diff --git a/hermes_cli/models.py b/hermes_cli/models.py
index 0ae32f11a0..3600554870 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/models.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/models.py
@@ -1570,6 +1570,11 @@ def copilot_model_api_mode(
     primary signal.  Falls back to the catalog's ``supported_endpoints``
     only for models not covered by the pattern check.
     """
+    # Fetch the catalog once so normalize + endpoint check share it
+    # (avoids two redundant network calls for non-GPT-5 models).
+    if catalog is None and api_key:
+        catalog = fetch_github_model_catalog(api_key=api_key)
+
     normalized = normalize_copilot_model_id(model_id, catalog=catalog, api_key=api_key)
     if not normalized:
         return "chat_completions"
@@ -1579,9 +1584,6 @@ def copilot_model_api_mode(
         return "codex_responses"
 
     # Secondary: check catalog for non-GPT-5 models (Claude via /v1/messages, etc.)
-    if catalog is None and api_key:
-        catalog = fetch_github_model_catalog(api_key=api_key)
-
     if catalog:
         catalog_entry = next((item for item in catalog if item.get("id") == normalized), None)
         if isinstance(catalog_entry, dict):