The shipped tri-state write_mode (on|off|approve) conflated two concepts —
whether writes are enabled and whether they're gated — so 'on' (writes flow
freely, gate inactive) read like 'gating is on'. Replace it with a single
clear boolean gate that defaults off.
memory.write_approval / skills.write_approval:
false (default) — write freely; the approval gate is off (pre-gate behaviour)
true — require approval: memory foreground prompts inline, memory
background-review + all skill writes stage for review
The old 'off = block all writes' mode is dropped; memory_enabled: false already
disables memory entirely, so a third 'block' state was redundant.
- tools/write_approval.py: get_write_mode/MODE_* → write_approval_enabled() bool;
evaluate_gate() loses the config-driven 'blocked' path (blocked now only comes
from an interactive user denial).
- tools/memory_tool.py, tools/skill_manager_tool.py: comment + behaviour follow.
- hermes_cli/config.py: memory/skills write_mode → write_approval (False);
_config_version 28→29 with a 28→29 migration that renames any persisted
write_mode (approve→true, on/off/unset→false) and drops the old key.
- slash commands: '/memory|/skills mode <on|off|approve>' → 'approval <on|off>'
('mode' kept as a back-compat alias); set_mode_fn callback now takes a bool.
- write_approval_commands.py, cli_commands_mixin.py, gateway/slash_commands.py,
commands.py: handlers + registry args/subcommands updated.
- docs + tests rewritten for the boolean model; added migration tests.
Adds memory.write_mode and skills.write_mode (on|off|approve), applied to
both foreground turns and the background self-improvement review fork — the
source of the unprompted 'wrong assumption' saves users reported.
- on (default): write freely, unchanged behaviour
- off: never write; the tool returns a clean disabled result
- approve: don't commit. Memory foreground writes prompt inline (small,
reviewable in a chat bubble); background memory writes and ALL skill writes
stage to a pending store instead (a SKILL.md is too large to review inline,
and a daemon thread can't block on a prompt)
Review staged writes from CLI or any messaging platform:
/memory pending|approve|reject|mode
/skills pending|approve|reject|diff|mode
Skill review respects the size asymmetry: inline you see a one-line gist;
the full unified diff stays out-of-band (/skills diff, dashboard, or the
staged JSON file).
New: tools/write_approval.py (gate + pending store), hermes_cli/
write_approval_commands.py (shared CLI+gateway handlers). Gates wired at the
single entry points memory_tool() and skill_manage(), using the existing
write-origin ContextVar to distinguish foreground from background_review.
