Real-profile browsing (browser.use_real_profile) is meant to drive a COPY of
the user's profile headlessly in the background so they can keep working while
the agent acts on their behalf. Instead, on any host with a display it launched
the user's real browser binary HEADED, popping a window that grabbed focus on
every turn.
Root cause: the native launch (which bypasses agent-browser's own launcher to
avoid --use-mock-keychain dropping keychain-encrypted cookies) only added
--headless=new when Linux had no DISPLAY/WAYLAND_DISPLAY. On a normal desktop
the guard was false, so Chrome opened a visible window.
Fix: launch headless by default on every platform. Chrome's NEW headless mode
shares the profile's normal cookie store (unlike legacy --headless), and the
cookie drop we guard against comes from --use-mock-keychain, not from headless
— so real-profile auth still loads. Users who want to watch can opt in via the
existing browser.headed / AGENT_BROWSER_HEADED toggle (honored for real-profile
now, same as the rest of the browser stack); display-less hosts stay headless
regardless so the launch doesn't die at startup.
Live A/B on a real X seat: old argv mapped a Chrome window (focus steal),
--headless=new mapped zero windows while still exposing a working CDP port.
Updated the stale test that pinned 'never passes --headless' (a legacy-headless
premise) to positively assert the chrome launch is --headless=new by default.
The snapshot dirs were 0700 but every file inside landed umask-wide:
shutil.copy2 preserves Chrome's own 0644 profile-file modes and
sqlite3.connect creates the online-backup destinations as plain umask
files — so the copied Cookies / Login Data / Web Data (the user's live
session credentials) sat 0644. The 0700 parents contain it by default,
but the documented HERMES_HOME_MODE traversal hatch makes group/world-
readable children a real exposure.
snapshot_real_profile now reconciles every file (0600) and nested dir
(0700) inside the snapshot through the house helpers (_secure_file /
_secure_dir — managed-mode and container carve-outs included) at the
end of every pass, so snapshots written by older builds heal on their
next launch. Best-effort, never blocks a launch.
Tests: owner-only walk under umask 022 (fails on the pre-fix code —
sabotage-verified) + heal-on-refresh for a pre-existing 0644 Cookies.
The issue's other two findings are already fixed on main: mock-keychain
flags eliminated by the direct native-binary launch (#98249, salvage of
#96763); the 'Device not configured' TTY failure is superseded by the
same launch-path rework.
Four fixes for real-profile browsing (browser.use_real_profile), found and
verified end-to-end on macOS with a live Chrome:
1. _copy_auth_file: sqlite3.connect('file:...?mode=ro') on a live Chrome
auth DB can block indefinitely inside lock negotiation - the busy
timeout never fires, so the 'fail fast' path hangs the launch forever.
Try immutable=1 first (reads instantly, correct for a committed
snapshot of a file another process owns); mode=ro stays as fallback.
2. Launch shape: agent-browser's own launch injects --use-mock-keychain /
--password-store=basic / --headless=new. On macOS the mock keychain
makes Chrome treat every keychain-encrypted cookie as undecryptable
and drop it - the copied profile launches signed out (~3 anonymous
cookies instead of the full jar). Launch the user's real browser
binary directly on the copy (no mock-keychain switches), wait for
DevToolsActivePort, then attach agent-browser via --cdp.
3. Snapshot copy: Local State was copied verbatim, still naming the
SOURCE profile (last_used='Profile 2', info_cache listing several)
while the copy only contains Default. Chrome opens the missing profile
dir and starts signed out. Normalize the copy's Local State to
Default-only.
4. CDP resolution: the agent-browser daemon may report the endpoint of a
browser IT spawned (throwaway temp profile) instead of the real
browser we launched on the copy. Trust the port our browser wrote to
DevToolsActivePort.
Also adds browser.real_profile_pin (optional): pin which source Chromium
profile dir is snapshotted instead of following profile.last_used - on a
machine with a work profile and a personal one, last-used roulette can
silently give the agent the wrong identity. A pin naming a missing dir
fails closed (signed out) rather than falling back to last_used.
Tests: 4 new pin tests + 3 launch tests reshaped to the direct-launch
contract (Popen the real binary, agent-browser attaches). 77 passing.
