hermes-agent/apps/desktop
brooklyn! 44e5848e74
feat(desktop): stream subagent activity into watch windows (#47060)
* feat(desktop): stream subagent replies into watch windows

A desktop watch window resumes a child session lazily (no full agent) and
mirrors the parent-relayed `subagent.*` events into native child-session
stream events. The child's streamed reply text was never relayed, so the
window sat blank while the subagent "talked".

- delegate_tool: forward the child's `run_conversation` stream tokens up the
  progress relay as `subagent.text` (inert under CLI/TUI — their progress
  handlers ignore non-tool event types; only a gateway watch window mirrors it).
- server: mirror `subagent.text` -> `message.delta` on the child sid only, and
  skip the parent emit (per-token frames are meaningless on the parent session,
  which shows the child via the spawn tree). Demote `subagent.start` to a
  one-time goal header and drop the noisy `subagent.progress` mirror — tools
  already mirror natively.
- server: guard `_start_agent_build` so a lazy watch session spectating an
  in-flight child stays lazy; incidental RPCs were upgrading it to a full
  agent mid-stream and silently killing the mirror.

* fix(desktop): keep watch-window chat clear of titlebar chrome

Secondary windows (new-session scratch, subagent watch, cmd-click pop-out)
hide the titlebar tool cluster + session header, so the transcript ran to the
window's top edge and streamed text slid up under the OS traffic lights.

- Gate the hidden chrome on `isSecondaryWindow()` everywhere (app-shell,
  chat header, thread list) instead of the narrower new-session flag.
- Add a fixed opaque drag-strip at the top of the secondary-window transcript:
  content padding alone scrolls away with the text, so the strip masks
  anything behind it and keeps the window draggable like the main header.

* fix: WSL subagent window

* fix: subagent window top padding

---------

Co-authored-by: Austin Pickett <pickett.austin@gmail.com>
Co-authored-by: Teknium <127238744+teknium1@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-06-16 14:30:11 -04:00
..
assets fix(desktop): pad app icon to Apple grid so dock size matches peers (#42946) 2026-06-09 11:48:26 -05:00
electron fix(desktop): route global remote profile REST calls (#47011) 2026-06-15 23:24:55 -05:00
pr-assets Show messaging source folders in desktop sessions 2026-06-07 23:44:04 -07:00
public fix(desktop): pad app icon to Apple grid so dock size matches peers (#42946) 2026-06-09 11:48:26 -05:00
scripts fix(desktop): restore Electron binary before macOS pack rename (salvage #38673) 2026-06-15 13:53:01 -05:00
src feat(desktop): stream subagent activity into watch windows (#47060) 2026-06-16 14:30:11 -04:00
.prettierrc Add Hermes desktop app (#20059) 2026-05-31 17:46:56 -05:00
components.json Add Hermes desktop app (#20059) 2026-05-31 17:46:56 -05:00
DESIGN.md docs(desktop): add DESIGN.md design-system guide + close two consistency gaps (#40823) 2026-06-06 22:13:17 +00:00
eslint.config.mjs change(tooling): remove react-compiler eslint, update concurrently 2026-06-10 11:59:34 -04:00
index.html feat(desktop): composer status stack, live subagent windows, editable prompts (#44630) 2026-06-12 08:30:06 -05:00
package.json fix(desktop): read HERMES_HOME from the Windows registry when env is stale (#46772) 2026-06-15 15:16:55 -05:00
preview-demo.html Add Hermes desktop app (#20059) 2026-05-31 17:46:56 -05:00
README.md docs: point desktop download links to site root (deprecate /desktop) (#46795) 2026-06-15 15:02:24 -04:00
tsconfig.json fix(desktop): set tsconfig lib/target to ES2023 for findLast/findLastIndex 2026-06-08 22:14:28 -07:00
vite.config.ts fix(desktop): pin empty PostCSS config so Vite stops walking up the home tree (#40609) 2026-06-07 18:10:32 -07:00

