docs(s6): document container supervision; doctor + skill + user-guide updates

Phase 5 of the s6-overlay supervision plan. Documentation + small
diagnostic cleanups; no behavior changes.

website/docs/user-guide/docker.md:
  - Replace the old 'entrypoint script does the bootstrap' section
    with the s6-overlay boot flow (cont-init.d/01-hermes-setup,
    cont-init.d/02-reconcile-profiles, static main-hermes + dashboard
    services, ENTRYPOINT-as-main-program pattern).
  - Add a 'Per-profile gateway supervision' subsection covering the
    new lifecycle commands, restart semantics, log persistence, and
    'Manager: s6 (container supervisor)' status reporting.
  - Add 'Breaking change vs. pre-s6 images' callout naming the
    /init ENTRYPOINT and pointing affected wrappers at the pin
    workaround.

website/docs/user-guide/profiles.md:
  - Add a note under 'Persistent services' pointing container users
    at the docker.md section explaining s6 supervision inside the
    image. Host-side systemd/launchd documentation is unchanged.

skills/software-development/hermes-s6-container-supervision/SKILL.md:
  - New maintainer skill covering the supervision-tree map, file
    layout, the Architecture B rationale (cont-init.d args + halt
    exit-code propagation), quick recipes, and the 8 pitfalls we hit
    while implementing the plan (PATH-without-/command, root-owned
    profile dirs, SOUL.md as marker, the '143' anti-pattern, etc.).

hermes_cli/doctor.py:
  - _check_gateway_service_linger skips on s6 (the linger concept
    doesn't apply inside the container).
  - New _check_s6_supervision section reports main-hermes/dashboard
    state and per-profile-gateway count (registered vs supervised
    up), only inside the s6 container. Host doctor output unchanged.
  - External Tools / Docker check no longer emits a 'docker not
    found' warning inside the container; prints an explanatory
    info line instead. Still respects an explicit TERMINAL_ENV=docker
    (in case the user mounted /var/run/docker.sock).

hermes_cli/gateway.py:
  - Document _container_systemd_operational more precisely: it's
    NOT for our Hermes Docker image (s6-overlay handles that via
    detect_service_manager() == 's6'). It still covers
    systemd-nspawn / k8s-with-systemd-init cases, so leaving it in
    place is correct; the docstring just makes that explicit.

Test harness (verification, no test changes in this commit):
  19 passed, 0 xfailed. 66 service-manager / container-boot /
  profiles-s6-hooks / gateway-s6-dispatch unit tests still green.
  61 doctor tests still green. Hadolint + shellcheck clean.

Refs: docs/plans/2026-05-07-s6-overlay-dynamic-subagent-gateways.md

hermes_cli/doctor.py

@@ -207,14 +207,69 @@ def _fail_and_issue(text: str, detail: str, fix: str, issues: list[str]) -> None
     issues.append(fix)
 
