Siddharth Balyan
ee2f5629b8
* refactor(connectors): cut comments that restate the code
Connector modules (tools/connectors, tui_gateway connector RPCs, desktop
connector card/store) keep only comments that carry a non-derivable why or
a cross-module contract. No behaviour change.
* feat(connectors): managed connect runs on the connection operation
Managed `connect` / `reconnect` mint one ConnectionOperation for every target and, on a
desktop session, block the tool turn until the operation settles; the result is per-target
outcomes and never carries a connect link. Off the desktop the result carries the links and
returns at once (PR3 delivers them as their own message).
Why: the previous leg handed the model a URL and a `wait` verb, and the renderer ran its own
2s poller on top of the backend's 5s one; both walked the whole gateway catalog at two vendor
calls per page to read one row (~3 Composio calls/s per pending target). A hidden composer
message started the model's `wait` on the user's behalf. None of it was observable from the
operation the MCP leg already used.
What the operation looks like now:
- `contract.py`: TargetState / Actor / SettleReason enums and the `(kind, from) -> {to: actor}`
transition table. `operation.transition()` enforces it; a card cannot claim a managed
target `connected`, only the backend watcher can.
- `live.py`: one open operation per session, found by `op_id`. `connectors.operation.status`
reads it, `connection.respond` drives it, `pending_connection` on resume replays it.
- `run.py`: the one lifecycle for both target kinds (prepare -> card -> wake/observe loop ->
settle -> result). The managed `observe` hook polls the gateway list once per tick for the
whole operation; the exact-status route replaces that call when the gateway ships it.
- `connection.update` is emitted on every transition and on settlement; registered in the
shared event contract with the operation vocabulary typed on the TS side.
- `wait`, `_rendered_links`, `_seen_instructions`, the just-minted bounce and `_clamp_timeout`
are deleted. `force` on `reconnect` always reinitiates; plain `reconnect` repairs only what
the gateway reports disconnected.
- `connections.wait_timeout_seconds` is removed from config defaults, the example and the
docs. The deadline is `OPERATION_DEADLINE_SECONDS = 300` in `operation.py`; the key was
added on this unmerged train so no migration is needed.
- Wire model: `statusReason` parsed on connection results; the seven-state `connectionStatus`
is typed on list items and an unknown value fails validation; `CONNECTION_REQUIRED` carries
`connect_card_available` instead of the link when the session platform is `desktop`.
Session platform, not callback presence, decides whether a card exists: the GUI bridge
attaches callbacks to every backend session, terminal TUI included.
* feat(desktop): connector card subscribes to the connection operation
The card renders from the backend's operation instead of driving its own: `connector-flow.ts`
(the renderer's 2s `connectors.list` poller, its 120s client deadline and `keepWaiting`) is
deleted, and both hidden composer submits in `connector-tool.tsx` go with it. The model is
never nudged into a `wait`; the tool call is blocked on the backend until the operation
settles.
- `connection-request.ts` is the operation store: keyed by `op_id`, one entry per session,
`applyOperationStatus` / `applyConnectionUpdate` as pure reducers, `respond` leaves the
entry in place (the backend answers with `connection.update`), `ConnectionTargetOutcome`
is a discriminated union the backend's transition table accepts.
- `input-requests.ts` applies `connection.update`; `connection.expire` and the resume
snapshot correlate by `op_id` (a snapshot has no `request_id`).
- `ConnectorOffer` renders one `ConnectorCard` per target from a single
`Record<ConnectionTargetState, phase>` table; Connect opens the stored link, Try again on
failed / expired reissues through `connectors.connect` on the open operation, Not now is a
per-target `skipped`, Continue settles. A settled operation renders `ConnectorSummary` rows
with no live control.
- `tool-render-class.ts`: `manage_connections` renders the card regardless of
`HERMES_GUEST_ONBOARDING`; the flag still gates the onboarding flow, not the card. The
backend gate already decided admission; a card only exists because the tool was admitted.
- `mcp-setup-tool.tsx` speaks the same outcome vocabulary (connected / skipped / failed).
- `ConnectorRow.connectionStatus` is the seven-state literal union, not `string | null`.
- The guided-onboarding poller (`first-build-connectors.ts`) keeps its own row/phase types
and compiles unchanged; PR3 moves it onto the operation.
anti-slop: no net-new findings (17 touched files vs 11d1a12472).
* fix(connectors): the card never parks the tool thread; every update carries the snapshot
Found by the pre-PR adversarial review and a real-path E2E test (both left in the tree).
