Hermes is an agent for one person. The credentials, the memory, the
sessions and the cron jobs all belong to that person. But the only
declarative path was a NixOS system service. Issue #9056 asks for the
user-level equivalent. 25 public Nix configurations already write one by
hand, and several of them copy nix/nixosModules.nix and edit the systemd
part.
This module is not a second copy of that file. The code that both modules
share moves into nix/moduleCommon.nix:
- the options
- the renderers for config.yaml, .env and the documents
- the activation body
- the command lines of the processes
nixosModules.nix keeps only the parts that need root. Those parts are the
service user, stateDir, addToSystemPackages, container mode and tmpfiles.
The file goes from 1008 lines to 666.
`services.hermes-agent` is now the same option set on both modules. A
NixOS example works on Home Manager without a change, and an option added
one time appears on both.
The Home Manager module is different only where it must be. It uses
systemd.user.services on Linux and launchd.agents on Darwin. It uses
home.activation and not system.activationScripts. It sets HERMES_HOME
directly, with the default ~/.hermes, so an existing directory continues
to work. It uses the modes 0600 and 0700, because the state has one user
and does not need the group-shared umask of the NixOS module. It does not
support container mode, which needs root and the Docker socket.
The change also makes four corrections that apply to both modules:
- backend.mode runs `hermes serve` or `hermes dashboard`. Both modules
had only the gateway. But Hermes Desktop and the web dashboard connect
to a different process, so six of the configurations in public repos
add a second unit by hand. serve and dashboard are one entry point with
one flag of difference, and you can run only one of them. Thus the
option is an enum. The NixOS module asserts against container mode with
a backend, and does not make a unit that cannot start.
- hermesHomeFiles installs files into HERMES_HOME. The `documents` option
installs into the working directory, which is correct for AGENTS.md but
wrong for SOUL.md and memories/. Hermes reads those files from
HERMES_HOME, in agent/prompt_builder.py:2095. A SOUL.md in `documents`
made a workspace file that Hermes never loaded as the identity. The
documentation said this in prose, but two directory diagrams showed the
opposite. This change corrects both. A key in either option can now
contain subdirectories.
- `documents` needs an explicit `workingDirectory`. The default of that
option is bad on both modules. It is the home directory of the user on
Home Manager, and ${stateDir}/workspace on NixOS. A user who declares
workspace files without a directory therefore gets a place that the
user did not select. The place is also different on each module. The
modules now refuse that combination.
The test is on the priority of the option and not on its value. An
option that nothing sets keeps the priority of its own default, and
each definition from a user is stronger. Thus a directory with the same
text as the default still counts as a selection, and so does a
mkDefault. A comparison of values detects neither case.
- Each activation writes .env again from a base in the Nix store, and
does not add to the file that exists. Thus a second activation cannot
put the same secret in the file two times, and a removed
environmentFile goes away. environmentFiles keeps the type `listOf
str` and not `path`, so Nix cannot copy a sops-nix or agenix path into
the Nix store, which all users can read.
- HERMES_MANAGED and the .managed marker now hold the name of the system
that manages the install. Thus a refusal says "managed by home-manager"
and not "managed by NixOS", and `hermes update` gives the Nix guidance
for both shapes. The CLI does not print a rebuild command for each
system. It names the owner, and the user knows their own tool. A bare
`true` and an empty marker still mean NixOS, so this does not change an
existing install.
Verification. Six new checks, all built:
nixos-module evaluates the module with evalModules and the
NixOS module list. It asserts both units, one
HERMES_HOME, and that the module refuses
container mode with a backend.
home-manager-module evaluates the module with the
homeManagerConfiguration function of
home-manager. The process assertions run against
systemd units on Linux and launchd agents on
Darwin.
module-option-parity asserts that each shared option is on both
modules, and that the two exclusion lists name
only options that exist.
env-file-assembly runs the real .env script and checks the
contents, the mode, that a second run gives the
same bytes, and that a removed file goes away.
workspace-files-need-a-directory
checks that the module refuses `documents`
without a directory, and accepts a directory
that has the same text as the default.
service-argv runs each command line that the modules build
through the real parser of the CLI, with one
sentinel flag added, and requires that argparse
refuses only the sentinel.
`nix flake check` passes, with 21 checks in total.
The CLI branches that treat an install as a Nix install move to one
helper, is_nix_install_method. Four call sites in main.py, web_server.py,
update_cmd.py and doctor.py tested the literal set {"nix", "nixos"}, and
each one missed home-manager. recommended_update_command asks the managed
state before the code-scoped stamp again, because a managed install can
carry a stale stamp that names an update path the managed guard refuses.
The metrics contract gets a home-manager bucket, so a Home Manager
install does not report as unknown.
Each check was mutation-probed. 22 faults were injected, and the checks
caught all 22:
- a lost --no-open
- a backend that runs the gateway
- an overwritten config.yaml
- documents in the wrong directory
- a different HERMES_HOME on the two processes
- a lost HERMES_HOME export
- a missing backend unit
- a removed assertion
- an .env file that grows at each activation
- an install that reports NixOS
- an empty .managed marker
- an option on the NixOS module only
- a stale entry in an exclusion list
- a renamed subcommand
- an unknown flag
- the workspace-files assertion always passes
- the assertion compares values instead of priorities
- an off-by-one that lets an untouched default through
- the assertion also fires for hermesHomeFiles
- a mkDefault no longer counts as a selection
- the Home Manager module stops wiring the assertion
- the NixOS module stops wiring the assertion
The 16 Python tests in tests/hermes_cli/test_managed_install_shapes.py
were probed the same way. 8 faults were injected and 8 were caught.
