docs(agent): verify edit-format steering against current Codex CLI + Claude Code source

Checked ~/agent-codebases (Codex @ 2026-05-30, Claude Code decompiled src):
- Codex: apply_patch is the only file-edit tool; apply_patch.lark is V4A;
  GPT-5.1/5.2(-codex) prompts mandate it; gated per-model via
  ModelInfo.apply_patch_tool_type. No str_replace editor in the repo.
- Claude Code: FileEditTool is old_string/new_string exact replacement with
  unique-match semantics — current Claude models train against str_replace
  in their first-party harness, not just the 2025 API text-editor tool.

.github/workflows/contributor-check.yml

@@ -1,11 +1,12 @@
 name: Contributor Attribution Check
 
 on:
+  pull_request:
+    branches: [main]
   # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
   # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
   # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
-  pull_request:
-    branches: [main]
+
 permissions:
   contents: read
 

.github/workflows/deploy-site.yml

@@ -11,20 +11,8 @@ on:
       - 'optional-skills/**'
       - '.github/workflows/deploy-site.yml'
   workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      skills_index_run_id:
-        description: 'Optional Build Skills Index run ID whose skills-index artifact should be deployed'
-        required: false
-        type: string
-      rebuild_skills_index:
-        description: 'Force a fresh multi-source crawl instead of reusing the latest healthy index'
-        required: false
-        default: false
-        type: boolean
 
 permissions:
-  contents: read
-  actions: read
   pages: write
   id-token: write
 
@@ -67,81 +55,26 @@ jobs:
       - name: Install PyYAML for skill extraction
         run: pip install pyyaml==6.0.2 httpx==0.28.1
 
-      - name: Prepare skills index (unified multi-source catalog)
+      - name: Build skills index (unified multi-source catalog)
         env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-          SKILLS_INDEX_RUN_ID: ${{ github.event.inputs.skills_index_run_id || '' }}
-          REBUILD_SKILLS_INDEX: ${{ github.event.inputs.rebuild_skills_index || 'false' }}
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
         run: |
-          # The unified external catalog is expensive to crawl and can burn
-          # through the repository installation's GitHub API quota when several
-          # docs deploys land close together.  Normal docs deploys therefore
-          # reuse the latest healthy catalog: first the artifact from a
-          # scheduled skills-index run, then the currently live index.  Only a
-          # manual force rebuild does a fresh crawl here.
+          # Rebuild the unified catalog. The file is gitignored, so a fresh
+          # checkout starts without it and we want the freshest crawl in
+          # every deploy.
           #
-          # If we do crawl, the build remains fatal. build_skills_index.py runs
-          # the health check BEFORE writing and exits non-zero on source
-          # collapse, keeping the last good Pages deployment live instead of
-          # publishing a degenerate catalog.
-          set -euo pipefail
-          INDEX_PATH="website/static/api/skills-index.json"
-          mkdir -p "$(dirname "$INDEX_PATH")"
-
-          validate_index() {
-            python3 - "$INDEX_PATH" <<'PY'
-          import json
-          import sys
-          from pathlib import Path
-
-          path = Path(sys.argv[1])
-          try:
-              data = json.loads(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
-          except Exception as exc:
-              print(f"invalid skills index JSON: {exc}", file=sys.stderr)
-              sys.exit(1)
-          skills = data.get("skills")
-          if not isinstance(skills, list) or len(skills) < 1500:
-              count = len(skills) if isinstance(skills, list) else "missing"
-              print(f"skills index too small: {count}", file=sys.stderr)
-              sys.exit(1)
-          print(f"skills index ready: {len(skills)} skills")
-          PY
-          }
-
-          if [ "$REBUILD_SKILLS_INDEX" = "true" ]; then
-            python3 scripts/build_skills_index.py
-            validate_index
-            exit 0
-          fi
-
-          if [ -n "$SKILLS_INDEX_RUN_ID" ]; then
-            tmpdir="$(mktemp -d)"
-            echo "Downloading skills-index artifact from run $SKILLS_INDEX_RUN_ID"
-            if gh run download "$SKILLS_INDEX_RUN_ID" --name skills-index --dir "$tmpdir"; then
-              candidate="$(find "$tmpdir" -name skills-index.json -type f | head -n 1 || true)"
-              if [ -n "$candidate" ]; then
-                cp "$candidate" "$INDEX_PATH"
-                if validate_index; then
-                  exit 0
-                fi
-              fi
-            fi
-            echo "::warning::Could not use skills-index artifact from run $SKILLS_INDEX_RUN_ID; trying live index"
-          fi
-
-          echo "Downloading currently live skills index"
-          if curl -fsSL --retry 3 --retry-delay 5 \
-            "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/api/skills-index.json" \
-            -o "$INDEX_PATH" && validate_index; then
-            exit 0
-          fi
-
-          echo "::warning::Live skills index unavailable or unhealthy; falling back to a fresh crawl"
-          rm -f "$INDEX_PATH"
+          # This MUST be fatal. build_skills_index.py runs a health check and
+          # exits non-zero WITHOUT writing the output file when a source
+          # collapses (e.g. a GitHub API rate limit zeroes the github /
+          # claude-marketplace / well-known taps all at once). Letting the
+          # deploy continue would either (a) ship a degenerate index missing
+          # whole hubs — the June 2026 regression where OpenAI/Anthropic/
+          # HuggingFace/NVIDIA tabs vanished — or (b) fall through to a
+          # local-only catalog. Failing here keeps the last good deployment
+          # live (GitHub Pages serves the previous build) instead of
+          # publishing a broken catalog. Re-run the workflow once the
+          # transient rate limit clears.
           python3 scripts/build_skills_index.py
-          validate_index
 
       - name: Extract skill metadata for dashboard
         run: python3 website/scripts/extract-skills.py

.github/workflows/docker-lint.yml

@@ -18,12 +18,13 @@ on:
       - docker/**
       - .hadolint.yaml
       - .github/workflows/docker-lint.yml
-
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - Dockerfile
+      - docker/**
+      - .hadolint.yaml
+      - .github/workflows/docker-lint.yml
 
 permissions:
   contents: read

.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml

@@ -11,13 +11,16 @@ on:
       - 'docker/**'
       - '.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml'
       - '.github/actions/hermes-smoke-test/**'
-
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
-
+    paths:
+      - '**/*.py'
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
+      - 'uv.lock'
+      - 'Dockerfile'
+      - 'docker/**'
+      - '.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml'
+      - '.github/actions/hermes-smoke-test/**'
   release:
     types: [published]
 
@@ -87,7 +90,7 @@ jobs:
       # (see `_SKIP_PARTS` in scripts/run_tests_parallel.py) because each
       # shard would otherwise reach the session-scoped ``built_image``
       # fixture in ``tests/docker/conftest.py`` and start a 3-7min
-      # ``docker build`` — guaranteed to
+      # ``docker build`` under a 180s pytest-timeout cap — guaranteed to
       # die in fixture setup.
       #
       # Piggybacking here avoids a second image build: the smoke test
@@ -111,7 +114,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           uv venv .venv --python 3.11
           source .venv/bin/activate
-          # ``dev`` extra pulls in pytest, pytest-asyncio —
+          # ``dev`` extra pulls in pytest, pytest-asyncio, pytest-timeout —
           # everything tests/docker/ needs.  We deliberately avoid ``all``
           # here because the docker tests only drive the container via
           # subprocess and don't import hermes_agent's optional deps.

.github/workflows/docs-site-checks.yml

@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 name: Docs Site Checks
 
 on:
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
   pull_request:
-    branches: [main]
-
+    paths:
+      - 'website/**'
+      - '.github/workflows/docs-site-checks.yml'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
@@ -16,9 +14,9 @@ jobs:
   docs-site-checks:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
 
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020  # v4
         with:
           node-version: 22
           cache: npm
@@ -28,9 +26,9 @@ jobs:
         run: npm ci
         working-directory: website
 
-      - uses: actions/setup-python@a309ff8b426b58ec0e2a45f0f869d46889d02405 # v6.2.0
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@a309ff8b426b58ec0e2a45f0f869d46889d02405  # v6.2.0
         with:
-          python-version: "3.11"
+          python-version: '3.11'
 
       - name: Install ascii-guard
         run: python -m pip install ascii-guard==2.3.0 pyyaml==6.0.3

.github/workflows/history-check.yml

@@ -14,9 +14,6 @@ name: History Check
 # the PR head and main to be non-empty.
 
 on:
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
 
@@ -27,9 +24,9 @@ jobs:
   check-common-ancestor:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
         with:
-          fetch-depth: 0 # full history both sides for merge-base
+          fetch-depth: 0  # full history both sides for merge-base
 
       - name: Reject PRs with no common ancestor on main
         run: |

.github/workflows/lint.yml

@@ -15,12 +15,12 @@ on:
       - "**/*.md"
       - "docs/**"
       - "website/**"
-
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
+    paths-ignore:
+      - "**/*.md"
+      - "docs/**"
+      - "website/**"
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ jobs:
               });
             }
 
+
   ruff-blocking:
     # Enforce the rules in pyproject.toml [tool.ruff.lint.select]. Currently
     # PLW1514 (unspecified-encoding) — catches bare ``open()`` /

.github/workflows/nix-lockfile-fix.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,255 @@
+name: Nix Lockfile Fix
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - 'package-lock.json'
+      - 'package.json'
+      - 'ui-tui/package.json'
+      - 'apps/desktop/package.json'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      pr_number:
+        description: 'PR number to fix (leave empty to run on the selected branch)'
+        required: false
+        type: string
+  issue_comment:
+    types: [edited]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: nix-lockfile-fix-${{ github.event.issue.number || github.event.inputs.pr_number || github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+jobs:
+  # ── Auto-fix on main ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+  # Fires when a push to main touches package.json or package-lock.json.
+  # Runs fix-lockfiles and pushes the hash update commit directly to main
+  # so Nix builds never stay broken.
+  #
+  # Safety invariants:
+  #   1. The fix commit only touches nix/*.nix files, which are NOT in
+  #      the paths filter above, so this cannot re-trigger itself.
+  #   2. An explicit file-whitelist check before commit aborts if
+  #      fix-lockfiles ever modifies unexpected files.
+  #   3. Job-level concurrency with cancel-in-progress: true ensures
+  #      back-to-back pushes collapse to the newest; ref: main checkout
+  #      always operates on the latest branch state.
+  #   4. Uses a GitHub App token (not GITHUB_TOKEN) so the fix commit
+  #      triggers downstream nix.yml verification.
+  auto-fix-main:
+    if: github.event_name == 'push'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 25
+    concurrency:
+      group: auto-fix-main
+      cancel-in-progress: true
+    steps:
+      - name: Generate GitHub App token
+        id: app-token
+        uses: actions/create-github-app-token@7bfa3a4717ef143a604ee0a99d859b8886a96d00  # v1.9.3
+        with:
+          app-id: ${{ secrets.APP_ID }}
+          private-key: ${{ secrets.APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
+        with:
+          ref: main
+          token: ${{ steps.app-token.outputs.token }}
+
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/nix-setup
+        with:
+          cachix-auth-token: ${{ secrets.CACHIX_AUTH_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Apply lockfile hashes
+        id: apply
+        run: nix run .#fix-lockfiles -- --apply
+
+      - name: Commit & push
+        if: steps.apply.outputs.changed == 'true'
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+
+          # Ensure only nix/lib.nix (home of the single npmDepsHash) was
+          # modified — prevents accidental self-triggering if fix-lockfiles
+          # ever touches package files.
+          unexpected="$(git diff --name-only | grep -Ev '^nix/lib\.nix$' || true)"
+          if [ -n "$unexpected" ]; then
+            echo "::error::Unexpected modified files: $unexpected"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          # Record the base SHA before committing — used to detect package
+          # file changes if we need to rebase after a non-fast-forward push.
+          BASE_SHA="$(git rev-parse HEAD)"
+
+          git config user.name 'github-actions[bot]'
+          git config user.email '41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com'
+          git add nix/lib.nix
+          git commit -m "fix(nix): auto-refresh npm lockfile hashes" \
+            -m "Source: $GITHUB_SHA" \
+            -m "Run: $GITHUB_SERVER_URL/$GITHUB_REPOSITORY/actions/runs/$GITHUB_RUN_ID"
+
+          # Retry push with rebase in case main advanced with an unrelated
+          # commit during the nix build. Without this, a non-fast-forward
+          # rejection silently loses the fix. If package files changed during
+          # the rebase, abort — a fresh auto-fix run will handle the new state.
+          for attempt in 1 2 3; do
+            if git push origin HEAD:main; then
+              exit 0
+            fi
+            echo "::warning::Push attempt $attempt failed (non-fast-forward?), rebasing…"
+            git fetch origin main
+
+            # If package files changed between our base and the new main,
+            # our computed hashes are stale. Abort and let the next triggered
+            # run recompute from the correct package-lock state.
+            pkg_changed="$(git diff --name-only "$BASE_SHA"..origin/main -- \
+              'package-lock.json' 'package.json' \
+              'ui-tui/package.json' 'apps/desktop/package.json' || true)"
+            if [ -n "$pkg_changed" ]; then
+              echo "::warning::Package files changed since hash computation — aborting; a fresh run will recompute"
+              exit 0
+            fi
+
+            git rebase origin/main
+          done
+          echo "::error::Failed to push after 3 rebase attempts"
+          exit 1
+
+  # ── PR fix (manual / checkbox) ─────────────────────────────────────
+  # Existing behavior: run on manual dispatch OR when a task-list
+  # checkbox in the sticky lockfile-check comment flips from [ ] to [x].
+  fix:
+    if: |
+      github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
+      (github.event_name == 'issue_comment'
+       && github.event.issue.pull_request != null
+       && contains(github.event.comment.body, '[x] **Apply lockfile fix**')
+       && !contains(github.event.changes.body.from, '[x] **Apply lockfile fix**'))
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 25
+    steps:
+      - name: Authorize & resolve PR
+        id: resolve
+        uses: actions/github-script@60a0d83039c74a4aee543508d2ffcb1c3799cdea  # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          script: |
+            // 1. Verify the actor has write access — applies to both checkbox
+            //    clicks and manual dispatch.
+            const { data: perm } =
+              await github.rest.repos.getCollaboratorPermissionLevel({
+                owner: context.repo.owner,
+                repo: context.repo.repo,
+                username: context.actor,
+              });
+            if (!['admin', 'write', 'maintain'].includes(perm.permission)) {
+              core.setFailed(
+                `${context.actor} lacks write access (has: ${perm.permission})`
+              );
+              return;
+            }
+
+            // 2. Resolve which ref to check out.
+            let prNumber = '';
+            if (context.eventName === 'issue_comment') {
+              prNumber = String(context.payload.issue.number);
+            } else if (context.eventName === 'workflow_dispatch') {
+              prNumber = context.payload.inputs.pr_number || '';
+            }
+
+            if (!prNumber) {
+              core.setOutput('ref', context.ref.replace(/^refs\/heads\//, ''));
+              core.setOutput('repo', context.repo.repo);
+              core.setOutput('owner', context.repo.owner);
+              core.setOutput('pr', '');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            const { data: pr } = await github.rest.pulls.get({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              pull_number: Number(prNumber),
+            });
+            core.setOutput('ref', pr.head.ref);
+            core.setOutput('repo', pr.head.repo.name);
+            core.setOutput('owner', pr.head.repo.owner.login);
+            core.setOutput('pr', String(pr.number));
+
+      # Wipe the sticky lockfile-check comment to a "running" state as soon
+      # as the job is authorized, so the user sees their click was picked up
+      # before the ~minute of nix build work.
+      - name: Mark sticky as running
+        if: steps.resolve.outputs.pr != ''
+        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@52423e01640425a022ef5fd42c6fb5f633a02728  # v2.9.1
+        with:
+          header: nix-lockfile-check
+          number: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.pr }}
+          message: |
+            ### 🔄 Applying lockfile fix…
+
+            Triggered by @${{ github.actor }} — [workflow run](${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}).
+
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
+        with:
+          repository: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.owner }}/${{ steps.resolve.outputs.repo }}
+          ref: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.ref }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          fetch-depth: 0
+
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/nix-setup
+        with:
+          cachix-auth-token: ${{ secrets.CACHIX_AUTH_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Apply lockfile hashes
+        id: apply
+        run: nix run .#fix-lockfiles
+
+      - name: Commit & push
+        if: steps.apply.outputs.changed == 'true'
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          git config user.name 'github-actions[bot]'
+          git config user.email '41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com'
+          git add nix/lib.nix
+          git commit -m "fix(nix): refresh npm lockfile hashes"
+          git push
+
+      - name: Update sticky (applied)
+        if: steps.apply.outputs.changed == 'true' && steps.resolve.outputs.pr != ''
+        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@52423e01640425a022ef5fd42c6fb5f633a02728  # v2.9.1
+        with:
+          header: nix-lockfile-check
+          number: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.pr }}
+          message: |
+            ### ✅ Lockfile fix applied
+
+            Pushed a commit refreshing the npm lockfile hashes — [workflow run](${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}).
+
+      - name: Update sticky (already current)
+        if: steps.apply.outputs.changed == 'false' && steps.resolve.outputs.pr != ''
+        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@52423e01640425a022ef5fd42c6fb5f633a02728  # v2.9.1
+        with:
+          header: nix-lockfile-check
+          number: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.pr }}
+          message: |
+            ### ✅ Lockfile hashes already current
+
+            Nothing to commit — [workflow run](${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}).
+
+      - name: Update sticky (failed)
+        if: failure() && steps.resolve.outputs.pr != ''
+        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@52423e01640425a022ef5fd42c6fb5f633a02728  # v2.9.1
+        with:
+          header: nix-lockfile-check
+          number: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.pr }}
+          message: |
+            ### ❌ Lockfile fix failed
+
+            See the [workflow run](${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}) for logs.

.github/workflows/nix.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+name: Nix
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  pull_request:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  pull-requests: write
+
+concurrency:
+  group: nix-${{ github.ref }}
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  nix:
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        os: [ubuntu-latest, macos-latest]
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    timeout-minutes: 30
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+      - uses: ./.github/actions/nix-setup
+        with:
+          cachix-auth-token: ${{ secrets.CACHIX_AUTH_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Resolve head SHA
+        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+        id: sha
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          FULL="${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha || github.sha }}"
+          echo "full=$FULL" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "short=${FULL:0:7}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - name: Check flake
+        id: flake
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: nix flake check --print-build-logs
+
+      # When the flake check fails, run a targeted diagnostic to see if
+      # the failure is specifically a stale npm lockfile hash in one of the
+      # known npm subpackages (tui / web).  This avoids surfacing a generic
+      # "build failed" message when the fix is a single known command.
+      - name: Diagnose npm lockfile hashes
+        id: hash_check
+        if: steps.flake.outcome == 'failure' && runner.os == 'Linux'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        env:
+          LINK_SHA: ${{ steps.sha.outputs.full }}
+        run: nix run .#fix-lockfiles -- --check
+
+      # If fix-lockfiles itself crashes (infrastructure blip, cache throttle,
+      # etc.) it won't set stale=true/false.  Treat that as a distinct failure
+      # mode rather than silently ignoring it.
+      - name: Fail if hash check crashed without reporting
+        if: steps.hash_check.outcome == 'failure' && steps.hash_check.outputs.stale != 'true' && steps.hash_check.outputs.stale != 'false'
+        run: |
+          echo "::error::fix-lockfiles exited without reporting stale status — likely an infrastructure or script failure"
+          exit 1
+
+      - name: Post sticky PR comment (stale hashes)
+        if: steps.hash_check.outputs.stale == 'true' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@52423e01640425a022ef5fd42c6fb5f633a02728  # v2.9.1
+        with:
+          header: nix-lockfile-check
+          message: |
+            ### ⚠️ npm lockfile hash out of date
+
+            Checked against commit [`${{ steps.sha.outputs.short }}`](${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/commit/${{ steps.sha.outputs.full }}) (PR head at check time).
+
+            The `hash = "sha256-..."` line in these nix files no longer matches the committed `package-lock.json`:
+
+            ${{ steps.hash_check.outputs.report }}
+
+            #### Apply the fix
+
+            - [ ] **Apply lockfile fix** — tick to push a commit with the correct hashes to this PR branch
+            - Or [run the Nix Lockfile Fix workflow](${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/workflows/nix-lockfile-fix.yml) manually (pass PR `#${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}`)
+            - Or locally: `nix run .#fix-lockfiles` and commit the diff
+
+      # Clear the sticky comment when either the flake check passed outright (no
+      # hash check needed) or the hash check explicitly returned stale=false
+      # (check failed for a non-hash reason).
+      - name: Clear sticky PR comment (resolved)
+        if: |
+          github.event_name == 'pull_request' &&
+          (steps.hash_check.outputs.stale == 'false' ||
+           steps.flake.outcome == 'success')
+        uses: marocchino/sticky-pull-request-comment@52423e01640425a022ef5fd42c6fb5f633a02728  # v2.9.1
+        with:
+          header: nix-lockfile-check
+          delete: true
+
+      - name: Final fail if flake check failed
+        if: steps.flake.outcome == 'failure'
+        run: |
+          if [ "${{ steps.hash_check.outputs.stale }}" == "true" ]; then
+            echo "::error::Nix build failed due to stale npm lockfile hash. Run: nix run .#fix-lockfiles"
+          else
+            echo "::error::Nix flake check failed. See logs above."
+          fi
+          exit 1

.github/workflows/osv-scanner.yml

@@ -20,23 +20,29 @@ name: OSV-Scanner
 # vulnerabilities in pinned deps that we may need to patch deliberately.
 
 on:
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - 'uv.lock'
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
+      - 'package.json'
+      - 'package-lock.json'
+      - 'ui-tui/package.json'
+      - 'website/package.json'
+      - 'website/package-lock.json'
+      - '.github/workflows/osv-scanner.yml'
   push:
     branches: [main]
     paths:
-      - "uv.lock"
-      - "pyproject.toml"
-      - "package.json"
-      - "package-lock.json"
-      - "website/package-lock.json"
+      - 'uv.lock'
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
+      - 'package.json'
+      - 'package-lock.json'
+      - 'website/package-lock.json'
   schedule:
     # Weekly scan against main — catches CVEs published after merge for
     # deps that haven't changed since.
-    - cron: "0 9 * * 1"
+    - cron: '0 9 * * 1'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 permissions:
@@ -48,7 +54,7 @@ permissions:
 jobs:
   scan:
     name: Scan lockfiles
-    uses: google/osv-scanner-action/.github/workflows/osv-scanner-reusable.yml@9a498708959aeaef5ef730655706c5a1df1edbc2 # v2.3.8
+    uses: google/osv-scanner-action/.github/workflows/osv-scanner-reusable.yml@9a498708959aeaef5ef730655706c5a1df1edbc2  # v2.3.8
     with:
       # Scan explicit lockfiles rather than recursing, so we only look at
       # the three sources of truth and skip vendored / test / worktree dirs.

.github/workflows/skills-index.yml

@@ -53,4 +53,4 @@ jobs:
       - name: Trigger Deploy Site workflow
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-        run: gh workflow run deploy-site.yml --repo ${{ github.repository }} -f skills_index_run_id=${{ github.run_id }}
+        run: gh workflow run deploy-site.yml --repo ${{ github.repository }}

.github/workflows/supply-chain-audit.yml

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 name: Supply Chain Audit
 
 on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
   # No paths filter — the jobs must always run so required checks
   # report a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
   # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
-  pull_request:
-    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
 
 permissions:
   pull-requests: write
@@ -29,10 +29,8 @@ jobs:
       scan: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.scan }}
       # True when pyproject.toml changed in this PR
       deps: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.deps }}
-      # True when the curated MCP catalog / bundled MCP manifests changed.
-      mcp_catalog: ${{ steps.filter.outputs.mcp_catalog }}
     steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
       - name: Check for relevant file changes
@@ -56,14 +54,6 @@ jobs:
           else
             echo "deps=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           fi
-          MCP_CATALOG_FILES=$(git diff --name-only "$BASE"..."$HEAD" -- \
-            'optional-mcps/**' \
-            'hermes_cli/mcp_catalog.py' || true)
-          if [ -n "$MCP_CATALOG_FILES" ]; then
-            echo "mcp_catalog=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          else
-            echo "mcp_catalog=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          fi
 
   scan:
     name: Scan PR for critical supply chain risks
@@ -72,7 +62,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
@@ -207,7 +197,7 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
         with:
           fetch-depth: 0
 
@@ -278,50 +268,3 @@ jobs:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - run: echo "No pyproject.toml changes, skipping dependency bounds check."
-
-  mcp-catalog-review:
-    name: MCP catalog security review
-    needs: changes
-    if: needs.changes.outputs.mcp_catalog == 'true'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0
-
-      - name: Require explicit MCP catalog review label
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
-          PR="${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
-          LABELS=$(gh pr view "$PR" --json labels --jq '.labels[].name' || true)
-          if echo "$LABELS" | grep -Fxq 'mcp-catalog-reviewed'; then
-            echo "MCP catalog review label present."
-            exit 0
-          fi
-
-          BODY="## ⚠️ MCP catalog security review required
-
-          This PR changes the bundled MCP catalog or MCP catalog installer code. MCP entries can define local commands that users later install into \`mcp_servers\`, so this needs explicit maintainer review before merge.
-
-          A maintainer should verify:
-          - any new/changed \`optional-mcps/**/manifest.yaml\` command and args are expected,
-          - stdio transports do not use shell+egress/exfiltration payloads,
-          - git install refs are pinned and bootstrap commands are minimal,
-          - requested env vars/secrets match the upstream MCP's documented needs.
-
-          After review, add the \`mcp-catalog-reviewed\` label and re-run this check."
-
-          gh pr comment "$PR" --body "$BODY" || echo "::warning::Could not post PR comment (expected for fork PRs)"
-          echo "::error::MCP catalog changes require the mcp-catalog-reviewed label."
-          exit 1
-
-  mcp-catalog-review-gate:
-    name: MCP catalog security review
-    needs: changes
-    if: always() && needs.changes.outputs.mcp_catalog != 'true'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - run: echo "No MCP catalog changes, skipping MCP catalog security review."

.github/workflows/tests.yml

@@ -4,13 +4,13 @@ on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
     paths-ignore:
-      - "**/*.md"
-      - "docs/**"
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
+      - '**/*.md'
+      - 'docs/**'
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
+    paths-ignore:
+      - '**/*.md'
+      - 'docs/**'
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -30,17 +30,13 @@ jobs:
         slice: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
 
       - name: Restore duration cache
-        uses: actions/cache/restore@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae # v5.0.5
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae  # v5.0.5
         with:
           path: test_durations.json
-          # main always writes a new suffix, but jobs pick the latest one with the same prefix
-          # quote from https://docs.github.com/en/actions/reference/workflows-and-actions/dependency-caching#cache-hits-and-misses
-          # If you provide restore-keys, the cache action sequentially searches for any caches that match the list of restore-keys.
-          # If there are no exact matches, the action searches for partial matches of the restore keys.
-          # When the action finds a partial match, the most recent cache is restored to the path directory.
+          # Single stable key. main always overwrites, PRs always find it.
           key: test-durations
 
       - name: Install ripgrep (prebuilt binary)
@@ -58,7 +54,7 @@ jobs:
           rg --version
 
       - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@d4b2f3b6ecc6e67c4457f6d3e41ec42d3d0fcb86 # v5
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@d4b2f3b6ecc6e67c4457f6d3e41ec42d3d0fcb86  # v5
         with:
           # Persist uv's download/wheel cache (~/.cache/uv) across runs.
           # Keyed on the dependency manifests, so the cache is reused until
@@ -119,7 +115,7 @@ jobs:
           NOUS_API_KEY: ""
 
       - name: Upload per-slice durations
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a  # v7.0.1
         with:
           name: test-durations-slice-${{ matrix.slice }}
           path: test_durations.json
@@ -129,11 +125,11 @@ jobs:
   # (including PRs) get balanced slicing.
   save-durations:
     needs: test
-    if: needs.test.result == 'success' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
+    if: always() && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - name: Download all slice durations
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c  # v8.0.1
         with:
           pattern: test-durations-slice-*
           path: durations
@@ -153,17 +149,17 @@ jobs:
           "
 
       - name: Save merged duration cache
-        uses: actions/cache/save@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae # v5.0.5
+        uses: actions/cache/save@27d5ce7f107fe9357f9df03efb73ab90386fccae  # v5.0.5
         with:
           path: test_durations.json
-          key: test-durations-${{ github.run_id }}
+          key: test-durations
 
   e2e:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 15
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
 
       - name: Install ripgrep (prebuilt binary)
         run: |
@@ -180,7 +176,7 @@ jobs:
           rg --version
 
       - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@d4b2f3b6ecc6e67c4457f6d3e41ec42d3d0fcb86 # v5
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@d4b2f3b6ecc6e67c4457f6d3e41ec42d3d0fcb86  # v5
         with:
           # Persist uv's download/wheel cache (~/.cache/uv) across runs.
           # Keyed on the dependency manifests, so the cache is reused until
@@ -219,4 +215,4 @@ jobs:
         env:
           OPENROUTER_API_KEY: ""
           OPENAI_API_KEY: ""
-          NOUS_API_KEY: ""
+          NOUS_API_KEY: ""

.github/workflows/typecheck.yml

@@ -4,9 +4,6 @@ name: Typecheck
 on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
 
@@ -26,20 +23,3 @@ jobs:
           cache: npm
       - run: npm ci
       - run: npm run --prefix ${{ matrix.package }} typecheck
-
-  # Production build of the desktop renderer. `typecheck` runs `tsc` only,
-  # which does NOT exercise Vite/Rolldown module resolution — so an
-  # unresolvable package export (e.g. a transitive @assistant-ui/tap that no
-  # longer exports "./react-shim") slips past typecheck and only explodes when
-  # users build apps/desktop from source on install/update. Run the real
-  # `vite build` here so that class of break fails in CI instead.
-  desktop-build:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-      - uses: actions/setup-node@49933ea5288caeca8642d1e84afbd3f7d6820020 # v4
-        with:
-          node-version: 22
-          cache: npm
-      - run: npm ci
-      - run: npm run --prefix apps/desktop build

.github/workflows/uv-lockfile-check.yml

@@ -47,15 +47,15 @@ on:
   push:
     branches: [main]
     paths:
-      - "pyproject.toml"
-      - "uv.lock"
-      - ".github/workflows/uv-lockfile-check.yml"
-
-  # No paths filter — the job must always run so the required check
-  # reports a status (path-gated workflows leave checks "pending" forever
-  # when no matching files change, which blocks merge).
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
+      - 'uv.lock'
+      - '.github/workflows/uv-lockfile-check.yml'
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
+      - 'uv.lock'
+      - '.github/workflows/uv-lockfile-check.yml'
 
 permissions:
   contents: read
@@ -71,10 +71,10 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 5
     steps:
       - name: Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd  # v6.0.2
 
       - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@d4b2f3b6ecc6e67c4457f6d3e41ec42d3d0fcb86 # v5
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@d4b2f3b6ecc6e67c4457f6d3e41ec42d3d0fcb86  # v5
 
       # `uv lock --check` re-resolves the project from pyproject.toml and
       # compares the result to uv.lock, exiting non-zero if they disagree.

.gitignore

@@ -89,9 +89,6 @@ website/static/api/skills-index.json
 # every build).
 website/static/api/skills.json
 website/static/api/skills-meta.json
-# automation-blueprints-index.json is a build artifact emitted by
-# website/scripts/extract-automation-blueprints.py during prebuild.
-website/static/api/automation-blueprints-index.json
 models-dev-upstream/
 
 # Local editor / agent tooling (machine-specific; keep in global config, not the repo)
@@ -132,7 +129,3 @@ scripts/out/
 # stores the published notes. They are not a build artifact and must never be
 # committed to the repo root. See the hermes-release skill.
 RELEASE_v*.md
-
-# Desktop demo-run scratch output (hermes writes demo/*.txt during recorded
-# walkthroughs). Throwaway artifacts, never part of the app.
-apps/desktop/demo/

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -78,41 +78,7 @@ This isn't a quality bar — it's a coupling-and-maintenance decision. Memory pr
 | **uv** | Fast Python package manager ([install](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/)) |
 | **Node.js 20+** | Optional — needed for browser tools and WhatsApp bridge (matches root `package.json` engines) |
 
-### Install with the standard installer
-
-For most contributors, the best development bootstrap is the same path users
-take: run the standard installer, then work inside the repository it cloned.
-The installer creates the Hermes venv, wires the `hermes` command, stamps the
-install method for `hermes update`, and clones the full git project into
-`$HERMES_HOME/hermes-agent` (usually `~/.hermes/hermes-agent`). That keeps your
-development environment on the same layout the CLI, updater, lazy dependency
-installer, gateway, and docs assume.
-
-```bash
-curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
-cd "${HERMES_HOME:-$HOME/.hermes}/hermes-agent"
-
-# Add dev/test extras on top of the standard install.
-uv pip install -e ".[all,dev]"
-
-# Optional: browser tools / docs site dependencies.
-npm install
-```
-
-After that, create branches and run tests from that checkout:
-
-```bash
-git checkout -b fix/description
-scripts/run_tests.sh
-```
-
-### Manual clone fallback
-
-Use this only if you intentionally do not want Hermes' managed install layout
-(for example, a throwaway clone inside a container or CI job). If you install
-this way, make sure you run the `hermes` entrypoint from this venv; running the
-system `python3 -m hermes_cli.main` can pick up unrelated system Python
-packages.
+### Clone and install
 
 ```bash
 git clone https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git
@@ -143,17 +109,13 @@ echo "OPENROUTER_API_KEY=***" >> ~/.hermes/.env
 ### Run
 
 ```bash
-# The standard installer already put `hermes` on PATH.
-hermes doctor
-hermes chat -q "Hello"
-```
-
-If you used the manual clone fallback, run `./hermes` from the checkout or
-symlink this clone's venv explicitly:
-
-```bash
+# Symlink for global access
 mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
 ln -sf "$(pwd)/venv/bin/hermes" ~/.local/bin/hermes
+
+# Verify
+hermes doctor
+hermes chat -q "Hello"
 ```
 
 ### Run tests

README.md

@@ -181,20 +181,16 @@ See `hermes claw migrate --help` for all options, or use the `openclaw-migration
 
 We welcome contributions! See the [Contributing Guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/developer-guide/contributing) for development setup, code style, and PR process.
 
-Quick start for contributors — use the standard installer, then work from the
-full git checkout it creates at `$HERMES_HOME/hermes-agent` (usually
-`~/.hermes/hermes-agent`). This matches the layout used by `hermes update`, the
-managed venv, lazy dependencies, gateway, and docs tooling.
+Quick start for contributors — clone and go with `setup-hermes.sh`:
 
 ```bash
-curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
-cd "${HERMES_HOME:-$HOME/.hermes}/hermes-agent"
-uv pip install -e ".[all,dev]"
-scripts/run_tests.sh
+git clone https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git
+cd hermes-agent
+./setup-hermes.sh     # installs uv, creates venv, installs .[all], symlinks ~/.local/bin/hermes
+./hermes              # auto-detects the venv, no need to `source` first
 ```
 
-Manual clone fallback (for throwaway clones/CI where you intentionally do not
-want the managed install layout):
+Manual path (equivalent to the above):
 
 ```bash
 curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

README.zh-CN.md

@@ -164,18 +164,16 @@ hermes claw migrate --overwrite  # 覆盖已有冲突
 
 欢迎贡献！请参阅 [贡献指南](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/developer-guide/contributing) 了解开发设置、代码风格和 PR 流程。
 
-贡献者快速开始——使用标准安装器，然后在它创建的完整 git checkout 中开发：
-`$HERMES_HOME/hermes-agent`（通常是 `~/.hermes/hermes-agent`）。这会匹配
-`hermes update`、托管 venv、lazy dependencies、gateway 和 docs tooling 使用的布局。
+贡献者快速开始——克隆并使用 `setup-hermes.sh`：
 
 ```bash
-curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
-cd "${HERMES_HOME:-$HOME/.hermes}/hermes-agent"
-uv pip install -e ".[all,dev]"
-scripts/run_tests.sh
+git clone https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git
+cd hermes-agent
+./setup-hermes.sh     # 安装 uv、创建 venv、安装 .[all]、创建符号链接 ~/.local/bin/hermes
+./hermes              # 自动检测 venv，无需先 source
 ```
 