 
+def _check_s6_supervision(issues: list[str]) -> None:
+    """Inside a container under our s6 /init, surface what s6 sees.
+
+    Runs as a counterpart to :func:`_check_gateway_service_linger` for
+    the systemd-on-host case. No-op everywhere except in the s6
+    container so host runs aren't cluttered with irrelevant output.
+
+    Reports:
+      - Whether the main-hermes and dashboard static services are up
+      - How many per-profile gateway slots are registered (via
+        ``S6ServiceManager.list_profile_gateways()``) and how many are
+        currently supervised as ``up``
+    """
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.service_manager import (
+            S6ServiceManager,
+            detect_service_manager,
+        )
+    except Exception:
+        return
+
+    if detect_service_manager() != "s6":
+        return
+
+    _section("s6 Supervision")
+
+    mgr = S6ServiceManager()
+
+    # Static services. They live under /run/service/ via s6-rc symlinks,
+    # so the same s6-svstat probe works.
+    for static in ("main-hermes", "dashboard"):
+        if mgr.is_running(static):
+            check_ok(f"{static}: up")
+        else:
+            check_info(f"{static}: down (expected if not enabled via env)")
+
+    profiles = mgr.list_profile_gateways()
+    if not profiles:
+        check_info("No per-profile gateways registered yet — create one with `hermes profile create <name>`")
+        return
+
+    up_count = sum(1 for p in profiles if mgr.is_running(f"gateway-{p}"))
+    check_ok(
+        f"Per-profile gateways: {up_count}/{len(profiles)} supervised up"
+        + (f" ({', '.join(sorted(profiles))})" if len(profiles) <= 8 else "")
+    )
+
+
 def _check_gateway_service_linger(issues: list[str]) -> None:
-    """Warn when a systemd user gateway service will stop after logout."""
+    """Warn when a systemd user gateway service will stop after logout.
+
+    Skipped inside a container running under s6 — the linger concept
+    (user-systemd surviving SSH logout) doesn't apply there, and the
+    s6 supervision state is surfaced separately by
+    ``_check_s6_supervision``.
+    """
     try:
         from hermes_cli.gateway import (
             get_systemd_linger_status,
             get_systemd_unit_path,
             is_linux,
         )
+        from hermes_cli.service_manager import detect_service_manager
     except Exception as e:
         check_warn("Gateway service linger", f"(could not import gateway helpers: {e})")
         return
@@ -222,6 +277,12 @@ def _check_gateway_service_linger(issues: list[str]) -> None:
     if not is_linux():
         return
 
+    # Inside a container under our s6 /init, _check_s6_supervision
+    # reports the live supervision state; the linger warning would be
+    # confusing here (no systemd, no logout, no "lingering" concept).
+    if detect_service_manager() == "s6":
+        return
+
     unit_path = get_systemd_unit_path()
     if not unit_path.exists():
         return
@@ -984,6 +1045,7 @@ def run_doctor(args):
             pass
 
     _check_gateway_service_linger(issues)
+    _check_s6_supervision(issues)
 
     if sys.platform != "win32":
         _section("Command Installation")
@@ -1076,6 +1138,26 @@ def run_doctor(args):
     
     # Docker (optional)
     terminal_env = os.getenv("TERMINAL_ENV", "local")
+    try:
+        from hermes_constants import is_container as _is_container
+        running_in_container = _is_container()
+    except Exception:
+        running_in_container = False
+
+    if running_in_container:
+        # Inside our container the Docker terminal backend is not
+        # configured by default (Docker-in-Docker isn't set up); the
+        # local backend is the intended one. Skip the noisy "docker
+        # not found" warning. If the user has explicitly chosen
+        # TERMINAL_ENV=docker inside the container they likely mounted
+        # /var/run/docker.sock, so fall through to the normal check.
+        if terminal_env != "docker":
+            check_info(
+                "Running inside a container — using local terminal backend "
+                "(docker-in-docker is not configured by default)"
+            )
+            # Skip to next section; Docker isn't relevant here.
+            terminal_env = "local"
     if terminal_env == "docker":
         if _safe_which("docker"):
             # Check if docker daemon is running
@@ -1098,6 +1180,8 @@ def run_doctor(args):
         check_ok("docker", "(optional)")
     elif _is_termux():
         check_info("Docker backend is not available inside Termux (expected on Android)")
+    elif running_in_container:
+        pass  # already explained above
     else:
         check_warn("docker not found", "(optional)")
     

hermes_cli/gateway.py

@@ -1214,7 +1214,17 @@ def _systemd_operational(system: bool = False) -> bool:
 
 
 def _container_systemd_operational() -> bool:
-    """Return True when a container exposes working user or system systemd."""
+    """Return True when a container exposes working user or system systemd.
+
+    This is NOT our Hermes Docker image — that one runs s6-overlay as
+    PID 1 (since Phase 2 of the s6-overlay supervision plan) and is
+    detected via ``service_manager.detect_service_manager() == "s6"``.
+    This function handles the "container managed by something else"
+    case: systemd-nspawn, certain k8s pods, containers built FROM
+    systemd-bearing distros where the user has wired systemd as their
+    init. In those environments systemctl behaves identically to the
+    host case, so we fall through to the normal systemd code paths.
+    """
     if _systemd_operational(system=False):
         return True
     if _systemd_operational(system=True):

