delegation.max_concurrent_children caps how many delegated children run in
parallel per batch (and concurrent background delegation units). The old default
of 3 needlessly serialized independent fan-outs (e.g. reviewing/investigating N
PRs or issues at once), so large batches ran in slow chunks of 3.
Raise the shipped default to 10, which sits at/below the existing high-cost
advisory threshold (>10), so the default never trips the warning. Each child
still consumes API tokens independently, so this is a throughput/latency win the
user pays for in parallel token spend — the floor stays 1 and there is no
ceiling, so anyone can tune it down or up.
- config_defaults.py: default 3 -> 10; _config_version 36 -> 37.
- delegate_tool.py: _DEFAULT_MAX_CONCURRENT_CHILDREN 3 -> 10 (+ docstring).
- config_migrations.py: _migrate_to_37 lifts configs pinned at exactly the old
default 3 to 10 (deliberate non-3 overrides preserved; unset inherits 10).
- cli-config.yaml.example: documented default updated.
Verified: default/fallback read 10, version 37, and the migration lifts 3->10,
preserves an explicit 5, and leaves unset untouched.
Co-authored-by: Teknium <teknium1@users.noreply.github.com>
delegation.max_iterations is the per-subagent tool-call budget. The old
default of 50 truncated substantial delegated work: leaf agents spend
~15-20 turns on reconnaissance before producing output, then ran out of
budget mid-task and returned 'completed but unfinished' summaries. 250
gives real delegated work room to finish.
Changes:
- config_defaults.py: delegation.max_iterations 50 -> 250; _config_version 35 -> 36
- tools/delegate_tool.py: DEFAULT_MAX_ITERATIONS fallback 50 -> 250 (kept in
sync with the shipped default to prevent drift)
- config_migrations.py: _migrate_to_36 lifts configs still pinned at exactly
the OLD default 50 -> 250 on update, so existing installs inherit the new
headroom. Any other explicit value (deliberate override) is preserved;
unset inherits 250 at read time.
- cli-config.yaml.example: doc the new default
The cap is per-child and children run concurrently (max_concurrent_children
default 3), so this raises worst-case fan-out cost; delegation.child_timeout_seconds
(default 0 = off) remains available as a wall-clock guardrail, and users can
still pin a lower max_iterations explicitly.
Verified: migration lifts 50->250, preserves a deliberate 120, leaves unset
untouched (3/3); DEFAULT_CONFIG reads version=36, max_iterations=250, fallback=250.
Background process completions on messaging platforms now default to a
one-line status message (✅/❌ + command + duration; failures append a
short output tail) instead of dumping the raw output buffer into the
chat. New display.background_process_notifications mode 'concise' is
the default; 'all' keeps the old raw-dump behavior for anyone who wants
it. Config migration v35 moves users still on the old implicit default
'all' to 'concise' on their next update; explicit result/error/off
choices are preserved.
Personality persistence used to be split per surface: the TUI/desktop wrote
the NAME to display.personality while the CLI/gateway wrote rendered TEXT
into agent.system_prompt (and their /personality none only blanked the
text, leaving the name behind). When #81946 made display.personality
authoritative everywhere, stale names written long ago resurrected
personalities users had turned off - kawaii defaulting on after updating.
- hermes_cli/personality.py: new single owner of personality state.
Built-in personality definitions, neutral-name normalization, rendering,
availability (built-ins overlaid by agent.personalities), overlay
resolution, and the ONLY sanctioned persistence path
(persist_personality -> display.personality; never agent.system_prompt).
- v34 config migration: one-time reset of display.personality to none
(announcing which personality was cleared and how to re-enable), plus a
scrub of agent.system_prompt when it verbatim-equals a known personality
render (machine-written by the old CLI/gateway). Hand-written manual
prompts are never touched.
- All surfaces rewired through the module: CLI /personality (incl. active
marker in the list), gateway /personality, TUI config.set + slash path
(which previously applied without persisting), TUI config.get (reports
the EFFECTIVE personality), completer, hermes config display, and the
tui_gateway health probe.
- cli.py/config duplicates removed: built-ins now defined once; the
desktop mirrors them from one lib module (src/lib/personalities.ts).
- Docs updated: selection lives in display.personality, built-ins always
available, one-time reset note.
Teknium