fix(desktop): resolve electronDist to the actual electron install location (#48081)

After the June lockfile regeneration (#46652) floated electron and reshuffled
npm workspace hoisting, the desktop pack fails with "The specified electronDist
does not exist". apps/desktop/package.json pointed electronDist at the repo
root (../../node_modules/electron/dist) while npm now installs electron nested
under apps/desktop/node_modules/electron. The two contradict, so a clean
install can never package the app (Windows + macOS).

- electronDist -> node_modules/electron/dist (resolved relative to apps/desktop,
  i.e. the workspace-local install npm actually produces).
- hermes_cli/main.py, scripts/install.sh, scripts/install.ps1: add a runtime
  electron-dir resolver that prefers apps/desktop/node_modules/electron and
  falls back to the root hoist, so dist checks + the mirror re-download work
  under either npm layout.
- patch-electron-builder-mac-binary.cjs: try the workspace-local Electron.app
  before the root hoist in the macOS binary-restore fallback (sibling site no
  PR touched).
- test: assert build.electronDist resolves to where the lockfile installs
  electron, so a future hoist change (root <-> nested) can't silently break it.

Salvages the overlapping work in #48003 (sitkarev), #48012 (omegazheng), and
#48033 (james47kjv).

Co-authored-by: sitkarev <59806492+sitkarev@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: omegazheng <zheng@omegasys.eu>
Co-authored-by: james47kjv <220877172+james47kjv@users.noreply.github.com>

apps/desktop/package.json

@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@
   },
   "build": {
     "electronVersion": "40.10.2",
-    "electronDist": "../../node_modules/electron/dist",
+    "electronDist": "node_modules/electron/dist",
     "appId": "com.nousresearch.hermes",
     "productName": "Hermes",
     "executableName": "Hermes",

apps/desktop/scripts/patch-electron-builder-mac-binary.cjs

@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ const replacement = `    // ${marker}: electron-builder 26.8.x can sometimes cop
     if (!fs.existsSync(bundledElectronBinary)) {
         const candidates = [
             path.join(packager.info.framework.distMacOsAppName, "Contents", "MacOS", electronBranding.productName),
+            // npm may nest the workspace-only electron devDep under
+            // apps/desktop/node_modules (process.cwd() during pack), or hoist
+            // it to the repo root. Try the workspace-local install first, then
+            // the root hoist, so the fallback works under either layout.
+            path.join(process.cwd(), "node_modules", "electron", "dist", "Electron.app", "Contents", "MacOS", electronBranding.productName),
             path.join(process.cwd(), "..", "..", "node_modules", "electron", "dist", "Electron.app", "Contents", "MacOS", electronBranding.productName),
         ];
         const sourceBinary = candidates.find(candidate => fs.existsSync(candidate));

hermes_cli/main.py

@@ -5110,16 +5110,33 @@ def _purge_electron_build_cache(desktop_dir: Path) -> list[Path]:
     return removed
 
 
-def _electron_dist_binary(project_root: Path) -> Path:
-    """Return the path to the Electron main binary inside ``node_modules``.
+def _electron_dir(project_root: Path) -> Path:
+    """Return the Electron package directory the desktop workspace installs.
 
-    electron-builder reads the binary from ``build.electronDist``
-    (``node_modules/electron/dist``) since #38673, so this is the exact file
-    whose absence makes a pack fail with "The specified electronDist does not
-    exist". The basename differs per OS (the platform Electron is named for the
-    host the build runs on).
+    npm may keep workspace-only dev dependencies under
+    ``apps/desktop/node_modules`` instead of hoisting them to the repo root.
+    Which layout you get depends on the npm version and what else is installed,
+    so a build path that assumes one or the other breaks intermittently across
+    machines. ``apps/desktop/package.json`` points electron-builder's
+    ``electronDist`` at ``node_modules/electron/dist`` relative to the desktop
+    project, so prefer the workspace-local package and fall back to the root
+    hoist when that's where npm landed it.
     """
-    dist = project_root / "node_modules" / "electron" / "dist"
+    desktop_local = project_root / "apps" / "desktop" / "node_modules" / "electron"
+    if desktop_local.exists():
+        return desktop_local
+    return project_root / "node_modules" / "electron"
+
+
+def _electron_dist_binary(project_root: Path) -> Path:
+    """Return the path to the Electron main binary inside the installed package.
+
+    electron-builder reads the binary from ``build.electronDist`` since #38673,
+    so this is the exact file whose absence makes a pack fail with "The
+    specified electronDist does not exist". The basename differs per OS (the
+    platform Electron is named for the host the build runs on).
+    """
+    dist = _electron_dir(project_root) / "dist"
     if sys.platform == "darwin":
         return dist / "Electron.app" / "Contents" / "MacOS" / "Electron"
     if sys.platform == "win32":
@@ -5169,7 +5186,7 @@ def _redownload_electron_dist(
     if _electron_dist_ok(project_root):
         return True
 