skills/software-development/hermes-s6-container-supervision/SKILL.md

@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+---
+name: hermes-s6-container-supervision
+description: Modify, debug, or extend the s6-overlay supervision tree inside the Hermes Agent Docker image — adding new services, debugging profile gateways, understanding the Architecture B main-program pattern.
+version: 1.0.0
+author: Hermes Agent
+license: MIT
+metadata:
+  hermes:
+    tags: [docker, s6, supervision, gateway, profiles]
+    related_skills: [hermes-agent, hermes-agent-dev]
+---
+
+# Hermes s6-overlay Container Supervision
+
+## When to use this skill
+
+Load this skill when you're working on:
+- Adding or removing a static service in the Hermes Docker image (something that should be supervised at every container start, like the dashboard)
+- Diagnosing why a per-profile gateway isn't starting, restarting, or surviving `docker restart`
+- Understanding why the container's CMD is `/opt/hermes/docker/main-wrapper.sh` and how leading-dash args reach the user's program
+- Modifying `cont-init.d` boot scripts (UID remap, volume seeding, profile reconciliation)
+- Changing the rendered run-script for per-profile gateways (Phase 4)
+
+If you're just running the Hermes Agent and want to use Docker, see `website/docs/user-guide/docker.md` instead.
+
+## Architecture at a glance
+
+```
+/init                                  ← PID 1 (s6-overlay v3.2.3.0)
+├── cont-init.d                        ← oneshot setup, runs as root
+│   ├── 01-hermes-setup                ← docker/stage2-hook.sh
+│   │   ├── UID/GID remap
+│   │   ├── chown /opt/data
+│   │   ├── chown /opt/data/profiles (every boot)
+│   │   ├── seed .env / config.yaml / SOUL.md
+│   │   └── skills_sync.py
+│   └── 02-reconcile-profiles          ← hermes_cli.container_boot
+│       ├── chown /run/service (hermes-writable for runtime register)
+│       └── walk $HERMES_HOME/profiles/<name>/gateway_state.json
+│           → recreate /run/service/gateway-<name>/
+│           → auto-start only those with prior_state == "running"
+│
+├── s6-rc.d (static services, in /etc/s6-overlay/s6-rc.d/)
+│   ├── main-hermes/run                ← exec sleep infinity (no-op slot)
+│   └── dashboard/run                  ← if HERMES_DASHBOARD=1, runs `hermes dashboard`
+│
+├── /run/service (s6-svscan watches; tmpfs)
+│   ├── gateway-coder/                 ← runtime-registered per-profile
+│   │   ├── type        ("longrun")
+│   │   ├── run         ("#!/command/with-contenv sh ... exec s6-setuidgid hermes hermes -p coder gateway run")
+│   │   ├── down        (marker — present means "registered but don't auto-start")
+│   │   └── log/run     (s6-log → $HERMES_HOME/logs/gateways/coder/current)
+│   └── ...
+│
+└── CMD ("main program")               ← /opt/hermes/docker/main-wrapper.sh
+    └── routes user args: bare exec | hermes subcommand | hermes (no args)
+        — exec'd by /init with stdin/stdout/stderr inherited (TTY for --tui)
+```
+
+## Key files
+
+| Path | Role |
+|---|---|
+| `Dockerfile` | s6-overlay install + cont-init.d wiring + `ENTRYPOINT ["/init", "/opt/hermes/docker/main-wrapper.sh"]` |
+| `docker/stage2-hook.sh` | The "old entrypoint logic" — UID remap, chown, seed, skills sync. Runs as cont-init.d/01-hermes-setup. |
+| `docker/cont-init.d/02-reconcile-profiles` | Calls `hermes_cli.container_boot` on every boot to restore profile gateway slots from the persistent volume. |
+| `docker/main-wrapper.sh` | The container's CMD. Routes user args, drops to hermes via `s6-setuidgid`, exec's the chosen program. |
+| `docker/s6-rc.d/main-hermes/run` | No-op `sleep infinity` — slot exists so the s6-rc user bundle is valid; main hermes runs as the CMD, not as a supervised service. |
+| `docker/s6-rc.d/dashboard/run` | Conditional service — `exec sleep infinity` unless `HERMES_DASHBOARD` is truthy. |
