# Hermes Matrix Client Integration Specification

> **Issue**: [#166](http://143.198.27.163:3000/Timmy_Foundation/timmy-config/issues/166) — Stand up Matrix/Conduit  
> **Created**: Ezra | 2026-04-05 | Burn mode  
> **Purpose**: Define how Hermes wizard houses connect to, listen on, and respond within the sovereign Matrix fleet. This turns the #183 server scaffold into an end-to-end communications architecture.

---

## 1. Scope

This document specifies:
- The client library and runtime pattern for Hermes-to-Matrix integration
- Bot identity model (one account per wizard house vs. shared fleet bot)
- Message format, encryption requirements, and room membership rules
- Minimal working code scaffold for connection, listening, and reply
- Error handling, reconnection, and security hardening

**Out of scope**: Server deployment (see `infra/matrix/`), room creation (see `scripts/bootstrap-fleet-rooms.py`), Telegram cutover (see `CUTOVER_PLAN.md`).

---

## 2. Library Choice: `matrix-nio`

**Selected library**: [`matrix-nio`](https://matrix-nio.readthedocs.io/)

**Why `matrix-nio`:**
- Native async/await (fits Hermes agent loop)
- Full end-to-end encryption (E2EE) support via `AsyncClient`
- Small dependency footprint compared to Synapse client SDK
- Battle-tested in production bots (e.g., maubot, heisenbridge)

**Installation**:
```bash
pip install matrix-nio[e2e]
```

---

## 3. Bot Identity Model

### 3.1 Recommendation: One Bot Per Wizard House

Each wizard house (Ezra, Allegro, Gemini, Bezalel, etc.) maintains its own Matrix user account. This mirrors the existing Telegram identity model and preserves sovereignty.

**Pattern**:
- `@ezra:matrix.timmytime.net`
- `@allegro:matrix.timmytime.net`
- `@gemini:matrix.timmytime.net`

### 3.2 Alternative: Shared Fleet Bot

A single `@fleet:matrix.timmytime.net` bot proxies messages for all agents. **Not recommended** — creates a single point of failure and complicates attribution.

### 3.3 Account Provisioning

Each account is created via the Conduit admin API during room bootstrap (see `bootstrap-fleet-rooms.py`). Credentials are stored in the wizard house's local `.env` (`MATRIX_USER`, `MATRIX_PASSWORD`, `MATRIX_HOMESERVER`).

