mirror of
https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git
synced 2026-06-27 11:22:03 +00:00
* docs: stop recommending pip install hermes-agent; point to install script The install script is the only supported install path (it provisions a managed, isolated uv environment). Replace bare `pip install hermes-agent` primary-install recommendations with the curl install script, and rewrite optional-extra snippets (`pip install "hermes-agent[X]"`) to the managed-env form `cd ~/.hermes/hermes-agent && uv pip install -e ".[X]"` that matches the installer and the English quickstart. Covers English docs + zh-Hans mirrors, the achievements plugin README, and realigns the zh-Hans quickstart to the English Desktop-installer-first layout (dropping its stale "Method A — pip (simplest)" section). * docs: drop pip as a supported install/update method Removes the 'pip installs' supported-method sections from updating.md and cli-commands.md (EN + zh-Hans): the curl install script is the only supported way to install/update the Hermes CLI. The _cmd_update_pip pip/pipx branches remain in code as an undocumented safety net for users who already have such an install, but the docs no longer advertise pip as a path. Also normalizes a bare `pip install -e '.[acp]'` to the managed-env form. Leaves python-library.md untouched: importing AIAgent as a library dependency into your own project is a distinct use case where pip is correct.
261 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
261 lines
11 KiB
Markdown
---
|
||
sidebar_position: 3
|
||
title: "Updating & Uninstalling"
|
||
description: "How to update Hermes Agent to the latest version or uninstall it"
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
# Updating & Uninstalling
|
||
|
||
## Updating
|
||
|
||
Update to the latest version with a single command:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
hermes update
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
This pulls the latest code from `main`, updates dependencies, and prompts you to configure any new options that were added since your last update.
|
||
|
||
:::tip
|
||
`hermes update` automatically detects new configuration options and prompts you to add them. If you skipped that prompt, you can manually run `hermes config check` to see missing options, then `hermes config migrate` to interactively add them.
|
||
:::
|
||
|
||
### What happens during an update
|
||
|
||
When you run `hermes update`, the following steps occur:
|
||
|
||
1. **Pairing-data snapshot** — a lightweight pre-update state snapshot is saved (covers `~/.hermes/pairing/`, Feishu comment rules, and other state files that get modified at runtime). Recoverable via the snapshot restore flow described under [Snapshots and rollback](../user-guide/checkpoints-and-rollback.md), or by extracting the most recent quick-snapshot zip Hermes wrote next to your `~/.hermes/` directory.
|
||
2. **Git pull** — pulls the latest code from the `main` branch and updates submodules
|
||
3. **Post-pull syntax validation + auto-rollback** — after the pull, Hermes compiles the eight critical files every `hermes` invocation imports at startup. If any fails to parse (e.g. an orphan merge-conflict marker, an accidentally truncated file), Hermes runs `git reset --hard <pre-pull-sha>` to roll the install back so your shell stays bootable. Re-run `hermes update` once the upstream fix lands.
|
||
4. **Dependency install** — runs `uv pip install -e ".[all]"` to pick up new or changed dependencies
|
||
5. **Config migration** — detects new config options added since your version and prompts you to set them
|
||
6. **Gateway auto-restart** — running gateways are refreshed after the update completes so the new code takes effect immediately. Service-managed gateways (systemd on Linux, launchd on macOS) are restarted through the service manager. Manual gateways are relaunched automatically when Hermes can map the running PID back to a profile.
|
||
|
||
### Updating against a non-default branch: `--branch`
|
||
|
||
By default `hermes update` tracks `origin/main`. Pass `--branch <name>` to update against a different branch — useful for QA channels, feature branches, or release-candidate testing:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
hermes update --branch release-candidate
|
||
hermes update --check --branch experimental # preview behindness only
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
If your local checkout is on a different branch, Hermes auto-stashes any uncommitted work, switches HEAD to the target branch, and then pulls. Branches that don't exist locally are auto-tracked from `origin/<name>` (`git checkout -B <name> origin/<name>`). Branches that don't exist anywhere fail cleanly — your stashed changes are restored before exit so you're never stranded in a weird state. The `main`-only fork-upstream sync logic is automatically skipped on non-`main` branches.
|
||
|
||
### Local changes on non-interactive updates
|
||
|
||
When you run `hermes update` in a terminal, Hermes stashes any uncommitted source-tree changes, pulls, then **asks** whether to restore them — exactly as it always has. Nothing changes for interactive updates.
