diff --git a/cmd/sift/fetchcmd.go b/cmd/sift/fetchcmd.go
index cd6df37..51db6fc 100644
--- a/cmd/sift/fetchcmd.go
+++ b/cmd/sift/fetchcmd.go
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ func clientConfigPath() string {
 	}
 	if h := os.Getenv("HERMES_HOME"); h != "" {
 		p := filepath.Join(h, "sift", "client.toml")
+		if !hermesHomeIsDefault(h) {
+			return p
+		}
 		if _, err := os.Stat(p); err == nil {
 			return p
 		}
@@ -36,6 +39,22 @@ func clientConfigPath() string {
 	return filepath.Join(home, ".config", "sift", "client.toml")
 }
 
+func hermesHomeIsDefault(h string) bool {
+	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	def, err := filepath.Abs(filepath.Join(home, ".hermes"))
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	got, err := filepath.Abs(h)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	return got == def
+}
+
 func loadClient() (base, key string, err error) {
 	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/cmd/sift/fetchcmd_test.go b/cmd/sift/fetchcmd_test.go
index b256d2e..16754e8 100644
--- a/cmd/sift/fetchcmd_test.go
+++ b/cmd/sift/fetchcmd_test.go
@@ -58,9 +58,27 @@ func TestClientConfigPathHermesHome(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestClientConfigPathHermesHomeMissingFallsThrough(t *testing.T) {
+func TestClientConfigPathNonDefaultHermesHomeMissingDoesNotFallThrough(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Setenv("SIFT_CLIENT", "")
-	t.Setenv("HERMES_HOME", t.TempDir())
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("HERMES_HOME", dir)
+	got := clientConfigPath()
+	want := filepath.Join(dir, "sift", "client.toml")
+	if got != want {
+		t.Fatalf("got %q want %q", got, want)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(got, filepath.Join(".config", "sift")) {
+		t.Fatal("fell through to ~/.config")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestClientConfigPathDefaultHermesHomeMissingFallsThrough(t *testing.T) {
+	home, err := os.UserHomeDir()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	t.Setenv("SIFT_CLIENT", "")
+	t.Setenv("HERMES_HOME", filepath.Join(home, ".hermes"))
 	got := clientConfigPath()
 	if !strings.HasSuffix(got, filepath.Join(".config", "sift", "client.toml")) {
 		t.Fatalf("got %q", got)