fix(tools): address PR review — remove _extract_raw_output, BudgetConfig everywhere, read_file hardening

- Remove _extract_raw_output: persist content verbatim (fixes size mismatch bug)
- Drop import aliases: import from budget_config directly, one canonical name
- BudgetConfig param on maybe_persist_tool_result and enforce_turn_budget
- read_file: limit=None signature, pre-read guard fires only when limit omitted (256KB)
- Unify binary extensions: file_operations.py imports from binary_extensions.py
- Exclude .pdf and .svg from binary set (text-based, agents may inspect)
- Remove redundant outer try/except in eval path (internal fallback handles it)
- Fix broken tests: update assertion strings for new persistence format
- Module-level constants: _PRE_READ_MAX_BYTES, _DEFAULT_READ_LIMIT
- Remove redundant pathlib import (Path already at module level)
- Update spec.md with IMPLEMENTED annotations and design decisions

.env.example

@@ -14,6 +14,16 @@
 # LLM_MODEL is no longer read from .env — this line is kept for reference only.
 # LLM_MODEL=anthropic/claude-opus-4.6
 
+# =============================================================================
+# LLM PROVIDER (Google AI Studio / Gemini)
+# =============================================================================
+# Native Gemini API via Google's OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
+# Get your key at: https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey
+# GOOGLE_API_KEY=your_google_ai_studio_key_here
+# GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_key_here  # alias for GOOGLE_API_KEY
+# Optional base URL override (default: Google's OpenAI-compatible endpoint)
+# GEMINI_BASE_URL=https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai
+
 # =============================================================================
 # LLM PROVIDER (z.ai / GLM)
 # =============================================================================

.github/workflows/tests.yml

@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ jobs:
       - name: Checkout code
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
+      - name: Install system dependencies
+        run: sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y ripgrep
+
       - name: Install uv
         uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@v5
 

acp_adapter/entry.py

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ Usage::
 
 import asyncio
 import logging
-import os
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home

acp_adapter/session.py

@@ -262,8 +262,6 @@ class SessionManager:
         if self._db_instance is not None:
             return self._db_instance
         try:
-            import os
-            from pathlib import Path
             from hermes_state import SessionDB
             hermes_home = get_hermes_home()
             self._db_instance = SessionDB(db_path=hermes_home / "state.db")

acp_adapter/tools.py

@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ TOOL_KIND_MAP: Dict[str, ToolKind] = {
     "browser_scroll": "execute",
     "browser_press": "execute",
     "browser_back": "execute",
-    "browser_close": "execute",
     "browser_get_images": "read",
     # Agent internals
     "delegate_task": "execute",

agent/anthropic_adapter.py

@@ -188,9 +188,7 @@ def _requires_bearer_auth(base_url: str | None) -> bool:
     if not base_url:
         return False
     normalized = base_url.rstrip("/").lower()
-    return normalized.startswith("https://api.minimax.io/anthropic") or normalized.startswith(
-        "https://api.minimaxi.com/anthropic"
-    )
+    return normalized.startswith(("https://api.minimax.io/anthropic", "https://api.minimaxi.com/anthropic"))
 
 
 def build_anthropic_client(api_key: str, base_url: str = None):
@@ -708,29 +706,6 @@ def run_hermes_oauth_login_pure() -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
     }
 
 
-def run_hermes_oauth_login() -> Optional[str]:
-    """Run Hermes-native OAuth PKCE flow for Claude Pro/Max subscription.
-
-    Opens a browser to claude.ai for authorization, prompts for the code,
-    exchanges it for tokens, and stores them in ~/.hermes/.anthropic_oauth.json.
-
-    Returns the access token on success, None on failure.
-    """
-    result = run_hermes_oauth_login_pure()
-    if not result:
-        return None
-
-    access_token = result["access_token"]
-    refresh_token = result["refresh_token"]
-    expires_at_ms = result["expires_at_ms"]
-
-    _save_hermes_oauth_credentials(access_token, refresh_token, expires_at_ms)
-    _write_claude_code_credentials(access_token, refresh_token, expires_at_ms)
-
-    print("Authentication successful!")
-    return access_token
-
-
 def _save_hermes_oauth_credentials(access_token: str, refresh_token: str, expires_at_ms: int) -> None:
     """Save OAuth credentials to ~/.hermes/.anthropic_oauth.json."""
     data = {
@@ -758,38 +733,6 @@ def read_hermes_oauth_credentials() -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
     return None
 
 
-def refresh_hermes_oauth_token() -> Optional[str]:
-    """Refresh the Hermes-managed OAuth token using the stored refresh token.
-
-    Returns the new access token, or None if refresh fails.
-    """
-    creds = read_hermes_oauth_credentials()
-    if not creds or not creds.get("refreshToken"):
-        return None
-
-    try:
-        refreshed = refresh_anthropic_oauth_pure(
-            creds["refreshToken"],
-            use_json=True,
-        )
-        _save_hermes_oauth_credentials(
-            refreshed["access_token"],
-            refreshed["refresh_token"],
-            refreshed["expires_at_ms"],
-        )
-        _write_claude_code_credentials(
-            refreshed["access_token"],
-            refreshed["refresh_token"],
-            refreshed["expires_at_ms"],
-        )
-        logger.debug("Successfully refreshed Hermes OAuth token")
-        return refreshed["access_token"]
-    except Exception as e:
-        logger.debug("Failed to refresh Hermes OAuth token: %s", e)
-
-    return None
-
-
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Message / tool / response format conversion
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -847,7 +790,7 @@ def _convert_openai_image_part_to_anthropic(part: Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[Di
                 },
             }
 
-    if url.startswith("http://") or url.startswith("https://"):
+    if url.startswith(("http://", "https://")):
         return {
             "type": "image",
             "source": {
@@ -859,35 +802,6 @@ def _convert_openai_image_part_to_anthropic(part: Dict[str, Any]) -> Optional[Di
     return None
 
 
-def _convert_user_content_part_to_anthropic(part: Any) -> Optional[Dict[str, Any]]:
-    if isinstance(part, dict):
-        ptype = part.get("type")
-        if ptype == "text":
-            block = {"type": "text", "text": part.get("text", "")}
-            if isinstance(part.get("cache_control"), dict):
-                block["cache_control"] = dict(part["cache_control"])
-            return block
-        if ptype == "image_url":
-            return _convert_openai_image_part_to_anthropic(part)
-        if ptype == "image" and part.get("source"):
-            return dict(part)
-        if ptype == "image" and part.get("data"):
-            media_type = part.get("mimeType") or part.get("media_type") or "image/png"
-            return {
-                "type": "image",
-                "source": {
-                    "type": "base64",
-                    "media_type": media_type,
-                    "data": part.get("data", ""),
-                },
-            }
-        if ptype == "tool_result":
-            return dict(part)
-    elif part is not None:
-        return {"type": "text", "text": str(part)}
-    return None
-
-
 def convert_tools_to_anthropic(tools: List[Dict]) -> List[Dict]:
     """Convert OpenAI tool definitions to Anthropic format."""
     if not tools:

agent/auxiliary_client.py

@@ -34,6 +34,12 @@ than the provider's default.
 Per-task direct endpoint overrides (e.g. AUXILIARY_VISION_BASE_URL,
 AUXILIARY_VISION_API_KEY) let callers route a specific auxiliary task to a
 custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint without touching the main model settings.
+
+Payment / credit exhaustion fallback:
+  When a resolved provider returns HTTP 402 or a credit-related error,
+  call_llm() automatically retries with the next available provider in the
+  auto-detection chain.  This handles the common case where a user depletes
+  their OpenRouter balance but has Codex OAuth or another provider available.
 """
 
 import json
@@ -55,6 +61,7 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 # Default auxiliary models for direct API-key providers (cheap/fast for side tasks)
 _API_KEY_PROVIDER_AUX_MODELS: Dict[str, str] = {
+    "gemini": "gemini-3-flash-preview",
     "zai": "glm-4.5-flash",
     "kimi-coding": "kimi-k2-turbo-preview",
     "minimax": "MiniMax-M2.7-highspeed",
@@ -84,6 +91,7 @@ auxiliary_is_nous: bool = False
 # Default auxiliary models per provider
 _OPENROUTER_MODEL = "google/gemini-3-flash-preview"
 _NOUS_MODEL = "google/gemini-3-flash-preview"
+_NOUS_FREE_TIER_VISION_MODEL = "xiaomi/mimo-v2-omni"
 _NOUS_DEFAULT_BASE_URL = "https://inference-api.nousresearch.com/v1"
 _ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_BASE_URL = "https://api.anthropic.com"
 _AUTH_JSON_PATH = get_hermes_home() / "auth.json"
@@ -201,7 +209,6 @@ class _CodexCompletionsAdapter:
     def create(self, **kwargs) -> Any:
         messages = kwargs.get("messages", [])
         model = kwargs.get("model", self._model)
-        temperature = kwargs.get("temperature")
 
         # Separate system/instructions from conversation messages.
         # Convert chat.completions multimodal content blocks to Responses
@@ -253,26 +260,73 @@ class _CodexCompletionsAdapter:
         usage = None
 
         try:
+            # Collect output items and text deltas during streaming —
+            # the Codex backend can return empty response.output from
+            # get_final_response() even when items were streamed.
+            collected_output_items: List[Any] = []
+            collected_text_deltas: List[str] = []
+            has_function_calls = False
             with self._client.responses.stream(**resp_kwargs) as stream:
                 for _event in stream:
-                    pass
+                    _etype = getattr(_event, "type", "")
+                    if _etype == "response.output_item.done":
+                        _done = getattr(_event, "item", None)
+                        if _done is not None:
+                            collected_output_items.append(_done)
+                    elif "output_text.delta" in _etype:
+                        _delta = getattr(_event, "delta", "")
+                        if _delta:
+                            collected_text_deltas.append(_delta)
+                    elif "function_call" in _etype:
+                        has_function_calls = True
                 final = stream.get_final_response()
 
-            # Extract text and tool calls from the Responses output
+            # Backfill empty output from collected stream events
+            _output = getattr(final, "output", None)
+            if isinstance(_output, list) and not _output:
+                if collected_output_items:
+                    final.output = list(collected_output_items)
+                    logger.debug(
+                        "Codex auxiliary: backfilled %d output items from stream events",
+                        len(collected_output_items),
+                    )
+                elif collected_text_deltas and not has_function_calls:
+                    # Only synthesize text when no tool calls were streamed —
+                    # a function_call response with incidental text should not
+                    # be collapsed into a plain-text message.
+                    assembled = "".join(collected_text_deltas)
+                    final.output = [SimpleNamespace(
+                        type="message", role="assistant", status="completed",
+                        content=[SimpleNamespace(type="output_text", text=assembled)],
+                    )]
+                    logger.debug(
+                        "Codex auxiliary: synthesized from %d deltas (%d chars)",
+                        len(collected_text_deltas), len(assembled),
+                    )
+
+            # Extract text and tool calls from the Responses output.
+            # Items may be SDK objects (attrs) or dicts (raw/fallback paths),
+            # so use a helper that handles both shapes.
+            def _item_get(obj: Any, key: str, default: Any = None) -> Any:
+                val = getattr(obj, key, None)
+                if val is None and isinstance(obj, dict):
+                    val = obj.get(key, default)
+                return val if val is not None else default
+
             for item in getattr(final, "output", []):
-                item_type = getattr(item, "type", None)
+                item_type = _item_get(item, "type")
                 if item_type == "message":
-                    for part in getattr(item, "content", []):
-                        ptype = getattr(part, "type", None)
+                    for part in (_item_get(item, "content") or []):
+                        ptype = _item_get(part, "type")
                         if ptype in ("output_text", "text"):
-                            text_parts.append(getattr(part, "text", ""))
+                            text_parts.append(_item_get(part, "text", ""))
                 elif item_type == "function_call":
                     tool_calls_raw.append(SimpleNamespace(
-                        id=getattr(item, "call_id", ""),
+                        id=_item_get(item, "call_id", ""),
                         type="function",
                         function=SimpleNamespace(
-                            name=getattr(item, "name", ""),
-                            arguments=getattr(item, "arguments", "{}"),
+                            name=_item_get(item, "name", ""),
+                            arguments=_item_get(item, "arguments", "{}"),
                         ),
                     ))
 
@@ -666,7 +720,19 @@ def _try_nous() -> Tuple[Optional[OpenAI], Optional[str]]:
     global auxiliary_is_nous
     auxiliary_is_nous = True
     logger.debug("Auxiliary client: Nous Portal")
-    model = "gemini-3-flash" if nous.get("source") == "pool" else _NOUS_MODEL
+    if nous.get("source") == "pool":
+        model = "gemini-3-flash"
+    else:
+        model = _NOUS_MODEL
+    # Free-tier users can't use paid auxiliary models — use the free
+    # multimodal model instead so vision/browser-vision still works.
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.models import check_nous_free_tier
+        if check_nous_free_tier():
+            model = _NOUS_FREE_TIER_VISION_MODEL
+            logger.debug("Free-tier Nous account — using %s for auxiliary/vision", model)
+    except Exception:
+        pass
     return (
         OpenAI(
             api_key=_nous_api_key(nous),
@@ -842,7 +908,7 @@ def _resolve_forced_provider(forced: str) -> Tuple[Optional[OpenAI], Optional[st
     if forced == "nous":
         client, model = _try_nous()
         if client is None:
-            logger.warning("auxiliary.provider=nous but Nous Portal not configured (run: hermes login)")
+            logger.warning("auxiliary.provider=nous but Nous Portal not configured (run: hermes auth)")
         return client, model
 
     if forced == "codex":
@@ -873,10 +939,90 @@ _AUTO_PROVIDER_LABELS = {
     "_resolve_api_key_provider": "api-key",
 }
 
-
 _AGGREGATOR_PROVIDERS = frozenset({"openrouter", "nous"})
 
