# Hermes Agent - Development Guide Instructions for AI coding assistants and developers working on the hermes-agent codebase. ## Development Environment ```bash # Prefer .venv; fall back to venv if that's what your checkout has. source .venv/bin/activate # or: source venv/bin/activate ``` `scripts/run_tests.sh` probes `.venv` first, then `venv`, then `$HOME/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv` (for worktrees that share a venv with the main checkout). ## Project Structure File counts shift constantly — don't treat the tree below as exhaustive. The canonical source is the filesystem. The notes call out the load-bearing entry points you'll actually edit. ``` hermes-agent/ ├── run_agent.py # AIAgent class — core conversation loop (~12k LOC) ├── model_tools.py # Tool orchestration, discover_builtin_tools(), handle_function_call() ├── toolsets.py # Toolset definitions, _HERMES_CORE_TOOLS list ├── cli.py # HermesCLI class — interactive CLI orchestrator (~11k LOC) ├── hermes_state.py # SessionDB — SQLite session store (FTS5 search) ├── hermes_constants.py # get_hermes_home(), display_hermes_home() — profile-aware paths ├── hermes_logging.py # setup_logging() — agent.log / errors.log / gateway.log (profile-aware) ├── batch_runner.py # Parallel batch processing ├── agent/ # Agent internals (provider adapters, memory, caching, compression, etc.) ├── hermes_cli/ # CLI subcommands, setup wizard, plugins loader, skin engine ├── tools/ # Tool implementations — auto-discovered via tools/registry.py │ └── environments/ # Terminal backends (local, docker, ssh, modal, daytona, singularity) ├── gateway/ # Messaging gateway — run.py + session.py + platforms/ │ ├── platforms/ # Adapter per platform (telegram, discord, slack, whatsapp, │ │ # homeassistant, signal, matrix, mattermost, email, sms, │ │ # dingtalk, wecom, weixin, feishu, qqbot, bluebubbles, │ │ # webhook, api_server, ...). See ADDING_A_PLATFORM.md. │ └── builtin_hooks/ # Always-registered gateway hooks (boot-md, ...) ├── plugins/ # Plugin system (see "Plugins" section below) │ ├── memory/ # Memory-provider plugins (honcho, mem0, supermemory, ...) │ ├── context_engine/ # Context-engine plugins │ └── / # Dashboard, image-gen, disk-cleanup, examples, ... ├── optional-skills/ # Heavier/niche skills shipped but NOT active by default ├── skills/ # Built-in skills bundled with the repo ├── ui-tui/ # Ink (React) terminal UI — `hermes --tui` │ └── src/ # entry.tsx, app.tsx, gatewayClient.ts + app/components/hooks/lib ├── tui_gateway/ # Python JSON-RPC backend for the TUI ├── acp_adapter/ # ACP server (VS Code / Zed / JetBrains integration) ├── cron/ # Scheduler — jobs.py, scheduler.py ├── environments/ # RL training environments (Atropos) ├── scripts/ # run_tests.sh, release.py, auxiliary scripts ├── website/ # Docusaurus docs site └── tests/ # Pytest suite (~15k tests across ~700 files as of Apr 2026) ``` **User config:** `~/.hermes/config.yaml` (settings), `~/.hermes/.env` (API keys only). **Logs:** `~/.hermes/logs/` — `agent.log` (INFO+), `errors.log` (WARNING+), `gateway.log` when running the gateway. Profile-aware via `get_hermes_home()`. Browse with `hermes logs [--follow] [--level ...] [--session ...]`. ## File Dependency Chain ``` tools/registry.py (no deps — imported by all tool files) ↑ tools/*.py (each calls registry.register() at import time) ↑ model_tools.py (imports tools/registry + triggers tool discovery) ↑ run_agent.py, cli.py, batch_runner.py, environments/ ``` --- ## AIAgent Class (run_agent.py) The real `AIAgent.