- The desktop `connection_callback` was still `_block("connection.request", ...)`, which parked
the tool thread on a private request-id Event until a `_respond` that no longer exists for
this event. `connection.respond` settled the operation but the tool waited its full deadline
before the watcher loop even started. The callback now only emits the card; the operation's
own wake loop is the wait. The MCP leg's blocking bridge goes with it: the card answers
through `connection.respond` like every other card.
- `connection.request` and every `connection.update` frame carry the full target snapshot
(state, link, detail). The initial mint happened before the card existed, so the renderer
never saw the links and Connect stayed disabled; a Continue settlement stamped
`not_connected` on the backend while the card still showed `initiated`. The store now
overlays the snapshot; no state is reconstructed from deltas.
- The `connection.update` emitter is a class-level `on_change` slot on the operation, set
once by `register()` (a second `register()` no longer stacks wrappers); session lookup takes
`_sessions_lock`; a re-minted link on an `initiated` target goes through `refresh_link()`
and emits, instead of a bare attribute write.
- `session.interrupt` is checked before the first observe, so an interrupted call settles
`interrupt`, not `all_resolved`.
- A gateway list reporting `expired` for an initiated target is recorded with actor `clock`
(the contract's owner of that edge); it raised `IllegalTransition` before.
- Dead `keepWaiting` i18n keys from the deleted renderer poller removed.
tests/tui_gateway/test_connector_operation_e2e.py runs the desktop lifecycle through the real
tool, registry, gateway RPC handlers and callback bridge with only the HTTP client faked.
* docs(connectors): prompts and docs describe the operation, not the deleted wait verb
The onboarding prompts told the model to call action="wait" with timeout_seconds and to
expect a hidden [setup]/[connectors] note; both are gone. tool-search.md and
toolsets-reference.md said the model gets a connect link on the desktop. tui_gateway/AGENTS.md
gains the connection-operation row of the surface table.
* fix(connectors): the panel re-mints only a dead link
Try again on a failed or expired target mints a fresh link on the open operation. A waiting
target keeps the link it was minted with; the card reopens it and connectors.connect refuses
to spend a second mint (LINK_STILL_VALID). The unused refresh_link() goes. The package
docstring names the new siblings; the nine-name public surface is unchanged.
* test(connectors): the local-batch test answers the operation the way the card does
The callback stopped returning an answer in f782b26d98 (the card answers through
connection.respond); this test still returned one and waited out the 300s deadline in CI.
* ci: retrigger
* fix(connectors): the desktop card appears outside guided onboarding
Live on a signed-in macOS desktop, the two-app connect never showed a card. Three
defects, each hidden by a test that bound state the running app never binds.
The backend read the surface from HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM only. The desktop and TUI
gateway bind it as HERMES_SESSION_SOURCE (_set_session_context), so session_platform()
was "" and managed connects took the off-desktop branch: links in the model's message,
no operation. session_platform() now reads platform, then source. The E2E test binds
through server._set_session_context instead of set_session_vars(platform="desktop").
The renderer routed manage_connections to the card only under isOnboardingEnabled(),
the HERMES_GUEST_ONBOARDING launch flag, in message-parts.tsx and the run splitter in
fallback.tsx. tool-render-class.ts had already dropped that gate in this PR; the two
routers had not. Both now route on the tool name alone.
ConnectorTool resolved the session owner by the runtime id. Owner routes, hints and
session rows are keyed by the stored id, so in registry topology the owner never
resolved and the card rendered null while the tool blocked. It now resolves by the
stored id, matching the PR1.5 card and every other owner lookup.
message-parts-connectors.test.tsx mounts the real Fallback router with the onboarding
flag off and distinct runtime/stored ids; red before each renderer fix, green after.
* style(connectors): shorter comments, no module mock in the card router test
The router test mocked isOnboardingEnabled to false; jsdom has no preload bridge, so the
real function already returns false. Comments that restated the code are cut to one line.
anti-slop: no net-new findings (25 touched files)
* fix(connectors): Connect on a waiting row opens the stored link
ConnectorCard derived the button's loading state from the phase label, so a managed row that
read "Finish connecting in your browser" (every row, since links are minted up front) had a
disabled Connect button. Nothing on the desktop could open the sign-in link; every managed
connect ended skipped, not_connected, or at the deadline.
The card now takes `busy` for "the action itself is running" and keeps `phase` as a label.
The MCP card passes its in-flight flag; the connector card passes the re-mint wait. Red before:
the Connect button on an initiated row rendered disabled and a click opened nothing.
* fix(connectors): a settled card stays dead; the card binds to its tool call only
A second connect for the same apps revived the finished card on the old tool row. The
connection.request payload carried no id, so the renderer fell back to matching rows by
connector names, and any row with those names qualified, settled or not.
The operation now records the model's tool_call_id and sends it in connection.request and in
the resume snapshot. The card binds to the tool row with that id and to nothing else; the
name-match fallback is deleted. A payload without the id is rejected by the store.