-    electron_dir = project_root / "node_modules" / "electron"
+    electron_dir = _electron_dir(project_root)
     installer = electron_dir / "install.js"
     if not installer.is_file():
         return False
@@ -5387,8 +5404,8 @@ def cmd_gui(args: argparse.Namespace):
                 print("  Pre-build first:  cd apps/desktop && npm run build")
                 print("  Or drop --skip-build to install dependencies and build automatically.")
                 sys.exit(1)
-            if not (PROJECT_ROOT / "node_modules" / "electron" / "package.json").exists():
-                print("✗ --skip-build --source requires existing workspace dependencies.")
+            if not (_electron_dir(PROJECT_ROOT) / "package.json").exists():
+                print("✗ --skip-build --source requires existing desktop workspace dependencies.")
                 print(f"  Install first:  cd {PROJECT_ROOT} && npm ci")
                 print("  Or drop --skip-build to install dependencies and build automatically.")
                 sys.exit(1)

scripts/install.ps1

@@ -2161,28 +2161,41 @@ function Clear-ElectronBuildCache {
     return $removed
 }
 
-# True when node_modules\electron\dist holds a usable Electron binary.
-# electron-builder reads the binary from build.electronDist
-# (node_modules\electron\dist) since #38673, so this is the exact file whose
-# absence makes a pack fail with "The specified electronDist does not exist". A
-# dist dir that exists but is missing electron.exe (partial extraction / aborted
-# postinstall) is NOT ok.
+# Return the Electron package directory the desktop workspace installs. npm may
+# nest workspace-only dev dependencies under apps\desktop\node_modules instead
+# of hoisting them to the repo root; which layout you get depends on the npm
+# version and what else is installed. apps\desktop\package.json points
+# electron-builder's electronDist there, so prefer the workspace-local package
+# and fall back to the root hoist.
+function Get-ElectronDir {
+    param([string]$InstallDir)
+    $desktopLocal = Join-Path $InstallDir 'apps\desktop\node_modules\electron'
+    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $desktopLocal) { return $desktopLocal }
+    return (Join-Path $InstallDir 'node_modules\electron')
+}
+
+# True when the desktop workspace electronDist holds a usable Electron binary.
+# electron-builder reads the binary from build.electronDist since #38673, so
+# this is the exact file whose absence makes a pack fail with "The specified
+# electronDist does not exist". A dist dir that exists but is missing
+# electron.exe (partial extraction / aborted postinstall) is NOT ok.
 function Test-ElectronDist {
     param([string]$InstallDir)
-    $distExe = Join-Path $InstallDir 'node_modules\electron\dist\electron.exe'
+    $electronDir = Get-ElectronDir -InstallDir $InstallDir
+    $distExe = Join-Path $electronDir 'dist\electron.exe'
     return (Test-Path -LiteralPath $distExe)
 }
 
-# (Re)populate node_modules\electron\dist via electron's own downloader.
+# (Re)populate the desktop Electron dist via electron's own downloader.
 #
-# Since #38673 the desktop build pins build.electronDist to
-# node_modules\electron\dist, so electron-builder reads the Electron binary
-# straight from there and never downloads it during `npm run pack`. That dist
-# tree is produced by the electron package's postinstall (install.js) during
-# `npm ci`. When that download is blocked/throttled (GitHub's release host is
-# unreachable in some regions - #47266), dist is missing and re-running pack only
-# re-throws "The specified electronDist does not exist". The mirror fallback
-# therefore has to drive THIS downloader, not another pack.
+# Since #38673 the desktop build pins build.electronDist, so electron-builder
+# reads the Electron binary straight from there and never downloads it during
+# `npm run pack`. That dist tree is produced by the electron package's
+# postinstall (install.js) during `npm ci`. When that download is
+# blocked/throttled (GitHub's release host is unreachable in some regions -
+# #47266), dist is missing and re-running pack only re-throws "The specified
+# electronDist does not exist". The mirror fallback therefore has to drive THIS
+# downloader, not another pack.
 #
 # No-op (returns $true) when the dist binary is already present. Otherwise drops a
 # partial dist + version marker (electron's install.js short-circuits when
@@ -2193,7 +2206,7 @@ function Restore-ElectronDist {
     param([string]$InstallDir, [string]$Mirror)
     if (Test-ElectronDist -InstallDir $InstallDir) { return $true }
 
