fix(windows): native Windows correctness for CLI, gateway status, banner, and WSL browser paths

Salvaged from #57016 by @lEWFkRAD:
- cli.py: handle file:///C:/... drive-letter URIs on nt (strip the
  leading slash urlparse leaves); join Termux example paths with literal
  forward slashes so hints stay POSIX on Windows.
- gateway/status.py + hermes_cli/gateway.py: normalize backslashes to
  forward slashes before the HERMES_HOME substring match so separator
  style cannot defeat profile ownership detection.
- hermes_cli/banner.py: cprint degrades to plain print when
  prompt_toolkit has no console (NoConsoleScreenBufferError on
  redirected/absent Windows stdout).
- hermes_cli/browser_connect.py: posixpath.join for WSL /mnt/c/... bases
  (os.path.join would emit backslashes on nt).
- Test hardening: symlink skip-guards, USERPROFILE alongside HOME for
  ntpath.expanduser, SIGKILL absence skipif fixed via monkeypatch,
  drive-letter URI / separator-normalization / banner-fallback coverage.

Dropped from the original PR: tests/cli/conftest.py fixture and the
AppSession _output monkeypatch — main's merged tests/cli/conftest.py
already handles that prompt_toolkit pollution.

cli.py

@@ -3235,10 +3235,12 @@ def _termux_example_image_path(filename: str = "cat.png") -> str:
         "/storage/emulated/0",
         "/storage/self/primary",
     ]
+    # Termux/Android roots are POSIX paths — join with literal forward
+    # slashes so the hint stays correct even when this renders on Windows.
     for root in candidates:
         if os.path.isdir(root):
-            return os.path.join(root, "Pictures", filename)
-    return os.path.join("~/storage/shared", "Pictures", filename)
+            return f"{root}/Pictures/{filename}"
+    return f"~/storage/shared/Pictures/{filename}"
 
 
 def _split_path_input(raw: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
@@ -3309,6 +3311,16 @@ def _resolve_attachment_path(raw_path: str) -> Path | None:
                 expanded = unquote(parsed.path or "")
                 if parsed.netloc and os.name == "nt":
                     expanded = f"//{parsed.netloc}{expanded}"
+                elif (
+                    os.name == "nt"
+                    and len(expanded) >= 3
+                    and expanded[0] == "/"
+                    and expanded[1].isalpha()
+                    and expanded[2] == ":"
+                ):
+                    # file:///C:/... parses to path "/C:/..." — drop the
+                    # leading slash so it resolves as a drive-letter path.
+                    expanded = expanded[1:]
         except Exception:
             expanded = token
     expanded = os.path.expandvars(os.path.expanduser(expanded))

gateway/status.py

@@ -507,9 +507,12 @@ def _command_line_belongs_to_profile(command: str, profile_home: Path) -> bool:
     explicit ``HERMES_HOME=<path>``) on its argv; the default/root gateway runs
     bare with no profile flag.
     """
-    command_lc = command.lower()
+    # Normalize separators before the substring match: on Windows,
+    # str(Path) renders backslashes while a HERMES_HOME= value on the argv
+    # may carry forward slashes (Git Bash, JSON configs) — and vice versa.
+    command_lc = command.lower().replace("\\", "/")
     profile_name = _profile_name_for_home(profile_home)
-    home_lc = str(profile_home).lower()
+    home_lc = str(profile_home).lower().replace("\\", "/")
 
     if profile_name is not None and profile_name != "default":
         profile_lc = profile_name.lower()

hermes_cli/banner.py

@@ -40,7 +40,14 @@ def cprint(text: str):
     """Print ANSI-colored text through prompt_toolkit's renderer."""
     from prompt_toolkit import print_formatted_text as _pt_print
     from prompt_toolkit.formatted_text import ANSI as _PT_ANSI
-    _pt_print(_PT_ANSI(text))
+    try:
+        _pt_print(_PT_ANSI(text))
+    except Exception:
+        # prompt_toolkit needs a real console. On Windows, a redirected or
+        # absent stdout (pythonw.exe, CI, `hermes ... > file`) raises
+        # NoConsoleScreenBufferError from its Win32Output — display helpers
+        # must never crash the caller over that, so degrade to plain print.
+        print(text)
 