 
+def _get_provider_chain() -> List[tuple]:
+    """Return the ordered provider detection chain.
+
+    Built at call time (not module level) so that test patches
+    on the ``_try_*`` functions are picked up correctly.
+    """
+    return [
+        ("openrouter", _try_openrouter),
+        ("nous", _try_nous),
+        ("local/custom", _try_custom_endpoint),
+        ("openai-codex", _try_codex),
+        ("api-key", _resolve_api_key_provider),
+    ]
+
+
+def _is_payment_error(exc: Exception) -> bool:
+    """Detect payment/credit/quota exhaustion errors.
+
+    Returns True for HTTP 402 (Payment Required) and for 429/other errors
+    whose message indicates billing exhaustion rather than rate limiting.
+    """
+    status = getattr(exc, "status_code", None)
+    if status == 402:
+        return True
+    err_lower = str(exc).lower()
+    # OpenRouter and other providers include "credits" or "afford" in 402 bodies,
+    # but sometimes wrap them in 429 or other codes.
+    if status in (402, 429, None):
+        if any(kw in err_lower for kw in ("credits", "insufficient funds",
+                                           "can only afford", "billing",
+                                           "payment required")):
+            return True
+    return False
+
+
+def _try_payment_fallback(
+    failed_provider: str,
+    task: str = None,
+) -> Tuple[Optional[Any], Optional[str], str]:
+    """Try alternative providers after a payment/credit error.
+
+    Iterates the standard auto-detection chain, skipping the provider that
+    returned a payment error.
+
+    Returns:
+        (client, model, provider_label) or (None, None, "") if no fallback.
+    """
+    # Normalise the failed provider label for matching.
+    skip = failed_provider.lower().strip()
+    # Also skip Step-1 main-provider path if it maps to the same backend.
+    # (e.g. main_provider="openrouter" → skip "openrouter" in chain)
+    main_provider = _read_main_provider()
+    skip_labels = {skip}
+    if main_provider and main_provider.lower() in skip:
+        skip_labels.add(main_provider.lower())
+    # Map common resolved_provider values back to chain labels.
+    _alias_to_label = {"openrouter": "openrouter", "nous": "nous",
+                       "openai-codex": "openai-codex", "codex": "openai-codex",
+                       "custom": "local/custom", "local/custom": "local/custom"}
+    skip_chain_labels = {_alias_to_label.get(s, s) for s in skip_labels}
+
+    tried = []
+    for label, try_fn in _get_provider_chain():
+        if label in skip_chain_labels:
+            continue
+        client, model = try_fn()
+        if client is not None:
+            logger.info(
+                "Auxiliary %s: payment error on %s — falling back to %s (%s)",
+                task or "call", failed_provider, label, model or "default",
+            )
+            return client, model, label
+        tried.append(label)
+
+    logger.warning(
+        "Auxiliary %s: payment error on %s and no fallback available (tried: %s)",
+        task or "call", failed_provider, ", ".join(tried),
+    )
+    return None, None, ""
+
+
 def _resolve_auto() -> Tuple[Optional[OpenAI], Optional[str]]:
     """Full auto-detection chain.
 
@@ -904,10 +1050,7 @@ def _resolve_auto() -> Tuple[Optional[OpenAI], Optional[str]]:
 
     # ── Step 2: aggregator / fallback chain ──────────────────────────────
     tried = []
-    for try_fn in (_try_openrouter, _try_nous, _try_custom_endpoint,
-                   _try_codex, _resolve_api_key_provider):
-        fn_name = getattr(try_fn, "__name__", "unknown")
-        label = _AUTO_PROVIDER_LABELS.get(fn_name, fn_name)
+    for label, try_fn in _get_provider_chain():
         client, model = try_fn()
         if client is not None:
             if tried:
@@ -999,7 +1142,13 @@ def resolve_provider_client(
     if provider == "codex":
         provider = "openai-codex"
     if provider == "main":
-        provider = "custom"
+        # Resolve to the user's actual main provider so named custom providers
+        # and non-aggregator providers (DeepSeek, Alibaba, etc.) work correctly.
+        main_prov = _read_main_provider()
+        if main_prov and main_prov not in ("auto", "main", ""):
+            provider = main_prov
+        else:
+            provider = "custom"
 
     # ── Auto: try all providers in priority order ────────────────────
     if provider == "auto":
@@ -1035,7 +1184,7 @@ def resolve_provider_client(
         client, default = _try_nous()
         if client is None:
             logger.warning("resolve_provider_client: nous requested "
-                           "but Nous Portal not configured (run: hermes login)")
+                           "but Nous Portal not configured (run: hermes auth)")
             return None, None
         final_model = model or default
         return (_to_async_client(client, final_model) if async_mode
@@ -1095,6 +1244,28 @@ def resolve_provider_client(
                        "but no endpoint credentials found")
         return None, None
 
+    # ── Named custom providers (config.yaml custom_providers list) ───
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.runtime_provider import _get_named_custom_provider
+        custom_entry = _get_named_custom_provider(provider)
+        if custom_entry:
+            custom_base = custom_entry.get("base_url", "").strip()
+            custom_key = custom_entry.get("api_key", "").strip() or "no-key-required"
+            if custom_base:
+                final_model = model or _read_main_model() or "gpt-4o-mini"
+                client = OpenAI(api_key=custom_key, base_url=custom_base)
+                logger.debug(
+                    "resolve_provider_client: named custom provider %r (%s)",
+                    provider, final_model)
+                return (_to_async_client(client, final_model) if async_mode
+                        else (client, final_model))
+            logger.warning(
+                "resolve_provider_client: named custom provider %r has no base_url",
+                provider)
+            return None, None
+    except ImportError:
+        pass
+
     # ── API-key providers from PROVIDER_REGISTRY ─────────────────────
     try:
         from hermes_cli.auth import PROVIDER_REGISTRY, resolve_api_key_provider_credentials
@@ -1215,6 +1386,11 @@ def _normalize_vision_provider(provider: Optional[str]) -> str:
     if provider == "codex":
         return "openai-codex"
     if provider == "main":
+        # Resolve to actual main provider — named custom providers and
+        # non-aggregator providers need to pass through as their real name.
+        main_prov = _read_main_provider()
+        if main_prov and main_prov not in ("auto", "main", ""):
+            return main_prov
         return "custom"
     return provider
 
@@ -1785,12 +1961,15 @@ def call_llm(
                     f"was found. Set the {_explicit.upper()}_API_KEY environment "
                     f"variable, or switch to a different provider with `hermes model`."
                 )
-            # For auto/custom, fall back to OpenRouter
+            # For auto/custom with no credentials, try the full auto chain
+            # rather than hardcoding OpenRouter (which may be depleted).
+            # Pass model=None so each provider uses its own default —
+            # resolved_model may be an OpenRouter-format slug that doesn't
+            # work on other providers.
             if not resolved_base_url:
-                logger.info("Auxiliary %s: provider %s unavailable, falling back to openrouter",
+                logger.info("Auxiliary %s: provider %s unavailable, trying auto-detection chain",
                             task or "call", resolved_provider)
-                client, final_model = _get_cached_client(
-                    "openrouter", resolved_model or _OPENROUTER_MODEL)
+                client, final_model = _get_cached_client("auto")
         if client is None:
             raise RuntimeError(
                 f"No LLM provider configured for task={task} provider={resolved_provider}. "
@@ -1811,7 +1990,7 @@ def call_llm(
         tools=tools, timeout=effective_timeout, extra_body=extra_body,
         base_url=resolved_base_url)
 
-    # Handle max_tokens vs max_completion_tokens retry
+    # Handle max_tokens vs max_completion_tokens retry, then payment fallback.
     try:
         return client.chat.completions.create(**kwargs)
     except Exception as first_err:
@@ -1819,7 +1998,30 @@ def call_llm(
         if "max_tokens" in err_str or "unsupported_parameter" in err_str:
             kwargs.pop("max_tokens", None)
             kwargs["max_completion_tokens"] = max_tokens
-            return client.chat.completions.create(**kwargs)
+            try:
+                return client.chat.completions.create(**kwargs)
+            except Exception as retry_err:
+                # If the max_tokens retry also hits a payment error,
+                # fall through to the payment fallback below.
+                if not _is_payment_error(retry_err):
+                    raise
+                first_err = retry_err
+
+        # ── Payment / credit exhaustion fallback ──────────────────────
+        # When the resolved provider returns 402 or a credit-related error,
+        # try alternative providers instead of giving up.  This handles the
+        # common case where a user runs out of OpenRouter credits but has
+        # Codex OAuth or another provider available.
+        if _is_payment_error(first_err):
+            fb_client, fb_model, fb_label = _try_payment_fallback(
+                resolved_provider, task)
+            if fb_client is not None:
+                fb_kwargs = _build_call_kwargs(
+                    fb_label, fb_model, messages,
+                    temperature=temperature, max_tokens=max_tokens,
+                    tools=tools, timeout=effective_timeout,
+                    extra_body=extra_body)
+                return fb_client.chat.completions.create(**fb_kwargs)
         raise
 
 

agent/builtin_memory_provider.py

@@ -13,9 +13,10 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import json
 import logging
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
+from typing import Any, Dict, List
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ class BuiltinMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
 
     def handle_tool_call(self, tool_name: str, args: Dict[str, Any], **kwargs) -> str:
         """Not used — the memory tool is intercepted in run_agent.py."""
-        return json.dumps({"error": "Built-in memory tool is handled by the agent loop"})
+        return tool_error("Built-in memory tool is handled by the agent loop")
 
     def shutdown(self) -> None:
         """No cleanup needed — files are saved on every write."""

agent/context_compressor.py

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ Improvements over v1:
 """
 
 import logging
+import time
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from agent.auxiliary_client import call_llm
@@ -46,6 +47,7 @@ _PRUNED_TOOL_PLACEHOLDER = "[Old tool output cleared to save context space]"
 
 # Chars per token rough estimate
 _CHARS_PER_TOKEN = 4
+_SUMMARY_FAILURE_COOLDOWN_SECONDS = 600
 
 
 class ContextCompressor:
@@ -118,6 +120,7 @@ class ContextCompressor:
 
         # Stores the previous compaction summary for iterative updates
         self._previous_summary: Optional[str] = None
+        self._summary_failure_cooldown_until: float = 0.0
 
     def update_from_response(self, usage: Dict[str, Any]):
         """Update tracked token usage from API response."""
@@ -258,6 +261,14 @@ class ContextCompressor:
         the middle turns without a summary rather than inject a useless
         placeholder.
         """
+        now = time.monotonic()
+        if now < self._summary_failure_cooldown_until:
+            logger.debug(
+                "Skipping context summary during cooldown (%.0fs remaining)",
+                self._summary_failure_cooldown_until - now,
+            )
+            return None
+
         summary_budget = self._compute_summary_budget(turns_to_summarize)
         content_to_summarize = self._serialize_for_summary(turns_to_summarize)
 
@@ -345,7 +356,6 @@ Write only the summary body. Do not include any preamble or prefix."""
             call_kwargs = {
                 "task": "compression",
                 "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": prompt}],
-                "temperature": 0.3,
                 "max_tokens": summary_budget * 2,
                 # timeout resolved from auxiliary.compression.timeout config by call_llm
             }
@@ -359,13 +369,23 @@ Write only the summary body. Do not include any preamble or prefix."""
             summary = content.strip()
             # Store for iterative updates on next compaction
             self._previous_summary = summary
+            self._summary_failure_cooldown_until = 0.0
             return self._with_summary_prefix(summary)
         except RuntimeError:
+            self._summary_failure_cooldown_until = time.monotonic() + _SUMMARY_FAILURE_COOLDOWN_SECONDS
             logging.warning("Context compression: no provider available for "
-                            "summary. Middle turns will be dropped without summary.")
+                            "summary. Middle turns will be dropped without summary "
+                            "for %d seconds.",
+                            _SUMMARY_FAILURE_COOLDOWN_SECONDS)
             return None
         except Exception as e:
-            logging.warning("Failed to generate context summary: %s", e)
+            self._summary_failure_cooldown_until = time.monotonic() + _SUMMARY_FAILURE_COOLDOWN_SECONDS
+            logging.warning(
+                "Failed to generate context summary: %s. "
+                "Further summary attempts paused for %d seconds.",
+                e,
+                _SUMMARY_FAILURE_COOLDOWN_SECONDS,
+            )
             return None
 
     @staticmethod
@@ -648,7 +668,7 @@ Write only the summary body. Do not include any preamble or prefix."""
                 compressed.append({"role": summary_role, "content": summary})
         else:
             if not self.quiet_mode:
-                logger.warning("No summary model available — middle turns dropped without summary")
+                logger.debug("No summary model available — middle turns dropped without summary")
 
         for i in range(compress_end, n_messages):
             msg = messages[i].copy()

agent/context_references.py

@@ -343,10 +343,9 @@ def _resolve_path(cwd: Path, target: str, *, allowed_root: Path | None = None) -
 
 
 def _ensure_reference_path_allowed(path: Path) -> None:
+    from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
     home = Path(os.path.expanduser("~")).resolve()
-    hermes_home = Path(
-        os.getenv("HERMES_HOME", str(home / ".hermes"))
-    ).expanduser().resolve()
+    hermes_home = get_hermes_home().resolve()
 
     blocked_exact = {home / rel for rel in _SENSITIVE_HOME_FILES}
     blocked_exact.add(hermes_home / ".env")

agent/credential_pool.py

@@ -10,22 +10,21 @@ import uuid
 import os
 import re
 from dataclasses import dataclass, fields, replace
-from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Set, Tuple
 
 from hermes_constants import OPENROUTER_BASE_URL
 import hermes_cli.auth as auth_mod
 from hermes_cli.auth import (
-    ACCESS_TOKEN_REFRESH_SKEW_SECONDS,
     CODEX_ACCESS_TOKEN_REFRESH_SKEW_SECONDS,
     DEFAULT_AGENT_KEY_MIN_TTL_SECONDS,
     PROVIDER_REGISTRY,
-    _agent_key_is_usable,
     _codex_access_token_is_expiring,
     _decode_jwt_claims,
-    _is_expiring,
+    _import_codex_cli_tokens,
     _load_auth_store,
     _load_provider_state,
+    _resolve_zai_base_url,
     read_credential_pool,
     write_credential_pool,
 )
@@ -347,6 +346,9 @@ def get_pool_strategy(provider: str) -> str:
     return STRATEGY_FILL_FIRST
 
