Files
hermes-agent/website/docs/user-guide/messaging/web.md
0xbyt4 0ff1b4ade2 fix: harden web gateway security and fix error swallowing
- Use hmac.compare_digest for timing-safe token comparison (3 endpoints)
- Default bind to 127.0.0.1 instead of 0.0.0.0
- Sanitize upload filenames with Path.name to prevent path traversal
- Add DOMPurify to sanitize marked.parse() output against XSS
- Replace add_static with authenticated media handler
- Hide token in group chats for /remote-control command
- Use ctypes.util.find_library for Opus instead of hardcoded paths
- Add force=True to 5 interrupt _vprint calls for visibility
- Log Opus decode errors and voice restart failures instead of swallowing
2026-03-14 14:27:21 +03:00

6.3 KiB

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8 Web UI Access Hermes from any browser on your network — phone, tablet, or desktop

Web UI Setup

Access Hermes from any browser on your local network. Open the URL on your phone, tablet, or another computer — no app install, no third-party account needed.

:::info No External Dependencies The Web adapter uses aiohttp, which is already included in the [messaging] extra. No additional packages or external services are required. :::

Overview

Component Value
Library aiohttp (HTTP + WebSocket)
Connection Local network (LAN)
Auth Token-based (auto-generated or custom)
Features Markdown, code highlighting, voice messages, images, mobile responsive

Quick Start

Option 1: On-Demand via Command

Start the gateway normally, then type from any connected platform (Telegram, Discord, etc.):

/remote-control

The bot replies with the URL and access token. Open the URL on your phone.

You can also specify a custom port and token:

/remote-control 9000 mysecrettoken

Option 2: Auto-Start with Gateway

Add to ~/.hermes/.env:

WEB_UI_ENABLED=true
WEB_UI_PORT=8765          # default: 8765
WEB_UI_TOKEN=mytoken      # auto-generated if empty

Start the gateway:

hermes gateway

The web UI starts automatically alongside your other platforms.


Features

Markdown & Code Highlighting

Bot responses render full GitHub-flavored Markdown with syntax-highlighted code blocks powered by highlight.js.

Voice Conversation

Click the microphone button to record a voice message. The audio is transcribed via Whisper STT (using OpenAI or Groq as fallback) and sent to the agent. The bot automatically replies with audio playback — voice first, then the text response appears. No extra configuration needed.

STT uses VOICE_TOOLS_OPENAI_KEY (OpenAI Whisper) if set, otherwise falls back to GROQ_API_KEY (Groq Whisper, free tier). If you only need STT, setting GROQ_API_KEY is the simplest option. TTS uses Edge TTS (free, no key) by default, or ElevenLabs/OpenAI if configured in ~/.hermes/config.yaml.

Images & Files

  • Images display inline in the chat
  • Documents show as download links
  • Generated images from the agent appear automatically

Mobile Responsive

The UI adapts to phone screens — full chat experience with touch-friendly input and buttons.

Typing Indicator

Shows an animated indicator while the agent is processing your message.

Auto-Reconnect

If the connection drops (server restart, network change), the client automatically reconnects with exponential backoff.


Firewall & Network

macOS Firewall

macOS may block incoming connections by default. If devices on your network can't connect:

  1. System Settings > Network > Firewall
  2. Either disable the firewall temporarily, or add Python to the allowed apps

Localhost Only

To restrict access to the local machine only:

WEB_UI_HOST=127.0.0.1

Remote Access (Outside LAN)

The Web UI is designed for local network access. For access from outside your network, use a tunnel:

# Using ngrok
ngrok http 8765

# Using Cloudflare Tunnel
cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8765

# Using Tailscale (recommended — encrypted, no port forwarding)
# Install Tailscale on both devices, then access via Tailscale IP

Security

  • Token authentication — every WebSocket connection must authenticate with the correct token before sending messages
  • No data leaves your network — the server runs locally, chat data stays on your machine
  • No HTTPS by default — traffic is unencrypted on the LAN. Use a reverse proxy or tunnel for encryption
  • File uploads require the auth token in the Authorization header
  • Media cleanup — uploaded and generated files are automatically deleted after 24 hours

Environment Variables

Variable Default Description
WEB_UI_ENABLED false Enable the web gateway
WEB_UI_PORT 8765 HTTP server port
WEB_UI_HOST 127.0.0.1 Bind address (0.0.0.0 = LAN, 127.0.0.1 = localhost)
WEB_UI_TOKEN (auto) Access token. Auto-generated if empty.

Troubleshooting

"Server not found" on phone

  • Verify both devices are on the same WiFi network
  • Check if macOS firewall is blocking (see Firewall section above)
  • Try the IP address shown in console output, not localhost
  • If using VPN, the console shows all available IPs — try each one

Port already in use

Change the port in .env:

WEB_UI_PORT=9000

Voice recording not working

  • Browser must support MediaRecorder API (Chrome, Firefox, Safari 14.5+)
  • HTTPS is required for microphone access on non-localhost origins
  • On localhost (127.0.0.1), HTTP works fine for microphone

Microphone not working on mobile

Mobile browsers require HTTPS for microphone access (navigator.mediaDevices API). When accessing the Web UI over HTTP on a LAN IP (e.g. http://192.168.1.x:8765), the mic button will appear dimmed.

Android Chrome — flag the LAN IP as secure:

  1. Open chrome://flags/#unsafely-treat-insecure-origin-as-secure
  2. Add your Web UI URL (e.g. http://192.168.1.106:8765)
  3. Set to Enabled and relaunch Chrome

iOS Safari / Chrome — no flag bypass available. Use one of these instead:

  1. Self-signed HTTPS with mkcert (recommended):

    brew install mkcert && mkcert -install
    mkcert 192.168.1.106
    npx local-ssl-proxy --source 8443 --target 8765 \
      --cert 192.168.1.106.pem --key 192.168.1.106-key.pem
    

    Then access https://192.168.1.106:8443. Trust the mkcert root CA on iOS: Settings > General > About > Certificate Trust Settings.

  2. SSH tunnel from mobile (if you have Termius or similar):

    ssh -L 8765:127.0.0.1:8765 user@your-mac-ip
    

    Then access http://localhost:8765 — localhost is exempt from the HTTPS requirement.

:::tip Text chat works on mobile over HTTP without any workaround — only the microphone feature requires HTTPS. :::

CDN resources not loading

The UI loads marked.js and highlight.js from CDN. If you're offline or behind a restrictive proxy, markdown rendering and code highlighting won't work but basic chat still functions.