---

## 4. Minimal Working Example

The following scaffold demonstrates:
1. Logging in with password
2. Joining the fleet operator room
3. Listening for encrypted text messages
4. Replying with a simple acknowledgment
5. Graceful logout on SIGINT

```python
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""hermes_matrix_client.py — Minimal Hermes Matrix Client Scaffold"""

import asyncio
import os
import signal
from pathlib import Path

from nio import (
    AsyncClient,
    LoginResponse,
    SyncResponse,
    RoomMessageText,
    InviteEvent,
    MatrixRoom,
)

# ------------------------------------------------------------------
# Configuration (read from environment or local .env)
# ------------------------------------------------------------------
HOMESERVER = os.getenv("MATRIX_HOMESERVER", "https://matrix.timmytime.net")
USER_ID = os.getenv("MATRIX_USER", "@ezra:matrix.timmytime.net")
PASSWORD = os.getenv("MATRIX_PASSWORD", "")
DEVICE_ID = os.getenv("MATRIX_DEVICE_ID", "HERMES_001")
OPERATOR_ROOM_ALIAS = "#operator-room:matrix.timmytime.net"

# Persistent store for encryption state
cache_dir = Path.home() / ".cache" / "hermes-matrix"
cache_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
store_path = cache_dir / f"{USER_ID.split(':')[0].replace('@', '')}_store"


class HermesMatrixClient:
    def __init__(self):
        self.client = AsyncClient(
            homeserver=HOMESERVER,
            user=USER_ID,
            device_id=DEVICE_ID,
            store_path=str(store_path),
        )
        self.shutdown_event = asyncio.Event()

    async def login(self):
        resp = await self.client.login(PASSWORD)
        if isinstance(resp, LoginResponse):
            print(f"✅ Logged in as {resp.user_id} (device: {resp.device_id})")
        else:
            print(f"❌ Login failed: {resp}")
            raise RuntimeError("Matrix login failed")

    async def join_operator_room(self):
        """Join the canonical operator room by alias."""
        res = await self.client.join_room(OPERATOR_ROOM_ALIAS)
        if hasattr(res, "room_id"):
            print(f"✅ Joined operator room: {res.room_id}")
            return res.room_id
        else:
            print(f"⚠️ Could not join operator room: {res}")
            return None

    async def on_message(self, room: MatrixRoom, event: RoomMessageText):
        """Handle incoming text messages."""
        if event.sender == self.client.user_id:
            return  # Ignore echo of our own messages

        print(f"📩 {room.display_name} | {event.sender}: {event.body}")

        # Simple command parsing
        if event.body.startswith("!ping"):
            await self.client.room_send(
                room_id=room.room_id,
                message_type="m.room.message",
                content={
                    "msgtype": "m.text",
                    "body": f"Pong from {USER_ID}!",
                },
            )
        elif event.body.startswith("!sitrep"):
            await self.client.room_send(
                room_id=room.room_id,
                message_type="m.room.message",
                content={
                    "msgtype": "m.text",
                    "body": "🔥 Burn mode active. All systems nominal.",
                },
            )

    async def on_invite(self, room: MatrixRoom, event: InviteEvent):
        """Auto-join rooms when invited."""
        print(f"📨 Invite to {room.room_id} from {event.sender}")
        await self.client.join(room.room_id)

    async def sync_loop(self):
        """Long-polling sync loop with automatic retry."""
        self.client.add_event_callback(self.on_message, RoomMessageText)
        self.client.add_event_callback(self.on_invite, InviteEvent)

        while not self.shutdown_event.is_set():
            try:
                sync_resp = await self.client.sync(timeout=30000)
                if isinstance(sync_resp, SyncResponse):
                    pass  # Callbacks handled by nio
            except Exception as exc:
                print(f"⚠️ Sync error: {exc}. Retrying in 5s...")
                await asyncio.sleep(5)

    async def run(self):
        await self.login()
        await self.join_operator_room()
        await self.sync_loop()

    async def close(self):
        await self.client.close()
        print("👋 Matrix client closed.")


async def main():
    bot = HermesMatrixClient()

    loop = asyncio.get_event_loop()
    for sig in (signal.SIGINT, signal.SIGTERM):
        loop.add_signal_handler(sig, bot.shutdown_event.set)

    try:
        await bot.run()
    finally:
        await bot.close()


if __name__ == "__main__":
    asyncio.run(main())
```

---

## 5. Message Format & Protocol

### 5.1 Plain-Text Commands

For human-to-fleet interaction, messages use a lightweight command prefix:

| Command | Target | Purpose |
|---------|--------|---------|
| `!ping` | Any wizard | Liveness check |
| `!sitrep` | Any wizard | Request status report |
| `!help` | Any wizard | List available commands |
| `!exec <task>` | Specific wizard | Route a task request (future) |
| `!burn <issue#>` | Any wizard | Priority task escalation |

### 5.2 Structured JSON Payloads (Agent-to-Agent)

For machine-to-machine coordination, agents may send `m.text` messages with a JSON block inside triple backticks:

```json
{
  "hermes_msg_type": "task_request",
  "from": "@ezra:matrix.timmytime.net",
  "to": "@gemini:matrix.timmytime.net",
  "task_id": "the-nexus#830",
  "action": "evaluate_tts_output",
  "deadline": "2026-04-06T06:00:00Z"
}
```

---

## 6. End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)

### 6.1 Requirement

All fleet operator rooms **must** have encryption enabled (`m.room.encryption` event). The `matrix-nio` client automatically handles key sharing and device verification when `store_path` is provided.