 
+DEFAULT_MAX_CONCURRENT_PER_CREDENTIAL = 1
+
+
 class CredentialPool:
     def __init__(self, provider: str, entries: List[PooledCredential]):
         self.provider = provider
@@ -354,6 +356,8 @@ class CredentialPool:
         self._current_id: Optional[str] = None
         self._strategy = get_pool_strategy(provider)
         self._lock = threading.Lock()
+        self._active_leases: Dict[str, int] = {}
+        self._max_concurrent = DEFAULT_MAX_CONCURRENT_PER_CREDENTIAL
 
     def has_credentials(self) -> bool:
         return bool(self._entries)
@@ -440,6 +444,39 @@ class CredentialPool:
             logger.debug("Failed to sync from credentials file: %s", exc)
         return entry
 
+    def _sync_codex_entry_from_cli(self, entry: PooledCredential) -> PooledCredential:
+        """Sync an openai-codex pool entry from ~/.codex/auth.json if tokens differ.
+
+        OpenAI OAuth refresh tokens are single-use and rotate on every refresh.
+        When the Codex CLI (or another Hermes profile) refreshes its token,
+        the pool entry's refresh_token becomes stale.  This method detects that
+        by comparing against ~/.codex/auth.json and syncing the fresh pair.
+        """
+        if self.provider != "openai-codex":
+            return entry
+        try:
+            cli_tokens = _import_codex_cli_tokens()
+            if not cli_tokens:
+                return entry
+            cli_refresh = cli_tokens.get("refresh_token", "")
+            cli_access = cli_tokens.get("access_token", "")
+            if cli_refresh and cli_refresh != entry.refresh_token:
+                logger.debug("Pool entry %s: syncing tokens from ~/.codex/auth.json (refresh token changed)", entry.id)
+                updated = replace(
+                    entry,
+                    access_token=cli_access,
+                    refresh_token=cli_refresh,
+                    last_status=None,
+                    last_status_at=None,
+                    last_error_code=None,
+                )
+                self._replace_entry(entry, updated)
+                self._persist()
+                return updated
+        except Exception as exc:
+            logger.debug("Failed to sync from ~/.codex/auth.json: %s", exc)
+        return entry
+
     def _refresh_entry(self, entry: PooledCredential, *, force: bool) -> Optional[PooledCredential]:
         if entry.auth_type != AUTH_TYPE_OAUTH or not entry.refresh_token:
             if force:
@@ -629,6 +666,16 @@ class CredentialPool:
                 if synced is not entry:
                     entry = synced
                     cleared_any = True
+            # For openai-codex entries, sync from ~/.codex/auth.json before
+            # any status/refresh checks.  This picks up tokens refreshed by
+            # the Codex CLI or another Hermes profile.
+            if (self.provider == "openai-codex"
+                    and entry.last_status == STATUS_EXHAUSTED
+                    and entry.refresh_token):
+                synced = self._sync_codex_entry_from_cli(entry)
+                if synced is not entry:
+                    entry = synced
+                    cleared_any = True
             if entry.last_status == STATUS_EXHAUSTED:
                 exhausted_until = _exhausted_until(entry)
                 if exhausted_until is not None and now < exhausted_until:
@@ -716,6 +763,51 @@ class CredentialPool:
                 logger.info("credential pool: rotated to %s", _next_label)
             return next_entry
 
+    def acquire_lease(self, credential_id: Optional[str] = None) -> Optional[str]:
+        """Acquire a soft lease on a credential.
+
+        If a specific credential_id is provided, lease that entry directly.
+        Otherwise prefer the least-leased available credential, using priority as
+        a stable tie-breaker. When every credential is already at the soft cap,
+        still return the least-leased one instead of blocking.
+        """
+        with self._lock:
+            if credential_id:
+                self._active_leases[credential_id] = self._active_leases.get(credential_id, 0) + 1
+                self._current_id = credential_id
+                return credential_id
+
+            available = self._available_entries(clear_expired=True, refresh=True)
+            if not available:
+                return None
+
+            below_cap = [
+                entry for entry in available
+                if self._active_leases.get(entry.id, 0) < self._max_concurrent
+            ]
+            candidates = below_cap if below_cap else available
+            chosen = min(
+                candidates,
+                key=lambda entry: (self._active_leases.get(entry.id, 0), entry.priority),
+            )
+            self._active_leases[chosen.id] = self._active_leases.get(chosen.id, 0) + 1
+            self._current_id = chosen.id
+            return chosen.id
+
+    def release_lease(self, credential_id: str) -> None:
+        """Release a previously acquired credential lease."""
+        with self._lock:
+            count = self._active_leases.get(credential_id, 0)
+            if count <= 1:
+                self._active_leases.pop(credential_id, None)
+            else:
+                self._active_leases[credential_id] = count - 1
+
+    def active_lease_count(self, credential_id: str) -> int:
+        """Return the number of active leases for a credential."""
+        with self._lock:
+            return self._active_leases.get(credential_id, 0)
+
     def try_refresh_current(self) -> Optional[PooledCredential]:
         with self._lock:
             return self._try_refresh_current_unlocked()
@@ -992,6 +1084,8 @@ def _seed_from_env(provider: str, entries: List[PooledCredential]) -> Tuple[bool
         active_sources.add(source)
         auth_type = AUTH_TYPE_OAUTH if provider == "anthropic" and not token.startswith("sk-ant-api") else AUTH_TYPE_API_KEY
         base_url = env_url or pconfig.inference_base_url
+        if provider == "zai":
+            base_url = _resolve_zai_base_url(token, pconfig.inference_base_url, env_url)
         changed |= _upsert_entry(
             entries,
             provider,

agent/display.py

@@ -890,8 +890,6 @@ def get_cute_tool_message(
         return _wrap(f"┊ ◀️  back      {dur}")
     if tool_name == "browser_press":
         return _wrap(f"┊ ⌨️  press     {args.get('key', '?')}  {dur}")
-    if tool_name == "browser_close":
-        return _wrap(f"┊ 🚪 close     browser  {dur}")
     if tool_name == "browser_get_images":
         return _wrap(f"┊ 🖼️  images    extracting  {dur}")
     if tool_name == "browser_vision":
@@ -988,24 +986,6 @@ def _osc8_link(url: str, text: str) -> str:
     return f"\033]8;;{url}\033\\{text}\033]8;;\033\\"
 
 
-def honcho_session_line(workspace: str, session_name: str) -> str:
-    """One-line session indicator: `Honcho session: <clickable name>`."""
-    url = honcho_session_url(workspace, session_name)
-    linked_name = _osc8_link(url, f"{_SKY_BLUE}{session_name}{_ANSI_RESET}")
-    return f"{_DIM}Honcho session:{_ANSI_RESET} {linked_name}"
-
-
-def write_tty(text: str) -> None:
-    """Write directly to /dev/tty, bypassing stdout capture."""
-    try:
-        fd = os.open("/dev/tty", os.O_WRONLY)
-        os.write(fd, text.encode("utf-8"))
-        os.close(fd)
-    except OSError:
-        sys.stdout.write(text)
-        sys.stdout.flush()
-
-
 # =========================================================================
 # Context pressure display (CLI user-facing warnings)
 # =========================================================================

agent/memory_manager.py

@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ import re
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -249,7 +250,7 @@ class MemoryManager:
         """
         provider = self._tool_to_provider.get(tool_name)
         if provider is None:
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"No memory provider handles tool '{tool_name}'"})
+            return tool_error(f"No memory provider handles tool '{tool_name}'")
         try:
             return provider.handle_tool_call(tool_name, args, **kwargs)
         except Exception as e:
@@ -257,7 +258,7 @@ class MemoryManager:
                 "Memory provider '%s' handle_tool_call(%s) failed: %s",
                 provider.name, tool_name, e,
             )
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"Memory tool '{tool_name}' failed: {e}"})
+            return tool_error(f"Memory tool '{tool_name}' failed: {e}")
 
     # -- Lifecycle hooks -----------------------------------------------------
 

agent/memory_provider.py

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
+from typing import Any, Dict, List
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 

agent/model_metadata.py

@@ -24,10 +24,11 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 # are preserved so the full model name reaches cache lookups and server queries.
 _PROVIDER_PREFIXES: frozenset[str] = frozenset({
     "openrouter", "nous", "openai-codex", "copilot", "copilot-acp",
-    "zai", "kimi-coding", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "anthropic", "deepseek",
+    "gemini", "zai", "kimi-coding", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "anthropic", "deepseek",
     "opencode-zen", "opencode-go", "ai-gateway", "kilocode", "alibaba",
     "custom", "local",
     # Common aliases
+    "google", "google-gemini", "google-ai-studio",
     "glm", "z-ai", "z.ai", "zhipu", "github", "github-copilot",
     "github-models", "kimi", "moonshot", "claude", "deep-seek",
     "opencode", "zen", "go", "vercel", "kilo", "dashscope", "aliyun", "qwen",
@@ -101,6 +102,11 @@ DEFAULT_CONTEXT_LENGTHS = {
     "gpt-4": 128000,
     # Google
     "gemini": 1048576,
+    # Gemma (open models served via AI Studio)
+    "gemma-4-31b": 256000,
+    "gemma-4-26b": 256000,
+    "gemma-3": 131072,
+    "gemma": 8192,  # fallback for older gemma models
     # DeepSeek
     "deepseek": 128000,
     # Meta
@@ -175,7 +181,7 @@ _URL_TO_PROVIDER: Dict[str, str] = {
     "dashscope.aliyuncs.com": "alibaba",
     "dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com": "alibaba",
     "openrouter.ai": "openrouter",
-    "generativelanguage.googleapis.com": "google",
+    "generativelanguage.googleapis.com": "gemini",
     "inference-api.nousresearch.com": "nous",
     "api.deepseek.com": "deepseek",
     "api.githubcopilot.com": "copilot",
@@ -504,8 +510,8 @@ def fetch_endpoint_model_metadata(
 
 def _get_context_cache_path() -> Path:
     """Return path to the persistent context length cache file."""
-    hermes_home = Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", Path.home() / ".hermes"))
-    return hermes_home / "context_length_cache.yaml"
+    from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+    return get_hermes_home() / "context_length_cache.yaml"
 
 
 def _load_context_cache() -> Dict[str, int]:

agent/models_dev.py

@@ -23,9 +23,9 @@ import json
 import logging
 import os
 import time
-from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from dataclasses import dataclass
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple, Union
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
 from utils import atomic_json_write
 
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@ PROVIDER_TO_MODELS_DEV: Dict[str, str] = {
     "kilocode": "kilo",
     "fireworks": "fireworks-ai",
     "huggingface": "huggingface",
+    "gemini": "google",
     "google": "google",
     "xai": "xai",
     "nvidia": "nvidia",
@@ -184,9 +185,8 @@ def _get_reverse_mapping() -> Dict[str, str]:
 
 def _get_cache_path() -> Path:
     """Return path to disk cache file."""
-    env_val = os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", "")
-    hermes_home = Path(env_val) if env_val else Path.home() / ".hermes"
-    return hermes_home / "models_dev_cache.json"
+    from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+    return get_hermes_home() / "models_dev_cache.json"
 
 
 def _load_disk_cache() -> Dict[str, Any]:
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ def fetch_models_dev(force_refresh: bool = False) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         response = requests.get(MODELS_DEV_URL, timeout=15)
         response.raise_for_status()
         data = response.json()
-        if isinstance(data, dict) and len(data) > 0:
+        if isinstance(data, dict) and data:
             _models_dev_cache = data
             _models_dev_cache_time = time.time()
             _save_disk_cache(data)
@@ -422,6 +422,39 @@ def list_provider_models(provider: str) -> List[str]:
     return list(models.keys())
 
 
+# Patterns that indicate non-agentic or noise models (TTS, embedding,
+# dated preview snapshots, live/streaming-only, image-only).
+import re
+_NOISE_PATTERNS: re.Pattern = re.compile(
+    r"-tts\b|embedding|live-|-(preview|exp)-\d{2,4}[-_]|"
+    r"-image\b|-image-preview\b|-customtools\b",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+
+def list_agentic_models(provider: str) -> List[str]:
+    """Return model IDs suitable for agentic use from models.dev.
+
+    Filters for tool_call=True and excludes noise (TTS, embedding,
+    dated preview snapshots, live/streaming, image-only models).
+    Returns an empty list on any failure.
+    """
+    models = _get_provider_models(provider)
+    if models is None:
+        return []
+
+    result = []
+    for mid, entry in models.items():
+        if not isinstance(entry, dict):
+            continue
+        if not entry.get("tool_call", False):
+            continue
+        if _NOISE_PATTERNS.search(mid):
+            continue
+        result.append(mid)
+    return result
+
+
 def search_models_dev(
     query: str, provider: str = None, limit: int = 5
 ) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:

agent/prompt_builder.py

@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ TOOL_USE_ENFORCEMENT_GUIDANCE = (
 
 # Model name substrings that trigger tool-use enforcement guidance.
 # Add new patterns here when a model family needs explicit steering.
-TOOL_USE_ENFORCEMENT_MODELS = ("gpt", "codex", "gemini", "gemma")
+TOOL_USE_ENFORCEMENT_MODELS = ("gpt", "codex", "gemini", "gemma", "grok")
 