 
 # =========================================================================

hermes_cli/browser_connect.py

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import logging
 import os
 import platform
+import posixpath
 import shlex
 import shutil
 import subprocess
@@ -95,7 +96,10 @@ def get_chrome_debug_candidates(system: str) -> list[str]:
         for _, group in install_groups:
             for base in filter(None, bases):
                 for parts in group:
-                    add(os.path.join(base, *parts))
+                    # Only called with WSL ``/mnt/c/...`` bases — those are
+                    # POSIX paths regardless of the host OS, so join with
+                    # posixpath (os.path.join would emit backslashes on nt).
+                    add(posixpath.join(base, *parts))
 
     if system == "Darwin":
         for app in _DARWIN_APPS:

hermes_cli/gateway.py

@@ -359,7 +359,9 @@ def _scan_gateway_pids(
         looks_like_gateway_runtime_command_line,
     )
     current_home = str(get_hermes_home().resolve())
-    current_home_lc = current_home.lower()
+    # Forward slashes on both sides of the HERMES_HOME= match — see
+    # gateway.status._command_line_belongs_to_profile, which this mirrors.
+    current_home_lc = current_home.lower().replace("\\", "/")
     current_profile_arg = _profile_arg(current_home)
     current_profile_name = (
         current_profile_arg.split()[-1] if current_profile_arg else ""
@@ -367,7 +369,7 @@ def _scan_gateway_pids(
     current_profile_name_lc = current_profile_name.lower()
 
     def _matches_current_profile(command: str) -> bool:
-        command_lc = command.lower()
+        command_lc = command.lower().replace("\\", "/")
         if current_profile_name:
             return (
                 f"--profile {current_profile_name_lc}" in command_lc

tests/cli/test_cli_browser_connect.py

@@ -83,6 +83,17 @@ class TestChromeDebugLaunch:
         assert candidates == [brave, edge]
 
 
+    def test_wsl_install_candidates_keep_posix_separators_on_nt_host(self):
+        expected = "/mnt/c/Program Files/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe"
+
+        with patch("hermes_cli.browser_connect.shutil.which", return_value=None), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.browser_connect.os.path.isfile", side_effect=lambda path: path == expected):
+            candidates = get_chrome_debug_candidates("Linux")
+
+        assert candidates == [expected]
+        assert "\\" not in candidates[0]
+
+
     def test_wait_for_browser_debug_ready_or_exit_detects_early_exit(self, monkeypatch):
         class _Proc:
             def __init__(self):

tests/cli/test_cli_file_drop.py

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 """Tests for _detect_file_drop — file path detection that prevents
 dragged/pasted absolute paths from being mistaken for slash commands."""
 
+import os
 
 import pytest
 
@@ -157,6 +158,8 @@ class TestEscapedSpaces:
         img.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
         img.write_bytes(b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n")
         monkeypatch.setenv("HOME", str(home))
+        # ntpath.expanduser ignores HOME (Python 3.8+) — it wants USERPROFILE.
+        monkeypatch.setenv("USERPROFILE", str(home))
 
         result = _detect_file_drop("~/storage/shared/Pictures/cat.png what is this?")
 
@@ -166,6 +169,19 @@ class TestEscapedSpaces:
         assert result["remainder"] == "what is this?"
 
 
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(os.name != "nt", reason="Windows drive-letter URI contract")
+    def test_windows_drive_letter_file_uri_drops_url_leading_slash(self, tmp_path):
+        image = tmp_path / "drive-uri.png"
+        image.write_bytes(b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n")
+        uri = image.as_uri()
+        assert uri.startswith("file:///") and ":/" in uri
+
+        result = _detect_file_drop(uri)
+
+        assert result is not None
+        assert result["path"] == image
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Tests: edge cases
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

tests/cli/test_cli_image_command.py

@@ -59,6 +59,8 @@ class TestCollectQueryImages:
         home = tmp_path / "home"
         img = _make_image(home / "storage" / "shared" / "Pictures" / "cat.png")
         monkeypatch.setenv("HOME", str(home))
+        # ntpath.expanduser ignores HOME (Python 3.8+) — it wants USERPROFILE.
+        monkeypatch.setenv("USERPROFILE", str(home))
 
         message, images = _collect_query_images("describe this", "~/storage/shared/Pictures/cat.png")
 

tests/cli/test_worktree.py

@@ -416,6 +416,21 @@ class TestMultipleWorktrees:
             assert not Path(info["path"]).exists()
 