+| `docker/entrypoint.sh` | Back-compat shim that `exec`s the stage2 hook. External scripts that hard-coded the old entrypoint path still work. |
+| `hermes_cli/service_manager.py` | `S6ServiceManager`: `register_profile_gateway`, `unregister_profile_gateway`, `start/stop/restart/is_running`, `list_profile_gateways`. |
+| `hermes_cli/container_boot.py` | `reconcile_profile_gateways()` — walks persistent profiles, regenerates s6 slots, emits `container-boot.log`. |
+| `hermes_cli/gateway.py::_dispatch_via_service_manager_if_s6` | Intercepts `hermes gateway start/stop/restart` and routes to s6 when running in a container. |
+
+## Why Architecture B (CMD as main program, not s6-supervised)
+
+The original plan (v1–v3) called for main hermes to run as a supervised s6-rc service. Two real s6-overlay v3 mechanics blocked that:
+
+1. **cont-init.d scripts receive no CMD args** — so the stage2 hook can't parse `docker run <image> chat -q "hi"` to set `HERMES_ARGS` for a service `run` script to consume.
+2. **`/run/s6/basedir/bin/halt` does NOT propagate the exit code** written to `/run/s6-linux-init-container-results/exitcode`. Containers always exit 143 (SIGTERM) regardless. Confirmed by skarnet (s6 author) in [issue #477](https://github.com/just-containers/s6-overlay/issues/477): _"if you want a container shutdown, you need to either have your CMD exit, or, if you have no CMD, write the container exit code you want then call halt"_.
+
+So we use the s6-overlay-native CMD pattern: `ENTRYPOINT ["/init", "/opt/hermes/docker/main-wrapper.sh"]`. /init prepends the wrapper to user args automatically — so `docker run <image> --version` becomes `/init main-wrapper.sh --version`, and `--version` doesn't get intercepted by /init's POSIX shell. The wrapper drops to hermes via `s6-setuidgid`, then exec's the chosen program. The program's exit code becomes the container exit code, exactly matching the pre-s6 tini contract.
+
+Trade-off: main hermes is unsupervised under s6. That exactly matches its behavior under tini (the pre-s6 image). Dashboard supervision is the only **new** guarantee — and per-profile gateways under `/run/service/` get full supervision.
+
+## Quick recipes
+
+### Verify s6 is PID 1 in a running container
+
+```sh
+docker exec <c> sh -c 'cat /proc/1/comm; readlink /proc/1/exe'
+# Expect: s6-svscan or init / /package/admin/s6/.../s6-svscan
+```
+
+### Inspect a profile gateway service
+
+```sh
+# /command/ isn't on docker-exec PATH — use absolute path
+docker exec <c> /command/s6-svstat /run/service/gateway-<name>
+# "up (pid …) … seconds"            → running
+# "down (exitcode N) … seconds, normally up, want up, …" → s6 wants it up but the process keeps exiting (crash loop)
+# "down … normally up, ready …"     → user stopped it
+```
+
+### Bring a service up/down manually
+
+```sh
+docker exec <c> /command/s6-svc -u /run/service/gateway-<name>   # up
+docker exec <c> /command/s6-svc -d /run/service/gateway-<name>   # down
+docker exec <c> /command/s6-svc -t /run/service/gateway-<name>   # SIGTERM (restart)
+```
+
+### Watch the cont-init reconciler log
+
+```sh
+docker exec <c> tail -n 50 /opt/data/logs/container-boot.log
+# 2026-05-21T06:18:05+0000 profile=coder prior_state=running action=started
+# 2026-05-21T06:18:05+0000 profile=writer prior_state=stopped action=registered
+```
+
+### Add a new static service
+
+1. Create `docker/s6-rc.d/<name>/type` with `longrun\n` and `docker/s6-rc.d/<name>/run` (use `#!/command/with-contenv sh` + `# shellcheck shell=sh`).
+2. Drop to hermes via `s6-setuidgid hermes` at the top of run (unless you specifically need root).
+3. Create empty `docker/s6-rc.d/<name>/dependencies.d/base` so it waits for the base bundle.
+4. Create empty `docker/s6-rc.d/user/contents.d/<name>` so it joins the user bundle.
