Complete cleanup after dropping the mini-swe-agent submodule (PR #2804):
- Remove MSWEA_SILENT_STARTUP and MSWEA_GLOBAL_CONFIG_DIR env var
settings from cli.py, run_agent.py, hermes_cli/main.py, doctor.py
- Remove mini-swe-agent health check from hermes doctor
- Remove 'minisweagent' from logger suppression lists
- Remove litellm/typer/platformdirs from requirements.txt
- Remove mini-swe-agent install steps from install.ps1 (Windows)
- Remove mini-swe-agent install steps from website docs
- Update all stale comments/docstrings referencing mini-swe-agent
in terminal_tool.py, tools/__init__.py, code_execution_tool.py,
environments/README.md, environments/agent_loop.py
- Remove mini_swe_runner from pyproject.toml py-modules
(still exists as standalone script for RL training use)
- Shrink test_minisweagent_path.py to empty stub
The orphaned mini-swe-agent/ directory on disk needs manual removal:
rm -rf mini-swe-agent/
Git for Windows can completely fail to write files during clone due to
antivirus software, Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access, or NTFS
filter drivers. Even with windows.appendAtomically=false, the checkout
phase fails with 'unable to create file: Invalid argument'.
New install strategy (3 attempts):
1. git clone with -c windows.appendAtomically=false (SSH then HTTPS)
2. If clone fails: download GitHub ZIP archive, extract with
Expand-Archive (Windows native, no git file I/O), then git init
the result for future updates
3. All git commands now use -c flag to inject the atomic write fix
Also passes -c flag on update path (fetch/checkout/pull) and makes
submodule init failure non-fatal with a warning.
Move Windows install location from ~\.hermes (user profile root) to
%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes (C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\hermes).
The user profile directory is prone to issues from OneDrive sync,
Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access, and NTFS filter drivers
that break git's atomic file operations. %LOCALAPPDATA% is the
standard Windows location for per-user app data (used by VS Code,
Discord, etc.) and avoids these issues.
Changes:
- Default HermesHome to $env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes
- Set HERMES_HOME user env var so Python code finds the new location
- Auto-migrate existing ~\.hermes installations on first run
- Update completion message to show actual paths
The previous fix set git config --global before clone, but on systems
where atomic writes are broken (OneDrive, antivirus, NTFS filter
drivers), even writing ~/.gitconfig fails with 'Invalid argument'.
Fix: inject the config via GIT_CONFIG_COUNT/KEY/VALUE environment
variables, which git reads before performing any file I/O. This
bypasses the chicken-and-egg problem where git can't write the config
file that would fix its file-writing issue.
Git for Windows can fail during clone when copying hook template files
from the system templates directory. The error:
fatal: cannot copy '.../templates/hooks/fsmonitor-watchman.sample'
to '.git/hooks/...': Invalid argument
The script already set windows.appendAtomically=false but only AFTER
clone, which is too late since clone itself triggers the error.
Fix:
- Set git config --global windows.appendAtomically false BEFORE clone
- Add a third fallback: clone with --template='' to skip hook template
copying entirely (they're optional .sample files)
When running via 'irm ... | iex', the script executes in the caller's
session scope. The 'exit 1' calls (lines 424, 460, 849-851) would kill
the entire PowerShell window instead of just stopping the script.
Fix:
- Replace all 'exit 1' with 'throw' for proper error propagation
- Wrap Main() call in try/catch so errors are caught and displayed
with a helpful message instead of silently closing the terminal
- Show fallback instructions to download and run as a .ps1 file
if the piped install keeps failing
- Set 'git config windows.appendAtomically false' in hermes update
command (win32 only) and in install.ps1 after cloning. Fixes the
'fatal: unable to write loose object file: Invalid argument' error
on Windows filesystems.
- Fix venv pip fallback path: Scripts/pip on Windows vs bin/pip on Unix
- Gate .env encoding fix behind _IS_WINDOWS (no change to Linux/macOS)
Root cause: PowerShell with $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop' only
creates NativeCommandError from stderr when you CAPTURE it via 2>&1.
Without the redirect, stderr flows directly to the console and
PowerShell never intercepts it.
This is how OpenClaw's install.ps1 handles it — bare git commands
with no stderr redirection. Wrap SSH clone attempt in try/catch
since it's expected to fail (falls back to HTTPS).
PowerShell with $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop' treats ANY stderr
output from native commands as a terminating NativeCommandError —
even successful git operations that write progress to stderr
(e.g. 'Cloning into ...').
Fix: temporarily set $ErrorActionPreference = 'Continue' around all
git commands (clone, fetch, checkout, pull, submodule update). This
lets git run normally while preserving strict error handling for
the rest of the installer.
The Windows installer was swallowing uv python install errors with
| Out-Null, making failures impossible to diagnose. Now:
- Shows the actual uv error output when installation fails
- Falls back to finding any existing Python 3.10-3.13 on the system
- Falls back to system python if available
- Shows helpful manual install instructions (python.org URL + winget)
- Updated the SSH cloning process to include a cleanup step for partial clones if the SSH attempt fails, improving the fallback to HTTPS.
- Modified output messages for clarity, including renaming the gateway installation command to better reflect its function.
- Introduced a new mapping for toolset environment variable requirements, enhancing the configuration process by prompting users for missing API keys.
- Implemented a function to check and prompt users for necessary API keys when enabling toolsets, improving user experience and ensuring proper setup.
