* fix(install): self-heal a stuck Electron download on the desktop build
The desktop build downloads Electron (~114MB) from GitHub. A corrupt cached
zip, or a blocked/throttled GitHub release host (the repeating "retrying" log),
hard-failed the install — and install.sh had no recovery at all while
install.ps1 / `hermes desktop` only purged the cache.
All three build paths now escalate on a failed `npm run pack`:
GitHub → purge corrupt electron-*.zip + stale *-unpacked and retry → one retry
via a public Electron mirror (npmmirror.com). @electron/get SHASUM-verifies the
download, and a user-pinned ELECTRON_MIRROR is always respected (never
overridden). Adds a bash clear_electron_build_cache()/_desktop_pack() to mirror
the existing PowerShell/Python helpers.
* test(install): cover the Electron mirror fallback
Verify `hermes desktop` falls back to a mirror when the cache purge finds
nothing, and that a user-pinned ELECTRON_MIRROR is respected (no extra attempt,
not overridden).
* docs(desktop): troubleshoot a stuck Electron download
Document the automatic cache-purge + mirror fallback, how to pin your own
ELECTRON_MIRROR, and how to clear a corrupt cached zip by hand.
* docs(install): correct the Electron mirror trust framing
The mirror-fallback comments and the desktop troubleshooting doc implied
`@electron/get`'s SHASUM check makes the npmmirror.com download safe against
tampering. It doesn't: the SHASUMS256.txt is fetched from the same mirror, so
the check guards against a corrupt/partial download, not a compromised mirror.
Reframe all four surfaces (install.sh, install.ps1, `hermes desktop`, and the
docs) to state the trust trade-off honestly — npmmirror.com is the de-facto
Electron community mirror, we only fall back to it after the canonical GitHub
download fails, and a user-pinned ELECTRON_MIRROR is never overridden. No
behavior change.
---------
Co-authored-by: xxxigm <tuancanhnguyen706@gmail.com>
* feat: uninstall the Chat GUI without removing the agent (CLI + desktop UI)
Adds a GUI-only uninstall path so people can remove the desktop Chat GUI
while keeping the Hermes agent + their config/sessions/.env, and surfaces
the three CLI uninstall modes inside the desktop app's Settings → About.
CLI:
- New hermes_cli/gui_uninstall.py: cross-platform discovery + removal of the
desktop GUI's artifacts (source-built dist/release/node_modules + build
stamp, the packaged app bundle, and the Electron userData dir) on Linux,
macOS, and Windows. Never touches the agent source, venv, or user data.
- `hermes uninstall --gui` removes only the Chat GUI; `--gui-summary` prints a
JSON install snapshot (used by the desktop UI to gate options + detect a
missing agent for a future lite client).
- `hermes uninstall --yes` / `--full --yes` now run non-interactively, sharing
the destructive sequence via a new _perform_uninstall() helper. The keep-data
and full flows also sweep the GUI artifacts.
Desktop:
- electron/desktop-uninstall.cjs: pure helpers mapping each mode (gui/lite/full)
to CLI flags, resolving the running app bundle per OS, and building the
detached cleanup script that waits for the app to exit, runs the Python
uninstall, and removes the bundle.
- IPC hermes:uninstall:summary / :run, preload bridge, and types.
- Settings → About "Danger zone" with the three options; agent-removing
options hide when no local agent is detected.
Tests: tests/hermes_cli/test_gui_uninstall.py (22 pass with the existing
uninstall tests), electron/desktop-uninstall.test.cjs (17 pass, wired into
test:desktop:platforms). Docs: desktop.md "Uninstalling" + cli-commands.md.
* fix(desktop): tear down backend process tree before GUI uninstall (Windows lock safety)
The desktop uninstall cleanup script waited only on the desktop app's own
PID, but a backend grandchild (gateway / pty terminal / hermes REPL) can
outlive it and keep hermes.exe + venv files mandatory-locked on Windows —
making the script's rmdir half-fail and leaving a partial install, the same
failure class as the self-update path's #37532.
- main.cjs: runDesktopUninstall now awaits releaseBackendLock() before
spawning the cleanup script — tree-kills every backend PID the desktop owns
(primary + pool) via taskkill /T /F and polls the venv shim until unlocked.
