The Kanban board is documented as shared across all Hermes profiles, but
`kanban_db_path()` and `workspaces_root()` resolved through `get_hermes_home()`,
which returns the active profile's HERMES_HOME. When the dispatcher spawned a
worker with `hermes -p <profile> --skills kanban-worker chat -q "work kanban
task <id>"`, the worker rewrote HERMES_HOME to the profile subdirectory before
kanban_db.py imported, opening a profile-local `kanban.db` that did not contain
the dispatcher's task. `kanban_show` and `kanban_complete` failed; the
dispatcher's row stayed `running` and was retried/crashed. The same defect
applied to `_default_spawn`'s log directory and `worker_log_path`, so
`hermes kanban tail` did not see the worker's output.
Add `kanban_home()` in `hermes_cli/kanban_db.py` that resolves through
`HERMES_KANBAN_HOME` (explicit override) then `get_default_hermes_root()`,
which already understands the `<root>/profiles/<name>` and Docker / custom
HERMES_HOME shapes. Reroute `kanban_db_path`, `workspaces_root`, the
`_default_spawn` log directory, `gc_worker_logs`, and `worker_log_path`
through it. Profile-specific config, `.env`, memory, and sessions stay
isolated as before; only the kanban surface is shared.
Add a `TestSharedBoardPaths` regression class to `tests/hermes_cli/test_kanban_db.py`
covering: default install, profile-worker convergence, Docker custom HERMES_HOME,
Docker profile layout, explicit `HERMES_KANBAN_HOME` override, and a real
SQLite round-trip across dispatcher and worker HERMES_HOME perspectives.
The dispatcher/worker convergence tests fail on origin/main and pass after
the fix.
Update the `kanban.md` user-guide page and the misleading docstrings in
`kanban_db.py` to describe the shared-root behavior.
Fixes#19348
New `hermes kanban` CLI subcommand + `/kanban` slash command + skills for
worker and orchestrator profiles. SQLite-backed task board
(~/.hermes/kanban.db) shared across all profiles on the host. Zero
changes to run_agent.py, no new core tools, no tool-schema bloat.
Motivation: delegate_task is a function call — sync fork/join, anonymous
subagent, no resumability, no human-in-the-loop. Kanban is the durable
shape needed for research triage, scheduled ops, digital twins,
engineering pipelines, and fleet work. They coexist (workers may call
delegate_task internally).
What this adds
- hermes_cli/kanban_db.py — schema, CAS claim, dependency resolution,
dispatcher, workspace resolution, worker-context builder.
- hermes_cli/kanban.py — 15-verb CLI surface and shared run_slash()
entry point used by both CLI and gateway.
- skills/devops/kanban-worker — how a profile should work a claimed task.
- skills/devops/kanban-orchestrator — "you are a dispatcher, not a
worker" template with anti-temptation rules.
- /kanban slash command wired into cli.py and gateway/run.py. Bypasses
the running-agent guard (board writes don't touch agent state), so
/kanban unblock can free a stuck worker mid-conversation.
- Design spec at docs/hermes-kanban-v1-spec.pdf — comparative analysis
vs Cline Kanban, Paperclip, NanoClaw, Gemini Enterprise; 8 patterns;
4 user stories; implementation plan; concurrency correctness.
- Docs: website/docs/user-guide/features/kanban.md, CLI reference
updated, sidebar entry added.
Architecture highlights
- Three planes: control (user + gateway), state (board + dispatcher),
execution (pool of profile processes).
- Every worker is a full OS process, spawned as `hermes -p <profile>`.
No in-process subagent swarms — solves NanoClaw's SDK-lifecycle
failure class.
- Atomic claim via SQLite CAS in a BEGIN IMMEDIATE transaction; stale
claims reclaimed 15 min after their TTL expires.
- Tenant namespacing via one nullable column — one specialist fleet
can serve many businesses with data isolation by workspace path.
Tests: 60 targeted tests (schema, CAS atomicity, dependency resolution,
dispatcher, workspace kinds, tenancy, CLI + slash surface). All pass
hermetic via scripts/run_tests.sh.