### 6.2 Device Verification Strategy

**Recommended**: "Trust on First Use" (TOFU) within the fleet.

```python
async def trust_fleet_devices(self):
    """Auto-verify all devices of known fleet users."""
    fleet_users = ["@ezra:matrix.timmytime.net", "@allegro:matrix.timmytime.net"]
    for user_id in fleet_users:
        devices = await self.client.devices(user_id)
        for device_id in devices.get(user_id, {}):
            await self.client.verify_device(user_id, device_id)
```

**Caution**: Do not auto-verify external users (e.g., Alexander's personal Element client). Those should be verified manually via emoji comparison.

---

## 7. Fleet Room Membership

### 7.1 Canonical Rooms

| Room Alias | Purpose | Members |
|------------|---------|---------|
| `#operator-room:matrix.timmytime.net` | Human-to-fleet command surface | Alexander + all wizards |
| `#wizard-hall:matrix.timmytime.net` | Agent-to-agent coordination | All wizards only |
| `#burn-pit:matrix.timmytime.net` | High-priority escalations | On-call wizard + Alexander |

### 7.2 Auto-Join Policy

Every Hermes client **must** auto-join invites to `#operator-room` and `#wizard-hall`. Burns to `#burn-pit` are opt-in based on on-call schedule.

---

## 8. Error Handling & Reconnection

### 8.1 Network Partitions

If sync fails with a 5xx or connection error, the client must:
1. Log the error
2. Wait 5s (with exponential backoff up to 60s)
3. Retry sync indefinitely

### 8.2 Token Expiration

Conduit access tokens do not expire by default. If a `M_UNKNOWN_TOKEN` occurs, the client must re-login using `MATRIX_PASSWORD` and update the stored access token.

### 8.3 Fatal Errors

If login fails 3 times consecutively, the client should exit with a non-zero status and surface an alert to the operator room (if possible via a fallback mechanism).

---

## 9. Integration with Hermes Agent Loop

The Matrix client is **not** a replacement for the Hermes agent core. It is an additional I/O surface.

**Recommended integration pattern**:

```
┌─────────────────┐
│  Hermes Agent   │
│   (run_agent)   │
└────────┬────────┘
         │ tool calls, reasoning
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│  Matrix Gateway │  ← new: wraps hermes_matrix_client.py
│  (message I/O)  │
└────────┬────────┘
         │ Matrix HTTP APIs
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ Conduit Server  │
└─────────────────┘
```

A `MatrixGateway` class (future work) would:
1. Run the `matrix-nio` client in a background asyncio task
2. Convert incoming Matrix commands into `AIAgent.chat()` calls
3. Post the agent's text response back to the room
4. Support the existing Hermes toolset (todo, memory, delegate) via the same agent loop

---

## 10. Security Hardening Checklist

Before any wizard house connects to the production Conduit server:

- [ ] `MATRIX_PASSWORD` is a 32+ character random string
- [ ] The client `store_path` is on an encrypted volume (`~/.cache/hermes-matrix/`)
- [ ] E2EE is enabled in the operator room
- [ ] Only fleet devices are auto-verified
- [ ] The client rejects invites from non-fleet homeservers
- [ ] Logs do not include message bodies at `INFO` level
- [ ] A separate device ID is used per wizard house deployment

---

## 11. Acceptance Criteria Mapping

Maps #166 acceptance criteria to this specification:

| #166 Criterion | Addressed By |
|----------------|--------------|
| Deploy Conduit homeserver | `infra/matrix/` (#183) |
| Create fleet rooms/channels | `bootstrap-fleet-rooms.py` |
| Verify encrypted operator-to-fleet messaging | Section 6 (E2EE) + MWE |
| Alexander can message the fleet over Matrix | Sections 4 (MWE), 5 (commands), 7 (rooms) |
| Telegram is no longer the only command surface | `CUTOVER_PLAN.md` + this spec |

---

## 12. Next Steps

1. **Gemini / Allegro**: Implement `MatrixGateway` class in `gateway/platforms/matrix.py` using this spec.
2. **Bezalel / Ezra**: Test the MWE against the staging Conduit instance once #187 resolves.
3. **Alexander**: Approve the command prefix vocabulary (`!ping`, `!sitrep`, `!burn`, etc.).

---

*This document is repo truth. If the Matrix client implementation diverges from this spec, update the spec first.*