-手动克隆备用路径（用于一次性 clone / CI，或你明确不想使用 managed install layout 时）：
+手动安装（等效于上述命令）：
 
 ```bash
 curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

acp_adapter/server.py

@@ -824,7 +824,6 @@ class HermesACPAgent(acp.Agent):
 
         try:
             from model_tools import get_tool_definitions
-            from agent.memory_manager import inject_memory_provider_tools
 
             enabled_toolsets = _expand_acp_enabled_toolsets(
                 getattr(state.agent, "enabled_toolsets", None) or ["hermes-acp"],
@@ -840,7 +839,6 @@ class HermesACPAgent(acp.Agent):
             state.agent.valid_tool_names = {
                 tool["function"]["name"] for tool in state.agent.tools or []
             }
-            inject_memory_provider_tools(state.agent)
             invalidate = getattr(state.agent, "_invalidate_system_prompt", None)
             if callable(invalidate):
                 invalidate()
@@ -1781,25 +1779,10 @@ class HermesACPAgent(acp.Agent):
     def _cmd_tools(self, args: str, state: SessionState) -> str:
         try:
             from model_tools import get_tool_definitions
-            from types import SimpleNamespace
-            from agent.memory_manager import inject_memory_provider_tools
-
             toolsets = _expand_acp_enabled_toolsets(
                 getattr(state.agent, "enabled_toolsets", None) or ["hermes-acp"]
             )
             tools = get_tool_definitions(enabled_toolsets=toolsets, quiet_mode=True)
-            tool_view = SimpleNamespace(
-                tools=list(tools or []),
-                valid_tool_names={
-                    tool.get("function", {}).get("name")
-                    for tool in tools or []
-                    if isinstance(tool, dict)
-                },
-                enabled_toolsets=toolsets,
-                _memory_manager=getattr(state.agent, "_memory_manager", None),
-            )
-            inject_memory_provider_tools(tool_view)
-            tools = tool_view.tools
             if not tools:
                 return "No tools available."
             lines = [f"Available tools ({len(tools)}):"]

agent/account_usage.py

@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ def build_nous_credits_snapshot(account_info) -> Optional[AccountUsageSnapshot]:
     account info to show (fail-open: caller just shows nothing).
     """
     try:
-        from hermes_cli.nous_account import nous_portal_topup_url
+        from hermes_cli.nous_account import nous_portal_billing_url
 
         if account_info is None or not getattr(account_info, "logged_in", False):
             return None
@@ -213,8 +213,7 @@ def build_nous_credits_snapshot(account_info) -> Optional[AccountUsageSnapshot]:
         if not windows and not details:
             return None
 
-        details.append(f"Top up: {nous_portal_topup_url(account_info)}")
-        details.append("(or run /credits)")
+        details.append(f"Manage / top up: {nous_portal_billing_url(account_info)}")
 
         plan = getattr(sub, "plan", None) if sub is not None else None
         return AccountUsageSnapshot(
@@ -338,93 +337,6 @@ def _snapshot_from_credits_state(state) -> Optional[AccountUsageSnapshot]:
         return None
 
 
-@dataclass(frozen=True)
-class CreditsView:
-    """Surface-agnostic data for the ``/credits`` command.
-
-    One portal fetch, one parse — consumed identically by the CLI panel, the
-    gateway button, and any other money surface. Fail-open: when not logged in
-    or the portal is unreachable, ``logged_in`` is False / ``topup_url`` is None
-    and callers degrade gracefully.
-    """
-
-    logged_in: bool
-    balance_lines: tuple[str, ...] = ()
-    identity_line: Optional[str] = None
-    topup_url: Optional[str] = None
-    depleted: bool = False
-
-
-def build_credits_view(*, markdown: bool = False, timeout: float = 10.0) -> CreditsView:
-    """Build the /credits view: balance block + identity line + top-up URL.
-
-    Reuses the same account fetch + snapshot + URL builder as the /usage credits
-    block, so the numbers always match. The balance block is the rendered
-    snapshot MINUS its trailing top-up/command-hint lines (the /credits surface
-    supplies its own affordance). Fail-open → ``CreditsView(logged_in=False)``.
-    """
-    not_logged_in = CreditsView(logged_in=False)
-    try:
-        from hermes_cli.auth import get_provider_auth_state
-
-        tok = (get_provider_auth_state("nous") or {}).get("access_token")
-        if not (isinstance(tok, str) and tok.strip()):
-            return not_logged_in
-    except Exception:
-        return not_logged_in
-
-    try:
-        import concurrent.futures
-
-        from hermes_cli.nous_account import (
-            get_nous_portal_account_info,
-            nous_portal_topup_url,
-        )
-
-        with concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=1) as pool:
-            account = pool.submit(get_nous_portal_account_info, force_fresh=True).result(
-                timeout=timeout
-            )
-    except Exception:
-        logger.debug("credits ▸ /credits portal fetch failed (fail-open)", exc_info=True)
-        return not_logged_in
-
-    if account is None or not getattr(account, "logged_in", False):
-        return not_logged_in
-
-    snapshot = build_nous_credits_snapshot(account)
-    # Balance lines = the snapshot block minus the two trailing affordance lines
-    # ("Top up: <url>" + "(or run /credits)") that build_nous_credits_snapshot
-    # appends for the /usage surface. /credits renders its own button/panel.
-    balance_lines: list[str] = []
-    if snapshot is not None:
-        rendered = render_account_usage_lines(snapshot, markdown=markdown)
-        balance_lines = [
-            line
-            for line in rendered
-            if not line.lstrip().startswith("Top up:")
-            and not line.lstrip().startswith("(or run")
-        ]
-
-    # Identity line — shown before any open (roadmap §4.4).
-    email = getattr(account, "email", None)
-    org_name = getattr(account, "org_name", None)
-    who: list[str] = []
-    if email:
-        who.append(str(email))
-    if org_name:
-        who.append(f"org {org_name}")
-    identity_line = ("Topping up as " + " / ".join(who)) if who else None
-
-    return CreditsView(
-        logged_in=True,
-        balance_lines=tuple(balance_lines),
-        identity_line=identity_line,
-        topup_url=nous_portal_topup_url(account),
-        depleted=getattr(account, "paid_service_access", None) is False,
-    )
-
-
 def _resolve_codex_usage_url(base_url: str) -> str:
     normalized = (base_url or "").strip().rstrip("/")
     if not normalized:

agent/agent_init.py

@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ import threading
 import time
 import uuid
 from datetime import datetime
-from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs, urlunparse
 
 from agent.context_compressor import ContextCompressor
@@ -195,7 +195,6 @@ def init_agent(
     status_callback: callable = None,
     notice_callback: callable = None,
     notice_clear_callback: callable = None,
-    event_callback: Optional[Callable[[str, dict], None]] = None,
     max_tokens: int = None,
     reasoning_config: Dict[str, Any] = None,
     service_tier: str = None,
@@ -300,7 +299,6 @@ def init_agent(
     # would mangle the escape sequences.  None = use builtins.print.
     agent._print_fn = None
     agent.background_review_callback = None  # Optional sync callback for gateway delivery
-    agent.memory_notifications = "on"  # Memory update notifications: "off", "on", "verbose"
     agent.skip_context_files = skip_context_files
     agent.load_soul_identity = load_soul_identity
     agent.pass_session_id = pass_session_id
@@ -427,7 +425,6 @@ def init_agent(
     agent.status_callback = status_callback
     agent.notice_callback = notice_callback
     agent.notice_clear_callback = notice_clear_callback
-    agent.event_callback = event_callback
     agent.tool_gen_callback = tool_gen_callback
 
     
@@ -599,7 +596,6 @@ def init_agent(
     # (e.g. CLI voice mode adds a temporary prefix for the live call only).
     agent._persist_user_message_idx = None
     agent._persist_user_message_override = None
-    agent._persist_user_message_timestamp = None
 
     # Cache anthropic image-to-text fallbacks per image payload/URL so a
     # single tool loop does not repeatedly re-run auxiliary vision on the
@@ -904,9 +900,6 @@ def init_agent(
         agent.api_key = client_kwargs.get("api_key", "")
         agent.base_url = client_kwargs.get("base_url", agent.base_url)
         try:
-            from agent.ssl_guard import verify_ca_bundle_with_fallback
-
-            verify_ca_bundle_with_fallback()
             agent.client = agent._create_openai_client(client_kwargs, reason="agent_init", shared=True)
             if not agent.quiet_mode:
                 print(f"🤖 AI Agent initialized with model: {agent.model}")
@@ -1200,8 +1193,38 @@ def init_agent(
             _ra().logger.warning("Memory provider plugin init failed: %s", _mpe)
             agent._memory_manager = None
 
-    from agent.memory_manager import inject_memory_provider_tools as _inject_memory_provider_tools
-    _inject_memory_provider_tools(agent)
+    # Inject memory provider tool schemas into the tool surface.
+    # Skip tools whose names already exist (plugins may register the
+    # same tools via ctx.register_tool(), which lands in agent.tools
+    # through _ra().get_tool_definitions()).  Duplicate function names cause
+    # 400 errors on providers that enforce unique names (e.g. Xiaomi
+    # MiMo via Nous Portal).
+    #
+    # Respect the platform's enabled_toolsets configuration (#5544):
+    #   enabled_toolsets is None        → no filter, inject (backward compat)
+    #   "memory" in enabled_toolsets    → user opted in, inject
+    #   otherwise (incl. [])            → user excluded memory, skip injection
+    #
+    # Without this gate, `platform_toolsets: telegram: []` still leaks memory
+    # provider tools (fact_store, etc.) into the tool surface — a 10x latency
+    # penalty on local models and a frequent trigger of tool-call loops.
+    if agent._memory_manager and agent.tools is not None and (
+        agent.enabled_toolsets is None or "memory" in agent.enabled_toolsets
+    ):
+        _existing_tool_names = {
+            t.get("function", {}).get("name")
+            for t in agent.tools
+            if isinstance(t, dict)
+        }
+        for _schema in agent._memory_manager.get_all_tool_schemas():
+            _tname = _schema.get("name", "")
+            if _tname and _tname in _existing_tool_names:
+                continue  # already registered via plugin path
+            _wrapped = {"type": "function", "function": _schema}
+            agent.tools.append(_wrapped)
+            if _tname:
+                agent.valid_tool_names.add(_tname)
+                _existing_tool_names.add(_tname)
 
     # Skills config: nudge interval for skill creation reminders
     agent._skill_nudge_interval = 10

agent/agent_runtime_helpers.py

@@ -445,45 +445,6 @@ def repair_message_sequence(agent, messages: List[Dict]) -> int:
     return repairs
 
 
-def repair_message_sequence_with_cursor(agent, messages: List[Dict]) -> int:
-    """Run :func:`repair_message_sequence` and keep the SessionDB flush
-    cursor consistent with the compacted list (#44837).
-
-    ``repair_message_sequence`` merges/drops messages in place, shrinking
-    the list. ``_last_flushed_db_idx`` (the DB-write cursor) indexes into
-    that list, so after compaction it can point past the new end — the
-    turn-end flush would then skip the assistant/tool chain entirely — or
-    past unflushed messages shifted to lower indexes.
-
-    Repair preserves object identity for surviving messages, so counting
-    the survivors from the previously-flushed prefix gives the exact new
-    cursor even when messages are dropped/merged at indexes *before* the
-    cursor — a plain ``min()`` clamp would silently skip that many
-    unflushed rows. Falls back to the clamp when no prefix snapshot is
-    available.
-
-    Returns the number of repairs made (same as ``repair_message_sequence``).
-    """
-    pre_repair_flushed_ids = None
-    flush_cursor = getattr(agent, "_last_flushed_db_idx", None)
-    if isinstance(flush_cursor, int) and flush_cursor > 0:
-        pre_repair_flushed_ids = {id(m) for m in messages[:flush_cursor]}
-
-    repairs = repair_message_sequence(agent, messages)
-
-    if repairs > 0 and hasattr(agent, "_last_flushed_db_idx"):
-        if pre_repair_flushed_ids is not None:
-            agent._last_flushed_db_idx = sum(
-                1 for m in messages if id(m) in pre_repair_flushed_ids
-            )
-        else:
-            agent._last_flushed_db_idx = min(
-                agent._last_flushed_db_idx, len(messages)
-            )
-
-    return repairs
-
-
 
 def strip_think_blocks(agent, content: str) -> str:
     """Remove reasoning/thinking blocks from content, returning only visible text.
@@ -618,33 +579,12 @@ def recover_with_credential_pool(
     current_provider = (getattr(agent, "provider", "") or "").strip().lower()
     pool_provider = (getattr(pool, "provider", "") or "").strip().lower()
     if current_provider and pool_provider and current_provider != pool_provider:
-        # Custom endpoints use two naming conventions for the SAME provider:
-        # the agent carries the generic ``custom`` label while the pool is
-        # keyed ``custom:<name>`` (see CUSTOM_POOL_PREFIX). A literal string
-        # compare treats them as a mismatch and skips recovery for every
-        # custom-provider user — 401s/429s then burn the full retry cycle
-        # with no rotation or refresh. Accept the pair as matching only when
-        # the agent's CURRENT base_url actually resolves to this pool key,
-        # so a fallback provider (or a different custom endpoint) still
-        # triggers the guard.
-        _custom_match = False
-        if current_provider == "custom" and pool_provider.startswith("custom:"):
-            try:
-                from agent.credential_pool import get_custom_provider_pool_key
-                _agent_base = (getattr(agent, "base_url", "") or "").strip()
-                _custom_match = bool(_agent_base) and (
-                    (get_custom_provider_pool_key(_agent_base) or "").strip().lower()
-                    == pool_provider
-                )
-            except Exception:
-                _custom_match = False
-        if not _custom_match:
-            _ra().logger.warning(
-                "Credential pool provider mismatch: pool=%s, agent=%s — "
-                "skipping pool mutation to avoid cross-provider contamination",
-                pool_provider, current_provider,
-            )
-            return False, has_retried_429
+        _ra().logger.warning(
+            "Credential pool provider mismatch: pool=%s, agent=%s — "
+            "skipping pool mutation to avoid cross-provider contamination",
+            pool_provider, current_provider,
+        )
+        return False, has_retried_429
 
     effective_reason = classified_reason
     if effective_reason is None:
@@ -881,8 +821,6 @@ def try_recover_primary_transport(
 
 def drop_thinking_only_and_merge_users(
     messages: List[Dict[str, Any]],
-    *,
-    drop_codex_reasoning_items: bool = True,
 ) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
     """Drop thinking-only assistant turns; merge any adjacent user messages left behind.
 
@@ -904,13 +842,7 @@ def drop_thinking_only_and_merge_users(
         return messages
 
     # Pass 1: drop thinking-only assistant turns.
-    kept = [
-        m for m in messages
-        if not _ra().AIAgent._is_thinking_only_assistant(
-            m,
-            drop_codex_reasoning_items=drop_codex_reasoning_items,
-        )
-    ]
+    kept = [m for m in messages if not _ra().AIAgent._is_thinking_only_assistant(m)]
     dropped = len(messages) - len(kept)
     if dropped == 0:
         return messages
@@ -1217,23 +1149,12 @@ def dump_api_request_debug(
 
         timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S_%f")
         dump_file = agent.logs_dir / f"request_dump_{agent.session_id}_{timestamp}.json"
-
-        # Redact secrets before persisting/printing. This dump captures the
-        # full request body (system prompt, tool defs, context-embedded
-        # values), and this path fires unconditionally on API errors — so it
-        # otherwise lands any context-embedded secret in cleartext on disk.
-        # Run the serialized dump through the same scrubber used for logs/tool
-        # output, then hand the resulting payload back to the shared atomic
-        # JSON writer so request dumps keep the same write semantics as before.
-        from agent.redact import redact_sensitive_text
-        _serialized = json.dumps(dump_payload, ensure_ascii=False, indent=2, default=str)
-        _redacted_payload = json.loads(redact_sensitive_text(_serialized, force=True))
-        atomic_json_write(dump_file, _redacted_payload, default=str)
+        atomic_json_write(dump_file, dump_payload, default=str)
 
         agent._vprint(f"{agent.log_prefix}🧾 Request debug dump written to: {dump_file}")
 
         if env_var_enabled("HERMES_DUMP_REQUEST_STDOUT"):
-            print(json.dumps(_redacted_payload, ensure_ascii=False, indent=2, default=str))
+            print(json.dumps(dump_payload, ensure_ascii=False, indent=2, default=str))
 
         return dump_file
     except Exception as dump_error:

agent/anthropic_adapter.py

@@ -372,7 +372,7 @@ def _detect_claude_code_version() -> str:
 
 
 _CLAUDE_CODE_SYSTEM_PREFIX = "You are Claude Code, Anthropic's official CLI for Claude."
-_MCP_TOOL_PREFIX = "mcp__"
+_MCP_TOOL_PREFIX = "mcp_"
 
 
 def _get_claude_code_version() -> str:
@@ -751,9 +751,6 @@ def build_anthropic_client(
     from httpx import Timeout
 
     normalized_base_url = _normalize_base_url_text(base_url)
-    if normalized_base_url:
-        import re as _re
-        normalized_base_url = _re.sub(r"/v1/?$", "", normalized_base_url.rstrip("/"))
     _read_timeout = timeout if (isinstance(timeout, (int, float)) and timeout > 0) else 900.0
     kwargs = {
         "timeout": Timeout(timeout=float(_read_timeout), connect=10.0),
@@ -2349,46 +2346,25 @@ def build_anthropic_kwargs(
                 text = text.replace("Nous Research", "Anthropic")
                 block["text"] = text
 
-        # 3. Normalize tool names so NOTHING goes on the OAuth wire with a
-        #    single-underscore ``mcp_`` prefix.  Anthropic's subscription/OAuth
-        #    billing classifier treats a single-underscore ``mcp_`` tool name as
-        #    a third-party-app fingerprint and rejects the request with HTTP 400
-        #    "Third-party apps now draw from extra usage, not plan limits"
-        #    (verified empirically: a single ``mcp_foo`` tool flips a request
-        #    from plan-billing to the extra-usage lane; ``mcp__foo`` is accepted).
-        #
-        #    Two cases, both must land on the double-underscore ``mcp__`` form:
-        #      a) bare Hermes-native tools (``read_file``)  -> ``mcp__read_file``
-        #      b) native MCP server tools registered under their full
-        #         single-underscore ``mcp_<server>_<tool>`` name
-        #         (``mcp_linear_get_issue``) -> ``mcp__linear_get_issue``
-        #    Case (b) is the gap that the bare ``mcp_``->``mcp__`` constant swap
-        #    left open: those tools were *skipped* and stayed single-underscore,
-        #    so any session with an MCP server configured still tripped the
-        #    classifier. normalize_response reverses both forms via registry
-        #    lookup so the dispatcher still sees the original name. GH-25255.
-        def _to_oauth_wire_name(name: str) -> str:
-            if name.startswith("mcp__"):
-                return name  # already correct, don't double-prefix
-            if name.startswith("mcp_"):
-                # single-underscore native MCP tool -> promote to double
-                return "mcp__" + name[len("mcp_"):]
-            return _MCP_TOOL_PREFIX + name  # bare name -> mcp__<name>
-
+        # 3. Prefix tool names with mcp_ (Claude Code convention)
+        #    Skip names that already begin with the marker — native MCP server
+        #    tools (from mcp_servers: in config.yaml) are registered under their
+        #    full mcp_<server>_<tool> name and would double-prefix otherwise,
+        #    breaking round-trip registry lookup in normalize_response. GH-25255.
         if anthropic_tools:
             for tool in anthropic_tools:
-                if "name" in tool:
-                    tool["name"] = _to_oauth_wire_name(tool["name"])
+                if "name" in tool and not tool["name"].startswith(_MCP_TOOL_PREFIX):
+                    tool["name"] = _MCP_TOOL_PREFIX + tool["name"]
 
-        # 4. Apply the same normalization to tool names in message history
-        #    (tool_use blocks) so replayed turns match the wire names above.
+        # 4. Prefix tool names in message history (tool_use and tool_result blocks)
         for msg in anthropic_messages:
             content = msg.get("content")
             if isinstance(content, list):
                 for block in content:
                     if isinstance(block, dict):
                         if block.get("type") == "tool_use" and "name" in block:
-                            block["name"] = _to_oauth_wire_name(block["name"])
+                            if not block["name"].startswith(_MCP_TOOL_PREFIX):
+                                block["name"] = _MCP_TOOL_PREFIX + block["name"]
                         elif block.get("type") == "tool_result" and "tool_use_id" in block:
                             pass  # tool_result uses ID, not name
 

agent/auxiliary_client.py

@@ -1144,8 +1144,7 @@ def _endpoint_speaks_anthropic_messages(base_url: str) -> bool:
     normalized = (base_url or "").strip().lower().rstrip("/")
     if not normalized:
         return False
-    path = urlparse(normalized).path.rstrip("/")
-    if path.endswith("/anthropic") or path.endswith("/anthropic/v1"):
+    if normalized.endswith("/anthropic"):
         return True
     hostname = base_url_hostname(normalized)
     if hostname == "api.anthropic.com":
@@ -3079,20 +3078,23 @@ def _try_configured_fallback_chain(
         if not fb_provider or fb_provider.lower() == skip:
             continue
         fb_model = str(entry.get("model", "")).strip() or None
+        fb_base_url = str(entry.get("base_url", "")).strip() or None
+        fb_api_key = str(entry.get("api_key", "")).strip() or None
 
         label = f"fallback_chain[{i}]({fb_provider})"
 
         try:
-            fb_client, resolved_model = _resolve_fallback_entry(entry)
+            fb_client = _resolve_single_provider(
+                fb_provider, fb_model, fb_base_url, fb_api_key)
         except Exception:
-            fb_client, resolved_model = None, None
+            fb_client = None
 
         if fb_client is not None:
             logger.info(
                 "Auxiliary %s: %s on %s — configured fallback to %s (%s)",
-                task, reason, failed_provider, label, resolved_model or fb_model or "default",
+                task, reason, failed_provider, label, fb_model or "default",
             )
-            return fb_client, resolved_model or fb_model, label
+            return fb_client, fb_model, label
         tried.append(label)
 
     if tried:
@@ -3103,103 +3105,6 @@ def _try_configured_fallback_chain(
     return None, None, ""
 
 
-def _fallback_entry_api_key(entry: Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[str]:
-    """Resolve inline or env-backed API key from a fallback-chain entry."""
-    explicit = str(entry.get("api_key") or "").strip()
-    if explicit:
-        return explicit
-    key_env = str(entry.get("key_env") or entry.get("api_key_env") or "").strip()
-    if key_env:
-        return os.getenv(key_env, "").strip() or None
-    return None
-
-
-def _resolve_fallback_entry(entry: Dict[str, Any]) -> Tuple[Optional[Any], Optional[str]]:
-    """Resolve one fallback entry through the central provider router."""
-    provider = str(entry.get("provider") or "").strip()
-    model = str(entry.get("model") or "").strip() or None
-    if not provider or not model:
-        return None, None
-    base_url = str(entry.get("base_url") or "").strip() or None
-    api_key = _fallback_entry_api_key(entry)
-    api_mode = str(entry.get("api_mode") or entry.get("transport") or "").strip() or None
-    return resolve_provider_client(
-        provider,
-        model=model,
-        explicit_base_url=base_url,
-        explicit_api_key=api_key,
-        api_mode=api_mode,
-    )
-
-
-def _try_main_fallback_chain(
-    task: Optional[str],
-    failed_provider: str = "",
-    reason: str = "error",
-) -> Tuple[Optional[Any], Optional[str], str]:
-    """Try the top-level main-agent fallback chain for an auxiliary call.
-
-    ``provider: auto`` auxiliary tasks should respect the user's declared
-    main fallback policy before dropping into Hermes' built-in discovery
-    chain. The top-level chain is read through ``get_fallback_chain`` so
-    both modern ``fallback_providers`` and legacy ``fallback_model`` entries
-    participate in the same order as the main agent.
-    """
-    try:
-        from hermes_cli.config import load_config
-        from hermes_cli.fallback_config import get_fallback_chain
-
-        chain = get_fallback_chain(load_config())
-    except Exception as exc:
-        logger.debug("Auxiliary %s: could not load main fallback chain: %s", task or "call", exc)
-        return None, None, ""
-
-    if not chain:
-        return None, None, ""
-
-    failed_norm = (failed_provider or "").strip().lower()
-    main_norm = (_read_main_provider() or "").strip().lower()
-    skip = {p for p in (failed_norm, main_norm, "auto") if p}
-    tried: List[str] = []
-
-    for i, entry in enumerate(chain):
-        if not isinstance(entry, dict):
-            continue
-        fb_provider = str(entry.get("provider") or "").strip()
-        fb_model = str(entry.get("model") or "").strip()
-        if not fb_provider or not fb_model:
-            continue
-        fb_norm = fb_provider.lower()
-        label = f"fallback_providers[{i}]({fb_provider})"
-        if fb_norm in skip:
-            tried.append(f"{label} (skipped)")
-            continue
-        if _is_provider_unhealthy(fb_norm):
-            _log_skip_unhealthy(fb_norm, task)
-            tried.append(f"{label} (unhealthy)")
-            continue
-        try:
-            fb_client, resolved_model = _resolve_fallback_entry(entry)
-        except Exception as exc:
-            logger.debug("Auxiliary %s: main fallback %s failed to resolve: %s", task or "call", label, exc)
-            fb_client, resolved_model = None, None
-        if fb_client is not None:
-            logger.info(
-                "Auxiliary %s: %s on %s — main fallback chain to %s (%s)",
-                task or "call", reason, failed_provider or "auto", label,
-                resolved_model or fb_model,
-            )
-            return fb_client, resolved_model or fb_model, fb_provider
-        tried.append(label)
-
-    if tried:
-        logger.debug(
-            "Auxiliary %s: main fallback chain exhausted (tried: %s)",
-            task or "call", ", ".join(tried),
-        )
-    return None, None, ""
-
-
 def _resolve_single_provider(
     provider: str,
     model: Optional[str] = None,
@@ -3210,19 +3115,16 @@ def _resolve_single_provider(
 
     Uses the existing provider resolution infrastructure where possible.
     """
-    # Reuse resolve_provider_client which handles provider→client mapping.
+    # Reuse resolve_provider_client which handles provider→client mapping
     client, resolved_model = resolve_provider_client(
         provider=provider,
         model=model,
-        explicit_base_url=base_url,
-        explicit_api_key=api_key,
+        base_url=base_url,
+        api_key=api_key,
     )
     return client
 
-def _resolve_auto(
-    main_runtime: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
-    task: Optional[str] = None,
-) -> Tuple[Optional[OpenAI], Optional[str]]:
+def _resolve_auto(main_runtime: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None) -> Tuple[Optional[OpenAI], Optional[str]]:
     """Full auto-detection chain.
 
     Priority:
@@ -3288,7 +3190,7 @@ def _resolve_auto(
     if (main_provider and main_model
             and main_provider not in {"auto", ""}):
         resolved_provider = main_provider
-        explicit_base_url = runtime_base_url or None
+        explicit_base_url = None
         explicit_api_key = None
         if runtime_base_url and (main_provider == "custom" or main_provider.startswith("custom:")):
             resolved_provider = "custom"
@@ -3320,22 +3222,7 @@ def _resolve_auto(
                             main_provider, resolved or main_model)
                 return client, resolved or main_model
 
-    # ── Step 2: user-configured fallback policy ─────────────────────────
-    # In auto mode, respect the task-specific fallback chain first, then the
-    # main agent's top-level fallback_providers/fallback_model chain. The
-    # hardcoded provider discovery chain below is only the convenience default
-    # for users who have not declared a fallback policy.
-    if task:
-        fb_client, fb_model, _fb_label = _try_configured_fallback_chain(
-            task, main_provider or "auto", reason="main provider unavailable")
-        if fb_client is not None:
-            return fb_client, fb_model
-    fb_client, fb_model, _fb_label = _try_main_fallback_chain(
-        task, main_provider or "auto", reason="main provider unavailable")
-    if fb_client is not None:
-        return fb_client, fb_model
-
-    # ── Step 3: aggregator / fallback chain ──────────────────────────────
+    # ── Step 2: aggregator / fallback chain ──────────────────────────────
     tried = []
     for label, try_fn in _get_provider_chain():
         if _is_provider_unhealthy(label):
@@ -3456,7 +3343,6 @@ def resolve_provider_client(
     api_mode: str = None,
     main_runtime: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
     is_vision: bool = False,
-    task: Optional[str] = None,
 ) -> Tuple[Optional[Any], Optional[str]]:
     """Central router: given a provider name and optional model, return a
     configured client with the correct auth, base URL, and API format.
@@ -3577,7 +3463,7 @@ def resolve_provider_client(
 
     # ── Auto: try all providers in priority order ────────────────────
     if provider == "auto":
-        client, resolved = _resolve_auto(main_runtime=main_runtime, task=task)
+        client, resolved = _resolve_auto(main_runtime=main_runtime)
         if client is None:
             return None, None
         # When auto-detection lands on a non-OpenRouter provider (e.g. a
@@ -4470,16 +4356,11 @@ def _client_cache_key(
     api_mode: Optional[str] = None,
     main_runtime: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
     is_vision: bool = False,
-    task: Optional[str] = None,
 ) -> tuple:
     runtime = _normalize_main_runtime(main_runtime)
     runtime_key = tuple(runtime.get(field, "") for field in _MAIN_RUNTIME_FIELDS) if provider == "auto" else ()
-    # `auto` can now resolve through task-specific or main fallback policy,
-    # so the task participates in the cache key. Non-auto providers keep the
-    # old cache shape because the explicit provider/model tuple is sufficient.
-    task_key = (task or "") if provider == "auto" else ""
     pool_hint = _pool_cache_hint(provider, main_runtime=main_runtime)
-    return (provider, async_mode, base_url or "", api_key or "", api_mode or "", runtime_key, is_vision, task_key, pool_hint)
+    return (provider, async_mode, base_url or "", api_key or "", api_mode or "", runtime_key, is_vision, pool_hint)
 
 
 def _store_cached_client(cache_key: tuple, client: Any, default_model: Optional[str], *, bound_loop: Any = None) -> None:
@@ -4672,7 +4553,6 @@ def _get_cached_client(
     api_mode: str = None,
     main_runtime: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
     is_vision: bool = False,
-    task: Optional[str] = None,
 ) -> Tuple[Optional[Any], Optional[str]]:
     """Get or create a cached client for the given provider.
 
@@ -4710,7 +4590,6 @@ def _get_cached_client(
         api_mode=api_mode,
         main_runtime=main_runtime,
         is_vision=is_vision,
-        task=task,
     )
     with _client_cache_lock:
         if cache_key in _client_cache:
@@ -4755,7 +4634,6 @@ def _get_cached_client(
         api_mode=api_mode,
         main_runtime=runtime,
         is_vision=is_vision,
-        task=task,
     )
     if client is not None:
         # For async clients, remember which loop they were created on so we
@@ -5126,7 +5004,7 @@ def _build_call_kwargs(
 
     # Provider-specific extra_body
     merged_extra = dict(extra_body or {})
-    if provider == "nous":
+    if provider == "nous" or auxiliary_is_nous:
         merged_extra.setdefault("tags", []).extend(_nous_portal_tags())
     if merged_extra:
         kwargs["extra_body"] = merged_extra
@@ -5261,7 +5139,7 @@ def call_llm(
             if not resolved_base_url:
                 logger.info("Auxiliary %s: provider %s unavailable, trying auto-detection chain",
                             task or "call", resolved_provider)
-                client, final_model = _get_cached_client("auto", main_runtime=main_runtime, task=task)
+                client, final_model = _get_cached_client("auto", main_runtime=main_runtime)
         if client is None:
             raise RuntimeError(
                 f"No LLM provider configured for task={task} provider={resolved_provider}. "
@@ -5587,19 +5465,14 @@ def call_llm(
 
             # Fallback order (#26882, #26803):
             #   1. User-configured fallback_chain (per-task) if set
-            #   2. For auto: top-level main fallback_providers/fallback_model
-            #   3. For auto: built-in auxiliary discovery chain
-            #   4. For explicit aux providers: main agent model safety net
+            #   2. Main agent model (last-resort safety net)
+            # For auto users (no explicit aux provider), use the full
+            # auto-detection chain instead — its Step 1 IS the main agent
+            # model, so users on `auto` already get main-model fallback.
             fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = (None, None, "")
             if is_auto:
-                fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_configured_fallback_chain(
-                    task, resolved_provider or "auto", reason=reason)
-                if fb_client is None:
-                    fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_main_fallback_chain(
-                        task, resolved_provider or "auto", reason=reason)
-                if fb_client is None:
-                    fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_payment_fallback(
-                        resolved_provider, task, reason=reason)
+                fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_payment_fallback(
+                    resolved_provider, task, reason=reason)
             else:
                 fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_configured_fallback_chain(
                     task, resolved_provider or "auto", reason=reason)
@@ -5762,7 +5635,7 @@ async def async_call_llm(
             if not resolved_base_url:
                 logger.info("Auxiliary %s: provider %s unavailable, trying auto-detection chain",
                             task or "call", resolved_provider)
-                client, final_model = _get_cached_client("auto", async_mode=True, main_runtime=main_runtime, task=task)
+                client, final_model = _get_cached_client("auto", async_mode=True)
         if client is None:
             raise RuntimeError(
                 f"No LLM provider configured for task={task} provider={resolved_provider}. "
@@ -6030,19 +5903,13 @@ async def async_call_llm(
 
             # Fallback order (#26882, #26803):
             #   1. User-configured fallback_chain (per-task) if set
-            #   2. For auto: top-level main fallback_providers/fallback_model
-            #   3. For auto: built-in auxiliary discovery chain
-            #   4. For explicit aux providers: main agent model safety net
+            #   2. Main agent model (last-resort safety net)
+            # Auto users get the full auto-detection chain instead — its
+            # Step 1 IS the main agent model.
             fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = (None, None, "")
             if is_auto:
-                fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_configured_fallback_chain(
-                    task, resolved_provider or "auto", reason=reason)
-                if fb_client is None:
-                    fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_main_fallback_chain(
-                        task, resolved_provider or "auto", reason=reason)
-                if fb_client is None:
-                    fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_payment_fallback(
-                        resolved_provider, task, reason=reason)
+                fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_payment_fallback(
+                    resolved_provider, task, reason=reason)
             else:
                 fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_configured_fallback_chain(
                     task, resolved_provider or "auto", reason=reason)

agent/background_review.py

@@ -237,25 +237,18 @@ _COMBINED_REVIEW_PROMPT = (
 def summarize_background_review_actions(
     review_messages: List[Dict],
     prior_snapshot: List[Dict],
-    notification_mode: str = "on",
 ) -> List[str]:
     """Build the human-facing action summary for a background review pass.
 
-    Walks the review agent's session messages and collects successful memory
-    and skill-management actions to surface to the user. Tool messages already
-    present in ``prior_snapshot`` are skipped so stale inherited results are
-    not re-surfaced as fresh background work (issue #14944).
+    Walks the review agent's session messages and collects "successful tool
+    action" descriptions to surface to the user (e.g. "Memory updated").
+    Tool messages already present in ``prior_snapshot`` are skipped so we
+    don't re-surface stale results from the prior conversation that the
+    review agent inherited via ``conversation_history`` (issue #14944).
 
-    ``notification_mode`` controls display detail:
-    - ``off``: return no actions.
-    - ``on``: generic "Memory updated"/tool messages.
-    - ``verbose``: include compact content previews from tool-call arguments.
+    Matching is by ``tool_call_id`` when available, with a content-equality
+    fallback for tool messages that lack one.
     """
-    mode = str(notification_mode or "on").lower()
-    if mode == "off":
-        return []
-    verbose = mode == "verbose"
-
     existing_tool_call_ids = set()
     existing_tool_contents = set()
     for prior in prior_snapshot or []:
@@ -269,42 +262,6 @@ def summarize_background_review_actions(
             if isinstance(content, str):
                 existing_tool_contents.add(content)
 
-    # Map review-agent tool results back to the calls that produced them.  The
-    # result JSON only says "Entry added"; the call arguments contain action,
-    # target, and content previews.  Restricting to notify_tools also prevents
-    # helper tools from surfacing as memory work just because they succeeded.
-    notify_tools = {"memory", "skill_manage"}
-    all_tool_call_ids: set = set()
-    call_details: dict = {}
-    for msg in review_messages or []:
-        if not isinstance(msg, dict) or msg.get("role") != "assistant":
-            continue
-        for tc in msg.get("tool_calls", []) or []:
-            if not isinstance(tc, dict):
-                continue
-            fn = tc.get("function", {}) or {}
-            fn_name = fn.get("name", "")
-            tcid = tc.get("id")
-            if tcid:
-                all_tool_call_ids.add(tcid)
-            if fn_name not in notify_tools:
-                continue
-            try:
-                args = json.loads(fn.get("arguments", "{}"))
-            except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError):
-                args = {}
-            if tcid:
-                call_details[tcid] = {
-                    "tool": fn_name,
-                    "action": args.get("action", "?"),
-                    "target": args.get("target", "memory"),
-                    "content": args.get("content", ""),
-                    "old_text": args.get("old_text", ""),
-                    "name": args.get("name", ""),
-                    "old_string": args.get("old_string", ""),
-                    "new_string": args.get("new_string", ""),
-                }
-
     actions: List[str] = []
     for msg in review_messages or []:
         if not isinstance(msg, dict) or msg.get("role") != "tool":
@@ -316,8 +273,6 @@ def summarize_background_review_actions(
             content_str = msg.get("content")
             if isinstance(content_str, str) and content_str in existing_tool_contents:
                 continue
-        if tcid and all_tool_call_ids and tcid not in call_details:
-            continue
         try:
             data = json.loads(msg.get("content", "{}"))
         except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError):
@@ -325,75 +280,19 @@ def summarize_background_review_actions(
         if not isinstance(data, dict) or not data.get("success"):
             continue
         message = data.get("message", "")
-        detail = call_details.get(tcid, {})
-        target = data.get("target", "") or detail.get("target", "")
-        is_skill = detail.get("tool") == "skill_manage"
-
-        message_lower = message.lower()
-        if not verbose:
-            if "created" in message_lower:
-                actions.append(message)
-                continue
-            if "updated" in message_lower:
-                actions.append(message)
-                continue
-            if is_skill and "patched" in message_lower:
-                actions.append(message)
-                continue
-
-        if is_skill:
-            label = "Skill"
-        elif target:
+        target = data.get("target", "")
+        if "created" in message.lower():
+            actions.append(message)
+        elif "updated" in message.lower():
+            actions.append(message)
+        elif "added" in message.lower() or (target and "add" in message.lower()):
+            label = "Memory" if target == "memory" else "User profile" if target == "user" else target
+            actions.append(f"{label} updated")
+        elif "Entry added" in message:
+            label = "Memory" if target == "memory" else "User profile" if target == "user" else target
+            actions.append(f"{label} updated")
+        elif "removed" in message.lower() or "replaced" in message.lower():
             label = "Memory" if target == "memory" else "User profile" if target == "user" else target
-        else:
-            continue
-
-        if verbose:
-            action = detail.get("action", "")
-            content = detail.get("content", "")
-            old_text = detail.get("old_text", "")
-            skill_name = detail.get("name", "")
-            max_preview = 120
-            if is_skill:
-                change = data.get("_change", {})
-                old_string = change.get("old", "") or detail.get("old_string", "")
-                new_string = change.get("new", "") or detail.get("new_string", "")
-                description = change.get("description", "")
-                if action == "patch" and (old_string or new_string):
-                    old_preview = old_string[:80].replace("\n", " ") + (
-                        "…" if len(old_string) > 80 else ""
-                    )
-                    new_preview = new_string[:80].replace("\n", " ") + (
-                        "…" if len(new_string) > 80 else ""
-                    )
-                    actions.append(
-                        f"📝 Skill '{skill_name}' patched: "
-                        f"\"{old_preview}\" → \"{new_preview}\""
-                    )
-                elif action == "create" and description:
-                    actions.append(f"📝 Skill '{skill_name}' created: {description}")
-                elif action == "edit" and description:
-                    actions.append(f"📝 Skill '{skill_name}' rewritten: {description}")
-                else:
-                    actions.append(f"📝 {message}" if message else f"Skill {action}")
-            elif action == "add" and content:
-                preview = content[:max_preview] + ("…" if len(content) > max_preview else "")
-                actions.append(f"{label} ➕ {preview}")
-            elif action == "replace" and content:
-                preview = content[:max_preview] + ("…" if len(content) > max_preview else "")
-                actions.append(f"{label} ✏️ {preview}")
-            elif action == "remove" and old_text:
-                preview = old_text[:60] + ("…" if len(old_text) > 60 else "")
-                actions.append(f"{label} ➖ {preview}")
-            else:
-                actions.append(f"{label} updated")
-        elif (
-            "added" in message_lower
-            or "replaced" in message_lower
-            or "removed" in message_lower
-            or (target and "add" in message.lower())
-            or "Entry added" in message
-        ):
             actions.append(f"{label} updated")
     return actions
 
@@ -623,7 +522,6 @@ def _run_review_in_thread(
         actions = summarize_background_review_actions(
             review_messages,
             messages_snapshot,
-            notification_mode=getattr(agent, "memory_notifications", "on"),
         )
 
         if actions:

agent/bedrock_adapter.py

@@ -58,34 +58,17 @@ _bedrock_runtime_client_cache: Dict[str, Any] = {}
 _bedrock_control_client_cache: Dict[str, Any] = {}
 
 
-_MIN_BOTO3_VERSION = (1, 34, 59)
-
-
 def _require_boto3():
-    """Import boto3, raising a clear error if not installed or too old."""
+    """Import boto3, raising a clear error if not installed."""
     try:
         import boto3
+        return boto3
     except ImportError:
         raise ImportError(
             "The 'boto3' package is required for the AWS Bedrock provider. "
             "Install it with: pip install boto3\n"
             "Or install Hermes with Bedrock support: pip install -e '.[bedrock]'"
         )
-    # converse() / converse_stream() were added in boto3 1.34.59.
-    # When Hermes is installed editable into system Python, the system boto3
-    # (e.g. Ubuntu 24.04 ships 1.34.46) may take precedence over the venv
-    # version pinned in pyproject.toml.
-    try:
-        version = tuple(int(x) for x in boto3.__version__.split(".")[:3])
-    except (AttributeError, ValueError):
-        return boto3  # can't parse — don't block on version check
-    if version < _MIN_BOTO3_VERSION:
-        raise RuntimeError(
-            f"boto3 {boto3.__version__} does not support converse_stream "
-            f"(minimum 1.34.59 required). Upgrade with: "
-            f"pip install --upgrade boto3"
-        )
-    return boto3
 
 
 def _get_bedrock_runtime_client(region: str):
@@ -952,14 +935,11 @@ def build_converse_kwargs(
     if system_prompt:
         kwargs["system"] = system_prompt
 
-    from agent.anthropic_adapter import _forbids_sampling_params
+    if temperature is not None:
+        kwargs["inferenceConfig"]["temperature"] = temperature
 
-    if not _forbids_sampling_params(model):
-        if temperature is not None:
-            kwargs["inferenceConfig"]["temperature"] = temperature
-
-        if top_p is not None:
-            kwargs["inferenceConfig"]["topP"] = top_p
+    if top_p is not None:
+        kwargs["inferenceConfig"]["topP"] = top_p
 
     if stop_sequences:
         kwargs["inferenceConfig"]["stopSequences"] = stop_sequences

agent/codex_responses_adapter.py

@@ -127,21 +127,14 @@ def _chat_content_to_responses_parts(content: Any, *, role: str = "user") -> Lis
     return converted
 
 
-def _summarize_user_message_for_log(content: Any, *, sep: str = " ") -> str:
-    """Flatten message content to a plain-text summary.
+def _summarize_user_message_for_log(content: Any) -> str:
+    """Return a short text summary of a user message for logging/trajectory.
 
     Multimodal messages arrive as a list of ``{type:"text"|"image_url", ...}``
-    parts from the API server.  Several consumers want a plain string:
-
-    - Logging, spinner previews, and trajectory files (the default ``sep=" "``).
-    - External memory providers, which feed the text to regexes
-      (``sanitize_context``) and text APIs — a raw list crashes the sync with
-      ``expected string or bytes-like object, got 'list'`` (use ``sep="\\n"``).
-
-    Text parts are joined with ``sep``; images become a ``[N image(s)]`` marker
-    so the turn isn't recorded as if the attachment never existed.  Returns an
-    empty string for empty lists and ``str(content)`` for unexpected scalar
-    types.
+    parts from the API server.  Logging, spinner previews, and trajectory
+    files all want a plain string — this helper extracts the first chunk of
+    text and notes any attached images.  Returns an empty string for empty
+    lists and ``str(content)`` for unexpected scalar types.
     """
     if content is None:
         return ""
@@ -164,7 +157,7 @@ def _summarize_user_message_for_log(content: Any, *, sep: str = " ") -> str:
                     text_bits.append(text)
             elif ptype in {"image_url", "input_image"}:
                 image_count += 1
-        summary = sep.join(text_bits).strip()
+        summary = " ".join(text_bits).strip()
         if image_count:
             note = f"[{image_count} image{'s' if image_count != 1 else ''}]"
             summary = f"{note} {summary}" if summary else note
@@ -1081,7 +1074,6 @@ def _normalize_codex_response(
     message_items_raw: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
     tool_calls: List[Any] = []
     has_incomplete_items = response_status in {"queued", "in_progress", "incomplete"}
-    saw_streaming_or_item_incomplete = response_status in {"queued", "in_progress"}
     saw_commentary_phase = False
     saw_final_answer_phase = False
     saw_reasoning_item = False
@@ -1096,7 +1088,6 @@ def _normalize_codex_response(
 
         if item_status in {"queued", "in_progress", "incomplete"}:
             has_incomplete_items = True
-            saw_streaming_or_item_incomplete = True
 
         if item_type == "message":
             item_phase = getattr(item, "phase", None)
@@ -1254,9 +1245,7 @@ def _normalize_codex_response(
         finish_reason = "tool_calls"
     elif leaked_tool_call_text:
         finish_reason = "incomplete"
-    elif saw_streaming_or_item_incomplete:
-        finish_reason = "incomplete"
-    elif (has_incomplete_items or saw_commentary_phase) and not saw_final_answer_phase:
+    elif has_incomplete_items or (saw_commentary_phase and not saw_final_answer_phase):
         finish_reason = "incomplete"
     elif (reasoning_items_raw or reasoning_parts or saw_reasoning_item) and not final_text:
         # Response contains only reasoning (encrypted thinking state and/or

agent/coding_context.py

@@ -38,13 +38,12 @@ session (deferred), the same contract as ``/skills install`` vs ``--now``.
 
 Activation (config ``agent.coding_context``):
 
-  * ``auto`` (default) — posture (brief + snapshot) on an interactive coding
-    surface sitting in a code workspace (git repo or recognised project root).
-    Prompt-only; toolsets and the skill index untouched.
+  * ``auto`` (default) — posture (brief + snapshot + names-only demotion of
+    non-coding skill categories) on an interactive coding surface sitting in
+    a code workspace (git repo or recognised project root). Prompt-only;
+    toolsets untouched, no skill is ever hidden.
   * ``focus`` — like ``auto``, but additionally collapses the toolset to the
-    ``coding`` set + enabled MCP servers and demotes non-coding skill
-    categories to names-only in the prompt's skill index (no skill is ever
-    hidden). Explicit opt-in for a lean schema.
+    ``coding`` set + enabled MCP servers. Explicit opt-in for a lean schema.
   * ``on`` — force the posture anywhere (incl. non-workspaces). Prompt-only.
   * ``off`` — disable entirely.
 """
@@ -99,26 +98,36 @@ _GIT_TIMEOUT = 2.5
 
 
 # Per-model edit-format steering. Matching the edit tool format to how a model
-# was trained reduces mistakes and wasted reasoning (OpenAI/Codex handle
-# patch-style diffs best; Anthropic models — and most open-weight coding
-# models, whose RL scaffolds use str_replace-style editors — do best with
-# string-replacement). Our `patch` tool exposes both: mode="patch" (V4A
+# was trained reduces mistakes and wasted reasoning. Documented sources,
+# verified against current first-party agent source (May–Jun 2026):
+# - GPT/Codex → V4A patch: Codex CLI's ONLY file-edit tool is apply_patch and
+#   its grammar (codex-rs/core/src/tools/handlers/apply_patch.lark) is exactly
+#   the V4A format; the GPT-5.1/5.2(-codex) prompts instruct "Use the
+#   `apply_patch` tool to edit files", and OpenAI gates the tool per model via
+#   ModelInfo.apply_patch_tool_type. No str_replace editor exists in Codex.
+#   (Earlier doc: the GPT-4.1 prompting guide ships apply_patch/V4A —
+#   https://developers.openai.com/cookbook/examples/gpt4-1_prompting_guide)
+# - Claude → str_replace: Claude Code's FileEditTool is exact string
+#   replacement (old_string/new_string/replace_all, unique-match semantics) —
+#   current Claude models are RL'd against str_replace editing in their own
+#   first-party harness. Also Anthropic's API text-editor tool
+#   (`str_replace_based_edit_tool`) is schema-less: the schema is built into
+#   the model.
+#   https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/agents-and-tools/tool-use/text-editor-tool
+# - Open-weight coding models → str_replace: the dominant open RL/agentic
+#   scaffolds (SWE-agent, OpenHands ACI) use str_replace-style editors, and
+#   Qwen Code / Gemini CLI ship old_string/new_string `replace` tools.
+# Our `patch` tool exposes both: mode="patch" (V4A
 # multi-file) and mode="replace" (find-and-swap). We nudge each family toward
 # its native format. Unknown families get nothing (the brief's neutral wording
 # stands). Substrings match the model id; aligned with TOOL_USE_ENFORCEMENT_MODELS.
-#
-# GPT/Codex get V4A for ALL edits, single-file included: in codex-rs,
-# apply_patch (V4A — apply_patch.lark) is the ONLY file editor, no
-# str_replace-style tool exists, and the shipped model prompts say to use
-# apply_patch even "for single file edits" — so a replace-mode nudge would
-# steer those models toward a format their first-party harness never taught
-# them.
 _EDIT_FORMAT_GUIDANCE: dict[str, tuple[tuple[str, ...], str]] = {
     "patch": (
         ("gpt", "codex"),
         "- Edit format: author new files with `write_file`; for edits to "
-        "existing code use `patch` with `mode='patch'` (V4A diff) — including "
-        "single-file edits. It's the edit format you handle most reliably.",
+        "existing code prefer `patch` with `mode='patch'` (V4A multi-file diff) "
+        "for structured or multi-file changes — it's the diff format you handle "
+        "most reliably. Use `mode='replace'` for a single small swap.",
     ),
     "replace": (
         ("claude", "sonnet", "opus", "haiku",
@@ -190,10 +199,6 @@ CODING_AGENT_GUIDANCE = (
     "Verify, and know when to stop:\n"
     "- Use `terminal` for git, builds, tests, and inspection. Run the relevant "
     "tests/linter/build and confirm they pass before claiming the work is done.\n"
-    "- Terminal state persists across calls: current directory and exported "
-    "environment variables carry forward. Activate a virtualenv or export setup "
-    "vars once, then reuse that state instead of re-sourcing it before every "
-    "test command.\n"
     "- Fix root causes, not symptoms: when you find a bug, check sibling call "
     "paths for the same flaw and fix the class, not just the reported site.\n"
     "- When fixing linter/type errors on a file, stop after about three "
@@ -225,8 +230,8 @@ class ContextProfile:
                        (extension seam; not yet consumed by the router).
     ``memory_policy``— memory namespace/weighting hint (extension seam).
     ``compact_skill_categories`` — skill categories DEMOTED to names-only in
-                       the system-prompt skill index under the opt-in ``focus``
-                       mode. Never hidden: every skill name stays visible
+                       the system-prompt skill index while this posture is
+                       active. Never hidden: every skill name stays visible
                        (so memory-anchored recall keeps working) — only the
                        descriptions are dropped to cut index noise. Deny-list
                        semantics so unknown/custom categories keep full
@@ -242,7 +247,7 @@ class ContextProfile:
 
 
 # Skill categories that are clearly not part of a coding workflow. Demoted to
-# names-only in the prompt's skill index under the opt-in ``focus`` mode only
+# names-only in the prompt's skill index while the coding posture is active
 # (deny-list — anything not listed here, incl. custom user categories, keeps
 # full entries). Coding-adjacent categories (devops, github, mcp,
 # data-science, diagramming, research, security, …) are intentionally absent.
@@ -449,22 +454,15 @@ class RuntimeMode:
     def compact_skill_categories(self) -> frozenset[str]:
         """Skill categories to demote to names-only in the prompt's skill index.
 
-        Gated on the opt-in ``focus`` mode, like the toolset collapse: the
-        default posture leaves the skill index untouched. Users who didn't ask
-        for a lean prompt keep full entries for every category — index changes
-        under ``auto`` proved too surprising in practice, even names-only ones
-        (a demoted description is information the model no longer weighs when
-        deciding what to load).
-
-        Demoted — never hidden — even under ``focus``. An earlier revision
-        fully pruned these categories from the index, which caused silent
-        capability loss in a real workflow: agent-created skills are the
-        model's accumulated project memory (server-ops runbooks, learned
-        pitfalls, …), and models do not reliably reach for ``skills_list`` to