__init__` takes ~60 parameters (credentials, routing, callbacks, session context, budget, credential pool, etc.). The signature below is the minimum subset you'll usually touch — read `run_agent.py` for the full list. ```python class AIAgent: def __init__(self, base_url: str = None, api_key: str = None, provider: str = None, api_mode: str = None, # "chat_completions" | "codex_responses" | ... model: str = "", # empty → resolved from config/provider later max_iterations: int = 90, # tool-calling iterations (shared with subagents) enabled_toolsets: list = None, disabled_toolsets: list = None, quiet_mode: bool = False, save_trajectories: bool = False, platform: str = None, # "cli", "telegram", etc. session_id: str = None, skip_context_files: bool = False, skip_memory: bool = False, credential_pool=None, # ... plus callbacks, thread/user/chat IDs, iteration_budget, fallback_model, # checkpoints config, prefill_messages, service_tier, reasoning_config, etc. ): ... def chat(self, message: str) -> str: """Simple interface — returns final response string.""" def run_conversation(self, user_message: str, system_message: str = None, conversation_history: list = None, task_id: str = None) -> dict: """Full interface — returns dict with final_response + messages.""" ``` ### Agent Loop The core loop is inside `run_conversation()` — entirely synchronous, with interrupt checks, budget tracking, and a one-turn grace call: ```python while (api_call_count < self.max_iterations and self.iteration_budget.remaining > 0) \ or self._budget_grace_call: if self._interrupt_requested: break response = client.chat.completions.create(model=model, messages=messages, tools=tool_schemas) if response.tool_calls: for tool_call in response.tool_calls: result = handle_function_call(tool_call.name, tool_call.args, task_id) messages.append(tool_result_message(result)) api_call_count += 1 else: return response.content ``` Messages follow OpenAI format: `{"role": "system/user/assistant/tool", ...}`. Reasoning content is stored in `assistant_msg["reasoning"]`. --- ## CLI Architecture (cli.py) - **Rich** for banner/panels, **prompt_toolkit** for input with autocomplete - **KawaiiSpinner** (`agent/display.py`) — animated faces during API calls, `┊` activity feed for tool results - `load_cli_config()` in cli.py merges hardcoded defaults + user config YAML - **Skin engine** (`hermes_cli/skin_engine.py`) — data-driven CLI theming; initialized from `display.skin` config key at startup; skins customize banner colors, spinner faces/verbs/wings, tool prefix, response box, branding text - `process_command()` is a method on `HermesCLI` — dispatches on canonical command name resolved via `resolve_command()` from the central registry - Skill slash commands: `agent/skill_commands.py` scans `~/.hermes/skills/`, injects as **user message** (not system prompt) to preserve prompt caching ### Slash Command Registry (`hermes_cli/commands.py`) All slash commands are defined in a central `COMMAND_REGISTRY` list of `CommandDef` objects. Every downstream consumer derives from this registry automatically: - **CLI** — `process_command()` resolves aliases via `resolve_command()`, dispatches on canonical name - **Gateway** — `GATEWAY_KNOWN_COMMANDS` frozenset for hook emission, `resolve_command()` for dispatch - **Gateway help** — `gateway_help_lines()` generates `/help` output - **Telegram** — `telegram_bot_commands()` generates the BotCommand menu - **Slack** — `slack_subcommand_map()` generates `/hermes` subcommand routing - **Autocomplete** — `COMMANDS` flat dict feeds `SlashCommandCompleter` - **CLI help** — `COMMANDS_BY_CATEGORY` dict feeds `show_help()` ### Adding a Slash Command 1. Add a `CommandDef` entry to `COMMAND_REGISTRY` in `hermes_cli/commands.py`: ```python CommandDef("mycommand", "Description of what it does", "Session", aliases=("mc",), args_hint="[arg]"), ``` 2. Add handler in `HermesCLI.process_command()` in `cli.py`: ```python elif canonical == "mycommand": self._handle_mycommand(cmd_original) ``` 3. If the command is available in the gateway, add a handler in `gateway/run.py`: ```python if canonical == "mycommand": return await self._handle_mycommand(event) ``` 4. For persistent settings, use `save_config_value()` in `cli.py` **CommandDef fields:** - `name` — canonical name without slash (e.g. `"background"`) - `description` — human-readable description - `category` — one of `"Session"`, `"Configuration"`, `"Tools & Skills"`, `"Info"`, `"Exit"` - `aliases` — tuple of alternative names (e.g. `("bg",)`) - `args_hint` — argument placeholder shown in help (e.g. `""`, `"[name]"`) - `cli_only` — only available in the interactive CLI - `gateway_only` — only available in messaging platforms - `gateway_config_gate` — config dotpath (e.g. `"display.tool_progress_command"`); when set on a `cli_only` command, the command becomes available in the gateway if the config value is truthy. `GATEWAY_KNOWN_COMMANDS` always includes config-gated commands so the gateway can dispatch them; help/menus only show them when the gate is open. **Adding an alias** requires only adding it to the `aliases` tuple on the existing `CommandDef`. No other file changes needed — dispatch, help text, Telegram menu, Slack mapping, and autocomplete all update automatically. --- ## TUI Architecture (ui-tui + tui_gateway) The TUI is a full replacement for the classic (prompt_toolkit) CLI, activated via `hermes --tui` or `HERMES_TUI=1`. ### Process Model ``` hermes --tui └─ Node (Ink) ──stdio JSON-RPC── Python (tui_gateway) │ └─ AIAgent + tools + sessions └─ renders transcript, composer, prompts, activity ``` TypeScript owns the screen. Python owns sessions, tools, model calls, and slash command logic. ### Transport Newline-delimited JSON-RPC over stdio. Requests from Ink, events from Python. See `tui_gateway/server.py` for the full method/event catalog. ### Key Surfaces | Surface | Ink component | Gateway method | |---------|---------------|----------------| | Chat streaming | `app.tsx` + `messageLine.tsx` | `prompt.submit` → `message.delta/complete` | | Tool activity | `thinking.tsx` | `tool.start/progress/complete` | | Approvals | `prompts.tsx` | `approval.respond` ← `approval.request` | | Clarify/sudo/secret | `prompts.tsx`, `maskedPrompt.tsx` | `clarify/sudo/secret.respond` | | Session picker | `sessionPicker.tsx` | `session.list/resume` | | Slash commands | Local handler + fallthrough | `slash.exec` → `_SlashWorker`, `command.dispatch` | | Completions | `useCompletion` hook | `complete.slash`, `complete.path` | | Theming | `theme.ts` + `branding.tsx` | `gateway.ready` with skin data | ### Slash Command Flow 1. Built-in client commands (`/help`, `/quit`, `/clear`, `/resume`, `/copy`, `/paste`, etc.) handled locally in `app.tsx` 2. Everything else → `slash.exec` (runs in persistent `_SlashWorker` subprocess) → `command.dispatch` fallback ### Dev Commands ```bash cd ui-tui npm install # first time npm run dev # watch mode (rebuilds hermes-ink + tsx --watch) npm start # production npm run build # full build (hermes-ink + tsc) npm run type-check # typecheck only (tsc --noEmit) npm run lint # eslint npm run fmt # prettier npm test # vitest ``` --- ## Adding New Tools Requires changes in **2 files**: **1. Create `tools/your_tool.py`:** ```python import json, os from tools.registry import registry def check_requirements() -> bool: return bool(os.getenv("EXAMPLE_API_KEY")) def example_tool(param: str, task_id: str = None) -> str: return json.dumps({"success": True, "data": "..."}) registry.register( name="example_tool", toolset="example", schema={"name": "example_tool", "description": "...", "parameters": {...}}, handler=lambda args, **kw: example_tool(param=args.get("param", ""), task_id=kw.get("task_id")), check_fn=check_requirements, requires_env=["EXAMPLE_API_KEY"], ) ``` **2. Add to `toolsets.py`** — either `_HERMES_CORE_TOOLS` (all platforms) or a new toolset. Auto-discovery: any `tools/*.py` file with a top-level `registry.register()` call is imported automatically — no manual import list to maintain. The registry handles schema collection, dispatch, availability checking, and error wrapping. All handlers MUST return a JSON string. **Path references in tool schemas**: If the schema description mentions file paths (e.g. default output directories), use `display_hermes_home()` to make them profile-aware. The schema is generated at import time, which is after `_apply_profile_override()` sets `HERMES_HOME`. **State files**: If a tool stores persistent state (caches, logs, checkpoints), use `get_hermes_home()` for the base directory — never `Path.home() / ".hermes"`. This ensures each profile gets its own state. **Agent-level tools** (todo, memory): intercepted by `run_agent.py` before `handle_function_call()`. See `tools/todo_tool.py` for the pattern. --- ## Adding Configuration ### config.yaml options: 1. Add to `DEFAULT_CONFIG` in `hermes_cli/config.py` 2. Bump `_config_version` (check the current value at the top of `DEFAULT_CONFIG`) ONLY if you need to actively migrate/transform existing user config (renaming keys, changing structure). Adding a new key to an existing section is handled automatically by the deep-merge and does NOT require a version bump. ### .env variables (SECRETS ONLY — API keys, tokens, passwords): 1. Add to `OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS` in `hermes_cli/config.py` with metadata: ```python "NEW_API_KEY": { "description": "What it's for", "prompt": "Display name", "url": "https://...", "password": True, "category": "tool", # provider, tool, messaging, setting }, ``` Non-secret settings (timeouts, thresholds, feature flags, paths, display preferences) belong in `config.yaml`, not `.env`. If internal code needs an env var mirror for backward compatibility, bridge it from `config.yaml` to the env var in code (see `gateway_timeout`, `terminal.cwd` → `TERMINAL_CWD`). ### Config loaders (three paths — know which one you're in): | Loader | Used by | Location | |--------|---------|----------| | `load_cli_config()` | CLI mode | `cli.py` — merges CLI-specific defaults + user YAML | | `load_config()` | `hermes tools`, `hermes setup`, most CLI subcommands | `hermes_cli/config.py` — merges `DEFAULT_CONFIG` + user YAML | | Direct YAML load | Gateway runtime | `gateway/run.py` + `gateway/config.py` — reads user YAML raw | If you add a new key and the CLI sees it but the gateway doesn't (or vice versa), you're on the wrong loader. Check `DEFAULT_CONFIG` coverage. ### Working directory: - **CLI** — uses the process's current directory (`os.getcwd()`). - **Messaging** — uses `terminal.cwd` from `config.yaml`. The gateway bridges this to the `TERMINAL_CWD` env var for child tools. **`MESSAGING_CWD` has been removed** — the config loader prints a deprecation warning if it's set in `.env`. Same for `TERMINAL_CWD` in `.env`; the canonical setting is `terminal.cwd` in `config.yaml`. --- ## Skin/Theme System The skin engine (`hermes_cli/skin_engine.py`) provides data-driven CLI visual customization. Skins are **pure data** — no code changes needed to add a new skin. ### Architecture ``` hermes_cli/skin_engine.py # SkinConfig dataclass, built-in skins, YAML loader ~/.hermes/skins/*.yaml # User-installed custom skins (drop-in) ``` - `init_skin_from_config()` — called at CLI startup, reads `display.skin` from config - `get_active_skin()` — returns cached `SkinConfig` for the current skin - `set_active_skin(name)` — switches skin at runtime (used by `/skin` command) - `load_skin(name)` — loads from user skins first, then built-ins, then falls back to default - Missing skin values inherit from the `default` skin automatically ### What skins customize | Element | Skin Key | Used By | |---------|----------|---------| | Banner panel border | `colors.banner_border` | `banner.py` | | Banner panel title | `colors.banner_title` | `banner.py` | | Banner section headers | `colors.banner_accent` | `banner.py` | | Banner dim text | `colors.banner_dim` | `banner.py` | | Banner body text | `colors.banner_text` | `banner.py` | | Response box border | `colors.response_border` | `cli.py` | | Spinner faces (waiting) | `spinner.waiting_faces` | `display.py` | | Spinner faces (thinking) | `spinner.thinking_faces` | `display.py` | | Spinner verbs | `spinner.thinking_verbs` | `display.py` | | Spinner wings (optional) | `spinner.wings` | `display.py` | | Tool output prefix | `tool_prefix` | `display.py` | | Per-tool