 # OpenAI GPT/Codex-specific execution guidance.  Addresses known failure modes
 # where GPT models abandon work on partial results, skip prerequisite lookups,
@@ -744,7 +744,6 @@ def build_nous_subscription_prompt(valid_tool_names: "set[str] | None" = None) -
         "browser_type",
         "browser_scroll",
         "browser_console",
-        "browser_close",
         "browser_press",
         "browser_get_images",
         "browser_vision",
@@ -774,13 +773,13 @@ def build_nous_subscription_prompt(valid_tool_names: "set[str] | None" = None) -
 
     lines = [
         "# Nous Subscription",
-        "Nous subscription includes managed web tools (Firecrawl), image generation (FAL), OpenAI TTS, and browser automation (Browserbase) by default. Modal execution is optional.",
+        "Nous subscription includes managed web tools (Firecrawl), image generation (FAL), OpenAI TTS, and browser automation (Browser Use) by default. Modal execution is optional.",
         "Current capability status:",
     ]
     lines.extend(_status_line(feature) for feature in features.items())
     lines.extend(
         [
-            "When a Nous-managed feature is active, do not ask the user for Firecrawl, FAL, OpenAI TTS, or Browserbase API keys.",
+            "When a Nous-managed feature is active, do not ask the user for Firecrawl, FAL, OpenAI TTS, or Browser-Use API keys.",
             "If the user is not subscribed and asks for a capability that Nous subscription would unlock or simplify, suggest Nous subscription as one option alongside direct setup or local alternatives.",
             "Do not mention subscription unless the user asks about it or it directly solves the current missing capability.",
             "Useful commands: hermes setup, hermes setup tools, hermes setup terminal, hermes status.",

agent/skill_commands.py

@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 _skill_commands: Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]] = {}
 _PLAN_SLUG_RE = re.compile(r"[^a-z0-9]+")
+# Patterns for sanitizing skill names into clean hyphen-separated slugs.
+_SKILL_INVALID_CHARS = re.compile(r"[^a-z0-9-]")
+_SKILL_MULTI_HYPHEN = re.compile(r"-{2,}")
 
 
 def build_plan_path(
@@ -76,6 +79,45 @@ def _load_skill_payload(skill_identifier: str, task_id: str | None = None) -> tu
     return loaded_skill, skill_dir, skill_name
 
 
+def _inject_skill_config(loaded_skill: dict[str, Any], parts: list[str]) -> None:
+    """Resolve and inject skill-declared config values into the message parts.
+
+    If the loaded skill's frontmatter declares ``metadata.hermes.config``
+    entries, their current values (from config.yaml or defaults) are appended
+    as a ``[Skill config: ...]`` block so the agent knows the configured values
+    without needing to read config.yaml itself.
+    """
+    try:
+        from agent.skill_utils import (
+            extract_skill_config_vars,
+            parse_frontmatter,
+            resolve_skill_config_values,
+        )
+
+        # The loaded_skill dict contains the raw content which includes frontmatter
+        raw_content = str(loaded_skill.get("raw_content") or loaded_skill.get("content") or "")
+        if not raw_content:
+            return
+
+        frontmatter, _ = parse_frontmatter(raw_content)
+        config_vars = extract_skill_config_vars(frontmatter)
+        if not config_vars:
+            return
+
+        resolved = resolve_skill_config_values(config_vars)
+        if not resolved:
+            return
+
+        lines = ["", "[Skill config (from ~/.hermes/config.yaml):"]
+        for key, value in resolved.items():
+            display_val = str(value) if value else "(not set)"
+            lines.append(f"  {key} = {display_val}")
+        lines.append("]")
+        parts.extend(lines)
+    except Exception:
+        pass  # Non-critical — skill still loads without config injection
+
+
 def _build_skill_message(
     loaded_skill: dict[str, Any],
     skill_dir: Path | None,
@@ -90,6 +132,9 @@ def _build_skill_message(
 
     parts = [activation_note, "", content.strip()]
 
+    # ── Inject resolved skill config values ──
+    _inject_skill_config(loaded_skill, parts)
+
     if loaded_skill.get("setup_skipped"):
         parts.extend(
             [
@@ -196,7 +241,14 @@ def scan_skill_commands() -> Dict[str, Dict[str, Any]]:
                                 description = line[:80]
                                 break
                     seen_names.add(name)
+                    # Normalize to hyphen-separated slug, stripping
+                    # non-alnum chars (e.g. +, /) to avoid invalid
+                    # Telegram command names downstream.
                     cmd_name = name.lower().replace(' ', '-').replace('_', '-')
+                    cmd_name = _SKILL_INVALID_CHARS.sub('', cmd_name)
+                    cmd_name = _SKILL_MULTI_HYPHEN.sub('-', cmd_name).strip('-')
+                    if not cmd_name:
+                        continue
                     _skill_commands[f"/{cmd_name}"] = {
                         "name": name,
                         "description": description or f"Invoke the {name} skill",

agent/skill_utils.py

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import os
 import re
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Set, Tuple
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Set, Tuple
 
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 
@@ -254,6 +254,163 @@ def extract_skill_conditions(frontmatter: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, List]:
     }
 
 
+# ── Skill config extraction ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def extract_skill_config_vars(frontmatter: Dict[str, Any]) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
+    """Extract config variable declarations from parsed frontmatter.
+
+    Skills declare config.yaml settings they need via::
+
+        metadata:
+          hermes:
+            config:
+              - key: wiki.path
+                description: Path to the LLM Wiki knowledge base directory
+                default: "~/wiki"
+                prompt: Wiki directory path
+
+    Returns a list of dicts with keys: ``key``, ``description``, ``default``,
+    ``prompt``.  Invalid or incomplete entries are silently skipped.
+    """
+    metadata = frontmatter.get("metadata")
+    if not isinstance(metadata, dict):
+        return []
+    hermes = metadata.get("hermes")
+    if not isinstance(hermes, dict):
+        return []
+    raw = hermes.get("config")
+    if not raw:
+        return []
+    if isinstance(raw, dict):
+        raw = [raw]
+    if not isinstance(raw, list):
+        return []
+
+    result: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
+    seen: set = set()
+    for item in raw:
+        if not isinstance(item, dict):
+            continue
+        key = str(item.get("key", "")).strip()
+        if not key or key in seen:
+            continue
+        # Must have at least key and description
+        desc = str(item.get("description", "")).strip()
+        if not desc:
+            continue
+        entry: Dict[str, Any] = {
+            "key": key,
+            "description": desc,
+        }
+        default = item.get("default")
+        if default is not None:
+            entry["default"] = default
+        prompt_text = item.get("prompt")
+        if isinstance(prompt_text, str) and prompt_text.strip():
+            entry["prompt"] = prompt_text.strip()
+        else:
+            entry["prompt"] = desc
+        seen.add(key)
+        result.append(entry)
+    return result
+
+
+def discover_all_skill_config_vars() -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
+    """Scan all enabled skills and collect their config variable declarations.
+
+    Walks every skills directory, parses each SKILL.md frontmatter, and returns
+    a deduplicated list of config var dicts.  Each dict also includes a
+    ``skill`` key with the skill name for attribution.
+
+    Disabled and platform-incompatible skills are excluded.
+    """
+    all_vars: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
+    seen_keys: set = set()
+
+    disabled = get_disabled_skill_names()
+    for skills_dir in get_all_skills_dirs():
+        if not skills_dir.is_dir():
+            continue
+        for skill_file in iter_skill_index_files(skills_dir, "SKILL.md"):
+            try:
+                raw = skill_file.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+                frontmatter, _ = parse_frontmatter(raw)
+            except Exception:
+                continue
+
+            skill_name = frontmatter.get("name") or skill_file.parent.name
+            if str(skill_name) in disabled:
+                continue
+            if not skill_matches_platform(frontmatter):
+                continue
+
+            config_vars = extract_skill_config_vars(frontmatter)
+            for var in config_vars:
+                if var["key"] not in seen_keys:
+                    var["skill"] = str(skill_name)
+                    all_vars.append(var)
+                    seen_keys.add(var["key"])
+
+    return all_vars
+
+
+# Storage prefix: all skill config vars are stored under skills.config.*
+# in config.yaml.  Skill authors declare logical keys (e.g. "wiki.path");
+# the system adds this prefix for storage and strips it for display.
+SKILL_CONFIG_PREFIX = "skills.config"
+
+
+def _resolve_dotpath(config: Dict[str, Any], dotted_key: str):
+    """Walk a nested dict following a dotted key.  Returns None if any part is missing."""
+    parts = dotted_key.split(".")
+    current = config
+    for part in parts:
+        if isinstance(current, dict) and part in current:
+            current = current[part]
+        else:
+            return None
+    return current
+
+
+def resolve_skill_config_values(
+    config_vars: List[Dict[str, Any]],
+) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+    """Resolve current values for skill config vars from config.yaml.
+
+    Skill config is stored under ``skills.config.<key>`` in config.yaml.
+    Returns a dict mapping **logical** keys (as declared by skills) to their
+    current values (or the declared default if the key isn't set).
+    Path values are expanded via ``os.path.expanduser``.
+    """
+    config_path = get_hermes_home() / "config.yaml"
+    config: Dict[str, Any] = {}
+    if config_path.exists():
+        try:
+            parsed = yaml_load(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+            if isinstance(parsed, dict):
+                config = parsed
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+
+    resolved: Dict[str, Any] = {}
+    for var in config_vars:
+        logical_key = var["key"]
+        storage_key = f"{SKILL_CONFIG_PREFIX}.{logical_key}"
+        value = _resolve_dotpath(config, storage_key)
+
+        if value is None or (isinstance(value, str) and not value.strip()):
+            value = var.get("default", "")
+
+        # Expand ~ in path-like values
+        if isinstance(value, str) and ("~" in value or "${" in value):
+            value = os.path.expanduser(os.path.expandvars(value))
+
+        resolved[logical_key] = value
+
+    return resolved
+
+
 # ── Description extraction ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 

agent/subdirectory_hints.py

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ Inspired by Block/goose's SubdirectoryHintTracker.
 
 import logging
 import os
-import re
 import shlex
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Dict, Any, Optional, Set

batch_runner.py

@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ from multiprocessing import Pool, Lock
 import traceback
 from rich.progress import Progress, SpinnerColumn, BarColumn, TextColumn, TimeRemainingColumn, MofNCompleteColumn
 from rich.console import Console
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 import fire
 
 from run_agent import AIAgent
@@ -1016,7 +1018,7 @@ class BatchRunner:
                             tool_stats = data.get('tool_stats', {})
                             
                             # Check for invalid tool names (model hallucinations)
-                            invalid_tools = [k for k in tool_stats.keys() if k not in VALID_TOOLS]
+                            invalid_tools = [k for k in tool_stats if k not in VALID_TOOLS]
                             
                             if invalid_tools:
                                 filtered_entries += 1

cli-config.yaml.example

@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ model:
   #   "anthropic"    - Direct Anthropic API (requires: ANTHROPIC_API_KEY)
   #   "openai-codex" - OpenAI Codex (requires: hermes login --provider openai-codex)
   #   "copilot"      - GitHub Copilot / GitHub Models (requires: GITHUB_TOKEN)
-  #   "zai"          - z.ai / ZhipuAI GLM (requires: GLM_API_KEY)
+  #   "gemini"      - Use Google AI Studio direct (requires: GOOGLE_API_KEY or GEMINI_API_KEY)
+  #   "zai"         - Use z.ai / ZhipuAI GLM models (requires: GLM_API_KEY)
   #   "kimi-coding"  - Kimi / Moonshot AI (requires: KIMI_API_KEY)
   #   "minimax"      - MiniMax global (requires: MINIMAX_API_KEY)
   #   "minimax-cn"   - MiniMax China (requires: MINIMAX_CN_API_KEY)
@@ -315,7 +316,8 @@ compression:
 #   "auto"       - Best available: OpenRouter → Nous Portal → main endpoint (default)
 #   "openrouter" - Force OpenRouter (requires OPENROUTER_API_KEY)
 #   "nous"       - Force Nous Portal (requires: hermes login)
-#   "codex"      - Force Codex OAuth (requires: hermes model → Codex).
+#   "gemini"      - Force Google AI Studio direct (requires: GOOGLE_API_KEY or GEMINI_API_KEY)
+#   "codex"       - Force Codex OAuth (requires: hermes model → Codex).
 #                  Uses gpt-5.3-codex which supports vision.
 #   "main"       - Use your custom endpoint (OPENAI_BASE_URL + OPENAI_API_KEY).
 #                  Works with OpenAI API, local models, or any OpenAI-compatible
@@ -537,7 +539,7 @@ platform_toolsets:
 #   terminal     - terminal, process
 #   file         - read_file, write_file, patch, search
 #   browser      - browser_navigate, browser_snapshot, browser_click, browser_type,
-#                  browser_scroll, browser_back, browser_press, browser_close,
+#                  browser_scroll, browser_back, browser_press,
 #                  browser_get_images, browser_vision  (requires BROWSERBASE_API_KEY)
 #   vision       - vision_analyze  (requires OPENROUTER_API_KEY)
 #   image_gen    - image_generate  (requires FAL_KEY)

cli.py

@@ -63,14 +63,14 @@ from agent.usage_pricing import (
     format_duration_compact,
     format_token_count_compact,
 )
-from hermes_cli.banner import _format_context_length
+from hermes_cli.banner import _format_context_length, format_banner_version_label
 
 _COMMAND_SPINNER_FRAMES = ("⠋", "⠙", "⠹", "⠸", "⠼", "⠴", "⠦", "⠧", "⠇", "⠏")
 