-        rediscover what the index stopped showing them. Names-only keeps every
-        skill loadable on recall while still cutting the description noise.
+        Demoted — never hidden. An earlier revision fully pruned these
+        categories from the index, which caused silent capability loss in a
+        real workflow: agent-created skills are the model's accumulated
+        project memory (server-ops runbooks, learned pitfalls, …), and models
+        do not reliably reach for ``skills_list`` to rediscover what the
+        index stopped showing them. Names-only keeps every skill loadable on
+        recall while still cutting the description noise from the index.
         """
-        if not self.is_coding or self.config_mode != "focus":
+        if not self.is_coding:
             return frozenset()
         return frozenset(self.profile.compact_skill_categories)
 
@@ -552,11 +550,9 @@ def coding_compact_skill_categories(
 ) -> frozenset[str]:
     """Skill categories the active posture demotes to names-only in the index.
 
-    Empty outside the coding posture and outside the opt-in ``focus`` mode —
-    the default posture never touches the skill index. Under ``focus``,
-    demoted — never hidden: every skill name stays in the index and remains
-    loadable via ``skill_view`` / ``skills_list``; only descriptions are
-    dropped.
+    Empty outside the coding posture. Demoted — never hidden: every skill
+    name stays in the index and remains loadable via ``skill_view`` /
+    ``skills_list``; only descriptions are dropped.
     """
     return resolve_runtime_mode(
         platform=platform, cwd=cwd, config=config
@@ -677,9 +673,9 @@ def _project_facts(root: Path) -> list[str]:
         deduped = list(dict.fromkeys(verify))[:_MAX_VERIFY_COMMANDS]
         facts.append(f"- Verify: {'; '.join(deduped)}")
 
-    context_files = [c for c in _CONTEXT_FILES if (root / c).is_file()]
-    if context_files:
-        facts.append(f"- Context files: {', '.join(context_files)}")
+    # Note: context files (AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md / .cursorrules) are NOT listed
+    # here — their full contents are already injected into the system prompt as
+    # the Project Context block, so naming them again is redundant.
 
     return facts
 
@@ -715,13 +711,10 @@ def build_coding_workspace_block(cwd: Optional[str | Path] = None) -> str:
             lines.append("- Branch: (detached HEAD)")
 
         # Linked worktree: the per-worktree git dir differs from the shared common dir.
-        # We surface the fact that it's a worktree (so the model knows branches/stashes
-        # are shared state) but deliberately do NOT expose the primary tree path —
-        # giving the model a second absolute path causes it to sometimes run commands
-        # in the wrong directory.
         git_dir, common_dir = _git(root, "rev-parse", "--git-dir"), _git(root, "rev-parse", "--git-common-dir")
         if git_dir and common_dir and Path(git_dir).resolve() != Path(common_dir).resolve():
-            lines.append("- Worktree: linked (git state shared with primary tree)")
+            main_tree = Path(common_dir).resolve().parent
+            lines.append(f"- Worktree: linked (primary tree at {main_tree})")
 
         dirty = [f"{n} {label}" for label, n in (
             ("staged", counts["staged"]), ("modified", counts["modified"]),

agent/context_compressor.py

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ protecting head and tail context.
 Improvements over v2:
   - Structured summary template with Resolved/Pending question tracking
   - Filter-safe summarizer preamble that treats prior turns as source material
-  - Historical (reference-only) section headings replace "Next Steps"/"Remaining Work" to avoid reading as active instructions
+  - "Remaining Work" replaces "Next Steps" to avoid reading as active instructions
   - Clear separator when summary merges into tail message
   - Iterative summary updates (preserves info across multiple compactions)
   - Token-budget tail protection instead of fixed message count
@@ -34,75 +34,7 @@ from agent.redact import redact_sensitive_text
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-HISTORICAL_TASK_HEADING = "## Historical Task Snapshot"
-HISTORICAL_IN_PROGRESS_HEADING = "## Historical In-Progress State"
-HISTORICAL_PENDING_ASKS_HEADING = "## Historical Pending User Asks"
-HISTORICAL_REMAINING_WORK_HEADING = "## Historical Remaining Work"
-
-
 SUMMARY_PREFIX = (
-    "[CONTEXT COMPACTION — REFERENCE ONLY] Earlier turns were compacted "
-    "into the summary below. This is a handoff from a previous context "
-    "window — treat it as background reference, NOT as active instructions. "
-    "Do NOT answer questions or fulfill requests mentioned in this summary; "
-    "they were already addressed. "
-    "Respond ONLY to the latest user message that appears AFTER this "
-    "summary — that message is the single source of truth for what to do "
-    "right now. "
-    "Topic overlap with the summary does NOT mean you should resume its "
-    "task: even on similar topics, the latest user message WINS. Treat ONLY "
-    "the latest message as the active task and discard stale items from "
-    f"'{HISTORICAL_TASK_HEADING}' / '{HISTORICAL_IN_PROGRESS_HEADING}' / "
-    f"'{HISTORICAL_PENDING_ASKS_HEADING}' / "
-    f"'{HISTORICAL_REMAINING_WORK_HEADING}' entirely — do not 'wrap up' or "
-    "'finish' work described there unless the latest message explicitly "
-    "asks for it. "
-    "Reverse signals in the latest message (e.g. 'stop', 'undo', 'roll "
-    "back', 'just verify', 'don't do that anymore', 'never mind', a new "
-    "topic) must immediately end any in-flight work described in the "
-    "summary; do not re-surface it in later turns. "
-    "IMPORTANT: Your persistent memory (MEMORY.md, USER.md) in the system "
-    "prompt is ALWAYS authoritative and active — never ignore or deprioritize "
-    "memory content due to this compaction note. "
-    "The current session state (files, config, etc.) may reflect work "
-    "described here — avoid repeating it:"
-)
-LEGACY_SUMMARY_PREFIX = "[CONTEXT SUMMARY]:"
-
-# Metadata key added to context compression summary messages so that frontends
-# (CLI, Desktop, gateway, TUI) can distinguish them from real assistant/user
-# messages and filter or render them appropriately without content-prefix
-# heuristics. See https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/38389
-#
-# Underscore-prefixed ON PURPOSE: the wire sanitizers
-# (agent/transports/chat_completions.py convert_messages and the summary-path
-# mirror in agent/chat_completion_helpers.py) strip every top-level message
-# key starting with "_" before the request leaves the process. Strict
-# OpenAI-compatible gateways (Fireworks, Mistral, Moonshot/Kimi, opencode-go)
-# reject payloads carrying unknown keys with "Extra inputs are not permitted",
-# poisoning every subsequent request in the session — a bare key like
-# "is_compressed_summary" would reach the wire and trip exactly that.
-COMPRESSED_SUMMARY_METADATA_KEY = "_compressed_summary"
-
-# Appended to every standalone summary message (and to the merged-into-tail
-# prefix) so the model has an unambiguous "summary ends here" boundary.
-# Without it, weak models read the verbatim "## Active Task" quote as fresh
-# user input (#11475, #14521) or regurgitate an assistant-role summary as
-# their own output (#33256).
-_SUMMARY_END_MARKER = (
-    "--- END OF CONTEXT SUMMARY — "
-    "respond to the message below, not the summary above ---"
-)
-
-# Handoff prefixes that shipped in earlier releases. A summary persisted under
-# one of these can be inherited into a resumed lineage (#35344); when it is
-# re-normalized on re-compaction we must strip the OLD prefix too, otherwise the
-# stale directive it carried (e.g. "resume exactly from Active Task") survives
-# embedded in the body and keeps hijacking replies. Keep newest-first; entries
-# are matched literally. Add a frozen copy here whenever SUMMARY_PREFIX changes.
-_HISTORICAL_SUMMARY_PREFIXES = (
-    # Carveout era (#41607/#38364/#42812): "consistent → use as background"
-    # licensed stale-task resumption on topic overlap.
     "[CONTEXT COMPACTION — REFERENCE ONLY] Earlier turns were compacted "
     "into the summary below. This is a handoff from a previous context "
     "window — treat it as background reference, NOT as active instructions. "
@@ -125,7 +57,17 @@ _HISTORICAL_SUMMARY_PREFIXES = (
     "prompt is ALWAYS authoritative and active — never ignore or deprioritize "
     "memory content due to this compaction note. "
     "The current session state (files, config, etc.) may reflect work "
-    "described here — avoid repeating it:",
+    "described here — avoid repeating it:"
+)
+LEGACY_SUMMARY_PREFIX = "[CONTEXT SUMMARY]:"
+
+# Handoff prefixes that shipped in earlier releases. A summary persisted under
+# one of these can be inherited into a resumed lineage (#35344); when it is
+# re-normalized on re-compaction we must strip the OLD prefix too, otherwise the
+# stale directive it carried (e.g. "resume exactly from Active Task") survives
+# embedded in the body and keeps hijacking replies. Keep newest-first; entries
+# are matched literally. Add a frozen copy here whenever SUMMARY_PREFIX changes.
+_HISTORICAL_SUMMARY_PREFIXES = (
     # Pre-#35344: contained the self-contradicting "resume exactly" directive.
     "[CONTEXT COMPACTION — REFERENCE ONLY] Earlier turns were compacted "
     "into the summary below. This is a handoff from a previous context "
@@ -168,23 +110,10 @@ _SUMMARY_FAILURE_COOLDOWN_SECONDS = 600
 # become another unbounded transcript copy after the LLM summarizer failed.
 _FALLBACK_SUMMARY_MAX_CHARS = 8_000
 _FALLBACK_TURN_MAX_CHARS = 700
-_AUTO_FOCUS_MAX_TURNS = 3
-_AUTO_FOCUS_TURN_MAX_CHARS = 260
-_AUTO_FOCUS_MAX_CHARS = 700
-# Keep a short run of recent messages verbatim even when the token budget is
-# already exhausted.  The public ``protect_last_n`` default is intentionally
-# high for small/light tails, but using all 20 as a hard floor here would bring
-# back the old large-tool-output case where nothing can be compacted.
-_MAX_TAIL_MESSAGE_FLOOR = 8
 
 
 _PATH_MENTION_RE = re.compile(r"(?:/|~/?|[A-Za-z]:\\)[^\s`'\")\]}<>]+")
 
-# MEDIA delivery directives must not reach the summarizer — if one leaks into
-# the summary, the downstream model may re-emit it as an active directive on
-# the next turn, triggering bogus attachment sends (#14665).
-_MEDIA_DIRECTIVE_RE = re.compile(r"MEDIA:\S+")
-
 
 def _dedupe_append(items: list[str], value: str, *, limit: int) -> None:
     value = value.strip()
@@ -1045,7 +974,6 @@ class ContextCompressor(ContextEngine):
         for msg in turns:
             role = msg.get("role", "unknown")
             content = redact_sensitive_text(msg.get("content") or "")
-            content = _MEDIA_DIRECTIVE_RE.sub("[media attachment]", content)
 
             # Tool results: keep enough content for the summarizer
             if role == "tool":
@@ -1227,7 +1155,7 @@ class ContextCompressor(ContextEngine):
             )
 
         reason_text = f" Summary failure reason: {reason}." if reason else ""
-        body = f"""{HISTORICAL_TASK_HEADING}
+        body = f"""## Active Task
 {active_task}
 
 ## Goal
@@ -1244,7 +1172,7 @@ Recovered from a deterministic fallback because the LLM context summarizer was u
 ## Active State
 Unknown from deterministic fallback. Inspect current repository/session state if needed.
 
-{HISTORICAL_IN_PROGRESS_HEADING}
+## In Progress
 {active_task}
 
 ## Blocked
@@ -1256,13 +1184,13 @@ None recoverable from deterministic fallback.
 ## Resolved Questions
 None recoverable from deterministic fallback.
 
-{HISTORICAL_PENDING_ASKS_HEADING}
+## Pending User Asks
 {active_task}
 
 ## Relevant Files
 {_bullets(relevant_files, limit=12)}
 
-{HISTORICAL_REMAINING_WORK_HEADING}
+## Remaining Work
 Continue from the most recent unfulfilled user ask and protected tail messages. Verify state with tools before making claims.
 
 ## Last Dropped Turns
@@ -1384,7 +1312,7 @@ Summary generation was unavailable, so this is a best-effort deterministic fallb
             _temporal_anchoring_rule = ""
 
         # Shared structured template (used by both paths).
-        _template_sections = f"""{HISTORICAL_TASK_HEADING}
+        _template_sections = f"""## Active Task
 [THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT FIELD. Capture the user's most recent unfulfilled
 input verbatim — the exact words they used. This includes:
 - Explicit task assignments ("refactor the auth module")
@@ -1431,7 +1359,7 @@ Be specific with file paths, commands, line numbers, and results.]
 - Any running processes or servers
 - Environment details that matter]
 
-{HISTORICAL_IN_PROGRESS_HEADING}
+## In Progress
 [Work currently underway — what was being done when compaction fired]
 
 ## Blocked
@@ -1443,14 +1371,14 @@ Be specific with file paths, commands, line numbers, and results.]
 ## Resolved Questions
 [Questions the user asked that were ALREADY answered — include the answer so it is not repeated]
 
-{HISTORICAL_PENDING_ASKS_HEADING}
-[Questions or requests from the user that have NOT yet been answered or fulfilled. These are STALE — they were from the compacted turns. Write them here for reference only. The agent must NOT act on them unless the latest user message explicitly requests it. If none, write "None."]
+## Pending User Asks
+[Questions or requests from the user that have NOT yet been answered or fulfilled. If none, write "None."]
 
 ## Relevant Files
 [Files read, modified, or created — with brief note on each]
 
-{HISTORICAL_REMAINING_WORK_HEADING}
-[What remains to be done — framed as STALE context for reference only. The agent must NOT resume this work unless the latest user message explicitly asks for it.]
+## Remaining Work
+[What remains to be done — framed as context, not instructions]
 
 ## Critical Context
 [Any specific values, error messages, configuration details, or data that would be lost without explicit preservation. NEVER include API keys, tokens, passwords, or credentials — write [REDACTED] instead.]
@@ -1493,7 +1421,7 @@ Use this exact structure:
             prompt += f"""
 
 FOCUS TOPIC: "{focus_topic}"
-This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focus topic above. For content related to "{focus_topic}", include full detail — exact values, file paths, command outputs, error messages, and decisions. For content NOT related to the focus topic, summarise more aggressively (brief one-liners or omit if truly irrelevant). The focus topic sections should receive roughly 60-70% of the summary token budget. Even for the focus topic, NEVER preserve API keys, tokens, passwords, or credentials — use [REDACTED]."""
+The user has requested that this compaction PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focus topic above. For content related to "{focus_topic}", include full detail — exact values, file paths, command outputs, error messages, and decisions. For content NOT related to the focus topic, summarise more aggressively (brief one-liners or omit if truly irrelevant). The focus topic sections should receive roughly 60-70% of the summary token budget. Even for the focus topic, NEVER preserve API keys, tokens, passwords, or credentials — use [REDACTED]."""
 
         try:
             call_kwargs = {
@@ -1646,13 +1574,7 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
         text = (summary or "").strip()
         for prefix in (SUMMARY_PREFIX, LEGACY_SUMMARY_PREFIX, *_HISTORICAL_SUMMARY_PREFIXES):
             if text.startswith(prefix):
-                text = text[len(prefix):].lstrip()
-                break
-        # Strip the trailing end marker too — a rehydrated handoff body that
-        # keeps it would leak the boundary directive into the iterative-update
-        # summarizer prompt (and the marker is re-appended on insertion anyway).
-        if text.endswith(_SUMMARY_END_MARKER):
-            text = text[: -len(_SUMMARY_END_MARKER)].rstrip()
+                return text[len(prefix):].lstrip()
         return text
 
     @classmethod
@@ -1668,52 +1590,6 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
             return True
         return any(text.startswith(p) for p in _HISTORICAL_SUMMARY_PREFIXES)
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def _has_compressed_summary_metadata(message: Any) -> bool:
-        """Return True if *message* carries the compressed-summary flag.
-
-        Callers (frontends, CLI, gateway) can use this to distinguish context
-        compaction summaries from real assistant or user messages without
-        relying on content-prefix heuristics.  The flag is in-process only —
-        the wire sanitizers strip underscore-prefixed keys before API calls.
-        """
-        if not isinstance(message, dict):
-            return False
-        return bool(message.get(COMPRESSED_SUMMARY_METADATA_KEY))
-
-    @classmethod
-    def _derive_auto_focus_topic(
-        cls,
-        messages: List[Dict[str, Any]],
-    ) -> Optional[str]:
-        """Infer a compact focus hint from the most recent real user turns."""
-        candidates: list[str] = []
-        for idx in range(len(messages) - 1, -1, -1):
-            msg = messages[idx]
-            if msg.get("role") != "user":
-                continue
-            content = msg.get("content")
-            if cls._is_context_summary_content(content):
-                continue
-            text = redact_sensitive_text(_content_text_for_contains(content).strip())
-            if not text:
-                continue
-            text = " ".join(text.split())
-            if len(text) > _AUTO_FOCUS_TURN_MAX_CHARS:
-                text = text[: _AUTO_FOCUS_TURN_MAX_CHARS - 1].rstrip() + "…"
-            candidates.append(text)
-            if len(candidates) >= _AUTO_FOCUS_MAX_TURNS:
-                break
-
-        if not candidates:
-            return None
-
-        candidates.reverse()
-        focus = "Recent user focus:\n" + "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in candidates)
-        if len(focus) > _AUTO_FOCUS_MAX_CHARS:
-            focus = focus[: _AUTO_FOCUS_MAX_CHARS - 1].rstrip() + "…"
-        return focus
-
     @classmethod
     def _find_latest_context_summary(
         cls,
@@ -1866,105 +1742,6 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
                 return i
         return -1
 
-    def _find_last_assistant_message_idx(
-        self, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]], head_end: int
-    ) -> int:
-        """Return the index of the last user-visible assistant reply at or
-        after *head_end*, or -1.
-
-        A "user-visible reply" is an assistant message with non-empty
-        textual content — i.e. one that the WebUI / TUI / SessionsPage
-        rendered as a bubble the operator could read. We deliberately
-        skip assistant messages that contain only ``tool_calls`` (and
-        no text), because those render as small "calling tool X"
-        indicators and aren't what the reporter means by "the output
-        of the last message you sent" (#29824).
-
-        Falling back to the most recent assistant message of ANY kind
-        only kicks in when no content-bearing assistant message exists
-        in the compressible region — typically a fresh session that
-        just started a multi-step tool sequence with no prior reply
-        to anchor. In that case the agent fix is a no-op and the
-        existing user-message anchor carries the load.
-        """
-        last_any = -1
-        for i in range(len(messages) - 1, head_end - 1, -1):
-            msg = messages[i]
-            if msg.get("role") != "assistant":
-                continue
-            if last_any < 0:
-                last_any = i
-            content = msg.get("content")
-            if isinstance(content, str) and content.strip():
-                return i
-            if isinstance(content, list):
-                # Multimodal / Anthropic-style content: look for any
-                # text block with non-empty text.
-                for part in content:
-                    if isinstance(part, dict):
-                        text = part.get("text") or part.get("content")
-                        if isinstance(text, str) and text.strip():
-                            return i
-        return last_any
-
-    def _ensure_last_assistant_message_in_tail(
-        self,
-        messages: List[Dict[str, Any]],
-        cut_idx: int,
-        head_end: int,
-    ) -> int:
-        """Guarantee the most recent assistant message is in the protected tail.
-
-        WebUI / TUI / SessionsPage bug (#29824). Without this anchor,
-        ``_find_tail_cut_by_tokens`` can leave the user's most recent
-        visible assistant response inside the compressed middle region —
-        especially when the conversation has a single oversized tool
-        result or a long stretch of tool-call/result pairs after the
-        last assistant reply. The summariser then rolls that reply up
-        into the single ``[CONTEXT COMPACTION — REFERENCE ONLY]`` block
-        persisted as ``role="user"`` or ``role="assistant"``. From the
-        operator's perspective the WebUI session viewer
-        (``web/src/pages/SessionsPage.tsx``) and the TUI chat panel
-        both suddenly show the opaque "Context compaction" block in the
-        slot where they were just reading the assistant's actual reply:
-
-            User:       "i cant see the output of the last message you
-                         sent, i did see it previously, however now see
-                         'context compaction'"
-
-        Mirror of ``_ensure_last_user_message_in_tail`` but anchors on
-        the last assistant-role message. Re-runs the tool-group
-        alignment so we don't split a ``tool_call`` / ``tool_result``
-        group that immediately precedes the anchored message — orphaned
-        tool messages would otherwise be removed by
-        ``_sanitize_tool_pairs`` and trigger the same data-loss symptom
-        we're trying to prevent.
-        """
-        last_asst_idx = self._find_last_assistant_message_idx(messages, head_end)
-        if last_asst_idx < 0:
-            # No assistant message in the compressible region — nothing
-            # to anchor (single-turn pre-reply state, etc.).
-            return cut_idx
-        if last_asst_idx >= cut_idx:
-            # Already in the tail — the token-budget walk did the right
-            # thing on its own.
-            return cut_idx
-        # Pull cut_idx back to the assistant message, then re-align so
-        # we don't split a tool group that immediately precedes it
-        # (e.g. an ``assistant(tool_calls)`` → ``tool(result)`` →
-        # ``assistant(final reply)`` sequence would otherwise leave the
-        # ``tool`` orphan when cut lands at the final reply).
-        new_cut = self._align_boundary_backward(messages, last_asst_idx)
-        if not self.quiet_mode:
-            logger.debug(
-                "Anchoring tail cut to last assistant message at index %d "
-                "(was %d, aligned to %d) to keep the previously-visible "
-                "reply out of the compaction summary (#29824)",
-                last_asst_idx, cut_idx, new_cut,
-            )
-        # Safety: never go back into the head region.
-        return max(new_cut, head_end + 1)
-
     def _ensure_last_user_message_in_tail(
         self,
         messages: List[Dict[str, Any]],
@@ -1976,7 +1753,7 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
         Context compressor bug (#10896): ``_align_boundary_backward`` can pull
         ``cut_idx`` past a user message when it tries to keep tool_call/result
         groups together.  If the last user message ends up in the *compressed*
-        middle region the LLM summariser writes it into "Historical Pending User Asks",
+        middle region the LLM summariser writes it into "Pending User Asks",
         but ``SUMMARY_PREFIX`` tells the next model to respond only to user
         messages *after* the summary — so the task effectively disappears from
         the active context, causing the agent to stall, repeat completed work,
@@ -2023,12 +1800,11 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
         derived from ``summary_target_ratio * context_length``, so it
         scales automatically with the model's context window.
 
-        Token budget is the primary criterion.  A bounded message-count floor
-        keeps a short run of recent turns verbatim even when the budget is
-        exhausted, but the budget is allowed to exceed by up to 1.5x to avoid
-        cutting inside an oversized message (tool output, file read, etc.). If
-        even that floor exceeds 1.5x the budget, the cut is placed right after
-        the head so compression still runs.
+        Token budget is the primary criterion.  A hard minimum of 3 messages
+        is always protected, but the budget is allowed to exceed by up to
+        1.5x to avoid cutting inside an oversized message (tool output, file
+        read, etc.).  If even the minimum 3 messages exceed 1.5x the budget
+        the cut is placed right after the head so compression still runs.
 
         Never cuts inside a tool_call/result group.  Always ensures the most
         recent user message is in the tail (see ``_ensure_last_user_message_in_tail``).
@@ -2036,19 +1812,8 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
         if token_budget is None:
             token_budget = self.tail_token_budget
         n = len(messages)
-        # Hard minimum: always keep a bounded recent-message floor in the tail.
-        # ``protect_last_n`` remains a minimum up to the cap; the cap avoids
-        # preserving a whole run of bulky tool outputs on every compaction.
-        available_tail = max(0, n - head_end - 1)
-        min_tail_floor = max(3, min(self.protect_last_n, _MAX_TAIL_MESSAGE_FLOOR))
-        # Leave at least two non-head messages available to summarize on short
-        # transcripts; otherwise compression can replace a tiny middle with a
-        # summary and save no messages at all.
-        compressible_tail_cap = max(3, available_tail - 2)
-        min_tail = (
-            min(min_tail_floor, compressible_tail_cap, available_tail)
-            if available_tail > 1 else 0
-        )
+        # Hard minimum: always keep at least 3 messages in the tail
+        min_tail = min(3, n - head_end - 1) if n - head_end > 1 else 0
         soft_ceiling = int(token_budget * 1.5)
         accumulated = 0
         cut_idx = n  # start from beyond the end
@@ -2120,13 +1885,6 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
         # active task is never lost to compression (fixes #10896).
         cut_idx = self._ensure_last_user_message_in_tail(messages, cut_idx, head_end)
 
-        # Ensure the most recent assistant message is always in the tail
-        # so the previously-visible reply isn't silently rolled into the
-        # ``[CONTEXT COMPACTION — REFERENCE ONLY]`` block (fixes #29824).
-        # Each anchor only walks ``cut_idx`` backward, so chaining them is
-        # monotonic — the tail can only grow, never shrink.
-        cut_idx = self._ensure_last_assistant_message_in_tail(messages, cut_idx, head_end)
-
         return max(cut_idx, head_end + 1)
 
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -2279,8 +2037,7 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
             )
 
         # Phase 3: Generate structured summary
-        summary_focus_topic = focus_topic or self._derive_auto_focus_topic(messages)
-        summary = self._generate_summary(turns_to_summarize, focus_topic=summary_focus_topic)
+        summary = self._generate_summary(turns_to_summarize, focus_topic=focus_topic)
 
         # If summary generation failed, behavior splits on
         # ``abort_on_summary_failure`` (config: compression.abort_on_summary_failure):
@@ -2360,33 +2117,32 @@ This compaction should PRIORITISE preserving all information related to the focu
 
         # When the summary lands as a standalone role="user" message,
         # weak models read the verbatim "## Active Task" quote of a past
-        # user request as fresh input (#11475, #14521).
-        # When it lands as role="assistant", models may regurgitate the
-        # summary text as their own output (#33256). In both cases, append
-        # the explicit end marker so the model has a clear "summary ends
-        # here, respond to the message below" signal.
-        if not _merge_summary_into_tail:
-            summary = summary + "\n\n" + _SUMMARY_END_MARKER
+        # user request as fresh input (#11475, #14521). Append the explicit
+        # end marker — the same one used in the merge-into-tail path — so
+        # the model has a clear "summary above, not new input" signal.
+        if not _merge_summary_into_tail and summary_role == "user":
+            summary = (
+                summary
+                + "\n\n--- END OF CONTEXT SUMMARY — "
+                "respond to the message below, not the summary above ---"
+            )
 
         if not _merge_summary_into_tail:
-            compressed.append({
-                "role": summary_role,
-                "content": summary,
-                COMPRESSED_SUMMARY_METADATA_KEY: True,
-            })
+            compressed.append({"role": summary_role, "content": summary})
 
         for i in range(compress_end, n_messages):
             msg = messages[i].copy()
             if _merge_summary_into_tail and i == compress_end:
-                merged_prefix = summary + "\n\n" + _SUMMARY_END_MARKER + "\n\n"
+                merged_prefix = (
+                    summary
+                    + "\n\n--- END OF CONTEXT SUMMARY — "
+                    "respond to the message below, not the summary above ---\n\n"
+                )
                 msg["content"] = _append_text_to_content(
                     msg.get("content"),
                     merged_prefix,
                     prepend=True,
                 )
-                # Mark the merged message so frontends can identify it as
-                # containing a compression summary prefix.
-                msg[COMPRESSED_SUMMARY_METADATA_KEY] = True
                 _merge_summary_into_tail = False
             compressed.append(msg)
 

agent/conversation_compression.py

@@ -40,16 +40,6 @@ from agent.model_metadata import estimate_request_tokens_rough
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
-# Stable marker the gateway matches on to re-tag the auto-compaction lifecycle
-# status as ``kind="compacting"`` (tui_gateway/server.py::_status_update), so
-# drivers like the desktop app can show an explicit "Summarizing…" indicator
-# instead of the transcript appearing to silently reset. Keep the marker phrase
-# intact if you reword COMPACTION_STATUS.
-COMPACTION_STATUS_MARKER = "Compacting context"
-COMPACTION_STATUS = (
-    f"🗜️ {COMPACTION_STATUS_MARKER} — summarizing earlier conversation so I can continue..."
-)
-
 
 def _compression_lock_holder(agent: Any) -> str:
     """Build a unique holder id for the lock: pid:tid:agent-instance:uuid.
@@ -334,7 +324,9 @@ def compress_context(
         f"{approx_tokens:,}" if approx_tokens else "unknown", agent.model,
         focus_topic,
     )
-    agent._emit_status(COMPACTION_STATUS)
+    agent._emit_status(
+        "🗜️ Compacting context — summarizing earlier conversation so I can continue..."
+    )
 
     # ── Compression lock ────────────────────────────────────────────────
     # Atomic, state.db-backed lock per session_id.  Without this, two
@@ -603,20 +595,6 @@ def compress_context(
             force=True,
         )
 
-    # Emit session:compress event so hooks (e.g. MemPalace sync) can ingest
-    # the completed old session before its details are lost.
-    _old_sid_for_event = locals().get("old_session_id")
-    if getattr(agent, "event_callback", None):
-        try:
-            agent.event_callback("session:compress", {
-                "platform": agent.platform or "",
-                "session_id": agent.session_id,
-                "old_session_id": _old_sid_for_event or "",
-                "compression_count": agent.context_compressor.compression_count,
-            })
-        except Exception as e:
-            logger.debug("event_callback error on session:compress: %s", e)
-
     # Keep the post-compression rough estimate for diagnostics, but do not
     # treat it as provider-reported prompt usage. Schema-heavy rough estimates
     # can remain above threshold even after the next real API request fits.
@@ -653,11 +631,7 @@ def compress_context(
     return compressed, new_system_prompt
 
 
-def try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(
-    api_messages: list,
-    *,
-    max_dimension: int = 8000,
-) -> bool:
+def try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(api_messages: list) -> bool:
     """Re-encode all native image parts at a smaller size to recover from
     image-too-large errors (Anthropic 5 MB, unknown other providers).
 
@@ -668,8 +642,7 @@ def try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(
     Strategy: look for ``image_url`` / ``input_image`` parts carrying a
     ``data:image/...;base64,...`` payload.  For each one whose encoded
     size exceeds 4 MB (a safe target that slides under Anthropic's 5 MB
-    ceiling with header overhead) or whose longest side exceeds
-    ``max_dimension``, write the base64 to a tempfile, call
+    ceiling with header overhead), write the base64 to a tempfile, call
     ``vision_tools._resize_image_for_vision`` to produce a smaller data
     URL, and substitute it in place.
 
@@ -691,9 +664,10 @@ def try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(
     # after a confirmed provider rejection, so the alternative is failure.
     target_bytes = 4 * 1024 * 1024
     # Anthropic enforces an 8000px per-side dimension cap independently of
-    # the 5 MB byte cap.  In many-image requests, the provider can report a
-    # lower cap (observed: 2000px).  The caller passes that parsed ceiling
-    # when the rejection includes it.
+    # the 5 MB byte cap.  A tall screenshot can be well under 5 MB yet far
+    # over 8000px (e.g. 1200×12000 at 0.06 MB).  We check pixel dimensions
+    # even when the byte budget is fine.
+    max_dimension = 8000
     changed_count = 0
     # Track parts that are over the target but could NOT be shrunk under it.
     # If any survive, retrying is pointless — the same oversized payload will
@@ -710,9 +684,9 @@ def try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(
         # Check both byte size AND pixel dimensions.
         needs_shrink = len(url) > target_bytes  # over byte budget
         if not needs_shrink:
-            # Even if bytes are fine, check pixel dimensions against the
-            # provider's reported per-side cap.  A screenshot can be tiny in
-            # bytes yet too large in pixels.
+            # Even if bytes are fine, check pixel dimensions against
+            # Anthropic's 8000px cap.  A tall image can be tiny in bytes
+            # yet huge in pixels.
             try:
                 import base64 as _b64_dim
                 header_d, _, data_d = url.partition(",")
@@ -821,8 +795,6 @@ def try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(
 
 
 __all__ = [
-    "COMPACTION_STATUS",
-    "COMPACTION_STATUS_MARKER",
     "check_compression_model_feasibility",
     "replay_compression_warning",
     "compress_context",

agent/conversation_loop.py

@@ -71,35 +71,6 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 INTERRUPT_WAITING_FOR_MODEL_PREFIX = "Operation interrupted: waiting for model response ("
 
 
-def _image_error_max_dimension(error: Exception) -> Optional[int]:
-    """Extract a provider-reported image dimension ceiling, if present."""
-    parts = []
-    for value in (
-        error,
-        getattr(error, "message", None),
-        getattr(error, "body", None),
-    ):
-        if value:
-            try:
-                parts.append(str(value))
-            except Exception:
-                pass
-    text = " ".join(parts).lower()
-    if "image" not in text or "dimension" not in text or "max allowed size" not in text:
-        return None
-
-    match = re.search(r"max allowed size(?:\s+for [^:]+)?:\s*(\d{3,5})\s*pixels?", text)
-    if not match:
-        return None
-    try:
-        max_dimension = int(match.group(1))
-    except ValueError:
-        return None
-    if 512 <= max_dimension <= 8000:
-        return max_dimension
-    return None
-
-
 def _ollama_context_limit_error(agent: Any, request_tokens: int) -> Optional[str]:
     """Return a user-facing error when Ollama is loaded with too little context."""
     if not getattr(agent, "tools", None):
@@ -300,20 +271,11 @@ def _restore_or_build_system_prompt(agent, system_message, conversation_history)
                 agent.session_id, exc,
             )
 
-    if stored_prompt and _stored_prompt_matches_runtime(agent, stored_prompt):
+    if stored_prompt:
         # Continuing session — reuse the exact system prompt from the
         # previous turn so the Anthropic cache prefix matches.
         agent._cached_system_prompt = stored_prompt
         return
-    if stored_prompt:
-        stored_state = "stale_runtime"
-        logger.info(
-            "Stored system prompt for session %s has stale runtime identity; "
-            "rebuilding for model=%s provider=%s.",
-            agent.session_id,
-            getattr(agent, "model", "") or "",
-            getattr(agent, "provider", "") or "",
-        )
 
     if conversation_history and stored_state in ("null", "empty"):
         # Continuing session whose stored prompt is unusable.  The
@@ -375,30 +337,6 @@ def _restore_or_build_system_prompt(agent, system_message, conversation_history)
             )
 
 
-def _stored_prompt_matches_runtime(agent, prompt: str) -> bool:
-    """Return False when the persisted Model/Provider lines are stale."""
-
-    def line_value(label: str) -> str:
-        prefix = f"{label}:"
-        value = ""
-        for line in prompt.splitlines():
-            if line.startswith(prefix):
-                value = line[len(prefix):].strip()
-        return value
-
-    stored_model = line_value("Model")
-    current_model = str(getattr(agent, "model", "") or "").strip()
-    if stored_model and current_model and stored_model != current_model:
-        return False
-
-    stored_provider = line_value("Provider")
-    current_provider = str(getattr(agent, "provider", "") or "").strip()
-    if stored_provider and current_provider and stored_provider != current_provider:
-        return False
-
-    return True
-
-
 def _get_continuation_prompt(is_partial_stub: bool, dropped_tools: Optional[List[str]] = None) -> str:
     if is_partial_stub and dropped_tools:
         tool_list = ", ".join(dropped_tools[:3])
@@ -430,42 +368,6 @@ def _get_continuation_prompt(is_partial_stub: bool, dropped_tools: Optional[List
         )
 
 
-# Shared recovery hint appended to every content-policy refusal message. Both
-# the HTTP-200 refusal path (``finish_reason=content_filter``) and the
-# exception path (a provider moderation error classified as
-# ``content_policy_blocked``) end with the same actionable next steps, so they
-# share one trailer to keep the guidance from drifting between the two sites.
-_CONTENT_POLICY_RECOVERY_HINT = (
-    "Try rephrasing the request, narrowing the context, or "
-    "adding a fallback provider with `hermes fallback add`."
-)
-
-
-def _content_policy_blocked_result(
-    messages: List[Dict],
-    api_call_count: int,
-    *,
-    final_response: str,
-    error_detail: str,
-) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """Build the terminal turn result for a content-policy block.
-
-    A content-policy refusal is deterministic for the unchanged prompt, so the
-    turn ends here (no retry). Both the HTTP-200 refusal handler and the
-    exception-path handler return the identical shape — a failed, non-completed
-    turn carrying the user-facing message and a ``content_policy_blocked:``
-    prefixed error — so they funnel through this one builder.
-    """
-    return {
-        "final_response": final_response,
-        "messages": messages,
-        "api_calls": api_call_count,
-        "completed": False,
-        "failed": True,
-        "error": f"content_policy_blocked: {error_detail}",
-    }
-
-
 def run_conversation(
     agent,
     user_message: str,
@@ -474,7 +376,6 @@ def run_conversation(
     task_id: str = None,
     stream_callback: Optional[callable] = None,
     persist_user_message: Optional[str] = None,
-    persist_user_timestamp: Optional[float] = None,
 ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """
     Run a complete conversation with tool calling until completion.
@@ -490,8 +391,6 @@ def run_conversation(
         persist_user_message: Optional clean user message to store in
             transcripts/history when user_message contains API-only
             synthetic prefixes.
-        persist_user_timestamp: Optional platform event timestamp to store
-            as metadata on that persisted user message.
                 or queuing follow-up prefetch work.
 
     Returns:
@@ -513,7 +412,6 @@ def run_conversation(
         task_id,
         stream_callback,
         persist_user_message,
-        persist_user_timestamp,
         restore_or_build_system_prompt=_restore_or_build_system_prompt,
         install_safe_stdio=_install_safe_stdio,
         sanitize_surrogates=_sanitize_surrogates,
@@ -697,11 +595,7 @@ def run_conversation(
         # landed after an orphan tool result). Most providers return
         # empty content on malformed sequences, which would otherwise
         # retrigger the empty-retry loop indefinitely.
-        # repair_message_sequence_with_cursor also recomputes the SessionDB
-        # flush cursor (_last_flushed_db_idx) when repair compacts the list,
-        # so the turn-end flush doesn't skip the assistant/tool chain (#44837).
-        from agent.agent_runtime_helpers import repair_message_sequence_with_cursor
-        repaired_seq = repair_message_sequence_with_cursor(agent, messages)
+        repaired_seq = agent._repair_message_sequence(messages)
         if repaired_seq > 0:
             request_logger.info(
                 "Repaired %s message-alternation violations before request (session=%s)",
@@ -809,10 +703,7 @@ def run_conversation(
         # a thinking-only turn. Runs on the per-call copy only — the
         # stored conversation history keeps the reasoning block for the
         # UI transcript and session persistence.
-        api_messages = agent._drop_thinking_only_and_merge_users(
-            api_messages,
-            drop_codex_reasoning_items=agent.api_mode != "codex_responses",
-        )
+        api_messages = agent._drop_thinking_only_and_merge_users(api_messages)
 
         # Normalize message whitespace and tool-call JSON for consistent
         # prefix matching.  Ensures bit-perfect prefixes across turns,
@@ -1421,106 +1312,6 @@ def run_conversation(
                         )
                         finish_reason = "length"
 
-                # ── Content-policy refusal (HTTP 200) ──────────────────
-                # The model — or the provider's safety system — returned a
-                # *successful* response whose stop/finish reason is a refusal:
-                # Anthropic ``stop_reason="refusal"`` → ``content_filter``;
-                # OpenAI / portal ``finish_reason="content_filter"`` or a
-                # populated ``message.refusal`` (mapped in the chat_completions
-                # transport); Bedrock ``guardrail_intervened``. The content is
-                # typically empty, so without this branch the response falls
-                # through to the empty-response / invalid-response retry loops
-                # and is mis-surfaced as "rate limited" / "no content after
-                # retries" — burning paid attempts reproducing a deterministic
-                # refusal. Surface it clearly and stop. Mirrors the
-                # exception-based ``content_policy_blocked`` recovery: try a
-                # configured fallback once, otherwise return the refusal.
-                if finish_reason == "content_filter":
-                    _refusal_transport = agent._get_transport()
-                    if agent.api_mode == "anthropic_messages":
-                        _refusal_result = _refusal_transport.normalize_response(
-                            response, strip_tool_prefix=agent._is_anthropic_oauth
-                        )
-                    else:
-                        _refusal_result = _refusal_transport.normalize_response(response)
-                    _refusal_text = (getattr(_refusal_result, "content", None) or "").strip()
-                    # Some refusals carry the explanation only in the reasoning
-                    # channel; fall back to it so the user sees *something*.
-                    if not _refusal_text:
-                        _refusal_text = (agent._extract_reasoning(_refusal_result) or "").strip()
-
-                    agent._invoke_api_request_error_hook(
-                        task_id=effective_task_id,
-                        turn_id=turn_id,
-                        api_request_id=api_request_id,
-                        api_call_count=api_call_count,
-                        api_start_time=api_start_time,
-                        api_kwargs=api_kwargs,
-                        error_type="ContentPolicyBlocked",
-                        error_message=_refusal_text or "model declined to respond (content_filter)",
-                        status_code=None,
-                        retry_count=retry_count,
-                        max_retries=max_retries,
-                        retryable=False,
-                        reason=FailoverReason.content_policy_blocked.value,
-                    )
-
-                    if thinking_spinner:
-                        thinking_spinner.stop("")
-                        thinking_spinner = None
-                    if agent.thinking_callback:
-                        agent.thinking_callback("")
-
-                    # Deterministic for the unchanged prompt — never retry.
-                    # Try a configured fallback once (a different model may not
-                    # refuse); otherwise surface the refusal terminally.
-                    if agent._has_pending_fallback():
-                        agent._buffer_status(
-                            "⚠️ Model declined to respond (safety refusal) — trying fallback..."
-                        )
-                    if agent._try_activate_fallback():
-                        retry_count = 0
-                        compression_attempts = 0
-                        _retry.primary_recovery_attempted = False
-                        continue
-
-                    agent._flush_status_buffer()
-                    _refusal_log = (
-                        _refusal_text[:500] + "..."
-                        if len(_refusal_text) > 500
-                        else _refusal_text
-                    )
-                    logger.warning(
-                        "%sModel declined to respond (finish_reason=content_filter). "
-                        "model=%s provider=%s refusal=%s",
-                        agent.log_prefix, agent.model, agent.provider,
-                        _refusal_log or "(no text)",
-                    )
-                    agent._emit_status(
-                        "⚠️ The model declined to respond to this request (safety refusal)."
-                    )
-
-                    _refusal_detail = (
-                        f"Model's explanation: {_refusal_text}"
-                        if _refusal_text
-                        else "The model returned no explanation."
-                    )
-                    _refusal_response = (
-                        "⚠️  The model declined to respond to this request "
-                        "(safety refusal — not a Hermes/gateway failure).\n\n"
-                        f"{_refusal_detail}\n\n"
-                        f"{_CONTENT_POLICY_RECOVERY_HINT}"
-                    )
-
-                    agent._cleanup_task_resources(effective_task_id)
-                    agent._persist_session(messages, conversation_history)
-                    return _content_policy_blocked_result(
-                        messages,
-                        api_call_count,
-                        final_response=_refusal_response,
-                        error_detail=_refusal_text or "model declined (content_filter)",
-                    )
-
                 if finish_reason == "length":
                     if getattr(response, "id", "") == PARTIAL_STREAM_STUB_ID:
                         agent._vprint(
@@ -2272,11 +2063,7 @@ def run_conversation(
                     and not _retry.image_shrink_retry_attempted
                 ):
                     _retry.image_shrink_retry_attempted = True
-                    image_max_dimension = _image_error_max_dimension(api_error) or 8000
-                    if agent._try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(
-                        api_messages,
-                        max_dimension=image_max_dimension,
-                    ):
+                    if agent._try_shrink_image_parts_in_messages(api_messages):
                         agent._vprint(
                             f"{agent.log_prefix}📐 Image(s) exceeded provider size limit — "
                             f"shrank and retrying...",
@@ -2844,13 +2631,10 @@ def run_conversation(
                     except Exception:
                         pass
                     if _genuine_nous_rate_limit:
-                        # Re-enter the loop exactly once so the
-                        # top-of-loop Nous guard handles fallback or
-                        # bails cleanly. (Setting retry_count to
-                        # max_retries would make the while condition
-                        # false immediately and the guard would never
-                        # run -- no fallback, generic exhaustion error.)
-                        retry_count = max(0, max_retries - 1)
+                        # Skip straight to max_retries -- the
+                        # top-of-loop guard will handle fallback or
+                        # bail cleanly.
+                        retry_count = max_retries
                         continue
                     # Upstream capacity 429: fall through to normal
                     # retry logic.  A different model (or the same
@@ -3292,17 +3076,20 @@ def run_conversation(
                     if classified.reason == FailoverReason.content_policy_blocked:
                         _summary = agent._summarize_api_error(api_error)
                         _policy_response = (
-                            "⚠️  The model provider's safety filter blocked this request "
-                            "(not a Hermes/gateway failure).\n\n"
+                            f"⚠️  The model provider's safety filter blocked this request "
+                            f"(not a Hermes/gateway failure).\n\n"
                             f"Provider message: {_summary}\n\n"
-                            f"{_CONTENT_POLICY_RECOVERY_HINT}"
-                        )
-                        return _content_policy_blocked_result(
-                            messages,
-                            api_call_count,
-                            final_response=_policy_response,
-                            error_detail=_summary,
+                            f"Try rephrasing the request, narrowing the context, or "
+                            f"adding a fallback provider with `hermes fallback add`."
                         )
+                        return {
+                            "final_response": _policy_response,
+                            "messages": messages,
+                            "api_calls": api_call_count,
+                            "completed": False,
+                            "failed": True,
+                            "error": f"content_policy_blocked: {_summary}",
+                        }
                     return {
                         "final_response": None,
                         "messages": messages,

agent/copilot_acp_client.py

@@ -70,6 +70,16 @@ def _resolve_args() -> list[str]:
 
 def _resolve_home_dir() -> str:
     """Return a stable HOME for child ACP processes."""
+
+    try:
+        from hermes_constants import get_subprocess_home
+
+        profile_home = get_subprocess_home()
+        if profile_home:
+            return profile_home
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
     home = os.environ.get("HOME", "").strip()
     if home:
         return home
@@ -95,10 +105,7 @@ def _resolve_home_dir() -> str:
 
 def _build_subprocess_env() -> dict[str, str]:
     env = os.environ.copy()
-    home = _resolve_home_dir()
-    env["HOME"] = home
-    from hermes_constants import apply_subprocess_home_env
-    apply_subprocess_home_env(env)
+    env["HOME"] = _resolve_home_dir()
     return env
 
 

agent/credits_tracker.py

@@ -286,16 +286,6 @@ def evaluate_credits_notices(
         for band in CREDITS_USAGE_BANDS:  # ascending → last match wins = highest
             if uf >= band[0]:
                 current_band = band
-    # Top-up suppression: when the account holds purchased (top-up) credits,
-    # the subscription-cap gauge is the wrong denominator — warning "90% used"
-    # at a user sitting on $50 of top-up is noise (and it previously stuck
-    # PERMANENTLY alongside grant_spent at >=100%). Suppress the usage band
-    # entirely; the cap-reached case is covered by the grant_spent info notice
-    # below, which already names the remaining top-up balance. A top-up landing
-    # mid-session flips current_band → None and the clear path below removes
-    # any showing band line.
-    if state.purchased_micros > 0:
-        current_band = None
     grant_cond = (
         state.denominator_kind == "subscription_cap"
         and uf is not None
@@ -355,7 +345,7 @@ def evaluate_credits_notices(
     if show_depleted and "credits.depleted" not in active:
         to_show.append(
             AgentNotice(
-                text="✕ Credit access paused · run /credits to top up",
+                text="✕ Credit access paused · run /usage for balance",
                 level="error",
                 kind=CREDITS_NOTICE_KIND,
                 key="credits.depleted",

agent/curator.py

@@ -57,11 +57,6 @@ DEFAULT_INTERVAL_HOURS = 24 * 7  # 7 days
 DEFAULT_MIN_IDLE_HOURS = 2
 DEFAULT_STALE_AFTER_DAYS = 30
 DEFAULT_ARCHIVE_AFTER_DAYS = 90
-# Consolidation (the LLM umbrella-building fork) is OFF by default. The
-# deterministic inactivity prune (apply_automatic_transitions) still runs
-# whenever the curator is enabled; only the opinionated, aux-model-cost
-# consolidation pass is opt-in.
-DEFAULT_CONSOLIDATE = False
 
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -187,22 +182,6 @@ def get_prune_builtins() -> bool:
     return bool(cfg.get("prune_builtins", True))
 
 
-def get_consolidate() -> bool:
-    """Whether the curator runs its LLM consolidation (umbrella-building) pass.
-
-    OFF by default. When off, a curator run does ONLY the deterministic
-    inactivity prune (mark stale / archive long-unused skills) and skips the
-    forked aux-model review entirely — no consolidation, no umbrella-building,
-    no aux-model cost. Set ``curator.consolidate: true`` to opt back into the
-    LLM pass that merges overlapping skills into class-level umbrellas.
-
-    The explicit ``hermes curator run --consolidate`` flag overrides this for
-    a single invocation regardless of the config value.
-    """
-    cfg = _load_config()
-    return bool(cfg.get("consolidate", DEFAULT_CONSOLIDATE))
-
-
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Idle / interval check
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1429,38 +1408,25 @@ def run_curator_review(
     on_summary: Optional[Callable[[str], None]] = None,
     synchronous: bool = False,
     dry_run: bool = False,
-    consolidate: Optional[bool] = None,
 ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """Execute a single curator review pass.
 
     Steps:
       1. Apply automatic state transitions (pure, no LLM).
-      2. If consolidation is enabled AND there are agent-created skills, spawn
-         a forked AIAgent that runs the LLM review prompt against the current
-         candidate list.
+      2. If there are agent-created skills, spawn a forked AIAgent that runs
+         the LLM review prompt against the current candidate list.
       3. Update .curator_state with last_run_at and a one-line summary.
       4. Invoke *on_summary* with a user-visible description.
 
     If *synchronous* is True, the LLM review runs in the calling thread; the
     default is to spawn a daemon thread so the caller returns immediately.
 
-    *consolidate* gates the LLM umbrella-building pass. ``None`` (the default)
-    reads ``curator.consolidate`` from config (OFF by default). Passing
-    ``True``/``False`` overrides the config for this invocation — used by the
-    ``hermes curator run --consolidate`` flag. When consolidation is off, only
-    the deterministic inactivity prune runs and the forked aux-model review is
-    skipped entirely (no aux-model cost).
-
     If *dry_run* is True, the automatic stale/archive transitions are SKIPPED
     and the LLM review pass is instructed to produce a report only — no
     skill_manage mutations, no terminal archive moves. The REPORT.md still
     gets written and ``state.last_report_path`` still records it so users
-    can read what the curator WOULD have done. A dry-run also honors
-    *consolidate*: when consolidation is off, the preview only reports the
-    deterministic prune candidates.
+    can read what the curator WOULD have done.
     """
-    if consolidate is None:
-        consolidate = get_consolidate()
     start = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
     if dry_run:
         # Count candidates without mutating state.
@@ -1523,53 +1489,6 @@ def run_curator_review(
             before_report = []
         before_names = {r.get("name") for r in before_report if isinstance(r, dict)}
 
-        # Consolidation gate. When off (the default), the curator does ONLY the
-        # deterministic inactivity prune above — no forked aux-model review, no
-        # umbrella-building, no aux-model cost. Record the run, write a report
-        # reflecting the prune-only outcome, and return without spawning a fork.
-        if not consolidate:
-            final_summary = (
-                f"{prefix}{auto_summary}; llm: skipped (consolidation off)"
-            )
-            llm_meta = {
