fix: enforce config.yaml as sole CWD source + deprecate .env CWD vars + add hermes memory reset by teknium1 · Pull Request #11029 · NousResearch/hermes-agent

teknium1 · 2026-04-16T13:16:06Z

Summary

config.yaml terminal.cwd is the single source of truth for working directory. MESSAGING_CWD and TERMINAL_CWD in .env are deprecated with a migration warning at startup.

Bug report: @sato942_ on Twitter — profile .env not enforcing TERMINAL_CWD/MESSAGING_CWD, causing memory contamination between profiles.

Root cause: The setup wizard was putting MESSAGING_CWD into .env, violating our own rule that .env is for secrets only. Meanwhile, config.yaml terminal.cwd works correctly and always has.

What changed

1. Deprecate MESSAGING_CWD / TERMINAL_CWD in .env

Removed MESSAGING_CWD from OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS — setup wizard no longer prompts for it

Added warn_deprecated_cwd_env_vars() — prints migration hint at gateway startup when deprecated env vars are detected:

⚠ Deprecated .env settings detected:
  ⚠ MESSAGING_CWD=/some/path found in .env — this is deprecated.
  Move to config.yaml instead:  terminal:
    cwd: /your/project/path
  Then remove the old entries from ~/.hermes/.env

2. Gateway: TERMINAL_CWD is the canonical env var

Replaced all MESSAGING_CWD reads in gateway/run.py with TERMINAL_CWD (bridged from config.yaml)
MESSAGING_CWD still works as backward-compat fallback (with the deprecation warning)
Config bridge skips writing placeholder values (".", "auto", "cwd") to TERMINAL_CWD

3. Lazy-import guard in cli.py (#10817)

When cli.py is imported lazily during gateway runtime (via delegate_tool → CLI_CONFIG), load_cli_config() used to resolve "." to os.getcwd() — which under systemd/launchd is the repo root. This overwrote the gateway's correctly-resolved TERMINAL_CWD. Now it checks for an already-resolved value first.

4. New: `hermes memory reset` command

hermes memory reset              # Interactive confirmation
hermes memory reset --yes        # Skip confirmation  
hermes memory reset --target user  # Only wipe USER.md
hermes -p myprofile memory reset --yes  # Profile-scoped

Migration path

# Old way (deprecated, now shows warning):
# .env: MESSAGING_CWD=/my/project

# New way:
hermes config set terminal.cwd /my/project
# Then remove MESSAGING_CWD from .env

Tests

6 lazy-import guard tests
7 gateway placeholder skip tests
5 deprecation warning tests
9 memory reset tests
All pass, existing suite unaffected

Issues addressed

Addresses #10225, #4672, #10817, #7663

… + add hermes memory reset config.yaml terminal.cwd is now the single source of truth for working directory. MESSAGING_CWD and TERMINAL_CWD in .env are deprecated with a migration warning. Changes: 1. config.py: Remove MESSAGING_CWD from OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS (setup wizard no longer prompts for it). Add warn_deprecated_cwd_env_vars() that prints a migration hint when deprecated env vars are detected. 2. gateway/run.py: Replace all MESSAGING_CWD reads with TERMINAL_CWD (which is bridged from config.yaml terminal.cwd). MESSAGING_CWD is still accepted as a backward-compat fallback with deprecation warning. Config bridge skips cwd placeholder values so they don't clobber the resolved TERMINAL_CWD. 3. cli.py: Guard against lazy-import clobbering — when cli.py is imported lazily during gateway runtime (via delegate_tool), don't let load_cli_config() overwrite an already-resolved TERMINAL_CWD with os.getcwd() of the service's working directory. (#10817) 4. hermes_cli/main.py: Add 'hermes memory reset' command with --target all/memory/user and --yes flags. Profile-scoped via HERMES_HOME. Migration path for users with .env settings: Remove MESSAGING_CWD / TERMINAL_CWD from .env Add to config.yaml: terminal: cwd: /your/project/path Addresses: #10225, #4672, #10817, #7663

… + add hermes memory reset (NousResearch#11029) config.yaml terminal.cwd is now the single source of truth for working directory. MESSAGING_CWD and TERMINAL_CWD in .env are deprecated with a migration warning. Changes: 1. config.py: Remove MESSAGING_CWD from OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS (setup wizard no longer prompts for it). Add warn_deprecated_cwd_env_vars() that prints a migration hint when deprecated env vars are detected. 2. gateway/run.py: Replace all MESSAGING_CWD reads with TERMINAL_CWD (which is bridged from config.yaml terminal.cwd). MESSAGING_CWD is still accepted as a backward-compat fallback with deprecation warning. Config bridge skips cwd placeholder values so they don't clobber the resolved TERMINAL_CWD. 3. cli.py: Guard against lazy-import clobbering — when cli.py is imported lazily during gateway runtime (via delegate_tool), don't let load_cli_config() overwrite an already-resolved TERMINAL_CWD with os.getcwd() of the service's working directory. (NousResearch#10817) 4. hermes_cli/main.py: Add 'hermes memory reset' command with --target all/memory/user and --yes flags. Profile-scoped via HERMES_HOME. Migration path for users with .env settings: Remove MESSAGING_CWD / TERMINAL_CWD from .env Add to config.yaml: terminal: cwd: /your/project/path Addresses: NousResearch#10225, NousResearch#4672, NousResearch#10817, NousResearch#7663