emojis | `tool_emojis` | `display.py` → `get_tool_emoji()` | | Agent name | `branding.agent_name` | `banner.py`, `cli.py` | | Welcome message | `branding.welcome` | `cli.py` | | Response box label | `branding.response_label` | `cli.py` | | Prompt symbol | `branding.prompt_symbol` | `cli.py` | ### Built-in skins - `default` — Classic Hermes gold/kawaii (the current look) - `ares` — Crimson/bronze war-god theme with custom spinner wings - `mono` — Clean grayscale monochrome - `slate` — Cool blue developer-focused theme ### Adding a built-in skin Add to `_BUILTIN_SKINS` dict in `hermes_cli/skin_engine.py`: ```python "mytheme": { "name": "mytheme", "description": "Short description", "colors": { ... }, "spinner": { ... }, "branding": { ... }, "tool_prefix": "┊", }, ``` ### User skins (YAML) Users create `~/.hermes/skins/.yaml`: ```yaml name: cyberpunk description: Neon-soaked terminal theme colors: banner_border: "#FF00FF" banner_title: "#00FFFF" banner_accent: "#FF1493" spinner: thinking_verbs: ["jacking in", "decrypting", "uploading"] wings: - ["⟨⚡", "⚡⟩"] branding: agent_name: "Cyber Agent" response_label: " ⚡ Cyber " tool_prefix: "▏" ``` Activate with `/skin cyberpunk` or `display.skin: cyberpunk` in config.yaml. --- ## Plugins Hermes has two plugin surfaces. Both live under `plugins/` in the repo so repo-shipped plugins can be discovered alongside user-installed ones in `~/.hermes/plugins/` and pip-installed entry points. ### General plugins (`hermes_cli/plugins.py` + `plugins//`) `PluginManager` discovers plugins from `~/.hermes/plugins/`, `./.hermes/plugins/`, and pip entry points. Each plugin exposes a `register(ctx)` function that can: - Register Python-callback lifecycle hooks: `pre_tool_call`, `post_tool_call`, `pre_llm_call`, `post_llm_call`, `on_session_start`, `on_session_end` - Register new tools via `ctx.register_tool(...)` - Register CLI subcommands via `ctx.register_cli_command(...)` — the plugin's argparse tree is wired into `hermes` at startup so `hermes ` works with no change to `main.py` Hooks are invoked from `model_tools.py` (pre/post tool) and `run_agent.py` (lifecycle). **Discovery timing pitfall:** `discover_plugins()` only runs as a side effect of importing `model_tools.py`. Code paths that read plugin state without importing `model_tools.py` first must call `discover_plugins()` explicitly (it's idempotent). ### Memory-provider plugins (`plugins/memory//`) Separate discovery system for pluggable memory backends. Current built-in providers include **honcho, mem0, supermemory, byterover, hindsight, holographic, openviking, retaindb**. Each provider implements the `MemoryProvider` ABC (see `agent/memory_provider.py`) and is orchestrated by `agent/memory_manager.py`. Lifecycle hooks include `sync_turn(turn_messages)`, `prefetch(query)`, `shutdown()`, and optional `post_setup(hermes_home, config)` for setup-wizard integration. **CLI commands via `plugins/memory//cli.py`:** if a memory plugin defines `register_cli(subparser)`, `discover_plugin_cli_commands()` finds it at argparse setup time and wires it into `hermes `. The framework only exposes CLI commands for the **currently active** memory provider (read from `memory.provider` in config.yaml), so disabled providers don't clutter `hermes --help`. **Rule (Teknium, May 2026):** plugins MUST NOT modify core files (`run_agent.py`, `cli.py`, `gateway/run.py`, `hermes_cli/main.py`, etc.). If a plugin needs a capability the framework doesn't expose, expand the generic plugin surface (new hook, new ctx method) — never hardcode plugin-specific logic into core. PR #5295 removed 95 lines of hardcoded honcho argparse from `main.py` for exactly this reason. ### Dashboard / context-engine / image-gen plugin directories `plugins/context_engine/`, `plugins/image_gen/`, `plugins/example-dashboard/`, etc. follow the same pattern (ABC + orchestrator + per-plugin directory). Context engines plug into `agent/context_engine.py`; image-gen providers into `agent/image_gen_provider.py`. --- ## Skills