fix(update): preserve SSH-owned backends during cleanup

hermes_cli/dashboard_procs.py

@@ -360,24 +360,27 @@ def _kill_stale_dashboard_processes(
     # When the Hermes Desktop Electron app spawns this dashboard as a
     # backend child, it sets HERMES_DESKTOP_CHILD_PID so that the update
     # path can skip killing the desktop-managed process.  (#37532)
-    exclude: set[int] | None = None
+    exclude: set[int] = set()
     raw_pid = os.environ.get("HERMES_DESKTOP_CHILD_PID")
     if raw_pid:
         # The desktop may manage several backends (one per active profile) and
         # passes them comma-separated; a lone int still parses for back-compat.
-        parsed: set[int] = set()
         for part in raw_pid.split(","):
             part = part.strip()
             if not part:
                 continue
             try:
-                parsed.add(int(part))
+                exclude.add(int(part))
             except (ValueError, TypeError):
                 pass
-        if parsed:
-            exclude = parsed
 
-    pids = _m()._find_stale_dashboard_pids(exclude_pids=exclude)
+    # An SSH-owned backend belongs to an attached Desktop client even when the
+    # updater runs from an unrelated remote shell with no Desktop child PID.
+    # Honor the same validated ownership records as the orphan reaper; killing
+    # one permanently strands that client's fixed SSH port-forward.
+    exclude |= _lock_owned_serve_pids()
+
+    pids = _m()._find_stale_dashboard_pids(exclude_pids=exclude or None)
     if not pids:
         return {"matched": [], "killed": [], "failed": []}
 

tests/hermes_cli/test_update_stale_dashboard.py

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ History:
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import importlib
+import json
 import os
 import subprocess
 import sys
@@ -87,6 +88,43 @@ def _ps_runner(stdout: str):
     return _side_effect
 
 
+def test_update_cleanup_spares_backend_owned_by_valid_ssh_lock(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    pid = 4242
+    ownership_id = "a" * 32
+    spawn_nonce = "b" * 16
+    lock_dir = tmp_path / "desktop-ssh" / ownership_id
+    lock_dir.mkdir(parents=True)
+    (lock_dir / "backend.lock.json").write_text(json.dumps({
+        "schemaVersion": 2,
+        "protocolVersion": 1,
+        "ownershipId": ownership_id,
+        "spawnNonce": spawn_nonce,
+        "tokenFingerprint": "c" * 32,
+        "pid": pid,
+        "port": 46369,
+        "profile": "default",
+        "hermesPath": "/opt/hermes/bin/hermes",
+        "hermesHome": str(tmp_path),
+        "logPath": f"{tmp_path}/desktop-ssh/{ownership_id}/{spawn_nonce}.log",
+        "startedAt": "2026-08-21T15:27:39Z",
+    }))
+    monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path))
+    monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_DESKTOP_CHILD_PID", raising=False)
+
+    def assert_owned_pid_is_excluded(*, exclude_pids=None):
+        assert exclude_pids is not None
+        assert pid in exclude_pids
+        return []
+
+    with patch(
+        "hermes_cli.main._find_stale_dashboard_pids",
+        side_effect=assert_owned_pid_is_excluded,
+    ):
+        result = _kill_stale_dashboard_processes(restart_managed=True)
+
+    assert result == {"matched": [], "killed": [], "failed": []}
+
+
 class TestFindStaleDashboardPids:
     """Unit tests for the ps/wmic-based detection step."""