Extracted the shared core out of releaseBackendLockForUpdate so both the
update hand-off and the uninstaller use the identical, incident-hardened
teardown. No-op on macOS/Linux (no mandatory locks).
- desktop-uninstall.cjs: Windows cleanup script removes the bundle via a
bounded rmdir retry loop (10x, 1s) instead of a single rmdir, since Windows
releases directory handles lazily even after the holding process exits.
- Dropped a fragile tasklist|findstr reap-by-path attempt; the Electron-side
tree-kill-by-PID is the reliable mechanism.
Tests: desktop-uninstall.test.cjs updated for the retry-loop output (17 pass).
* fix(desktop): address review on GUI uninstall (venv self-delete, gates, wait-loop)
Resolves @OutThisLife's review on #40355:
1. full mode now gated on agent presence (needsAgent: true). It removes the
agent + user data, so on a lite client with no local agent it's hidden
like lite — no more offering to remove an agent that isn't there.
2. (Finding 3, the real bug) lite/full no longer rmtree the venv from the
venv's OWN python. On Windows a running python.exe is mandatory-locked, so
that half-fails. New lightweight 'python -m hermes_cli.uninstall --mode X'
entrypoint (stdlib-only imports) lets the desktop run agent-removing modes
under the SYSTEM python (findSystemPython) with PYTHONPATH=<agentRoot>, so
import hermes_cli resolves from source while the venv is torn down. Falls
back to venv python + logs when no system python (gui-only unaffected).
3. Windows wait-loop is now bounded (60 tries, matching POSIX) and matches the
PID as a whole space-delimited token via findstr (no substring 99->990
trap, no redundant bare find). set HERMES_HOME/PID/PYTHONPATH now quoted.
4. Renamed the misleading 'returns null for dev run' test — the dev-run safety
is shouldRemoveAppBundle(isPackaged=false), which the test now asserts.
Docs: note that --gui on a source checkout also sweeps node_modules/build
output. Tests: 18 python + 19 desktop pass.
* docs(dashboard): clarify auth provider suitability + document dashboard registration
- Add a 'Registering a dashboard' subsection under the Nous Research
provider covering both the 'hermes dashboard register' CLI command
and the Portal /local-dashboards GUI page.
- Note that the Nous provider is the one suitable for public-internet
exposure (logins verified against your Nous account).
- Add a warning that the username/password provider is for trusted
networks / VPN only and is not suitable for direct public-internet
exposure; point readers to the Nous / OIDC / custom OAuth providers.
- Surface the same distinction in the two-provider intro list.
* docs(dashboard): count three bundled auth providers, add self-hosted OIDC to intro
'Two providers ship in the box' undercounted — the bundled
plugins/dashboard_auth/self_hosted (generic OpenID Connect) is a third.
List all three in the gated-mode intro and link each to its section.
* docs(dashboard): extend auth provider updates to Docker and Desktop pages
- docker.md: list all three bundled gate providers (was username/password
+ OAuth only), adding the self-hosted OIDC provider and its env vars,
and note username/password is not for public-internet exposure.
- desktop.md: reframe the remote-backend connection so OAuth (Nous Portal)
is the preferred option for any backend reachable beyond the local
machine, with username/password positioned for local / trusted-network
use only. Cover the 'Sign in with <provider>' OAuth flow in the in-app
steps and scope the VPN warning to the password path.
* docs(dashboard): align env-var, CLI, and remote-Desktop recipe with provider changes
- environment-variables.md: reframe the Web Dashboard & Hermes Desktop
intro (OAuth preferred for remote/public, username/password for
trusted networks), add the self-hosted OIDC env vars
(HERMES_DASHBOARD_OIDC_*) that were missing from the table, and note
hermes dashboard register provisions the OAuth client_id.
- cli-commands.md: document the 'hermes dashboard register' subcommand
(flags, behavior, /local-dashboards GUI alternative).
- web-dashboard.md: apply the OAuth-preferred reframe to the bottom
'Connecting Hermes Desktop to a remote backend' recipe and scope its
VPN warning to the username/password path, matching desktop.md.
