Inside the published Docker image, `hermes update` was hitting the
".git missing → reinstall via curl" fallback:
✗ Not a git repository. Please reinstall:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/.../install.sh | bash
That message is wrong on two counts:
1. It tells the user to run the host-side installer, which would
install a *new* Hermes on the host — not update the running
container.
2. It doesn't mention `docker pull` at all, leaving Docker users
to figure out the right action from scratch.
`hermes update --check` was worse: it bailed with "Not a git
repository — cannot check for updates." and nothing else.
Fix: detect the Docker install method (already stamped by
`docker/stage2-hook.sh` and surfaced by `detect_install_method()`)
in both update entry points and print a long-form message that
covers:
- The right command: `docker pull nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest`
- Restart guidance (`docker compose up -d --force-recreate` /
re-run `docker run`)
- How to verify the new version after restart
- Tag-pinning caveat (`:latest` doesn't move a pinned tag)
- Config persistence across upgrades (state under `HERMES_HOME` /
`/opt/data` is bind-mounted and survives)
- Fork escape hatch (build your own image with the repo's Dockerfile)
Exit code is 1 (matches `managed_error` semantic for "tried to
update but can't update this way").
Plumbing:
- hermes_cli/config.py: new `format_docker_update_message()` helper
sits next to the existing `_NIX_UPDATE_MSG` /
`format_managed_message()` family so the wording lives in one
place and both call sites (apply path + check path) consume it.
- hermes_cli/main.py:
* `cmd_update()`: bail right after the `is_managed()` gate, before
any of the apply-path branches.
* `_cmd_update_check()`: bail at the top of the function, before
the existing `method == "pip"` branch.
Neither path touches subprocess.run / git when method == "docker".
Coverage:
- 7 new tests in `tests/hermes_cli/test_cmd_update_docker.py`:
* `hermes update` in Docker → message + exit 1, no git calls
* `hermes update --check` (via cmd_update) → same
* `--yes` / `--force` don't bypass (intentional)
* `_cmd_update_check` called directly → bails too
* git/pip installs still take their normal paths (regression guards)
* `format_docker_update_message` content-lock test pinning the
five user-actionable bits the message must contain
- Existing test_cmd_update.py (21 tests) + test_managed_installs.py
(5 tests) still pass — no regression on the source-install path.
- Verified end-to-end in a real container: `docker run ... update`
and `docker run ... update --check` both render the message and
exit 1.