Extends the real-profile machinery (PR #95620) to Brave Origin — Brave's
standalone paid build with a fully separate install identity:
- new canonical key 'brave-origin' in _CHROMIUM_BROWSERS
- Windows: BraveOHTML ProgId -> brave-origin; channel ProgIds BraveOBHTML/
BraveODHTML/BraveOSHTM fail closed (identifiers from brave-core
install_static)
- macOS: com.brave.Browser.origin bundle id (exact match); .beta/.dev/
.nightly channel bundles fail closed; /Applications/Brave Origin.app
- Linux: brave-origin.desktop matched BEFORE the bare 'brave' fragment
(substring scan would otherwise resolve an Origin default to stable
Brave and drive the wrong profile — #95549 wrong-principal invariant);
brave-origin-{beta,nightly,dev} fail closed
- profile dirs: BraveSoftware/Brave-Origin on all three OSes (per
brave-core kProductPathName + Homebrew cask zap paths)
- /browser connect launch tables: Brave Origin split into its OWN group
so a 'brave' executable lookup can never resolve to the Origin binary
- user-facing strings/docs/desktop tooltip updated
Tests: progid/bundle/desktop map params + data-dir resolution for all
three OSes; 125 passed in the three browser test files.
Refines the Windows path per three requirements:
1. Only when the toggle is set — closing is offered only if
browser.real_profile_autoclose is on.
2. Blocked when locked — snapshot_real_profile NEVER kills; a locked profile
always returns the [profile-locked] signal and the copy is refused. A later
attempt that is still locked blocks again (no loop, no auto-kill).
3. Ask approval to close — closing is an explicit, user-approved step:
(new CLI subcommand) runs
close_browser_holding_profile only when the agent has the user's OK. The
locked error tells the agent to ask first, then run it, then retry.
- browser_connect: snapshot blocks with _PROFILE_LOCKED_PREFIX (autoclose-armed
message offers the close; off message says fully-quit); no in-snapshot kill.
- main.py: subcommand (identity+binding-verified
tree kill via close_browser_holding_profile); added to _BUILTIN_SUBCOMMANDS.
- browser_tool: surfaces the locked signal + the exact approved-close command.
- Docs/config: toggle arms + agent asks + blocked-if-still-locked.
Tests: snapshot blocks-not-kills with autoclose on AND off; process matcher
identity/binding. 73 real-profile tests pass. Windows live E2E (proof): locked
blocks fast without killing → approved close terminates Chrome → snapshot then
copies a valid DB; autoclose-off blocks with quit guidance.
Live Windows CI proved copy-while-running is impossible (Chrome opens the cookie
DB deny-all). So to make Windows actually WORK — not just fail cleanly — add
opt-in auto-close: browser.real_profile_autoclose (default false). When the
profile is locked and consent is on, snapshot_real_profile terminates the
browser process tree bound to THAT user-data-dir (psutil, identity+binding
verified like the daemon reaper — browser binary AND this exact --user-data-dir
in cmdline, fail-closed on ambiguity), waits for the lock to release, then
snapshots. Destructive (loses unsaved tabs) so it's off by default and the agent
asks first; the fail-fast message names the option. No effect on POSIX.
- close_browser_holding_profile: graceful terminate → kill → poll until the
cookie DB is openable again (bounded); reports relaunch/tray failure clearly.
- _processes_holding_profile: identity+binding matcher (never kills an
unrelated same-name process on a different dir).
- Config key + docs admonition.
Tests: autoclose closes-then-snapshots, autoclose-failure-reports, fail-fast
names the option, process-matcher identity/binding. 74 real-profile tests pass.
Windows live E2E (PROOF workflow, reverted before merge): autoclose-off fails
fast <30s; autoclose-on terminates real Chrome, lock releases, valid cookie DB
copied.
Live windows-latest proof settled it: a running Chrome opens its cookie DB
deny-all (even CreateFile with FILE_SHARE_READ|WRITE|DELETE fails; sqlite
mode=ro/immutable/nolock all 'unable to open'), so copy-while-running is
impossible on Windows without VSS/admin — and the prior code HUNG ~24min on the
locked file.
