hermes-agent/apps/desktop
brooklyn! c1f9eb0ec4
fix(desktop): resolve electronDist dynamically + self-heal blocked installs (supersedes #48081/#48082) (#48091)
* fix(desktop): resolve electronDist dynamically + self-heal blocked installs

Supersedes the static-path approach (#48081) and the install-step self-heal
(#48082) with a fix that removes the whole failure class instead of chasing each
symptom. Three distinct faults converged into the June desktop-build outage; this
closes all three.

Root cause (the part #48081 left open — "Gap B"):
  build.electronDist was a static relative path in apps/desktop/package.json, but
  npm workspace hoisting is NOT deterministic — depending on the npm version and
  what else is installed, npm nests the workspace-only electron devDep under
  apps/desktop/node_modules/electron OR hoists it to the repo root. A static path
  matches only one layout, so a clean install intermittently fails with "The
  specified electronDist does not exist". #48081 re-pointed the path at the
  nested layout (correct today) but electron-builder reads electronDist
  STATICALLY, so any future hoist change silently breaks it again — only caught
  by a CI invariant, never self-corrected.

Fix:
- scripts/run-electron-builder.cjs: resolve electron the way Node's runtime does
  — require.resolve("electron/package.json") walks node_modules from the desktop
  project upward and finds electron wherever npm actually put it. The path can
  never drift out of sync with the install layout again, on any OS/npm version.
    * dist present -> pass -c.electronDist=<abs>/dist so electron-builder reuses
      the unpacked runtime (keeps the #38673 fast path that dodges the 26.8.x
      missing-binary re-unpack bug).
    * dist absent  -> omit electronDist; electron-builder fetches Electron itself
      via @electron/get honoring electronVersion + ELECTRON_MIRROR.
  package.json: builder script now runs the wrapper; the static build.electronDist
  is removed (the resolver owns it).
- main.py / install.sh / install.ps1: on a dependency-install failure where the
  electron package staged but its dist is missing (electron's install.js
  process.exit(1) on a blocked/throttled binary download — #47266/#47917/#48021),
  repopulate the dist via electron's downloader (canonical, then npmmirror.com)
  and CONTINUE to the build instead of aborting. npm runs postinstall LAST, so
  the only casualty is electron/dist; bailing here is what made the pack-time
  mirror self-heal unreachable on a blocked network. Hard-fail only when electron
  never staged at all (a genuine dependency error).
- The pack-time mirror fallback now retries the build even when the pre-fetch
  can't populate the dist: the wrapper lets electron-builder download Electron
  itself via the mirror, so the retry is no longer a no-op (it was, when
  electronDist was a static path).

The exact 40.10.2 pin (already on main) keeps the third mode — the native
@electron-internal/extract-zip win32 binding that 40.10.3/40.10.4 ship without a
published prebuild — from recurring.

Tests:
- test_desktop_electron_pin.py: replace the static-path-matches-lockfile
  invariant with contracts that there is no hardcoded electronDist to drift, the
  builder script routes through the resolver, and the resolver uses Node module
  resolution + injects -c.electronDist.
- test_gui_command.py: install-failure self-heal continues to build; genuine
  (electron-never-staged) install failure still hard-fails; pack retries under
  the mirror even when the pre-fetch is blocked.

Salvages/supersedes the overlapping community work in #48003 (sitkarev),
#48012 (omegazheng), #48033 (james47kjv), and #48082.

Co-authored-by: sitkarev <59806492+sitkarev@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: omegazheng <zheng@omegasys.eu>
Co-authored-by: james47kjv <220877172+james47kjv@users.noreply.github.com>

* fix(desktop): narrow Electron self-heal to real missing-dist failures

Follow-up on #48091 to remove the remaining misdiagnosis risk from the
installer/build fallback path (#46785 concern): only take the Electron
repair/retry path when Electron's package files are staged and dist is actually
missing/corrupt.

- main.py: add _electron_pkg_staged_missing_dist() and use it to gate install
  failure recovery; fail fast for unrelated npm install errors.
- main.py/install.sh/install.ps1: run cache purge + retry only when dist is
  missing; do not retry unrelated tsc/vite/build failures under an
  Electron-specific narrative.
- install.sh/install.ps1: tighten install-stage self-heal guard to require both
  package.json + install.js and missing dist.
- tests: add coverage that install failure hard-fails when Electron dist already
  exists, and update retry test to reflect the tightened recovery condition.

Validation:
- Python tests: 64 passed
- install.sh-related tests included in the run
- Real mac build on this machine:
  - npm ci at repo root: success
  - cd apps/desktop && npm run pack: success
  - electron-builder packaged darwin arm64 and used custom unpacked Electron dist

* refactor(desktop): trim electron self-heal helpers and comments

Deduplicate mirror-retry into _try_redownload_electron_dist / shell
counterparts; shorten wrapper and install-script commentary without
changing recovery semantics.

---------

Co-authored-by: sitkarev <59806492+sitkarev@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: omegazheng <zheng@omegasys.eu>
Co-authored-by: james47kjv <220877172+james47kjv@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-06-17 18:48:35 -05:00
..
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): keep streaming painting in unfocused secondary chat windows (#47919) 2026-06-17 14:40:13 -04:00
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): resolve electronDist dynamically + self-heal blocked installs (supersedes #48081/#48082) (#48091) 2026-06-17 18:48:35 -05:00
src fix(desktop): recover stranded session windows when resume fails (#47655) 2026-06-17 17:33:53 -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): resolve electronDist dynamically + self-heal blocked installs (supersedes #48081/#48082) (#48091) 2026-06-17 18:48:35 -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.