-                "final": "",
-                "summary": "skipped (consolidation off)",
-                "model": "",
-                "provider": "",
-                "tool_calls": [],
-                "error": None,
-            }
-            elapsed = (datetime.now(timezone.utc) - start).total_seconds()
-            state2 = load_state()
-            state2["last_run_duration_seconds"] = elapsed
-            state2["last_run_summary"] = final_summary
-            try:
-                after_report = skill_usage.agent_created_report()
-            except Exception:
-                after_report = []
-            try:
-                report_path = _write_run_report(
-                    started_at=start,
-                    elapsed_seconds=elapsed,
-                    auto_counts=counts,
-                    auto_summary=auto_summary,
-                    before_report=before_report,
-                    before_names=before_names,
-                    after_report=after_report,
-                    llm_meta=llm_meta,
-                )
-                if report_path is not None:
-                    state2["last_report_path"] = str(report_path)
-            except Exception as e:
-                logger.debug("Curator report write failed: %s", e, exc_info=True)
-            save_state(state2)
-            if on_summary:
-                try:
-                    on_summary(f"curator: {final_summary}")
-                except Exception:
-                    pass
-            return
-
         llm_meta: Dict[str, Any] = {}
         try:
             candidate_list = _render_candidate_list()

agent/curator_backup.py

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ import shutil
 import tarfile
 from datetime import datetime, timezone
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Set, Tuple
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 from agent.skill_utils import is_excluded_skill_path
@@ -208,17 +208,13 @@ def _write_manifest(dest: Path, reason: str, archive_path: Path,
     )
 
 
-def snapshot_skills(reason: str = "manual", *, protect_ids: Optional[Set[str]] = None) -> Optional[Path]:
+def snapshot_skills(reason: str = "manual") -> Optional[Path]:
     """Create a tar.gz snapshot of ``~/.hermes/skills/`` and prune old ones.
 
     Returns the snapshot directory path, or ``None`` if the snapshot was
     skipped (backup disabled, skills dir missing, or an IO error occurred —
     in which case we log at debug and return None so the curator never
     aborts a pass because of a backup failure).
-
-    ``protect_ids`` is forwarded to the prune step so callers can guarantee
-    specific snapshot ids survive even when they fall outside the keep
-    window (rollback passes the id it is about to restore from).
     """
     if not is_enabled():
         logger.debug("Curator backup disabled by config; skipping snapshot")
@@ -280,19 +276,15 @@ def snapshot_skills(reason: str = "manual", *, protect_ids: Optional[Set[str]] =
             pass
         return None
 
-    _prune_old(keep=get_keep(), protect=protect_ids)
+    _prune_old(keep=get_keep())
     logger.info("Curator snapshot created: %s (%s)", snap_id, reason)
     return dest
 
 
-def _prune_old(keep: int, protect: Optional[Set[str]] = None) -> List[str]:
+def _prune_old(keep: int) -> List[str]:
     """Delete regular snapshots beyond the newest *keep*. Returns deleted
-    ids. Snapshot ids in *protect* are never deleted even when they fall
-    outside the keep window — rollback() uses this so the mandatory
-    pre-rollback safety snapshot can never evict the very snapshot being
-    restored. Staging dirs (``.rollback-staging-*``) are implementation
-    detail and pruned independently on every call."""
-    protect = protect or set()
+    ids. Staging dirs (``.rollback-staging-*``) are implementation detail
+    and pruned independently on every call."""
     backups = _backups_dir()
     if not backups.exists():
         return []
@@ -313,8 +305,6 @@ def _prune_old(keep: int, protect: Optional[Set[str]] = None) -> List[str]:
     entries.sort(key=lambda t: t[0], reverse=True)
     deleted: List[str] = []
     for _, path in entries[keep:]:
-        if path.name in protect:
-            continue
         try:
             shutil.rmtree(path)
             deleted.append(path.name)
@@ -464,16 +454,16 @@ def _restore_cron_skill_links(snapshot_dir: Path) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         report["attempted"] = True  # we tried but there was nothing to do
         return report
 
-    # Load and rewrite the live jobs under the scheduler's cross-process lock.
+    # Load and rewrite the live jobs under the scheduler's lock.
     try:
-        from cron.jobs import load_jobs, save_jobs, _jobs_lock
+        from cron.jobs import load_jobs, save_jobs, _jobs_file_lock
     except ImportError as e:
         report["error"] = f"cron module unavailable: {e}"
         return report
 
     report["attempted"] = True
     try:
-        with _jobs_lock():
+        with _jobs_file_lock:
             live_jobs = load_jobs()
             changed = False
 
@@ -574,13 +564,7 @@ def rollback(backup_id: Optional[str] = None) -> Tuple[bool, str, Optional[Path]
     # out before touching anything — otherwise a failed extract could leave
     # the user with no skills.
     try:
-        # Protect the target from this snapshot's prune step: at the steady
-        # keep limit, pruning the oldest snapshot would otherwise delete the
-        # very snapshot we are about to extract from.
-        snapshot_skills(
-            reason=f"pre-rollback to {target.name}",
-            protect_ids={target.name},
-        )
+        snapshot_skills(reason=f"pre-rollback to {target.name}")
     except Exception as e:
         return (False, f"pre-rollback safety snapshot failed: {e}", None)
 

agent/display.py

@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@ import time
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from difflib import unified_diff
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any
 
 from utils import safe_json_loads
 from agent.tool_result_classification import file_mutation_result_landed
@@ -169,27 +168,6 @@ def _oneline(text: str) -> str:
     return " ".join(text.split())
 
 
-def _truncate_preview(text: str, max_len: int | None) -> str:
-    if max_len and max_len > 0 and len(text) > max_len:
-        if max_len <= 3:
-            return "." * max_len
-        return text[:max_len - 3] + "..."
-    return text
-
-
-def _delegate_task_goal_parts(tasks: Any, *, per_goal_len: int) -> tuple[int, list[str]]:
-    if not isinstance(tasks, list):
-        return 0, []
-    goals: list[str] = []
-    for task in tasks:
-        if not isinstance(task, dict):
-            continue
-        raw_goal = task.get("goal")
-        goal = "?" if raw_goal is None else _oneline(str(raw_goal))
-        goals.append(_truncate_preview(goal or "?", per_goal_len))
-    return len(goals), goals
-
-
 def build_tool_preview(tool_name: str, args: dict, max_len: int | None = None) -> str | None:
     """Build a short preview of a tool call's primary argument for display.
 
@@ -213,22 +191,6 @@ def build_tool_preview(tool_name: str, args: dict, max_len: int | None = None) -
         "clarify": "question", "skill_manage": "name",
     }
 
-    # delegate_task: show goal (single) or individual task goals (batch)
-    if tool_name == "delegate_task":
-        tasks = args.get("tasks")
-        if tasks and isinstance(tasks, list):
-            task_count, goals = _delegate_task_goal_parts(tasks, per_goal_len=40)
-            preview = (
-                f"{task_count} tasks: " + " | ".join(goals)
-                if goals else f"{len(tasks)} parallel tasks"
-            )
-            return _truncate_preview(preview, max_len)
-        goal = args.get("goal", "")
-        if goal is None:
-            return None
-        preview = _oneline(str(goal))
-        return _truncate_preview(preview, max_len) if preview else None
-
     if tool_name == "process":
         action = args.get("action", "")
         sid = args.get("session_id", "")
@@ -896,6 +858,20 @@ def _detect_tool_failure(tool_name: str, result: str | None) -> tuple[bool, str]
     return False, ""
 
 
+def _used_free_parallel(result: str | None) -> bool:
+    """True when a web result came from Parallel's free Search MCP.
+
+    Only the keyless Parallel path tags its result with ``provider="parallel"``;
+    the paid REST path and every other provider omit it. Used to label the tool
+    line "Parallel search" / "Parallel fetch" exactly when the free MCP served
+    the call.
+    """
+    if not isinstance(result, str) or '"provider"' not in result:
+        return False
+    data = safe_json_loads(result)
+    return isinstance(data, dict) and str(data.get("provider", "")).lower() == "parallel"
+
+
 def get_cute_tool_message(
     tool_name: str, args: dict, duration: float, result: str | None = None,
 ) -> str:
@@ -933,15 +909,17 @@ def get_cute_tool_message(
         return f"{line}{failure_suffix}"
 
     if tool_name == "web_search":
-        return _wrap(f"┊ 🔍 search    {_trunc(args.get('query', ''), 42)}  {dur}")
+        verb = "Parallel search" if _used_free_parallel(result) else "search"
+        return _wrap(f"┊ 🔍 {verb:<9} {_trunc(args.get('query', ''), 42)}  {dur}")
     if tool_name == "web_extract":
+        verb = "Parallel fetch" if _used_free_parallel(result) else "fetch"
         urls = args.get("urls", [])
         if urls:
             url = urls[0] if isinstance(urls, list) else str(urls)
             domain = url.replace("https://", "").replace("http://", "").split("/")[0]
             extra = f" +{len(urls)-1}" if len(urls) > 1 else ""
-            return _wrap(f"┊ 📄 fetch     {_trunc(domain, 35)}{extra}  {dur}")
-        return _wrap(f"┊ 📄 fetch     pages  {dur}")
+            return _wrap(f"┊ 📄 {verb:<9} {_trunc(domain, 35)}{extra}  {dur}")
+        return _wrap(f"┊ 📄 {verb:<9} pages  {dur}")
     if tool_name == "terminal":
         return _wrap(f"┊ 💻 $         {_trunc(args.get('command', ''), 42)}  {dur}")
     if tool_name == "process":
@@ -1057,10 +1035,7 @@ def get_cute_tool_message(
     if tool_name == "delegate_task":
         tasks = args.get("tasks")
         if tasks and isinstance(tasks, list):
-            task_count, goals = _delegate_task_goal_parts(tasks, per_goal_len=30)
-            detail = " | ".join(goals) if goals else "parallel"
-            count_label = task_count or len(tasks)
-            return _wrap(f"┊ 🔀 delegate  {count_label}x: {_trunc(detail, 35)}  {dur}")
+            return _wrap(f"┊ 🔀 delegate  {len(tasks)} parallel tasks  {dur}")
         return _wrap(f"┊ 🔀 delegate  {_trunc(args.get('goal', ''), 35)}  {dur}")
 
     preview = build_tool_preview(tool_name, args) or ""

agent/errors.py

@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-class SSLConfigurationError(Exception):
-    """Raised when SSL/TLS certificate bundle configuration fails."""
-    pass

agent/file_safety.py

@@ -46,6 +46,11 @@ def build_write_denied_paths(home: str) -> set[str]:
             # Top-level Anthropic PKCE credential store remains sensitive even
             # when a profile is active; default/non-profile sessions still read it.
             str(hermes_root / ".anthropic_oauth.json"),
+            os.path.join(home, ".bashrc"),
+            os.path.join(home, ".zshrc"),
+            os.path.join(home, ".profile"),
+            os.path.join(home, ".bash_profile"),
+            os.path.join(home, ".zprofile"),
             os.path.join(home, ".netrc"),
             os.path.join(home, ".pgpass"),
             os.path.join(home, ".npmrc"),
@@ -99,6 +104,12 @@ def is_write_denied(path: str) -> bool:
         if resolved.startswith(prefix):
             return True
 
+    # Hermes control-plane files: block both the ACTIVE profile's view
+    # (hermes_home) AND the global root view. Without the root pass, a
+    # profile-mode session leaves <root>/auth.json + <root>/config.yaml
+    # writable — letting a prompt-injected write_file overwrite the global
+    # files that every profile inherits from (same shape as #15981).
+    control_file_names = ("auth.json", "config.yaml", "webhook_subscriptions.json")
     mcp_tokens_dir_name = "mcp-tokens"
 
     hermes_dirs = []
@@ -111,6 +122,12 @@ def is_write_denied(path: str) -> bool:
             continue
 
     for base_real in hermes_dirs:
+        for name in control_file_names:
+            try:
+                if resolved == os.path.realpath(os.path.join(base_real, name)):
+                    return True
+            except Exception:
+                continue
         try:
             mcp_real = os.path.realpath(os.path.join(base_real, mcp_tokens_dir_name))
             if resolved == mcp_real or resolved.startswith(mcp_real + os.sep):

agent/gemini_native_adapter.py

@@ -41,16 +41,6 @@ DEFAULT_GEMINI_BASE_URL = "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta"
 GEMINI_DEFAULT_MAX_OUTPUT_TOKENS = 65535
 
 
-def bare_gemini_model_id(model: str) -> str:
-    """Strip Gemini's own provider prefix from an aggregator-style model id."""
-    name = (model or "").strip()
-    lowered = name.lower()
-    for prefix in ("google/", "gemini/"):
-        if lowered.startswith(prefix):
-            return name[len(prefix):].strip() or name
-    return name
-
-
 def is_native_gemini_base_url(base_url: str) -> bool:
     """Return True when the endpoint speaks Gemini's native REST API."""
     normalized = str(base_url or "").strip().rstrip("/").lower()
@@ -340,7 +330,7 @@ def _build_gemini_contents(messages: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> tuple[List[Dict[st
     system_instruction = None
     joined_system = "\n".join(part for part in system_text_parts if part).strip()
     if joined_system:
-        system_instruction = {"role": "system", "parts": [{"text": joined_system}]}
+        system_instruction = {"parts": [{"text": joined_system}]}
     return contents, system_instruction
 
 
@@ -924,7 +914,6 @@ class GeminiNativeClient:
             thinking_config=thinking_config,
         )
 
-        model = bare_gemini_model_id(model)
         if stream:
             return self._stream_completion(model=model, request=request, timeout=timeout)
 

agent/memory_manager.py

@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
-from agent.skill_commands import extract_user_instruction_from_skill_message
 from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -45,66 +44,6 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 _SYNC_DRAIN_TIMEOUT_S = 5.0
 
 
-def memory_provider_tools_enabled(enabled_toolsets: Optional[List[str]]) -> bool:
-    """Return whether external memory-provider tools should be exposed."""
-    if enabled_toolsets is None:
-        return True
-    if not enabled_toolsets:
-        return False
-    if "memory" in enabled_toolsets:
-        return True
-
-    try:
-        from toolsets import resolve_toolset
-
-        return any("memory" in resolve_toolset(name) for name in enabled_toolsets)
-    except Exception:
-        logger.debug("Failed to resolve enabled toolsets for memory-provider tools", exc_info=True)
-        return False
-
-
-def inject_memory_provider_tools(agent: Any) -> int:
-    """Append external memory-provider tool schemas to an agent tool surface."""
-    memory_manager = getattr(agent, "_memory_manager", None)
-    tools = getattr(agent, "tools", None)
-    if not memory_manager or tools is None:
-        return 0
-
-    existing_tool_names = {
-        tool.get("function", {}).get("name")
-        for tool in tools
-        if isinstance(tool, dict)
-    }
-    if (
-        "memory" not in existing_tool_names
-        and not memory_provider_tools_enabled(getattr(agent, "enabled_toolsets", None))
-    ):
-        return 0
-
-    get_schemas = getattr(memory_manager, "get_all_tool_schemas", None)
-    if not callable(get_schemas):
-        return 0
-
-    valid_tool_names = getattr(agent, "valid_tool_names", None)
-    if valid_tool_names is None:
-        valid_tool_names = set()
-        agent.valid_tool_names = valid_tool_names
-
-    added = 0
-    for schema in get_schemas():
-        if not isinstance(schema, dict):
-            continue
-        tool_name = schema.get("name", "")
-        if not tool_name or tool_name in existing_tool_names:
-            continue
-        tools.append({"type": "function", "function": schema})
-        valid_tool_names.add(tool_name)
-        existing_tool_names.add(tool_name)
-        added += 1
-
-    return added
-
-
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Context fencing helpers
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -431,37 +370,16 @@ class MemoryManager:
 
     # -- Prefetch / recall ---------------------------------------------------
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def _strip_skill_scaffolding(text: str) -> Optional[str]:
-        """Return memory-worthy user text, or None to skip the turn.
-
-        When a user invokes a /skill or /bundle, Hermes expands the turn into
-        a model-facing message that embeds the entire skill body. Feeding that
-        verbatim to memory providers pollutes their stores/embeddings with
-        prompt scaffolding instead of what the user actually asked. We recover
-        just the user's instruction here, once, for every provider — so this
-        is fixed for the whole provider fan-out, not per backend.
-
-        - Non-skill messages pass through unchanged.
-        - Skill turns with a user instruction return that instruction.
-        - Bare skill invocations (no instruction) return None → callers skip
-          the turn, since there is no user content worth remembering.
-        """
-        return extract_user_instruction_from_skill_message(text)
-
     def prefetch_all(self, query: str, *, session_id: str = "") -> str:
         """Collect prefetch context from all providers.
 
         Returns merged context text labeled by provider. Empty providers
         are skipped. Failures in one provider don't block others.
         """
-        clean_query = self._strip_skill_scaffolding(query)
-        if not clean_query:
-            return ""
         parts = []
         for provider in self._providers:
             try:
-                result = provider.prefetch(clean_query, session_id=session_id)
+                result = provider.prefetch(query, session_id=session_id)
                 if result and result.strip():
                     parts.append(result)
             except Exception as e:
@@ -482,14 +400,10 @@ class MemoryManager:
         if not providers:
             return
 
-        clean_query = self._strip_skill_scaffolding(query)
-        if not clean_query:
-            return
-
         def _run() -> None:
             for provider in providers:
                 try:
-                    provider.queue_prefetch(clean_query, session_id=session_id)
+                    provider.queue_prefetch(query, session_id=session_id)
                 except Exception as e:
                     logger.debug(
                         "Memory provider '%s' queue_prefetch failed (non-fatal): %s",
@@ -541,11 +455,6 @@ class MemoryManager:
         if not providers:
             return
 
-        clean_user_content = self._strip_skill_scaffolding(user_content)
-        if not clean_user_content:
-            return
-        user_content = clean_user_content
-
         def _run() -> None:
             for provider in providers:
                 try:

agent/model_metadata.py

@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ and run_agent.py for pre-flight context checks.
 """
 
 import ipaddress
-import json
 import logging
 import os
 import re
@@ -17,7 +16,7 @@ from urllib.parse import urlparse
 import requests
 import yaml
 
-from utils import atomic_json_write, base_url_host_matches, base_url_hostname
+from utils import base_url_host_matches, base_url_hostname
 
 from hermes_constants import OPENROUTER_MODELS_URL
 
@@ -112,57 +111,6 @@ _endpoint_model_metadata_cache: Dict[str, Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]]] = {}
 _endpoint_model_metadata_cache_time: Dict[str, float] = {}
 _ENDPOINT_MODEL_CACHE_TTL = 300
 
-
-def _get_model_metadata_cache_path() -> Path:
-    """Return path to the OpenRouter model metadata disk cache."""
-    from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
-    return get_hermes_home() / "cache" / "openrouter_model_metadata.json"
-
-
-def _model_metadata_disk_cache_age_seconds() -> Optional[float]:
-    """Return disk-cache age in seconds, or None if freshness is unknown."""
-    try:
-        cache_path = _get_model_metadata_cache_path()
-        if not cache_path.exists():
-            return None
-        age = time.time() - cache_path.stat().st_mtime
-        if age < 0:
-            return None
-        return age
-    except Exception:
-        return None
-
-
-def _load_model_metadata_disk_cache() -> Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]]:
-    """Load processed OpenRouter metadata cache from disk."""
-    try:
-        cache_path = _get_model_metadata_cache_path()
-        with cache_path.open("r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
-            data = json.load(f)
-        if not isinstance(data, dict):
-            return {}
-        return {
-            str(key): value
-            for key, value in data.items()
-            if isinstance(value, dict)
-        }
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.debug("Failed to load OpenRouter model metadata disk cache: %s", e)
-        return {}
-
-
-def _save_model_metadata_disk_cache(data: Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
-    """Save processed OpenRouter metadata cache to disk atomically."""
-    try:
-        atomic_json_write(
-            _get_model_metadata_cache_path(),
-            data,
-            indent=0,
-            separators=(",", ":"),
-        )
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.debug("Failed to save OpenRouter model metadata disk cache: %s", e)
-
 # Descending tiers for context length probing when the model is unknown.
 # We start at 256K (covers GPT-5.x, many current large-context models) and
 # step down on context-length errors until one works.  Tier[0] is also the
@@ -261,13 +209,7 @@ DEFAULT_CONTEXT_LENGTHS = {
     # https://platform.minimax.io/docs/api-reference/text-chat-openai
     "minimax-m3": 1000000,
     "minimax": 204800,
-    # GLM — GLM-5.2 ships with a 1M context window (verified empirically:
-    # needle-in-a-haystack retrieval at 789K prompt tokens succeeded with
-    # zero errors on api.z.ai/api/coding/paas/v4).  Older GLM models
-    # (5, 5.1, 5-turbo) are ~202K.  Longest-key-first substring matching
-    # ensures "glm-5.2" resolves to 1M while older variants still hit the
-    # generic 202K fallback.
-    "glm-5.2": 1_048_576,
+    # GLM
     "glm": 202752,
     # xAI Grok — xAI /v1/models does not return context_length metadata,
     # so these hardcoded fallbacks prevent Hermes from probing-down to
@@ -275,7 +217,6 @@ DEFAULT_CONTEXT_LENGTHS = {
     # via a custom provider. Values sourced from models.dev (2026-04).
     # Keys use substring matching (longest-first), so e.g. "grok-4.20"
     # matches "grok-4.20-0309-reasoning" / "-non-reasoning" / "-multi-agent-0309".
-    "grok-composer": 200000,    # grok-composer-2.5-fast (Grok Build CLI)
     "grok-build": 256000,       # grok-build-0.1
     "grok-code-fast": 256000,   # grok-code-fast-1
     "grok-2-vision": 8192,      # grok-2-vision, -1212, -latest
@@ -686,15 +627,6 @@ def fetch_model_metadata(force_refresh: bool = False) -> Dict[str, Dict[str, Any
     if not force_refresh and _model_metadata_cache and (time.time() - _model_metadata_cache_time) < _MODEL_CACHE_TTL:
         return _model_metadata_cache
 
-    if not force_refresh:
-        disk_age = _model_metadata_disk_cache_age_seconds()
-        if disk_age is not None and disk_age < _MODEL_CACHE_TTL:
-            disk_cache = _load_model_metadata_disk_cache()
-            if disk_cache:
-                _model_metadata_cache = disk_cache
-                _model_metadata_cache_time = time.time() - disk_age
-                return _model_metadata_cache
-
     try:
         response = requests.get(OPENROUTER_MODELS_URL, timeout=10, verify=_resolve_requests_verify())
         response.raise_for_status()
@@ -716,24 +648,12 @@ def fetch_model_metadata(force_refresh: bool = False) -> Dict[str, Dict[str, Any
 
         _model_metadata_cache = cache
         _model_metadata_cache_time = time.time()
-        _save_model_metadata_disk_cache(cache)
         logger.debug("Fetched metadata for %s models from OpenRouter", len(cache))
         return cache
 
     except Exception as e:
         logger.warning(f"Failed to fetch model metadata from OpenRouter: {e}")
-        if _model_metadata_cache:
-            return _model_metadata_cache
-        disk_cache = _load_model_metadata_disk_cache()
-        if disk_cache:
-            _model_metadata_cache = disk_cache
-            disk_age = _model_metadata_disk_cache_age_seconds()
-            if disk_age is not None:
-                _model_metadata_cache_time = time.time() - min(disk_age, _MODEL_CACHE_TTL)
-            else:
-                _model_metadata_cache_time = time.time() - _MODEL_CACHE_TTL + 1
-            return _model_metadata_cache
-        return {}
+        return _model_metadata_cache or {}
 
 
 def fetch_endpoint_model_metadata(

agent/moonshot_schema.py

@@ -135,14 +135,7 @@ def _repair_schema(node: Any, is_schema: bool = True) -> Any:
 
 def _fill_missing_type(node: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """Infer a reasonable ``type`` if this schema node has none."""
-    node_type = node.get("type")
-    if isinstance(node_type, list):
-        concrete = next(
-            (t for t in node_type if isinstance(t, str) and t not in {"", "null"}),
-            "string",
-        )
-        return {**node, "type": concrete}
-    if "type" in node and node_type not in {None, ""}:
+    if "type" in node and node["type"] not in {None, ""}:
         return node
 
     # Heuristic: presence of ``properties`` → object, ``items`` → array, ``enum``

agent/prompt_builder.py

@@ -8,7 +8,6 @@ import json
 import logging
 import os
 import threading
-import contextvars
 from collections import OrderedDict
 from pathlib import Path
 
@@ -490,41 +489,15 @@ PLATFORM_HINTS = {
         "files arrive as downloadable documents. You can also include image "
         "URLs in markdown format ![alt](url) and they will be sent as photos."
     ),
-    "whatsapp_cloud": (
-        "You are on a text messaging communication platform, WhatsApp "
-        "(via Meta's official Business Cloud API). Standard markdown "
-        "(**bold**, ~~strike~~, # headers, [links](url)) is auto-converted "
-        "to WhatsApp's native syntax (*bold*, ~strike~, etc.) — feel free "
-        "to write in markdown. Tables are NOT supported — prefer bullet "
-        "lists or labeled key:value pairs. "
-        "You can send media files natively: include MEDIA:/absolute/path/to/file "
-        "in your response. Images (.jpg, .png) become photo attachments, "
-        "videos (.mp4) play inline, audio (.mp3, .ogg) sends as voice/audio "
-        "messages, other files arrive as documents. Image URLs in markdown "
-        "format ![alt](url) also work. "
-        "IMPORTANT: this platform has a 24-hour conversation window — if the "
-        "user hasn't messaged in 24h, free-form replies are refused by Meta "
-        "(error 131047). This rarely matters for live chat, but is worth "
-        "knowing if you're scheduling a delayed message."
-    ),
     "telegram": (
         "You are on a text messaging communication platform, Telegram. "
-        "Standard Markdown is automatically converted to Telegram formatting. "
+        "Standard markdown is automatically converted to Telegram format. "
         "Supported: **bold**, *italic*, ~~strikethrough~~, ||spoiler||, "
         "`inline code`, ```code blocks```, [links](url), and ## headers. "
-        "Telegram now supports rich Markdown, so lean into it: whenever it "
-        "makes the answer clearer or easier to scan, actively reach for real "
-        "Markdown tables (pipe `| col | col |` syntax), bullet and numbered "
-        "lists, task lists (`- [ ]` / `- [x]`), headings, nested blockquotes, "
-        "collapsible details, footnotes/references, math/formulas (`$...$`, "
-        "`$$...$$`), underline, subscript/superscript, marked (highlighted) "
-        "text, and anchors. Default to structured formatting over dense "
-        "paragraphs for any comparison, set of steps, key/value summary, or "
-        "tabular data. Prefer real Markdown tables and task lists over "
-        "hand-built bullet substitutes when presenting structured data; these "
-        "degrade gracefully (tables become readable bullet groups) when rich "
-        "rendering is unavailable, but advanced constructs like math and "
-        "collapsible details may render as plain source text in that case. "
+        "Telegram has NO table syntax — prefer bullet lists or labeled "
+        "key: value pairs over pipe tables (any tables you do emit are "
+        "auto-rewritten into row-group bullets, which you can produce "
+        "directly for cleaner output). "
         "You can send media files natively: to deliver a file to the user, "
         "include MEDIA:/absolute/path/to/file in your response. Images "
         "(.png, .jpg, .webp) appear as photos, audio (.ogg) sends as voice "
@@ -958,80 +931,6 @@ CONTEXT_FILE_MAX_CHARS = 20_000
 CONTEXT_TRUNCATE_HEAD_RATIO = 0.7
 CONTEXT_TRUNCATE_TAIL_RATIO = 0.2
 
-# Dynamic-cap parameters (used when no explicit context_file_max_chars is set).
-# The cap scales with the model's context window so large-context models rarely
-# truncate a project doc, while small-context models stay at the historical
-# 20K floor. ~4 chars/token is the usual English heuristic; we spend a small
-# slice of the window on context files since they share the cached prefix with
-# the system prompt, tools, memory, and the whole conversation.
-_CONTEXT_FILE_CHARS_PER_TOKEN = 4
-_CONTEXT_FILE_WINDOW_FRACTION = 0.06
-_CONTEXT_FILE_DYNAMIC_CEILING = 500_000
-
-
-def _dynamic_context_file_max_chars(context_length: Optional[int]) -> int:
-    """Derive a char cap from the model's context window.
-
-    Returns at least ``CONTEXT_FILE_MAX_CHARS`` (the historical 20K floor) and
-    at most ``_CONTEXT_FILE_DYNAMIC_CEILING``. When ``context_length`` is
-    unknown/invalid, returns the flat default so behavior is unchanged.
-    """
-    if not isinstance(context_length, int) or context_length <= 0:
-        return CONTEXT_FILE_MAX_CHARS
-    budget = int(
-        context_length * _CONTEXT_FILE_CHARS_PER_TOKEN * _CONTEXT_FILE_WINDOW_FRACTION
-    )
-    return max(CONTEXT_FILE_MAX_CHARS, min(budget, _CONTEXT_FILE_DYNAMIC_CEILING))
-
-
-def _get_context_file_max_chars(context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> int:
-    """Return the context-file truncation limit.
-
-    Resolution order:
-      1. Explicit ``context_file_max_chars`` in config.yaml — user knows best,
-         always wins (including over the dynamic cap).
-      2. Dynamic cap derived from the model's ``context_length`` when provided
-         (scales the budget to the window; floor 20K, ceiling 500K).
-      3. ``CONTEXT_FILE_MAX_CHARS`` (20K) as the upstream-compatible fallback.
-    """
-    try:
-        from hermes_cli.config import load_config
-
-        val = load_config().get("context_file_max_chars")
-        if isinstance(val, (int, float)) and val > 0:
-            return int(val)
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.debug("Could not read context_file_max_chars from config: %s", e)
-    return _dynamic_context_file_max_chars(context_length)
-
-# Collect truncation warnings so the caller (run_agent) can surface them.
-# A ContextVar (not a module-global list) isolates accumulation per thread /
-# per async task, so concurrent gateway-session prompt builds can't drain or
-# clear each other's pending warnings (cross-session leak). Each build runs in
-# its own context, collects its own warnings, and drains them synchronously.
-_truncation_warnings: "contextvars.ContextVar[Optional[list]]" = contextvars.ContextVar(
-    "context_file_truncation_warnings", default=None
-)
-
-
-def _record_truncation_warning(msg: str) -> None:
-    """Append a truncation warning to the current context's accumulator."""
-    warnings = _truncation_warnings.get()
-    if warnings is None:
-        warnings = []
-        _truncation_warnings.set(warnings)
-    warnings.append(msg)
-
-
-def drain_truncation_warnings() -> list:
-    """Return and clear any truncation warnings accumulated in this context."""
-    warnings = _truncation_warnings.get()
-    if not warnings:
-        return []
-    drained = list(warnings)
-    warnings.clear()
-    return drained
-
 
 # =========================================================================
 # Skills prompt cache
@@ -1239,7 +1138,7 @@ def build_skills_system_prompt(
         or get_session_env("HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM")
         or ""
     )
-    disabled = get_disabled_skill_names(_platform_hint or None)
+    disabled = get_disabled_skill_names()
     cache_key = (
         str(skills_dir.resolve()),
         tuple(str(d) for d in external_dirs),
@@ -1519,13 +1418,13 @@ def build_nous_subscription_prompt(valid_tool_names: "set[str] | None" = None) -
 
     lines = [
         "# Nous Subscription",
-        "Nous subscription includes managed web tools (Firecrawl), image generation (FAL), OpenAI TTS, OpenAI Whisper STT, and browser automation (Browser Use) by default. Modal execution is optional.",
+        "Nous subscription includes managed web tools (Firecrawl), image generation (FAL), OpenAI TTS, and browser automation (Browser Use) by default. Modal execution is optional.",
         "Current capability status:",
     ]
     lines.extend(_status_line(feature) for feature in features.items())
     lines.extend(
         [
-            "When a Nous-managed feature is active, do not ask the user for Firecrawl, FAL, OpenAI TTS, OpenAI Whisper, or Browser-Use API keys.",
+            "When a Nous-managed feature is active, do not ask the user for Firecrawl, FAL, OpenAI TTS, or Browser-Use API keys.",
             "If the user is not subscribed and asks for a capability that Nous subscription would unlock or simplify, suggest Nous subscription as one option alongside direct setup or local alternatives.",
             "Do not mention subscription unless the user asks about it or it directly solves the current missing capability.",
             "Useful commands: hermes setup, hermes setup tools, hermes setup terminal, hermes status.",
@@ -1538,47 +1437,19 @@ def build_nous_subscription_prompt(valid_tool_names: "set[str] | None" = None) -
 # Context files (SOUL.md, AGENTS.md, .cursorrules)
 # =========================================================================
 
-def _truncate_content(
-    content: str,
-    filename: str,
-    max_chars: Optional[int] = None,
-    context_length: Optional[int] = None,
-    read_path: Optional[str] = None,
-) -> str:
-    """Head/tail truncation with a marker in the middle.
-
-    ``filename`` is the human label used in warnings. ``read_path`` is the
-    concrete path the agent should ``read_file`` to recover the full content
-    (defaults to ``filename`` when not supplied). ``context_length`` lets the
-    cap scale to the model's window when no explicit config override is set.
-    """
-    if max_chars is None:
-        max_chars = _get_context_file_max_chars(context_length)
+def _truncate_content(content: str, filename: str, max_chars: int = CONTEXT_FILE_MAX_CHARS) -> str:
+    """Head/tail truncation with a marker in the middle."""
     if len(content) <= max_chars:
         return content
-    target = read_path or filename
-    msg = (
-        f"⚠️  Context file {filename} TRUNCATED: "
-        f"{len(content)} chars exceeds limit of {max_chars} — "
-        f"trim the file, pin a larger context_file_max_chars, or use a "
-        f"larger-context model!"
-    )
-    logger.warning(msg)
-    _record_truncation_warning(msg)
     head_chars = int(max_chars * CONTEXT_TRUNCATE_HEAD_RATIO)
     tail_chars = int(max_chars * CONTEXT_TRUNCATE_TAIL_RATIO)
     head = content[:head_chars]
     tail = content[-tail_chars:]
-    marker = (
-        f"\n\n[...truncated {filename}: kept {head_chars}+{tail_chars} of "
-        f"{len(content)} chars. The middle is omitted — if you need the full "
-        f"instructions, read the complete file with the read_file tool: "
-        f"{target}]\n\n"
-    )
+    marker = f"\n\n[...truncated {filename}: kept {head_chars}+{tail_chars} of {len(content)} chars. Use file tools to read the full file.]\n\n"
     return head + marker + tail
 
 
-def load_soul_md(context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> Optional[str]:
+def load_soul_md() -> Optional[str]:
     """Load SOUL.md from HERMES_HOME and return its content, or None.
 
     Used as the agent identity (slot #1 in the system prompt).  When this
@@ -1599,17 +1470,14 @@ def load_soul_md(context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> Optional[str]:
         if not content:
             return None
         content = _scan_context_content(content, "SOUL.md")
-        content = _truncate_content(
-            content, "SOUL.md", context_length=context_length,
-            read_path=str(soul_path),
-        )
+        content = _truncate_content(content, "SOUL.md")
         return content
     except Exception as e:
         logger.debug("Could not read SOUL.md from %s: %s", soul_path, e)
         return None
 
 
-def _load_hermes_md(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
+def _load_hermes_md(cwd_path: Path) -> str:
     """.hermes.md / HERMES.md — walk to git root."""
     hermes_md_path = _find_hermes_md(cwd_path)
     if not hermes_md_path:
@@ -1626,16 +1494,13 @@ def _load_hermes_md(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> str
             pass
         content = _scan_context_content(content, rel)
         result = f"## {rel}\n\n{content}"
-        return _truncate_content(
-            result, ".hermes.md", context_length=context_length,
-            read_path=str(hermes_md_path),
-        )
+        return _truncate_content(result, ".hermes.md")
     except Exception as e:
         logger.debug("Could not read %s: %s", hermes_md_path, e)
         return ""
 
 
-def _load_agents_md(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
+def _load_agents_md(cwd_path: Path) -> str:
     """AGENTS.md — top-level only (no recursive walk)."""
     for name in ["AGENTS.md", "agents.md"]:
         candidate = cwd_path / name
@@ -1645,16 +1510,13 @@ def _load_agents_md(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> str
                 if content:
                     content = _scan_context_content(content, name)
                     result = f"## {name}\n\n{content}"
-                    return _truncate_content(
-                        result, "AGENTS.md", context_length=context_length,
-                        read_path=str(candidate),
-                    )
+                    return _truncate_content(result, "AGENTS.md")
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.debug("Could not read %s: %s", candidate, e)
     return ""
 
 
-def _load_claude_md(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
+def _load_claude_md(cwd_path: Path) -> str:
     """CLAUDE.md / claude.md — cwd only."""
     for name in ["CLAUDE.md", "claude.md"]:
         candidate = cwd_path / name
@@ -1664,16 +1526,13 @@ def _load_claude_md(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> str
                 if content:
                     content = _scan_context_content(content, name)
                     result = f"## {name}\n\n{content}"
-                    return _truncate_content(
-                        result, "CLAUDE.md", context_length=context_length,
-                        read_path=str(candidate),
-                    )
+                    return _truncate_content(result, "CLAUDE.md")
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.debug("Could not read %s: %s", candidate, e)
     return ""
 
 
-def _load_cursorrules(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
+def _load_cursorrules(cwd_path: Path) -> str:
     """.cursorrules + .cursor/rules/*.mdc — cwd only."""
     cursorrules_content = ""
     cursorrules_file = cwd_path / ".cursorrules"
@@ -1700,17 +1559,10 @@ def _load_cursorrules(cwd_path: Path, context_length: Optional[int] = None) -> s
 
     if not cursorrules_content:
         return ""
-    return _truncate_content(
-        cursorrules_content, ".cursorrules", context_length=context_length,
-        read_path=str(cwd_path / ".cursorrules"),
-    )
+    return _truncate_content(cursorrules_content, ".cursorrules")
 
 
-def build_context_files_prompt(
-    cwd: Optional[str] = None,
-    skip_soul: bool = False,
-    context_length: Optional[int] = None,
-) -> str:
+def build_context_files_prompt(cwd: Optional[str] = None, skip_soul: bool = False) -> str:
     """Discover and load context files for the system prompt.
 
     Priority (first found wins — only ONE project context type is loaded):
@@ -1720,11 +1572,7 @@ def build_context_files_prompt(
       4. .cursorrules / .cursor/rules/*.mdc  (cwd only)
 
     SOUL.md from HERMES_HOME is independent and always included when present.
-
-    Each context source is capped before injection. The cap defaults to the
-    model's context window (scaled — see ``_dynamic_context_file_max_chars``)
-    when *context_length* is provided, falling back to 20,000 chars otherwise.
-    An explicit ``context_file_max_chars`` in config.yaml always wins.
+    Each context source is capped at 20,000 chars.
 
     When *skip_soul* is True, SOUL.md is not included here (it was already
     loaded via ``load_soul_md()`` for the identity slot).
@@ -1737,17 +1585,17 @@ def build_context_files_prompt(
 
     # Priority-based project context: first match wins
     project_context = (
-        _load_hermes_md(cwd_path, context_length)
-        or _load_agents_md(cwd_path, context_length)
-        or _load_claude_md(cwd_path, context_length)
-        or _load_cursorrules(cwd_path, context_length)
+        _load_hermes_md(cwd_path)
+        or _load_agents_md(cwd_path)
+        or _load_claude_md(cwd_path)
+        or _load_cursorrules(cwd_path)
     )
     if project_context:
         sections.append(project_context)
 
     # SOUL.md from HERMES_HOME only — skip when already loaded as identity
     if not skip_soul:
-        soul_content = load_soul_md(context_length)
+        soul_content = load_soul_md()
         if soul_content:
             sections.append(soul_content)
 

agent/redact.py

@@ -104,7 +104,6 @@ _PREFIX_PATTERNS = [
     r"mem0_[A-Za-z0-9]{10,}",           # Mem0 Platform API key
     r"brv_[A-Za-z0-9]{10,}",            # ByteRover API key
     r"xai-[A-Za-z0-9]{30,}",            # xAI (Grok) API key
-    r"ntn_[A-Za-z0-9]{10,}",            # Notion internal integration token
 ]
 
 # ENV assignment patterns: KEY=value where KEY contains a secret-like name

agent/skill_commands.py

@@ -26,91 +26,6 @@ _skill_commands_platform: Optional[str] = None
 _SKILL_INVALID_CHARS = re.compile(r"[^a-z0-9-]")
 _SKILL_MULTI_HYPHEN = re.compile(r"-{2,}")
 
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-# Skill-scaffolding markers and the canonical extractor.
-#
-# When a user invokes a /skill (or /bundle), Hermes expands the turn into a
-# model-facing message that embeds the full skill body plus scaffolding. That
-# expanded text is what flows into the agent loop — and into memory providers
-# via MemoryManager. Providers that store or embed the raw user turn (mem0,
-# openviking, hindsight, retaindb, byterover, honcho, supermemory) would
-# otherwise capture the entire skill body instead of what the user actually
-# asked. ``extract_user_instruction_from_skill_message`` recovers just the
-# user's instruction so memory stays clean.
-#
-# These markers MUST stay byte-identical to the builders below
-# (``_build_skill_message`` here, ``build_bundle_invocation_message`` in
-# agent/skill_bundles.py). They are co-located with the single-skill builder
-# on purpose, and the bundle markers are asserted against the bundle builder in
-# tests/openviking_plugin/test_openviking.py::test_skill_markers_match_hermes_scaffolding.
-# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-_SKILL_INVOCATION_PREFIX = "[IMPORTANT: The user has invoked the "
-_SINGLE_SKILL_MARKER = "The full skill content is loaded below.]"
-_SINGLE_SKILL_INSTRUCTION = (
-    "The user has provided the following instruction alongside the skill invocation: "
-)
-_RUNTIME_NOTE = "\n\n[Runtime note:"
-_BUNDLE_MARKER = " skill bundle,"
-_BUNDLE_USER_INSTRUCTION = "\nUser instruction: "
-_BUNDLE_FIRST_SKILL_BLOCK = "\n\n[Loaded as part of the "
-
-
-def extract_user_instruction_from_skill_message(content: Any) -> Optional[str]:
-    """Recover the user's instruction from a slash-skill-expanded turn.
-
-    Returns:
-        - The original string unchanged when it is NOT skill scaffolding
-          (a normal user message passes straight through).
-        - The extracted user instruction when the scaffolding carried one.
-        - ``None`` when the content is skill scaffolding with no user
-          instruction (i.e. a bare ``/skill`` invocation). Callers that feed
-          memory providers should skip the turn in that case — there is no
-          user content worth storing.
-    """
-    if not isinstance(content, str):
-        return None
-
-    if not content.startswith(_SKILL_INVOCATION_PREFIX):
-        return content
-
-    if _BUNDLE_MARKER in content:
-        return _extract_bundle_user_instruction(content)
-
-    if _SINGLE_SKILL_MARKER in content:
-        return _extract_single_skill_user_instruction(content)
-
-    return None
-
-
-def _extract_single_skill_user_instruction(message: str) -> Optional[str]:
-    # Single-skill format appends the user instruction after the skill body, so
-    # the last occurrence is the user-provided one; the body may quote this text.
-    marker_idx = message.rfind(_SINGLE_SKILL_INSTRUCTION)
-    if marker_idx < 0:
-        return None
-
-    instruction = message[marker_idx + len(_SINGLE_SKILL_INSTRUCTION):]
-    runtime_idx = instruction.find(_RUNTIME_NOTE)
-    if runtime_idx >= 0:
-        instruction = instruction[:runtime_idx]
-    instruction = instruction.strip()
-    return instruction or None
-
-
-def _extract_bundle_user_instruction(message: str) -> Optional[str]:
-    # Bundle format puts the user instruction before the loaded skills, so the
-    # first occurrence is the user-provided one.
-    marker_idx = message.find(_BUNDLE_USER_INSTRUCTION)
-    if marker_idx < 0:
-        return None
-
-    instruction = message[marker_idx + len(_BUNDLE_USER_INSTRUCTION):]
-    first_skill_idx = instruction.find(_BUNDLE_FIRST_SKILL_BLOCK)
-    if first_skill_idx >= 0:
-        instruction = instruction[:first_skill_idx]
-    instruction = instruction.strip()
-    return instruction or None
-
 
 def _resolve_skill_commands_platform() -> Optional[str]:
     """Return the current platform scope used for disabled-skill filtering.

agent/skill_utils.py

@@ -43,20 +43,14 @@ EXCLUDED_SKILL_DIRS = frozenset(
     )
 )
 
-# Supporting files live inside a skill package and are loaded explicitly via
-# skill_view(skill, file_path=...). They are not standalone skills and must not
-# be scanned for active SKILL.md/DESCRIPTION.md entries, even if a Curator or
-# archive workflow preserves a complete old skill package under references/.
-SKILL_SUPPORT_DIRS = frozenset(("references", "templates", "assets", "scripts"))
-
 
 def is_excluded_skill_path(path) -> bool:
-    """True if *path* should be skipped by active skill scanners.
+    """True if any component of *path* is in EXCLUDED_SKILL_DIRS.
 
-    Use this on every ``SKILL.md`` path produced by direct ``rglob`` scans to
-    prune dependency, virtualenv, VCS, cache, and progressive-disclosure
-    support-package paths. Centralising the check here keeps every
-    skill-scanning site in sync with the shared exclusion set.
+    Use this on every SKILL.md path produced by ``rglob`` to prune
+    dependency, virtualenv, VCS, and cache directories. Centralising the
+    check here keeps every skill-scanning site in sync with the shared
+    exclusion set.
 
     Accepts a Path or string.
     """
@@ -65,36 +59,7 @@ def is_excluded_skill_path(path) -> bool:
     except AttributeError:
         from pathlib import PurePath
         parts = PurePath(str(path)).parts
-    return any(part in EXCLUDED_SKILL_DIRS for part in parts) or is_skill_support_path(
-        path
-    )
-
-
-def is_skill_support_path(path) -> bool:
-    """True if *path* is under a support dir of an actual skill root.
-
-    ``references/``, ``templates/``, ``assets/``, and ``scripts/`` are
-    progressive-disclosure support areas when they sit directly inside a skill
-    directory containing ``SKILL.md``. They are not active discovery roots for
-    standalone skills. A preserved package such as
-    ``some-skill/references/old-skill-package/SKILL.md`` is documentation data
-    unless the caller explicitly loads it via ``file_path``.
-
-    Legitimate categories or skill names such as ``skills/scripts/foo`` remain
-    discoverable because their ``scripts`` component is not directly under a
-    directory that contains ``SKILL.md``.
-    """
-    path_obj = path if isinstance(path, Path) else Path(str(path))
-    parts = path_obj.parts
-    # Last component may be a file or candidate skill directory name. Only
-    # components before the leaf can be containing support directories.
-    for idx, part in enumerate(parts[:-1]):
-        if part not in SKILL_SUPPORT_DIRS or idx == 0:
-            continue
-        skill_root = Path(*parts[:idx])
-        if (skill_root / "SKILL.md").exists():
-            return True
-    return False
+    return any(part in EXCLUDED_SKILL_DIRS for part in parts)
 
 
 # ── Lazy YAML loader ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -307,65 +272,27 @@ def skill_matches_environment(frontmatter: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
 # ── Disabled skills ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 
-_RAW_CONFIG_CACHE: Dict[Tuple[str, int, int], Dict[str, Any]] = {}
-
-
-def _raw_config_cache_clear() -> None:
-    """Test hook — drop the shared raw config cache."""
-    _RAW_CONFIG_CACHE.clear()
-
-
-def _load_raw_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """Read config.yaml with a shared mtime+size keyed cache.
-
-    This module intentionally avoids importing ``hermes_cli.config`` on the
-    skill prompt/build path. A tiny local cache gives the same repeated-read
-    win without pulling the heavier CLI config stack into startup.
-    """
-    config_path = get_config_path()
-    if not config_path.exists():
-        return {}
-    try:
-        stat = config_path.stat()
-        cache_key = (str(config_path), stat.st_mtime_ns, stat.st_size)
-    except OSError:
-        cache_key = None
-
-    if cache_key is not None:
-        cached = _RAW_CONFIG_CACHE.get(cache_key)
-        if cached is not None:
-            return cached
-
-    try:
-        parsed = yaml_load(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.debug("Could not read skill config %s: %s", config_path, e)
-        return {}
-    if not isinstance(parsed, dict):
-        return {}
-
-    if cache_key is not None:
-        _RAW_CONFIG_CACHE.clear()
-        _RAW_CONFIG_CACHE[cache_key] = parsed
-    return parsed
-
-
 def get_disabled_skill_names(platform: str | None = None) -> Set[str]:
     """Read disabled skill names from config.yaml.
 
     Args:
         platform: Explicit platform name (e.g. ``"telegram"``).  When
             *None*, resolves from ``HERMES_PLATFORM`` or
-            ``HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM`` env vars.  Returns the global
-            disabled list, unioned with the platform-specific list when a
-            platform is resolved (a globally-disabled skill stays disabled
-            on every platform).
+            ``HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM`` env vars.  Falls back to the
+            global disabled list when no platform is determined.
 
     Reads the config file directly (no CLI config imports) to stay
     lightweight.
     """
-    parsed = _load_raw_config()
-    if not parsed:
+    config_path = get_config_path()
+    if not config_path.exists():
+        return set()
+    try:
+        parsed = yaml_load(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.debug("Could not read skill config %s: %s", config_path, e)
+        return set()
+    if not isinstance(parsed, dict):
         return set()
 
     skills_cfg = parsed.get("skills")
@@ -378,14 +305,13 @@ def get_disabled_skill_names(platform: str | None = None) -> Set[str]:
         or os.getenv("HERMES_PLATFORM")
         or get_session_env("HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM")
     )
-    global_disabled = _normalize_string_set(skills_cfg.get("disabled"))
     if resolved_platform:
         platform_disabled = (skills_cfg.get("platform_disabled") or {}).get(
             resolved_platform
         )
         if platform_disabled is not None:
-            return global_disabled | _normalize_string_set(platform_disabled)
-    return global_disabled
+            return _normalize_string_set(platform_disabled)
+    return _normalize_string_set(skills_cfg.get("disabled"))
 
 
 def _normalize_string_set(values) -> Set[str]:
@@ -410,7 +336,6 @@ _EXTERNAL_DIRS_CACHE: Dict[Tuple[str, int], List[Path]] = {}
 def _external_dirs_cache_clear() -> None:
     """Test hook — drop the in-process cache."""
     _EXTERNAL_DIRS_CACHE.clear()
-    _raw_config_cache_clear()
 
 
 def get_external_skills_dirs() -> List[Path]:
@@ -443,8 +368,11 @@ def get_external_skills_dirs() -> List[Path]:
             # Return a copy so callers can't mutate the cached list.
             return list(cached)
 
-    parsed = _load_raw_config()
-    if not parsed:
+    try:
+        parsed = yaml_load(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    except Exception:
+        return []
+    if not isinstance(parsed, dict):
         return []
 
     skills_cfg = parsed.get("skills")
@@ -656,7 +584,15 @@ def resolve_skill_config_values(
     current values (or the declared default if the key isn't set).
     Path values are expanded via ``os.path.expanduser``.
     """
-    config = _load_raw_config()
+    config_path = get_config_path()
+    config: Dict[str, Any] = {}
+    if config_path.exists():
+        try:
+            parsed = yaml_load(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+            if isinstance(parsed, dict):
+                config = parsed
+        except Exception:
+            pass
 
     resolved: Dict[str, Any] = {}
     for var in config_vars:
@@ -696,21 +632,12 @@ def extract_skill_description(frontmatter: Dict[str, Any]) -> str:
 def iter_skill_index_files(skills_dir: Path, filename: str):
     """Walk skills_dir yielding sorted paths matching *filename*.
 
-    Excludes Hermes metadata, VCS, virtualenv/dependency, cache, and skill
-    support directories. Support directories (references/templates/assets/
-    scripts) can contain arbitrary markdown and even archived package
-    ``SKILL.md`` files, but they are progressive-disclosure data loaded through
-    ``skill_view(..., file_path=...)`` rather than active skill roots.
+    Excludes Hermes metadata, VCS, virtualenv/dependency, and cache
+    directories so dependencies cannot register nested skills.
     """
     matches = []
     for root, dirs, files in os.walk(skills_dir, followlinks=True):
-        has_skill_md = "SKILL.md" in files
-        dirs[:] = [
-            d
-            for d in dirs
-            if d not in EXCLUDED_SKILL_DIRS
-            and not (has_skill_md and d in SKILL_SUPPORT_DIRS)
-        ]
+        dirs[:] = [d for d in dirs if d not in EXCLUDED_SKILL_DIRS]
         if filename in files:
             matches.append(Path(root) / filename)
     for path in sorted(matches, key=lambda p: str(p.relative_to(skills_dir))):

agent/ssl_guard.py

@@ -1,94 +0,0 @@
-"""Preventive SSL CA certificate checks for Hermes Agent.
-
-This module catches broken CA bundle paths before OpenAI/httpx turns them into
-opaque ``FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory`` failures.
-"""
-
-from __future__ import annotations
-
-import logging
-import os
-import ssl
-from pathlib import Path
-
-from agent.errors import SSLConfigurationError
-
-logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
-
-_CA_BUNDLE_ENV_VARS = (
-    "HERMES_CA_BUNDLE",
-    "SSL_CERT_FILE",
-    "REQUESTS_CA_BUNDLE",
-    "CURL_CA_BUNDLE",
-)
-
-_SKIP_VALUES = {"1", "true", "yes", "on"}
-
-
-def _skip_ssl_guard_enabled() -> bool:
-    return os.getenv("HERMES_SKIP_SSL_GUARD", "").strip().lower() in _SKIP_VALUES
-
-
-def _repair_hint() -> str:
-    return (
-        "Repair: python -m pip install --force-reinstall certifi openai httpx\n"
-        "If you configured a custom corporate CA bundle, fix or unset the "
-        "broken CA bundle environment variable."
-    )
-
-
-def _ssl_err(message: str) -> SSLConfigurationError:
-    """Create a consistent, user-actionable SSL configuration error."""
-    return SSLConfigurationError(f"{message}\n{_repair_hint()}")
-
-
-def _validate_bundle_path(label: str, value: str, *, require_substantial: bool = False) -> None:
-    path = Path(value).expanduser()
-    if not path.exists():
-        raise _ssl_err(f"{label} points to a missing CA bundle: {value}")
-    if not path.is_file():
-        raise _ssl_err(f"{label} does not point to a CA bundle file: {value}")
-    if require_substantial and path.stat().st_size < 1024:
-        raise _ssl_err(f"{label} at {value} appears corrupted (too small)")
-    try:
-        ctx = ssl.create_default_context(cafile=str(path))
-    except Exception as exc:
-        raise _ssl_err(f"{label} CA bundle at {value} cannot be loaded: {exc}") from exc
-    if not ctx.get_ca_certs():
-        raise _ssl_err(f"{label} CA bundle at {value} did not load any certificates")
-
-
-def verify_ca_bundle() -> None:
-    """Verify configured and bundled CA certificates are present and loadable.
-
-    Raises:
-        SSLConfigurationError: If an explicit CA-bundle environment variable
-            points at a bad path, or if certifi's bundled ``cacert.pem`` is
-            missing/corrupt.
-    """
-    if _skip_ssl_guard_enabled():
-        logger.debug("SSL CA bundle guard skipped via HERMES_SKIP_SSL_GUARD")
