feat(update): auto-backup HERMES_HOME before hermes update by teknium1 · Pull Request #16539 · NousResearch/hermes-agent

teknium1 · 2026-04-27T12:33:55Z

Summary

Every hermes update now creates a full backup zip of HERMES_HOME first, so users can roll back to the exact state they had before the update if anything breaks. Configurable, default on.

Changes

hermes_cli/backup.py: new create_pre_update_backup() — writes <HERMES_HOME>/backups/pre-update-<stamp>.zip using the same exclusion rules + SQLite safe-copy as hermes backup. Auto-rotates (keeps last N, pre-update-*.zip only — hand-dropped zips untouched). backups/ added to _EXCLUDED_DIRS so backups don't nest.
hermes_cli/main.py: _run_pre_update_backup() called at the top of _cmd_update_impl before any git op. Prints save path, restore command, how to disable. Never blocks the update if the backup fails. New --no-backup flag for one-off override.
hermes_cli/config.py: new updates section in DEFAULT_CONFIG — pre_update_backup: true, backup_keep: 5. Auto-surfaces in the dashboard config UI.
Tests: +11 covering location, content parity with hermes backup, no-recursion, rotation, manual file preservation, config gate, flag override.

User-facing output

⚕ Updating Hermes Agent...

◆ Creating pre-update backup...
  Saved:    ~/.hermes/backups/pre-update-2026-04-27-053104.zip (142 MB, 8.3s)
  Restore:  hermes import ~/.hermes/backups/pre-update-2026-04-27-053104.zip
  Disable:  set updates.pre_update_backup: false in config.yaml
            (or pass --no-backup on a single update)

Validation

	Result
`scripts/run_tests.sh tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py`	81/81 passed
E2E: backup location, no-recursion, rotation, flag/config gates	verified against isolated HERMES_HOME
`hermes update --help`	shows `--no-backup` flag
Dashboard config UI	`updates.pre_update_backup` + `updates.backup_keep` auto-appear

Every 'hermes update' now runs a full backup of ~/.hermes/ first, so users can always roll back to the exact state they had before the update if anything goes wrong (corrupted sessions.db, broken skills, config migrations that don't round-trip, etc.). Changes: - hermes_cli/backup.py: new create_pre_update_backup() helper. Writes to <HERMES_HOME>/backups/pre-update-<stamp>.zip using the same exclusion rules and SQLite safe-copy as 'hermes backup'. Auto-rotates (keep last N, pre-update-*.zip only — hand-dropped zips in backups/ are untouched). Adds 'backups' to _EXCLUDED_DIRS so subsequent backups don't nest prior ones. - hermes_cli/main.py: _run_pre_update_backup() wired into _cmd_update_impl before any git operation. Prints save path, restore command, and how to disable. Swallows failures so a broken backup never blocks the update itself. New --no-backup flag on 'hermes update' for one-off override. - hermes_cli/config.py: new 'updates' section in DEFAULT_CONFIG with pre_update_backup (default true) and backup_keep (default 5). Auto-surfaces in the dashboard config UI. - tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py: +11 tests covering backup location, content parity with 'hermes backup', no-recursion, rotation, manual file preservation, config gate, --no-backup flag, flag-wins-over-config.