-    $electronDir = Join-Path $InstallDir 'node_modules\electron'
+    $electronDir = Get-ElectronDir -InstallDir $InstallDir
     $distExe = Join-Path $electronDir 'dist\electron.exe'
     $installer = Join-Path $electronDir 'install.js'
     if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $installer)) { return $false }

scripts/install.sh

@@ -2407,15 +2407,31 @@ _desktop_pack() {
 # failed, and we never override a user-pinned ELECTRON_MIRROR.
 DESKTOP_ELECTRON_FALLBACK_MIRROR="https://npmmirror.com/mirrors/electron/"
 
-# True (returns 0) when node_modules/electron/dist holds a usable Electron
-# binary. electron-builder reads the binary from build.electronDist
-# (node_modules/electron/dist) since #38673, so this is the exact file whose
-# absence makes a pack fail with "The specified electronDist does not exist". A
-# dist dir that exists but is missing the binary (partial extraction / aborted
-# postinstall) is NOT ok. $1 = the workspace root holding node_modules.
+# Return the Electron package directory the desktop workspace installs. npm may
+# nest workspace-only dev dependencies under apps/desktop/node_modules instead
+# of hoisting them to the repo root; which layout you get depends on the npm
+# version and what else is installed. apps/desktop/package.json points
+# electron-builder's electronDist there, so prefer the workspace-local package
+# and fall back to the root hoist. $1 = the workspace root holding node_modules.
+_electron_dir() {
+    local install_dir="$1"
+    if [ -d "$install_dir/apps/desktop/node_modules/electron" ]; then
+        printf '%s\n' "$install_dir/apps/desktop/node_modules/electron"
+    else
+        printf '%s\n' "$install_dir/node_modules/electron"
+    fi
+}
+
+# True (returns 0) when the desktop workspace electronDist holds a usable
+# Electron binary. electron-builder reads the binary from build.electronDist
+# since #38673, so this is the exact file whose absence makes a pack fail with
+# "The specified electronDist does not exist". A dist dir that exists but is
+# missing the binary (partial extraction / aborted postinstall) is NOT ok.
+# $1 = the workspace root holding node_modules.
 _electron_dist_ok() {
     local install_dir="$1"
-    local electron_dir="$install_dir/node_modules/electron"
+    local electron_dir
+    electron_dir="$(_electron_dir "$install_dir")"
     if [ "$OS" = "macos" ]; then
         [ -e "$electron_dir/dist/Electron.app/Contents/MacOS/Electron" ]
     else
@@ -2423,16 +2439,16 @@ _electron_dist_ok() {
     fi
 }
 
-# (Re)populate node_modules/electron/dist via electron's own downloader.
+# (Re)populate the desktop Electron dist via electron's own downloader.
 #
-# Since #38673 the desktop build pins build.electronDist to
-# node_modules/electron/dist, so electron-builder reads the Electron binary
-# straight from there and never downloads it during `npm run pack`. That dist
-# tree is produced by the electron package's postinstall (install.js) during
-# `npm ci`. When that download is blocked/throttled (GitHub's release host is
-# unreachable in some regions - #47266), dist is missing and re-running pack only
-# re-throws "The specified electronDist does not exist". The mirror fallback
-# therefore has to drive THIS downloader, not another pack.
+# Since #38673 the desktop build pins build.electronDist, so electron-builder
+# reads the Electron binary straight from there and never downloads it during
+# `npm run pack`. That dist tree is produced by the electron package's
+# postinstall (install.js) during `npm ci`. When that download is
+# blocked/throttled (GitHub's release host is unreachable in some regions -
+# #47266), dist is missing and re-running pack only re-throws "The specified
+# electronDist does not exist". The mirror fallback therefore has to drive THIS
+# downloader, not another pack.
 #
 # No-op (returns 0) when the dist binary is already present. Otherwise drops a
 # partial dist + version marker (electron's install.js short-circuits when
@@ -2442,7 +2458,8 @@ _electron_dist_ok() {
 _restore_electron_dist() {
     local install_dir="$1"
     local mirror="${2:-}"
-    local electron_dir="$install_dir/node_modules/electron"
+    local electron_dir
+    electron_dir="$(_electron_dir "$install_dir")"
     _electron_dist_ok "$install_dir" && return 0
 