`hermes_cli/config.py::warn_deprecated_cwd_env_vars` (introduced by NousResearch#11029 to mark `MESSAGING_CWD` as deprecated in favour of `terminal.cwd` in config.yaml) warns whenever the env var is present in the process env, regardless of whether `terminal.cwd` is configured. The NixOS module still emits it on both the native systemd unit (line ~877) and the container `docker/podman create` invocation (line ~974), so every `services.hermes-agent.enable = true` host currently sees this warning on every restart: ⚠ Deprecated .env settings detected: ⚠ MESSAGING_CWD=/var/lib/hermes/workspace found in .env — this is deprecated. Surface `workingDirectory` through the canonical `services.hermes-agent.settings.terminal.cwd` path (with `lib.mkDefault` so users can override) and drop the deprecated env var from both modes. In container mode the translation goes through the existing `containerWorkDir` helper, so the in-container path is correct even when the host `workingDirectory` lives outside `stateDir`. Backward compatibility: a user who explicitly sets `services.hermes-agent.environment.MESSAGING_CWD = "..."` keeps their override (it still flows into `.env` via the activation script) and hermes' python loader honours it as the legacy fallback (with the deprecation warning, which is correct — they've opted in). The default module-emitted env stops carrying the deprecated path. Verified against a real deployment: nix eval --raw .#nixosConfigurations.<host>.config.systemd.services.hermes-agent.environment \ --apply 'env: env.MESSAGING_CWD or "ABSENT"' returns "ABSENT" with the patch, and the rendered config.yaml carries `terminal.cwd: /var/lib/hermes/workspace` as expected.

… + add hermes memory reset (NousResearch#11029) config.yaml terminal.cwd is now the single source of truth for working directory. MESSAGING_CWD and TERMINAL_CWD in .env are deprecated with a migration warning. Changes: 1. config.py: Remove MESSAGING_CWD from OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS (setup wizard no longer prompts for it). Add warn_deprecated_cwd_env_vars() that prints a migration hint when deprecated env vars are detected. 2. gateway/run.py: Replace all MESSAGING_CWD reads with TERMINAL_CWD (which is bridged from config.yaml terminal.cwd). MESSAGING_CWD is still accepted as a backward-compat fallback with deprecation warning. Config bridge skips cwd placeholder values so they don't clobber the resolved TERMINAL_CWD. 3. cli.py: Guard against lazy-import clobbering — when cli.py is imported lazily during gateway runtime (via delegate_tool), don't let load_cli_config() overwrite an already-resolved TERMINAL_CWD with os.getcwd() of the service's working directory. (NousResearch#10817) 4. hermes_cli/main.py: Add 'hermes memory reset' command with --target all/memory/user and --yes flags. Profile-scoped via HERMES_HOME. Migration path for users with .env settings: Remove MESSAGING_CWD / TERMINAL_CWD from .env Add to config.yaml: terminal: cwd: /your/project/path Addresses: NousResearch#10225, NousResearch#4672, NousResearch#10817, NousResearch#7663

teknium1 force-pushed the hermes/hermes-ed039711 branch from 160e585 to 742e3ce Compare April 16, 2026 13:36

teknium1 changed the title ~~fix: respect profile .env TERMINAL_CWD + add hermes memory reset~~ fix: enforce config.yaml as sole CWD source + deprecate .env CWD vars + add hermes memory reset Apr 16, 2026

teknium1 merged commit 3c42064 into main Apr 16, 2026
6 of 7 checks passed

teknium1 deleted the hermes/hermes-ed039711 branch April 16, 2026 13:48

teknium1 mentioned this pull request Apr 16, 2026

bug(gateway): macOS launchd can re-poison TERMINAL_CWD and load repo AGENTS.md #10817

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github-actions Bot mentioned this pull request Apr 24, 2026

chore: bump NousResearch/hermes-agent version from v2026.4.16 to v2026.4.23 Docker-Hub-sirmark/docker-hermes-agent#3

Merged

LLQWQ mentioned this pull request Apr 28, 2026

fix(terminal): cd to configured cwd before shell snapshot capture #16762

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2 tasks

alt-glitch mentioned this pull request May 3, 2026

terminal.cwd config is a foot-gun: CLI/TUI should always use launch directory #19214

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This was referenced May 16, 2026

gateway/run.py clobbers resolved TERMINAL_CWD with raw config value '.' #4672

Closed

[Bug]: Telegram/gateway ignores profile working directory (pwd returns ~/.hermes/hermes-agent) #7663

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otavio mentioned this pull request May 30, 2026

fix(nix): stop emitting deprecated MESSAGING_CWD on the systemd unit #35373

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fix: enforce config.yaml as sole CWD source + deprecate .env CWD vars + add hermes memory reset#11029

fix: enforce config.yaml as sole CWD source + deprecate .env CWD vars + add hermes memory reset#11029
teknium1 merged 1 commit into
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teknium1 commented Apr 16, 2026 •

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teknium1 commented Apr 16, 2026 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Summary

What changed

1. Deprecate MESSAGING_CWD / TERMINAL_CWD in .env

2. Gateway: TERMINAL_CWD is the canonical env var

3. Lazy-import guard in cli.py (#10817)

4. New: hermes memory reset command

Migration path

Tests

Issues addressed

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teknium1 commented Apr 16, 2026 •

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4. New: `hermes memory reset` command