Fix: a fast up-front lock probe (_profile_is_locked: one open() of the active
profile's cookie DB; PermissionError = locked) runs BEFORE any copy in
snapshot_real_profile. If locked, bail immediately with 'fully quit the browser
(incl. background/tray) and retry, or turn browser.use_real_profile off'. Never
hangs, never a silent signed-out copy. POSIX has no mandatory locking so the
probe never trips there — copy-while-running still works on macOS/Linux.
Docs: admonition stating Windows needs the browser fully closed (background
apps included); the live-drive-while-running path is #95669.
Tests: lock-probe unit coverage (readable/no-db/PermissionError), snapshot
fails-fast-no-copytree when locked. Windows live E2E asserts the fast-fail
contract (returns <30s with the quit message) + the read-strategy diagnostic.
On Windows a running Chrome holds Cookies / Login Data / Web Data with an
exclusive lock, so the raw file copy the snapshot used raised WinError 32
('being used by another process') and the best-effort skip left a signed-out
copy — the reported profile-cloning failure.
Fix: copy the SQLite auth DBs via SQLite's online-backup API (read-only
connection + Connection.backup()), which reads a consistent COMMITTED snapshot
while the writer holds the lock. Non-DB files (Preferences, Local State) stay a
plain copy. If even the online-backup can't read a DB, snapshot_real_profile now
FAILS CLOSED with an actionable 'close <browser> and retry' message instead of
launching a silently signed-out session.
- _copy_auth_file: sqlite-backup for Cookies/Login Data/Web Data, raw copy
otherwise, raw-copy fallback if backup fails.
- Drop -journal/-wal/-shm sidecars from the auth set + snapshot ignore: the
backed-up DB is self-contained; a stale sidecar next to it corrupts it.
- Fresh copytree excludes the auth DBs (raw copytree of a locked file raises on
Windows); they're always mirrored lock-aware afterward.
- _mirror_profile_auth returns the count of DBs it could not copy so the caller
can fail closed.
Tests: locked-DB copied-via-backup (open write txn = live-lock analog, 42
committed rows, uncommitted excluded, no journal sidecar), _copy_auth_file DB vs
plain, fail-closed when unreadable. 192 browser tests pass. Live: 68 real
cookies copied through the backup path and the session launches.
Addresses the round-3 findings from @Adolanium + @kshitijk4poor on #95620:
1. Overlay-before-reuse race (blocker): _real_profile_cdp ran snapshot_real_profile
BEFORE the session-reuse check, so a cold resolve that ends in reuse rewrote
Cookies/Login Data under a live Chromium holding the user-data-dir open (torn
DBs, locked txns, phantom logouts). Now: resolve copy dir as a PATH, probe
reuse first, return early on a hit; snapshot/overlay only on the relaunch
path when no live browser owns the dir.
2. Torn first copy poisoned freshness forever: freshness keyed on isdir(Default),
so a half-written copy (disk full / Ctrl+C) was treated as populated and only
ever got auth overlays. Now gated on a .hermes-snapshot-complete marker
written only after a full copy succeeds; a torn copy is rebuilt from scratch.
3. Consent revocation left copied credentials on disk: turning use_real_profile
off now deletes ~/.hermes/browser-profile/ on next browser use
(cleanup_real_profile_snapshots), so cookies/logins don't outlive consent.
4. Stale non-active profile copies: only the ACTIVE profile (last_used) is copied
into the copy's Default now — other Chrome profiles are never snapshotted
(smaller copy, no stale credential dirs lingering).
5. Docs/config/desktop wording aligned to actual behavior (active-profile only,
refresh on fresh session, consent-off cleanup).
Tests: overlay-skipped-on-reuse + overlay-runs-on-relaunch, done-marker gating +
torn-copy rebuild, active-only copy, consent-off cleanup (removes store +
idempotent + triggered from _real_profile_cdp). 206 browser + 222
backup/file_safety pass. Live: reuse skips re-snapshot; direct launch on the
active-only copy loads the real signed-in Gmail inbox.
Addresses the five findings from @kshitijk4poor + @GottZ on #95620:
1. macOS 26 LSHandlers parser returned a version number ('7559.97') from the
nested LSHandlerPreferredVersions block instead of the bundle id — detection
returned None on a machine whose default IS Chrome. Strip the nested block
before the role regex.