 
 # Load .env from ~/.hermes/.env first, then project root as dev fallback.
 # User-managed env files should override stale shell exports on restart.
-from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home, display_hermes_home, OPENROUTER_BASE_URL
+from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home, display_hermes_home
 from hermes_cli.env_loader import load_hermes_dotenv
 
 _hermes_home = get_hermes_home()
@@ -120,6 +120,63 @@ def _parse_reasoning_config(effort: str) -> dict | None:
     return result
 
 
+def _get_chrome_debug_candidates(system: str) -> list[str]:
+    """Return likely browser executables for local CDP auto-launch."""
+    candidates: list[str] = []
+    seen: set[str] = set()
+
+    def _add_candidate(path: str | None) -> None:
+        if not path:
+            return
+        normalized = os.path.normcase(os.path.normpath(path))
+        if normalized in seen:
+            return
+        if os.path.isfile(path):
+            candidates.append(path)
+            seen.add(normalized)
+
+    def _add_from_path(*names: str) -> None:
+        for name in names:
+            _add_candidate(shutil.which(name))
+
+    if system == "Darwin":
+        for app in (
+            "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome",
+            "/Applications/Chromium.app/Contents/MacOS/Chromium",
+            "/Applications/Brave Browser.app/Contents/MacOS/Brave Browser",
+            "/Applications/Microsoft Edge.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Edge",
+        ):
+            _add_candidate(app)
+    elif system == "Windows":
+        _add_from_path(
+            "chrome.exe", "msedge.exe", "brave.exe", "chromium.exe",
+            "chrome", "msedge", "brave", "chromium",
+        )
+
+        for base in (
+            os.environ.get("ProgramFiles"),
+            os.environ.get("ProgramFiles(x86)"),
+            os.environ.get("LOCALAPPDATA"),
+        ):
+            if not base:
+                continue
+            for parts in (
+                ("Google", "Chrome", "Application", "chrome.exe"),
+                ("Chromium", "Application", "chrome.exe"),
+                ("Chromium", "Application", "chromium.exe"),
+                ("BraveSoftware", "Brave-Browser", "Application", "brave.exe"),
+                ("Microsoft", "Edge", "Application", "msedge.exe"),
+            ):
+                _add_candidate(os.path.join(base, *parts))
+    else:
+        _add_from_path(
+            "google-chrome", "google-chrome-stable", "chromium-browser",
+            "chromium", "brave-browser", "microsoft-edge",
+        )
+
+    return candidates
+
+
 def load_cli_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """
     Load CLI configuration from config files.
@@ -979,21 +1036,44 @@ COMPACT_BANNER = """
 
 def _build_compact_banner() -> str:
     """Build a compact banner that fits the current terminal width."""
-    w = min(shutil.get_terminal_size().columns - 2, 64)
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.skin_engine import get_active_skin
+        _skin = get_active_skin()
+    except Exception:
+        _skin = None
+
+    skin_name = getattr(_skin, "name", "default") if _skin else "default"
+    border_color = _skin.get_color("banner_border", "#FFD700") if _skin else "#FFD700"
+    title_color = _skin.get_color("banner_title", "#FFBF00") if _skin else "#FFBF00"
+    dim_color = _skin.get_color("banner_dim", "#B8860B") if _skin else "#B8860B"
+
+    if skin_name == "default":
+        line1 = "⚕ NOUS HERMES - AI Agent Framework"
+        tiny_line = "⚕ NOUS HERMES"
+    else:
+        agent_name = _skin.get_branding("agent_name", "Hermes Agent") if _skin else "Hermes Agent"
+        line1 = f"{agent_name} - AI Agent Framework"
+        tiny_line = agent_name
+
+    version_line = format_banner_version_label()
+
+    w = min(shutil.get_terminal_size().columns - 2, 88)
     if w < 30:
-        return "\n[#FFBF00]⚕ NOUS HERMES[/] [dim #B8860B]- Nous Research[/]\n"
+        return f"\n[{title_color}]{tiny_line}[/] [dim {dim_color}]- Nous Research[/]\n"
+
     inner = w - 2  # inside the box border
     bar = "═" * w
-    line1 = "⚕ NOUS HERMES - AI Agent Framework"
-    line2 = "Messenger of the Digital Gods  ·  Nous Research"
+    content_width = inner - 2
+
     # Truncate and pad to fit
-    line1 = line1[:inner - 2].ljust(inner - 2)
-    line2 = line2[:inner - 2].ljust(inner - 2)
+    line1 = line1[:content_width].ljust(content_width)
+    line2 = version_line[:content_width].ljust(content_width)
+
     return (
-        f"\n[bold #FFD700]╔{bar}╗[/]\n"
-        f"[bold #FFD700]║[/] [#FFBF00]{line1}[/] [bold #FFD700]║[/]\n"
-        f"[bold #FFD700]║[/] [dim #B8860B]{line2}[/] [bold #FFD700]║[/]\n"
-        f"[bold #FFD700]╚{bar}╝[/]\n"
+        f"\n[bold {border_color}]╔{bar}╗[/]\n"
+        f"[bold {border_color}]║[/] [{title_color}]{line1}[/] [bold {border_color}]║[/]\n"
+        f"[bold {border_color}]║[/] [dim {dim_color}]{line2}[/] [bold {border_color}]║[/]\n"
+        f"[bold {border_color}]╚{bar}╝[/]\n"
     )
 
 
@@ -1863,6 +1943,12 @@ class HermesCLI:
             _cprint(f"{_DIM}└{'─' * (w - 2)}┘{_RST}")
             self._reasoning_box_opened = False
 
+            # Flush any content that was deferred while reasoning was rendering.
+            deferred = getattr(self, "_deferred_content", "")
+            if deferred:
+                self._deferred_content = ""
+                self._emit_stream_text(deferred)
+
     def _stream_delta(self, text) -> None:
         """Line-buffered streaming callback for real-time token rendering.
 
@@ -1965,6 +2051,13 @@ class HermesCLI:
         if not text:
             return
 
+        # When show_reasoning is on and reasoning is still rendering,
+        # defer content until the reasoning box closes.  This ensures the
+        # reasoning block always appears BEFORE the response in the terminal.
+        if self.show_reasoning and getattr(self, "_reasoning_box_opened", False):
+            self._deferred_content = getattr(self, "_deferred_content", "") + text
+            return
+
         # Close the live reasoning box before opening the response box
         self._close_reasoning_box()
 
@@ -2031,6 +2124,7 @@ class HermesCLI:
         self._reasoning_box_opened = False
         self._reasoning_buf = ""
         self._reasoning_preview_buf = ""
+        self._deferred_content = ""
 
     def _slow_command_status(self, command: str) -> str:
         """Return a user-facing status message for slower slash commands."""
@@ -2092,7 +2186,7 @@ class HermesCLI:
             )
         except Exception as exc:
             message = format_runtime_provider_error(exc)
-            self.console.print(f"[bold red]{message}[/]")
+            ChatConsole().print(f"[bold red]{message}[/]")
             return False
 
         api_key = runtime.get("api_key")
@@ -2307,7 +2401,7 @@ class HermesCLI:
                     self._pending_title = None
             return True
         except Exception as e:
-            self.console.print(f"[bold red]Failed to initialize agent: {e}[/]")
+            ChatConsole().print(f"[bold red]Failed to initialize agent: {e}[/]")
             return False
     
     def show_banner(self):
@@ -3465,13 +3559,6 @@ class HermesCLI:
         _cprint(f"  Original session: {parent_session_id}")
         _cprint(f"  Branch session:   {new_session_id}")
 
-    def reset_conversation(self):
-        """Reset the conversation by starting a new session."""
-        # Shut down memory provider before resetting — actual session boundary
-        if hasattr(self, 'agent') and self.agent:
-            self.agent.shutdown_memory_provider(self.conversation_history)
-        self.new_session()
-    
     def save_conversation(self):
         """Save the current conversation to a file."""
         if not self.conversation_history:
@@ -3721,7 +3808,7 @@ class HermesCLI:
 
         # Persistence
         if persist_global:
-            save_config_value("model.name", result.new_model)
+            save_config_value("model.default", result.new_model)
             if result.provider_changed:
                 save_config_value("model.provider", result.target_provider)
             _cprint("    Saved to config.yaml (--global)")
@@ -4175,7 +4262,6 @@ class HermesCLI:
         
         try:
             config = load_gateway_config()
-            connected = config.get_connected_platforms()
             
             print("  Messaging Platform Configuration:")
             print("  " + "-" * 55)
@@ -4467,13 +4553,13 @@ class HermesCLI:
                             if output:
                                 self.console.print(_rich_text_from_ansi(output))
                             else:
-                                self.console.print("[dim]Command returned no output[/]")
+                                ChatConsole().print("[dim]Command returned no output[/]")
                         except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
-                            self.console.print("[bold red]Quick command timed out (30s)[/]")
+                            ChatConsole().print("[bold red]Quick command timed out (30s)[/]")
                         except Exception as e:
-                            self.console.print(f"[bold red]Quick command error: {e}[/]")
+                            ChatConsole().print(f"[bold red]Quick command error: {e}[/]")
                     else:
-                        self.console.print(f"[bold red]Quick command '{base_cmd}' has no command defined[/]")
+                        ChatConsole().print(f"[bold red]Quick command '{base_cmd}' has no command defined[/]")
                 elif qcmd.get("type") == "alias":
                     target = qcmd.get("target", "").strip()
                     if target:
@@ -4482,9 +4568,9 @@ class HermesCLI:
                         aliased_command = f"{target} {user_args}".strip()
                         return self.process_command(aliased_command)
                     else:
-                        self.console.print(f"[bold red]Quick command '{base_cmd}' has no target defined[/]")
+                        ChatConsole().print(f"[bold red]Quick command '{base_cmd}' has no target defined[/]")
                 else:
-                    self.console.print(f"[bold red]Quick command '{base_cmd}' has unsupported type (supported: 'exec', 'alias')[/]")
+                    ChatConsole().print(f"[bold red]Quick command '{base_cmd}' has unsupported type (supported: 'exec', 'alias')[/]")
             # Check for plugin-registered slash commands
             elif base_cmd.lstrip("/") in _get_plugin_cmd_handler_names():
                 from hermes_cli.plugins import get_plugin_command_handler
@@ -4509,7 +4595,7 @@ class HermesCLI:
                     if hasattr(self, '_pending_input'):
                         self._pending_input.put(msg)
                 else:
-                    self.console.print(f"[bold red]Failed to load skill for {base_cmd}[/]")
+                    ChatConsole().print(f"[bold red]Failed to load skill for {base_cmd}[/]")
             else:
                 # Prefix matching: if input uniquely identifies one command, execute it.
                 # Matches against both built-in COMMANDS and installed skill commands so
@@ -4570,14 +4656,14 @@ class HermesCLI:
         )
 
         if not msg:
-            self.console.print("[bold red]Failed to load the bundled /plan skill[/]")
+            ChatConsole().print("[bold red]Failed to load the bundled /plan skill[/]")
             return
 
         _cprint(f"  📝 Plan mode queued via skill. Markdown plan target: {plan_path}")
         if hasattr(self, '_pending_input'):
             self._pending_input.put(msg)
         else:
-            self.console.print("[bold red]Plan mode unavailable: input queue not initialized[/]")
+            ChatConsole().print("[bold red]Plan mode unavailable: input queue not initialized[/]")
     
     def _handle_background_command(self, cmd: str):
         """Handle /background <prompt> — run a prompt in a separate background session.
@@ -4838,27 +4924,9 @@ class HermesCLI:
 
         Returns True if a launch command was executed (doesn't guarantee success).
         """
-        import shutil
         import subprocess as _sp
 
-        candidates = []
-        if system == "Darwin":
-            # macOS: try common app bundle locations
-            for app in (
-                "/Applications/Google Chrome.app/Contents/MacOS/Google Chrome",
-                "/Applications/Chromium.app/Contents/MacOS/Chromium",
-                "/Applications/Brave Browser.app/Contents/MacOS/Brave Browser",
-                "/Applications/Microsoft Edge.app/Contents/MacOS/Microsoft Edge",
-            ):
-                if os.path.isfile(app):
-                    candidates.append(app)
-        else:
-            # Linux: try common binary names
-            for name in ("google-chrome", "google-chrome-stable", "chromium-browser",
-                         "chromium", "brave-browser", "microsoft-edge"):
-                path = shutil.which(name)
-                if path:
-                    candidates.append(path)
+        candidates = _get_chrome_debug_candidates(system)
 
         if not candidates:
             return False
@@ -4984,13 +5052,13 @@ class HermesCLI:
                     pass
                 print()
                 print("🌐 Browser disconnected from live Chrome")
-                print("   Browser tools reverted to default mode (local headless or Browserbase)")
+                print("   Browser tools reverted to default mode (local headless or cloud provider)")
                 print()
 
                 if hasattr(self, '_pending_input'):
                     self._pending_input.put(
                         "[System note: The user has disconnected the browser tools from their live Chrome. "
-                        "Browser tools are back to default mode (headless local browser or Browserbase cloud).]"
+                        "Browser tools are back to default mode (headless local browser or cloud provider).]"
                     )
             else:
                 print()
@@ -5017,10 +5085,17 @@ class HermesCLI:
                     print("   Status: ✓ reachable")
                 except (OSError, Exception):
                     print("   Status: ⚠ not reachable (Chrome may not be running)")
-            elif os.environ.get("BROWSERBASE_API_KEY"):
-                print("🌐 Browser: Browserbase (cloud)")
             else:
-                print("🌐 Browser: local headless Chromium (agent-browser)")
+                try:
+                    from tools.browser_tool import _get_cloud_provider
+                    provider = _get_cloud_provider()
+                except Exception:
+                    provider = None
+
+                if provider is not None:
+                    print(f"🌐 Browser: {provider.provider_name()} (cloud)")
+                else:
+                    print("🌐 Browser: local headless Chromium (agent-browser)")
             print()
             print("   /browser connect      — connect to your live Chrome")
             print("   /browser disconnect   — revert to default")
@@ -5948,7 +6023,7 @@ class HermesCLI:
 
         timeout = CLI_CONFIG.get("clarify", {}).get("timeout", 120)
         response_queue = queue.Queue()
-        is_open_ended = not choices or len(choices) == 0
+        is_open_ended = not choices
 
         self._clarify_state = {
             "question": question,
@@ -6231,14 +6306,6 @@ class HermesCLI:
             except Exception:
                 pass
 