- Updated the tools command to integrate the new API key checks, streamlining the configuration workflow for users.
- Removed legacy cron daemon functionality, integrating cron job execution directly into the gateway process for improved efficiency.
- Updated CLI commands to reflect changes, replacing `hermes cron daemon` with `hermes cron status` and enhancing documentation for cron job management.
- Clarified messaging in the README and other documentation regarding the gateway's role in managing cron jobs.
- Removed obsolete terminal_hecate tool and related configurations to simplify the codebase.
- Updated the README to include a new banner image and changed the title emoji from 🦋 to ⚕.
- Modified various CLI outputs and scripts to reflect the new branding, ensuring consistency in the use of the ⚕ emoji.
- Added a new banner image asset for enhanced visual appeal during installation and setup processes.
- Changed the banner message in both PowerShell and shell scripts to reflect the new branding of the Hermes Agent as an open source AI agent by Nous Research, enhancing clarity and consistency across installation scripts.
- Added a new `skill_manager_tool` to enable agents to create, update, and delete their own skills, enhancing procedural memory capabilities.
- Updated the skills directory structure to support user-created skills in `~/.hermes/skills/`, allowing for better organization and management.
- Enhanced the CLI and documentation to reflect the new skill management functionalities, including detailed instructions on creating and modifying skills.
- Implemented a manifest-based syncing mechanism for bundled skills to ensure user modifications are preserved during updates.
- Introduced a new function to check for configured messaging platform tokens and prompt the user to start the gateway.
- Updated the installation scripts to automatically start the gateway if messaging tokens are detected, enhancing user experience.
- Expanded the README to include instructions for starting the gateway, ensuring users are informed about the necessary steps for message handling.
- Updated the doctor script to load environment variables from user-specific and project-specific `.env` files, improving configuration management.
- Added checks for the existence of the `SOUL.md` persona file, providing feedback on its status and creating it with a template if missing.
- Enhanced install scripts to create the `SOUL.md` file if it doesn't exist, ensuring users can easily customize the agent's personality.
- Integrated `uv` as a fast Python package manager for automatic Python provisioning and dependency management.
- Updated installation scripts (`setup-hermes.sh`, `install.sh`, `install.ps1`) to utilize `uv` for installing Python and packages, streamlining the setup process.
- Revised `README.md` to reflect changes in installation steps, including symlinking `hermes` for global access and clarifying Python version requirements.
- Adjusted commands in `doctor.py` and other scripts to recommend `uv` for package installations, ensuring consistency across the project.
- Added `prompt_toolkit` as a direct dependency for interactive CLI support.
- Updated `modal` optional dependency to require `swe-rex[modal]>=1.4.0` for improved cloud execution capabilities.
- Enhanced `messaging` optional dependencies to include `aiohttp>=3.9.0` for WhatsApp bridge communication.
- Refined installation scripts to check for Python version requirements, emphasizing the need for Python 3.11+ for RL training tools.
- Improved setup scripts to ensure proper installation of submodules and dependencies, enhancing user experience during setup.
- Introduced file manipulation capabilities in `model_tools.py`, including functions for reading, writing, patching, and searching files.
- Added a new `file` toolset in `toolsets.py` and updated distributions to include file tools.
- Enhanced `setup-hermes.sh` and `install.sh` scripts to check for and optionally install `ripgrep` for faster file searching.
- Implemented a new `file_operations.py` module to encapsulate file operations using shell commands.
- Updated `doctor.py` and `install.ps1` to check for `ripgrep` and provide installation guidance if not found.
- Added fuzzy matching and patch parsing capabilities to improve file manipulation accuracy and flexibility.
- Modified `model_tools.py` to update default model IDs and add new RL function `rl_test_inference`.
- Enhanced `README.md` with installation instructions for submodules and updated API key usage.
- Improved `rl_cli.py` to load configuration from `~/.hermes/config.yaml` and set terminal working directory for RL tools.
- Updated `run_agent.py` to handle empty string arguments as empty objects for better JSON validation.
- Refined installation scripts to ensure submodules are cloned and installed correctly, enhancing setup experience.
- Updated the setup wizard and installation scripts to standardize the configuration file paths under ~/.hermes, enhancing clarity for users.
- Improved messaging in the CLI to clearly indicate where configuration files and data directories are located.
- Streamlined the creation of configuration files, ensuring they are easily accessible and organized within the new directory structure.
- Updated the install script to attempt cloning via SSH first for private repositories, falling back to HTTPS if the SSH method fails.
- Added detailed error handling and user guidance for SSH key setup, improving the installation experience for users with private repositories.
- Modified the install script to include separate variables for SSH and HTTPS repository URLs, enhancing flexibility for users during the cloning process.
- This change allows users to choose their preferred method of accessing the repository, improving the overall installation experience.
- Updated CLI to load configuration from user-specific and project-specific YAML files, prioritizing user settings.
- Introduced a new command `/platforms` to display the status of connected messaging platforms (Telegram, Discord, WhatsApp).
- Implemented a gateway system for handling messaging interactions, including session management and delivery routing for cron job outputs.
- Added support for environment variable configuration and a dedicated gateway configuration file for advanced settings.
- Enhanced documentation in README.md and added a new messaging.md file to guide users on platform integrations and setup.
- Updated toolsets to include platform-specific capabilities for Telegram, Discord, and WhatsApp, ensuring secure and tailored interactions.