…ers (#17727) Covers ~60 merged PRs from Apr 15–29 that shipped user-visible behavior without docs coverage. No functional code changes; docs + static manifest regeneration only. Highlights: Stale / incorrect: - configuration.md: auxiliary auto-routing line was wrong since #11900; now correctly states auto routes to the main model, with a note on the cost trade-off and per-task override pattern. - integrations/providers.md + configuration.md compression intro: removed stale 'Gemini Flash via OpenRouter' claim. - website/static/api/model-catalog.json: rebuilt from hermes_cli/models.py so the live manifest picks up tencent/hy3-preview (and remains in sync for future model-catalog PRs). Platform messaging (#17417 #16997 #16193 #14315 #13151 #11794 #10610 #10283 #10246 #11564 #13178): - Signal: native formatting (bodyRanges), reply quotes, reactions. - Telegram: table rendering (bullets + code-block fallback), disable_link_previews, group_allowed_chats. - Slack: strict_mention config. - Discord: slash_commands disable, send_animation GIF, send_message native media attachments. - DingTalk: require_mention + allowed_users. CLI (#16052 #16539 #16566 #15841 #14798 #10043): - New 'hermes fallback' interactive manager. - New 'hermes update --check', '--backup' flag, and pre-update pairing snapshot behavior. - 'hermes gateway start/restart --all' multi-profile flag. - cron.md: 'hermes tools' as a platform, per-job enabled_toolsets, wakeAgent gate, context_from chaining. Config keys / env vars (#17305 #17026 #17000 #15077 #14557 #14227 #14166 #14730 #17008): - terminal.docker_run_as_host_user, display.runtime_metadata_footer, compression.hygiene_hard_message_limit, HINDSIGHT_TIMEOUT, skills.guard_agent_created, TAVILY_BASE_URL, security.allow_private_urls, agent.api_max_retries, gateway hot-reload of compression/context_length config edits. TUI / CLI UX (#17130 #17113 #17175 #17150 #16707 #12312 #12305 #12934 #14810 #14045 #17286 #17126): - HERMES_TUI_RESUME, HERMES_TUI_THEME, LaTeX rendering, busy-indicator styles, ctrl-x queued-message delete, git branch in status bar, per- prompt elapsed stopwatch, external-editor keybind, markdown stripping, TUI voice-mode parity, /agents overlay, /reload + /mouse. Gateway features (#16506 #15027 #13428 #12116): - Native multimodal image routing based on vision capability. - /usage account-limits section. - /steer slash command (added to reference + explanation in CLI). Plugins / hooks (#12929 #12972 #10763 #16364): - transform_tool_result, transform_terminal_output plugin hooks. - PluginContext.dispatch_tool() documented with slash-command example. - google_meet bundled plugin entry under built-in-plugins.md. Other (#16576 #16572 #16383 #15878 #15608 #15606 #14809 #14767 #14231 #14232 #14307 #13683 #12373 #11891 #11291 #10066): - hermes backup exclusions (WAL/SHM/journal + checkpoints/). - security.md hardline blocklist (floor below --yolo). - FHS install layout for root installs. - openssh-client + docker-cli baked into the Docker image. - MEDIA: tag supported extensions table (docs/office/archives/pdf). - Remote-to-host file sync on SSH/Modal/Daytona teardown. - 'hermes model' -> Configure Auxiliary Models interactive picker. - Podman support via HERMES_DOCKER_BINARY. Providers / STT / one-shot (#15045 #14473 #15704): - alibaba-coding-plan first-class provider entry. - xAI Grok STT as a 6th transcription option. - 'hermes -z' scripted one-shot mode + HERMES_INFERENCE_MODEL. Build: 'docusaurus build' succeeds. No new broken links/anchors; pre-existing warnings unchanged.

Originally: feat(update): auto-backup HERMES_HOME before hermes update (NousResearch#16539) Author: Teknium <127238744+teknium1@users.noreply.github.com> Date: 2026-04-27 (NousResearch/hermes-agent main) Adds an automatic backup of ~/.hermes/ before any 'hermes update' so users can roll back to the exact pre-update state if anything goes wrong (corrupted sessions.db, broken skills, config migrations that don't round-trip, etc.). Writes to <HERMES_HOME>/backups/pre-update-<stamp>.zip with auto-rotation (keep last N pre-update zips, leave hand-dropped backups untouched). Why we cherry-pick ------------------ Identified in SMCP_STATUS.md "À cherry-picker un jour" — would have prevented the 2026-04-28 SOUL.md incident where a default 513-byte SOUL.md silently overwrote Khéri's customized version. With this patch, every update creates a pre-update zip first, so SOUL.md recovery would have been a one-command extract. Files ----- - hermes_cli/backup.py: new create_pre_update_backup() helper - hermes_cli/config.py: configuration entries for backup retention - hermes_cli/main.py: _run_pre_update_backup() called before any git operation in 'hermes update' - tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py: new test coverage including test_snapshot_includes_pairing_directories (issue NousResearch#15733) Conflict resolution ------------------- Auto-merge applied cleanly to backup.py, config.py, main.py. test_backup.py had a 1-line marker conflict where HEAD had nothing and upstream added 265 lines of new tests — resolved by keeping the upstream additions verbatim. Risk assessment --------------- Low. Touches only hermes_cli/* (the user-facing CLI tool, not the agent runtime that hermes-agent.service runs as 'hermes gateway'). No impact on AH stability — backup.py runs only when user types 'hermes update'.

…rch#16539) Every 'hermes update' now runs a full backup of ~/.hermes/ first, so users can always roll back to the exact state they had before the update if anything goes wrong (corrupted sessions.db, broken skills, config migrations that don't round-trip, etc.). Changes: - hermes_cli/backup.py: new create_pre_update_backup() helper. Writes to <HERMES_HOME>/backups/pre-update-<stamp>.zip using the same exclusion rules and SQLite safe-copy as 'hermes backup'. Auto-rotates (keep last N, pre-update-*.zip only — hand-dropped zips in backups/ are untouched). Adds 'backups' to _EXCLUDED_DIRS so subsequent backups don't nest prior ones. - hermes_cli/main.py: _run_pre_update_backup() wired into _cmd_update_impl before any git operation. Prints save path, restore command, and how to disable. Swallows failures so a broken backup never blocks the update itself. New --no-backup flag on 'hermes update' for one-off override. - hermes_cli/config.py: new 'updates' section in DEFAULT_CONFIG with pre_update_backup (default true) and backup_keep (default 5). Auto-surfaces in the dashboard config UI. - tests/hermes_cli/test_backup.py: +11 tests covering backup location, content parity with 'hermes backup', no-recursion, rotation, manual file preservation, config gate, --no-backup flag, flag-wins-over-config.