* docs(dashboard): move 'recommended remote Desktop path' framing from username/password to OAuth
The gated-mode intro list claimed the username/password provider was the
recommended path for a remote Hermes Desktop connection, contradicting the
OAuth-preferred framing established elsewhere. Move that recommendation onto
the OAuth (Nous Portal) item so the docs are consistent: OAuth is the
recommended provider for any remote/internet-facing backend; username/password
is for trusted networks only.
* docs(dashboard): drop unreleased managed/hosted-install provisioning notes
Remove the 'not available in managed/hosted installs, where the client id is
provisioned by the hosting platform' line from the dashboard register docs
(web-dashboard.md, cli-commands.md) and the 'provisioned by the Nous Portal for
hosted deploys' clause from the HERMES_DASHBOARD_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID env-var row —
that platform-provisioning path is unreleased.
* docs(dashboard): drop --portal-url / HERMES_DASHBOARD_PORTAL_URL from user docs
The portal-URL override targets a non-production Nous Portal and only works
for internal Nous usage — it won't function for end users (the access token
must be issued by the same portal). Remove it from the register CLI flags,
the Nous-provider config/env tables, and the verify-the-gate example so users
aren't pointed at an option that can't work for them.
* docs(dashboard): add worked examples for Nous and username/password providers
The self-hosted OIDC provider already had a full 'Worked example: Keycloak'
walkthrough; the Nous and username/password providers only had scattered
config snippets. Add parallel '#### Worked example' sections for both
(register/run/login + /api/status verification), mirroring the Keycloak
example's structure so all three bundled providers read consistently.
* docs(env): move HERMES_DESKTOP_REMOTE_URL to end of the dashboard auth table
It was sitting between the HERMES_DASHBOARD_BASIC_AUTH_* block and the
HERMES_DASHBOARD_OAUTH/OIDC block, splitting the dashboard-side vars. As the
only desktop-side var in the table, it belongs at the end so the dashboard
provider vars (basic, OAuth, OIDC) stay grouped together.
* docs(dashboard): remove Fly.io references from dashboard auth docs
Fly.io is the internal hosting implementation for hosted Hermes — it shouldn't
leak into user-facing dashboard auth docs. Reword the OAuth provider intro,
the env-var-path rationale, the public-URL-override section, the cookie Secure
note, and the verify-the-gate example to generic 'hosting platform' / 'reverse
proxy' / 'TLS terminator' phrasing.
Left the legitimate user-facing Fly.io mentions in telegram.md (a deliberate
cloud-deployment walkthrough) and work-with-skills.md (a generic example)
untouched.
Both the desktop and web-dashboard remote-backend sections now state up front
that the 'remote backend' is a running 'hermes dashboard' process the desktop
app attaches to (it does not start it for you), and that the gateway is a
separate process needed only for messaging channels.
The documented path for connecting Hermes Desktop to a remote backend was
`--insecure` + a pinned HERMES_DASHBOARD_SESSION_TOKEN — an unauthenticated
bind plus a copy-pasted token. Replace it everywhere with the bundled
username/password dashboard-auth provider: set HERMES_DASHBOARD_BASIC_AUTH_*,
run `hermes dashboard --host 0.0.0.0` (the non-loopback bind engages the auth
gate), and Sign in from the app.
- desktop.md: rewrite 'Connecting to a remote backend' for the user/pass + Sign in flow
- web-dashboard.md: rewrite both remote-backend sections (overview + dedicated);
reframe the auth-gate section so --insecure is a discouraged escape hatch, not a
co-equal use case; drop the removed --tui flag from the systemd example
- environment-variables.md: lead with HERMES_DASHBOARD_BASIC_AUTH_*; drop the
session-token / HERMES_DESKTOP_REMOTE_TOKEN remote-connect entries
- docker.md: mention the username/password provider as the simplest gate provider
The dashboard's embedded Chat surface (/chat, /api/ws, /api/pty) was gated
behind `hermes dashboard --tui` / HERMES_DASHBOARD_TUI=1. The desktop app and
the dashboard's own Chat tab both drive the agent over the /api/ws + /api/pty
WebSockets, so a dashboard started without the flag would pass the /api/status
health check but slam the chat WebSocket shut with WS code 4403 — the app
connects, reports "ready", and chat stays dead. This was the root cause behind
multiple user reports of the desktop app failing to connect to a self-hosted
gateway/dashboard, and it bit Docker and host installs alike.