Two parallel surfaces: - **`skills/`** — built-in skills shipped and loadable by default. Organized by category directories (e.g. `skills/github/`, `skills/mlops/`). - **`optional-skills/`** — heavier or niche skills shipped with the repo but NOT active by default. Installed explicitly via `hermes skills install official//`. Adapter lives in `tools/skills_hub.py` (`OptionalSkillSource`). Categories include `autonomous-ai-agents`, `blockchain`, `communication`, `creative`, `devops`, `email`, `health`, `mcp`, `migration`, `mlops`, `productivity`, `research`, `security`, `web-development`. When reviewing skill PRs, check which directory they target — heavy-dep or niche skills belong in `optional-skills/`. ### SKILL.md frontmatter Standard fields: `name`, `description`, `version`, `platforms` (OS-gating list: `[macos]`, `[linux, macos]`, ...), `metadata.hermes.tags`, `metadata.hermes.category`, `metadata.hermes.config` (config.yaml settings the skill needs — stored under `skills.config.`, prompted during setup, injected at load time). --- ## Important Policies ### Prompt Caching Must Not Break Hermes-Agent ensures caching remains valid throughout a conversation. **Do NOT implement changes that would:** - Alter past context mid-conversation - Change toolsets mid-conversation - Reload memories or rebuild system prompts mid-conversation Cache-breaking forces dramatically higher costs. The ONLY time we alter context is during context compression. Slash commands that mutate system-prompt state (skills, tools, memory, etc.) must be **cache-aware**: default to deferred invalidation (change takes effect next session), with an opt-in `--now` flag for immediate invalidation. See `/skills install --now` for the canonical pattern. ### Background Process Notifications (Gateway) When `terminal(background=true, notify_on_complete=true)` is used, the gateway runs a watcher that detects process completion and triggers a new agent turn. Control verbosity of background process messages with `display.background_process_notifications` in config.yaml (or `HERMES_BACKGROUND_NOTIFICATIONS` env var): - `all` — running-output updates + final message (default) - `result` — only the final completion message - `error` — only the final message when exit code != 0 - `off` — no watcher messages at all --- ## Profiles: Multi-Instance Support Hermes supports **profiles** — multiple fully isolated instances, each with its own `HERMES_HOME` directory (config, API keys, memory, sessions, skills, gateway, etc.). The core mechanism: `_apply_profile_override()` in `hermes_cli/main.py` sets `HERMES_HOME` before any module imports. All `get_hermes_home()` references automatically scope to the active profile. ### Rules for profile-safe code 1. **Use `get_hermes_home()` for all HERMES_HOME paths.** Import from `hermes_constants`. NEVER hardcode `~/.hermes` or `Path.home() / ".hermes"` in code that reads/writes state. ```python # GOOD from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home config_path = get_hermes_home() / "config.yaml" # BAD — breaks profiles config_path = Path.home() / ".hermes" / "config.yaml" ``` 2. **Use `display_hermes_home()` for user-facing messages.** Import from `hermes_constants`. This returns `~/.hermes` for default or `~/.hermes/profiles/` for profiles. ```python # GOOD from hermes_constants import display_hermes_home print(f"Config saved to {display_hermes_home()}/config.yaml") # BAD — shows wrong path for profiles print("Config saved to ~/.hermes/config.yaml") ``` 3. **Module-level constants are fine** — they cache `get_hermes_home()` at import time, which is AFTER `_apply_profile_override()` sets the env var. Just use `get_hermes_home()`, not `Path.home() / ".hermes"`. 