hermes-agent/apps/desktop
brooklyn! 8bb6529553
fix(desktop): sidebar sections never overlap — two-mode CSS scroll + collapse/cap groups (#43147)
* fix(desktop): prevent sidebar section overlap

Use a shared sidebar section scroller only on short windows so sections do not overlap, while preserving per-section scrolling on taller layouts.

* fix(desktop): measure section stack for compact sidebar mode

Window-height media query kept big windows in compact mode whenever the OS chrome ate into 830px; observe the section stack element instead so compact only engages when the stack is actually short.

* refactor(desktop): drive sidebar compact mode with CSS, not JS

Replace the matchMedia hook with a `short` (max-height: 830px) Tailwind
variant so the per-section scrollers flatten into one shared scroll stack on
short windows purely in CSS. Taller windows keep their per-group scrollers and
recents virtualization unchanged.

* refactor(desktop): pure-CSS two-mode sidebar scroll + collapse/cap groups

Drop the JS-measured compaction in favour of a single `compact` height
variant (max-height: 768px):
- tall: every section is its own capped, independent scroller; Sessions
  is the lone flex-1 scroller.
- short: sections flatten and the stack scrolls as one.

Every section is now `shrink-0`, so nothing is squeezed below its
content and bled onto a sibling — the root cause of the header overlap
(flexbox implied min-size). Sessions keeps its virtualized scroller in
short mode only when it's the long list.

Non-session groups (messaging, cron) collapse by default — expanded ids
persist per platform — and render 3 rows, revealing 10 more on demand.
Extract the shared SidebarLoadMoreRow. Stress harness seeds 50 recents
to mirror the real first page.

* chore(desktop): trim sidebar comments, unify "compact" naming

Self-review polish: condense the over-long mode comments, use "compact"
consistently (matching the variant) instead of mixing "short", and drop a
no-op useCallback around revealMoreMessaging.

* chore(desktop): drop dev sidebar stress harness from the PR

Remove stress-probe.ts and its main.tsx import — it was a throwaway
testing aid, not something to ship.
2026-06-10 01:11:45 +00:00
..
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): release profile backends before delete (#42613) 2026-06-09 10:52:02 -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): fail loudly instead of blank-paging when the renderer bundle is missing (#41729) 2026-06-07 22:04:39 -07:00
src fix(desktop): sidebar sections never overlap — two-mode CSS scroll + collapse/cap groups (#43147) 2026-06-10 01:11:45 +00:00
.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 Add Hermes desktop app (#20059) 2026-05-31 17:46:56 -05:00
index.html fix(desktop): triage batch of GUI quality-of-life fixes (#37536) 2026-06-02 16:33:22 -04:00
package.json fix(desktop): fail loudly instead of blank-paging when the renderer bundle is missing (#41729) 2026-06-07 22:04:39 -07:00
preview-demo.html Add Hermes desktop app (#20059) 2026-05-31 17:46:56 -05:00
README.md docs: remove --include-desktop install instructions (#39762) 2026-06-05 06:53:58 -07:00
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 type-check
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.