These tests fail on this tree. They fail in the same way on the stashed
HEAD, and they have no relation to Nix:
- test_git_probe_tree_kill.py (2 tests)
- test_update_import_guard.py (1 test)
- test_telegram_media_read_timeout.py (2 tests)
- test_teams.py (a collection error)
Closes#9056
# Conflicts:
# hermes_cli/main.py
# hermes_cli/update_cmd.py
# hermes_cli/web_server.py
* fix(nix): switch nixpkgs input from nixos-24.11 to nixos-unstable
nixos-24.11 reached EOL on 2025-06-30. For a dev tool, tracking a
frozen release branch causes dependency versions to go stale.
nixos-unstable provides rolling updates and is the conventional
choice for development packages.
* docs(website): update nix flake example
---------
Co-authored-by: sk <sk@mercury>
* feat: nix flake, uv2nix build, dev shell and home manager
* fixed nix run, updated docs for setup
* feat(nix): NixOS module with persistent container mode, managed guards, checks
- Replace homeModules.nix with nixosModules.nix (two deployment modes)
- Mode A (native): hardened systemd service with ProtectSystem=strict
- Mode B (container): persistent Ubuntu container with /nix/store bind-mount,
identity-hash-based recreation, GC root protection, symlink-based updates
- Add HERMES_MANAGED guards blocking CLI config mutation (config set, setup,
gateway install/uninstall) when running under NixOS module
- Add nix/checks.nix with build-time verification (binary, CLI, managed guard)
- Remove container.nix (no Nix-built OCI image; pulls ubuntu:24.04 at runtime)
- Simplify packages.nix (drop fetchFromGitHub submodules, PYTHONPATH wrappers)
- Rewrite docs/nixos-setup.md with full options reference, container
architecture, secrets management, and troubleshooting guide
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
* Update config.py
* feat(nix): add CI workflow and enhanced build checks
- GitHub Actions workflow for nix flake check + build on linux/macOS
- Entry point sync check to catch pyproject.toml drift
- Expanded managed-guard check to cover config edit
- Wrap hermes-acp binary in Nix package
- Fix Path type mismatch in is_managed()
* Update MCP server package name; bundled skills support
* fix reading .env. instead have container user a common mounted .env file
* feat(nix): container entrypoint with privilege drop and sudo provisioning
Container was running as non-root via --user, which broke apt/pip installs
and caused crashes when $HOME didn't exist. Replace --user with a Nix-built
entrypoint script that provisions the hermes user, sudo (NOPASSWD), and
/home/hermes inside the container on first boot, then drops privileges via
setpriv. Writable layer persists so setup only runs once.
Also expands MCP server options to support HTTP transport and sampling.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
* fix group and user creation in container mode
* feat(nix): persistent /home/hermes and MESSAGING_CWD in container mode
Container mode now bind-mounts ${stateDir}/home to /home/hermes so the
agent's home directory survives container recreation. Previously it lived
in the writable layer and was lost on image/volume/options changes.
Also passes MESSAGING_CWD to the container so the agent finds its
workspace and documents, matching native mode behavior.
Other changes:
- Extract containerDataDir/containerHomeDir bindings (no more magic strings)
- Fix entrypoint chown to run unconditionally (volume mounts always exist)
- Add schema field to container identity hash for auto-recreation
- Add idempotency test (Scenario G) to config-roundtrip check
* docs: add Nix & NixOS setup guide to docs site
Add comprehensive Nix documentation to the Docusaurus site at
website/docs/getting-started/nix-setup.md, covering nix run/profile
install, NixOS module (native + container modes), declarative settings,
secrets management, MCP servers, managed mode, container architecture,
dev shell, flake checks, and full options reference.
- Register nix-setup in sidebar after installation page
- Add Nix callout tip to installation.md linking to new guide
- Add canonical version pointer in docs/nixos-setup.md
* docs: remove docs/nixos-setup.md, consolidate into website docs
Backfill missing details (restart/restartSec in full example,
gateway.pid, 0750 permissions, docker inspect commands) into
the canonical website/docs/getting-started/nix-setup.md and
delete the old standalone file.
* fix(nix): add compression.protect_last_n and target_ratio to config-keys.json
New keys were added to DEFAULT_CONFIG on main, causing the
config-drift check to fail in CI.
* fix(nix): skip checks on aarch64-darwin (onnxruntime wheel missing)
The full Python venv includes onnxruntime (via faster-whisper/STT)
which lacks a compatible uv2nix wheel on aarch64-darwin. Gate all
checks behind stdenv.hostPlatform.isLinux. The package and devShell
still evaluate on macOS.
* fix(nix): skip flake check and build on macOS CI
onnxruntime (transitive dep via faster-whisper) lacks a compatible
uv2nix wheel on aarch64-darwin. Run full checks and build on Linux
only; macOS CI verifies the flake evaluates without building.
* fix(nix): preserve container writable layer across nixos-rebuild
The container identity hash included the entrypoint's Nix store path,
which changes on every nixpkgs update (due to runtimeShell/stdenv
input-addressing). This caused false-positive identity mismatches,
triggering container recreation and losing the persistent writable layer.
- Use stable symlink (current-entrypoint) like current-package already does
- Remove entrypoint from identity hash (only image/volumes/options matter)
- Add GC root for entrypoint so nix-collect-garbage doesn't break it
- Remove global HERMES_HOME env var from addToSystemPackages (conflicted
with interactive CLI use, service already sets its own)
---------
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