-        return
-
-    for env_var in _CA_BUNDLE_ENV_VARS:
-        value = os.getenv(env_var)
-        if value:
-            _validate_bundle_path(env_var, value)
-
-    try:
-        import certifi
-    except Exception as exc:
-        raise _ssl_err(f"certifi is not importable: {exc}") from exc
-
-    ca_bundle = str(certifi.where())
-    _validate_bundle_path("certifi", ca_bundle, require_substantial=True)
-
-
-def verify_ca_bundle_with_fallback() -> None:
-    """Backward-compatible wrapper for older call sites.
-
-    The old PR name mentioned a platform fallback, but allowing startup with a
-    broken certifi bundle still leaves httpx/OpenAI and requests call sites
-    failing later. Keep the wrapper name but enforce the same check.
-    """
-    verify_ca_bundle()

agent/system_prompt.py

@@ -40,7 +40,6 @@ from agent.prompt_builder import (
     TASK_COMPLETION_GUIDANCE,
     TOOL_USE_ENFORCEMENT_GUIDANCE,
     TOOL_USE_ENFORCEMENT_MODELS,
-    drain_truncation_warnings,
 )
 from agent.runtime_cwd import resolve_context_cwd
 
@@ -83,17 +82,6 @@ def build_system_prompt_parts(agent: Any, system_message: Optional[str] = None)
     # we resolve through ``_ra()`` to honor those patches.
     _r = _ra()
 
-    # Resolve the model's context window once so context-file caps can scale
-    # to it (dynamic cap — see prompt_builder._dynamic_context_file_max_chars).
-    # None falls back to the historical flat default. This value is stable for
-    # the life of the conversation, so it does not threaten prompt caching.
-    _ctx_len: Optional[int] = None
-    _cc = getattr(agent, "context_compressor", None)
-    if _cc is not None:
-        _cc_len = getattr(_cc, "context_length", None)
-        if isinstance(_cc_len, int) and _cc_len > 0:
-            _ctx_len = _cc_len
-
     # ── Stable tier ────────────────────────────────────────────────
     stable_parts: List[str] = []
 
@@ -102,7 +90,7 @@ def build_system_prompt_parts(agent: Any, system_message: Optional[str] = None)
     # cwd project instructions disabled.
     _soul_loaded = False
     if agent.load_soul_identity or not agent.skip_context_files:
-        _soul_content = _r.load_soul_md(_ctx_len)
+        _soul_content = _r.load_soul_md()
         if _soul_content:
             stable_parts.append(_soul_content)
             _soul_loaded = True
@@ -203,10 +191,9 @@ def build_system_prompt_parts(agent: Any, system_message: Optional[str] = None)
             )
             if toolset
         }
-        # Focus mode (opt-in) demotes non-coding skill categories to
-        # names-only in the index (never hidden — skill_view/skills_list
-        # reach everything, and every name stays visible for recall). The
-        # default coding posture leaves the index untouched.
+        # Coding posture demotes non-coding skill categories to names-only in
+        # the index (never hidden — skill_view/skills_list reach everything,
+        # and every name stays visible for memory-anchored recall).
         _compact_cats = frozenset()
         try:
             from agent.coding_context import coding_compact_skill_categories
@@ -345,8 +332,7 @@ def build_system_prompt_parts(agent: Any, system_message: Optional[str] = None)
         # dir — the user's real cwd there, but the install dir for the gateway
         # daemon, which is why the gateway sets TERMINAL_CWD.
         context_files_prompt = _r.build_context_files_prompt(
-            cwd=resolve_context_cwd(), skip_soul=_soul_loaded,
-            context_length=_ctx_len)
+            cwd=resolve_context_cwd(), skip_soul=_soul_loaded)
         if context_files_prompt:
             context_parts.append(context_files_prompt)
 
@@ -413,14 +399,7 @@ def build_system_prompt(agent: Any, system_message: Optional[str] = None) -> str
     warm across turns.
     """
     parts = build_system_prompt_parts(agent, system_message=system_message)
-    joined = "\n\n".join(p for p in (parts["stable"], parts["context"], parts["volatile"]) if p)
-
-    # Surface context-file truncation warnings through the normal agent status
-    # channel so gateway/CLI users see them in chat instead of only in logs.
-    for warning in drain_truncation_warnings():
-        agent._emit_status(warning)
-
-    return joined
+    return "\n\n".join(p for p in (parts["stable"], parts["context"], parts["volatile"]) if p)
 
 
 def invalidate_system_prompt(agent: Any) -> None:

agent/transports/anthropic.py

@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ class AnthropicTransport(ProviderTransport):
         from agent.transports.types import ToolCall
 
         strip_tool_prefix = kwargs.get("strip_tool_prefix", False)
-        _MCP_PREFIX = "mcp__"
+        _MCP_PREFIX = "mcp_"
 
         text_parts = []
         reasoning_parts = []
@@ -132,25 +132,17 @@ class AnthropicTransport(ProviderTransport):
             elif block.type == "tool_use":
                 name = block.name
                 if strip_tool_prefix and name.startswith(_MCP_PREFIX):
-                    # On the OAuth wire every tool carries a double-underscore
-                    # ``mcp__`` prefix (added in build_anthropic_kwargs to avoid
-                    # Anthropic's single-underscore third-party classifier).
-                    # Reverse it back to the name the registry/dispatcher knows.
-                    # Two original forms map onto the same ``mcp__`` wire name:
-                    #   ``mcp__read_file``       <- bare native tool ``read_file``
-                    #   ``mcp__linear_get_issue`` <- MCP server tool
-                    #                                ``mcp_linear_get_issue``
-                    # Resolve by registry lookup, preferring whichever original
-                    # is actually registered; never rewrite a name the LLM used
-                    # that already resolves natively. GH-25255.
+                    stripped = name[len(_MCP_PREFIX):]
+                    # Only strip the mcp_ prefix for OAuth-injected tools
+                    # (where Hermes adds the prefix when sending to Anthropic
+                    # and must remove it on the way back).  Native MCP server
+                    # tools (from mcp_servers: in config.yaml) are registered
+                    # in the tool registry under their FULL mcp_<server>_<tool>
+                    # name and must NOT be stripped.  GH-25255.
                     from tools.registry import registry as _tool_registry
-                    if not _tool_registry.get_entry(name):
-                        bare = name[len(_MCP_PREFIX):]            # read_file
-                        single = "mcp_" + bare                    # mcp_read_file / mcp_linear_get_issue
-                        if _tool_registry.get_entry(single):
-                            name = single
-                        elif _tool_registry.get_entry(bare):
-                            name = bare
+                    if (_tool_registry.get_entry(stripped)
+                            and not _tool_registry.get_entry(name)):
+                        name = stripped
                 tool_calls.append(
                     ToolCall(
                         id=block.id,
@@ -194,21 +186,10 @@ class AnthropicTransport(ProviderTransport):
     def validate_response(self, response: Any) -> bool:
         """Check Anthropic response structure is valid.
 
-        An empty content list is legitimate for terminal stop reasons that
-        carry no text payload:
-
-        - ``end_turn`` — the model's canonical "nothing more to add" after a
-          tool turn that already delivered the user-facing text.
-        - ``refusal`` — the model declined to respond (Claude 4.5+). The
-          Messages API returns an empty ``content`` list with this stop
-          reason. Treating it as invalid sends a deterministic refusal into
-          the invalid-response retry loop, which reproduces the refusal on
-          every attempt and surfaces a misleading "rate limited / invalid
-          response" error instead of the refusal. ``normalize_response`` maps
-          ``refusal`` → ``content_filter`` so the agent loop's refusal handler
-          can surface it.
-
-        Treating either as invalid falsely retries a completed response.
+        An empty content list is legitimate when ``stop_reason == "end_turn"``
+        — the model's canonical way of signalling "nothing more to add" after
+        a tool turn that already delivered the user-facing text. Treating it
+        as invalid falsely retries a completed response.
         """
         if response is None:
             return False
@@ -216,7 +197,7 @@ class AnthropicTransport(ProviderTransport):
         if not isinstance(content_blocks, list):
             return False
         if not content_blocks:
-            return getattr(response, "stop_reason", None) in {"end_turn", "refusal"}
+            return getattr(response, "stop_reason", None) == "end_turn"
         return True
 
     def extract_cache_stats(self, response: Any) -> Optional[Dict[str, int]]:

agent/transports/chat_completions.py

@@ -531,7 +531,6 @@ class ChatCompletionsTransport(ProviderTransport):
                 supports_reasoning=params.get("supports_reasoning", False),
                 qwen_session_metadata=params.get("qwen_session_metadata"),
                 model=model,
-                base_url=params.get("base_url"),
                 ollama_num_ctx=params.get("ollama_num_ctx"),
                 session_id=params.get("session_id"),
             )
@@ -665,42 +664,8 @@ class ChatCompletionsTransport(ProviderTransport):
         if rd:
             provider_data["reasoning_details"] = rd
 
-        # OpenAI structured-refusal field. When a model declines, the SDK
-        # populates ``message.refusal`` with the explanation and leaves
-        # ``content`` empty. OpenAI-compatible proxies that front Anthropic /
-        # Bedrock (e.g. Nous Portal) surface a Claude refusal this way — or via
-        # ``finish_reason="content_filter"`` — instead of the native
-        # ``stop_reason="refusal"``. Without capturing it the refusal looks
-        # like an empty response, so the agent loop retries a deterministic
-        # refusal three times and gives up with "no content after retries".
-        # Promote it to content + a ``content_filter`` finish reason so the
-        # loop's refusal handler surfaces it clearly and stops. ``refusal`` is
-        # ``None`` for normal responses, so this is a no-op in the common case.
-        content = msg.content
-        refusal = getattr(msg, "refusal", None)
-        if refusal is None and hasattr(msg, "model_extra"):
-            _msg_extra = getattr(msg, "model_extra", None) or {}
-            if isinstance(_msg_extra, dict):
-                refusal = _msg_extra.get("refusal")
-        if isinstance(refusal, str) and refusal.strip():
-            # Record the refusal explanation regardless — it's useful provider
-            # metadata even when the model also returned a usable payload.
-            provider_data["refusal"] = refusal
-            _has_text = isinstance(content, str) and content.strip()
-            _has_tool_calls = bool(tool_calls)
-            # Only promote to a terminal ``content_filter`` when the refusal is
-            # the *sole* payload — no visible text and no tool calls. A response
-            # that carries real content (or tool calls) alongside a refusal note
-            # is a normal, usable turn: surfacing it as a failed safety refusal
-            # would discard the model's actual work. In the empty-payload case,
-            # adopt the refusal as content so the loop has something to show.
-            if not _has_text and not _has_tool_calls:
-                content = refusal
-                if finish_reason in (None, "stop"):
-                    finish_reason = "content_filter"
-
         return NormalizedResponse(
-            content=content,
+            content=msg.content,
             tool_calls=tool_calls,
             finish_reason=finish_reason,
             reasoning=reasoning,

agent/transports/codex.py

@@ -218,14 +218,8 @@ class ResponsesApiTransport(ProviderTransport):
             kwargs.pop("timeout", None)
 
         if is_codex_backend:
-            # The Codex backend rejects body-level ``extra_headers`` with
-            # HTTP 400, but the OpenAI SDK's ``extra_headers`` kwarg maps
-            # to actual HTTP request headers (not body fields).  We need
-            # these headers for cache-scope routing so prompt cache hits
-            # remain high.  Send session_id / x-client-request-id as HTTP
-            # headers while keeping ``prompt_cache_key`` in the body for
-            # standard OpenAI routing as a belt-and-braces fallback.
-            cache_scope_id = str(session_id or "").strip()
+            prompt_cache_key = kwargs.get("prompt_cache_key")
+            cache_scope_id = str(prompt_cache_key or session_id or "").strip()
             if cache_scope_id:
                 existing_extra_headers = kwargs.get("extra_headers")
                 merged_extra_headers: Dict[str, str] = {}

agent/turn_context.py

@@ -69,7 +69,6 @@ def build_turn_context(
     task_id: Optional[str],
     stream_callback,
     persist_user_message: Optional[str],
-    persist_user_timestamp: Optional[float] = None,
     *,
     restore_or_build_system_prompt,
     install_safe_stdio,
@@ -122,7 +121,6 @@ def build_turn_context(
     agent._stream_callback = stream_callback
     agent._persist_user_message_idx = None
     agent._persist_user_message_override = persist_user_message
-    agent._persist_user_message_timestamp = persist_user_timestamp
     # Generate unique task_id if not provided to isolate VMs between tasks.
     effective_task_id = task_id or str(uuid.uuid4())
     agent._current_task_id = effective_task_id

apps/bootstrap-installer/package.json

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@nous-research/ui": "0.16.0",
-    "@tailwindcss/vite": "^4.2.4",
+    "@tailwindcss/vite": "^4.2.1",
     "@tailwindcss/typography": "^0.5.19",
     "@tauri-apps/api": "^2.0.0",
     "@tauri-apps/plugin-dialog": "^2.0.0",
@@ -40,8 +40,8 @@
     "@tauri-apps/cli": "^2.0.0",
     "@types/react": "^19.2.14",
     "@types/react-dom": "^19.2.3",
-    "@vitejs/plugin-react": "^6.0.2",
+    "@vitejs/plugin-react": "^5.2.0",
     "typescript": "^6.0.3",
-    "vite": "^8.0.16"
+    "vite": "^7.3.1"
   }
 }

apps/bootstrap-installer/src-tauri/src/update.rs

@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@
 //! Driven when the installer is launched as `Hermes-Setup.exe --update` (see
 //! `AppMode` in lib.rs). The desktop app hands off to us — it exits, then we:
 //!
-//!   1. wait for the old Hermes desktop process to fully exit (so both the
-//!      venv shim and packaged app.asar are free; otherwise `hermes update`
-//!      or repair bootstrap can race locked files),
+//!   1. wait for the old Hermes desktop process to fully exit (so the venv
+//!      shim is free; otherwise `hermes update` aborts with exit code 2),
 //!   2. run `hermes update --yes --gateway` (Python/repo update; this does NOT
 //!      rebuild apps/desktop by design — see cmd_update in hermes_cli/main.py),
 //!   3. run `hermes desktop --build-only` (the rebuild step update skips),
@@ -39,8 +38,8 @@ use crate::events::{BootstrapEvent, LogStream, StageInfo, StageState};
 /// hermes_cli/main.py (sys.exit(2)). We surface a targeted message for this.
 const UPDATE_EXIT_CONCURRENT: i32 = 2;
 
-/// How long to wait for the old desktop process to release files under the
-/// install tree before giving up and letting `hermes update`'s own guard decide.
+/// How long to wait for the old desktop process to release the venv shim
+/// before giving up and letting `hermes update`'s own guard decide.
 const DESKTOP_EXIT_WAIT: Duration = Duration::from_secs(20);
 const DESKTOP_EXIT_POLL: Duration = Duration::from_millis(500);
 
@@ -151,10 +150,8 @@ async fn run_update(app: AppHandle) -> Result<()> {
     // ---- pre-step: wait for the old desktop to die -----------------------
     // The desktop exec'd us then called app.exit(), but process teardown is
     // async on Windows. If it still holds the venv shim, `hermes update`
-    // aborts with exit 2. If it still holds the packaged app.asar,
-    // install.ps1's repair/re-clone path cannot move/remove the install tree.
-    // Give both handles a bounded window to clear.
-    wait_for_install_locks_free(&install_root, &app, "update").await;
+    // aborts with exit 2. Give it a bounded window to clear.
+    wait_for_venv_free(&install_root, &app).await;
 
     // ---- stage 1: hermes update -----------------------------------------
     // Pass --branch so `hermes update` targets the branch this installer was
@@ -176,8 +173,8 @@ async fn run_update(app: AppHandle) -> Result<()> {
         vec!["update".into(), "--yes".into(), "--gateway".into()];
     // --force skips `hermes update`'s Windows running-exe guard (which would
     // `sys.exit(2)` and dead-end the handoff). By contract the desktop has
-    // already exited and waited for the install locks to clear before launching
-    // us, and wait_for_install_locks_free below force-kills any straggler — so by the
+    // already exited and waited for the venv shim to unlock before launching
+    // us, and wait_for_venv_free below force-kills any straggler — so by the
     // time `hermes update` runs there is no legitimate hermes.exe to protect,
     // and the guard would only produce a false "Hermes is still running" stop.
     update_args.push("--force".into());
@@ -394,57 +391,48 @@ async fn run_update(app: AppHandle) -> Result<()> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
-/// Poll until the venv shim AND packaged desktop app bundle are no longer locked
-/// (Windows) or a bounded timeout elapses. On non-Windows this is a short fixed
-/// grace since file locking isn't the failure mode there.
-pub(crate) async fn wait_for_install_locks_free(install_root: &Path, app: &AppHandle, stage: &str) {
-    let lock_targets = install_lock_probe_paths(install_root);
+/// Poll until the venv shim is no longer locked (Windows) or a bounded timeout
+/// elapses. On non-Windows this is a short fixed grace since file locking
+/// isn't the failure mode there.
+async fn wait_for_venv_free(install_root: &Path, app: &AppHandle) {
+    let shim = venv_hermes(install_root);
     let deadline = Instant::now() + DESKTOP_EXIT_WAIT;
 
-    emit_log(app, Some(stage), LogStream::Stdout, "[handoff] waiting for Hermes to exit…");
+    emit_log(app, Some("update"), LogStream::Stdout, "[update] waiting for Hermes to exit…");
 
     loop {
-        let locked = locked_paths(&lock_targets);
-        if locked.is_empty() {
+        if !is_locked(&shim) {
             return;
         }
         if Instant::now() >= deadline {
-            // Last resort: a backend hermes.exe (or the desktop Hermes.exe
-            // itself) is still holding one of the update-sensitive files. The
-            // desktop should have reaped its tree before handing off, but
-            // SIGTERM races / detached grandchildren / AV handles can leave a
-            // straggler. Rather than "proceed anyway" straight into uv's
-            // "Access is denied" or install.ps1's locked app.asar failure,
-            // force-kill every Hermes.exe except ourselves, then give the OS a
-            // beat to unload the image.
+            // Last resort: a backend hermes.exe (or a grandchild it spawned)
+            // is still holding the shim. The desktop should have reaped its
+            // tree before handing off, but SIGTERM races / detached
+            // grandchildren / AV handles can leave a straggler. Rather than
+            // "proceed anyway" straight into uv's "Access is denied", force-kill
+            // every hermes.exe except ourselves, then give the OS a beat to
+            // unload the image.
             emit_log(
                 app,
-                Some(stage),
+                Some("update"),
                 LogStream::Stdout,
-                &format!(
-                    "[handoff] Hermes still holding install files ({}); force-killing stragglers…",
-                    format_locked_paths(&locked)
-                ),
+                "[update] Hermes still holding the venv shim; force-killing stragglers…",
             );
             force_kill_other_hermes();
             tokio::time::sleep(Duration::from_millis(800)).await;
-            let locked_after_kill = locked_paths(&lock_targets);
-            if locked_after_kill.is_empty() {
+            if !is_locked(&shim) {
                 emit_log(
                     app,
-                    Some(stage),
+                    Some("update"),
                     LogStream::Stdout,
-                    "[handoff] install files freed after force-kill",
+                    "[update] venv shim freed after force-kill",
                 );
             } else {
                 emit_log(
                     app,
-                    Some(stage),
+                    Some("update"),
                     LogStream::Stdout,
-                    &format!(
-                        "[handoff] install files still locked ({}); proceeding (--force + quarantine will handle it)",
-                        format_locked_paths(&locked_after_kill)
-                    ),
+                    "[update] venv shim still locked; proceeding (--force + quarantine will handle it)",
                 );
             }
             return;
@@ -453,44 +441,13 @@ pub(crate) async fn wait_for_install_locks_free(install_root: &Path, app: &AppHa
     }
 }
 
-fn install_lock_probe_paths(install_root: &Path) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
-    let mut paths = vec![venv_hermes(install_root)];
-    paths.extend(desktop_app_payload_paths(install_root));
-    paths
-}
-
-fn desktop_app_payload_paths(install_root: &Path) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
-    let release = install_root.join("apps").join("desktop").join("release");
-    if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
-        vec![
-            release.join("win-unpacked").join("resources").join("app.asar"),
-            release.join("win-arm64-unpacked").join("resources").join("app.asar"),
-        ]
-    } else if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
-        vec![
-            release.join("mac").join("Hermes.app").join("Contents").join("Resources").join("app.asar"),
-            release.join("mac-arm64").join("Hermes.app").join("Contents").join("Resources").join("app.asar"),
-        ]
-    } else {
-        vec![release.join("linux-unpacked").join("resources").join("app.asar")]
-    }
-}
-
-fn locked_paths(paths: &[PathBuf]) -> Vec<PathBuf> {
-    paths.iter().filter(|p| is_locked(p)).cloned().collect()
-}
-
-fn format_locked_paths(paths: &[PathBuf]) -> String {
-    paths.iter().map(|p| p.display().to_string()).collect::<Vec<_>>().join(", ")
-}
-
 /// Force-kill any `hermes.exe` other than this process. Windows-only; a no-op
 /// elsewhere (POSIX has no mandatory-lock contention). We can't selectively
 /// target "the backend" by PID here — the desktop already exited and we never
 /// knew its children — so we kill the whole `hermes.exe` image tree via
 /// taskkill, excluding our own PID.
 ///
-/// Safe w.r.t. our own update child: this runs inside the install-lock wait,
+/// Safe w.r.t. our own update child: this runs inside `wait_for_venv_free`,
 /// which completes BEFORE we spawn `venv\Scripts\hermes.exe update`. At this
 /// point no update-driven hermes.exe exists yet, so the only hermes.exe images
 /// are stragglers from the old desktop — exactly what we want gone. (`/FI PID
@@ -934,29 +891,6 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!is_locked(Path::new("/nonexistent/does/not/exist/xyz")));
     }
 
-    #[test]
-    fn lock_probe_paths_include_desktop_app_payload() {
-        let root = Path::new("/x/hermes-agent");
-        let probes = install_lock_probe_paths(root);
-
-        assert!(
-            probes.iter().any(|p| p == &venv_hermes(root)),
-            "venv shim remains part of the update lock probe"
-        );
-        assert!(
-            probes.iter().any(|p| p.ends_with(Path::new("resources/app.asar"))),
-            "packaged app.asar must be probed so repair/re-clone waits for the old desktop to exit"
-        );
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn locked_paths_ignores_missing_payloads() {
-        let root = Path::new("/nonexistent/hermes-agent");
-        let probes = install_lock_probe_paths(root);
-
-        assert!(locked_paths(&probes).is_empty());
-    }
-
     #[test]
     fn parses_update_branch_from_space_or_equals_args() {
         assert_eq!(

apps/bootstrap-installer/tsconfig.json

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 {
   "compilerOptions": {
-    "target": "ES2023",
+    "target": "ES2022",
     "useDefineForClassFields": true,
-    "lib": ["ES2023", "DOM", "DOM.Iterable"],
+    "lib": ["ES2022", "DOM", "DOM.Iterable"],
     "module": "ESNext",
     "skipLibCheck": true,
     "moduleResolution": "bundler",

apps/desktop/README.md

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ It builds and launches the GUI against your existing install — same config, ke
 
 ### Prebuilt installers
 
-Prebuilt installers are built and distributed via [the Hermes Desktop website.](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/).
+Prebuilt installers are built and distributed via [the Hermes Desktop website.](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/desktop).
 
 ---
 

apps/desktop/electron/backend-env.cjs

@@ -1,112 +0,0 @@
-const path = require('node:path')
-
-// Match the POSIX fallback surface used by the Python terminal environment.
-// macOS apps launched from Finder/Dock often inherit only /usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin,
-// which misses Apple Silicon Homebrew and user-installed CLI tools such as codex.
-const POSIX_SANE_PATH_ENTRIES = Object.freeze([
-  '/opt/homebrew/bin',
-  '/opt/homebrew/sbin',
-  '/usr/local/sbin',
-  '/usr/local/bin',
-  '/usr/sbin',
-  '/usr/bin',
-  '/sbin',
-  '/bin'
-])
-
-function delimiterForPlatform(platform = process.platform) {
-  return platform === 'win32' ? ';' : ':'
-}
-
-function pathModuleForPlatform(platform = process.platform) {
-  return platform === 'win32' ? path.win32 : path.posix
-}
-
-function pathEnvKey(env = process.env, platform = process.platform) {
-  if (platform !== 'win32') return 'PATH'
-  return Object.keys(env || {}).find(key => key.toUpperCase() === 'PATH') || 'PATH'
-}
-
-function currentPathValue(env = process.env, platform = process.platform) {
-  const key = pathEnvKey(env, platform)
-  return env?.[key] || ''
-}
-
-function appendUniquePathEntries(entries, { delimiter = path.delimiter } = {}) {
-  const seen = new Set()
-  const ordered = []
-
-  for (const entry of entries) {
-    if (!entry) continue
-    const parts = Array.isArray(entry) ? entry : String(entry).split(delimiter)
-    for (const part of parts) {
-      if (!part || seen.has(part)) continue
-      seen.add(part)
-      ordered.push(part)
-    }
-  }
-
-  return ordered.join(delimiter)
-}
-
-function buildDesktopBackendPath({
-  hermesHome,
-  venvRoot,
-  currentPath = '',
-  platform = process.platform,
-  pathModule = pathModuleForPlatform(platform)
-} = {}) {
-  const delimiter = delimiterForPlatform(platform)
-  const hermesNodeBin = hermesHome ? pathModule.join(hermesHome, 'node', 'bin') : null
-  const venvBin = venvRoot ? pathModule.join(venvRoot, platform === 'win32' ? 'Scripts' : 'bin') : null
-  const saneEntries = platform === 'win32' ? [] : POSIX_SANE_PATH_ENTRIES
-
-  return appendUniquePathEntries(
-    [hermesNodeBin, venvBin, currentPath, saneEntries],
-    { delimiter }
-  )
-}
-
-function normalizeHermesHomeRoot(hermesHome, { pathModule = pathModuleForPlatform(process.platform) } = {}) {
-  if (!hermesHome) return hermesHome
-  const resolved = pathModule.resolve(String(hermesHome))
-  const parent = pathModule.dirname(resolved)
-  if (pathModule.basename(parent).toLowerCase() === 'profiles') {
-    return pathModule.dirname(parent)
-  }
-  return resolved
-}
-
-function buildDesktopBackendEnv({
-  hermesHome,
-  pythonPathEntries = [],
-  venvRoot,
-  currentEnv = process.env,
-  platform = process.platform,
-  pathModule = pathModuleForPlatform(platform)
-} = {}) {
-  const delimiter = delimiterForPlatform(platform)
-  const currentPythonPath = currentEnv?.PYTHONPATH || ''
-  const key = pathEnvKey(currentEnv, platform)
-
-  return {
-    PYTHONPATH: appendUniquePathEntries([...pythonPathEntries, currentPythonPath], { delimiter }),
-    [key]: buildDesktopBackendPath({
-      hermesHome,
-      venvRoot,
-      currentPath: currentPathValue(currentEnv, platform),
-      platform,
-      pathModule
-    })
-  }
-}
-
-module.exports = {
-  POSIX_SANE_PATH_ENTRIES,
-  appendUniquePathEntries,
-  buildDesktopBackendEnv,
-  buildDesktopBackendPath,
-  delimiterForPlatform,
-  normalizeHermesHomeRoot,
-  pathEnvKey
-}

apps/desktop/electron/backend-env.test.cjs

@@ -1,111 +0,0 @@
-const test = require('node:test')
-const assert = require('node:assert/strict')
-const path = require('node:path')
-
-const {
-  POSIX_SANE_PATH_ENTRIES,
-  appendUniquePathEntries,
-  buildDesktopBackendEnv,
-  buildDesktopBackendPath,
-  normalizeHermesHomeRoot,
-  pathEnvKey
-} = require('./backend-env.cjs')
-
-test('desktop backend PATH adds Hermes-managed bins and missing POSIX sane entries', () => {
-  const result = buildDesktopBackendPath({
-    hermesHome: '/Users/test/.hermes',
-    venvRoot: '/Users/test/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv',
-    currentPath: '/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin',
-    platform: 'darwin',
-    pathModule: path.posix
-  })
-
-  const entries = result.split(':')
-  assert.equal(entries[0], '/Users/test/.hermes/node/bin')
-  assert.equal(entries[1], '/Users/test/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin')
-  assert.ok(entries.includes('/opt/homebrew/bin'), 'Apple Silicon Homebrew bin is added')
-  assert.ok(entries.includes('/opt/homebrew/sbin'), 'Apple Silicon Homebrew sbin is added')
-  assert.ok(entries.includes('/usr/local/sbin'), 'missing standard sbin is added')
-
-  for (const expected of POSIX_SANE_PATH_ENTRIES) {
-    assert.ok(entries.includes(expected), `${expected} should be present`)
-  }
-})
-
-test('desktop backend PATH preserves first occurrence and avoids duplicates', () => {
-  const result = buildDesktopBackendPath({
-    hermesHome: '/Users/test/.hermes',
-    venvRoot: '/Users/test/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv',
-    currentPath: '/opt/homebrew/bin:/usr/bin:/opt/homebrew/bin:/bin',
-    platform: 'darwin',
-    pathModule: path.posix
-  })
-
-  const entries = result.split(':')
-  assert.equal(entries.filter(entry => entry === '/opt/homebrew/bin').length, 1)
-  assert.ok(
-    entries.indexOf('/opt/homebrew/bin') < entries.indexOf('/opt/homebrew/sbin'),
-    'existing Homebrew bin keeps its precedence over appended missing sane entries'
-  )
-})
-
-test('buildDesktopBackendEnv extends PYTHONPATH and backend PATH together', () => {
-  const env = buildDesktopBackendEnv({
-    hermesHome: '/Users/test/.hermes',
-    pythonPathEntries: ['/repo/hermes-agent'],
-    venvRoot: '/Users/test/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv',
-    currentEnv: {
-      PATH: '/usr/bin:/bin',
-      PYTHONPATH: '/existing/pythonpath'
-    },
-    platform: 'darwin',
-    pathModule: path.posix
-  })
-
-  assert.equal(env.PYTHONPATH, '/repo/hermes-agent:/existing/pythonpath')
-  assert.ok(env.PATH.startsWith('/Users/test/.hermes/node/bin:/Users/test/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin:'))
-  assert.ok(env.PATH.includes('/opt/homebrew/bin'))
-})
-
-test('normalizeHermesHomeRoot maps profile homes back to the global Hermes root', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    normalizeHermesHomeRoot('/Users/test/.hermes/profiles/oracle', { pathModule: path.posix }),
-    '/Users/test/.hermes'
-  )
-  assert.equal(
-    normalizeHermesHomeRoot('C:\\Users\\test\\AppData\\Local\\hermes\\profiles\\oracle', { pathModule: path.win32 }),
-    'C:\\Users\\test\\AppData\\Local\\hermes'
-  )
-  assert.equal(
-    normalizeHermesHomeRoot('/Users/test/.hermes', { pathModule: path.posix }),
-    '/Users/test/.hermes'
-  )
-})
-
-test('Windows PATH casing and delimiter are preserved without POSIX sane entries', () => {
-  const env = buildDesktopBackendEnv({
-    hermesHome: 'C:\\Users\\test\\AppData\\Local\\hermes',
-    pythonPathEntries: ['C:\\repo\\hermes-agent'],
-    venvRoot: 'C:\\Users\\test\\AppData\\Local\\hermes\\hermes-agent\\venv',
-    currentEnv: {
-      Path: 'C:\\Windows\\System32;C:\\Windows',
-      PYTHONPATH: 'C:\\existing\\pythonpath'
-    },
-    platform: 'win32',
-    pathModule: path.win32
-  })
-
-  assert.equal(pathEnvKey({ Path: 'x' }, 'win32'), 'Path')
-  assert.equal(env.PATH, undefined)
-  assert.ok(env.Path.startsWith('C:\\Users\\test\\AppData\\Local\\hermes\\node\\bin;'))
-  assert.ok(env.Path.includes('\\venv\\Scripts;'))
-  assert.ok(env.Path.includes(';C:\\Windows\\System32;C:\\Windows'))
-  assert.equal(env.Path.includes('/opt/homebrew/bin'), false)
-})
-
-test('appendUniquePathEntries drops empty entries and keeps first occurrence', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    appendUniquePathEntries([':/a::/b', ['/a', '/c']], { delimiter: ':' }),
-    '/a:/b:/c'
-  )
-})

apps/desktop/electron/backend-ready.cjs

@@ -1,66 +0,0 @@
-const _READY_RE = /^HERMES_DASHBOARD_READY port=(\d+)/m
-
-/**
- * Watch a child process's stdout for the `HERMES_DASHBOARD_READY port=<N>`
- * line that web_server.py prints after uvicorn binds its socket.
- *
- * Returns the parsed port. Rejects if:
- *   - the child exits before emitting the line
- *   - the child emits an `error` event
- *   - no line arrives within the timeout
- *
- * A single `cleanup()` tears down every listener (data/exit/error/timeout)
- * on every terminal path — resolve, reject, or timeout — so repeated
- * backend spawns don't leak listener slots on the child.
- */
-function waitForDashboardPort(child, timeoutMs = 45_000) {
-  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    let buf = ''
-    let done = false
-
-    function cleanup() {
-      if (done) return
-      done = true
-      clearTimeout(timer)
-      child.stdout.off('data', onData)
-      child.off('exit', onExit)
-      child.off('error', onError)
-    }
-
-    function onData(chunk) {
-      buf += chunk.toString()
-      let nl
-      while ((nl = buf.indexOf('\n')) !== -1) {
-        const line = buf.slice(0, nl)
-        buf = buf.slice(nl + 1)
-        const m = line.match(_READY_RE)
-        if (m) {
-          cleanup()
-          resolve(parseInt(m[1], 10))
-          return
-        }
-      }
-    }
-
-    function onExit(code, signal) {
-      cleanup()
-      reject(new Error(`Hermes backend: exited before port announcement (${signal || code})`))
-    }
-
-    function onError(err) {
-      cleanup()
-      reject(err)
-    }
-
-    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
-      cleanup()
-      reject(new Error(`Timed out waiting for Hermes backend port announcement (${timeoutMs}ms)`))
-    }, timeoutMs)
-
-    child.stdout.on('data', onData)
-    child.on('exit', onExit)
-    child.on('error', onError)
-  })
-}
-
-module.exports = { waitForDashboardPort }

apps/desktop/electron/connection-config.cjs

@@ -166,39 +166,6 @@ function profileRemoteOverride(config, profile) {
   return { url, authMode: normAuthMode(entry.authMode), token: entry.token }
 }
 
-/**
- * In global-remote mode one backend serves every Desktop profile, so REST calls
- * that are scoped by renderer-side `request.profile` must carry that scope as a
- * query parameter. Local pooled backends and per-profile remote overrides do not
- * need this: they already run against a backend scoped to the target profile.
- */
-function pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile(path, profile, opts = {}) {
-  const scopedProfile = connectionScopeKey(profile)
-  if (!scopedProfile || !opts.globalRemote || opts.profileRemoteOverride) {
-    return path
-  }
-
-  const rawPath = String(path || '')
-  if (!rawPath) {
-    return path
-  }
-
-  let parsed
-  try {
-    parsed = new URL(rawPath, 'http://hermes.local')
-  } catch {
-    return path
-  }
-
-  if (parsed.searchParams.has('profile')) {
-    return path
-  }
-
-  parsed.searchParams.set('profile', scopedProfile)
-
-  return `${parsed.pathname}${parsed.search}${parsed.hash}`
-}
-
 function tokenPreview(value) {
   const raw = String(value || '')
 
@@ -280,7 +247,6 @@ module.exports = {
   cookiesHaveLiveSession,
   normAuthMode,
   normalizeRemoteBaseUrl,
-  pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile,
   profileRemoteOverride,
   resolveAuthMode,
   resolveTestWsUrl,

apps/desktop/electron/connection-config.test.cjs

@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ const {
   cookiesHaveLiveSession,
   normAuthMode,
   normalizeRemoteBaseUrl,
-  pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile,
   profileRemoteOverride,
   resolveAuthMode,
   resolveTestWsUrl,
@@ -91,72 +90,6 @@ test('profileRemoteOverride tolerates a missing/!object profiles map', () => {
   assert.equal(profileRemoteOverride(null, 'coder'), null)
 })
 
-// --- pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile ---
-
-test('pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile appends profile in global remote mode', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile('/api/model/info', 'iris', {
-      globalRemote: true,
-      profileRemoteOverride: false
-    }),
-    '/api/model/info?profile=iris'
-  )
-})
-
-test('pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile preserves existing query params', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile('/api/model/options?force=1', 'iris', {
-      globalRemote: true,
-      profileRemoteOverride: false
-    }),
-    '/api/model/options?force=1&profile=iris'
-  )
-})
-
-test('pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile does not replace an explicit profile query', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile('/api/model/info?profile=default', 'iris', {
-      globalRemote: true,
-      profileRemoteOverride: false
-    }),
-    '/api/model/info?profile=default'
-  )
-})
-
-test('pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile skips local and per-profile remote override paths', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile('/api/model/info', 'iris', {
-      globalRemote: false,
-      profileRemoteOverride: false
-    }),
-    '/api/model/info'
-  )
-  assert.equal(
-    pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile('/api/model/info', 'iris', {
-      globalRemote: true,
-      profileRemoteOverride: true
-    }),
-    '/api/model/info'
-  )
-})
-
-test('pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile skips empty profile/path safely', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile('/api/model/info', '', {
-      globalRemote: true,
-      profileRemoteOverride: false
-    }),
-    '/api/model/info'
-  )
-  assert.equal(
-    pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile('', 'iris', {
-      globalRemote: true,
-      profileRemoteOverride: false
-    }),
-    ''
-  )
-})
-
 // --- normalizeRemoteBaseUrl ---
 
 test('normalizeRemoteBaseUrl strips trailing slashes, hash, and query', () => {

apps/desktop/electron/dashboard-token.cjs

@@ -1,99 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Helpers for local dashboard session-token discovery.
- *
- * The desktop main process can pass HERMES_DASHBOARD_SESSION_TOKEN when it
- * spawns the local dashboard, but the dashboard is the source of truth for the
- * token it actually serves to the renderer. If those drift, HTTP readiness
- * probes still pass while /api/ws rejects the renderer's token.
- */
-
-const DEFAULT_TOKEN_FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS = 3_000
-
-async function fetchPublicText(url, options = {}) {
-  const { protocol } = new URL(url)
-  if (protocol !== 'http:' && protocol !== 'https:') {
-    throw new Error(`Unsupported Hermes backend URL protocol: ${protocol}`)
-  }
-
-  const timeoutMs = options.timeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_TOKEN_FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS
-  const res = await fetch(url, { signal: AbortSignal.timeout(timeoutMs) }).catch(error => {
-    if (error.name === 'TimeoutError') {
-      throw new Error(`Timed out connecting to Hermes backend after ${timeoutMs}ms`)
-    }
-    throw error
-  })
-  const text = await res.text()
-
-  if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`${res.status}: ${text || res.statusText}`)
-
-  return text
-}
-
-function extractInjectedDashboardToken(html) {
-  const match = /window\.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__\s*=\s*("(?:\\.|[^"\\])*")/.exec(String(html || ''))
-  if (!match) return null
-  try {
-    return JSON.parse(match[1])
-  } catch {
-    return null
-  }
-}
-
-function dashboardIndexUrl(baseUrl) {
-  return `${String(baseUrl || '').replace(/\/+$/, '')}/`
-}
-
-async function resolveServedDashboardToken(baseUrl, fallbackToken, options = {}) {
-  const fetchText = options.fetchText || fetchPublicText
-  const html = await fetchText(dashboardIndexUrl(baseUrl), {
-    timeoutMs: options.timeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_TOKEN_FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS
-  })
-  const servedToken = extractInjectedDashboardToken(html)
-
-  if (servedToken && servedToken !== fallbackToken && typeof options.rememberLog === 'function') {
-    options.rememberLog('[boot] dashboard served a different session token; using served token for WebSocket auth')
-  }
-
-  return servedToken || fallbackToken
-}
-
-/**
- * A served token that differs from our spawn token while our child is DEAD
- * came from a process we did not spawn (orphan/port squatter that satisfied
- * the public /api/status readiness probe). With a live child the mismatch is
- * benign: our own backend regenerated the token because the env pin did not
- * survive the spawn.
- */
-function isForeignBackendToken({ servedToken, spawnToken, childAlive }) {
-  return Boolean(servedToken) && servedToken !== spawnToken && !childAlive
-}
-
-/**
- * Resolve the token the backend actually serves, adopting benign drift and
- * failing loudly on a foreign backend. `childAlive` is a thunk so liveness is
- * sampled after the fetch, not before.
- */
-async function adoptServedDashboardToken(baseUrl, spawnToken, { childAlive, label = 'Hermes backend', ...options }) {
-  const servedToken = await resolveServedDashboardToken(baseUrl, spawnToken, options).catch(error => {
-    options.rememberLog?.(`[boot] could not read served dashboard token (${label}): ${error.message}`)
-    return spawnToken
-  })
-
-  if (isForeignBackendToken({ servedToken, spawnToken, childAlive: childAlive() })) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `${label} exited and ${dashboardIndexUrl(baseUrl)} is served by a process we did not spawn; refusing its session token.`
-    )
-  }
-
-  return servedToken
-}
-
-module.exports = {
-  DEFAULT_TOKEN_FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS,
-  adoptServedDashboardToken,
-  dashboardIndexUrl,
-  extractInjectedDashboardToken,
-  fetchPublicText,
-  isForeignBackendToken,
-  resolveServedDashboardToken
-}

apps/desktop/electron/dashboard-token.test.cjs

@@ -1,142 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Tests for electron/dashboard-token.cjs.
- *
- * Run with: node --test electron/dashboard-token.test.cjs
- * (Wired into npm test:desktop:platforms in package.json.)
- */
-
-const test = require('node:test')
-const assert = require('node:assert/strict')
-
-const {
-  adoptServedDashboardToken,
-  dashboardIndexUrl,
-  extractInjectedDashboardToken,
-  fetchPublicText,
-  isForeignBackendToken,
-  resolveServedDashboardToken
-} = require('./dashboard-token.cjs')
-
-test('extractInjectedDashboardToken reads the JSON-encoded dashboard token', () => {
-  const html = '<script>window.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__="served-token";window.__HERMES_BASE_PATH__=""</script>'
-  assert.equal(extractInjectedDashboardToken(html), 'served-token')
-})
-
-test('extractInjectedDashboardToken handles escaped token strings', () => {
-  const html = '<script>window.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__="served\\\\token\\"quoted";</script>'
-  assert.equal(extractInjectedDashboardToken(html), 'served\\token"quoted')
-})
-
-test('extractInjectedDashboardToken returns null for missing or malformed values', () => {
-  assert.equal(extractInjectedDashboardToken('<html></html>'), null)
-  assert.equal(extractInjectedDashboardToken('<script>window.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__={bad}</script>'), null)
-})
-
-test('dashboardIndexUrl preserves dashboard path prefixes', () => {
-  assert.equal(dashboardIndexUrl('http://127.0.0.1:9120'), 'http://127.0.0.1:9120/')
-  assert.equal(dashboardIndexUrl('https://host.example/hermes/'), 'https://host.example/hermes/')
-})
-
-test('resolveServedDashboardToken uses the served token and logs when it differs', async () => {
-  const logs = []
-  const token = await resolveServedDashboardToken('http://127.0.0.1:9120', 'spawn-token', {
-    fetchText: async url => {
-      assert.equal(url, 'http://127.0.0.1:9120/')
-      return '<script>window.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__="served-token";</script>'
-    },
-    rememberLog: line => logs.push(line)
-  })
-
-  assert.equal(token, 'served-token')
-  assert.equal(logs.length, 1)
-  assert.match(logs[0], /served a different session token/)
-})
-
-test('resolveServedDashboardToken falls back when the served HTML has no token', async () => {
-  const token = await resolveServedDashboardToken('http://127.0.0.1:9120', 'spawn-token', {
-    fetchText: async () => '<html></html>',
-    rememberLog: () => {
-      throw new Error('should not log when no served token is present')
-    }
-  })
-
-  assert.equal(token, 'spawn-token')
-})
-
-test('resolveServedDashboardToken does not log when served token matches fallback', async () => {
-  const token = await resolveServedDashboardToken('http://127.0.0.1:9120', 'same-token', {
-    fetchText: async () => '<script>window.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__="same-token";</script>',
-    rememberLog: () => {
-      throw new Error('should not log when token already matches')
-    }
-  })
-
-  assert.equal(token, 'same-token')
-})
-
-test('resolveServedDashboardToken propagates fetch errors so callers can fall back explicitly', async () => {
-  await assert.rejects(
-    () =>
-      resolveServedDashboardToken('http://127.0.0.1:9120', 'spawn-token', {
-        fetchText: async () => {
-          throw new Error('boom')
-        }
-      }),
-    /boom/
-  )
-})
-
-test('fetchPublicText rejects unsupported protocols', async () => {
-  await assert.rejects(() => fetchPublicText('file:///tmp/index.html'), /Unsupported Hermes backend URL protocol/)
-})
-
-test('isForeignBackendToken only flags a mismatched token from a dead child', () => {
-  const cases = [
-    [{ servedToken: 'other', spawnToken: 'mine', childAlive: false }, true],
-    // Live child + drift = our backend regenerated the token (env pin lost).
-    [{ servedToken: 'other', spawnToken: 'mine', childAlive: true }, false],
-    [{ servedToken: 'mine', spawnToken: 'mine', childAlive: false }, false],
-    [{ servedToken: 'mine', spawnToken: 'mine', childAlive: true }, false],
-    [{ servedToken: null, spawnToken: 'mine', childAlive: false }, false],
-    [{ servedToken: '', spawnToken: 'mine', childAlive: false }, false]
-  ]
-  for (const [input, expected] of cases) {
-    assert.equal(isForeignBackendToken(input), expected, JSON.stringify(input))
-  }
-})
-
-test('adoptServedDashboardToken adopts drift from a live child', async () => {
-  const token = await adoptServedDashboardToken('http://127.0.0.1:9120', 'spawn-token', {
-    childAlive: () => true,
-    fetchText: async () => '<script>window.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__="served-token";</script>'
-  })
-
-  assert.equal(token, 'served-token')
-})
-
-test('adoptServedDashboardToken refuses a foreign token when our child is dead', async () => {
-  await assert.rejects(
-    () =>
-      adoptServedDashboardToken('http://127.0.0.1:9120', 'spawn-token', {
-        childAlive: () => false,
-        fetchText: async () => '<script>window.__HERMES_SESSION_TOKEN__="squatter-token";</script>',
-        label: 'Hermes backend for profile "work"'
-      }),
-    /profile "work".*process we did not spawn/
-  )
-})
-
-test('adoptServedDashboardToken falls back to the spawn token when the fetch fails', async () => {
-  const logs = []
-  const token = await adoptServedDashboardToken('http://127.0.0.1:9120', 'spawn-token', {
-    childAlive: () => true,
-    fetchText: async () => {
-      throw new Error('boom')
-    },
-    rememberLog: line => logs.push(line)
-  })
-
-  assert.equal(token, 'spawn-token')
-  assert.equal(logs.length, 1)
-  assert.match(logs[0], /could not read served dashboard token \(Hermes backend\): boom/)
-})

apps/desktop/electron/git-worktrees.cjs

@@ -1,174 +0,0 @@
-'use strict'
-
-// Resolve git-worktree relationships for a set of session cwds, reading git's
-// on-disk metadata directly (no `git` spawn per path):
-//
-//   - A normal checkout has a `.git` DIRECTORY at its root → it's the main
-//     worktree; its repo root IS that directory's parent.
-//   - A linked worktree has a `.git` FILE: `gitdir: <repo>/.git/worktrees/<name>`.
-//     That admin dir's `commondir` points back at the shared `<repo>/.git`, whose
-//     parent is the main repo root.
-//
-// Grouping by repoRoot therefore clusters a repo's main checkout with all of its
-// linked worktrees, regardless of how the worktree directories are named. The
-// branch (read from the worktree's own HEAD) gives each worktree a meaningful
-// label.
-
-const fs = require('node:fs')
-const path = require('node:path')
-const { resolveRequestedPathForIpc } = require('./hardening.cjs')
-
-// Walk up from `start` to the nearest ancestor that carries a `.git` entry
-// (file for a linked worktree, dir for the main checkout). Capped so a stray
-// path can't loop forever.
-function findGitHost(start, fsImpl) {
-  let dir = start
-
-  for (let i = 0; i < 64; i += 1) {
-    const dotgit = path.join(dir, '.git')
-
-    try {
-      if (fsImpl.existsSync(dotgit)) {
-        return dir
-      }
-    } catch {
-      return null
-    }
-
-    const parent = path.dirname(dir)
-
-    if (parent === dir) {
-      return null
-    }
-
-    dir = parent
-  }
-
-  return null
-}
-
-function readBranch(gitDir, fsImpl) {
-  try {
-    const head = fsImpl.readFileSync(path.join(gitDir, 'HEAD'), 'utf8').trim()
-    const ref = head.match(/^ref:\s*refs\/heads\/(.+)$/)
-
-    if (ref) {
-      return ref[1]
-    }
-
-    // Detached HEAD: surface a short sha so the worktree still gets a label.
-    return /^[0-9a-f]{7,40}$/i.test(head) ? head.slice(0, 8) : null
-  } catch {
-    return null
-  }
-}
-
-// Given the directory that owns the `.git` entry, resolve its worktree identity.
-function resolveFromHost(host, fsImpl) {
-  const dotgit = path.join(host, '.git')
-  let stat
-
-  try {
-    stat = fsImpl.statSync(dotgit)
-  } catch {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  if (stat.isDirectory()) {
-    return {
-      repoRoot: host,
-      worktreeRoot: host,
-      isMainWorktree: true,
-      branch: readBranch(dotgit, fsImpl)
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Linked worktree: `.git` is a file pointing at the admin dir.
-  let contents
-
-  try {
-    contents = fsImpl.readFileSync(dotgit, 'utf8').trim()
-  } catch {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  const match = contents.match(/^gitdir:\s*(.+)$/m)
-
-  if (!match) {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  const adminDir = path.resolve(host, match[1].trim())
-
-  // `commondir` resolves to the shared `<repo>/.git`; fall back to walking two
-  // levels up from `<repo>/.git/worktrees/<name>` if it's missing.
-  let commonDir
-
-  try {
-    const rel = fsImpl.readFileSync(path.join(adminDir, 'commondir'), 'utf8').trim()
-    commonDir = path.resolve(adminDir, rel)
-  } catch {
-    commonDir = path.dirname(path.dirname(adminDir))
-  }
-
-  return {
-    repoRoot: path.dirname(commonDir),
-    worktreeRoot: host,
-    isMainWorktree: false,
-    branch: readBranch(adminDir, fsImpl)
-  }
-}
-
-function resolveWorktree(startPath, fsImpl = fs) {
-  let resolved
-
-  try {
-    resolved = resolveRequestedPathForIpc(startPath, { purpose: 'Worktree lookup' })
-  } catch {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  let start = resolved
-
-  try {
-    const stat = fsImpl.statSync(resolved)
-
-    if (!stat.isDirectory()) {
-      start = path.dirname(resolved)
-    }
-  } catch {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  const host = findGitHost(start, fsImpl)
-
-  if (!host) {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  return resolveFromHost(host, fsImpl)
-}
-
-// Batch entry point for the renderer: maps each requested cwd to its worktree
-// info (or null when it isn't inside a git checkout / can't be read). Dedupes so
-// many sessions sharing a cwd cost one lookup.
-async function worktreesForIpc(cwds, options = {}) {
-  const fsImpl = options.fs || fs
-  const list = Array.isArray(cwds) ? cwds : []
-  const out = {}
-
-  for (const cwd of list) {
-    if (typeof cwd !== 'string' || !cwd.trim() || cwd in out) {
-      continue
-    }
-
-    out[cwd] = resolveWorktree(cwd, fsImpl)
-  }
-
-  return out
-}
-
-module.exports = {
-  resolveWorktree,
-  worktreesForIpc
-}

apps/desktop/electron/hardening.cjs

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 const fs = require('node:fs')
-const os = require('node:os')
 const path = require('node:path')
 const { fileURLToPath } = require('node:url')
 
@@ -143,14 +142,7 @@ function rejectUnsafePathSyntax(filePath, purpose = 'File read') {
 
 function resolveRequestedPathForIpc(filePath, options = {}) {
   const purpose = String(options.purpose || 'File read')
-  let raw = rejectUnsafePathSyntax(filePath, purpose)
-
-  // Gateway-reported cwds (config `terminal.cwd`, remote sessions) routinely
-  // arrive as `~/...`. Node's fs has no shell — without expansion the path
-  // resolves under process.cwd() and every read "ENOENT"s forever.
-  if (raw === '~' || raw.startsWith('~/') || raw.startsWith('~\\')) {
-    raw = path.join(os.homedir(), raw.slice(1))
-  }
+  const raw = rejectUnsafePathSyntax(filePath, purpose)
 
   if (/^file:/i.test(raw)) {
     let resolvedPath

apps/desktop/electron/hardening.test.cjs

@@ -106,19 +106,6 @@ test('resolveRequestedPathForIpc resolves relative paths from the trimmed base d
   )
 })
 
-test('resolveRequestedPathForIpc expands ~ to the home directory', () => {
-  assert.equal(resolveRequestedPathForIpc('~', { purpose: 'Directory read' }), path.resolve(os.homedir()))
-  assert.equal(
-    resolveRequestedPathForIpc('~/www/project', { purpose: 'Directory read' }),
-    path.resolve(os.homedir(), 'www/project')
-  )
-  // `~user` shorthand is NOT expanded — only the caller's own home.
-  assert.equal(
-    resolveRequestedPathForIpc('~other/secret', { baseDir: os.tmpdir(), purpose: 'Directory read' }),
-    path.resolve(os.tmpdir(), '~other/secret')
-  )
-})
-
 test('resolveReadableFileForIpc validates existence type size and sensitivity', async t => {
   const tempDir = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'hermes-desktop-hardening-'))
   t.after(() => fs.rmSync(tempDir, { recursive: true, force: true }))

apps/desktop/electron/main.cjs

@@ -26,25 +26,17 @@ const { pathToFileURL } = require('node:url')
 const { execFileSync, spawn } = require('node:child_process')
 const { detectRemoteDisplay, isWindowsBinaryPathInWsl, isWslEnvironment } = require('./bootstrap-platform.cjs')
 const { runBootstrap } = require('./bootstrap-runner.cjs')
-const {
-  buildSessionWindowUrl,
-  chatWindowWebPreferences,
-  createSessionWindowRegistry,
-  SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_HEIGHT,
-  SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_WIDTH
-} = require('./session-windows.cjs')
+const { buildSessionWindowUrl, createSessionWindowRegistry } = require('./session-windows.cjs')
 const { canImportHermesCli, verifyHermesCli } = require('./backend-probes.cjs')
 const { probeGatewayWebSocket } = require('./gateway-ws-probe.cjs')
-const { adoptServedDashboardToken } = require('./dashboard-token.cjs')
-const { waitForDashboardPort } = require('./backend-ready.cjs')
 const { serializeJsonBody, setJsonRequestHeaders } = require('./oauth-net-request.cjs')
 const { fetchMarketplaceThemes, searchMarketplaceThemes } = require('./vscode-marketplace.cjs')
-const { buildDesktopBackendEnv, normalizeHermesHomeRoot } = require('./backend-env.cjs')
-const { readWindowsUserEnvVar } = require('./windows-user-env.cjs')
 const { readDirForIpc } = require('./fs-read-dir.cjs')
 const { gitRootForIpc } = require('./git-root.cjs')
-const { worktreesForIpc } = require('./git-worktrees.cjs')
-const { OFFICIAL_REPO_HTTPS_URL, isOfficialSshRemote } = require('./update-remote.cjs')
+const {
+  OFFICIAL_REPO_HTTPS_URL,
+  isOfficialSshRemote
+} = require('./update-remote.cjs')
 const {
   buildPosixCleanupScript,
   buildWindowsCleanupScript,
@@ -64,7 +56,6 @@ const {
   cookiesHaveLiveSession,
   normAuthMode,
   normalizeRemoteBaseUrl,
-  pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile,
   profileRemoteOverride,
   resolveAuthMode,
   resolveTestWsUrl,
@@ -102,7 +93,6 @@ try {
       nodePty = require(nodePtyDir)
     }
   } catch {
-    console.log(`[terminal] failed to load node-pty from path ${nodePtyDir}`)
     nodePty = null
     nodePtyDir = null
   }
@@ -115,6 +105,8 @@ if (USER_DATA_OVERRIDE) {
   app.setPath('userData', resolvedUserData)
 }
 
+const PORT_FLOOR = 9120
+const PORT_CEILING = 9199
 const DEV_SERVER = process.env.HERMES_DESKTOP_DEV_SERVER
 const IS_PACKAGED = app.isPackaged
 const IS_MAC = process.platform === 'darwin'
@@ -243,18 +235,8 @@ if (INSTALL_STAMP) {
 // HERMES_HOME beneath the throwaway userData dir so a fresh-install run never
 // touches the user's real ~/.hermes / %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes.
 function resolveHermesHome() {
-  if (process.env.HERMES_HOME) return normalizeHermesHomeRoot(process.env.HERMES_HOME)
+  if (process.env.HERMES_HOME) return path.resolve(process.env.HERMES_HOME)