+5. The `COPY docker/s6-rc.d/` in the Dockerfile picks it up automatically — no other changes.
+
+### Change the per-profile gateway run command
+
+Edit `S6ServiceManager._render_run_script` in `hermes_cli/service_manager.py`. The function is also called by `hermes_cli/container_boot.py::_register_service` during boot reconciliation, so it's the single source of truth. Update the corresponding assertion in `tests/hermes_cli/test_service_manager.py::test_s6_register_creates_service_dir_and_triggers_scan`.
+
+### Run the docker test harness
+
+```sh
+docker build -t hermes-agent-harness:latest .
+HERMES_TEST_IMAGE=hermes-agent-harness:latest scripts/run_tests.sh tests/docker/ -v
+# Expect 19 passed, 0 xfailed against the s6 image
+```
+
+The harness lives in `tests/docker/` and skips when Docker isn't available. The per-test timeout is bumped to 180s (see `tests/docker/conftest.py`).
+
+## Common pitfalls
+
+### "command not found" via `docker exec`
+
+`/command/` (where s6-overlay puts its binaries) is on PATH only for processes spawned by the supervision tree — services, cont-init.d, main-wrapper.sh. `docker exec <c> s6-svstat …` will fail with "command not found"; always use the absolute path `/command/s6-svstat`. The `hermes` binary works because the Dockerfile adds `/opt/hermes/.venv/bin` to the runtime `ENV PATH`.
+
+### Profile directory ownership
+
+The cont-init reconciler runs as hermes (`s6-setuidgid hermes` in `02-reconcile-profiles`). If a profile dir ends up root-owned (e.g. because `docker exec <c> hermes profile create …` ran as root by default), the reconciler can't read SOUL.md and fails with `PermissionError`. Mitigation: `stage2-hook.sh` chowns `$HERMES_HOME/profiles` to hermes on **every** boot, idempotently. Don't remove that block.
+
+### Files written by `docker exec` are root-owned
+
+`docker exec` defaults to root. Either pass `--user hermes` or rely on the stage2 chown sweep next reboot. Don't write files under `$HERMES_HOME/profiles/<name>/` as root manually — the next reconcile pass will sweep them but in-flight operations may hit perm errors.
+
+### Service slot exists but s6-svstat says "s6-supervise not running"
+
+The service directory is on tmpfs and was wiped on container restart. Either the cont-init reconciler hasn't run yet (give it a moment after `docker restart`) or it failed. Check `docker logs <c> | grep '02-reconcile'`.
+
+### Gateway starts then immediately exits (`down (exitcode 1)` in svstat)
+
+Most likely the profile has no model or auth configured. The service slot is correct — the gateway itself is unconfigured. Run `hermes -p <profile> setup` first. The s6 supervisor will keep restarting it; that's the desired behavior (when you fix the config, the next attempt succeeds and stays up).
+
+### Reconciler skipped a profile
+
+The reconciler keys on the **presence of `SOUL.md`** as the "real profile" marker. `hermes profile create` always seeds it. If a profile dir is missing SOUL.md (stray directory, partial restore, backup-in-progress), the reconciler skips it intentionally. Add a `SOUL.md` (even empty) to opt back in.
+
+### "Help, the container exits 143!"
+
+Check whether something is invoking `s6-svscanctl -t` or `/run/s6/basedir/bin/halt` — both cause /init to begin stage 3 shutdown but return 143 (SIGTERM) rather than the desired exit code. This was the Phase 2 architecture pivot from A to B. For container shutdown with a real exit code, you must let the CMD (main-wrapper.sh) exit normally; do **not** try to control exit from a finish script.
+
+## Related skills
+
+- `hermes-agent-dev`: General hermes-agent codebase navigation
+- `hermes-tool-quirks`: Specific Hermes-tool workarounds (sed/grep/etc.) — load when debugging the s6 stack's interaction with hermes built-in tools.