     [ -f "$electron_dir/install.js" ] || return 1

scripts/release.py

@@ -45,6 +45,9 @@ ACP_REGISTRY_MANIFEST = REPO_ROOT / "acp_registry" / "agent.json"
 
 # Auto-extracted from noreply emails + manual overrides
 AUTHOR_MAP = {
+    "59806492+sitkarev@users.noreply.github.com": "sitkarev",
+    "zheng@omegasys.eu": "omegazheng",
+    "220877172+james47kjv@users.noreply.github.com": "james47kjv",
     "yuhanglin@YuhangdeMac-mini.local": "1960697431",
     "despitemeguru@gmail.com": "definitelynotguru",
     "chaslui@outlook.com": "ChasLui",

tests/hermes_cli/test_gui_command.py

@@ -616,6 +616,33 @@ def test_electron_dist_ok_per_platform(tmp_path, monkeypatch, platform, rel):
     assert cli_main._electron_dist_ok(tmp_path) is True
 
 
+def test_electron_dir_prefers_workspace_local_package(tmp_path):
+    """npm may nest electron under apps/desktop; resolve there over the root hoist."""
+    root_electron = tmp_path / "node_modules" / "electron"
+    local_electron = tmp_path / "apps" / "desktop" / "node_modules" / "electron"
+    root_electron.mkdir(parents=True)
+    local_electron.mkdir(parents=True)
+
+    assert cli_main._electron_dir(tmp_path) == local_electron
+
+
+def test_electron_dir_falls_back_to_root_hoist(tmp_path):
+    """When npm hoists electron to the repo root, resolve there."""
+    root_electron = tmp_path / "node_modules" / "electron"
+    root_electron.mkdir(parents=True)
+
+    assert cli_main._electron_dir(tmp_path) == root_electron
+
+
+def test_electron_dist_ok_finds_workspace_local_binary(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """A nested apps/desktop electron with a valid binary counts as ok."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(cli_main.sys, "platform", "linux")
+    binp = tmp_path / "apps" / "desktop" / "node_modules" / "electron" / "dist" / "electron"
+    binp.parent.mkdir(parents=True)
+    binp.write_text("", encoding="utf-8")
+    assert cli_main._electron_dist_ok(tmp_path) is True
+
+
 def test_redownload_electron_dist_noop_when_present(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     """Already-healthy dist → no download, so an unrelated build failure can't
     trigger a needless ~200 MB refetch."""

tests/test_desktop_electron_pin.py

@@ -94,3 +94,42 @@ def test_lockfile_resolves_the_pinned_electron():
         f"but the pin is {spec!r}; run `npm install --package-lock-only` so "
         "`npm ci` stays consistent."
     )
+
+
+def test_electron_dist_matches_lockfile_install_location():
+    """build.electronDist must point at where the lockfile installs Electron.
+
+    electron-builder copies the unpacked Electron from ``build.electronDist``
+    (resolved relative to ``apps/desktop``). npm workspace hoisting is not
+    deterministic across machines/npm versions: it may nest Electron under
+    ``apps/desktop/node_modules/electron`` or hoist it to the repo root. If
+    electronDist points at one location while the lockfile installs at the
+    other, packaging fails with ``The specified electronDist does not exist`` —
+    the "Building desktop app" failure reported after the June lockfile
+    regeneration floated Electron and reshuffled the hoist. Lock the two
+    together so a hoist change (root <-> nested) can't silently break the path
+    again.
+    """
+    if not ROOT_LOCK.is_file():
+        pytest.skip("root package-lock.json not present")
+    electron_dist = _desktop_pkg().get("build", {}).get("electronDist")
+    assert electron_dist, "build.electronDist is missing"
+
+    lock = json.loads(ROOT_LOCK.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    electron_paths = [
+        path
+        for path in lock.get("packages", {})
+        if path.endswith("node_modules/electron")
+    ]
+    assert electron_paths, "no electron entry found in package-lock.json"
+
+    desktop_dir = REPO_ROOT / "apps" / "desktop"
+    # electronDist is resolved relative to the apps/desktop project dir.
+    configured = (desktop_dir / electron_dist).resolve()
+    # Where the lockfile actually places Electron's unpacked dist.
+    installed = {(REPO_ROOT / p / "dist").resolve() for p in electron_paths}
+    assert configured in installed, (
+        f"build.electronDist={electron_dist!r} resolves to {configured}, but the "
+        f"lockfile installs Electron at {sorted(str(p) for p in installed)}. "
+        "electron-builder will fail with 'electronDist does not exist'."
+    )