Make the embedded chat unconditional:
- web_server.py: _DASHBOARD_EMBEDDED_CHAT_ENABLED defaults to True; drop the
embedded_chat parameter and the runtime reassignment from start_server().
The WS gates still read the constant (now always true) so the seam — and its
"rejects when disabled" contract test — stays meaningful.
- main.py: remove the `--tui` argument from the dashboard subparser and the
`embedded_chat = args.tui or HERMES_DASHBOARD_TUI==1` derivation.
- web/: isDashboardEmbeddedChatEnabled() returns true unconditionally; drop the
deprecated __HERMES_DASHBOARD_TUI__ alias and the dead LEGACY_TUI_RE scrape in
the vite dev-token plugin.
- apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs: drop `--tui` from the spawned dashboardArgs
(it would now error with "unrecognized arguments: --tui") and the redundant
HERMES_DASHBOARD_TUI env injection.
- Docker: no s6 run-script change needed — the script never passed --tui; the
HERMES_DASHBOARD_TUI env var is now simply a no-op, so the image works out of
the box with no extra var.
- Docs: remove every dashboard --tui / HERMES_DASHBOARD_TUI reference across the
CLI reference, env-var reference, docker/desktop/web-dashboard guides, in-app
tips, and the zh-Hans translations. The terminal `hermes --tui` / HERMES_TUI
references are intentionally left untouched.
Tests: 270 passing across web_server, dashboard lifecycle, host-header,
auth-gate, and docker-override-scripts suites.
The Desktop Chat section described chat-only and gave no signpost that
remote-hosted Hermes connection is documented. Adds a pointer to the
in-page remote-backend section and to the deeper Web Dashboard doc.
The Desktop App and Web Dashboard remote-connect instructions told users
to start the backend with `hermes dashboard --no-open --insecure --host
0.0.0.0`, omitting --tui. Without --tui the embedded-chat WebSockets
(/api/ws, /api/pty) are refused, so the desktop passes the /api/status
health check and reports the backend "ready" — but chat never works
because the socket is closed on connect.
- Add --tui to both backend command blocks (with an inline why-comment).
- Explain that the desktop chat runs over /api/ws + /api/pty and needs
the embedded-chat surface enabled; a plain dashboard/gateway is not
enough.
- Add a troubleshooting entry for the exact symptom (connects, says
ready, chat dead) on both pages.
The section explained why the Session token is hidden but punted the actual
setup steps to the web-dashboard page via a link — a bounce for someone on
the Desktop App page trying to connect. Inline the concrete steps instead:
backend command block (mint token -> .env -> hermes dashboard --insecure),
the in-app Remote gateway steps, the env-var override, Tailscale guidance,
and a troubleshooting list. Keep a short pointer to the web-dashboard page
for the same setup from that angle.
The Desktop App page covered install, settings, and chat but not how to
connect the app to a backend on another machine — the exact thing
@PedjaDrazic asked about. Add a 'Connecting to a remote backend' section
that explains the Session token is the dashboard token Hermes never
surfaces (pin it via HERMES_DASHBOARD_SESSION_TOKEN + run --insecure),
and link to the web-dashboard page for the full backend setup rather than
duplicating it. Add a reciprocal link from the web-dashboard remote section
back to the Desktop App page.
Add a SHA-256 content-hash based build stamp to `hermes desktop` so
unchanged source trees skip the npm install + build step. Uses pathspec
for .gitignore-aware file matching instead of a hardcoded skip-list.
New CLI flags:
- --build-only: run the build but don't launch the app
- --force-build: rebuild even when the stamp matches
`hermes update` now calls `hermes desktop --build-only` so the
desktop app is rebuilt (if needed) as part of the update flow.
16/16 tests passing.
The native Electron desktop app shipped (PR #20059 and follow-ups) but the
docs only told people how to download it, not what it is or how to use it.
Adds website/docs/user-guide/desktop.md covering install (installer +
prebuilt + Windows GUI), the chat-first UI and management panes, the
hermes desktop CLI flag reference, self-update, how-it-works, and
troubleshooting. Sourced from apps/desktop/README.md, routes.ts, and the
real argparse. Wired into sidebars.ts under Interfaces after the TUI.