|
||
|
||
When the update runs **without a terminal** — from the desktop/chat app's "Update" button or a gateway-triggered update — there's no prompt to answer. The `updates.non_interactive_local_changes` setting decides what happens to your stashed changes:
|
||
|
||
```yaml
|
||
# ~/.hermes/config.yaml
|
||
updates:
|
||
non_interactive_local_changes: stash # default: keep + auto-restore
|
||
# non_interactive_local_changes: discard # throw local source edits away
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
- `stash` (default) — auto-stash, pull, then auto-restore your changes on top of the updated code. Nothing is lost; if a restore hits conflicts they're preserved in a git stash for manual recovery.
|
||
- `discard` — auto-stash and drop the stash after the pull, so the update always lands on a clean tree. Use this only on machines where you never intend to keep local edits to the Hermes source. It stash-drops (not `git reset --hard` + `git clean -fd`), so ignored paths like `node_modules`, `venv`, and build outputs are never touched.
|
||
|
||
In the desktop app this is **Settings → Advanced → In-App Update Local Changes**.
|
||
|
||
### Preview-only: `hermes update --check`
|
||
|
||
Want to know if an update is available before pulling? Run `hermes update --check` — it fetches and compares commits against `origin/main`. No files are modified, no gateway is restarted. Useful in scripts and cron jobs that gate on "is there an update".
|
||
|
||
### Full pre-update backup: `--backup`
|
||
|
||
For high-value profiles (production gateways, shared team installs) you can opt into a full pre-pull backup of `HERMES_HOME` (config, auth, sessions, skills, pairing):
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
hermes update --backup
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
Or make it the default for every run:
|
||
|
||
```yaml
|
||
# ~/.hermes/config.yaml
|
||
updates:
|
||
pre_update_backup: true
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
`--backup` was the always-on behavior in earlier builds, but it was adding minutes to every update on large homes, so it's now opt-in. The lightweight pairing-data snapshot above still runs unconditionally.
|
||
|
||
### Windows: another `hermes.exe` is running
|
||
|
||
On Windows, `hermes update` will refuse to run if it detects another `hermes.exe` process holding the venv's entry-point executable open — most commonly the Hermes Desktop app's spawned backend, an open `hermes` REPL in another terminal, or a running gateway:
|
||
|
||
```
|
||
$ hermes update
|
||
✗ Another hermes.exe is running:
|
||
PID 12345 hermes.exe
|
||
|
||
Updating now would fail to overwrite ...\venv\Scripts\hermes.exe because
|
||
Windows blocks REPLACE on a running executable.
|
||
|
||
Close Hermes Desktop, exit any open `hermes` REPLs, and
|
||
stop the gateway (`hermes gateway stop`) before retrying.
|
||
Override with `hermes update --force` if you've already
|
||
confirmed those processes will not write to the venv.
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
Close the listed processes and re-run. If you're sure the concurrent process won't interfere (rare — usually only useful when an antivirus shim is mis-attributed), pass `--force` to skip the check. In that case the updater will still retry the `.exe` rename with exponential backoff and, on stubborn locks, schedule the replacement for next reboot via `MoveFileEx(MOVEFILE_DELAY_UNTIL_REBOOT)` so the update can complete.
|
||
|
||
Expected output looks like:
|
||
|
||
```
|
||
$ hermes update
|
||
Updating Hermes Agent...
|
||
📥 Pulling latest code...
|
||
Already up to date. (or: Updating abc1234..def5678)
|
||
📦 Updating dependencies...
|
||
✅ Dependencies updated
|
||
🔍 Checking for new config options...
|
||
✅ Config is up to date (or: Found 2 new options — running migration...)
|
||
🔄 Restarting gateways...
|
||
✅ Gateway restarted
|
||
✅ Hermes Agent updated successfully!