website/docs/user-guide/docker.md

@@ -260,24 +260,51 @@ The official image is based on `debian:13.4` and includes:
 - Python 3 with all Hermes dependencies (`uv pip install -e ".[all]"`)
 - Node.js + npm (for browser automation and WhatsApp bridge)
 - Playwright with Chromium (`npx playwright install --with-deps chromium --only-shell`)
-- ripgrep, ffmpeg, git, and tini as system utilities
+- ripgrep, ffmpeg, git, and `xz-utils` as system utilities
 - **`docker-cli`** — so agents running inside the container can drive the host's Docker daemon (bind-mount `/var/run/docker.sock` to opt in) for `docker build`, `docker run`, container inspection, etc.
 - **`openssh-client`** — enables the [SSH terminal backend](/docs/user-guide/configuration#ssh-backend) from inside the container. The SSH backend shells out to the system `ssh` binary; without this, it failed silently in containerized installs.
 - The WhatsApp bridge (`scripts/whatsapp-bridge/`)
+- **[`s6-overlay`](https://github.com/just-containers/s6-overlay) v3** as PID 1 (replaces the older `tini`) — supervises the dashboard and per-profile gateways with auto-restart on crash, reaps zombie subprocesses, and forwards signals.
 
-The entrypoint script (`docker/entrypoint.sh`) bootstraps the data volume on first run:
-- Creates the directory structure (`sessions/`, `memories/`, `skills/`, etc.)
-- Copies `.env.example` → `.env` if no `.env` exists
-- Copies default `config.yaml` if missing
-- Copies default `SOUL.md` if missing
-- Syncs bundled skills using a manifest-based approach (preserves user edits)
-- Optionally launches `hermes dashboard` as a background side-process when `HERMES_DASHBOARD=1` (see [Running the dashboard](#running-the-dashboard))
-- Then runs `hermes` with whatever arguments you pass
+The container's `ENTRYPOINT` is s6-overlay's `/init`. On boot it:
+1. Runs `/etc/cont-init.d/01-hermes-setup` (= `docker/stage2-hook.sh`) as root: optional UID/GID remap, fixes volume ownership, seeds `.env` / `config.yaml` / `SOUL.md` on first boot, syncs bundled skills.
+2. Runs `/etc/cont-init.d/02-reconcile-profiles` (= `hermes_cli.container_boot`): walks `$HERMES_HOME/profiles/<name>/`, recreates the per-profile gateway s6 service slot under `/run/service/gateway-<profile>/`, and auto-starts only those whose last recorded state was `running` (see [Per-profile gateway supervision](#per-profile-gateway-supervision)).
+3. Starts the static `main-hermes` and `dashboard` s6-rc services.
+4. Exec's the container's CMD as the main program (`/opt/hermes/docker/main-wrapper.sh`), which routes the arguments the user passed to `docker run`:
+   - no args → `hermes` (the default)
+   - first arg is an executable on PATH (e.g. `sleep`, `bash`) → exec it directly
+   - anything else → `hermes <args>` (subcommand passthrough)
+   The container exits when this main program exits, with its exit code.
 