   if (USER_DATA_OVERRIDE) return path.join(path.resolve(USER_DATA_OVERRIDE), 'hermes-home')
-  if (IS_WINDOWS) {
-    // A GUI app launched from Explorer inherits the environment block captured
-    // at login, so a HERMES_HOME set via `setx` AFTER login is invisible in
-    // process.env even though the CLI (a fresh shell) sees it. Without this the
-    // backend silently falls back to %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes and reports "No
-    // inference provider configured" despite a valid configured home (#45471).
-    // Consult the live User-scoped registry value before the default below.
-    const fromRegistry = readWindowsUserEnvVar('HERMES_HOME')
-    if (fromRegistry) return normalizeHermesHomeRoot(fromRegistry)
-  }
   if (IS_WINDOWS && process.env.LOCALAPPDATA) {
     const localappdata = path.join(process.env.LOCALAPPDATA, 'hermes')
     const legacy = path.join(app.getPath('home'), '.hermes')
@@ -358,110 +340,10 @@ const APP_ICON_PATHS = [
 let rendererTitleBarTheme = null
 const terminalSessions = new Map()
 
-// Force the NATIVE window appearance (vibrancy material, titlebar, the
-// pre-first-paint window background) to follow the APP theme instead of the
-// OS appearance. With `vibrancy` set, macOS paints an NSVisualEffectView that
-// tracks the window's effective appearance and ignores `backgroundColor` —
-// so a dark-themed app on a light-mode Mac flashes a white material on every
-// new window until the renderer covers it. The renderer reports its mode via
-// 'hermes:native-theme' ('dark' | 'light' | 'system'); we pin
-// nativeTheme.themeSource to it and persist the value so cold launches paint
-// correctly before the renderer has even loaded.
-const NATIVE_THEME_CONFIG_PATH = path.join(app.getPath('userData'), 'native-theme.json')
-const THEME_SOURCES = new Set(['dark', 'light', 'system'])
-
-function readPersistedThemeSource() {
-  try {
-    const parsed = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(NATIVE_THEME_CONFIG_PATH, 'utf8'))
-
-    if (parsed && THEME_SOURCES.has(parsed.themeSource)) {
-      return parsed.themeSource
-    }
-  } catch {
-    // Missing / malformed → follow the OS like a fresh install.
-  }
-
-  return 'system'
-}
-
-function writePersistedThemeSource(mode) {
-  try {
-    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(NATIVE_THEME_CONFIG_PATH), { recursive: true })
-    fs.writeFileSync(NATIVE_THEME_CONFIG_PATH, JSON.stringify({ themeSource: mode }, null, 2), 'utf8')
-  } catch (error) {
-    rememberLog(`[theme] write native theme failed: ${error.message}`)
-  }
-}
-
-nativeTheme.themeSource = readPersistedThemeSource()
-
-// Window translucency (see-through window). One lever, 0–100; 0 = off (the
-// default). Mapped to the native window opacity so the desktop shows through
-// the whole window. Persisted so a cold launch applies it at window creation,
-// before the renderer reports its value. macOS + Windows only; `setOpacity` is
-// a no-op on Linux. See store/translucency.
-const TRANSLUCENCY_CONFIG_PATH = path.join(app.getPath('userData'), 'translucency.json')
-
-function clampIntensity(value) {
-  const n = Math.round(Number(value))
-
-  return Number.isFinite(n) ? Math.min(100, Math.max(0, n)) : 0
-}
-
-function readPersistedTranslucency() {
-  try {
-    return clampIntensity(JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(TRANSLUCENCY_CONFIG_PATH, 'utf8')).intensity)
-  } catch {
-    return 0
-  }
-}
-
-function writePersistedTranslucency(intensity) {
-  try {
-    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(TRANSLUCENCY_CONFIG_PATH), { recursive: true })
-    fs.writeFileSync(TRANSLUCENCY_CONFIG_PATH, JSON.stringify({ intensity }, null, 2), 'utf8')
-  } catch (error) {
-    rememberLog(`[translucency] write failed: ${error.message}`)
-  }
-}
-
-let translucencyIntensity = readPersistedTranslucency()
-
-// Map the 0–100 lever to a window opacity. Floor at 0.3 so the most see-through
-// setting is still usable rather than nearly invisible. 0 → fully opaque.
-function windowOpacity() {
-  return 1 - (translucencyIntensity / 100) * 0.7
-}
-
-// Re-apply translucency to a live window (runtime toggle, no recreation).
-// `setOpacity` is a no-op on Linux, which is fine — it just stays opaque there.
-function applyWindowTranslucency(win) {
-  if (!win || win.isDestroyed() || typeof win.setOpacity !== 'function') {
-    return
-  }
-
-  try {
-    win.setOpacity(windowOpacity())
-  } catch (error) {
-    rememberLog(`[translucency] apply failed: ${error.message}`)
-  }
-}
-
 function isHexColor(value) {
   return typeof value === 'string' && /^#[0-9a-f]{6}$/i.test(value)
 }
 
-// Background color to paint a window with BEFORE its renderer loads, so a new
-// (or reopened) window doesn't flash white/light in dark mode. Prefer the theme
-// the renderer last reported; fall back to the OS preference on first launch.
-function getWindowBackgroundColor() {
-  if (rendererTitleBarTheme && isHexColor(rendererTitleBarTheme.background)) {
-    return rendererTitleBarTheme.background
-  }
-
-  return nativeTheme.shouldUseDarkColors ? '#111111' : '#f7f7f7'
-}
-
 function getTitleBarOverlayOptions() {
   if (IS_MAC) {
     return { height: TITLEBAR_HEIGHT }
@@ -1274,14 +1156,10 @@ function findSystemPython() {
   if (pyExe) {
     for (const version of SUPPORTED_VERSIONS) {
       try {
-        const out = execFileSync(
-          pyExe,
-          [`-${version}`, '-c', 'import sys; print(sys.executable)'],
-          hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
-            encoding: 'utf8',
-            stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore']
-          })
-        )
+        const out = execFileSync(pyExe, [`-${version}`, '-c', 'import sys; print(sys.executable)'], hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
+          encoding: 'utf8',
+          stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore']
+        }))
         const candidate = out.trim()
         if (candidate && fileExists(candidate)) return candidate
       } catch {
@@ -1416,15 +1294,11 @@ function resolveUpdateRoot() {
 
 function runGit(args, options = {}) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
-    const child = spawn(
-      resolveGitBinary(),
-      IS_WINDOWS ? ['-c', 'windows.appendAtomically=false', ...args] : args,
-      hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
-        cwd: options.cwd,
-        env: { ...process.env, ...(options.env || {}), GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT: '0' },
-        stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
-      })
-    )
+    const child = spawn(resolveGitBinary(), IS_WINDOWS ? ['-c', 'windows.appendAtomically=false', ...args] : args, hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
+      cwd: options.cwd,
+      env: { ...process.env, ...(options.env || {}), GIT_TERMINAL_PROMPT: '0' },
+      stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
+    }))
 
     let stdout = ''
     let stderr = ''
@@ -1848,44 +1722,6 @@ async function applyUpdates(opts = {}) {
   }
 }
 
-async function handOffWindowsBootstrapRecovery(reason) {
-  if (!IS_WINDOWS || !IS_PACKAGED) return false
-
-  const updater = resolveUpdaterBinary()
-  if (!updater) return false
-
-  const updateRoot = resolveUpdateRoot()
-  const { branch: configuredBranch } = readDesktopUpdateConfig()
-  const branch = directoryExists(path.join(updateRoot, '.git'))
-    ? await resolveHealedBranch(updateRoot, configuredBranch || DEFAULT_UPDATE_BRANCH)
-    : configuredBranch || DEFAULT_UPDATE_BRANCH
-  const venvBin = path.join(updateRoot, 'venv', IS_WINDOWS ? 'Scripts' : 'bin')
-  const venvHermes = path.join(venvBin, IS_WINDOWS ? 'hermes.exe' : 'hermes')
-  const updaterArgs = fileExists(venvHermes) ? ['--update', '--branch', branch] : ['--repair', '--branch', branch]
-
-  await releaseBackendLockForUpdate(updateRoot)
-
-  const child = spawn(updater, updaterArgs, {
-    cwd: HERMES_HOME,
-    env: {
-      ...process.env,
-      HERMES_HOME,
-      PATH: [path.join(HERMES_HOME, 'node', 'bin'), venvBin, process.env.PATH].filter(Boolean).join(path.delimiter)
-    },
-    detached: true,
-    stdio: 'ignore',
-    windowsHide: false
-  })
-  child.unref()
-
-  rememberLog(`[bootstrap] handed off ${reason} recovery to updater: ${updater} ${updaterArgs.join(' ')}; exiting desktop to release app.asar`)
-  setTimeout(() => {
-    app.quit()
-  }, 600)
-
-  return true
-}
-
 // Resolve the hermes CLI to drive an in-app update: prefer the venv shim in
 // the install we're updating, fall back to `hermes` on PATH.
 function resolveHermesCliBinary(updateRoot) {
@@ -1899,15 +1735,11 @@ function runStreamedUpdate(command, args, { cwd, env, stage } = {}) {
   return new Promise(resolve => {
     let child
     try {
-      child = spawn(
-        command,
-        args,
-        hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
-          cwd,
-          env: { ...process.env, ...(env || {}) },
-          stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
-        })
-      )
+      child = spawn(command, args, hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
+        cwd,
+        env: { ...process.env, ...(env || {}) },
+        stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
+      }))
     } catch (err) {
       resolve({ code: 1, error: err.message })
       return
@@ -2295,11 +2127,9 @@ function createPythonBackend(root, label, dashboardArgs, options = {}) {
     label,
     command: python,
     args: ['-m', 'hermes_cli.main', ...dashboardArgs],
-    env: buildDesktopBackendEnv({
-      hermesHome: HERMES_HOME,
-      pythonPathEntries: [root],
-      venvRoot: path.join(root, 'venv')
-    }),
+    env: {
+      PYTHONPATH: [root, process.env.PYTHONPATH].filter(Boolean).join(path.delimiter)
+    },
     root,
     bootstrap: Boolean(options.bootstrap),
     shell: false
@@ -2318,11 +2148,9 @@ function createActiveBackend(dashboardArgs) {
     label: `Hermes at ${ACTIVE_HERMES_ROOT}`,
     command: fileExists(venvPython) ? venvPython : findSystemPython(),
     args: ['-m', 'hermes_cli.main', ...dashboardArgs],
-    env: buildDesktopBackendEnv({
-      hermesHome: HERMES_HOME,
-      pythonPathEntries: [ACTIVE_HERMES_ROOT],
-      venvRoot: VENV_ROOT
-    }),
+    env: {
+      PYTHONPATH: [ACTIVE_HERMES_ROOT, process.env.PYTHONPATH].filter(Boolean).join(path.delimiter)
+    },
     root: ACTIVE_HERMES_ROOT,
     bootstrap: true,
     shell: false
@@ -2483,14 +2311,6 @@ async function ensureRuntime(backend) {
   if (backend.kind === 'bootstrap-needed') {
     rememberLog('[bootstrap] no Hermes install found; starting first-launch bootstrap')
 
-    if (await handOffWindowsBootstrapRecovery('bootstrap-needed')) {
-      const handoffError = new Error('Hermes recovery was handed off to Hermes Setup. The desktop will restart when recovery completes.')
-      handoffError.isBootstrapFailure = true
-      handoffError.bootstrapHandedOff = true
-      bootstrapFailure = handoffError
-      throw handoffError
-    }
-
     // Eagerly flip the bootstrap UI state to 'active' so the renderer
     // shows the install overlay BEFORE the runner finishes fetching the
     // manifest (which on slow networks can take tens of seconds and would
@@ -2620,6 +2440,23 @@ async function ensureRuntime(backend) {
   return backend
 }
 
+function isPortAvailable(port) {
+  return new Promise(resolve => {
+    const server = net.createServer()
+    server.once('error', () => resolve(false))
+    server.once('listening', () => {
+      server.close(() => resolve(true))
+    })
+    server.listen(port, '127.0.0.1')
+  })
+}
+
+async function pickPort() {
+  for (let port = PORT_FLOOR; port <= PORT_CEILING; port += 1) {
+    if (await isPortAvailable(port)) return port
+  }
+  throw new Error(`No free localhost port in ${PORT_FLOOR}-${PORT_CEILING}`)
+}
 
 function fetchJson(url, token, options = {}) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
@@ -4697,41 +4534,38 @@ async function spawnPoolBackend(profile, entry) {
     }
   }
 
+  const port = await pickPort()
   const token = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('base64url')
   // --profile wins over the inherited HERMES_HOME env (see _apply_profile_override
   // step 3 in hermes_cli/main.py), so the child re-homes to this profile.
-  // --port 0: the OS assigns an ephemeral port; the child announces it on stdout.
-  const dashboardArgs = ['--profile', profile, 'dashboard', '--no-open', '--host', '127.0.0.1', '--port', '0']
+  const dashboardArgs = ['--profile', profile, 'dashboard', '--no-open', '--host', '127.0.0.1', '--port', String(port)]
   const backend = await ensureRuntime(resolveHermesBackend(dashboardArgs))
   const hermesCwd = resolveHermesCwd()
   const webDist = resolveWebDist()
 
   rememberLog(`Starting Hermes backend for profile "${profile}" via ${backend.label}`)
 
-  const child = spawn(
-    backend.command,
-    backend.args,
-    hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
-      cwd: hermesCwd,
-      env: {
-        ...process.env,
-        HERMES_HOME,
-        ...backend.env,
-        // Pin the gateway's tool/terminal cwd to the same directory we chose for
-        // the child process. Inherited TERMINAL_CWD (or a stale config bridge)
-        // can still point at the install dir even when spawn cwd is home.
-        TERMINAL_CWD: hermesCwd,
-        HERMES_DASHBOARD_SESSION_TOKEN: token,
-        // Marks this dashboard backend as desktop-spawned so it runs the cron
-        // scheduler tick loop (the gateway isn't running under the app).
-        HERMES_DESKTOP: '1',
-        HERMES_WEB_DIST: webDist
-      },
-      shell: backend.shell,
-      stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
-    })
-  )
+  const child = spawn(backend.command, backend.args, hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
+    cwd: hermesCwd,
+    env: {
+      ...process.env,
+      HERMES_HOME,
+      ...backend.env,
+      // Pin the gateway's tool/terminal cwd to the same directory we chose for
+      // the child process. Inherited TERMINAL_CWD (or a stale config bridge)
+      // can still point at the install dir even when spawn cwd is home.
+      TERMINAL_CWD: hermesCwd,
+      HERMES_DASHBOARD_SESSION_TOKEN: token,
+      // Marks this dashboard backend as desktop-spawned so it runs the cron
+      // scheduler tick loop (the gateway isn't running under the app).
+      HERMES_DESKTOP: '1',
+      HERMES_WEB_DIST: webDist
+    },
+    shell: backend.shell,
+    stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
+  }))
   entry.process = child
+  entry.port = port
   entry.token = token
 
   child.stdout.on('data', rememberLog)
@@ -4757,28 +4591,18 @@ async function spawnPoolBackend(profile, entry) {
     }
   })
 
-  // Discover the ephemeral port the child bound to
-  const port = await Promise.race([waitForDashboardPort(child), startFailed])
-  entry.port = port
-
   const baseUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`
   await Promise.race([waitForHermes(baseUrl, token), startFailed])
   ready = true
-  const authToken = await adoptServedDashboardToken(baseUrl, token, {
-    childAlive: () => child.exitCode === null && !child.killed,
-    label: `Hermes backend for profile "${profile}"`,
-    rememberLog
-  })
-  entry.token = authToken
 
   return {
     baseUrl,
     mode: 'local',
     source: 'local',
     authMode: 'token',
-    token: authToken,
+    token,
     profile,
-    wsUrl: `ws://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/ws?token=${encodeURIComponent(authToken)}`,
+    wsUrl: `ws://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/ws?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}`,
     logs: hermesLog.slice(-80),
     ...getWindowState()
   }
@@ -4900,9 +4724,10 @@ async function startHermes() {
       }
     }
 
+    await advanceBootProgress('backend.port', 'Finding an open local port', 16)
+    const port = await pickPort()
     const token = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString('base64url')
-    // --port 0: the OS assigns an ephemeral port; the child announces it on stdout.
-    const dashboardArgs = ['dashboard', '--no-open', '--host', '127.0.0.1', '--port', '0']
+    const dashboardArgs = ['dashboard', '--no-open', '--host', '127.0.0.1', '--port', String(port)]
     // Pin the desktop's chosen profile via the global --profile flag. This is
     // deterministic (it wins over the sticky ~/.hermes/active_profile file) and
     // resolves HERMES_HOME the same way `hermes -p <name>` does on the CLI. An
@@ -4920,34 +4745,30 @@ async function startHermes() {
     await advanceBootProgress('backend.spawn', `Starting Hermes backend via ${backend.label}`, 84)
     rememberLog(`Starting Hermes backend via ${backend.label}`)
 
-    hermesProcess = spawn(
-      backend.command,
-      backend.args,
-      hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
-        cwd: hermesCwd,
-        env: {
-          ...process.env,
-          // Explicitly pin HERMES_HOME for the child so Python's get_hermes_home()
-          // resolves to the SAME location our resolveHermesHome() picked. Without
-          // this pin, Python falls back to ~/.hermes on every platform — fine on
-          // mac/linux (where our default matches), but on Windows our default is
-          // %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes, which differs from C:\Users\<u>\.hermes.
-          // Mismatch would split config / sessions / .env / logs across two
-          // directories. install.ps1 sets HERMES_HOME via setx; the desktop
-          // can't reliably do that, so we set it inline for every spawn.
-          HERMES_HOME,
-          ...backend.env,
-          TERMINAL_CWD: hermesCwd,
-          HERMES_DASHBOARD_SESSION_TOKEN: token,
-          // Marks this dashboard backend as desktop-spawned so it runs the cron
-          // scheduler tick loop (the gateway isn't running under the app).
-          HERMES_DESKTOP: '1',
-          HERMES_WEB_DIST: webDist
-        },
-        shell: backend.shell,
-        stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
-      })
-    )
+    hermesProcess = spawn(backend.command, backend.args, hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
+      cwd: hermesCwd,
+      env: {
+        ...process.env,
+        // Explicitly pin HERMES_HOME for the child so Python's get_hermes_home()
+        // resolves to the SAME location our resolveHermesHome() picked. Without
+        // this pin, Python falls back to ~/.hermes on every platform — fine on
+        // mac/linux (where our default matches), but on Windows our default is
+        // %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes, which differs from C:\Users\<u>\.hermes.
+        // Mismatch would split config / sessions / .env / logs across two
+        // directories. install.ps1 sets HERMES_HOME via setx; the desktop
+        // can't reliably do that, so we set it inline for every spawn.
+        HERMES_HOME,
+        ...backend.env,
+        TERMINAL_CWD: hermesCwd,
+        HERMES_DASHBOARD_SESSION_TOKEN: token,
+        // Marks this dashboard backend as desktop-spawned so it runs the cron
+        // scheduler tick loop (the gateway isn't running under the app).
+        HERMES_DESKTOP: '1',
+        HERMES_WEB_DIST: webDist
+      },
+      shell: backend.shell,
+      stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe']
+    }))
 
     hermesProcess.stdout.on('data', rememberLog)
     hermesProcess.stderr.on('data', rememberLog)
@@ -4996,19 +4817,10 @@ async function startHermes() {
       }
     })
 
-    await advanceBootProgress('backend.port', 'Waiting for Hermes backend to launch', 86)
-    // Discover the ephemeral port the child bound to
-    const port = await Promise.race([waitForDashboardPort(hermesProcess), backendStartFailed])
-
     const baseUrl = `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`
     await advanceBootProgress('backend.wait', 'Waiting for Hermes backend to become ready', 90)
     await Promise.race([waitForHermes(baseUrl, token), backendStartFailed])
     backendReady = true
-    const authToken = await adoptServedDashboardToken(baseUrl, token, {
-      // The exit/error handlers null hermesProcess when the child dies.
-      childAlive: () => hermesProcess !== null && hermesProcess.exitCode === null && !hermesProcess.killed,
-      rememberLog
-    })
     updateBootProgress({
       phase: 'backend.ready',
       message: 'Hermes backend is ready. Finalizing desktop startup',
@@ -5022,8 +4834,8 @@ async function startHermes() {
       mode: 'local',
       source: 'local',
       authMode: 'token',
-      token: authToken,
-      wsUrl: `ws://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/ws?token=${encodeURIComponent(authToken)}`,
+      token,
+      wsUrl: `ws://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/ws?token=${encodeURIComponent(token)}`,
       logs: hermesLog.slice(-80),
       ...getWindowState()
     }
@@ -5085,68 +4897,52 @@ function focusWindow(win) {
   win.focus()
 }
 
-function spawnSecondaryWindow({ sessionId, watch, newSession } = {}) {
-  const icon = getAppIconPath()
-  const win = new BrowserWindow({
-    width: SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_WIDTH,
-    height: SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_HEIGHT,
-    minWidth: SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_WIDTH,
-    minHeight: SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_HEIGHT,
-    title: 'Hermes',
-    titleBarStyle: 'hidden',
-    titleBarOverlay: getTitleBarOverlayOptions(),
-    trafficLightPosition: IS_MAC ? WINDOW_BUTTON_POSITION : undefined,
-    vibrancy: IS_MAC ? 'sidebar' : undefined,
-    opacity: windowOpacity(),
-    icon,
-    // Don't show until the renderer's first themed paint is ready. macOS
-    // `vibrancy` ignores `backgroundColor` and paints a translucent OS
-    // material (which follows the OS appearance, not the app theme), so a
-    // dark-themed app on a light-mode Mac flashes white until the renderer
-    // covers it. ready-to-show fires after the boot-time paint in
-    // themes/context.tsx, so the window appears already themed.
-    show: false,
-    backgroundColor: getWindowBackgroundColor(),
-    webPreferences: chatWindowWebPreferences(path.join(__dirname, 'preload.cjs'))
-  })
-
-  if (IS_MAC) {
-    win.setWindowButtonPosition?.(WINDOW_BUTTON_POSITION)
-  }
-
-  win.once('ready-to-show', () => {
-    if (!win.isDestroyed()) win.show()
-  })
-
-  win.on('will-enter-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(true))
-  win.on('enter-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(true))
-  win.on('will-leave-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(false))
-  win.on('leave-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(false))
-
-  wireCommonWindowHandlers(win)
-
-  win.loadURL(
-    buildSessionWindowUrl(sessionId, {
-      devServer: DEV_SERVER,
-      rendererIndexPath: DEV_SERVER ? undefined : resolveRendererIndex(),
-      watch,
-      newSession
-    })
-  )
-
-  return win
-}
-
 // Open (or focus) a standalone window for a single chat session.
-function createSessionWindow(sessionId, { watch = false } = {}) {
-  return sessionWindows.openOrFocus(sessionId, () => spawnSecondaryWindow({ sessionId, watch }))
-}
+function createSessionWindow(sessionId) {
+  return sessionWindows.openOrFocus(sessionId, () => {
+    const icon = getAppIconPath()
+    const win = new BrowserWindow({
+      width: 480,
+      height: 800,
+      minWidth: 420,
+      minHeight: 620,
+      title: 'Hermes',
+      titleBarStyle: 'hidden',
+      titleBarOverlay: getTitleBarOverlayOptions(),
+      trafficLightPosition: IS_MAC ? WINDOW_BUTTON_POSITION : undefined,
+      vibrancy: IS_MAC ? 'sidebar' : undefined,
+      icon,
+      backgroundColor: '#f7f7f7',
+      webPreferences: {
+        preload: path.join(__dirname, 'preload.cjs'),
+        contextIsolation: true,
+        webviewTag: true,
+        sandbox: true,
+        nodeIntegration: false,
+        devTools: true
+      }
+    })
 
-// Open a fresh compact window on the new-session draft (#/). Not registry-keyed:
-// like ⌘N in a browser, every press opens a new window — and a draft window that
-// later converts to a real session must not get refocused as if it were blank.
-function createNewSessionWindow() {
-  return spawnSecondaryWindow({ newSession: true })
+    if (IS_MAC) {
+      win.setWindowButtonPosition?.(WINDOW_BUTTON_POSITION)
+    }
+
+    win.on('will-enter-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(true))
+    win.on('enter-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(true))
+    win.on('will-leave-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(false))
+    win.on('leave-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(false))
+
+    wireCommonWindowHandlers(win)
+
+    win.loadURL(
+      buildSessionWindowUrl(sessionId, {
+        devServer: DEV_SERVER,
+        rendererIndexPath: DEV_SERVER ? undefined : resolveRendererIndex()
+      })
+    )
+
+    return win
+  })
 }
 
 function createWindow() {
@@ -5167,18 +4963,25 @@ function createWindow() {
     titleBarOverlay: getTitleBarOverlayOptions(),
     trafficLightPosition: IS_MAC ? WINDOW_BUTTON_POSITION : undefined,
     vibrancy: IS_MAC ? 'sidebar' : undefined,
-    opacity: windowOpacity(),
     icon,
-    // Hidden until the first themed paint so macOS `vibrancy` (which ignores
-    // `backgroundColor` and follows the OS appearance) can't flash a light
-    // material before the renderer paints the app theme. See createSessionWindow.
-    show: false,
-    backgroundColor: getWindowBackgroundColor(),
-    // Shared with the secondary session windows (chatWindowWebPreferences) so
-    // both keep `backgroundThrottling: false` — the chat transcript streams via
-    // a requestAnimationFrame-gated flush that Chromium pauses for blurred
-    // windows, stalling the live answer until refocus. See session-windows.cjs.
-    webPreferences: chatWindowWebPreferences(path.join(__dirname, 'preload.cjs'))
+    backgroundColor: '#f7f7f7',
+    webPreferences: {
+      preload: path.join(__dirname, 'preload.cjs'),
+      contextIsolation: true,
+      webviewTag: true,
+      sandbox: true,
+      nodeIntegration: false,
+      devTools: true,
+      // Keep timers + requestAnimationFrame running at full speed when the
+      // window is blurred/occluded. The chat transcript streams to the screen
+      // through a requestAnimationFrame-gated flush (useSessionStateCache),
+      // so with Chromium's default background throttling the live answer
+      // stalls whenever this window isn't focused (e.g. you switch to your
+      // editor mid-turn, or open detached devtools) and only appears once you
+      // refocus or refresh. A streaming chat app must render in the
+      // background, so opt out — matching the secondary windows above.
+      backgroundThrottling: false
+    }
   })
 
   if (IS_MAC) {
@@ -5197,10 +5000,6 @@ function createWindow() {
     }
   }
 
-  mainWindow.once('ready-to-show', () => {
-    if (mainWindow && !mainWindow.isDestroyed()) mainWindow.show()
-  })
-
   mainWindow.on('will-enter-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(true))
   mainWindow.on('enter-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(true))
   mainWindow.on('will-leave-full-screen', () => sendWindowStateChanged(false))
@@ -5312,17 +5111,12 @@ ipcMain.handle('hermes:backend:touch', async (_event, profile) => {
   return { ok: true }
 })
 ipcMain.handle('hermes:gateway:ws-url', async (_event, profile) => freshGatewayWsUrl(profile))
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:window:openSession', async (_event, sessionId, opts) => {
+ipcMain.handle('hermes:window:openSession', async (_event, sessionId) => {
   if (typeof sessionId !== 'string' || !sessionId.trim()) {
     return { ok: false, error: 'invalid-session-id' }
   }
 
-  createSessionWindow(sessionId.trim(), { watch: opts?.watch === true })
-
-  return { ok: true }
-})
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:window:openNewSession', async () => {
-  createNewSessionWindow()
+  createSessionWindow(sessionId.trim())
 
   return { ok: true }
 })
@@ -5331,8 +5125,8 @@ ipcMain.handle('hermes:bootstrap:reset', async () => {
   // reset connection state so the next startHermes() call restarts the
   // full backend flow (including a fresh runBootstrap pass).
   rememberLog('[bootstrap] reset requested by renderer; clearing latched failure')
-  await teardownPrimaryBackendAndWait()
   bootstrapFailure = null
+  connectionPromise = null
   bootstrapState = {
     active: false,
     manifest: null,
@@ -5595,14 +5389,9 @@ ipcMain.handle('hermes:api', async (_event, request) => {
 
   await prepareProfileDeleteRequest(request)
 
-  const profile = request?.profile
-  const connection = await ensureBackend(profile)
+  const connection = await ensureBackend(request?.profile)
   const timeoutMs = resolveTimeoutMs(request?.timeoutMs, DEFAULT_FETCH_TIMEOUT_MS)
-  const requestPath = pathWithGlobalRemoteProfile(request.path, profile, {
-    globalRemote: globalRemoteActive(),
-    profileRemoteOverride: profileHasRemoteOverride(profile)
-  })
-  const url = `${connection.baseUrl}${requestPath}`
+  const url = `${connection.baseUrl}${request.path}`
   // OAuth gateways authenticate REST via the HttpOnly session cookie held in
   // the OAuth partition — route through Electron's net stack bound to that
   // session so the cookie attaches automatically. Token/local modes keep using
@@ -5623,30 +5412,11 @@ ipcMain.handle('hermes:api', async (_event, request) => {
 
 ipcMain.handle('hermes:notify', (_event, payload) => {
   if (!Notification.isSupported()) return false
-  // Action buttons render only on signed macOS builds; elsewhere they're dropped
-  // and the body click still works.
-  const actions = Array.isArray(payload?.actions) ? payload.actions : []
-  const notification = new Notification({
+  new Notification({
     title: payload?.title || 'Hermes',
     body: payload?.body || '',
-    silent: Boolean(payload?.silent),
-    actions: actions.map(action => ({ type: 'button', text: String(action?.text || '') }))
-  })
-  notification.on('click', () => {
-    if (!mainWindow || mainWindow.isDestroyed()) return
-    focusWindow(mainWindow)
-    if (payload?.sessionId) {
-      mainWindow.webContents.send('hermes:focus-session', payload.sessionId)
-    }
-  })
-  notification.on('action', (_actionEvent, index) => {
-    if (!mainWindow || mainWindow.isDestroyed()) return
-    const action = actions[index]
-    if (action?.id) {
-      mainWindow.webContents.send('hermes:notification-action', { sessionId: payload?.sessionId, actionId: action.id })
-    }
-  })
-  notification.show()
+    silent: Boolean(payload?.silent)
+  }).show()
   return true
 })
 
@@ -5754,35 +5524,6 @@ ipcMain.on('hermes:titlebar-theme', (_event, payload) => {
   mainWindow?.setTitleBarOverlay?.(getTitleBarOverlayOptions())
 })
 
-// Pin the native appearance to the app theme (see NATIVE_THEME_CONFIG_PATH).
-ipcMain.on('hermes:native-theme', (_event, mode) => {
-  if (!THEME_SOURCES.has(mode)) {
-    return
-  }
-
-  if (nativeTheme.themeSource !== mode) {
-    nativeTheme.themeSource = mode
-    writePersistedThemeSource(mode)
-  }
-})
-
-// See-through window translucency. Persist + re-apply opacity to every open
-// window at runtime (no recreation, so caching/sessions are untouched).
-ipcMain.on('hermes:translucency', (_event, payload) => {
-  const next = clampIntensity(payload && payload.intensity)
-
-  if (next === translucencyIntensity) {
-    return
-  }
-
-  translucencyIntensity = next
-  writePersistedTranslucency(next)
-
-  for (const win of BrowserWindow.getAllWindows()) {
-    applyWindowTranslucency(win)
-  }
-})
-
 ipcMain.handle('hermes:openExternal', (_event, url) => {
   if (!openExternalUrl(url)) {
     throw new Error('Invalid external URL')
@@ -6034,8 +5775,6 @@ ipcMain.handle('hermes:fs:readDir', async (_event, dirPath) => readDirForIpc(dir
 
 ipcMain.handle('hermes:fs:gitRoot', async (_event, startPath) => gitRootForIpc(startPath))
 
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:fs:worktrees', async (_event, cwds) => worktreesForIpc(cwds))
-
 ipcMain.handle('hermes:terminal:start', async (event, payload = {}) => {
   if (!nodePty) {
     throw new Error('PTY support is unavailable. Reinstall desktop dependencies and restart Hermes.')
@@ -6222,15 +5961,11 @@ async function getUninstallSummary() {
       resolve(value)
     }
     try {
-      const child = spawn(
-        py,
-        ['-m', 'hermes_cli.main', 'uninstall', '--gui-summary'],
-        hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
-          cwd: agentRoot,
-          env: { ...process.env, HERMES_HOME, NO_COLOR: '1' },
-          stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore']
-        })
-      )
+      const child = spawn(py, ['-m', 'hermes_cli.main', 'uninstall', '--gui-summary'], hiddenWindowsChildOptions({
+        cwd: agentRoot,
+        env: { ...process.env, HERMES_HOME, NO_COLOR: '1' },
+        stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'ignore']
+      }))
       child.stdout.on('data', chunk => {
         stdout += chunk.toString()
       })
@@ -6376,106 +6111,6 @@ ipcMain.handle('hermes:vscode-theme:fetch', async (_event, id) => fetchMarketpla
 // Search the Marketplace for color-theme extensions (empty query = top installs).
 ipcMain.handle('hermes:vscode-theme:search', async (_event, query) => searchMarketplaceThemes(String(query || ''), 20))
 
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// hermes:// deep links (e.g. hermes://blueprint/morning-brief?time=08:00).
-// A docs/dashboard "Send to App" button opens this URL; we route it into the
-// running app's chat composer. Three delivery paths: macOS 'open-url',
-// Win/Linux running-app 'second-instance' (argv), Win/Linux cold-start argv.
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-const HERMES_PROTOCOL = 'hermes'
-let _pendingDeepLink = null
-let _rendererReadyForDeepLink = false
-
-function _extractDeepLink(argv) {
-  if (!Array.isArray(argv)) return null
-  return argv.find(a => typeof a === 'string' && a.startsWith(`${HERMES_PROTOCOL}://`)) || null
-}
-
-function handleDeepLink(url) {
-  if (!url || typeof url !== 'string') return
-  let parsed
-  try {
-    parsed = new URL(url)
-  } catch {
-    rememberLog(`[deeplink] ignoring malformed url: ${url}`)
-    return
-  }
-  // hermes://blueprint/<key>?slot=val  -> host="blueprint", path="/<key>"
-  const kind = parsed.hostname || ''
-  const name = decodeURIComponent((parsed.pathname || '').replace(/^\//, ''))
-  const params = {}
-  parsed.searchParams.forEach((v, k) => {
-    params[k] = v
-  })
-  const payload = { kind, name, params }
-
-  if (!_rendererReadyForDeepLink || !mainWindow || mainWindow.isDestroyed()) {
-    _pendingDeepLink = payload
-    return
-  }
-  try {
-    if (mainWindow.isMinimized()) mainWindow.restore()
-    mainWindow.focus()
-    mainWindow.webContents.send('hermes:deep-link', payload)
-    rememberLog(`[deeplink] delivered ${kind}/${name}`)
-  } catch (err) {
-    rememberLog(`[deeplink] delivery failed: ${err.message}`)
-  }
-}
-
-// Renderer calls this (via IPC) once it has mounted its deep-link listener, so
-// a link that arrived during boot/install is flushed exactly once.
-ipcMain.handle('hermes:deep-link-ready', () => {
-  _rendererReadyForDeepLink = true
-  if (_pendingDeepLink) {
-    const queued = _pendingDeepLink
-    _pendingDeepLink = null
-    handleDeepLink(
-      `${HERMES_PROTOCOL}://${queued.kind}/${encodeURIComponent(queued.name)}` +
-        (Object.keys(queued.params).length ? '?' + new URLSearchParams(queued.params).toString() : '')
-    )
-  }
-  return { ok: true }
-})
-
-function registerDeepLinkProtocol() {
-  try {
-    if (process.defaultApp && process.argv.length >= 2) {
-      // Dev: register with the electron exec path + entry script so the OS can
-      // relaunch us with the URL.
-      app.setAsDefaultProtocolClient(HERMES_PROTOCOL, process.execPath, [path.resolve(process.argv[1])])
-    } else {
-      app.setAsDefaultProtocolClient(HERMES_PROTOCOL)
-    }
-  } catch (err) {
-    rememberLog(`[deeplink] protocol registration failed: ${err.message}`)
-  }
-}
-
-// Single-instance lock: deep links on a running app (Win/Linux) arrive as a
-// second-instance argv. Without the lock a second `hermes://` launch spawns a
-// whole new app instead of routing into the running one.
-const _gotSingleInstanceLock = app.requestSingleInstanceLock()
-if (!_gotSingleInstanceLock) {
-  app.quit()
-} else {
-  app.on('second-instance', (_event, argv) => {
-    const url = _extractDeepLink(argv)
-    if (url) handleDeepLink(url)
-    else if (mainWindow) {
-      if (mainWindow.isMinimized()) mainWindow.restore()
-      mainWindow.focus()
-    }
-  })
-}
-
-// macOS delivers deep links via 'open-url' — register early (can fire before
-// whenReady; handleDeepLink queues until the renderer is ready).
-app.on('open-url', (event, url) => {
-  event.preventDefault()
-  handleDeepLink(url)
-})
-
 app.whenReady().then(() => {
   if (IS_MAC) {
     Menu.setApplicationMenu(buildApplicationMenu())
@@ -6484,16 +6119,11 @@ app.whenReady().then(() => {
   }
   installMediaPermissions()
   registerMediaProtocol()
-  registerDeepLinkProtocol()
   ensureWslWindowsFonts()
   configureSpellChecker()
   registerPowerResumeListeners()
   createWindow()
 
-  // Win/Linux cold start: the launching hermes:// URL is in our own argv.
-  const _coldStartLink = _extractDeepLink(process.argv)
-  if (_coldStartLink) handleDeepLink(_coldStartLink)
-
   app.on('activate', () => {
     // Recreate the primary window if it's gone. Guard on mainWindow directly
     // (not just total window count) so a dock click still restores the main

apps/desktop/electron/preload.cjs

@@ -5,8 +5,7 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('hermesDesktop', {
   revalidateConnection: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:connection:revalidate'),
   touchBackend: profile => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:backend:touch', profile),
   getGatewayWsUrl: profile => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:gateway:ws-url', profile),
-  openSessionWindow: (sessionId, opts) => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:window:openSession', sessionId, opts),
-  openNewSessionWindow: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:window:openNewSession'),
+  openSessionWindow: sessionId => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:window:openSession', sessionId),
   getBootProgress: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:boot-progress:get'),
   getConnectionConfig: profile => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:connection-config:get', profile),
   saveConnectionConfig: payload => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:connection-config:save', payload),
@@ -40,8 +39,6 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('hermesDesktop', {
   watchPreviewFile: url => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:watchPreviewFile', url),
   stopPreviewFileWatch: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:stopPreviewFileWatch', id),
   setTitleBarTheme: payload => ipcRenderer.send('hermes:titlebar-theme', payload),
-  setNativeTheme: mode => ipcRenderer.send('hermes:native-theme', mode),
-  setTranslucency: payload => ipcRenderer.send('hermes:translucency', payload),
   setPreviewShortcutActive: active => ipcRenderer.send('hermes:previewShortcutActive', Boolean(active)),
   openExternal: url => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:openExternal', url),
   fetchLinkTitle: url => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:fetchLinkTitle', url),
@@ -55,7 +52,6 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('hermesDesktop', {
   getRecentLogs: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:logs:recent'),
   readDir: dirPath => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:fs:readDir', dirPath),
   gitRoot: startPath => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:fs:gitRoot', startPath),
-  worktrees: cwds => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:fs:worktrees', cwds),
   terminal: {
     dispose: id => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:terminal:dispose', id),
     resize: (id, size) => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:terminal:resize', id, size),
@@ -84,27 +80,11 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('hermesDesktop', {
     ipcRenderer.on('hermes:open-updates', listener)
     return () => ipcRenderer.removeListener('hermes:open-updates', listener)
   },
-  onDeepLink: callback => {
-    const listener = (_event, payload) => callback(payload)
-    ipcRenderer.on('hermes:deep-link', listener)
-    return () => ipcRenderer.removeListener('hermes:deep-link', listener)
-  },
-  signalDeepLinkReady: () => ipcRenderer.invoke('hermes:deep-link-ready'),
   onWindowStateChanged: callback => {
     const listener = (_event, payload) => callback(payload)
     ipcRenderer.on('hermes:window-state-changed', listener)
     return () => ipcRenderer.removeListener('hermes:window-state-changed', listener)
   },
-  onFocusSession: callback => {
-    const listener = (_event, sessionId) => callback(sessionId)
-    ipcRenderer.on('hermes:focus-session', listener)
-    return () => ipcRenderer.removeListener('hermes:focus-session', listener)
-  },
-  onNotificationAction: callback => {
-    const listener = (_event, payload) => callback(payload)
-    ipcRenderer.on('hermes:notification-action', listener)
-    return () => ipcRenderer.removeListener('hermes:notification-action', listener)
-  },
   onPreviewFileChanged: callback => {
     const listener = (_event, payload) => callback(payload)
     ipcRenderer.on('hermes:preview-file-changed', listener)

apps/desktop/electron/session-windows.cjs

@@ -5,54 +5,22 @@
 
 const { pathToFileURL } = require('node:url')
 
-// Secondary windows open at the minimum usable size — a compact side panel for
-// subagent watch / cmd-click session pop-out, not a second full desktop.
-const SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_WIDTH = 420
-const SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_HEIGHT = 620
-
-// Shared webPreferences for every window that renders the chat transcript — the
-// primary window AND the secondary session windows. Keeping it in one place is
-// the whole point: the two BrowserWindow definitions in main.cjs used to be
-// hand-copied, and the secondary windows silently lost `backgroundThrottling:
-// false`, so a streamed answer stalled until the window regained focus.
-//
-// `backgroundThrottling: false` is load-bearing: the transcript streams to the
-// screen through a requestAnimationFrame-gated flush, which Chromium pauses for
-// blurred/occluded windows. A streaming chat app must keep painting in the
-// background, so every chat window opts out. The preload path is injected
-// because it depends on the Electron entry's __dirname.
-function chatWindowWebPreferences(preloadPath) {
-  return {
-    preload: preloadPath,
-    contextIsolation: true,
-    webviewTag: true,
-    sandbox: true,
-    nodeIntegration: false,
-    devTools: true,
-    backgroundThrottling: false
-  }
-}
-
 // Build the renderer URL for a secondary window. The renderer uses a
 // HashRouter, so the session route lives after the '#'. The `?win=secondary`
 // flag MUST sit in the query string BEFORE the '#': anything after the '#' is
 // treated as the route by HashRouter and would break routeSessionId(). The
 // renderer reads the flag from window.location.search to suppress the install /
-// onboarding overlays and the global session sidebar. `new=1` marks the compact
-// scratch window; `watch=1` marks a spectator window (e.g. a running subagent's
-// session): the renderer resumes it lazily so the gateway never builds an agent
-// just to stream into it.
-function buildSessionWindowUrl(sessionId, { devServer, rendererIndexPath, watch, newSession } = {}) {
-  const query = `?win=secondary${newSession ? '&new=1' : ''}${watch ? '&watch=1' : ''}`
-  const route = newSession ? '#/' : `#/${encodeURIComponent(sessionId)}`
+// onboarding overlays and the global session sidebar.
+function buildSessionWindowUrl(sessionId, { devServer, rendererIndexPath } = {}) {
+  const route = `#/${encodeURIComponent(sessionId)}`
 
   if (devServer) {
     const base = devServer.endsWith('/') ? devServer.slice(0, -1) : devServer
 
-    return `${base}/${query}${route}`
+    return `${base}/?win=secondary${route}`
   }
 
-  return `${pathToFileURL(rendererIndexPath).toString()}${query}${route}`
+  return `${pathToFileURL(rendererIndexPath).toString()}?win=secondary${route}`
 }
 
 // A small registry keyed by sessionId that guarantees one window per chat:
@@ -115,10 +83,4 @@ function createSessionWindowRegistry() {
   }
 }
 
-module.exports = {
-  buildSessionWindowUrl,
-  chatWindowWebPreferences,
-  createSessionWindowRegistry,
-  SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_HEIGHT,
-  SESSION_WINDOW_MIN_WIDTH
-}
+module.exports = { buildSessionWindowUrl, createSessionWindowRegistry }

apps/desktop/electron/session-windows.test.cjs

@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
 const assert = require('node:assert/strict')
 const test = require('node:test')
 
-const {
-  buildSessionWindowUrl,
-  chatWindowWebPreferences,
-  createSessionWindowRegistry
-} = require('./session-windows.cjs')
+const { buildSessionWindowUrl, createSessionWindowRegistry } = require('./session-windows.cjs')
 
 // A minimal fake BrowserWindow: tracks listeners + destroyed state and lets a
 // test fire the 'closed' event, mirroring the slice of the Electron API the
@@ -80,18 +76,6 @@ test('buildSessionWindowUrl builds a packaged file URL with the flag before the
   assert.match(url, /^file:\/\/.*index\.html\?win=secondary#\/abc$/)
 })
 
-test('buildSessionWindowUrl adds the watch flag for spectator windows, before the hash', () => {
-  const url = buildSessionWindowUrl('abc', { devServer: 'http://localhost:5173', watch: true })
-
-  assert.equal(url, 'http://localhost:5173/?win=secondary&watch=1#/abc')
-})
-
-test('buildSessionWindowUrl routes new-session windows to the draft (#/)', () => {
-  const url = buildSessionWindowUrl(null, { devServer: 'http://localhost:5173', newSession: true })
-
-  assert.equal(url, 'http://localhost:5173/?win=secondary&new=1#/')
-})
-
 test('registry opens one window per session and focuses on re-open', () => {
   const registry = createSessionWindowRegistry()
   let built = 0
@@ -179,21 +163,3 @@ test('registry trims the session id before keying', () => {
 
   assert.equal(registry.has('s1'), true)
 })
-
-test('chatWindowWebPreferences disables background throttling so streaming paints while blurred', () => {
-  // Regression: secondary session windows used to omit this flag, so a streamed
-  // answer stalled until the window regained focus (Chromium pauses the
-  // requestAnimationFrame-gated transcript flush for backgrounded windows).
-  const prefs = chatWindowWebPreferences('/tmp/preload.cjs')
-
-  assert.equal(prefs.backgroundThrottling, false)
-})
-
-test('chatWindowWebPreferences passes the preload path through and keeps the hardened defaults', () => {
-  const prefs = chatWindowWebPreferences('/some/preload.cjs')
-
-  assert.equal(prefs.preload, '/some/preload.cjs')
-  assert.equal(prefs.contextIsolation, true)
-  assert.equal(prefs.sandbox, true)
-  assert.equal(prefs.nodeIntegration, false)
-})

apps/desktop/electron/windows-child-process.test.cjs

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ const path = require('node:path')
 const ELECTRON_DIR = __dirname
 
 function readElectronFile(name) {
-  return fs.readFileSync(path.join(ELECTRON_DIR, name), 'utf8').replace(/\r\n/g, '\n')
+  return fs.readFileSync(path.join(ELECTRON_DIR, name), 'utf8')
 }
 
 function requireHiddenChildOptions(source, needle) {
@@ -42,9 +42,6 @@ test('intentional or interactive desktop child processes stay documented', () =>
   const source = readElectronFile('main.cjs')
 
   assert.match(source, /windowsHide: false/)
-  assert.match(source, /handOffWindowsBootstrapRecovery/)
-  assert.match(source, /'--repair', '--branch'/)
-  assert.match(source, /'--update', '--branch'/)
   assert.match(source, /nodePty\.spawn\(command, args/)
   assert.match(source, /spawn\('cmd\.exe', \['\/c', 'start'/)
 })

apps/desktop/electron/windows-user-env.cjs

@@ -1,76 +0,0 @@
-// windows-user-env.cjs
-//
-// Read a User-scoped environment variable straight from the Windows registry
-// (HKCU\Environment).
-//
-// A GUI app launched from Explorer inherits the environment block captured at
-// login, so a variable set via `setx` AFTER login is invisible in process.env
-// even though a fresh shell — and the Hermes CLI — sees it immediately. The
-// desktop's HERMES_HOME resolution relies on process.env, so that stale-snapshot
-// gap silently sends the backend to the default %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes. Reading
-// the live registry value closes the gap. See #45471.
-
-const { execFileSync } = require('node:child_process')
-
-// Parse the output of `reg query HKCU\Environment /v <name>`, which looks like:
-//
-//   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Environment
-//       HERMES_HOME    REG_SZ    F:\Hermes\data
-//
-// Returns the raw value string (spaces inside the value preserved), or null when
-// the requested value line isn't present.
-function parseRegQueryValue(stdout, name) {
-  if (!stdout || !name) return null
-  const typePattern =
-    /^(\S+)\s+(?:REG_SZ|REG_EXPAND_SZ|REG_MULTI_SZ|REG_DWORD|REG_QWORD|REG_BINARY|REG_NONE)\s+(.*)$/
-  for (const rawLine of String(stdout).split(/\r?\n/)) {
-    const line = rawLine.trim()
-    const match = line.match(typePattern)
-    if (match && match[1].toLowerCase() === name.toLowerCase()) {
-      return match[2]
-    }
-  }
-  return null
-}
-
-// Expand %VAR% references against an env map. REG_EXPAND_SZ values store
-// unexpanded references; plain REG_SZ paths have none, so this is a no-op for
-// the common F:\... case. Unknown references are left verbatim.
-function expandWindowsEnvRefs(value, env = process.env) {
-  if (!value) return value
-  return value.replace(/%([^%]+)%/g, (whole, name) => {
-    const key = Object.keys(env).find(k => k.toUpperCase() === String(name).toUpperCase())
-    return key != null && env[key] != null ? env[key] : whole
-  })
-}
-
-// Read a User-scoped env var from HKCU\Environment. Windows-only: returns null
-// off-Windows (without spawning), on any spawn error, when `reg` exits non-zero
-// (the value doesn't exist), or when the value is empty.
-function readWindowsUserEnvVar(
-  name,
-  { platform = process.platform, env = process.env, exec = execFileSync } = {}
-) {
-  if (platform !== 'win32' || !name) return null
-  let stdout
-  try {
-    stdout = exec('reg', ['query', 'HKCU\\Environment', '/v', name], {
-      encoding: 'utf8',
-      windowsHide: true,
-      timeout: 5000
-    })
-  } catch {
-    // `reg` missing, or value absent (reg exits 1) — caller falls back.
-    return null
-  }
-  const raw = parseRegQueryValue(stdout, name)
-  if (raw == null) return null
-  const expanded = expandWindowsEnvRefs(raw, env).trim()
-  return expanded || null
-}
-
-module.exports = {
-  expandWindowsEnvRefs,
-  parseRegQueryValue,
-  readWindowsUserEnvVar
-}

apps/desktop/electron/windows-user-env.test.cjs

@@ -1,90 +0,0 @@
-const assert = require('node:assert/strict')
-const { test } = require('node:test')
-
-const {
-  expandWindowsEnvRefs,
-  parseRegQueryValue,
-  readWindowsUserEnvVar
-} = require('./windows-user-env.cjs')
-
-// ── parseRegQueryValue ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-test('parseRegQueryValue extracts a REG_SZ value', () => {
-  const out = [
-    '',
-    'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Environment',
-    '    HERMES_HOME    REG_SZ    F:\\Hermes\\data',
-    ''
-  ].join('\r\n')
-  assert.equal(parseRegQueryValue(out, 'HERMES_HOME'), 'F:\\Hermes\\data')
-})
-
-test('parseRegQueryValue matches the name case-insensitively', () => {
-  const out = 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Environment\r\n    Hermes_Home    REG_EXPAND_SZ    %USERPROFILE%\\h\r\n'
-  assert.equal(parseRegQueryValue(out, 'HERMES_HOME'), '%USERPROFILE%\\h')
-})
-
-test('parseRegQueryValue preserves spaces inside the value', () => {
-  const out = '    HERMES_HOME    REG_SZ    C:\\Program Files\\Hermes\r\n'
-  assert.equal(parseRegQueryValue(out, 'HERMES_HOME'), 'C:\\Program Files\\Hermes')
-})
-
-test('parseRegQueryValue returns null when the value line is absent', () => {
-  const out = 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Environment\r\n    Path    REG_SZ    C:\\x\r\n'
-  assert.equal(parseRegQueryValue(out, 'HERMES_HOME'), null)
-  assert.equal(parseRegQueryValue('', 'HERMES_HOME'), null)
-  assert.equal(parseRegQueryValue('garbage', 'HERMES_HOME'), null)
-})
-
-// ── expandWindowsEnvRefs ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-test('expandWindowsEnvRefs expands %VAR% case-insensitively', () => {
-  assert.equal(
-    expandWindowsEnvRefs('%UserProfile%\\h', { USERPROFILE: 'C:\\Users\\jeff' }),
-    'C:\\Users\\jeff\\h'
-  )
-})
-
-test('expandWindowsEnvRefs leaves literal paths and unknown refs intact', () => {
-  assert.equal(expandWindowsEnvRefs('F:\\Hermes\\data', {}), 'F:\\Hermes\\data')
-  assert.equal(expandWindowsEnvRefs('%NOPE%\\x', {}), '%NOPE%\\x')
-})
-
-// ── readWindowsUserEnvVar ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-test('readWindowsUserEnvVar returns null off Windows without spawning', () => {
-  let spawned = false
-  const exec = () => {
-    spawned = true
-    return ''
-  }
-  assert.equal(readWindowsUserEnvVar('HERMES_HOME', { platform: 'linux', exec }), null)
-  assert.equal(spawned, false)
-})
-
-test('readWindowsUserEnvVar queries HKCU\\Environment and expands the value', () => {
-  const calls = []
-  const exec = (cmd, args) => {
-    calls.push([cmd, args])
-    return 'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\\Environment\r\n    HERMES_HOME    REG_EXPAND_SZ    %DRIVE%\\Hermes\r\n'
-  }
-  const value = readWindowsUserEnvVar('HERMES_HOME', {
-    platform: 'win32',
-    env: { DRIVE: 'F:' },
-    exec
-  })
-  assert.equal(value, 'F:\\Hermes')
-  assert.deepEqual(calls, [['reg', ['query', 'HKCU\\Environment', '/v', 'HERMES_HOME']]])
-})
-
-test('readWindowsUserEnvVar returns null when reg exits non-zero (value missing)', () => {
-  const exec = () => {
-    throw new Error('reg exited 1')
-  }
-  assert.equal(readWindowsUserEnvVar('HERMES_HOME', { platform: 'win32', exec }), null)
-})
-
-test('readWindowsUserEnvVar returns null for an empty value', () => {
-  const exec = () => '    HERMES_HOME    REG_SZ    \r\n'
-  assert.equal(readWindowsUserEnvVar('HERMES_HOME', { platform: 'win32', exec }), null)
-})

apps/desktop/index.html

@@ -9,28 +9,6 @@
     <link rel="apple-touch-icon" sizes="180x180" href="/apple-touch-icon.png" />
     <link rel="shortcut icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png" />
     <title>Hermes</title>
-    <script>
-      // Pre-paint the themed background before the app bundle loads. Without
-      // this, the first frame (which is what `ready-to-show` waits for) is the
-      // UA-default white page, and the real theme only lands once the whole
-      // module graph has executed — i.e. the "white flash" on every new
-      // window. applyTheme() in src/themes/context.tsx keeps these keys fresh.
-      try {
-        let bg = localStorage.getItem('hermes-boot-background')
-        let scheme = localStorage.getItem('hermes-boot-color-scheme')
-        if (!bg) {
-          const dark = window.matchMedia('(prefers-color-scheme: dark)').matches
-          bg = dark ? '#111111' : '#f7f7f7'
-          scheme = dark ? 'dark' : 'light'
-        }
-        document.documentElement.style.backgroundColor = bg
-        if (scheme === 'dark' || scheme === 'light') {
-          document.documentElement.style.colorScheme = scheme
-        }
-      } catch {
-        // localStorage unavailable — keep UA defaults.
-      }
-    </script>
   </head>
   <body>
     <div id="root" class="scrollbar-dt"></div>

apps/desktop/package.json

@@ -18,9 +18,7 @@
     "profile:main": "wait-on http://127.0.0.1:5174 && cross-env XCURSOR_SIZE=24 HERMES_DESKTOP_DEV_SERVER=http://127.0.0.1:5174 electron --inspect=9229 .",
     "profile:main:cpu": "wait-on http://127.0.0.1:5174 && cross-env XCURSOR_SIZE=24 NODE_OPTIONS=--cpu-prof HERMES_DESKTOP_DEV_SERVER=http://127.0.0.1:5174 electron .",
     "start": "npm run build && electron .",
-    "build": "node scripts/assert-root-install.cjs && node scripts/write-build-stamp.cjs && node scripts/stage-native-deps.cjs && tsc -b && vite build && npm run postbuild",
-    "postbuild": "node scripts/assert-dist-built.cjs",
-    "prebuilder": "node scripts/patch-electron-builder-mac-binary.cjs",
+    "build": "node scripts/assert-root-install.cjs && node scripts/write-build-stamp.cjs && node scripts/stage-native-deps.cjs && tsc -b && vite build && node scripts/assert-dist-built.cjs",
     "builder": "cross-env NODE_OPTIONS=--max-old-space-size=16384 electron-builder",
     "pack": "npm run build && npm run builder -- --dir",
     "dist": "npm run build && npm run builder",
@@ -37,7 +35,7 @@
     "test:desktop:nsis": "node scripts/test-desktop.mjs nsis",
     "test:desktop:existing": "node scripts/test-desktop.mjs existing",
     "test:desktop:fresh": "node scripts/test-desktop.mjs fresh",
-    "test:desktop:platforms": "node --test electron/bootstrap-platform.test.cjs electron/hardening.test.cjs electron/backend-env.test.cjs electron/backend-probes.test.cjs electron/bootstrap-runner.test.cjs electron/connection-config.test.cjs electron/dashboard-token.test.cjs electron/gateway-ws-probe.test.cjs electron/oauth-net-request.test.cjs electron/desktop-uninstall.test.cjs electron/session-windows.test.cjs electron/workspace-cwd.test.cjs electron/fs-read-dir.test.cjs electron/git-root.test.cjs electron/windows-child-process.test.cjs electron/update-remote.test.cjs electron/windows-user-env.test.cjs",
+    "test:desktop:platforms": "node --test electron/bootstrap-platform.test.cjs electron/hardening.test.cjs electron/backend-probes.test.cjs electron/bootstrap-runner.test.cjs electron/connection-config.test.cjs electron/gateway-ws-probe.test.cjs electron/oauth-net-request.test.cjs electron/desktop-uninstall.test.cjs electron/session-windows.test.cjs electron/workspace-cwd.test.cjs electron/fs-read-dir.test.cjs electron/git-root.test.cjs electron/windows-child-process.test.cjs electron/update-remote.test.cjs",
     "typecheck": "tsc -p . --noEmit",