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
### Recommended Post-Update Validation
|
||
|
||
`hermes update` handles the main update path, but a quick validation confirms everything landed cleanly:
|
||
|
||
1. `git status --short` — if the tree is unexpectedly dirty, inspect before continuing
|
||
2. `hermes doctor` — checks config, dependencies, and service health
|
||
3. `hermes --version` — confirm the version bumped as expected
|
||
4. If you use the gateway: `hermes gateway status`
|
||
5. If `doctor` reports npm audit issues: run `npm audit fix` in the flagged directory
|
||
|
||
:::warning Dirty working tree after update
|
||
If `git status --short` shows unexpected changes after `hermes update`, stop and inspect them before continuing. This usually means local modifications were reapplied on top of the updated code, or a dependency step refreshed lockfiles.
|
||
:::
|
||
|
||
### If your terminal disconnects mid-update
|
||
|
||
`hermes update` protects itself against accidental terminal loss:
|
||
|
||
- The update ignores `SIGHUP`, so closing your SSH session or terminal window no longer kills it mid-install. `pip` and `git` child processes inherit this protection, so the Python environment cannot be left half-installed by a dropped connection.
|
||
- All output is mirrored to `~/.hermes/logs/update.log` while the update runs. If your terminal disappears, reconnect and inspect the log to see whether the update finished and whether the gateway restart succeeded:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
tail -f ~/.hermes/logs/update.log
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
- `Ctrl-C` (SIGINT) and system shutdown (SIGTERM) are still honored — those are deliberate cancellations, not accidents.
|
||
|
||
You no longer need to wrap `hermes update` in `screen` or `tmux` to survive a terminal drop.
|
||
|
||
### Checking your current version
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
hermes version
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
Compare against the latest release at the [GitHub releases page](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases).
|
||
|
||
### Updating from Messaging Platforms
|
||
|
||
You can also update directly from Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, or Teams by sending:
|
||
|
||
```
|
||
/update
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
This pulls the latest code, updates dependencies, and restarts running gateways. The bot will briefly go offline during the restart (typically 5–15 seconds) and then resume.
|
||
|
||
### Manual Update
|
||
|
||
If you installed manually (not via the quick installer):
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
cd /path/to/hermes-agent
|
||
export VIRTUAL_ENV="$(pwd)/venv"
|
||
|
||
# Pull latest code
|
||
git pull origin main
|
||
|
||
# Reinstall (picks up new dependencies)
|
||
uv pip install -e ".[all]"
|
||
|
||
# Check for new config options
|
||
hermes config check
|
||
hermes config migrate # Interactively add any missing options
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
### Rollback instructions
|
||
|
||
If an update introduces a problem, you can roll back to a previous version:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
cd /path/to/hermes-agent
|
||
|
||
# List recent versions
|
||
git log --oneline -10
|
||
|
||
# Roll back to a specific commit
|
||
git checkout <commit-hash>
|
||
uv pip install -e ".[all]"
|
||
|
||
# Restart the gateway if running
|
||
hermes gateway restart
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
To roll back to a specific release tag (substitute your previous tag — e.g. a recent release like `v2026.5.16`, or any earlier tag from `git tag --sort=-version:refname`):
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
git checkout vX.Y.Z
|
||
uv pip install -e ".[all]"
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
:::warning
|
||
Rolling back may cause config incompatibilities if new options were added. Run `hermes config check` after rolling back and remove any unrecognized options from `config.yaml` if you encounter errors.
|
||
:::
|
||
|
||
### Note for Nix users
|
||
|
||
If you installed via Nix flake, updates are managed through the Nix package manager:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
# Update the flake input
|
||
nix flake update hermes-agent
|
||
|
||
# Or rebuild with the latest
|
||
nix profile upgrade hermes-agent
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
Nix installations are immutable — rollback is handled by Nix's generation system:
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
nix profile rollback
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
See [Nix Setup](./nix-setup.md) for more details.
|
||
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
## Uninstalling
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
hermes uninstall
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
The uninstaller gives you the option to keep your configuration files (`~/.hermes/`) for a future reinstall.
|
||
|
||
### Manual Uninstall
|
||
|
||
```bash
|
||
rm -f ~/.local/bin/hermes
|
||
rm -rf /path/to/hermes-agent
|
||
rm -rf ~/.hermes # Optional — keep if you plan to reinstall
|
||
```
|
||
|
||
:::info
|
||
If you installed the gateway as a system service, stop and disable it first:
|
||
```bash
|
||
hermes gateway stop
|
||
# Linux: systemctl --user disable hermes-gateway
|
||
# macOS: launchctl remove ai.hermes.gateway
|
||
```
|
||
:::
|