4. **Tests that mock `Path.home()` must also set `HERMES_HOME`** — since code now uses `get_hermes_home()` (reads env var), not `Path.home() / ".hermes"`: ```python with patch.object(Path, "home", return_value=tmp_path), \ patch.dict(os.environ, {"HERMES_HOME": str(tmp_path / ".hermes")}): ... ``` 5. **Gateway platform adapters should use token locks** — if the adapter connects with a unique credential (bot token, API key), call `acquire_scoped_lock()` from `gateway.status` in the `connect()`/`start()` method and `release_scoped_lock()` in `disconnect()`/`stop()`. This prevents two profiles from using the same credential. See `gateway/platforms/telegram.py` for the canonical pattern. 6. **Profile operations are HOME-anchored, not HERMES_HOME-anchored** — `_get_profiles_root()` returns `Path.home() / ".hermes" / "profiles"`, NOT `get_hermes_home() / "profiles"`. This is intentional — it lets `hermes -p coder profile list` see all profiles regardless of which one is active. ## Known Pitfalls ### DO NOT hardcode `~/.hermes` paths Use `get_hermes_home()` from `hermes_constants` for code paths. Use `display_hermes_home()` for user-facing print/log messages. Hardcoding `~/.hermes` breaks profiles — each profile has its own `HERMES_HOME` directory. This was the source of 5 bugs fixed in PR #3575. ### DO NOT introduce new `simple_term_menu` usage Existing call sites in `hermes_cli/main.py` remain for legacy fallback only; the preferred UI is curses (stdlib) because `simple_term_menu` has ghost-duplication rendering bugs in tmux/iTerm2 with arrow keys. New interactive menus must use `hermes_cli/curses_ui.py` — see `hermes_cli/tools_config.py` for the canonical pattern. ### DO NOT use `\033[K` (ANSI erase-to-EOL) in spinner/display code Leaks as literal `?[K` text under `prompt_toolkit`'s `patch_stdout`. Use space-padding: `f"\r{line}{' ' * pad}"`. ### `_last_resolved_tool_names` is a process-global in `model_tools.py` `_run_single_child()` in `delegate_tool.py` saves and restores this global around subagent execution. If you add new code that reads this global, be aware it may be temporarily stale during child agent runs. ### DO NOT hardcode cross-tool references in schema descriptions Tool schema descriptions must not mention tools from other toolsets by name (e.g., `browser_navigate` saying "prefer web_search"). Those tools may be unavailable (missing API keys, disabled toolset), causing the model to hallucinate calls to non-existent tools. If a cross-reference is needed, add it dynamically in `get_tool_definitions()` in `model_tools.py` — see the `browser_navigate` / `execute_code` post-processing blocks for the pattern. ### The gateway has TWO message guards — both must bypass approval/control commands When an agent is running, messages pass through two sequential guards: (1) **base adapter** (`gateway/platforms/base.py`) queues messages in `_pending_messages` when `session_key in self._active_sessions`, and (2) **gateway runner** (`gateway/run.py`) intercepts `/stop`, `/new`, `/queue`, `/status`, `/approve`, `/deny` before they reach `running_agent.interrupt()`. Any new command that must reach the runner while the agent is blocked (e.g. approval prompts) MUST bypass BOTH guards and be dispatched inline, not via `_process_message_background()` (which races session lifecycle). ### Squash merges from stale branches silently revert recent fixes Before squash-merging a PR, ensure the branch is up to date with `main` (`git fetch origin main && git reset --hard origin/main` in the worktree, then re-apply the PR's commits). A stale branch's version of an unrelated file will silently overwrite recent fixes on main when squashed. Verify with `git diff HEAD~1..HEAD` after merging — unexpected deletions are a red flag. ### Don't wire in dead code without E2E validation Unused code that was never shipped was dead for a reason. Before wiring an unused module into a live code path, E2E test the real resolution chain with actual imports (not mocks) against a temp `HERMES_HOME`. ### Tests must not write to `~/.hermes/` The `_isolate_hermes_home` autouse fixture in `tests/conftest.py` redirects `HERMES_HOME` to a temp dir. Never hardcode `~/.hermes/` paths in tests. **Profile tests**: When testing