-    def _clear_current_input(self) -> None:
-        if getattr(self, "_app", None):
-            try:
-                self._app.current_buffer.text = ""
-            except Exception:
-                pass
-
-
     def chat(self, message, images: list = None) -> Optional[str]:
         """
         Send a message to the agent and get a response.
@@ -7469,18 +7536,26 @@ class HermesCLI:
         # wrapping of long lines so the input area always fits its content.
         def _input_height():
             try:
+                from prompt_toolkit.application import get_app
+                from prompt_toolkit.utils import get_cwidth
+
                 doc = input_area.buffer.document
-                prompt_width = max(2, len(self._get_tui_prompt_text()))
-                available_width = shutil.get_terminal_size().columns - prompt_width
+                prompt_width = max(2, get_cwidth(self._get_tui_prompt_text()))
+                try:
+                    available_width = get_app().output.get_size().columns - prompt_width
+                except Exception:
+                    available_width = shutil.get_terminal_size((80, 24)).columns - prompt_width
                 if available_width < 10:
                     available_width = 40
                 visual_lines = 0
                 for line in doc.lines:
-                    # Each logical line takes at least 1 visual row; long lines wrap
-                    if len(line) == 0:
+                    # Each logical line takes at least 1 visual row; long lines wrap.
+                    # Use prompt_toolkit's cell width so CJK wide characters count as 2.
+                    line_width = get_cwidth(line)
+                    if line_width <= 0:
                         visual_lines += 1
                     else:
-                        visual_lines += max(1, -(-len(line) // available_width))  # ceil division
+                        visual_lines += max(1, -(-line_width // available_width))  # ceil division
                 return min(max(visual_lines, 1), 8)
             except Exception:
                 return 1
@@ -7771,7 +7846,6 @@ class HermesCLI:
             title = '🔐 Sudo Password Required'
             body = 'Enter password below (hidden), or press Enter to skip'
             box_width = _panel_box_width(title, [body])
-            inner = max(0, box_width - 2)
             lines = []
             lines.append(('class:sudo-border', '╭─ '))
             lines.append(('class:sudo-title', title))
@@ -8073,6 +8147,25 @@ class HermesCLI:
                         # Periodic config watcher — auto-reload MCP on mcp_servers change
                         if not self._agent_running:
                             self._check_config_mcp_changes()
+                            # Check for background process completion notifications
+                            # while the agent is idle (user hasn't typed anything yet).
+                            try:
+                                from tools.process_registry import process_registry
+                                if not process_registry.completion_queue.empty():
+                                    completion = process_registry.completion_queue.get_nowait()
+                                    _exit = completion.get("exit_code", "?")
+                                    _cmd = completion.get("command", "unknown")
+                                    _sid = completion.get("session_id", "unknown")
+                                    _out = completion.get("output", "")
+                                    _synth = (
+                                        f"[SYSTEM: Background process {_sid} completed "
+                                        f"(exit code {_exit}).\n"
+                                        f"Command: {_cmd}\n"
+                                        f"Output:\n{_out}]"
+                                    )
+                                    self._pending_input.put(_synth)
+                            except Exception:
+                                pass
                         continue
                     
                     if not user_input:
@@ -8186,7 +8279,29 @@ class HermesCLI:
                                 except Exception as e:
                                     _cprint(f"{_DIM}Voice auto-restart failed: {e}{_RST}")
                             threading.Thread(target=_restart_recording, daemon=True).start()
-                    
+
+                        # Drain process completion notifications — any background
+                        # process that finished with notify_on_complete while the
+                        # agent was running (or before) gets auto-injected as a
+                        # new user message so the agent can react to it.
+                        try:
+                            from tools.process_registry import process_registry
+                            while not process_registry.completion_queue.empty():
+                                completion = process_registry.completion_queue.get_nowait()
+                                _exit = completion.get("exit_code", "?")
+                                _cmd = completion.get("command", "unknown")
+                                _sid = completion.get("session_id", "unknown")
+                                _out = completion.get("output", "")
+                                _synth = (
+                                    f"[SYSTEM: Background process {_sid} completed "
+                                    f"(exit code {_exit}).\n"
+                                    f"Command: {_cmd}\n"
+                                    f"Output:\n{_out}]"
+                                )
+                                self._pending_input.put(_synth)
+                        except Exception:
+                            pass  # Non-fatal — don't break the main loop
+
                 except Exception as e:
                     print(f"Error: {e}")
         

cron/scheduler.py

@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ except ImportError:
         import msvcrt
     except ImportError:
         msvcrt = None
-import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional
 
@@ -159,6 +158,44 @@ def _resolve_delivery_target(job: dict) -> Optional[dict]:
     }
 
 
+# Media extension sets — keep in sync with gateway/platforms/base.py:_process_message_background
+_AUDIO_EXTS = frozenset({'.ogg', '.opus', '.mp3', '.wav', '.m4a'})
+_VIDEO_EXTS = frozenset({'.mp4', '.mov', '.avi', '.mkv', '.webm', '.3gp'})
+_IMAGE_EXTS = frozenset({'.jpg', '.jpeg', '.png', '.webp', '.gif'})
+
+
+def _send_media_via_adapter(adapter, chat_id: str, media_files: list, metadata: dict | None, loop, job: dict) -> None:
+    """Send extracted MEDIA files as native platform attachments via a live adapter.
+
+    Routes each file to the appropriate adapter method (send_voice, send_image_file,
+    send_video, send_document) based on file extension — mirroring the routing logic
+    in ``BasePlatformAdapter._process_message_background``.
+    """
+    from pathlib import Path
+
+    for media_path, _is_voice in media_files:
+        try:
+            ext = Path(media_path).suffix.lower()
+            if ext in _AUDIO_EXTS:
+                coro = adapter.send_voice(chat_id=chat_id, audio_path=media_path, metadata=metadata)
+            elif ext in _VIDEO_EXTS:
+                coro = adapter.send_video(chat_id=chat_id, video_path=media_path, metadata=metadata)
+            elif ext in _IMAGE_EXTS:
+                coro = adapter.send_image_file(chat_id=chat_id, image_path=media_path, metadata=metadata)
+            else:
+                coro = adapter.send_document(chat_id=chat_id, file_path=media_path, metadata=metadata)
+
+            future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(coro, loop)
+            result = future.result(timeout=30)
+            if result and not getattr(result, "success", True):
+                logger.warning(
+                    "Job '%s': media send failed for %s: %s",
+                    job.get("id", "?"), media_path, getattr(result, "error", "unknown"),
+                )
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning("Job '%s': failed to send media %s: %s", job.get("id", "?"), media_path, e)
+
+
 def _deliver_result(job: dict, content: str, adapters=None, loop=None) -> None:
     """
     Deliver job output to the configured target (origin chat, specific platform, etc.).
@@ -237,24 +274,38 @@ def _deliver_result(job: dict, content: str, adapters=None, loop=None) -> None:
     else:
         delivery_content = content
 
+    # Extract MEDIA: tags so attachments are forwarded as files, not raw text
+    from gateway.platforms.base import BasePlatformAdapter
+    media_files, cleaned_delivery_content = BasePlatformAdapter.extract_media(delivery_content)
+
     # Prefer the live adapter when the gateway is running — this supports E2EE
     # rooms (e.g. Matrix) where the standalone HTTP path cannot encrypt.
     runtime_adapter = (adapters or {}).get(platform)
     if runtime_adapter is not None and loop is not None and getattr(loop, "is_running", lambda: False)():
         send_metadata = {"thread_id": thread_id} if thread_id else None
         try:
-            future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
-                runtime_adapter.send(chat_id, delivery_content, metadata=send_metadata),
-                loop,
-            )
-            send_result = future.result(timeout=60)
-            if send_result and not getattr(send_result, "success", True):
-                err = getattr(send_result, "error", "unknown")
-                logger.warning(
-                    "Job '%s': live adapter send to %s:%s failed (%s), falling back to standalone",
-                    job["id"], platform_name, chat_id, err,
+            # Send cleaned text (MEDIA tags stripped) — not the raw content
+            text_to_send = cleaned_delivery_content.strip()
+            adapter_ok = True
+            if text_to_send:
+                future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
+                    runtime_adapter.send(chat_id, text_to_send, metadata=send_metadata),
+                    loop,
                 )
-            else:
+                send_result = future.result(timeout=60)
+                if send_result and not getattr(send_result, "success", True):
+                    err = getattr(send_result, "error", "unknown")
+                    logger.warning(
+                        "Job '%s': live adapter send to %s:%s failed (%s), falling back to standalone",
+                        job["id"], platform_name, chat_id, err,
+                    )
+                    adapter_ok = False  # fall through to standalone path
+
+            # Send extracted media files as native attachments via the live adapter
+            if adapter_ok and media_files:
+                _send_media_via_adapter(runtime_adapter, chat_id, media_files, send_metadata, loop, job)
+
+            if adapter_ok:
                 logger.info("Job '%s': delivered to %s:%s via live adapter", job["id"], platform_name, chat_id)
                 return
         except Exception as e:
@@ -264,7 +315,7 @@ def _deliver_result(job: dict, content: str, adapters=None, loop=None) -> None:
             )
 
     # Standalone path: run the async send in a fresh event loop (safe from any thread)
-    coro = _send_to_platform(platform, pconfig, chat_id, delivery_content, thread_id=thread_id)
+    coro = _send_to_platform(platform, pconfig, chat_id, cleaned_delivery_content, thread_id=thread_id, media_files=media_files)
     try:
         result = asyncio.run(coro)
     except RuntimeError:
@@ -275,7 +326,7 @@ def _deliver_result(job: dict, content: str, adapters=None, loop=None) -> None:
         coro.close()
         import concurrent.futures
         with concurrent.futures.ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=1) as pool:
-            future = pool.submit(asyncio.run, _send_to_platform(platform, pconfig, chat_id, delivery_content, thread_id=thread_id))
+            future = pool.submit(asyncio.run, _send_to_platform(platform, pconfig, chat_id, cleaned_delivery_content, thread_id=thread_id, media_files=media_files))
             result = future.result(timeout=30)
     except Exception as e:
         logger.error("Job '%s': delivery to %s:%s failed: %s", job["id"], platform_name, chat_id, e)
@@ -293,8 +344,15 @@ _SCRIPT_TIMEOUT = 120  # seconds
 def _run_job_script(script_path: str) -> tuple[bool, str]:
     """Execute a cron job's data-collection script and capture its output.
 
+    Scripts must reside within HERMES_HOME/scripts/.  Both relative and
+    absolute paths are resolved and validated against this directory to
+    prevent arbitrary script execution via path traversal or absolute
+    path injection.
+
     Args:
-        script_path: Path to a Python script (resolved via HERMES_HOME/scripts/ or absolute).
+        script_path: Path to a Python script.  Relative paths are resolved
+            against HERMES_HOME/scripts/.  Absolute and ~-prefixed paths
+            are also validated to ensure they stay within the scripts dir.
 
     Returns:
         (success, output) — on failure *output* contains the error message so the
@@ -302,16 +360,25 @@ def _run_job_script(script_path: str) -> tuple[bool, str]:
     """
     from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 
-    path = Path(script_path).expanduser()
-    if not path.is_absolute():
-        # Resolve relative paths against HERMES_HOME/scripts/
-        scripts_dir = get_hermes_home() / "scripts"
-        path = (scripts_dir / path).resolve()
-        # Guard against path traversal (e.g. "../../etc/passwd")
-        try:
-            path.relative_to(scripts_dir.resolve())
-        except ValueError:
-            return False, f"Script path escapes the scripts directory: {script_path!r}"
+    scripts_dir = get_hermes_home() / "scripts"
+    scripts_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    scripts_dir_resolved = scripts_dir.resolve()
+
+    raw = Path(script_path).expanduser()
+    if raw.is_absolute():
+        path = raw.resolve()
+    else:
+        path = (scripts_dir / raw).resolve()
+
+    # Guard against path traversal, absolute path injection, and symlink
+    # escape — scripts MUST reside within HERMES_HOME/scripts/.
+    try:
+        path.relative_to(scripts_dir_resolved)
+    except ValueError:
+        return False, (
+            f"Blocked: script path resolves outside the scripts directory "
+            f"({scripts_dir_resolved}): {script_path!r}"
+        )
 
     if not path.exists():
         return False, f"Script not found: {path}"
@@ -469,14 +536,14 @@ def run_job(job: dict) -> tuple[bool, str, str, Optional[str]]:
     logger.info("Running job '%s' (ID: %s)", job_name, job_id)
     logger.info("Prompt: %s", prompt[:100])
 