     "lint": "eslint src/ electron/",
     "lint:fix": "eslint src/ electron/ --fix",
@@ -74,7 +72,6 @@
     "class-variance-authority": "^0.7.1",
     "clsx": "^2.1.1",
     "cmdk": "^1.1.1",
-    "dnd-core": "^14.0.1",
     "hast-util-from-html-isomorphic": "^2.0.0",
     "hast-util-to-text": "^4.0.2",
     "ignore": "^7.0.5",
@@ -86,12 +83,10 @@
     "radix-ui": "^1.4.3",
     "react": "^19.2.5",
     "react-arborist": "^3.5.0",
-    "react-dnd-html5-backend": "^14.0.3",
     "react-dom": "^19.2.5",
     "react-router-dom": "^7.17.0",
     "react-shiki": "^0.9.3",
     "remark-math": "^6.0.0",
-    "remend": "^1.3.0",
     "shiki": "^4.0.2",
     "streamdown": "^2.5.0",
     "tailwind-merge": "^3.5.0",
@@ -100,7 +95,6 @@
     "unicode-animations": "^1.0.3",
     "unified": "^11.0.5",
     "unist-util-visit-parents": "^6.0.2",
-    "use-stick-to-bottom": "^1.1.6",
     "vfile": "^6.0.3",
     "web-haptics": "^0.0.6"
   },
@@ -109,7 +103,7 @@
     "@testing-library/dom": "^10.4.0",
     "@testing-library/react": "^16.3.2",
     "@types/hast": "^3.0.4",
-    "@types/node": "^24.13.2",
+    "@types/node": "^24.12.0",
     "@types/react": "^19.2.14",
     "@types/react-dom": "^19.2.3",
     "@typescript-eslint/eslint-plugin": "^8.59.1",
@@ -117,7 +111,7 @@
     "@vitejs/plugin-react": "^6.0.1",
     "concurrently": "^10.0.3",
     "cross-env": "^10.1.0",
-    "electron": "40.10.2",
+    "electron": "^40.9.3",
     "electron-builder": "^26.8.1",
     "eslint": "^9.39.4",
     "eslint-plugin-perfectionist": "^5.9.0",
@@ -134,19 +128,10 @@
     "wait-on": "^9.0.5"
   },
   "build": {
-    "electronVersion": "40.10.2",
-    "electronDist": "../../node_modules/electron/dist",
+    "electronVersion": "40.9.3",
     "appId": "com.nousresearch.hermes",
     "productName": "Hermes",
     "executableName": "Hermes",
-    "protocols": [
-      {
-        "name": "Hermes Protocol",
-        "schemes": [
-          "hermes"
-        ]
-      }
-    ],
     "artifactName": "Hermes-${version}-${os}-${arch}.${ext}",
     "icon": "assets/icon",
     "directories": {

apps/desktop/scripts/patch-electron-builder-mac-binary.cjs

@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-const fs = require('node:fs')
-const path = require('node:path')
-
-if (process.platform !== 'darwin') {
-  process.exit(0)
-}
-
-const desktopRoot = path.resolve(__dirname, '..')
-const repoRoot = path.resolve(desktopRoot, '..', '..')
-const electronMacPath = path.join(repoRoot, 'node_modules', 'app-builder-lib', 'out', 'electron', 'electronMac.js')
-
-const marker = 'hermes-macos-electron-binary-fallback'
-const needle = `    await Promise.all([
-        doRename(path.join(contentsPath, "MacOS"), electronBranding.productName, appPlist.CFBundleExecutable),
-        (0, builder_util_1.unlinkIfExists)(path.join(appOutDir, "LICENSE")),
-        (0, builder_util_1.unlinkIfExists)(path.join(appOutDir, "LICENSES.chromium.html")),
-    ]);`
-const replacement = `    // ${marker}: electron-builder 26.8.x can sometimes copy
-    // Electron.app without its main MacOS/Electron binary before this rename.
-    // Restore it from the installed Electron runtime so local desktop installs
-    // do not fail with ENOENT during macOS arm64 packaging.
-    const macosDir = path.join(contentsPath, "MacOS");
-    const bundledElectronBinary = path.join(macosDir, electronBranding.productName);
-    if (!fs.existsSync(bundledElectronBinary)) {
-        const candidates = [
-            path.join(packager.info.framework.distMacOsAppName, "Contents", "MacOS", electronBranding.productName),
-            path.join(process.cwd(), "..", "..", "node_modules", "electron", "dist", "Electron.app", "Contents", "MacOS", electronBranding.productName),
-        ];
-        const sourceBinary = candidates.find(candidate => fs.existsSync(candidate));
-        if (sourceBinary == null) {
-            throw new Error("Electron binary missing from packaged app and Electron runtime: " + bundledElectronBinary);
-        }
-        await (0, promises_1.copyFile)(sourceBinary, bundledElectronBinary);
-        await (0, promises_1.chmod)(bundledElectronBinary, 0o755);
-    }
-    await Promise.all([
-        doRename(macosDir, electronBranding.productName, appPlist.CFBundleExecutable),
-        (0, builder_util_1.unlinkIfExists)(path.join(appOutDir, "LICENSE")),
-        (0, builder_util_1.unlinkIfExists)(path.join(appOutDir, "LICENSES.chromium.html")),
-    ]);`
-
-if (!fs.existsSync(electronMacPath)) {
-  console.warn(`[patch-electron-builder] skipped: ${electronMacPath} not found`)
-  process.exit(0)
-}
-
-const source = fs.readFileSync(electronMacPath, 'utf8')
-if (source.includes(marker)) {
-  console.log('[patch-electron-builder] macOS Electron binary fallback already applied')
-  process.exit(0)
-}
-
-if (!source.includes(needle)) {
-  console.warn('[patch-electron-builder] skipped: expected electronMac.js shape not found')
-  process.exit(0)
-}
-
-fs.writeFileSync(electronMacPath, source.replace(needle, replacement))
-console.log('[patch-electron-builder] applied macOS Electron binary fallback')

apps/desktop/src/app/agents/index.tsx

@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@ import { type ReactNode, useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
 
 import { useElapsedSeconds } from '@/components/chat/activity-timer'
 import { ActivityTimerText } from '@/components/chat/activity-timer-text'
+import { BrailleSpinner } from '@/components/ui/braille-spinner'
 import { FadeText } from '@/components/ui/fade-text'
-import { GlyphSpinner } from '@/components/ui/glyph-spinner'
 import { type Translations, useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { AlertCircle, CheckCircle2, Sparkles } from '@/lib/icons'
 import { useEnterAnimation } from '@/lib/use-enter-animation'
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import { OverlayView } from '../overlays/overlay-view'
 function statusGlyph(status: SubagentStatus, a: Translations['agents']): ReactNode {
   if (status === 'running' || status === 'queued') {
     return (
-      <GlyphSpinner
+      <BrailleSpinner
         ariaLabel={a.running}
         className="size-3.5 shrink-0 text-[0.95rem] text-muted-foreground/80"
         spinner="breathe"
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ function StreamLine({
       <span className={cn('min-w-0 flex-1 wrap-anywhere', tone, isMono && 'font-mono text-[0.69rem]')}>
         {entry.text}
         {active ? (
-          <GlyphSpinner
+          <BrailleSpinner
             ariaLabel={t.agents.streaming}
             className="ml-1 inline-block size-2.5 align-middle text-muted-foreground/70"
             spinner="breathe"
@@ -372,9 +372,7 @@ function SubagentRow({ node, depth = 0, nowMs }: { node: SubagentNode; depth?: n
 
       {open && fileLines.length > 0 ? (
         <div className="grid min-w-0 gap-0.5 pl-6">
-          <p className="text-[0.58rem] font-medium tracking-wider text-muted-foreground/60 uppercase">
-            {t.agents.files}
-          </p>
+          <p className="text-[0.58rem] font-medium tracking-wider text-muted-foreground/60 uppercase">{t.agents.files}</p>
           {fileLines.slice(0, 8).map(line => (
             <p className="wrap-break-word font-mono text-[0.67rem] leading-relaxed text-muted-foreground/80" key={line}>
               {line}

apps/desktop/src/app/artifacts/index.tsx

@@ -18,12 +18,11 @@ import {
 } from '@/components/ui/pagination'
 import { TextTab, TextTabMeta } from '@/components/ui/text-tab'
 import { Tip } from '@/components/ui/tooltip'
-import { getSessionMessages, listAllProfileSessions } from '@/hermes'
+import { getSessionMessages, listSessions } from '@/hermes'
 import { type Translations, useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { sessionTitle } from '@/lib/chat-runtime'
 import { ExternalLink, ExternalLinkIcon, hostPathLabel, urlSlugTitleLabel, useLinkTitle } from '@/lib/external-link'
 import { FileImage, FileText, FolderOpen, Link2 } from '@/lib/icons'
-import { mediaExternalUrl } from '@/lib/media'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { notifyError } from '@/store/notifications'
 import type { SessionInfo, SessionMessage } from '@/types/hermes'
@@ -125,12 +124,17 @@ function artifactKind(value: string): ArtifactKind {
 }
 
 function artifactHref(value: string): string {
-  if (value.startsWith('http://') || value.startsWith('https://') || value.startsWith('data:')) {
+  if (
+    value.startsWith('http://') ||
+    value.startsWith('https://') ||
+    value.startsWith('file://') ||
+    value.startsWith('data:')
+  ) {
     return value
   }
 
-  if (value.startsWith('file://') || value.startsWith('/')) {
-    return mediaExternalUrl(value)
+  if (value.startsWith('/')) {
+    return `file://${encodeURI(value)}`
   }
 
   return value
@@ -384,8 +388,8 @@ export function ArtifactsView({ setStatusbarItemGroup: _setStatusbarItemGroup, .
     setRefreshing(true)
 
     try {
-      const sessions = (await listAllProfileSessions(30, 1)).sessions
-      const results = await Promise.allSettled(sessions.map(session => getSessionMessages(session.id, session.profile)))
+      const sessions = (await listSessions(30, 1)).sessions
+      const results = await Promise.allSettled(sessions.map(session => getSessionMessages(session.id)))
       const nextArtifacts: ArtifactRecord[] = []
 
       results.forEach((result, index) => {

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/completion-drawer.tsx

@@ -2,21 +2,25 @@ import type { Unstable_TriggerAdapter } from '@assistant-ui/core'
 import { ComposerPrimitive } from '@assistant-ui/react'
 import type { ReactNode } from 'react'
 
-import { composerFusedDockCard } from '@/components/chat/composer-dock'
-import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
+export const COMPLETION_DRAWER_CLASS = [
+  'absolute bottom-[calc(100%+0.375rem)] left-0 z-50',
+  'w-80 max-w-[calc(100vw-2rem)]',
+  'max-h-[min(22rem,calc(100vh-8rem))] overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain',
+  'rounded-xl border border-(--ui-stroke-secondary)',
+  'bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--ui-bg-elevated)_97%,transparent)]',
+  'p-1 text-xs text-popover-foreground shadow-lg',
+  'backdrop-blur-md'
+].join(' ')
 
-// Same docked chrome as the queue/status stack, but its own thing: a narrow,
-// left-aligned card (not full width) that fuses to the composer's edge instead
-// of floating above it. `left-1` matches the stack's `mx-1` inset; the negative
-// margin overlaps the seam so the composer's (now-transparent) edge border reads
-// as shared. Fused (opaque) fill — the composer surface swaps to the same fill
-// while a drawer is open, so the two paint as one panel.
-const DRAWER_SHELL =
-  'absolute left-1 z-50 w-80 max-w-[calc(100%-0.5rem)] max-h-[min(22rem,calc(100vh-8rem))] overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain p-1 text-xs text-popover-foreground'
-
-export const COMPLETION_DRAWER_CLASS = cn(DRAWER_SHELL, 'bottom-full -mb-[9px]', composerFusedDockCard('top'))
-
-export const COMPLETION_DRAWER_BELOW_CLASS = cn(DRAWER_SHELL, 'top-full -mt-[9px]', composerFusedDockCard('bottom'))
+export const COMPLETION_DRAWER_BELOW_CLASS = [
+  'absolute left-0 top-[calc(100%+0.375rem)] z-50',
+  'w-80 max-w-[calc(100vw-2rem)]',
+  'max-h-[min(22rem,calc(100vh-8rem))] overflow-y-auto overscroll-contain',
+  'rounded-xl border border-(--ui-stroke-secondary)',
+  'bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--ui-bg-elevated)_97%,transparent)]',
+  'p-1 text-xs text-popover-foreground shadow-lg',
+  'backdrop-blur-md'
+].join(' ')
 
 export function ComposerCompletionDrawer({
   adapter,

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/context-menu.tsx

@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ import {
   DropdownMenuSeparator,
   DropdownMenuTrigger
 } from '@/components/ui/dropdown-menu'
-import { Kbd } from '@/components/ui/kbd'
 import { useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { Clipboard, FileText, FolderOpen, type IconComponent, ImageIcon, Link, MessageSquareText } from '@/lib/icons'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
@@ -87,7 +86,7 @@ export function ContextMenu({
 
           <div className="px-2 py-1 text-[0.7rem] text-muted-foreground/80">
             {c.tipPre}
-            <Kbd size="sm">@</Kbd>
+            <kbd className="rounded bg-muted/70 px-1 py-px font-mono text-[0.65rem]">@</kbd>
             {c.tipPost}
           </div>
         </DropdownMenuContent>

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/controls.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import { Codicon } from '@/components/ui/codicon'
-import { KbdCombo } from '@/components/ui/kbd'
 import { Tip } from '@/components/ui/tooltip'
 import { useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { triggerHaptic } from '@/lib/haptics'
@@ -9,7 +8,6 @@ import { formatCombo } from '@/lib/keybinds/combo'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 
 import type { ConversationStatus } from './hooks/use-voice-conversation'
-import { ModelPill } from './model-pill'
 import type { ChatBarState, VoiceStatus } from './types'
 
 export const ICON_BTN = 'size-(--composer-control-size) shrink-0 rounded-md'
@@ -65,15 +63,7 @@ export function ComposerControls({
 }) {
   const { t } = useI18n()
   const c = t.composer
-  const steerCombo = formatCombo('mod+enter')
-  const steerLabel = `${c.steer} (${steerCombo})`
-
-  const steerTip = (
-    <span className="inline-flex items-center gap-1.5">
-      {c.steer}
-      <KbdCombo combo="mod+enter" size="sm" variant="inverted" />
-    </span>
-  )
+  const steerLabel = `${c.steer} (${formatCombo('mod+enter')})`
 
   if (conversation.active) {
     return <ConversationPill {...conversation} disabled={disabled} />
@@ -83,11 +73,9 @@ export function ComposerControls({
 
   return (
     <div className="ml-auto flex shrink-0 items-center gap-(--composer-control-gap)">
-      <ModelPill disabled={disabled} model={state.model} />
-      {/* While the agent runs and the user is typing, steer takes over the mic's
-          slot rather than crowding the row with an extra button. */}
-      {canSteer ? (
-        <Tip label={steerTip}>
+      <DictationButton disabled={disabled} onToggle={onDictate} state={state.voice} status={voiceStatus} />
+      {canSteer && (
+        <Tip label={steerLabel}>
           <Button
             aria-label={steerLabel}
             className={GHOST_ICON_BTN}
@@ -100,8 +88,6 @@ export function ComposerControls({
             <SteeringWheel size={16} />
           </Button>
         </Tip>
-      ) : (
-        <DictationButton disabled={disabled} onToggle={onDictate} state={state.voice} status={voiceStatus} />
       )}
       {showVoicePrimary ? (
         <Tip label={c.startVoice}>

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/enter-submit-dom-race.test.tsx

@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ afterEach(cleanup)
 // state stays stale while the DOM already holds the text.
 function Harness({
   busy = false,
-  disabled = false,
   queued = [],
   onSubmit,
   onQueue,
@@ -32,7 +31,6 @@ function Harness({
   onDrain
 }: {
   busy?: boolean
-  disabled?: boolean
   queued?: readonly string[]
   onSubmit: (text: string) => void
   onQueue: (text: string) => void
@@ -54,10 +52,6 @@ function Harness({
   }
 
   const submitDraft = () => {
-    if (disabled) {
-      return
-    }
-
     const editor = editorRef.current
     if (editor) {
       const domText = composerPlainText(editor)
@@ -90,10 +84,6 @@ function Harness({
       const editorText = editorRef.current ? composerPlainText(editorRef.current) : draftRef.current
       const hasLivePayload = editorText.trim().length > 0 || attachments.length > 0
 
-      if (disabled) {
-        return
-      }
-
       if (!busy && !hasLivePayload && queued.length > 0) {
         onDrain()
 
@@ -196,23 +186,4 @@ describe('composer Enter submit — live DOM vs stale composer state (#39630)',
     expect(onDrain).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
     expect(onSubmit).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
-
-  it('keeps reconnect drafts editable but blocks Enter submit until the gateway returns', async () => {
-    const onSubmit = vi.fn()
-    const onDrain = vi.fn()
-    const { getByTestId } = render(
-      <Harness disabled onCancel={vi.fn()} onDrain={onDrain} onQueue={vi.fn()} onSubmit={onSubmit} queued={['queued-1']} />
-    )
-    const editor = getByTestId('editor')
-
-    await act(async () => {
-      editor.textContent = 'draft while reconnecting'
-      fireEvent.input(editor)
-      fireEvent.keyDown(editor, { key: 'Enter' })
-    })
-
-    expect(editor.textContent).toBe('draft while reconnecting')
-    expect(onDrain).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(onSubmit).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-  })
 })

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/focus.ts

@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
  * steal focus from the composer effect.
  */
 
-import { RICH_INPUT_SLOT } from './rich-editor'
 import type { InlineRefInput } from './inline-refs'
 
 export type ComposerTarget = 'edit' | 'main'
@@ -124,12 +123,3 @@ export const focusComposerInput = (el: HTMLElement | null) => {
   window.requestAnimationFrame(focus)
   window.setTimeout(focus, 0)
 }
-
-/** Drop focus from the main composer input (status-stack chrome, sidebar, etc.). */
-export const blurComposerInput = () => {
-  const el = document.querySelector(`[data-slot="${RICH_INPUT_SLOT}"]`) as HTMLElement | null
-
-  if (el && document.activeElement === el) {
-    el.blur()
-  }
-}

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/help-hint.tsx

@@ -1,23 +1,11 @@
 import type { ReactNode } from 'react'
 
-import { KbdCombo } from '@/components/ui/kbd'
 import { useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 
 import { COMPLETION_DRAWER_CLASS } from './completion-drawer'
 
 const COMMON_COMMAND_KEYS = ['/help', '/clear', '/resume', '/details', '/copy', '/quit']
-
-/** Stable ids → i18n `hotkeyDescs` keys. Combos resolve mod labels per OS. */
-const COMPOSER_HOTKEY_ROWS = [
-  { id: 'composer.mention', combos: ['@'] },
-  { id: 'composer.slash', combos: ['/'] },
-  { id: 'composer.help', combos: ['?'] },
-  { id: 'composer.sendNewline', combos: ['enter', 'shift+enter'] },
-  { id: 'composer.sendQueued', combos: ['mod+shift+k'] },
-  { id: 'keybinds.openPanel', combos: ['mod+/'] },
-  { id: 'composer.cancel', combos: ['escape'] },
-  { id: 'composer.history', combos: ['up', 'down'] }
-] as const
+const HOTKEY_KEYS = ['@', '/', '?', 'Enter', 'Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+K', 'Cmd/Ctrl+/', 'Esc', '↑ / ↓']
 
 export function HelpHint() {
   const { t } = useI18n()
@@ -32,8 +20,8 @@ export function HelpHint() {
       </Section>
 
       <Section title={c.hotkeys}>
-        {COMPOSER_HOTKEY_ROWS.map(row => (
-          <HotkeyRow description={c.hotkeyDescs[row.id] ?? ''} combos={[...row.combos]} key={row.id} />
+        {HOTKEY_KEYS.map(key => (
+          <Row description={c.hotkeyDescs[key] ?? ''} key={key} keyLabel={key} />
         ))}
       </Section>
 
@@ -69,16 +57,3 @@ function Row({ description, keyLabel, mono = false }: { description: string; key
     </div>
   )
 }
-
-function HotkeyRow({ combos, description }: { combos: string[]; description: string }) {
-  return (
-    <div className="flex min-w-0 items-center gap-2 rounded-md px-2.5 py-1 text-xs">
-      <span className="flex shrink-0 items-center gap-1">
-        {combos.map(combo => (
-          <KbdCombo combo={combo} key={combo} size="sm" />
-        ))}
-      </span>
-      <span className="min-w-0 truncate text-muted-foreground/80">{description}</span>
-    </div>
-  )
-}

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/index.tsx

@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import {
 } from 'react'
 
 import { hermesDirectiveFormatter, type SlashChipKind } from '@/components/assistant-ui/directive-text'
-import { composerFill, composerSurfaceGlass } from '@/components/chat/composer-dock'
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
 import { useMediaQuery } from '@/hooks/use-media-query'
 import { useResizeObserver } from '@/hooks/use-resize-observer'
@@ -43,16 +42,12 @@ import {
 import {
   $queuedPromptsBySession,
   enqueueQueuedPrompt,
-  MAX_AUTO_DRAIN_ATTEMPTS,
-  migrateQueuedPrompts,
   promoteQueuedPrompt,
   type QueuedPromptEntry,
   removeQueuedPrompt,
-  shouldAutoDrain,
+  shouldAutoDrainOnSettle,
   updateQueuedPrompt
 } from '@/store/composer-queue'
-import { $statusItemsBySession } from '@/store/composer-status'
-import { notify } from '@/store/notifications'
 import { $gatewayState, $messages, setSessionPickerOpen } from '@/store/session'
 import { $threadScrolledUp } from '@/store/thread-scroll'
 import { useTheme } from '@/themes'
@@ -85,16 +80,12 @@ import {
 import { QueuePanel } from './queue-panel'
 import {
   composerPlainText,
-  deleteSelectionInEditor,
-  insertPlainTextAtCaret,
-  normalizeComposerEditorDom,
   placeCaretEnd,
   refChipElement,
   renderComposerContents,
   RICH_INPUT_SLOT,
   slashChipElement
 } from './rich-editor'
-import { ComposerStatusStack } from './status-stack'
 import { detectTrigger, extractClipboardImageBlobs, textBeforeCaret, type TriggerState } from './text-utils'
 import { ComposerTriggerPopover } from './trigger-popover'
 import type { ChatBarProps } from './types'
@@ -137,12 +128,6 @@ function slashChipKindForItem(item: Unstable_TriggerItem): SlashChipKind {
   return 'command'
 }
 
-/** A `/` query is at its arg stage once it's past the command name. */
-const slashArgStage = (query: string) => query.includes(' ')
-
-/** The `/command` token of a slash query (`personality x` → `/personality`). */
-const slashCommandToken = (query: string) => `/${query.split(/\s+/, 1)[0]?.toLowerCase() ?? ''}`
-
 interface QueueEditState {
   attachments: ComposerAttachment[]
   draft: string
@@ -183,8 +168,8 @@ export function ChatBar({
   const draft = useAuiState(s => s.composer.text)
   const attachments = useStore($composerAttachments)
   const queuedPromptsBySession = useStore($queuedPromptsBySession)
-  const statusItemsBySession = useStore($statusItemsBySession)
   const scrolledUp = useStore($threadScrolledUp)
+  const sessionMessages = useStore($messages)
   const activeQueueSessionKey = queueSessionKey || sessionId || null
 
   const queuedPrompts = useMemo(
@@ -192,29 +177,15 @@ export function ChatBar({
     [activeQueueSessionKey, queuedPromptsBySession]
   )
 
-  // Status items (subagents, background processes) are keyed by the RUNTIME
-  // session id — gateway events and process.list both speak that id. Only the
-  // queue uses the stored-session fallback key (prompts can queue pre-resume).
-  const statusSessionId = sessionId ?? null
-
-  const statusStackVisible = useMemo(
-    () =>
-      queuedPrompts.length > 0 || (statusSessionId ? (statusItemsBySession[statusSessionId]?.length ?? 0) > 0 : false),
-    [queuedPrompts.length, statusItemsBySession, statusSessionId]
-  )
-
   const composerRef = useRef<HTMLFormElement | null>(null)
   const composerSurfaceRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null)
   const editorRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null)
   const draftRef = useRef(draft)
+  const previousBusyRef = useRef(busy)
   const pendingDraftPersistRef = useRef<{ scope: string | null; text: string } | null>(null)
   const activeQueueSessionKeyRef = useRef(activeQueueSessionKey)
   activeQueueSessionKeyRef.current = activeQueueSessionKey
-  const prevQueueKeyRef = useRef(activeQueueSessionKey)
   const drainingQueueRef = useRef(false)
-  // Per-entry auto-drain failure counts; bounds retries so a persistent 404
-  // can't spin-loop. Cleared on success; reset naturally on remount/reconnect.
-  const drainFailuresRef = useRef(new Map<string, number>())
   const urlInputRef = useRef<HTMLInputElement | null>(null)
 
   const [urlOpen, setUrlOpen] = useState(false)
@@ -255,8 +226,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
   const gatewayState = useStore($gatewayState)
   const newSessionPlaceholders = t.composer.newSessionPlaceholders
   const followUpPlaceholders = t.composer.followUpPlaceholders
-  const reconnecting = gatewayState === 'closed' || gatewayState === 'error'
-  const inputDisabled = disabled && !reconnecting
 
   // Resting placeholder: a starter for brand-new sessions, a continuation for
   // existing ones. Picked once and only re-rolled when we genuinely move to a
@@ -287,13 +256,11 @@ export function ChatBar({
     setRestingPlaceholder(pickPlaceholder(sessionId ? followUpPlaceholders : newSessionPlaceholders))
   }, [followUpPlaceholders, newSessionPlaceholders, sessionId])
 
-  // When the transport is disabled it's because the gateway isn't open.
-  // Distinguish a cold start ("Starting Hermes...") from a dropped connection
-  // we're trying to restore. During reconnect, keep the textbox editable so a
-  // flaky network doesn't block drafting; only submit/backend actions stay
-  // disabled until the gateway is open again.
+  // When the bar is disabled it's because the gateway isn't open. Distinguish a
+  // cold start ("Starting Hermes...") from a dropped connection we're trying to
+  // restore (e.g. after the Mac slept) so the stuck state reads as recoverable.
   const placeholder = disabled
-    ? reconnecting
+    ? gatewayState === 'closed' || gatewayState === 'error'
       ? t.composer.placeholderReconnecting
       : t.composer.placeholderStarting
     : restingPlaceholder
@@ -335,13 +302,13 @@ export function ChatBar({
   )
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (!inputDisabled) {
+    if (!disabled) {
       focusInput()
     }
-  }, [focusInput, focusKey, focusRequestId, inputDisabled])
+  }, [disabled, focusInput, focusKey, focusRequestId])
 
   useEffect(() => {
-    if (inputDisabled) {
+    if (disabled) {
       return undefined
     }
 
@@ -361,7 +328,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
       offFocus()
       offInsert()
     }
-  }, [appendExternalText, inputDisabled])
+  }, [appendExternalText, disabled])
 
   // Keep draftRef in sync with the assistant-ui composer state for callers
   // that read the latest text outside the React render cycle. We don't push
@@ -540,90 +507,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
     })
   }, [])
 
-  const [trigger, setTrigger] = useState<TriggerState | null>(null)
-  const [triggerActive, setTriggerActive] = useState(0)
-  const [triggerItems, setTriggerItems] = useState<readonly Unstable_TriggerItem[]>([])
-  // Set synchronously in keydown when the open trigger popover consumes a
-  // navigation/control key (Arrow/Enter/Tab/Escape). The subsequent keyup must
-  // NOT run refreshTrigger for that keypress: it never edits text, and for
-  // Escape the keydown has already set trigger=null, so a keyup refresh would
-  // re-detect the still-present `/` and instantly reopen the menu. A ref is
-  // used instead of reading `trigger` in keyup because by keyup time React has
-  // re-rendered and the handler closure sees the post-keydown state.
-  const triggerKeyConsumedRef = useRef(false)
-
-  const refreshTrigger = useCallback(() => {
-    const editor = editorRef.current
-
-    if (!editor) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    // Fast-bail: if neither `@` nor `/` appears in the current draft, there's
-    // nothing for `detectTrigger` to match. Use `textContent` (cheap browser-
-    // native walk) for the precondition check rather than `composerPlainText`
-    // (recursive child walk with chip-aware logic). Only when a trigger char
-    // is present do we pay the cost of the full walk + DOM range work.
-    const rawText = editor.textContent ?? ''
-
-    if (!rawText.includes('@') && !rawText.includes('/')) {
-      if (trigger) {
-        setTrigger(null)
-        setTriggerActive(0)
-      }
-
-      return
-    }
-
-    const before = textBeforeCaret(editor)
-    const found = detectTrigger(before ?? composerPlainText(editor))
-
-    // The arg-stage popover is only useful for commands with an options screen.
-    // For a no-arg command it would dead-end on "No matches", so drop it — the
-    // directive is already complete.
-    const detected =
-      found?.kind === '/' && slashArgStage(found.query) && !desktopSlashCommandTakesArgs(slashCommandToken(found.query))
-        ? null
-        : found
-
-    setTrigger(detected)
-
-    // Only reset the highlight when the trigger actually changed (opened, or
-    // the query/kind differs). Re-detecting the *same* trigger — e.g. on a
-    // caret move (mouseup) or a stray refresh — must preserve the user's
-    // current selection instead of snapping back to the first item.
-    if (detected?.kind !== trigger?.kind || detected?.query !== trigger?.query) {
-      setTriggerActive(0)
-    }
-  }, [trigger])
-
-  // Pull the live contentEditable text into draftRef + the AUI composer state
-  // (which drives `hasComposerPayload` → the send button). Shared by the input
-  // and compositionend paths so committed IME text reaches state through either.
-  const flushEditorToDraft = (editor: HTMLDivElement) => {
-    normalizeComposerEditorDom(editor)
-
-    const nextDraft = composerPlainText(editor)
-
-    if (nextDraft !== draftRef.current) {
-      draftRef.current = nextDraft
-      aui.composer().setText(nextDraft)
-    }
-
-    window.setTimeout(refreshTrigger, 0)
-  }
-
-  const handleEditorInput = (event: FormEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
-    // During IME composition the DOM contains uncommitted preedit text
-    // mixed with real content.  Skip state writes — compositionend flushes
-    // the finalized text (see onCompositionEnd).
-    if (composingRef.current) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    flushEditorToDraft(event.currentTarget)
-  }
-
   const handlePaste = (event: ClipboardEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
     const imageBlobs = extractClipboardImageBlobs(event.clipboardData)
 
@@ -660,7 +543,87 @@ export function ChatBar({
     }
 
     event.preventDefault()
-    insertPlainTextAtCaret(event.currentTarget, pastedText)
+    document.execCommand('insertText', false, pastedText)
+    const nextDraft = composerPlainText(event.currentTarget)
+    draftRef.current = nextDraft
+    aui.composer().setText(nextDraft)
+  }
+
+  const [trigger, setTrigger] = useState<TriggerState | null>(null)
+  const [triggerActive, setTriggerActive] = useState(0)
+  const [triggerItems, setTriggerItems] = useState<readonly Unstable_TriggerItem[]>([])
+  // Set synchronously in keydown when the open trigger popover consumes a
+  // navigation/control key (Arrow/Enter/Tab/Escape). The subsequent keyup must
+  // NOT run refreshTrigger for that keypress: it never edits text, and for
+  // Escape the keydown has already set trigger=null, so a keyup refresh would
+  // re-detect the still-present `/` and instantly reopen the menu. A ref is
+  // used instead of reading `trigger` in keyup because by keyup time React has
+  // re-rendered and the handler closure sees the post-keydown state.
+  const triggerKeyConsumedRef = useRef(false)
+
+  const refreshTrigger = useCallback(() => {
+    const editor = editorRef.current
+
+    if (!editor) {
+      return
+    }
+
+    // Fast-bail: if neither `@` nor `/` appears in the current draft, there's
+    // nothing for `detectTrigger` to match. Use `textContent` (cheap browser-
+    // native walk) for the precondition check rather than `composerPlainText`
+    // (recursive child walk with chip-aware logic). Only when a trigger char
+    // is present do we pay the cost of the full walk + DOM range work.
+    const rawText = editor.textContent ?? ''
+
+    if (!rawText.includes('@') && !rawText.includes('/')) {
+      if (trigger) {
+        setTrigger(null)
+        setTriggerActive(0)
+      }
+
+      return
+    }
+
+    const before = textBeforeCaret(editor)
+    const detected = detectTrigger(before ?? composerPlainText(editor))
+
+    setTrigger(detected)
+
+    // Only reset the highlight when the trigger actually changed (opened, or
+    // the query/kind differs). Re-detecting the *same* trigger — e.g. on a
+    // caret move (mouseup) or a stray refresh — must preserve the user's
+    // current selection instead of snapping back to the first item.
+    if (detected?.kind !== trigger?.kind || detected?.query !== trigger?.query) {
+      setTriggerActive(0)
+    }
+  }, [trigger])
+
+  // Pull the live contentEditable text into draftRef + the AUI composer state
+  // (which drives `hasComposerPayload` → the send button). Shared by the input
+  // and compositionend paths so committed IME text reaches state through either.
+  const flushEditorToDraft = (editor: HTMLDivElement) => {
+    if (editor.childNodes.length === 1 && editor.firstChild?.nodeName === 'BR') {
+      editor.replaceChildren()
+    }
+
+    const nextDraft = composerPlainText(editor)
+
+    if (nextDraft !== draftRef.current) {
+      draftRef.current = nextDraft
+      aui.composer().setText(nextDraft)
+    }
+
+    window.setTimeout(refreshTrigger, 0)
+  }
+
+  const handleEditorInput = (event: FormEvent<HTMLDivElement>) => {
+    // During IME composition the DOM contains uncommitted preedit text
+    // mixed with real content.  Skip state writes — compositionend flushes
+    // the finalized text (see onCompositionEnd).
+    if (composingRef.current) {
+      return
+    }
+
     flushEditorToDraft(event.currentTarget)
   }
 
@@ -679,12 +642,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
 
   const triggerLoading = trigger?.kind === '@' ? at.loading : trigger?.kind === '/' ? slash.loading : false
 
-  // Suppress the "No matches" empty state once a slash command is past its name:
-  // a no-arg command has nothing to offer, and a fully-typed arg commits on
-  // Space/Tab — neither should dead-end on a popover.
-  const argStageEmpty =
-    trigger?.kind === '/' && slashArgStage(trigger.query) && !triggerLoading && !triggerItems.length
-
   const closeTrigger = () => {
     setTrigger(null)
     setTriggerItems([])
@@ -695,25 +652,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
     setTriggerActive(idx => Math.min(idx, Math.max(0, triggerItems.length - 1)))
   }, [triggerItems.length])
 
-  // Commit the literally-typed `/command arg` as a directive chip — used when
-  // the completion list is empty because the arg is already fully typed (the
-  // backend completer drops exact matches). Reuses the chip path via a
-  // synthetic item whose serialized form is the verbatim text.
-  const commitTypedSlashDirective = () => {
-    if (trigger?.kind !== '/') {
-      return
-    }
-
-    const text = `/${trigger.query.trimEnd()}`
-
-    replaceTriggerWithChip({
-      id: text,
-      type: 'slash',
-      label: text.slice(1),
-      metadata: { command: slashCommandToken(trigger.query), display: text, meta: '', group: '', action: '', rawText: text }
-    })
-  }
-
   const replaceTriggerWithChip = (item: Unstable_TriggerItem) => {
     const editor = editorRef.current
 
@@ -750,7 +688,8 @@ export function ChatBar({
     // already an arg pick (`/personality alice`), so it commits normally.
     const command = (item.metadata as { command?: string } | undefined)?.command ?? ''
 
-    const expandsToArgs = trigger.kind === '/' && !serialized.includes(' ') && desktopSlashCommandTakesArgs(command)
+    const expandsToArgs =
+      trigger.kind === '/' && !serialized.includes(' ') && desktopSlashCommandTakesArgs(command)
 
     const text = starter || serialized.endsWith(' ') ? serialized : `${serialized} `
     const directive = !starter && serialized.match(/^@([^:]+):(.+)$/)
@@ -832,18 +771,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
       return
     }
 
-    // Non-collapsed Backspace/Delete: native selection-delete is ~O(n²) on large
-    // drafts (Ctrl+A → Delete froze ~1.3s). Collapsed carets fall through.
-    if (
-      (event.key === 'Backspace' || event.key === 'Delete') &&
-      deleteSelectionInEditor(event.currentTarget)
-    ) {
-      event.preventDefault()
-      flushEditorToDraft(event.currentTarget)
-
-      return
-    }
-
     // Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+K drains the next queued message. Plain Cmd/Ctrl+K is
     // reserved for the global command palette.
     if ((event.metaKey || event.ctrlKey) && !event.altKey && event.shiftKey && event.key.toLowerCase() === 'k') {
@@ -873,15 +800,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
         return
       }
 
-      // Enter / Tab / Space all accept the highlighted item: a no-arg command
-      // commits its directive chip, an arg-taking command expands to its
-      // options step, and an arg option commits the full `/cmd arg` chip. Space
-      // is slash-only (an `@` mention takes a literal space) and gated to a
-      // non-empty query so a bare `/ ` still types a space.
-      const acceptOnSpace = event.key === ' ' && trigger.kind === '/' && Boolean(trigger.query.trim())
-      const accept = event.key === 'Enter' || event.key === 'Tab' || acceptOnSpace
-
-      if (accept) {
+      if (event.key === 'Enter' || event.key === 'Tab') {
         event.preventDefault()
         triggerKeyConsumedRef.current = true
         const item = triggerItems[triggerActive]
@@ -902,24 +821,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
       }
     }
 
-    // Arg stage with nothing left to suggest — a fully-typed arg the backend
-    // completer no longer echoes (it drops the exact match), e.g.
-    // `/personality creative`. Space/Tab still commit what's typed as a single
-    // directive chip; Enter falls through to submit (send it as-is).
-    if (
-      trigger?.kind === '/' &&
-      !triggerItems.length &&
-      (event.key === ' ' || event.key === 'Tab') &&
-      slashArgStage(trigger.query) &&
-      trigger.query.trim()
-    ) {
-      event.preventDefault()
-      triggerKeyConsumedRef.current = true
-      commitTypedSlashDirective()
-
-      return
-    }
-
     // ArrowUp/ArrowDown navigate, in priority order: the queue (edit entries in
     // place) then sent-message history. The history ring is derived from live
     // session messages each press — single source of truth, no mirror.
@@ -952,9 +853,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
       event.preventDefault()
       triggerKeyConsumedRef.current = true
 
-      // $messages is read imperatively (not subscribed) so the composer
-      // doesn't re-render on every streaming delta flush.
-      const history = deriveUserHistory($messages.get(), chatMessageText)
+      const history = deriveUserHistory(sessionMessages, chatMessageText)
       const entry = browseBackward(sessionId, currentDraft, history)
 
       if (entry !== null) {
@@ -979,7 +878,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
         event.preventDefault()
         triggerKeyConsumedRef.current = true
 
-        const history = deriveUserHistory($messages.get(), chatMessageText)
+        const history = deriveUserHistory(sessionMessages, chatMessageText)
         const result = browseForward(sessionId, history)
 
         if (result !== null) {
@@ -1015,10 +914,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
       const editorText = editorRef.current ? composerPlainText(editorRef.current) : draftRef.current
       const hasLivePayload = editorText.trim().length > 0 || attachments.length > 0
 
-      if (disabled) {
-        return
-      }
-
       if (!busy && !hasLivePayload && queuedPrompts.length > 0) {
         void drainNextQueued()
 
@@ -1218,8 +1113,11 @@ export function ChatBar({
     }
   }
 
-  const stashAt = (scope: string | null, text = draftRef.current, attachments = $composerAttachments.get()) =>
-    stashSessionDraft(scope, text, attachments)
+  const stashAt = (
+    scope: string | null,
+    text = draftRef.current,
+    attachments = $composerAttachments.get()
+  ) => stashSessionDraft(scope, text, attachments)
 
   // Per-thread draft swap — the composer's only session coupling. Lifecycle
   // never clears composer state; this effect alone stashes on leave, restores
@@ -1417,7 +1315,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
           return false
         }
 
-        drainFailuresRef.current.delete(entry.id)
         removeQueuedPrompt(activeQueueSessionKey, entry.id)
         resetBrowseState(sessionId)
 
@@ -1429,17 +1326,16 @@ export function ChatBar({
     [activeQueueSessionKey, onSubmit, queuedPrompts, sessionId]
   )
 
-  const pickDrainHead = useCallback(
-    (entries: QueuedPromptEntry[]) => {
-      const skip = queueEditRef.current?.entryId
+  const drainNextQueued = useCallback(
+    () =>
+      runDrain(entries => {
+        const skip = queueEdit?.entryId
 
-      return skip ? entries.find(e => e.id !== skip) : entries[0]
-    },
-    [] // reads the edit id off a ref so the lock-holder always sees the latest
+        return skip ? entries.find(e => e.id !== skip) : entries[0]
+      }),
+    [queueEdit, runDrain]
   )
 
-  const drainNextQueued = useCallback(() => runDrain(pickDrainHead), [pickDrainHead, runDrain])
-
   const sendQueuedNow = useCallback(
     (id: string) => {
       if (!activeQueueSessionKey || id === queueEdit?.entryId) {
@@ -1457,76 +1353,30 @@ export function ChatBar({
         return true
       }
 
-      // A manual send clears the auto-drain backoff so a stuck entry the user
-      // taps gets a fresh attempt (and re-enables auto-retry on success).
-      drainFailuresRef.current.delete(id)
-
       return runDrain(entries => entries.find(e => e.id === id))
     },
     [activeQueueSessionKey, busy, onCancel, queueEdit, runDrain]
   )
 
-  // Edge-independent auto-drain: send the head whenever the session is idle and
-  // the queue is non-empty, bounding retries so a thrown/rejected onSubmit (e.g.
-  // a stale-session 404) can't strand the entry permanently nor spin-loop. The
-  // drain lock serializes sends; a remount/reconnect resets the failure counts.
-  const autoDrainNext = useCallback(() => {
-    if (busy || drainingQueueRef.current || !activeQueueSessionKey) {
-      return
-    }
+  // Auto-drain on busy → false (turn settled). Queued turns always flow once
+  // the session is idle again — whether the turn finished naturally or the
+  // user interrupted it. Interrupting to reach a queued message is the whole
+  // point of the queue, so we never suppress the drain. To cancel queued
+  // turns, the user deletes them from the panel.
+  useEffect(() => {
+    const wasBusy = previousBusyRef.current
+    previousBusyRef.current = busy
 
-    const entry = pickDrainHead(queuedPrompts)
-
-    if (!entry || (drainFailuresRef.current.get(entry.id) ?? 0) >= MAX_AUTO_DRAIN_ATTEMPTS) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    const onFail = () => {
-      const fails = (drainFailuresRef.current.get(entry.id) ?? 0) + 1
-      drainFailuresRef.current.set(entry.id, fails)
-
-      if (fails >= MAX_AUTO_DRAIN_ATTEMPTS) {
-        notify({
-          id: 'composer-queue-stuck',
-          kind: 'error',
-          title: t.composer.queueStuckTitle,
-          message: t.composer.queueStuckBody
-        })
-      }
-    }
-
-    void runDrain(() => entry)
-      .then(sent => {
-        if (!sent) {
-          onFail()
-        }
+    if (
+      shouldAutoDrainOnSettle({
+        isBusy: busy,
+        queueLength: queuedPrompts.length,
+        wasBusy
       })
-      .catch(onFail)
-  }, [activeQueueSessionKey, busy, pickDrainHead, queuedPrompts, runDrain, t])
-
-  // Re-key on a runtime session-id change. A stable stored id (queueSessionKey)
-  // never churns, so a change there is a real session switch and must NOT
-  // migrate; only the runtime-derived key (queueSessionKey falsy → key is
-  // sessionId) churns on a backend bounce/resume of the same conversation.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    const prev = prevQueueKeyRef.current
-    prevQueueKeyRef.current = activeQueueSessionKey
-
-    if (queueSessionKey || !prev || !activeQueueSessionKey || prev === activeQueueSessionKey) {
-      return
+    ) {
+      void drainNextQueued()
     }
-
-    migrateQueuedPrompts(prev, activeQueueSessionKey)
-  }, [activeQueueSessionKey, queueSessionKey])
-
-  // Queued turns flow whenever the session is idle — on the busy→false settle
-  // edge, on mount/reconnect, and after a re-key — so a swallowed edge can't
-  // strand them. To cancel queued turns, the user deletes them from the panel.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (shouldAutoDrain({ isBusy: busy, queueLength: queuedPrompts.length })) {
-      autoDrainNext()
-    }
-  }, [autoDrainNext, busy, queuedPrompts.length])
+  }, [busy, drainNextQueued, queuedPrompts.length])
 
   // Queue-edit cleanup: on session swap the scope effect already stashed the
   // edit snapshot; only restore into the composer when still on the same scope.
@@ -1561,10 +1411,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
   }
 
   const submitDraft = () => {
-    if (disabled) {
-      return
-    }
-
     // Source the text from the DOM editor, not React state. The AUI composer
     // state (`draft`) and the derived `hasComposerPayload` lag the DOM by a
     // render, so on fast typing or IME composition the final keystroke(s) may
@@ -1745,7 +1591,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
   const input = (
     <div className={cn('relative', stacked ? 'w-full' : 'min-w-(--composer-input-inline-min-width) flex-1')}>
       <div
-        aria-disabled={inputDisabled ? true : undefined}
         aria-label={t.composer.message}
         autoCapitalize="off"
         autoCorrect="off"
@@ -1756,7 +1601,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
           stacked && 'pl-3',
           stacked ? 'w-full' : 'min-w-(--composer-input-inline-min-width) flex-1'
         )}
-        contentEditable={!inputDisabled}
+        contentEditable={!disabled}
         data-placeholder={placeholder}
         data-slot={RICH_INPUT_SLOT}
         onBlur={() => window.setTimeout(closeTrigger, 80)}
@@ -1785,7 +1630,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
         onPaste={handlePaste}
         ref={editorRef}
         role="textbox"
-        spellCheck={false}
+        spellCheck="true"
         suppressContentEditableWarning
       />
       {/* assistant-ui requires ComposerPrimitive.Input somewhere in the tree
@@ -1804,15 +1649,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
         `asChild` swaps TextareaAutosize for a Radix Slot wrapping our
         plain <textarea>, which carries the binding but skips autosize. */}
       <ComposerPrimitive.Input asChild submitMode="ctrlEnter" tabIndex={-1} unstable_focusOnScrollToBottom={false}>
-        <textarea
-          aria-hidden
-          autoCapitalize="off"
-          autoComplete="off"
-          autoCorrect="off"
-          className="sr-only"
-          spellCheck={false}
-          tabIndex={-1}
-        />
+        <textarea aria-hidden className="sr-only" tabIndex={-1} />
       </ComposerPrimitive.Input>
     </div>
   )
@@ -1824,7 +1661,6 @@ export function ChatBar({
           className="group/composer absolute bottom-0 left-1/2 z-30 w-[min(var(--composer-width),calc(100%-2rem))] max-w-full -translate-x-1/2 rounded-2xl pt-2 pb-[var(--composer-shell-pad-block-end)]"
           data-drag-active={dragActive ? '' : undefined}
           data-slot="composer-root"
-          data-status-stack={statusStackVisible ? '' : undefined}
           data-thread-scrolled-up={scrolledUp ? '' : undefined}
           onDragEnter={handleDragEnter}
           onDragLeave={handleDragLeave}
@@ -1842,7 +1678,7 @@ export function ChatBar({
           ref={composerRef}
         >
           {showHelpHint && <HelpHint />}
-          {trigger && !argStageEmpty && (
+          {trigger && (
             <ComposerTriggerPopover
               activeIndex={triggerActive}
               items={triggerItems}
@@ -1852,30 +1688,26 @@ export function ChatBar({
               onPick={replaceTriggerWithChip}
             />
           )}
-          {/* Session-scoped status stack (todos, subagents, background tasks,
-              queue). Out of flow so it never inflates the composer's measured
-              height; it overlays the chat instead of pushing it, and publishes
-              its own --status-stack-measured-height so the thread's clearance
-              accounts for it. Collapses to nothing when every status is empty. */}
-          <ComposerStatusStack
-            queue={
-              activeQueueSessionKey && queuedPrompts.length > 0 ? (
-                <QueuePanel
-                  busy={busy}
-                  editingId={queueEdit?.entryId ?? null}
-                  entries={queuedPrompts}
-                  onDelete={id => {
-                    if (removeQueuedPrompt(activeQueueSessionKey, id) && queueEdit?.entryId === id) {
-                      exitQueuedEdit('cancel')
-                    }
-                  }}
-                  onEdit={beginQueuedEdit}
-                  onSendNow={id => void sendQueuedNow(id)}
-                />
-              ) : null
-            }
-            sessionId={statusSessionId}
-          />
+          {activeQueueSessionKey && queuedPrompts.length > 0 && (
+            // Out of flow so the queue never inflates the composer's measured
+            // height (that drives thread bottom padding → chat resizes on
+            // queue). Overlaps -mb-2 onto the surface's top border for a shared
+            // edge; capped + scrollable. Overlays the chat instead of pushing it.
+            <div className="absolute inset-x-0 bottom-full z-6 -mb-2 max-h-[40vh] overflow-y-auto">
+              <QueuePanel
+                busy={busy}
+                editingId={queueEdit?.entryId ?? null}
+                entries={queuedPrompts}
+                onDelete={id => {
+                  if (removeQueuedPrompt(activeQueueSessionKey, id) && queueEdit?.entryId === id) {
+                    exitQueuedEdit('cancel')
+                  }
+                }}
+                onEdit={beginQueuedEdit}
+                onSendNow={id => void sendQueuedNow(id)}
+              />
+            </div>
+          )}
           <div
             className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 rounded-[inherit]"
             style={{ background: COMPOSER_FADE_BACKGROUND }}
@@ -1883,8 +1715,9 @@ export function ChatBar({
           <div className="relative w-full rounded-[inherit]">
             <div
               className={cn(
-                'group/composer-surface relative z-4 isolate rounded-[inherit] border border-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_calc(18%*var(--composer-ring-strength)),var(--dt-input))] transition-[border-color] duration-200 ease-out focus-within:border-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_calc(45%*var(--composer-ring-strength)),transparent)]',
+                'relative z-4 isolate rounded-[inherit] border border-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_calc(18%*var(--composer-ring-strength)),var(--dt-input))] transition-[border-color] duration-200 ease-out',
                 COMPOSER_DROP_FADE_CLASS,
+                'group-focus-within/composer:border-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_calc(45%*var(--composer-ring-strength)),transparent)]',
                 'group-has-data-[state=open]/composer:border-t-transparent',
                 dragActive && COMPOSER_DROP_ACTIVE_CLASS
               )}
@@ -1895,14 +1728,20 @@ export function ChatBar({
                 aria-hidden
                 className={cn(
                   'pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 -z-10 rounded-[inherit]',
-                  composerFill,
-                  composerSurfaceGlass
+                  'bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-card)_72%,transparent)]',
+                  'backdrop-blur-[0.75rem] backdrop-saturate-[1.12]',
+                  '[-webkit-backdrop-filter:blur(0.75rem)_saturate(1.12)]',
+                  'transition-[background-color] duration-150 ease-out',
+                  'group-data-[thread-scrolled-up]/composer:bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-card)_48%,transparent)]',
+                  'group-focus-within/composer:bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-card)_85%,transparent)]'
                 )}
               />
               <div
                 className={cn(
                   'relative z-1 flex min-h-0 w-full flex-col gap-(--composer-row-gap) overflow-hidden rounded-[inherit] px-(--composer-surface-pad-x) py-(--composer-surface-pad-y) transition-opacity duration-200 ease-out',
-                  scrolledUp ? 'opacity-30 group-hover/composer:opacity-100 group-focus-within/composer-surface:opacity-100' : 'opacity-100'
+                  scrolledUp
+                    ? 'opacity-30 group-hover/composer:opacity-100 group-focus-within/composer:opacity-100'
+                    : 'opacity-100'
                 )}
                 data-slot="composer-fade"
               >
@@ -1977,8 +1816,12 @@ export function ChatBarFallback() {
           aria-hidden
           className={cn(
             'pointer-events-none absolute inset-0 -z-10 rounded-[inherit]',
-            composerFill,
-            composerSurfaceGlass
+            'bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-card)_72%,transparent)]',
+            'backdrop-blur-[0.75rem] backdrop-saturate-[1.12]',
+            '[-webkit-backdrop-filter:blur(0.75rem)_saturate(1.12)]',
+            'transition-[background-color] duration-150 ease-out',
+            'group-data-[thread-scrolled-up]/composer:bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-card)_48%,transparent)]',
+            'group-focus-within/composer:bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-card)_85%,transparent)]'
           )}
         />
       </div>

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/inline-refs.ts

@@ -3,12 +3,7 @@ import { contextPath } from '@/lib/chat-runtime'
 
 import type { DroppedFile } from '../hooks/use-composer-actions'
 
-import {
-  composerPlainText,
-  normalizeComposerEditorDom,
-  placeCaretEnd,
-  refChipElement
-} from './rich-editor'
+import { composerPlainText, escapeHtml, placeCaretEnd, refChipHtml } from './rich-editor'
 
 /** A chip to insert: a raw `@kind:value` string, or a typed value + display label. */
 export type InlineRefInput = string | { kind: string; label?: string; value: string }
@@ -94,102 +89,56 @@ export function droppedFileInlineRefs(candidates: DroppedFile[], cwd: string | n
   return candidates.map(candidate => droppedFileInlineRef(candidate, cwd)).filter((ref): ref is string => Boolean(ref))
 }
 
-function parseInlineRef(ref: InlineRefInput): { kind: string; label?: string; rawValue: string } | null {
-  if (typeof ref !== 'string') {
-    return { kind: ref.kind, label: ref.label, rawValue: ref.value }
-  }
-
-  const match = ref.match(/^@([^:]+):(.+)$/)
-
-  if (!match) {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  return { kind: match[1] || 'file', rawValue: match[2] || '' }
-}
-
-function plainTextInRange(editor: HTMLDivElement, range: Range, edge: 'after' | 'before') {
-  const slice = range.cloneRange()
-  slice.selectNodeContents(editor)
-
-  if (edge === 'before') {
-    slice.setEnd(range.startContainer, range.startOffset)
-  } else {
-    slice.setStart(range.endContainer, range.endOffset)
-  }
-
-  const container = document.createElement('div')
-  container.appendChild(slice.cloneContents())
-
-  return composerPlainText(container)
-}
-
-function buildRefFragment(
-  refs: readonly { kind: string; label?: string; rawValue: string }[],
-  { needsBeforeSpace, needsAfterSpace }: { needsAfterSpace: boolean; needsBeforeSpace: boolean }
-) {
-  const fragment = document.createDocumentFragment()
-
-  if (needsBeforeSpace) {
-    fragment.append(document.createTextNode(' '))
-  }
-
-  refs.forEach((ref, index) => {
-    if (index > 0) {
-      fragment.append(document.createTextNode(' '))
-    }
-
-    fragment.append(refChipElement(ref.kind, ref.rawValue, ref.label))
-  })
-
-  if (needsAfterSpace) {
-    fragment.append(document.createTextNode(' '))
-  }
-
-  return fragment
-}
-
 export function insertInlineRefsIntoEditor(editor: HTMLDivElement, refs: readonly InlineRefInput[]) {
-  const parsed = refs.map(parseInlineRef).filter((ref): ref is NonNullable<typeof ref> => ref !== null)
-
-  if (!parsed.length) {
+  if (!refs.length) {
     return null
   }
 
-  editor.focus({ preventScroll: true })
+  const refsHtml = refs
+    .map(ref => {
+      if (typeof ref !== 'string') {
+        return refChipHtml(ref.kind, ref.value, ref.label)
+      }
+
+      const match = ref.match(/^@([^:]+):(.+)$/)
+
+      return match ? refChipHtml(match[1], match[2]) : escapeHtml(ref)
+    })
+    .join(' ')
 
   const selection = window.getSelection()
+
   const range =
     selection?.rangeCount && editor.contains(selection.getRangeAt(0).commonAncestorContainer)
       ? selection.getRangeAt(0)
       : null
 
-  if (range && selection) {
-    const beforeText = plainTextInRange(editor, range, 'before')
-    const afterText = plainTextInRange(editor, range, 'after')
+  editor.focus({ preventScroll: true })
 
-    range.insertNode(
-      buildRefFragment(parsed, {
-        needsAfterSpace: afterText.length === 0 || !/^\s/.test(afterText),
-        needsBeforeSpace: beforeText.length > 0 && !/\s$/.test(beforeText)
-      })
-    )
-    range.collapse(false)
-    selection.removeAllRanges()
-    selection.addRange(range)
+  if (range) {
+    const beforeRange = range.cloneRange()
+    beforeRange.selectNodeContents(editor)
+    beforeRange.setEnd(range.startContainer, range.startOffset)
+    const beforeContainer = document.createElement('div')
+    beforeContainer.appendChild(beforeRange.cloneContents())
+
+    const afterRange = range.cloneRange()
+    afterRange.selectNodeContents(editor)
+    afterRange.setStart(range.endContainer, range.endOffset)
+    const afterContainer = document.createElement('div')
+    afterContainer.appendChild(afterRange.cloneContents())
+
+    const beforeText = composerPlainText(beforeContainer)
+    const afterText = composerPlainText(afterContainer)
+    const needsBeforeSpace = beforeText.length > 0 && !/\s$/.test(beforeText)
+    const needsAfterSpace = afterText.length === 0 || !/^\s/.test(afterText)
+
+    document.execCommand('insertHTML', false, `${needsBeforeSpace ? ' ' : ''}${refsHtml}${needsAfterSpace ? ' ' : ''}`)
   } else {
     const current = composerPlainText(editor)
-
-    editor.append(
-      buildRefFragment(parsed, {
-        needsAfterSpace: true,