`reason` is removed from the tool: it was the only text the card ever showed from the model
and its absence forked a second tool part, since `reason` doubled as the row-correlation key
in tool-parts.ts. The card never needed it.
`connection.expire` is deleted from the contract and from _EXPIRING_REQUESTS: the card is
raised with _emit, not _block, so nothing has emitted it since the operation lifecycle landed.
Sid's rule of record: a resolved card is fully dead; no path brings it back.
* fix(connectors): the watch loop settles once, on time, and never raises into the result
Three findings from the live review, one loop.
Continue racing a finished sign-in: the loop ran the gateway read, then settled. A read that
returned `connected` for an already-settled or failed target raised IllegalTransition out of
the tool and the model got a generic error instead of the per-app outcomes. The read now skips
targets that are not live (pending, initiated) and skips a settled operation; the loop checks
`settled` after every read.
Settle reason as row text: `settle()` wrote `continue`/`deadline` into each unresolved target's
`detail`, and the card printed it in red. The reason stays on the operation only.
Stop and the deadline waited for the next tick: `/stop` sets a per-thread flag with no wake
hook, so the sleep is sliced at 250 ms and the flag and clock are read each slice. The clock is
also checked before each read, not only after.
Tests: a failed mint that later reads connected settles cleanly; Continue during a read keeps
the settled result; no reason in detail; an interrupt settles within the same second.
* fix(connectors): MCP setup off the desktop returns unavailable instead of blocking
run_mcp_operation treated a non-None connection_callback as "a card exists". Every tui_gateway
session has that callback, the Ink TUI included, so an MCP install from the terminal UI blocked
until the 300 s deadline while the docs promised `unavailable` with the terminal commands.
The MCP path now reads the session surface the same way the managed path does; the callback is
never the predicate. Test binds the surface to `tui` with the callback attached.
* fix(connectors): a failed Try again shows the failure, not the old dead link
The panel's re-mint ignored the gateway's per-app status and moved the row to `initiated` with
whatever link came back, `None` included, so a mint that failed again rendered as waiting on the
link that had already died.
One reader of a mint response now serves both the first mint and Try again
(`managed.mint`, with the actor as a parameter). A repeated failure keeps the row `failed`,
drops the link, and carries the vendor's new text through `operation.refresh`, which emits a
frame without a state change so the card redraws.
* fix(connectors): a forced reconnect waits for the new sign-in before it reports connected
`reconnect` with `force: true` is the account switch. The vendor keeps the old account active
while the new link waits, so the first list read after the mint said `connected` and the
operation settled at once: the new link was dropped and the model was told the switch was done.
A forced target is marked awaiting_new_attempt after the mint. The watcher ignores its row until
the list shows the new attempt (`connectionStatus: initiated`) once, then trusts `connected`.
* fix(connectors): the operation registers under the gateway session key
The tool registered the operation under the agent's session_id; every RPC (connection.respond,
connectors.operation.status, the panel's connectors.connect) and the update emitter looked it up
by the gateway's session key. Those agree until compaction rotates the agent id mid-turn; then
the card's clicks find nothing, no update reaches it, and the tool waits out the deadline.
The registration key is now the bound HERMES_SESSION_KEY, with the agent id as the fallback for
callers with no gateway (unit tests, a bare CLI). The E2E passes a rotated agent id and drives
the card by the gateway key.
* fix(connectors): the forced-reconnect gate reads any non-active row; a failed re-mint of an expired row is failed
Three follow-ups from the verification of the fix pass.
The awaiting_new_attempt gate cleared only on the literal `connectionStatus: initiated`. The
field is optional on the wire and `initializing`, `failed`, `expired` are valid values, so a
forced reconnect could wait the full 300 s and swallow a failed new attempt. The gate now holds
only while the row still reads as the old account (`connected` or `active`) and releases on
anything else.
Try again on an `expired` row whose re-mint fails raised IllegalTransition (no expired → failed
edge). The re-mint steps through `initiated` as the user's attempt, then `failed`, then drops the
dead link.
`detail` never carries a state name any more: `failed` as detail rendered as the row label and
made agent/display.py tag the settled result as a tool error. Only vendor text goes there.
`connection.expire` removed from the renderer's unscoped-stream set; nothing emits it.