-    # Inject origin context so the agent's send_message tool knows the chat
-    if origin:
-        os.environ["HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM"] = origin["platform"]
-        os.environ["HERMES_SESSION_CHAT_ID"] = str(origin["chat_id"])
-        if origin.get("chat_name"):
-            os.environ["HERMES_SESSION_CHAT_NAME"] = origin["chat_name"]
-
     try:
+        # Inject origin context so the agent's send_message tool knows the chat.
+        # Must be INSIDE the try block so the finally cleanup always runs.
+        if origin:
+            os.environ["HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM"] = origin["platform"]
+            os.environ["HERMES_SESSION_CHAT_ID"] = str(origin["chat_id"])
+            if origin.get("chat_name"):
+                os.environ["HERMES_SESSION_CHAT_NAME"] = origin["chat_name"]
         # Re-read .env and config.yaml fresh every run so provider/key
         # changes take effect without a gateway restart.
         from dotenv import load_dotenv
@@ -797,7 +864,7 @@ def tick(verbose: bool = True, adapters=None, loop=None) -> int:
                 # output is already saved above).  Failed jobs always deliver.
                 deliver_content = final_response if success else f"⚠️ Cron job '{job.get('name', job['id'])}' failed:\n{error}"
                 should_deliver = bool(deliver_content)
-                if should_deliver and success and deliver_content.strip().upper().startswith(SILENT_MARKER):
+                if should_deliver and success and SILENT_MARKER in deliver_content.strip().upper():
                     logger.info("Job '%s': agent returned %s — skipping delivery", job["id"], SILENT_MARKER)
                     should_deliver = False
 

environments/agent_loop.py

@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Set
 
 from model_tools import handle_function_call
+from tools.terminal_tool import get_active_env
+from tools.tool_result_storage import maybe_persist_tool_result, enforce_turn_budget
 
 # Thread pool for running sync tool calls that internally use asyncio.run()
 # (e.g., the Modal/Docker/Daytona terminal backends). Running them in a separate
@@ -138,6 +140,7 @@ class HermesAgentLoop:
         temperature: float = 1.0,
         max_tokens: Optional[int] = None,
         extra_body: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
+        budget_config: Optional["BudgetConfig"] = None,
     ):
         """
         Initialize the agent loop.
@@ -154,7 +157,11 @@ class HermesAgentLoop:
             extra_body: Extra parameters passed to the OpenAI client's create() call.
                         Used for OpenRouter provider preferences, transforms, etc.
                         e.g. {"provider": {"ignore": ["DeepInfra"]}}
+            budget_config: Tool result persistence budget. Controls per-tool
+                        thresholds, per-turn aggregate budget, and preview size.
+                        If None, uses DEFAULT_BUDGET (current hardcoded values).
         """
+        from tools.budget_config import DEFAULT_BUDGET
         self.server = server
         self.tool_schemas = tool_schemas
         self.valid_tool_names = valid_tool_names
@@ -163,6 +170,7 @@ class HermesAgentLoop:
         self.temperature = temperature
         self.max_tokens = max_tokens
         self.extra_body = extra_body
+        self.budget_config = budget_config or DEFAULT_BUDGET
 
     async def run(self, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> AgentResult:
         """
@@ -446,8 +454,15 @@ class HermesAgentLoop:
                         except (json.JSONDecodeError, TypeError):
                             pass
 
-                    # Add tool response to conversation
                     tc_id = tc.get("id", "") if isinstance(tc, dict) else tc.id
+                    tool_result = maybe_persist_tool_result(
+                        content=tool_result,
+                        tool_name=tool_name,
+                        tool_use_id=tc_id,
+                        env=get_active_env(self.task_id),
+                        config=self.budget_config,
+                    )
+
                     messages.append(
                         {
                             "role": "tool",
@@ -456,6 +471,14 @@ class HermesAgentLoop:
                         }
                     )
 
+                num_tcs = len(assistant_msg.tool_calls)
+                if num_tcs > 0:
+                    enforce_turn_budget(
+                        messages[-num_tcs:],
+                        env=get_active_env(self.task_id),
+                        config=self.budget_config,
+                    )
+
                 turn_elapsed = _time.monotonic() - turn_start
                 logger.info(
                     "[%s] turn %d: api=%.1fs, %d tools, turn_total=%.1fs",

environments/agentic_opd_env.py

@@ -1048,6 +1048,7 @@ class AgenticOPDEnv(HermesAgentBaseEnv):
                     temperature=0.0,
                     max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                     extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                    budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
                 )
                 result = await agent.run(messages)
 

environments/benchmarks/terminalbench_2/terminalbench2_env.py

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ import tempfile
 import time
 import uuid
 from collections import defaultdict
-from pathlib import Path
+from pathlib import Path, PurePosixPath, PureWindowsPath
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple, Union
 
 # Ensure repo root is on sys.path for imports
@@ -148,6 +148,62 @@ MODAL_INCOMPATIBLE_TASKS = {
 # Tar extraction helper
 # =============================================================================
 
+def _normalize_tar_member_parts(member_name: str) -> list:
+    """Return safe path components for a tar member or raise ValueError."""
+    normalized_name = member_name.replace("\\", "/")
+    posix_path = PurePosixPath(normalized_name)
+    windows_path = PureWindowsPath(member_name)
+
+    if (
+        not normalized_name
+        or posix_path.is_absolute()
+        or windows_path.is_absolute()
+        or windows_path.drive
+    ):
+        raise ValueError(f"Unsafe archive member path: {member_name}")
+
+    parts = [part for part in posix_path.parts if part not in ("", ".")]
+    if not parts or any(part == ".." for part in parts):
+        raise ValueError(f"Unsafe archive member path: {member_name}")
+    return parts
+
+
+def _safe_extract_tar(tar: tarfile.TarFile, target_dir: Path) -> None:
+    """Extract a tar archive without allowing traversal or link entries."""
+    target_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    target_root = target_dir.resolve()
+
+    for member in tar.getmembers():
+        parts = _normalize_tar_member_parts(member.name)
+        target = target_dir.joinpath(*parts)
+        target_real = target.resolve(strict=False)
+
+        try:
+            target_real.relative_to(target_root)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            raise ValueError(f"Unsafe archive member path: {member.name}") from exc
+
+        if member.isdir():
+            target_real.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            continue
+
+        if not member.isfile():
+            raise ValueError(f"Unsupported archive member type: {member.name}")
+
+        target_real.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        extracted = tar.extractfile(member)
+        if extracted is None:
+            raise ValueError(f"Cannot read archive member: {member.name}")
+
+        with extracted, open(target_real, "wb") as dst:
+            shutil.copyfileobj(extracted, dst)
+
+        try:
+            os.chmod(target_real, member.mode & 0o777)
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+
+
 def _extract_base64_tar(b64_data: str, target_dir: Path):
     """Extract a base64-encoded tar.gz archive into target_dir."""
     if not b64_data:
@@ -155,7 +211,7 @@ def _extract_base64_tar(b64_data: str, target_dir: Path):
     raw = base64.b64decode(b64_data)
     buf = io.BytesIO(raw)
     with tarfile.open(fileobj=buf, mode="r:gz") as tar:
-        tar.extractall(path=str(target_dir))
+        _safe_extract_tar(tar, target_dir)
 
 
 # =============================================================================
@@ -485,6 +541,7 @@ class TerminalBench2EvalEnv(HermesAgentBaseEnv):
                         temperature=self.config.agent_temperature,
                         max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                         extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                        budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
                     )
                     result = await agent.run(messages)
             else:
@@ -497,6 +554,7 @@ class TerminalBench2EvalEnv(HermesAgentBaseEnv):
                     temperature=self.config.agent_temperature,
                     max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                     extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                    budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
                 )
                 result = await agent.run(messages)
 

environments/benchmarks/yc_bench/yc_bench_env.py

@@ -549,6 +549,7 @@ class YCBenchEvalEnv(HermesAgentBaseEnv):
                 temperature=self.config.agent_temperature,
                 max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                 extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
             )
             result = await agent.run(messages)
 

environments/hermes_base_env.py

@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ from atroposlib.type_definitions import Item
 
 from environments.agent_loop import AgentResult, HermesAgentLoop
 from environments.tool_context import ToolContext
+from tools.budget_config import (
+    DEFAULT_RESULT_SIZE_CHARS,
+    DEFAULT_TURN_BUDGET_CHARS,
+    DEFAULT_PREVIEW_SIZE_CHARS,
+)
 
 # Import hermes-agent toolset infrastructure
 from model_tools import get_tool_definitions
@@ -160,6 +165,32 @@ class HermesAgentEnvConfig(BaseEnvConfig):
         "Options: hermes, mistral, llama3_json, qwen, deepseek_v3, etc.",
     )
 
+    # --- Tool result budget ---
+    # Defaults imported from tools.budget_config (single source of truth).
+    default_result_size_chars: int = Field(
+        default=DEFAULT_RESULT_SIZE_CHARS,
+        description="Default per-tool threshold (chars) for persisting large results "
+        "to sandbox. Results exceeding this are written to /tmp/hermes-results/ "
+        "and replaced with a preview. Per-tool registry values take precedence "
+        "unless overridden via tool_result_overrides.",
+    )
+    turn_budget_chars: int = Field(
+        default=DEFAULT_TURN_BUDGET_CHARS,
+        description="Aggregate char budget per assistant turn. If all tool results "
+        "in a single turn exceed this, the largest are persisted to disk first.",
+    )
+    preview_size_chars: int = Field(
+        default=DEFAULT_PREVIEW_SIZE_CHARS,
+        description="Size of the inline preview shown after a tool result is persisted.",
+    )
+    tool_result_overrides: Optional[Dict[str, int]] = Field(
+        default=None,
+        description="Per-tool threshold overrides (chars). Keys are tool names, "
+        "values are char thresholds. Overrides both the default and registry "
+        "per-tool values. Example: {'terminal': 10000, 'search_files': 5000}. "
+        "Note: read_file is pinned to infinity and cannot be overridden.",
+    )
+
     # --- Provider-specific parameters ---
     # Passed as extra_body to the OpenAI client's chat.completions.create() call.
     # Useful for OpenRouter provider preferences, transforms, route settings, etc.
@@ -176,6 +207,16 @@ class HermesAgentEnvConfig(BaseEnvConfig):
         "transforms, and other provider-specific settings.",
     )
 
+    def build_budget_config(self):
+        """Build a BudgetConfig from env config fields."""
+        from tools.budget_config import BudgetConfig
+        return BudgetConfig(
+            default_result_size=self.default_result_size_chars,
+            turn_budget=self.turn_budget_chars,
+            preview_size=self.preview_size_chars,
+            tool_overrides=dict(self.tool_result_overrides) if self.tool_result_overrides else {},
+        )
+
 
 class HermesAgentBaseEnv(BaseEnv):
     """
@@ -490,6 +531,7 @@ class HermesAgentBaseEnv(BaseEnv):
                         temperature=self.config.agent_temperature,
                         max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                         extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                        budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
                     )
                     result = await agent.run(messages)
             except NotImplementedError:
@@ -507,6 +549,7 @@ class HermesAgentBaseEnv(BaseEnv):
                     temperature=self.config.agent_temperature,
                     max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                     extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                    budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
                 )
                 result = await agent.run(messages)
         else:
@@ -520,6 +563,7 @@ class HermesAgentBaseEnv(BaseEnv):
                 temperature=self.config.agent_temperature,
                 max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                 extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
             )
             result = await agent.run(messages)
 

environments/web_research_env.py

@@ -472,6 +472,7 @@ class WebResearchEnv(HermesAgentBaseEnv):
                     temperature=0.0,  # Deterministic for eval
                     max_tokens=self.config.max_token_length,
                     extra_body=self.config.extra_body,
+                    budget_config=self.config.build_budget_config(),
                 )
                 result = await agent.run(messages)
 

gateway/builtin_hooks/boot_md.py

@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("hooks.boot-md")
 
-HERMES_HOME = Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", Path.home() / ".hermes"))
+from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+HERMES_HOME = get_hermes_home()
 BOOT_FILE = HERMES_HOME / "BOOT.md"
 
 

gateway/channel_directory.py

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from hermes_cli.config import get_hermes_home
+from utils import atomic_json_write
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -86,9 +87,7 @@ def build_channel_directory(adapters: Dict[Any, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     }
 
     try:
-        DIRECTORY_PATH.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-        with open(DIRECTORY_PATH, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
-            json.dump(directory, f, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False)
+        atomic_json_write(DIRECTORY_PATH, directory)
     except Exception as e:
         logger.warning("Channel directory: failed to write: %s", e)
 
@@ -125,7 +124,6 @@ def _build_discord(adapter) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
 
 def _build_slack(adapter) -> List[Dict[str, str]]:
     """List Slack channels the bot has joined."""
-    channels = []
     # Slack adapter may expose a web client
     client = getattr(adapter, "_app", None) or getattr(adapter, "_client", None)
     if not client:

gateway/config.py

@@ -556,6 +556,18 @@ def load_gateway_config() -> GatewayConfig:
                     os.environ["DISCORD_AUTO_THREAD"] = str(discord_cfg["auto_thread"]).lower()
                 if "reactions" in discord_cfg and not os.getenv("DISCORD_REACTIONS"):
                     os.environ["DISCORD_REACTIONS"] = str(discord_cfg["reactions"]).lower()
+                # ignored_channels: channels where bot never responds (even when mentioned)
+                ic = discord_cfg.get("ignored_channels")
+                if ic is not None and not os.getenv("DISCORD_IGNORED_CHANNELS"):
+                    if isinstance(ic, list):
+                        ic = ",".join(str(v) for v in ic)
+                    os.environ["DISCORD_IGNORED_CHANNELS"] = str(ic)
+                # no_thread_channels: channels where bot responds directly without creating thread
+                ntc = discord_cfg.get("no_thread_channels")
+                if ntc is not None and not os.getenv("DISCORD_NO_THREAD_CHANNELS"):
+                    if isinstance(ntc, list):
+                        ntc = ",".join(str(v) for v in ntc)
+                    os.environ["DISCORD_NO_THREAD_CHANNELS"] = str(ntc)
 