2. Wrong profile launched (the LinkedIn/Gmail 'logged out' bug): Chrome opens
Default, but the session lives in Local State profile.last_used (e.g.
'Profile 6'). Resolve last_used and mirror its auth files into the copy's
Default on both fresh and refresh paths, so the launched browser is signed in.
3. Private-URL sidecar carried the real cookie jar to arbitrary LAN hosts:
_create_local_session gains allow_real_profile (default True); the
force_local sidecar passes False → always a throwaway profile, and a
real-profile resolve failure no longer breaks private-URL routing.
4. Snapshot permissions were set once (fresh only): now secure the snapshot dir
AND its browser-profile parent on every consented launch.
5. browser.engine=lightpanda + consent gave an unactionable error: guard with
_using_lightpanda_engine() before detection, naming the setting and the fix.
Tests: last_used mirroring (fresh+refresh+fallback), sidecar throwaway + error
isolation, macOS26 parser + detect, perms-on-refresh, lightpanda guard. 198
browser tests pass. Live: Profile-6 cookie DB lands in copy Default (file-level);
real Gmail (Default profile) still signed in.
Addresses two P1 review blockers (kshitij / @kxee) on the real-profile feature:
Credential-store lifecycle for ~/.hermes/browser-profile/ (copied Cookies/
Login Data):
- exclude the singular 'browser-profile' dir from backup AND import
(_EXCLUDED_DIRS drives both) — was silently archiving cookies/logins
- add a browser-profile/ directory-PREFIX read-deny to agent/file_safety.py,
same class as auth.json / mcp-tokens
- secure the snapshot dir through the canonical hermes_cli.config._secure_dir
(honors managed/NixOS group-share + HERMES_UID/GID), not a bespoke chmod
Channel identity (#95549 invariant — never normalize Beta/Dev/Canary to
stable, which would drive a different account's profile):
- detect recognized pre-release channels FIRST (Win ProgIds, macOS bundle ids,
Linux .desktop) and return UNSUPPORTED_CHANNEL
- macOS bundle match is now EXACT (was startswith); Linux/Win channel-before-
stable ordering; real_profile_data_dir/chromium_executable reject the sentinel
- _real_profile_cdp fails closed with a channel-specific message, never snapshots
Tests: channel-not-normalized (linux/darwin/windows), wrong-principal fail-closed,
backup exclusion, read-guard block/allow, snapshot dir secured. 187 browser +
222 backup/file_safety pass. Live re-verified: real Gmail inbox still loads.
Copy the user's default-Chromium profile (auth state only) into a managed
snapshot, launch Hermes' packaged Chromium on it via agent-browser, and hand
the CDP endpoint to the Browser Use CLI (and built-in tools) to drive. The
snapshot is a non-default dir, so it sidesteps Chrome 136+'s default-profile
remote-debugging block and never contends with the user's running browser;
launched without mock-keychain switches so keyring-encrypted cookies decrypt.
- consent-gated browser_exec 'local' arg (schema only appears with consent)
- fail-closed on non-Chromium default / snapshot failure
- stale-session guard: reuse only when the live session is on our copy dir
- snapshot excludes extensions/service-workers (renderer wedge) + caches
_navigation_session_key returned the ::local sidecar key for local_browser
before the cloud-provider and auto_local_for_private_urls checks. Two
consequences:
- Every private-URL gate in browser_navigate (credential-bearing query,
_is_safe_url pre-nav, post-redirect) is keyed off the sidecar key, so a
model-supplied browser_navigate(url, local_browser=True) opened LAN
addresses in a host-side Chromium — with the real profile's cookies — even
when the user had set browser.auto_local_for_private_urls: false. Consent to
the profile is not consent to override the LAN routing opt-out; a private
URL now follows auto_local_for_private_urls exactly as without the flag.
- Without a cloud provider the bare session already is the local Chromium
(and already carries the real profile when consented), so the flag created a
second session for the same task on the same user-data-dir, which Chromium's
process singleton refuses. The flag is now a no-op there.
The existing consent/CDP-precedence tests keep their assertions; the sidecar
test now states the cloud-provider precondition it silently relied on.
Teknium