16 callsites across 14 files were re-deriving the hermes home path
via os.environ.get('HERMES_HOME', ...) instead of using the canonical
get_hermes_home() from hermes_constants. This breaks profiles — each
profile has its own HERMES_HOME, and the inline fallback defaults to
~/.hermes regardless.
Fixed by importing and calling get_hermes_home() at each site. For
files already inside the hermes process (agent/, hermes_cli/, tools/,
gateway/, plugins/), this is always safe. Files that run outside the
process context (mcp_serve.py, mcp_oauth.py) already had correct
try/except ImportError fallbacks and were left alone.
Skipped: hermes_constants.py (IS the implementation), env_loader.py
(bootstrap), profiles.py (intentionally manipulates the env var),
standalone scripts (optional-skills/, skills/), and tests.
The gateway now ships with a built-in boot-md hook that checks for
~/.hermes/BOOT.md on every startup. If the file exists, the agent
executes its instructions in a background thread. No installation
or configuration needed — just create the file.
No BOOT.md = zero overhead (the hook silently returns).
Implementation:
- gateway/builtin_hooks/boot_md.py: handler with boot prompt,
background thread, [SILENT] suppression, error handling
- gateway/hooks.py: _register_builtin_hooks() called at the start
of discover_and_load() to wire in built-in hooks
- Docs updated: hooks page documents BOOT.md as a built-in feature