profile features, also mock `Path.home()` so that `_get_profiles_root()` and `_get_default_hermes_home()` resolve within the temp dir. Use the pattern from `tests/hermes_cli/test_profiles.py`: ```python @pytest.fixture def profile_env(tmp_path, monkeypatch): home = tmp_path / ".hermes" home.mkdir() monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "home", lambda: tmp_path) monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(home)) return home ``` --- ## Testing **ALWAYS use `scripts/run_tests.sh`** — do not call `pytest` directly. The script enforces hermetic environment parity with CI (unset credential vars, TZ=UTC, LANG=C.UTF-8, 4 xdist workers matching GHA ubuntu-latest). Direct `pytest` on a 16+ core developer machine with API keys set diverges from CI in ways that have caused multiple "works locally, fails in CI" incidents (and the reverse). ```bash scripts/run_tests.sh # full suite, CI-parity scripts/run_tests.sh tests/gateway/ # one directory scripts/run_tests.sh tests/agent/test_foo.py::test_x # one test scripts/run_tests.sh -v --tb=long # pass-through pytest flags ``` ### Why the wrapper (and why the old "just call pytest" doesn't work) Five real sources of local-vs-CI drift the script closes: | | Without wrapper | With wrapper | |---|---|---| | Provider API keys | Whatever is in your env (auto-detects pool) | All `*_API_KEY`/`*_TOKEN`/etc. unset | | HOME / `~/.hermes/` | Your real config+auth.json | Temp dir per test | | Timezone | Local TZ (PDT etc.) | UTC | | Locale | Whatever is set | C.UTF-8 | | xdist workers | `-n auto` = all cores (20+ on a workstation) | `-n 4` matching CI | `tests/conftest.py` also enforces points 1-4 as an autouse fixture so ANY pytest invocation (including IDE integrations) gets hermetic behavior — but the wrapper is belt-and-suspenders. ### Running without the wrapper (only if you must) If you can't use the wrapper (e.g. on Windows or inside an IDE that shells pytest directly), at minimum activate the venv and pass `-n 4`: ```bash source .venv/bin/activate # or: source venv/bin/activate python -m pytest tests/ -q -n 4 ``` Worker count above 4 will surface test-ordering flakes that CI never sees. Always run the full suite before pushing changes. ### Don't write change-detector tests A test is a **change-detector** if it fails whenever data that is **expected to change** gets updated — model catalogs, config version numbers, enumeration counts, hardcoded lists of provider models. These tests add no behavioral coverage; they just guarantee that routine source updates break CI and cost engineering time to "fix." **Do not write:** ```python # catalog snapshot — breaks every model release assert "gemini-2.5-pro" in _PROVIDER_MODELS["gemini"] assert "MiniMax-M2.7" in models # config version literal — breaks every schema bump assert DEFAULT_CONFIG["_config_version"] == 21 # enumeration count — breaks every time a skill/provider is added assert len(_PROVIDER_MODELS["huggingface"]) == 8 ``` **Do write:** ```python # behavior: does the catalog plumbing work at all? assert "gemini" in _PROVIDER_MODELS assert len(_PROVIDER_MODELS["gemini"]) >= 1 # behavior: does migration bump the user's version to current latest? assert raw["_config_version"] == DEFAULT_CONFIG["_config_version"] # invariant: no plan-only model leaks into the legacy list assert not (set(moonshot_models) & coding_plan_only_models) # invariant: every model in the catalog has a context-length entry for m in _PROVIDER_MODELS["huggingface"]: assert m.lower() in DEFAULT_CONTEXT_LENGTHS_LOWER ``` The rule: if the test reads like a snapshot of current data, delete it. If it reads like a contract about how two pieces of data must relate, keep it. When a PR adds a new provider/model and you want a test, make the test assert the relationship (e.g. "catalog entries all have context lengths"), not the specific names. Reviewers should reject new change-detector tests; authors should convert them into invariants before re-requesting review.