The stale-.pyc bug class (#6207, #60242, live WhatsApp report: gateway
ImportError 'cannot import name parse_model_flags_detailed' after /update)
has one shared shape: the checkout's .py files change while __pycache__
retains bytecode from the previous revision, and a later process trusts
the stale .pyc.
Update-time clears can never fully close this class: 'hermes update'
always executes the PRE-pull updater code, so hardening added to it takes
effect one update late — and a manual 'git pull' never runs the updater
at all.
Class fix:
- Launch-time guard in main(): compare the checkout fingerprint (cheap
file reads via _read_git_revision_fingerprint, no git subprocess)
against a .bytecode-fingerprint stamp; sweep __pycache__ once when they
diverge. Covers manual pulls, old updaters, ZIP restores — every entry
point (CLI, gateway service, desktop backend) passes through main().
- Record the stamp at all three update-time clear sites (git path pre-
install, git path post-install, ZIP path) so a normal update never
triggers a redundant launch sweep.
- Sibling site: 'hermes plugins update' + dashboard plugin update now
clear __pycache__ under the plugin dir after git pull (plugin trees
live outside the repo guard).
E2E validated: reproduced the stale-pyc shadowing (same-size same-mtime
source swap → old symbol wins in a fresh process), confirmed the launch
sweep restores the new symbol, no-ops when the checkout is unchanged,
and re-sweeps on the next pull. Sabotage-tested: reverting the sweep
fails 4 of the new tests.