…ers (NousResearch#17727) Covers ~60 merged PRs from Apr 15–29 that shipped user-visible behavior without docs coverage. No functional code changes; docs + static manifest regeneration only. Highlights: Stale / incorrect: - configuration.md: auxiliary auto-routing line was wrong since NousResearch#11900; now correctly states auto routes to the main model, with a note on the cost trade-off and per-task override pattern. - integrations/providers.md + configuration.md compression intro: removed stale 'Gemini Flash via OpenRouter' claim. - website/static/api/model-catalog.json: rebuilt from hermes_cli/models.py so the live manifest picks up tencent/hy3-preview (and remains in sync for future model-catalog PRs). Platform messaging (NousResearch#17417 NousResearch#16997 NousResearch#16193 NousResearch#14315 NousResearch#13151 NousResearch#11794 NousResearch#10610 NousResearch#10283 NousResearch#10246 NousResearch#11564 NousResearch#13178): - Signal: native formatting (bodyRanges), reply quotes, reactions. - Telegram: table rendering (bullets + code-block fallback), disable_link_previews, group_allowed_chats. - Slack: strict_mention config. - Discord: slash_commands disable, send_animation GIF, send_message native media attachments. - DingTalk: require_mention + allowed_users. CLI (NousResearch#16052 NousResearch#16539 NousResearch#16566 NousResearch#15841 NousResearch#14798 NousResearch#10043): - New 'hermes fallback' interactive manager. - New 'hermes update --check', '--backup' flag, and pre-update pairing snapshot behavior. - 'hermes gateway start/restart --all' multi-profile flag. - cron.md: 'hermes tools' as a platform, per-job enabled_toolsets, wakeAgent gate, context_from chaining. Config keys / env vars (NousResearch#17305 NousResearch#17026 NousResearch#17000 NousResearch#15077 NousResearch#14557 NousResearch#14227 NousResearch#14166 NousResearch#14730 NousResearch#17008): - terminal.docker_run_as_host_user, display.runtime_metadata_footer, compression.hygiene_hard_message_limit, HINDSIGHT_TIMEOUT, skills.guard_agent_created, TAVILY_BASE_URL, security.allow_private_urls, agent.api_max_retries, gateway hot-reload of compression/context_length config edits. TUI / CLI UX (NousResearch#17130 NousResearch#17113 NousResearch#17175 NousResearch#17150 NousResearch#16707 NousResearch#12312 NousResearch#12305 NousResearch#12934 NousResearch#14810 NousResearch#14045 NousResearch#17286 NousResearch#17126): - HERMES_TUI_RESUME, HERMES_TUI_THEME, LaTeX rendering, busy-indicator styles, ctrl-x queued-message delete, git branch in status bar, per- prompt elapsed stopwatch, external-editor keybind, markdown stripping, TUI voice-mode parity, /agents overlay, /reload + /mouse. Gateway features (NousResearch#16506 NousResearch#15027 NousResearch#13428 NousResearch#12116): - Native multimodal image routing based on vision capability. - /usage account-limits section. - /steer slash command (added to reference + explanation in CLI). Plugins / hooks (NousResearch#12929 NousResearch#12972 NousResearch#10763 NousResearch#16364): - transform_tool_result, transform_terminal_output plugin hooks. - PluginContext.dispatch_tool() documented with slash-command example. - google_meet bundled plugin entry under built-in-plugins.md. Other (NousResearch#16576 NousResearch#16572 NousResearch#16383 NousResearch#15878 NousResearch#15608 NousResearch#15606 NousResearch#14809 NousResearch#14767 NousResearch#14231 NousResearch#14232 NousResearch#14307 NousResearch#13683 NousResearch#12373 NousResearch#11891 NousResearch#11291 NousResearch#10066): - hermes backup exclusions (WAL/SHM/journal + checkpoints/). - security.md hardline blocklist (floor below --yolo). - FHS install layout for root installs. - openssh-client + docker-cli baked into the Docker image. - MEDIA: tag supported extensions table (docs/office/archives/pdf). - Remote-to-host file sync on SSH/Modal/Daytona teardown. - 'hermes model' -> Configure Auxiliary Models interactive picker. - Podman support via HERMES_DOCKER_BINARY. Providers / STT / one-shot (NousResearch#15045 NousResearch#14473 NousResearch#15704): - alibaba-coding-plan first-class provider entry. - xAI Grok STT as a 6th transcription option. - 'hermes -z' scripted one-shot mode + HERMES_INFERENCE_MODEL. Build: 'docusaurus build' succeeds. No new broken links/anchors; pre-existing warnings unchanged.