Hermes Desktop ☤
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 agent | Streaming responses, live tool activity, structured tool summaries, and the same conversation history as every other Hermes surface. |
| Side-by-side previews | Render web pages, files, and tool outputs in a right-hand pane while you keep chatting. |
| File browser | Explore and preview the working directory without leaving the app. |
| Voice | Talk to Hermes and hear it back. |
| Settings & onboarding | Manage providers, models, tools, and credentials from a real UI. First-run setup gets you to your first message in seconds. |
| Stays current | Built-in updates pull the latest agent and rebuild the app in place. |
Install
Install with Hermes (recommended)
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. If Desktop cannot find a usable runtime or saved remote connection, first launch lets you connect to an existing Hermes gateway or install Hermes locally. Local onboarding then walks you through choosing a provider and model.
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:
# throwaway HERMES_HOME, separate Electron userData, distinct app name to avoid the single-instance lock
../scripts/dev-sandbox.sh npm run dev
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 the Electron shell and a native React chat surface. On
first launch it can install the Hermes Agent runtime into HERMES_HOME
(~/.hermes, or %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes on Windows), using the same layout as a
CLI install.
The app has three boundaries:
- Electron resolves and validates a runnable backend, owns native filesystem/git/window capabilities, and exposes a narrow preload bridge.
- React owns the Desktop routes, panes, interaction state, and
@assistant-ui/reacttranscript. - Hermes Agent runs as a headless
hermes serveprocess and exposes thetui_gatewayJSON-RPC/WebSocket API. The renderer connects throughapps/shared, which is also used by the browser dashboard.
Backend resolution is an ordered ladder:
HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES_ROOT- the current source checkout during development
- a completed managed install
HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES, orhermesonPATH- a system Python that can import the Hermes runtime
- the first-launch bootstrap installer
Candidates are probed before use; an existing shim or interpreter is not enough.
A runtime that predates serve falls back to headless
dashboard --no-open. This is compatibility for the backend command only and
does not launch or embed the dashboard UI.
The Electron orchestration entry point is electron/main.ts; pure resolution,
probe, hardening, and platform policies live in focused modules beside it. The
renderer is under src/, with shared atoms in src/store and transport/native
adapters in src/lib.
Before changing the app, read:
AGENTS.md: architecture, state ownership, resolver/fallback, transport, performance, and testing rules.DESIGN.md: visual system, information architecture, motion, direct manipulation, and keyboard behavior.
Connections, projects, and switching
Desktop supports a managed local backend, explicit remote gateways, and Hermes Cloud connections. Remote and cloud modes use the same remote-capability path; authentication and discovery differ, not the renderer feature model.
When no usable local runtime or saved remote connection exists, the first-run screen offers Connect to existing Hermes before starting the local installer. Desktop probes the gateway to discover token or OAuth authentication, requires a successful HTTP and WebSocket connection test, and saves the connection using the same encrypted Desktop configuration used by Settings. A saved remote connection bypasses this choice on later launches. The regular Desktop build still includes the local-install option; this is a remote operating mode, not a separate client-only application.
In remote mode the gateway host is the execution boundary: agent tools, terminal commands, and file operations run against the remote Hermes host, not the computer displaying the Desktop UI.
Remote gateways that sit behind an access proxy may require extra headers on
every HTTP and WebSocket request. Configure them per connection in Settings →
Connections (Extra gateway headers), or add a headers object to Desktop's
Electron userData/connection.json remote block:
{
"mode": "remote",
"remote": {
"url": "https://hermes.example.com",
"authMode": "token",
"token": { "encoding": "safeStorage", "value": "..." },
"headers": {
"CF-Access-Client-Id": { "encoding": "safeStorage", "value": "..." },
"CF-Access-Client-Secret": { "encoding": "safeStorage", "value": "..." }
}
}
}
Per-profile remote entries under profiles[name].headers use the same shape.
Desktop applies these headers only to matching remote gateway requests, treats
https and wss as the same gateway origin for WebSocket upgrades, and drops
transport- or Hermes-managed header names such as Authorization, Cookie,
Host, Origin, Referer, and X-Hermes-Session-Token.
Projects are the workspace abstraction. A project may own multiple folders, repositories, worktrees, and sessions; a bare new chat remains detached unless the user enters a project or configures a default project directory. Use the Projects UI rather than adding a second per-session folder-picker workflow.
Changing profiles or connection modes is a soft workspace switch, not another cold boot. The shell and current management overlay remain mounted while gateway-bound nanostores are wiped, query-backed data is invalidated, and the new connection repopulates skeletons. This prevents rows or transcripts from the previous gateway bleeding into the next one. Switching changes only the foreground view and request route: it does not cancel turns or stop a backend, and retained background sockets continue receiving events from running jobs.
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:ui
npm run test:desktop:platforms
Run npm run test:desktop:all for install, boot, update, packaging, or other
release-path changes.
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 theHERMES_HOMEenv var if you've relocated it.
Community
- 💬 Discord
- 📖 Documentation
- 🐛 Issues
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
Built by Nous Research.