-:::warning
-Do not override the image entrypoint unless you keep `/opt/hermes/docker/entrypoint.sh` in the command chain. The entrypoint drops root privileges to the `hermes` user before gateway state files are created. Starting `hermes gateway run` as root inside the official image is refused by default because it can leave root-owned files in `/opt/data` and break later dashboard or gateway starts. Set `HERMES_ALLOW_ROOT_GATEWAY=1` only when you intentionally accept that risk.
+:::warning Breaking change vs. pre-s6 images
+The container ENTRYPOINT is now `/init` (s6-overlay), not `/usr/bin/tini`. All five documented `docker run` invocation patterns (no args, `chat -q "…"`, `sleep infinity`, `bash`, `--tui`) behave identically to the tini-based image. If you have a downstream wrapper that depended on tini-specific signal behavior or hard-coded `/usr/bin/tini --` invocation, pin to the previous image tag.
 :::
 
+:::warning Privilege model
+Do not override the image entrypoint unless you keep `/init` (or, equivalently, the legacy `docker/entrypoint.sh` shim that forwards to the stage2 hook) in the command chain. s6-overlay's `/init` runs as root so it can chown the volume on first boot, then drops to the `hermes` user via `s6-setuidgid` for every supervised service AND for the main program. Starting `hermes gateway run` as root inside the official image is refused by default because it can leave root-owned files in `/opt/data` and break later dashboard or gateway starts. Set `HERMES_ALLOW_ROOT_GATEWAY=1` only when you intentionally accept that risk.
+:::
+
+### Per-profile gateway supervision
+
+Inside the container, each profile created with `hermes profile create <name>` automatically gets an s6-supervised gateway service registered at `/run/service/gateway-<name>/`. The lifecycle commands you'd run on the host work the same way:
+
+```sh
+hermes profile create coder            # registers gateway-coder s6 slot
+hermes -p coder gateway start          # s6-svc -u  → supervised gateway
+hermes -p coder gateway stop           # s6-svc -d  → service down
+hermes -p coder gateway restart        # s6-svc -t  → SIGTERM the supervisor
+hermes profile delete coder            # tears down the s6 slot
+```
+
+**Supervision benefits over the pre-s6 image:**
+
+- Gateway crashes are auto-restarted by `s6-supervise` after a ~1s backoff.
+- Dashboard crashes are auto-restarted (set `HERMES_DASHBOARD=1` to start it).
+- `docker restart` preserves running gateways: the cont-init reconciler reads `$HERMES_HOME/profiles/<name>/gateway_state.json` and brings the slot back up if the last recorded state was `running`. Stopped gateways stay stopped.
+- Per-profile gateway logs persist under `$HERMES_HOME/logs/gateways/<profile>/current` (rotated by `s6-log`), and the reconciler's actions are appended to `$HERMES_HOME/logs/container-boot.log` per boot.
+
+`hermes status` inside the container reports `Manager: s6 (container supervisor)`. Use `/command/s6-svstat /run/service/gateway-<name>` for the raw supervisor view (note `/command/` is on PATH for supervision-tree processes only; pass the absolute path when calling from `docker exec`).
+
 ## Upgrading
 
 Pull the latest image and recreate the container. Your data directory is untouched.

website/docs/user-guide/profiles.md

@@ -172,6 +172,10 @@ assistant gateway install     # creates hermes-gateway-assistant service
 
 Each profile gets its own service name. They run independently.
 
+:::note Inside the official Docker image
+Per-profile gateways are supervised by [s6-overlay](https://github.com/just-containers/s6-overlay) (PID 1 in the container), so `hermes profile create <name>` automatically registers an s6 service slot at `/run/service/gateway-<name>/`. `hermes -p <name> gateway start/stop/restart` dispatches to `s6-svc` instead of spawning a bare process — crashes are auto-restarted and `docker restart` preserves the previously-running set of gateways. See [Per-profile gateway supervision](/docs/user-guide/docker#per-profile-gateway-supervision) for details.
+:::
+
 ## Configuring profiles
 
 Each profile has its own: