour + custom avatar) of `profile`, so agent turns render
+   *  the profile's avatar instead of the default Hermes logo (issue #679). */
+  appearance?: { color?: string | null; avatar?: string | null };
   onSessionStarted?: () => void;
   onNewChat?: () => void;
   /** Optional callback to navigate to Settings → Diagnose section
@@ -74,6 +78,7 @@ function Chat({
   initialSessionId,
   active = true,
   profile,
+  appearance,
   onSessionStarted,
   onNewChat,
   onOpenDiagnose,
@@ -846,18 +851,26 @@ function Chat({
 
       <div className="chat-body">
         <div className="chat-messages" ref={containerRef}>
-          {messages.length === 0 ? (
-            <ChatEmptyState onSelectSuggestion={handleSuggestion} />
-          ) : (
-            <MessageList
-              messages={messages}
-              isLoading={isLoading}
-              toolProgress={toolProgress}
-              onApprove={actions.handleApprove}
-              onDeny={actions.handleDeny}
-              onClarifyResolved={handleClarifyResolved}
-            />
-          )}
+          <AgentAvatarProvider
+            value={{
+              name: profile,
+              color: appearance?.color,
+              avatar: appearance?.avatar,
+            }}
+          >
+            {messages.length === 0 ? (
+              <ChatEmptyState onSelectSuggestion={handleSuggestion} />
+            ) : (
+              <MessageList
+                messages={messages}
+                isLoading={isLoading}
+                toolProgress={toolProgress}
+                onApprove={actions.handleApprove}
+                onDeny={actions.handleDeny}
+                onClarifyResolved={handleClarifyResolved}
+              />
+            )}
+          </AgentAvatarProvider>
           <div ref={bottomRef} />
         </div>
 
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/ChatEmptyState.tsx b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/ChatEmptyState.tsx
index 3b6cc672a..868cc0769 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/ChatEmptyState.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/ChatEmptyState.tsx
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ import { memo } from "react";
 import { Search, Clock, Mail, Code, ChartLine, Bell } from "lucide-react";
 import titleLine from "../../assets/title-line.svg";
 import { useI18n } from "../../components/useI18n";
+import ProfileAvatar from "../../components/common/ProfileAvatar";
+import { useAgentAppearance } from "./AgentAvatarContext";
 
 interface Suggestion {
   i18nKey: string;
@@ -50,19 +52,33 @@ export const ChatEmptyState = memo(function ChatEmptyState({
   onSelectSuggestion,
 }: ChatEmptyStateProps): React.JSX.Element {
   const { t } = useI18n();
+  // Show the current agent's avatar (custom image or coloured initial) so the
+  // empty state matches who you're about to talk to. The default profile keeps
+  // the Hermes wordmark logo (issue #679).
+  const { avatar, name, color } = useAgentAppearance();
+  const useProfileAvatar = !!avatar || (!!name && name !== "default");
 
   return (
     <div className="chat-empty">
       <div className="chat-empty-icon">
-        <span
-          className="chat-empty-logo"
-          role="img"
-          aria-label="Hermes"
-          style={{
-            maskImage: `url(${titleLine})`,
-            WebkitMaskImage: `url(${titleLine})`,
-          }}
-        />
+        {useProfileAvatar ? (
+          <ProfileAvatar
+            name={name || "default"}
+            color={color}
+            avatar={avatar}
+            size={64}
+          />
+        ) : (
+          <span
+            className="chat-empty-logo"
+            role="img"
+            aria-label="Hermes"
+            style={{
+              maskImage: `url(${titleLine})`,
+              WebkitMaskImage: `url(${titleLine})`,
+            }}
+          />
+        )}
       </div>
       <div className="chat-empty-text">{t("chat.emptyTitle")}</div>
       <div className="chat-empty-hint">{t("chat.emptyHint")}</div>
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/MessageRow.tsx b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/MessageRow.tsx
index 3c906a58e..eef290f29 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/MessageRow.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/MessageRow.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ import { AgentMarkdown } from "../../components/AgentMarkdown";
 import { AttachmentChip } from "../../components/AttachmentChip";
 import { MediaSegmentView } from "../../components/MediaImage";
 import { useI18n } from "../../components/useI18n";
+import ProfileAvatar from "../../components/common/ProfileAvatar";
 import { parseMediaTokens, cleanLeakedToolTags } from "./mediaUtils";
+import { useAgentAppearance } from "./AgentAvatarContext";
 import type { ChatBubbleMessage, ChatMessage } from "./types";
 
 export const APPROVAL_RE =
@@ -72,6 +74,13 @@ export const HermesAvatar = memo(function HermesAvatar({
   /** True only for the avatar of the turn currently being generated. */
   active?: boolean;
 }): React.JSX.Element {
+  // A profile with its own identity (a custom avatar image, or any non-default
+  // named profile with its coloured initial) shows that avatar — matching the
+  // Profiles page (issue #679). The default profile keeps the animated Hermes
+  // mark below. Hooks still run unconditionally; only the render branches.
+  const { avatar, name, color } = useAgentAppearance();
+  const useProfileAvatar = !!avatar || (!!name && name !== "default");
+
   const [frozenSrc, setFrozenSrc] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [playing, setPlaying] = useState(active);
   // Re-keying the <img> on each play session restarts the gif from frame 0 so
@@ -124,7 +133,14 @@ export const HermesAvatar = memo(function HermesAvatar({
 
   return (
     <div className="chat-avatar chat-avatar-agent">
-      {playing ? (
+      {useProfileAvatar ? (
+        <ProfileAvatar
+          name={name || "default"}
+          color={color}
+          avatar={avatar}
+          size={size}
+        />
+      ) : playing ? (
         <img key={playKey} src={loadingGif} width={size} height={size} alt="" />
       ) : (
         <img src={frozenSrc ?? loadingGif} width={size} height={size} alt="" />
diff --git a/src/renderer/src/screens/Layout/Layout.tsx b/src/renderer/src/screens/Layout/Layout.tsx
index b62eb8331..3e8cd8781 100644
--- a/src/renderer/src/screens/Layout/Layout.tsx
+++ b/src/renderer/src/screens/Layout/Layout.tsx
@@ -443,6 +443,24 @@ function Layout({
     return () => window.removeEventListener("keydown", onKeyDown);
   }, [sessionsModalOpen]);
 
+  // Pin the visible, not-yet-started chat to the active profile. This is the
+  // safety net behind every path that changes the active profile — launch-time
+  // restore of the persisted active_profile, the ProfileSwitcher, deep links —
+  // so a fresh chat always routes to the selected agent's gateway and memory.
+  // Without it a chat minted under "default" keeps talking to default (and its
+  // memory) even after the active profile has switched (issue #679 follow-up).
+  useEffect(() => {
+    setRuns((prev) =>
+      prev.map((r) =>
+        r.runId === activeRunId &&
+        isScratchRun(r) &&
+        r.profile !== activeProfile
+          ? { ...r, profile: activeProfile }
+          : r,
+      ),
+    );
+  }, [activeProfile, activeRunId]);
+
   const handleSelectProfile = useCallback(
     (name: string) => {
       // Selecting an agent is administrative: switch the active profile (the
@@ -757,6 +775,7 @@ function Layout({
                 initialSessionId={run.sessionId}
                 active={run.runId === activeRunId}
                 profile={run.profile}
+                appearance={getAppearance(run.profile)}
                 onNewChat={handleNewChat}
                 onOpenDiagnose={() => goTo("settings")}
                 onLoadingChange={handleRunLoading}