Hermes Desktop ☤

Download Documentation Discord License: MIT

The native desktop app for Hermes Agent — the self-improving AI agent from Nous Research. Same agent, same skills, same memory as the CLI and gateway, in a polished native window — chat with streaming tool output, side-by-side previews, a file browser, voice, and settings, no terminal required. Available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Chat with the full agentStreaming responses, live tool activity, structured tool summaries, and the same conversation history as every other Hermes surface.
Side-by-side previewsRender web pages, files, and tool outputs in a right-hand pane while you keep chatting.
File browserExplore and preview the working directory without leaving the app.
VoiceTalk to Hermes and hear it back.
Settings & onboardingManage providers, models, tools, and credentials from a real UI. First-run setup gets you to your first message in seconds.
Stays currentBuilt-in updates pull the latest agent and rebuild the app in place.

Install

Already have the Hermes CLI? Just run:

hermes desktop

It builds and launches the GUI against your existing install — same config, keys, sessions, and skills. On first launch Hermes walks you through picking a provider and model; nothing else to configure.

Prebuilt installers

Prebuilt installers are built and distributed via the Hermes Desktop website..


Updating

The app checks for updates in the background and offers a one-click update when one is ready. You can also update any time from the CLI:

hermes update

Requirements

The installer handles everything for you (Python 3.11+, a portable Git, ripgrep).


Development

Want to hack on the app itself? Install workspace deps from the repo root once, then run the dev server from this directory:

npm install          # from repo root — links apps/desktop, web, apps/shared
cd apps/desktop
npm run dev          # Vite renderer + Electron, which boots the Python backend

Point the app at a specific source checkout, or sandbox it away from your real config:

HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES_ROOT=/path/to/clone npm run dev
HERMES_HOME=/tmp/throwaway npm run dev
npm run dev:fake-boot   # exercise the startup overlay with deterministic delays

Building installers

npm run dist:mac     # DMG + zip
npm run dist:win     # NSIS + MSI
npm run dist:linux   # AppImage + deb + rpm
npm run pack         # unpacked app under release/ (no installer)

Installers are built and uploaded to GitHub Releases manually. macOS/Windows signing & notarization happen automatically when the relevant credentials are present in the environment (CSC_LINK / CSC_KEY_PASSWORD / APPLE_* for macOS, WIN_CSC_* for Windows).

How it works

The packaged app ships only the Electron shell. On first launch it installs the Hermes Agent runtime into HERMES_HOME (~/.hermes, or %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes on Windows) — the same layout a CLI install uses, so the two are interchangeable. The renderer (React, in src/) talks to a hermes dashboard backend over the standard gateway APIs and reuses the embedded TUI rather than reimplementing chat. The install, backend-resolution, and self-update logic all live in electron/main.cjs.

Verification

Run before opening a PR (lint may surface pre-existing warnings but must exit cleanly):

npm run fix
npm run typecheck
npm run lint
npm run test:desktop:all

Troubleshooting

Boot logs land in HERMES_HOME/logs/desktop.log (includes backend output and recent Python tracebacks) — check it first if the app reports a boot failure.

macOS / Linux:

# Force a clean first-launch setup
rm "$HOME/.hermes/hermes-agent/.hermes-bootstrap-complete"
# Rebuild a broken Python venv
rm -rf "$HOME/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv"
# Reset a stuck macOS microphone prompt (macOS only)
tccutil reset Microphone com.nousresearch.hermes

Windows (PowerShell):

# Force a clean first-launch setup
Remove-Item "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes\hermes-agent\.hermes-bootstrap-complete"
# Rebuild a broken Python venv
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes\hermes-agent\venv"

The default Hermes home on Windows is %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes. Set the HERMES_HOME env var if you've relocated it.


Community


License

MIT — see LICENSE.

Built by Nous Research.