 
+def _can_symlink():
+    """Check if we can create symlinks (needs admin/dev-mode on Windows)."""
+    import tempfile
+    try:
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as d:
+            src = Path(d) / "src"
+            src.write_text("x")
+            lnk = Path(d) / "lnk"
+            lnk.symlink_to(src)
+            return True
+    except OSError:
+        return False
+
+
+@pytest.mark.skipif(not _can_symlink(), reason="Symlinks need elevated privileges")
 class TestWorktreeDirectorySymlink:
     """Test .worktreeinclude with directories (symlinked)."""
 

tests/cli/test_worktree_security.py

@@ -6,6 +6,20 @@ from pathlib import Path
 import pytest
 
 
+def _can_symlink():
+    """Check if we can create symlinks (needs admin/dev-mode on Windows)."""
+    import tempfile
+    try:
+        with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as d:
+            src = Path(d) / "src"
+            src.write_text("x")
+            lnk = Path(d) / "lnk"
+            lnk.symlink_to(src)
+            return True
+    except OSError:
+        return False
+
+
 @pytest.fixture
 def git_repo(tmp_path):
     """Create a temporary git repo for testing real cli._setup_worktree behavior."""
@@ -76,6 +90,7 @@ class TestWorktreeIncludeSecurity:
         finally:
             _force_remove_worktree(info)
 
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(not _can_symlink(), reason="Symlinks need elevated privileges")
     def test_rejects_symlink_that_resolves_outside_repo(self, git_repo):
         import cli as cli_mod
 
@@ -110,6 +125,7 @@ class TestWorktreeIncludeSecurity:
         finally:
             _force_remove_worktree(info)
 
+    @pytest.mark.skipif(not _can_symlink(), reason="Symlinks need elevated privileges")
     def test_allows_valid_directory_include(self, git_repo):
         import cli as cli_mod
 

tests/gateway/test_status.py

@@ -248,6 +248,15 @@ class TestGatewayRuntimeStatus:
             ), cmdline
 
 
+    def test_command_line_belongs_to_profile_normalizes_separators(self):
+        """A Windows argv renders HERMES_HOME with backslashes while the
+        profile's Path may carry forward slashes (and, on Windows, vice
+        versa).  The separator difference must not defeat the match."""
+        home = Path("c:/opt/data/profiles/coder")
+        cmdline = r"hermes_home=c:\opt\data\profiles\coder hermes gateway run --replace"
+        assert status._command_line_belongs_to_profile(cmdline, home) is True
+
+
     def test_write_runtime_status_explicit_none_clears_stale_fields(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path))
 

tests/hermes_cli/test_banner.py

@@ -9,6 +9,16 @@ import model_tools
 import tools.mcp_tool
 
 
+def test_cprint_falls_back_to_plain_print_when_prompt_toolkit_has_no_console(capsys):
+    with patch(
+        "prompt_toolkit.print_formatted_text",
+        side_effect=RuntimeError("no console screen buffer"),
+    ):
+        banner.cprint("fallback text")
+
+    assert capsys.readouterr().out == "fallback text\n"
+
+
 
 
 

tests/tools/test_windows_native_support.py

@@ -52,10 +52,10 @@ class TestConfigureWindowsStdio:
         yield
         sys.modules.pop("hermes_cli.stdio", None)
 
-    def test_no_op_on_posix(self):
+    def test_no_op_on_posix(self, monkeypatch):
         from hermes_cli import stdio
 
-        assert stdio.is_windows() is False
+        monkeypatch.setattr(stdio, "is_windows", lambda: False)
         result = stdio.configure_windows_stdio()
         assert result is False