-        needsBeforeSpace: current.length > 0 && !/\s$/.test(current)
-      })
-    )
     placeCaretEnd(editor)
+    document.execCommand('insertHTML', false, `${current && !/\s$/.test(current) ? ' ' : ''}${refsHtml} `)
   }
 
-  normalizeComposerEditorDom(editor)
-
   return composerPlainText(editor)
 }

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/model-pill.tsx

@@ -1,86 +0,0 @@
-import { useStore } from '@nanostores/react'
-import { useState } from 'react'
-
-import { ModelMenuCloseContext } from '@/app/shell/model-menu-panel'
-import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
-import { DropdownMenu, DropdownMenuContent, DropdownMenuTrigger } from '@/components/ui/dropdown-menu'
-import { GlyphSpinner } from '@/components/ui/glyph-spinner'
-import { useI18n } from '@/i18n'
-import { ChevronDown } from '@/lib/icons'
-import { formatModelStatusLabel } from '@/lib/model-status-label'
-import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
-import {
-  $currentFastMode,
-  $currentModel,
-  $currentProvider,
-  $currentReasoningEffort,
-  setModelPickerOpen
-} from '@/store/session'
-
-import type { ChatBarState } from './types'
-
-const PILL = cn(
-  'h-(--composer-control-size) max-w-40 shrink-0 gap-1 rounded-md px-2 text-xs font-normal',
-  'text-(--ui-text-tertiary) hover:bg-(--chrome-action-hover) hover:text-foreground'
-)
-
-/**
- * Composer model selector — the relocated status-bar pill. Reuses the live
- * `model.options` dropdown (`modelMenuContent`) verbatim; falls back to the
- * full picker when the gateway is closed and no live menu exists.
- */
-export function ModelPill({ disabled, model }: { disabled: boolean; model: ChatBarState['model'] }) {
-  const copy = useI18n().t.shell.statusbar
-  const currentModel = useStore($currentModel)
-  const currentProvider = useStore($currentProvider)
-  const fastMode = useStore($currentFastMode)
-  const reasoningEffort = useStore($currentReasoningEffort)
-  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)
-
-  // The model resolves a beat after the gateway/session comes up. Rather than
-  // flash a literal "No model", show a quiet loader (inherits the pill text
-  // color at half opacity) until a model lands.
-  const label = (
-    <>
-      {currentModel.trim() ? (
-        <span className="truncate">{formatModelStatusLabel(currentModel, { fastMode, reasoningEffort })}</span>
-      ) : (
-        <GlyphSpinner className="opacity-50" spinner="braille" />
-      )}
-      <ChevronDown className="size-2.5 shrink-0 opacity-50" />
-    </>
-  )
-
-  const title = currentProvider ? copy.modelTitle(currentProvider, currentModel || copy.modelNone) : copy.switchModel
-
-  if (!model.modelMenuContent) {
-    return (
-      <Button
-        aria-label={copy.openModelPicker}
-        className={PILL}
-        disabled={disabled}
-        onClick={() => setModelPickerOpen(true)}
-        title={copy.openModelPicker}
-        type="button"
-        variant="ghost"
-      >
-        {label}
-      </Button>
-    )
-  }
-
-  return (
-    <DropdownMenu onOpenChange={setOpen} open={open}>
-      <DropdownMenuTrigger asChild>
-        <Button aria-label={title} className={PILL} disabled={disabled} title={title} type="button" variant="ghost">
-          {label}
-        </Button>
-      </DropdownMenuTrigger>
-      <DropdownMenuContent align="end" className="w-64 p-0" side="top" sideOffset={8}>
-        <ModelMenuCloseContext.Provider value={() => setOpen(false)}>
-          {model.modelMenuContent}
-        </ModelMenuCloseContext.Provider>
-      </DropdownMenuContent>
-    </DropdownMenu>
-  )
-}

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/queue-panel.tsx

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
-import { StatusRow } from '@/components/chat/status-row'
-import { StatusSection } from '@/components/chat/status-section'
+import { useState } from 'react'
+
 import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
+import { DisclosureCaret } from '@/components/ui/disclosure-caret'
 import { Tip } from '@/components/ui/tooltip'
 import { type Translations, useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { ArrowUp, Pencil, Trash2 } from '@/lib/icons'
@@ -22,84 +23,108 @@ const entryPreview = (entry: QueuedPromptEntry, c: Translations['composer']) =>
 export function QueuePanel({ busy, editingId, entries, onDelete, onEdit, onSendNow }: QueuePanelProps) {
   const { t } = useI18n()
   const c = t.composer
+  const [collapsed, setCollapsed] = useState(true)
 
   if (entries.length === 0) {
     return null
   }
 
   return (
-    <StatusSection label={c.queued(entries.length)}>
-      {entries.map(entry => {
-        const isEditing = editingId === entry.id
-        const attachmentsCount = entry.attachments.length
+    <div className="rounded-t-2xl border border-b-0 border-border/65 bg-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-card)_70%,transparent)] pt-0.5 pb-1 mx-1">
+      <button
+        className="flex w-full items-center gap-1.5 px-2 text-left text-[0.6rem] font-medium text-muted-foreground/92 transition-colors hover:text-foreground/90"
+        onClick={() => setCollapsed(open => !open)}
+        type="button"
+      >
+        <DisclosureCaret className="shrink-0" open={!collapsed} size="1em" />
+        <span className="truncate">{c.queued(entries.length)}</span>
+      </button>
 
-        return (
-          <StatusRow
-            className={cn(
-              'border border-transparent',
-              isEditing && 'border-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_40%,transparent)] bg-accent/25'
-            )}
-            key={entry.id}
-            trailing={
-              <>
-                <Tip label={c.queueEdit}>
-                  <Button
-                    aria-label={c.queueEdit}
-                    className="size-5 rounded-md"
-                    disabled={Boolean(editingId) && !isEditing}
-                    onClick={() => onEdit(entry)}
-                    size="icon-xs"
-                    type="button"
-                    variant="ghost"
-                  >
-                    <Pencil size={11} />
-                  </Button>
-                </Tip>
-                <Tip label={busy ? c.queueSendNext : c.queueSend}>
-                  <Button
-                    aria-label={busy ? c.queueSendNext : c.queueSend}
-                    className="size-5 rounded-md"
-                    disabled={isEditing}
-                    onClick={() => onSendNow(entry.id)}
-                    size="icon-xs"
-                    type="button"
-                    variant="ghost"
-                  >
-                    <ArrowUp size={11} />
-                  </Button>
-                </Tip>
-                <Tip label={c.queueDelete}>
-                  <Button
-                    aria-label={c.queueDelete}
-                    className="size-5 rounded-md"
-                    onClick={() => onDelete(entry.id)}
-                    size="icon-xs"
-                    type="button"
-                    variant="ghost"
-                  >
-                    <Trash2 size={11} />
-                  </Button>
-                </Tip>
-              </>
-            }
-            trailingVisible={isEditing}
-          >
-            <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
-              <p className="truncate text-[0.73rem] leading-4 text-foreground/92">{entryPreview(entry, c)}</p>
-              {(attachmentsCount > 0 || isEditing) && (
-                <div className="mt-0.5 flex items-center gap-1.5 text-[0.64rem] text-muted-foreground/75">
-                  {attachmentsCount > 0 && <span>{c.attachments(attachmentsCount)}</span>}
-                  {isEditing && (
-                    <span className="text-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_78%,var(--muted-foreground))]">
-                      {c.editingInComposer}
-                    </span>
+      {!collapsed && (
+        <div className="space-y-0.5 px-1 pb-0.5">
+          {entries.map(entry => {
+            const isEditing = editingId === entry.id
+            const attachmentsCount = entry.attachments.length
+            const sendLabel = busy ? c.sendQueuedNext : c.sendQueuedNow
+
+            return (
+              <div
+                className={cn(
+                  'group/queue-row flex items-center gap-1.5 rounded-lg border border-transparent px-1.5 py-0.5',
+                  'transition-colors duration-300 ease-out hover:bg-(--chrome-action-hover) hover:transition-none',
+                  isEditing && 'border-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_40%,transparent)] bg-accent/25'
+                )}
+                key={entry.id}
+              >
+                <span
+                  aria-hidden
+                  className="h-3.5 w-3.5 shrink-0 rounded-full border border-foreground/35 bg-transparent"
+                />
+                <div className="min-w-0 flex-1">
+                  <p className="truncate text-[0.73rem] leading-4 text-foreground/92">{entryPreview(entry, c)}</p>
+                  {(attachmentsCount > 0 || isEditing) && (
+                    <div className="mt-0.5 flex items-center gap-1.5 text-[0.64rem] text-muted-foreground/75">
+                      {attachmentsCount > 0 && <span>{c.attachments(attachmentsCount)}</span>}
+                      {isEditing && (
+                        <span className="text-[color-mix(in_srgb,var(--dt-composer-ring)_78%,var(--muted-foreground))]">
+                          {c.editingInComposer}
+                        </span>
+                      )}
+                    </div>
                   )}
                 </div>
-              )}
-            </div>
-          </StatusRow>
-        )
-      })}
-    </StatusSection>
+                <div
+                  className={cn(
+                    'flex shrink-0 items-center gap-0 transition-opacity',
+                    isEditing
+                      ? 'opacity-100'
+                      : 'opacity-0 group-hover/queue-row:opacity-100 group-focus-within/queue-row:opacity-100'
+                  )}
+                >
+                  <Tip label={c.editQueued}>
+                    <Button
+                      aria-label={c.editQueued}
+                      className="h-5 w-5 rounded-md"
+                      disabled={Boolean(editingId) && !isEditing}
+                      onClick={() => onEdit(entry)}
+                      size="icon-xs"
+                      type="button"
+                      variant="ghost"
+                    >
+                      <Pencil size={11} />
+                    </Button>
+                  </Tip>
+                  <Tip label={sendLabel}>
+                    <Button
+                      aria-label={sendLabel}
+                      className="h-5 w-5 rounded-md"
+                      disabled={isEditing}
+                      onClick={() => onSendNow(entry.id)}
+                      size="icon-xs"
+                      type="button"
+                      variant="ghost"
+                    >
+                      <ArrowUp size={11} />
+                    </Button>
+                  </Tip>
+                  <Tip label={c.deleteQueued}>
+                    <Button
+                      aria-label={c.deleteQueued}
+                      className="h-5 w-5 rounded-md"
+                      onClick={() => onDelete(entry.id)}
+                      size="icon-xs"
+                      type="button"
+                      variant="ghost"
+                    >
+                      <Trash2 size={11} />
+                    </Button>
+                  </Tip>
+                </div>
+              </div>
+            )
+          })}
+        </div>
+      )}
+    </div>
   )
 }

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/rich-editor.test.ts

@@ -1,25 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
 
-import { insertInlineRefsIntoEditor } from './inline-refs'
-import {
-  composerPlainText,
-  deleteSelectionInEditor,
-  insertPlainTextAtCaret,
-  normalizeComposerEditorDom,
-  refChipElement,
-  renderComposerContents,
-  RICH_INPUT_SLOT
-} from './rich-editor'
-
-const caretIn = (editor: HTMLElement) => {
-  const range = document.createRange()
-  const selection = window.getSelection()!
-
-  range.selectNodeContents(editor)
-  range.collapse(false)
-  selection.removeAllRanges()
-  selection.addRange(range)
-}
+import { composerPlainText, renderComposerContents, RICH_INPUT_SLOT } from './rich-editor'
 
 describe('renderComposerContents', () => {
   it('renders refs and raw text without interpreting user text as HTML', () => {
@@ -35,100 +16,3 @@ describe('renderComposerContents', () => {
     expect(composerPlainText(editor)).toBe('@file:`<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>` <b>raw</b>')
   })
 })
-
-describe('normalizeComposerEditorDom', () => {
-  it('unwraps a single insertHTML wrapper div so plain text stays one line', () => {
-    const editor = document.createElement('div')
-    editor.dataset.slot = RICH_INPUT_SLOT
-    editor.innerHTML = '<div><span data-ref-text="@file:`src/foo.ts`" contenteditable="false">foo.ts</span> </div>'
-
-    normalizeComposerEditorDom(editor)
-
-    expect(composerPlainText(editor)).toBe('@file:`src/foo.ts` ')
-    expect(editor.querySelector(':scope > div')).toBeNull()
-  })
-
-  it('removes a trailing br after a ref chip', () => {
-    const editor = document.createElement('div')
-    editor.dataset.slot = RICH_INPUT_SLOT
-    editor.append(refChipElement('file', '`src/foo.ts`'), document.createElement('br'))
-
-    normalizeComposerEditorDom(editor)
-
-    expect(composerPlainText(editor)).toBe('@file:`src/foo.ts`')
-    expect(editor.querySelector('br')).toBeNull()
-  })
-})
-
-describe('insertInlineRefsIntoEditor', () => {
-  it('inserts chips without wrapper divs or spurious newlines', () => {
-    const editor = document.createElement('div')
-    editor.dataset.slot = RICH_INPUT_SLOT
-
-    insertInlineRefsIntoEditor(editor, ['@file:`src/foo.ts`'])
-
-    expect(editor.querySelector(':scope > div')).toBeNull()
-    expect(composerPlainText(editor)).toBe('@file:`src/foo.ts` ')
-  })
-})
-
-describe('insertPlainTextAtCaret', () => {
-  it('inserts multiline text as text nodes + br', () => {
-    const editor = document.createElement('div')
-    editor.dataset.slot = RICH_INPUT_SLOT
-    document.body.append(editor)
-    caretIn(editor)
-
-    insertPlainTextAtCaret(editor, 'one\ntwo\nthree')
-
-    expect(editor.querySelectorAll('br').length).toBe(2)
-    expect(composerPlainText(editor)).toBe('one\ntwo\nthree')
-
-    editor.remove()
-  })
-
-  it('replaces the selected span', () => {
-    const editor = document.createElement('div')
-    editor.dataset.slot = RICH_INPUT_SLOT
-    editor.textContent = 'abXYef'
-    document.body.append(editor)
-
-    const text = editor.firstChild!
-    const selection = window.getSelection()!
-    const range = document.createRange()
-
-    range.setStart(text, 2)
-    range.setEnd(text, 4)
-    selection.removeAllRanges()
-    selection.addRange(range)
-
-    insertPlainTextAtCaret(editor, 'cd')
-
-    expect(composerPlainText(editor)).toBe('abcdef')
-
-    editor.remove()
-  })
-})
-
-describe('deleteSelectionInEditor', () => {
-  it('clears a non-collapsed range and leaves a collapsed caret', () => {
-    const editor = document.createElement('div')
-    editor.dataset.slot = RICH_INPUT_SLOT
-    editor.textContent = 'hello world'
-    document.body.append(editor)
-
-    const selection = window.getSelection()!
-    const range = document.createRange()
-
-    range.selectNodeContents(editor)
-    selection.removeAllRanges()
-    selection.addRange(range)
-
-    expect(deleteSelectionInEditor(editor)).toBe(true)
-    expect(composerPlainText(editor)).toBe('')
-    expect(selection.getRangeAt(0).collapsed).toBe(true)
-    expect(deleteSelectionInEditor(editor)).toBe(false)
-
-    editor.remove()
-  })
-})

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/rich-editor.ts

@@ -132,63 +132,6 @@ export function renderComposerContents(target: HTMLElement, text: string) {
   appendComposerContents(target, text)
 }
 
-/** Caret range when the selection lives inside `editor`; else null. */
-function composerSelectionRange(editor: HTMLElement) {
-  const selection = window.getSelection()
-  const range = selection?.rangeCount ? selection.getRangeAt(0) : null
-
-  if (!selection || !range || !editor.contains(range.commonAncestorContainer)) {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  return { range, selection }
-}
-
-/** Insert plain text at the caret (replacing any selection). Pastes use this
- *  instead of `execCommand('insertText')` — Chromium's editing pipeline is
- *  ~O(n²) on large multiline blobs. */
-export function insertPlainTextAtCaret(editor: HTMLElement, text: string) {
-  const hit = composerSelectionRange(editor)
-  const fragment = document.createDocumentFragment()
-
-  appendTextWithBreaks(fragment, text)
-
-  const tail = fragment.lastChild
-
-  if (hit) {
-    hit.range.deleteContents()
-    hit.range.insertNode(fragment)
-  } else {
-    editor.append(fragment)
-  }
-
-  if (tail) {
-    const caret = document.createRange()
-    caret.setStartAfter(tail)
-    caret.collapse(true)
-    const selection = hit?.selection ?? window.getSelection()
-    selection?.removeAllRanges()
-    selection?.addRange(caret)
-  }
-}
-
-/** Remove a non-collapsed selection in-editor. Skips collapsed carets so word/
- *  line delete (Opt/Cmd+Backspace) stays native. Returns whether anything ran. */
-export function deleteSelectionInEditor(editor: HTMLElement) {
-  const hit = composerSelectionRange(editor)
-
-  if (!hit || hit.range.collapsed) {
-    return false
-  }
-
-  hit.range.deleteContents()
-  hit.range.collapse(true)
-  hit.selection.removeAllRanges()
-  hit.selection.addRange(hit.range)
-
-  return true
-}
-
 /** Serialize a draft string into chip-HTML for the contenteditable surface. */
 export function composerHtml(text: string) {
   let cursor = 0
@@ -241,36 +184,3 @@ export function placeCaretEnd(element: HTMLElement) {
   selection?.removeAllRanges()
   selection?.addRange(range)
 }
-
-/** Drop contenteditable junk that serializes as `\n` and falsely expands the composer. */
-export function normalizeComposerEditorDom(editor: HTMLElement) {
-  if (editor.childNodes.length === 1 && editor.firstChild?.nodeName === 'BR') {
-    editor.replaceChildren()
-
-    return
-  }
-
-  if (editor.childNodes.length === 1 && editor.firstChild?.nodeType === Node.ELEMENT_NODE) {
-    const wrapper = editor.firstChild as HTMLElement
-
-    if (wrapper.tagName === 'DIV' && wrapper.dataset.slot !== RICH_INPUT_SLOT) {
-      editor.replaceChildren(...Array.from(wrapper.childNodes))
-    }
-  }
-
-  const last = editor.lastChild
-
-  if (last?.nodeName !== 'BR') {
-    return
-  }
-
-  let prev: ChildNode | null = last.previousSibling
-
-  while (prev?.nodeType === Node.TEXT_NODE && !(prev.textContent || '').trim()) {
-    prev = prev.previousSibling
-  }
-
-  if ((prev as HTMLElement | null)?.dataset.refText) {
-    editor.removeChild(last)
-  }
-}

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/status-stack/index.tsx

@@ -1,202 +0,0 @@
-import { useStore } from '@nanostores/react'
-import { type ReactNode, useEffect, useLayoutEffect, useMemo, useRef } from 'react'
-import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
-
-import { blurComposerInput } from '@/app/chat/composer/focus'
-import { AGENTS_ROUTE } from '@/app/routes'
-import { composerDockCard } from '@/components/chat/composer-dock'
-import { StatusSection } from '@/components/chat/status-section'
-import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
-import { Codicon } from '@/components/ui/codicon'
-import { type Translations, useI18n } from '@/i18n'
-import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
-import {
-  $statusItemsBySession,
-  type ComposerStatusItem,
-  dismissBackgroundProcess,
-  groupStatusItems,
-  refreshBackgroundProcesses,
-  type StatusGroup,
-  stopBackgroundProcess
-} from '@/store/composer-status'
-import { $threadScrolledUp } from '@/store/thread-scroll'
-import { openSessionInNewWindow } from '@/store/windows'
-
-import { StatusItemRow } from './status-row'
-
-// Slow safety-net poll for silent exits (processes without notify_on_complete
-// emit no event when they die). Only armed while a running row is on screen.
-const BACKGROUND_POLL_MS = 5_000
-
-const groupLabel = (group: StatusGroup, s: Translations['statusStack']) => {
-  if (group.type === 'todo') {
-    return s.todos(group.items.filter(i => i.todoStatus === 'completed').length, group.items.length)
-  }
-
-  return group.type === 'subagent' ? s.subagents(group.items.length) : s.background(group.items.length)
-}
-
-interface ComposerStatusStackProps {
-  /** The queue, built by the composer (it owns the queue's callbacks). Rendered
-   *  as the last group so it stays fused to the composer like before. */
-  queue: ReactNode
-  sessionId: null | string
-}
-
-/**
- * The status "sink" above the composer: one card (the queue's chrome) holding
- * every session-scoped status — subagents, background tasks, queue — grouped by
- * type and separated by light dividers. Collapses to nothing when empty.
- */
-export function ComposerStatusStack({ queue, sessionId }: ComposerStatusStackProps) {
-  const { t } = useI18n()
-  const navigate = useNavigate()
-  const itemsBySession = useStore($statusItemsBySession)
-  const scrolledUp = useStore($threadScrolledUp)
-
-  const groups = useMemo(
-    () => groupStatusItems(sessionId ? (itemsBySession[sessionId] ?? []) : []),
-    [itemsBySession, sessionId]
-  )
-
-  // Seed from the registry on session open; event-driven refreshes (terminal /
-  // process tool completions) live in use-message-stream.
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (sessionId) {
-      void refreshBackgroundProcesses(sessionId)
-    }
-  }, [sessionId])
-
-  const hasRunningBackground = groups.some(g => g.type === 'background' && g.items.some(i => i.state === 'running'))
-
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!sessionId || !hasRunningBackground) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    const timer = setInterval(() => void refreshBackgroundProcesses(sessionId), BACKGROUND_POLL_MS)
-
-    return () => clearInterval(timer)
-  }, [hasRunningBackground, sessionId])
-
-  const openAgents = () => navigate(AGENTS_ROUTE)
-
-  const openSubagent = (item: ComposerStatusItem) =>
-    item.sessionId ? void openSessionInNewWindow(item.sessionId, { watch: true }) : openAgents()
-
-  const sections: { key: string; node: ReactNode }[] = groups.map(group => ({
-    key: group.type,
-    node: (
-      <StatusSection
-        accessory={
-          group.type === 'subagent' ? (
-            <Button
-              className="text-muted-foreground/75 hover:text-foreground/90"
-              onClick={openAgents}
-              size="micro"
-              type="button"
-              variant="text"
-            >
-              {t.statusStack.agents}
-            </Button>
-          ) : undefined
-        }
-        defaultCollapsed={group.type !== 'todo'}
-        icon={
-          group.type === 'todo' ? (
-            <Codicon className="text-muted-foreground/70" name="checklist" size="0.8rem" />
-          ) : undefined
-        }
-        label={groupLabel(group, t.statusStack)}
-      >
-        {group.items.map(item => (
-          <StatusItemRow
-            item={item}
-            key={item.id}
-            onDismiss={sessionId ? id => dismissBackgroundProcess(sessionId, id) : undefined}
-            onOpen={() => openSubagent(item)}
-            onStop={sessionId ? id => stopBackgroundProcess(sessionId, id) : undefined}
-          />
-        ))}
-      </StatusSection>
-    )
-  }))
-
-  if (queue) {
-    sections.push({ key: 'queue', node: queue })
-  }
-
-  const visible = sections.length > 0
-  const stackRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement | null>(null)
-
-  // The stack is out of flow (overlays the thread), so the composer's measured
-  // height never sees it. Publish our own measured height — bucketed like the
-  // composer's, to avoid style invalidation churn — so the thread's
-  // last-message clearance can add it and the stack never hides messages.
-  useLayoutEffect(() => {
-    const root = document.documentElement
-    const el = stackRef.current
-
-    if (!visible || !el) {
-      root.style.removeProperty('--status-stack-measured-height')
-
-      return
-    }
-
-    let last = -1
-
-    const sync = () => {
-      const bucket = Math.round(el.getBoundingClientRect().height / 8) * 8
-
-      if (bucket !== last) {
-        last = bucket
-        root.style.setProperty('--status-stack-measured-height', `${bucket}px`)
-      }
-    }
-
-    const observer = new ResizeObserver(sync)
-    observer.observe(el)
-    sync()
-
-    return () => {
-      observer.disconnect()
-      root.style.removeProperty('--status-stack-measured-height')
-    }
-  }, [visible])
-
-  if (!visible) {
-    return null
-  }
-
-  return (
-    <div
-      // Sits above the composer (bottom-full), nudged down by the shell's 0.5rem
-      // top pad (pt-2 on composer-root) plus 1px so its bottom edge overlaps the
-      // composer surface's top border. z BELOW the surface (z-4) so the surface's
-      // top border paints over our transparent bottom border — one seam, no
-      // double line.
-      className="absolute inset-x-0 bottom-full z-3 max-h-[40vh] translate-y-[calc(0.5rem+1px)] overflow-y-auto"
-      onPointerDownCapture={() => blurComposerInput()}
-      ref={stackRef}
-    >
-      {/* The card paints the shared --composer-fill (rest / scrolled / focused
-          all match the composer surface by construction); on scroll we only
-          ghost the CONTENT — element opacity on the card would kill the blur.
-          Rounded top, square bottom; the bottom border is TRANSPARENT — the
-          composer surface's visible top border (which sits at a higher z) is the
-          single shared seam, so the two read as one fused capsule. */}
-      <div className={cn(composerDockCard('top'), 'mx-2 rounded-b-none border-b border-b-transparent pt-0.5 pb-1')}>
-        <div
-          className={cn(
-            'transition-opacity duration-200 ease-out',
-            scrolledUp ? 'opacity-30 group-hover/composer:opacity-100' : 'opacity-100'
-          )}
-        >
-          {sections.map(section => (
-            <div key={section.key}>{section.node}</div>
-          ))}
-        </div>
-      </div>
-    </div>
-  )
-}

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/status-stack/status-row.tsx

@@ -1,155 +0,0 @@
-import { Fragment, memo, type ReactNode, useState } from 'react'
-
-import { StatusRow } from '@/components/chat/status-row'
-import { TerminalOutput } from '@/components/chat/terminal-output'
-import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
-import { Codicon } from '@/components/ui/codicon'
-import { DisclosureCaret } from '@/components/ui/disclosure-caret'
-import { GlyphSpinner } from '@/components/ui/glyph-spinner'
-import { Tip } from '@/components/ui/tooltip'
-import { type Translations, useI18n } from '@/i18n'
-import { ArrowUpRight, X } from '@/lib/icons'
-import type { TodoStatus } from '@/lib/todos'
-import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
-import type { ComposerStatusItem } from '@/store/composer-status'
-
-const toolLabel = (name: string) =>
-  name
-    .split('_')
-    .filter(Boolean)
-    .map(part => part[0]!.toUpperCase() + part.slice(1))
-    .join(' ') || name
-
-// Todo rows speak checkbox, not spinner-and-dot: a dashed ring while the item
-// is still open (pending), codicons once it resolves, a live spinner only on
-// the in-progress item.
-const TODO_GLYPHS: Record<Exclude<TodoStatus, 'in_progress' | 'pending'>, { icon: string; tone: string }> = {
-  cancelled: { icon: 'circle-slash', tone: 'text-muted-foreground/45' },
-  completed: { icon: 'pass-filled', tone: 'text-emerald-500/80' }
-}
-
-// Left slot: braille spinner while running, otherwise a small status dot
-// (green = done, red = failed) so the slot is always filled and rows align.
-function leadingGlyph(item: ComposerStatusItem, s: Translations['statusStack']): ReactNode {
-  if (item.todoStatus === 'pending') {
-    return (
-      <span
-        aria-hidden
-        className="box-border size-[0.7rem] rounded-full border border-dashed border-muted-foreground/60"
-      />
-    )
-  }
-
-  if (item.todoStatus && item.todoStatus !== 'in_progress') {
-    const glyph = TODO_GLYPHS[item.todoStatus]
-
-    return <Codicon className={glyph.tone} name={glyph.icon} size="0.8rem" />
-  }
-
-  if (item.state === 'running') {
-    return (
-      <GlyphSpinner
-        ariaLabel={s.running}
-        className="text-[0.9rem] leading-none text-muted-foreground/80"
-        spinner="braille"
-      />
-    )
-  }
-
-  return (
-    <span
-      aria-hidden
-      className={cn('size-1.5 rounded-full', item.state === 'failed' ? 'bg-destructive/80' : 'bg-emerald-500/70')}
-    />
-  )
-}
-
-interface StatusItemRowProps {
-  item: ComposerStatusItem
-  /** Clear a finished background task from the stack. */
-  onDismiss?: (id: string) => void
-  /** Open the subagent's own session window, livestreamed by the gateway's
-   *  child-session mirror (Agents view fallback for older gateways). */
-  onOpen?: () => void
-  /** Cancel a running background task. */
-  onStop?: (id: string) => void
-}
-
-/**
- * Renders one {@link ComposerStatusItem} into the shared {@link StatusRow}.
- * Memoised + keyed by id so parent re-renders never remount it (the spinner
- * keeps ticking instead of resetting).
- */
-export const StatusItemRow = memo(function StatusItemRow({ item, onDismiss, onOpen, onStop }: StatusItemRowProps) {
-  const { t } = useI18n()
-  const s = t.statusStack
-  const [outputOpen, setOutputOpen] = useState(false)
-  const failed = item.state === 'failed'
-  const running = item.state === 'running'
-
-  const action =
-    item.type === 'background'
-      ? running
-        ? onStop && { label: s.stop, onClick: () => onStop(item.id) }
-        : onDismiss && { label: s.dismiss, onClick: () => onDismiss(item.id) }
-      : null
-
-  const canOpen = item.type === 'subagent' && !!onOpen
-  const hasOutput = item.type === 'background' && !!item.output
-  const onActivate = canOpen ? onOpen : hasOutput ? () => setOutputOpen(open => !open) : undefined
-
-  return (
-    <Fragment>
-      <StatusRow
-        leading={leadingGlyph(item, s)}
-        onActivate={onActivate}
-        trailing={
-          action ? (
-            <Tip label={action.label}>
-              <Button
-                aria-label={action.label}
-                className="-my-1 size-4 rounded-md text-muted-foreground/60 hover:text-foreground/90"
-                onClick={event => {
-                  event.stopPropagation()
-                  action.onClick()
-                }}
-                size="icon-xs"
-                type="button"
-                variant="ghost"
-              >
-                <X size={12} />
-              </Button>
-            </Tip>
-          ) : canOpen ? (
-            <ArrowUpRight aria-hidden className="size-3.5 text-muted-foreground/55" />
-          ) : undefined
-        }
-      >
-        <span
-          className={cn(
-            'min-w-0 max-w-[18rem] truncate text-[0.73rem] leading-4',
-            failed
-              ? 'text-destructive/90'
-              : item.todoStatus && item.todoStatus !== 'in_progress'
-                ? 'text-muted-foreground/75'
-                : 'text-foreground/92'
-          )}
-        >
-          {item.title}
-        </span>
-        {item.type === 'subagent' && item.currentTool && (
-          <span className="shrink-0 truncate text-[0.62rem] leading-4 text-muted-foreground/70">
-            {toolLabel(item.currentTool)}
-          </span>
-        )}
-        {failed && typeof item.exitCode === 'number' && item.exitCode !== 0 && (
-          <span className="shrink-0 rounded bg-destructive/15 px-1 text-[0.58rem] font-semibold text-destructive tabular-nums">
-            {s.exit(item.exitCode)}
-          </span>
-        )}
-        {hasOutput && <DisclosureCaret className="shrink-0 text-muted-foreground/45" open={outputOpen} size="0.8em" />}
-      </StatusRow>
-      {hasOutput && outputOpen && <TerminalOutput className="mx-auto mb-1 max-w-[90%]" text={item.output!} />}
-    </Fragment>
-  )
-})

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/trigger-popover.tsx

@@ -1,12 +1,16 @@
 import type { Unstable_TriggerItem } from '@assistant-ui/core'
 import { Fragment } from 'react'
 
+import { BrailleSpinner } from '@/components/ui/braille-spinner'
 import { Codicon } from '@/components/ui/codicon'
-import { GlyphSpinner } from '@/components/ui/glyph-spinner'
 import { useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 
-import { COMPLETION_DRAWER_BELOW_CLASS, COMPLETION_DRAWER_CLASS, CompletionDrawerEmpty } from './completion-drawer'
+import {
+  COMPLETION_DRAWER_BELOW_CLASS,
+  COMPLETION_DRAWER_CLASS,
+  CompletionDrawerEmpty
+} from './completion-drawer'
 
 const AT_ICON_BY_TYPE: Record<string, string> = {
   diff: 'diff',
@@ -83,7 +87,7 @@ export function ComposerTriggerPopover({
       {items.length === 0 ? (
         loading ? (
           <div className="flex items-center gap-2 px-2 py-1.5 text-(--ui-text-tertiary)">
-            <GlyphSpinner ariaLabel={copy.lookupLoading} className="text-foreground/70" spinner="braille" />
+            <BrailleSpinner ariaLabel={copy.lookupLoading} className="text-foreground/70" spinner="braille" />
             <span>{copy.lookupLoading}</span>
           </div>
         ) : (

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/composer/types.ts

@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-import type { ReactNode } from 'react'
-
 import type { HermesGateway } from '@/hermes'
 import type { ComposerAttachment } from '@/store/composer'
 
@@ -24,8 +22,6 @@ export interface ChatBarState {
     canSwitch: boolean
     loading?: boolean
     quickModels?: QuickModelOption[]
-    /** Reused status-bar dropdown (built with gateway + selectModel upstream). */
-    modelMenuContent?: ReactNode
   }
   tools: { enabled: boolean; label: string; suggestions?: ContextSuggestion[] }
   voice: { enabled: boolean; active: boolean }

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/hooks/use-composer-actions.ts

@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { useCallback } from 'react'
 
-import { requestComposerFocus, requestComposerInsert, requestComposerInsertRefs } from '@/app/chat/composer/focus'
-import { droppedFileInlineRef } from '@/app/chat/composer/inline-refs'
+import { requestComposerFocus, requestComposerInsert } from '@/app/chat/composer/focus'
 import { formatRefValue } from '@/components/assistant-ui/directive-text'
 import { useI18n } from '@/i18n'
 import { attachmentId, contextPath, pathLabel } from '@/lib/chat-runtime'
@@ -287,26 +286,6 @@ export function useComposerActions({ activeSessionId, currentCwd, requestGateway
     [currentCwd]
   )
 
-  const insertContextPathInlineRef = useCallback(
-    (path: string, isDirectory = false) => {
-      if (!path) {
-        return false
-      }
-
-      const ref = droppedFileInlineRef({ isDirectory, path }, currentCwd)
-
-      if (!ref) {
-        return false
-      }
-
-      requestComposerInsertRefs([ref])
-      requestComposerFocus('main')
-
-      return true
-    },
-    [currentCwd]
-  )
-
   const attachContextFilePath = useCallback(
     (filePath: string) => {
       if (!filePath) {
@@ -567,7 +546,6 @@ export function useComposerActions({ activeSessionId, currentCwd, requestGateway
     attachDroppedItems,
     attachImageBlob,
     attachImagePath,
-    insertContextPathInlineRef,
     pasteClipboardImage,
     pickContextPaths,
     pickImages,

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/index.tsx

@@ -35,18 +35,15 @@ import {
   $gatewayState,
   $introPersonality,
   $introSeed,
-  $lastVisibleMessageIsUser,
   $messages,
-  $messagesEmpty,
   $selectedStoredSessionId,
   $sessions,
   sessionPinId
 } from '@/store/session'
-import { isSecondaryWindow } from '@/store/windows'
 import type { ModelOptionsResponse } from '@/types/hermes'
 
 import { routeSessionId } from '../routes'
-import { titlebarHeaderBaseClass, titlebarHeaderShadowClass, titlebarHeaderTitleClass } from '../shell/titlebar'
+import { titlebarHeaderBaseClass, titlebarHeaderShadowClass } from '../shell/titlebar'
 
 import { ChatDropOverlay } from './chat-drop-overlay'
 import { ChatSwapOverlay } from './chat-swap-overlay'
@@ -56,13 +53,11 @@ import { droppedFileInlineRefs, type SessionDragPayload, sessionInlineRef } from
 import type { ChatBarState } from './composer/types'
 import { type DroppedFile, partitionDroppedFiles } from './hooks/use-composer-actions'
 import { useFileDropZone } from './hooks/use-file-drop-zone'
-import { ScrollToBottomButton } from './scroll-to-bottom-button'
 import { SessionActionsMenu } from './sidebar/session-actions-menu'
-import { threadLoadingState } from './thread-loading'
+import { lastVisibleMessageIsUser, threadLoadingState } from './thread-loading'
 
 interface ChatViewProps extends Omit<React.ComponentProps<'div'>, 'onSubmit'> {
   gateway: HermesGateway | null
-  modelMenuContent?: React.ReactNode
   onToggleSelectedPin: () => void
   onDeleteSelectedSession: () => void
   onCancel: () => Promise<void> | void
@@ -85,7 +80,6 @@ interface ChatViewProps extends Omit<React.ComponentProps<'div'>, 'onSubmit'> {
   onThreadMessagesChange: (messages: readonly ThreadMessage[]) => void
   onEdit: (message: AppendMessage) => Promise<void>
   onReload: (parentId: string | null) => Promise<void>
-  onRestoreToMessage?: (messageId: string) => Promise<void>
   onTranscribeAudio?: (audio: Blob) => Promise<string>
 }
 
@@ -121,17 +115,17 @@ function ChatHeader({
       ? pinnedSessionIds.includes(selectedSessionId)
       : false
 
-  // Secondary windows (new-session scratch, subagent watch, cmd-click pop-out)
-  // are compact side panels — they drop the session-actions header + border
-  // entirely. A brand-new draft has nothing to pin/delete/rename either.
-  if (isSecondaryWindow() || (!selectedSessionId && !activeSessionId && !isRoutedSessionView)) {
+  // A brand-new session has no session to pin/delete/rename, so the header is
+  // just a dead "New session" label + chevron. Drop it (and its border)
+  // entirely until there's a real session to act on.
+  if (!selectedSessionId && !activeSessionId && !isRoutedSessionView) {
     return null
   }
 
   return (
     <header className={cn(titlebarHeaderBaseClass, isRoutedSessionView && titlebarHeaderShadowClass)}>
       <div
-        className={titlebarHeaderTitleClass}
+        className="min-w-0 flex-1"
         style={{
           maxWidth:
             'calc(100vw - var(--titlebar-content-inset,0px) - var(--titlebar-tools-right) - var(--titlebar-tools-width) - 1.5rem)'
@@ -147,7 +141,7 @@ function ChatHeader({
           title={title}
         >
           <Button
-            className="pointer-events-auto flex h-6 min-w-0 max-w-full gap-1 overflow-hidden border border-transparent bg-transparent px-2 py-0 text-(--ui-text-secondary) hover:border-(--ui-stroke-tertiary) hover:bg-(--ui-control-hover-background) hover:text-foreground data-[state=open]:border-(--ui-stroke-tertiary) data-[state=open]:bg-(--ui-control-active-background) [-webkit-app-region:no-drag]"
+            className="pointer-events-auto flex h-6 min-w-0 max-w-full gap-1 border border-transparent bg-transparent px-2 py-0 text-(--ui-text-secondary) hover:border-(--ui-stroke-tertiary) hover:bg-(--ui-control-hover-background) hover:text-foreground data-[state=open]:border-(--ui-stroke-tertiary) data-[state=open]:bg-(--ui-control-active-background) [-webkit-app-region:no-drag]"
             type="button"
             variant="ghost"
           >
@@ -160,42 +154,104 @@ function ChatHeader({
   )
 }
 
-interface ChatRuntimeBoundaryProps {
-  busy: boolean
-  children: React.ReactNode
-  onCancel: () => Promise<void> | void
-  onEdit: (message: AppendMessage) => Promise<void>
-  onReload: (parentId: string | null) => Promise<void>
-  onThreadMessagesChange: (messages: readonly ThreadMessage[]) => void
-  /** Route points at an unloaded session — render empty until resume swaps in
-   *  the new transcript, so the previous session's messages don't linger. */
-  suppressMessages: boolean
-}
-
-const NO_MESSAGES: ChatMessage[] = []
-
-/**
- * Owns the $messages subscription and the assistant-ui external-store runtime.
- *
- * Isolated from ChatView so the per-token delta flush (which replaces the
- * $messages atom ~30×/s during streaming) only re-renders this component and
- * the runtime provider. The children (Thread, ChatBar) are created by
- * ChatView, whose render output is stable across flushes — so React bails out
- * of re-rendering them by element identity and the stream's render cost stays
- * confined to the streaming message's own subtree.
- */
-function ChatRuntimeBoundary({
-  busy,
-  children,
+export function ChatView({
+  className,
+  gateway,
+  onToggleSelectedPin,
+  onDeleteSelectedSession,
   onCancel,
+  onAddContextRef,
+  onAddUrl,
+  onAttachImageBlob,
+  onAttachDroppedItems,
+  onBranchInNewChat,
+  maxVoiceRecordingSeconds,
+  onPasteClipboardImage,
+  onPickFiles,
+  onPickFolders,
+  onPickImages,
+  onRemoveAttachment,
+  onSteer,
+  onSubmit,
+  onThreadMessagesChange,
   onEdit,
   onReload,
-  onThreadMessagesChange,
-  suppressMessages
-}: ChatRuntimeBoundaryProps) {
-  const storeMessages = useStore($messages)
-  const messages = suppressMessages ? NO_MESSAGES : storeMessages
+  onTranscribeAudio
+}: ChatViewProps) {
+  const location = useLocation()
+  const activeSessionId = useStore($activeSessionId)
+  const awaitingResponse = useStore($awaitingResponse)
+  const busy = useStore($busy)
+  const contextSuggestions = useStore($contextSuggestions)
+  const currentCwd = useStore($currentCwd)
+  const currentModel = useStore($currentModel)
+  const currentProvider = useStore($currentProvider)
+  const freshDraftReady = useStore($freshDraftReady)
+  const gatewayState = useStore($gatewayState)
+  const gatewaySwapTarget = useStore($gatewaySwapTarget)
+  const gatewayOpen = gatewayState === 'open'
+  const introPersonality = useStore($introPersonality)
+  const introSeed = useStore($introSeed)
+  const messages = useStore($messages)
+  const selectedSessionId = useStore($selectedStoredSessionId)
   const runtimeMessageCacheRef = useRef(new WeakMap<ChatMessage, ThreadMessage>())
+  const isRoutedSessionView = Boolean(routeSessionId(location.pathname))
+
+  const showIntro =
+    freshDraftReady && !isRoutedSessionView && !selectedSessionId && !activeSessionId && messages.length === 0
+
+  // Session is still loading if the route references a session we haven't
+  // resumed yet. Once `activeSessionId` is set (runtime has resumed), the
+  // session exists — even if it has zero messages (a brand-new routed
+  // session). The flicker where `busy` flips true briefly during hydrate
+  // is handled by `threadLoadingState`'s last-visible-user gate.
+  const loadingSession = isRoutedSessionView && messages.length === 0 && !activeSessionId
+  const threadLoading = threadLoadingState(loadingSession, busy, awaitingResponse, lastVisibleMessageIsUser(messages))
+  const showChatBar = !loadingSession
+  const threadKey = selectedSessionId || activeSessionId || (isRoutedSessionView ? location.pathname : 'new')
+
+  const modelOptionsQuery = useQuery<ModelOptionsResponse>({
+    queryKey: ['model-options', activeSessionId || 'global'],
+    queryFn: () => {
+      if (!activeSessionId) {
+        return getGlobalModelOptions()
+      }
+
+      if (!gateway) {
+        throw new Error('Hermes gateway unavailable')
+      }
+
+      return gateway.request<ModelOptionsResponse>('model.options', { session_id: activeSessionId })
+    },
+    enabled: gatewayOpen
+  })
+
+  const quickModels = useMemo(
+    () => quickModelOptions(modelOptionsQuery.data, currentProvider, currentModel),
+    [currentModel, currentProvider, modelOptionsQuery.data]
+  )
+
+  const chatBarState = useMemo<ChatBarState>(
+    () => ({
+      model: {
+        model: currentModel,
+        provider: currentProvider,
+        canSwitch: gatewayOpen,
+        loading: !gatewayOpen || (!currentModel && !currentProvider),
+        quickModels
+      },
+      tools: {
+        enabled: true,
+        label: 'Add context',
+        suggestions: contextSuggestions
+      },
+      voice: {
+        enabled: true,
+        active: false
+      }
+    }),
+    [contextSuggestions, currentModel, currentProvider, gatewayOpen, quickModels]
+  )
 
   const runtimeMessageRepository = useMemo(() => {
     const items: { message: ThreadMessage; parentId: string | null }[] = []
@@ -245,125 +301,6 @@ function ChatRuntimeBoundary({
     onReload
   })
 
-  return <AssistantRuntimeProvider runtime={runtime}>{children}</AssistantRuntimeProvider>
-}
-
-export function ChatView({
-  className,
-  gateway,
-  modelMenuContent,
-  onToggleSelectedPin,
-  onDeleteSelectedSession,
-  onCancel,
-  onAddContextRef,
-  onAddUrl,
-  onAttachImageBlob,
-  onAttachDroppedItems,
-  onBranchInNewChat,
-  maxVoiceRecordingSeconds,
-  onPasteClipboardImage,
-  onPickFiles,
-  onPickFolders,
-  onPickImages,
-  onRemoveAttachment,
-  onSteer,
-  onSubmit,
-  onThreadMessagesChange,
-  onEdit,
-  onReload,
-  onRestoreToMessage,
-  onTranscribeAudio
-}: ChatViewProps) {
-  const location = useLocation()
-  const activeSessionId = useStore($activeSessionId)
-  const awaitingResponse = useStore($awaitingResponse)
-  const busy = useStore($busy)
-  const contextSuggestions = useStore($contextSuggestions)
-  const currentCwd = useStore($currentCwd)
-  const currentModel = useStore($currentModel)
-  const currentProvider = useStore($currentProvider)
-  const freshDraftReady = useStore($freshDraftReady)
-  const gatewayState = useStore($gatewayState)
-  const gatewaySwapTarget = useStore($gatewaySwapTarget)
-  const gatewayOpen = gatewayState === 'open'
-  const introPersonality = useStore($introPersonality)
-  const introSeed = useStore($introSeed)
-  // PERF: ChatView must not subscribe to $messages — the atom is replaced on
-  // every streaming delta flush (~30×/s) and a subscription here re-renders
-  // the entire chat shell (header, chat bar, thread wrapper) per token. The
-  // runtime that DOES need the messages lives in ChatRuntimeBoundary below;
-  // this component only needs streaming-stable derivations.
-  const messagesEmpty = useStore($messagesEmpty)
-  const lastVisibleIsUser = useStore($lastVisibleMessageIsUser)
-  const selectedSessionId = useStore($selectedStoredSessionId)
-  const routedSessionId = routeSessionId(location.pathname)
-  const isRoutedSessionView = Boolean(routedSessionId)
-
-  // The URL points at a session the store hasn't loaded yet (sidebar / cmd-K /
-  // direct nav). Derived in render so the swap reads instantly: the same frame
-  // the id changes we drop the old transcript and show the loader, instead of
-  // waiting for the resume effect (which paints a frame later) to clear them.
-  const routeSessionMismatch = isRoutedSessionView && routedSessionId !== selectedSessionId
-
-  // The compact new-session pop-out skips the wordmark/tagline intro — it's a
-  // scratch window, not the full-height empty state.
-  const showIntro =
-    !isSecondaryWindow() && freshDraftReady && !isRoutedSessionView && !selectedSessionId && !activeSessionId && messagesEmpty
-
-  // Session is still loading if the route references a session we haven't
-  // resumed yet. Once `activeSessionId` is set (runtime has resumed), the
-  // session exists — even if it has zero messages (a brand-new routed
-  // session). The flicker where `busy` flips true briefly during hydrate
-  // is handled by `threadLoadingState`'s last-visible-user gate.
-  const loadingSession = isRoutedSessionView && (routeSessionMismatch || (messagesEmpty && !activeSessionId))
-  const threadLoading = threadLoadingState(loadingSession, busy, awaitingResponse, lastVisibleIsUser)
-  const showChatBar = !loadingSession
-  const threadKey = selectedSessionId || activeSessionId || (isRoutedSessionView ? location.pathname : 'new')
-
-  const modelOptionsQuery = useQuery<ModelOptionsResponse>({
-    queryKey: ['model-options', activeSessionId || 'global'],
-    queryFn: () => {
-      if (!activeSessionId) {
-        return getGlobalModelOptions()
-      }
-
-      if (!gateway) {
-        throw new Error('Hermes gateway unavailable')
-      }
-
-      return gateway.request<ModelOptionsResponse>('model.options', { session_id: activeSessionId })
-    },
-    enabled: gatewayOpen
-  })
-
-  const quickModels = useMemo(
-    () => quickModelOptions(modelOptionsQuery.data, currentProvider, currentModel),
-    [currentModel, currentProvider, modelOptionsQuery.data]
-  )
-
-  const chatBarState = useMemo<ChatBarState>(
-    () => ({
-      model: {
-        model: currentModel,
-        provider: currentProvider,
-        canSwitch: gatewayOpen,
-        loading: !gatewayOpen || (!currentModel && !currentProvider),
-        modelMenuContent,
-        quickModels
-      },
-      tools: {
-        enabled: true,
-        label: 'Add context',
-        suggestions: contextSuggestions
-      },
-      voice: {
-        enabled: true,
-        active: false
-      }
-    }),
-    [contextSuggestions, currentModel, currentProvider, gatewayOpen, modelMenuContent, quickModels]
-  )
-
   // Drop files anywhere in the conversation area, not just on the composer
   // input. In-app drags (project tree / gutter) carry workspace-relative paths
   // the gateway resolves directly, so they stay inline `@file:` refs. OS/Finder
@@ -416,14 +353,7 @@ export function ChatView({
         className="relative min-h-0 max-w-full flex-1 overflow-hidden bg-(--ui-chat-surface-background) contain-[layout_paint]"
         {...dropHandlers}
       >
-        <ChatRuntimeBoundary
-          busy={busy}
-          onCancel={onCancel}
-          onEdit={onEdit}
-          onReload={onReload}
-          onThreadMessagesChange={onThreadMessagesChange}
-          suppressMessages={routeSessionMismatch}
-        >
+        <AssistantRuntimeProvider runtime={runtime}>
           <Thread
             clampToComposer={showChatBar}
             cwd={currentCwd}
@@ -432,7 +362,6 @@ export function ChatView({
             loading={threadLoading}
             onBranchInNewChat={onBranchInNewChat}
             onCancel={onCancel}
-            onRestoreToMessage={onRestoreToMessage}
             sessionId={activeSessionId}
             sessionKey={threadKey}
           />
@@ -458,14 +387,13 @@ export function ChatView({
                 onSteer={onSteer}
                 onSubmit={onSubmit}
                 onTranscribeAudio={onTranscribeAudio}
-                queueSessionKey={selectedSessionId}
+                queueSessionKey={selectedSessionId || activeSessionId}
                 sessionId={activeSessionId}
                 state={chatBarState}
               />
             </Suspense>
           )}
-        </ChatRuntimeBoundary>
-        {showChatBar && <ScrollToBottomButton />}
+        </AssistantRuntimeProvider>
         <ChatDropOverlay kind={dragKind} />
         <ChatSwapOverlay profile={gatewaySwapTarget} />
       </div>

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/right-rail/preview-file.tsx

@@ -10,16 +10,11 @@ import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react'
 import ShikiHighlighter from 'react-shiki'
 import { Streamdown } from 'streamdown'
 
-import { requestComposerFocus, requestComposerInsertRefs } from '@/app/chat/composer/focus'
-import { droppedFileInlineRef } from '@/app/chat/composer/inline-refs'
 import { HERMES_PATHS_MIME } from '@/app/chat/hooks/use-composer-actions'
-import { isAddSelectionShortcut } from '@/app/right-sidebar/terminal/selection'
 import { PageLoader } from '@/components/page-loader'
 import { translateNow, useI18n } from '@/i18n'
-import { readDesktopFileDataUrl, readDesktopFileText } from '@/lib/desktop-fs'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import type { PreviewTarget } from '@/store/preview'
-import { $currentCwd } from '@/store/session'
 
 const SHIKI_THEME = { dark: 'github-dark-default', light: 'github-light-default' } as const
 const TEXT_PREVIEW_MAX_BYTES = 512 * 1024
@@ -185,13 +180,15 @@ function looksBinaryBytes(bytes: Uint8Array) {
 }
 
 async function readTextPreview(filePath: string) {
-  try {
-    return await readDesktopFileText(filePath)
-  } catch (error) {
-    const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+  if (window.hermesDesktop.readFileText) {
+    try {
+      return await window.hermesDesktop.readFileText(filePath)
+    } catch (error) {
+      const message = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
 
-    if (!message.includes("No handler registered for 'hermes:readFileText'")) {
-      throw error
+      if (!message.includes("No handler registered for 'hermes:readFileText'")) {
+        throw error
+      }
     }
   }
 
@@ -291,7 +288,7 @@ const MARKDOWN_COMPONENTS = {
 
 function MarkdownPreview({ text }: { text: string }) {
   return (
-    <div className="preview-markdown mx-auto max-w-3xl px-4 py-3 text-sm text-foreground" data-selectable-text="true">
+    <div className="preview-markdown mx-auto max-w-3xl px-4 py-3 text-sm text-foreground">
       <Streamdown components={MARKDOWN_COMPONENTS} controls={false} mode="static" parseIncompleteMarkdown={false}>
         {text}
       </Streamdown>
@@ -361,38 +358,6 @@ function SourceView({ filePath, language, text }: { filePath: string; language:
     startLineDrag(event, filePath, inSelection(line) && selection ? selection : { end: line, start: line })
   }
 
-  // ⌘/Ctrl+L with a line selection drops the same `@line:path:start-end` ref the
-  // gutter drag produces — so the keyboard path mirrors dragging the lines into
-  // the composer. Capture-phase + stopPropagation so it beats the terminal's
-  // global ⌘L handler (which would otherwise grab the native text selection).
-  useEffect(() => {
-    if (!selection) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    const onKeyDown = (event: KeyboardEvent) => {
-      if (!isAddSelectionShortcut(event)) {
-        return
-      }
-
-      const lineEnd = selection.end > selection.start ? selection.end : undefined
-      const ref = droppedFileInlineRef({ line: selection.start, lineEnd, path: filePath }, $currentCwd.get())
-
-      if (!ref) {
-        return
-      }
-
-      event.preventDefault()
-      event.stopPropagation()
-      requestComposerInsertRefs([ref])
-      requestComposerFocus('main')
-    }
-
-    window.addEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown, { capture: true })
-
-    return () => window.removeEventListener('keydown', onKeyDown, { capture: true })
-  }, [filePath, selection])
-
   return (
     <div className="grid min-w-max grid-cols-[auto_minmax(0,1fr)] font-mono text-xs leading-relaxed">
       <div className="select-none py-3 text-right text-muted-foreground/55">
@@ -419,10 +384,7 @@ function SourceView({ filePath, language, text }: { filePath: string; language:
           )
         })}
       </div>
-      <div
-        className="relative [&_pre]:m-0 [&_pre]:px-3 [&_pre]:py-3 [&_pre]:bg-transparent!"
-        data-selectable-text="true"
-      >
+      <div className="relative [&_pre]:m-0 [&_pre]:px-3 [&_pre]:py-3 [&_pre]:bg-transparent!">
         {selection && (
           <div
             aria-hidden
@@ -486,7 +448,7 @@ export function LocalFilePreview({ reloadKey, target }: { reloadKey: number; tar
         if (isImage) {
           // Prefer bytes the caller already handed us (a pasted/dropped
           // screenshot) over re-reading a path that may be transient/unreadable.
-          const dataUrl = target.dataUrl || (await readDesktopFileDataUrl(filePath))
+          const dataUrl = target.dataUrl || (await window.hermesDesktop.readFileDataUrl(filePath))
 
           if (active) {
             setState({ dataUrl, loading: false })

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/right-rail/preview-pane.test.tsx

@@ -1,50 +1,11 @@
 import { act, cleanup, render } from '@testing-library/react'
-import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
-
-import { $connection } from '@/store/session'
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 
 import { PreviewPane } from './preview-pane'
 
 describe('PreviewPane console state', () => {
-  beforeEach(() => {
-    vi.stubGlobal('requestAnimationFrame', (callback: FrameRequestCallback) => window.setTimeout(() => callback(Date.now()), 0))
-    vi.stubGlobal('cancelAnimationFrame', (id: number) => window.clearTimeout(id))
-  })
-
   afterEach(() => {
     cleanup()
-    $connection.set(null)
-    vi.unstubAllGlobals()
-  })
-
-  it('does not watch backend-only remote filesystem previews locally', () => {
-    const watchPreviewFile = vi.fn(async () => ({ id: 'watch-1', path: '/remote/file.txt' }))
-    const onPreviewFileChanged = vi.fn(() => vi.fn())
-    $connection.set({ mode: 'remote' } as never)
-    vi.stubGlobal('window', {
-      ...window,
-      hermesDesktop: {
-        onPreviewFileChanged,
-        watchPreviewFile
-      }
-    })
-
-    render(
-      <PreviewPane
-        setTitlebarToolGroup={vi.fn()}
-        target={{
-          kind: 'file',
-          label: 'file.txt',
-          path: '/remote/file.txt',
-          previewKind: 'text',
-          source: '/remote/file.txt',
-          url: 'file:///remote/file.txt'
-        }}
-      />
-    )
-
-    expect(watchPreviewFile).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(onPreviewFileChanged).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
   })
 
   it('does not rebuild the pane titlebar group for streamed console logs', () => {

apps/desktop/src/app/chat/right-rail/preview-pane.tsx

@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ import { useCallback, useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react'
 import type { SetTitlebarToolGroup, TitlebarTool } from '@/app/shell/titlebar-controls'
 import { Tip } from '@/components/ui/tooltip'
 import { type Translations, useI18n } from '@/i18n'
-import { isDesktopFsRemoteMode } from '@/lib/desktop-fs'
 import { Bug } from '@/lib/icons'
 import { cn } from '@/lib/utils'
 import { notify, notifyError } from '@/store/notifications'
@@ -407,7 +406,6 @@ export function PreviewPane({
   useEffect(() => {
     if (
       target.kind !== 'file' ||
-      isDesktopFsRemoteMode() ||
       !window.hermesDesktop?.watchPreviewFile ||
       !window.hermesDesktop?.onPreviewFileChanged
     ) {