             # Telegram settings → env vars (env vars take precedence)
             telegram_cfg = yaml_cfg.get("telegram", {})
@@ -570,6 +582,8 @@ def load_gateway_config() -> GatewayConfig:
                     if isinstance(frc, list):
                         frc = ",".join(str(v) for v in frc)
                     os.environ["TELEGRAM_FREE_RESPONSE_CHATS"] = str(frc)
+                if "reactions" in telegram_cfg and not os.getenv("TELEGRAM_REACTIONS"):
+                    os.environ["TELEGRAM_REACTIONS"] = str(telegram_cfg["reactions"]).lower()
 
             whatsapp_cfg = yaml_cfg.get("whatsapp", {})
             if isinstance(whatsapp_cfg, dict):
@@ -779,6 +793,9 @@ def _apply_env_overrides(config: GatewayConfig) -> None:
             config.platforms[Platform.MATRIX].extra["password"] = matrix_password
         matrix_e2ee = os.getenv("MATRIX_ENCRYPTION", "").lower() in ("true", "1", "yes")
         config.platforms[Platform.MATRIX].extra["encryption"] = matrix_e2ee
+        matrix_device_id = os.getenv("MATRIX_DEVICE_ID", "")
+        if matrix_device_id:
+            config.platforms[Platform.MATRIX].extra["device_id"] = matrix_device_id
     matrix_home = os.getenv("MATRIX_HOME_ROOM")
     if matrix_home and Platform.MATRIX in config.platforms:
         config.platforms[Platform.MATRIX].home_channel = HomeChannel(

gateway/delivery.py

@@ -314,38 +314,4 @@ def parse_deliver_spec(
     return deliver
 
 
-def build_delivery_context_for_tool(
-    config: GatewayConfig,
-    origin: Optional[SessionSource] = None
-) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """
-    Build context for the unified cronjob tool to understand delivery options.
-    
-    This is passed to the tool so it can validate and explain delivery targets.
-    """
-    connected = config.get_connected_platforms()
-    
-    options = {
-        "origin": {
-            "description": "Back to where this job was created",
-            "available": origin is not None,
-        },
-        "local": {
-            "description": "Save to local files only",
-            "available": True,
-        }
-    }
-    
-    for platform in connected:
-        home = config.get_home_channel(platform)
-        options[platform.value] = {
-            "description": f"{platform.value.title()} home channel",
-            "available": True,
-            "home_channel": home.to_dict() if home else None,
-        }
-    
-    return {
-        "origin": origin.to_dict() if origin else None,
-        "options": options,
-        "always_log_local": config.always_log_local,
-    }
+

gateway/pairing.py

@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ Storage: ~/.hermes/pairing/
 import json
 import os
 import secrets
+import tempfile
+import threading
 import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional
@@ -45,13 +47,29 @@ PAIRING_DIR = get_hermes_dir("platforms/pairing", "pairing")
 
 
 def _secure_write(path: Path, data: str) -> None:
-    """Write data to file with restrictive permissions (owner read/write only)."""
+    """Write data to file with restrictive permissions (owner read/write only).
+
+    Uses a temp-file + atomic rename so readers always see either the old
+    complete file or the new one — never a partial write.
+    """
     path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-    path.write_text(data, encoding="utf-8")
+    fd, tmp_path = tempfile.mkstemp(dir=str(path.parent), suffix=".tmp")
     try:
-        os.chmod(path, 0o600)
-    except OSError:
-        pass  # Windows doesn't support chmod the same way
+        with os.fdopen(fd, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
+            f.write(data)
+            f.flush()
+            os.fsync(f.fileno())
+        os.replace(tmp_path, str(path))
+        try:
+            os.chmod(path, 0o600)
+        except OSError:
+            pass  # Windows doesn't support chmod the same way
+    except BaseException:
+        try:
+            os.unlink(tmp_path)
+        except OSError:
+            pass
+        raise
 
 
 class PairingStore:
@@ -66,6 +84,9 @@ class PairingStore:
 
     def __init__(self):
         PAIRING_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        # Protects all read-modify-write cycles. The gateway runs multiple
+        # platform adapters concurrently in threads sharing one PairingStore.
+        self._lock = threading.RLock()
 
     def _pending_path(self, platform: str) -> Path:
         return PAIRING_DIR / f"{platform}-pending.json"
@@ -105,7 +126,7 @@ class PairingStore:
         return results
 
     def _approve_user(self, platform: str, user_id: str, user_name: str = "") -> None:
-        """Add a user to the approved list."""
+        """Add a user to the approved list. Must be called under self._lock."""
         approved = self._load_json(self._approved_path(platform))
         approved[user_id] = {
             "user_name": user_name,
@@ -116,11 +137,12 @@ class PairingStore:
     def revoke(self, platform: str, user_id: str) -> bool:
         """Remove a user from the approved list. Returns True if found."""
         path = self._approved_path(platform)
-        approved = self._load_json(path)
-        if user_id in approved:
-            del approved[user_id]
-            self._save_json(path, approved)
-            return True
+        with self._lock:
+            approved = self._load_json(path)
+            if user_id in approved:
+                del approved[user_id]
+                self._save_json(path, approved)
+                return True
         return False
 
     # ----- Pending codes -----
@@ -136,36 +158,37 @@ class PairingStore:
           - Max pending codes reached for this platform
           - User/platform is in lockout due to failed attempts
         """
-        self._cleanup_expired(platform)
+        with self._lock:
+            self._cleanup_expired(platform)
 
-        # Check lockout
-        if self._is_locked_out(platform):
-            return None
+            # Check lockout
+            if self._is_locked_out(platform):
+                return None
 
-        # Check rate limit for this specific user
-        if self._is_rate_limited(platform, user_id):
-            return None
+            # Check rate limit for this specific user
+            if self._is_rate_limited(platform, user_id):
+                return None
 
-        # Check max pending
-        pending = self._load_json(self._pending_path(platform))
-        if len(pending) >= MAX_PENDING_PER_PLATFORM:
-            return None
+            # Check max pending
+            pending = self._load_json(self._pending_path(platform))
+            if len(pending) >= MAX_PENDING_PER_PLATFORM:
+                return None
 
-        # Generate cryptographically random code
-        code = "".join(secrets.choice(ALPHABET) for _ in range(CODE_LENGTH))
+            # Generate cryptographically random code
+            code = "".join(secrets.choice(ALPHABET) for _ in range(CODE_LENGTH))
 
-        # Store pending request
-        pending[code] = {
-            "user_id": user_id,
-            "user_name": user_name,
-            "created_at": time.time(),
-        }
-        self._save_json(self._pending_path(platform), pending)
+            # Store pending request
+            pending[code] = {
+                "user_id": user_id,
+                "user_name": user_name,
+                "created_at": time.time(),
+            }
+            self._save_json(self._pending_path(platform), pending)
 
-        # Record rate limit
-        self._record_rate_limit(platform, user_id)
+            # Record rate limit
+            self._record_rate_limit(platform, user_id)
 
-        return code
+            return code
 
     def approve_code(self, platform: str, code: str) -> Optional[dict]:
         """
@@ -173,24 +196,25 @@ class PairingStore:
 
         Returns {user_id, user_name} on success, None if code is invalid/expired.
         """
-        self._cleanup_expired(platform)
-        code = code.upper().strip()
+        with self._lock:
+            self._cleanup_expired(platform)
+            code = code.upper().strip()
 
-        pending = self._load_json(self._pending_path(platform))
-        if code not in pending:
-            self._record_failed_attempt(platform)
-            return None
+            pending = self._load_json(self._pending_path(platform))
+            if code not in pending:
+                self._record_failed_attempt(platform)
+                return None
 
-        entry = pending.pop(code)
-        self._save_json(self._pending_path(platform), pending)
+            entry = pending.pop(code)
+            self._save_json(self._pending_path(platform), pending)
 
-        # Add to approved list
-        self._approve_user(platform, entry["user_id"], entry.get("user_name", ""))
+            # Add to approved list
+            self._approve_user(platform, entry["user_id"], entry.get("user_name", ""))
 
-        return {
-            "user_id": entry["user_id"],
-            "user_name": entry.get("user_name", ""),
-        }
+            return {
+                "user_id": entry["user_id"],
+                "user_name": entry.get("user_name", ""),
+            }
 
     def list_pending(self, platform: str = None) -> list:
         """List pending pairing requests, optionally filtered by platform."""
@@ -212,12 +236,13 @@ class PairingStore:
 
     def clear_pending(self, platform: str = None) -> int:
         """Clear all pending requests. Returns count removed."""
-        count = 0
-        platforms = [platform] if platform else self._all_platforms("pending")
-        for p in platforms:
-            pending = self._load_json(self._pending_path(p))
-            count += len(pending)
-            self._save_json(self._pending_path(p), {})
+        with self._lock:
+            count = 0
+            platforms = [platform] if platform else self._all_platforms("pending")
+            for p in platforms:
+                pending = self._load_json(self._pending_path(p))
+                count += len(pending)
+                self._save_json(self._pending_path(p), {})
         return count
 
     # ----- Rate limiting and lockout -----

gateway/platforms/api_server.py

@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ Requires:
 """
 
 import asyncio
+import hmac
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -370,7 +371,7 @@ class APIServerAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         auth_header = request.headers.get("Authorization", "")
         if auth_header.startswith("Bearer "):
             token = auth_header[7:].strip()
-            if token == self._api_key:
+            if hmac.compare_digest(token, self._api_key):
                 return None  # Auth OK
 
         return web.json_response(
@@ -563,8 +564,10 @@ class APIServerAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                 if delta is not None:
                     _stream_q.put(delta)
 
-            def _on_tool_progress(name, preview, args):
+            def _on_tool_progress(event_type, name, preview, args, **kwargs):
                 """Inject tool progress into the SSE stream for Open WebUI."""
+                if event_type != "tool.started":
+                    return  # Only show tool start events in chat stream
                 if name.startswith("_"):
                     return  # Skip internal events (_thinking)
                 from agent.display import get_tool_emoji
@@ -815,9 +818,29 @@ class APIServerAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         else:
             return web.json_response(_openai_error("'input' must be a string or array"), status=400)
 
-        # Reconstruct conversation history from previous_response_id
+        # Accept explicit conversation_history from the request body.
+        # This lets stateless clients supply their own history instead of
+        # relying on server-side response chaining via previous_response_id.
+        # Precedence: explicit conversation_history > previous_response_id.
         conversation_history: List[Dict[str, str]] = []
-        if previous_response_id:
+        raw_history = body.get("conversation_history")
+        if raw_history:
+            if not isinstance(raw_history, list):
+                return web.json_response(
+                    _openai_error("'conversation_history' must be an array of message objects"),
+                    status=400,
+                )
+            for i, entry in enumerate(raw_history):
+                if not isinstance(entry, dict) or "role" not in entry or "content" not in entry:
+                    return web.json_response(
+                        _openai_error(f"conversation_history[{i}] must have 'role' and 'content' fields"),
+                        status=400,
+                    )
+                conversation_history.append({"role": str(entry["role"]), "content": str(entry["content"])})
+            if previous_response_id:
+                logger.debug("Both conversation_history and previous_response_id provided; using conversation_history")
+
+        if not conversation_history and previous_response_id:
             stored = self._response_store.get(previous_response_id)
             if stored is None:
                 return web.json_response(_openai_error(f"Previous response not found: {previous_response_id}"), status=404)
@@ -1403,14 +1426,49 @@ class APIServerAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
         instructions = body.get("instructions")
         previous_response_id = body.get("previous_response_id")
+
+        # Accept explicit conversation_history from the request body.
+        # Precedence: explicit conversation_history > previous_response_id.
         conversation_history: List[Dict[str, str]] = []
-        if previous_response_id:
+        raw_history = body.get("conversation_history")
+        if raw_history:
+            if not isinstance(raw_history, list):
+                return web.json_response(
+                    _openai_error("'conversation_history' must be an array of message objects"),
+                    status=400,
+                )
+            for i, entry in enumerate(raw_history):
+                if not isinstance(entry, dict) or "role" not in entry or "content" not in entry:
+                    return web.json_response(
+                        _openai_error(f"conversation_history[{i}] must have 'role' and 'content' fields"),
+                        status=400,
+                    )
+                conversation_history.append({"role": str(entry["role"]), "content": str(entry["content"])})
+            if previous_response_id:
+                logger.debug("Both conversation_history and previous_response_id provided; using conversation_history")
+
+        if not conversation_history and previous_response_id:
             stored = self._response_store.get(previous_response_id)
             if stored:
                 conversation_history = list(stored.get("conversation_history", []))
                 if instructions is None:
                     instructions = stored.get("instructions")
 
+        # When input is a multi-message array, extract all but the last
+        # message as conversation history (the last becomes user_message).
+        # Only fires when no explicit history was provided.
+        if not conversation_history and isinstance(raw_input, list) and len(raw_input) > 1:
+            for msg in raw_input[:-1]:
+                if isinstance(msg, dict) and msg.get("role") and msg.get("content"):
+                    content = msg["content"]
+                    if isinstance(content, list):
+                        # Flatten multi-part content blocks to text
+                        content = " ".join(
+                            part.get("text", "") for part in content
+                            if isinstance(part, dict) and part.get("type") == "text"
+                        )
+                    conversation_history.append({"role": msg["role"], "content": str(content)})
+
         session_id = body.get("session_id") or run_id
         ephemeral_system_prompt = instructions
 

gateway/platforms/base.py

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import random
 import re
 import uuid
 from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
+from urllib.parse import urlsplit
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
@@ -26,7 +27,6 @@ sys.path.insert(0, str(_Path(__file__).resolve().parents[2]))
 
 from gateway.config import Platform, PlatformConfig
 from gateway.session import SessionSource, build_session_key
-from hermes_cli.config import get_hermes_home
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_dir
 
 
@@ -36,6 +36,43 @@ GATEWAY_SECRET_CAPTURE_UNSUPPORTED_MESSAGE = (
 )
 
 
+def _safe_url_for_log(url: str, max_len: int = 80) -> str:
+    """Return a URL string safe for logs (no query/fragment/userinfo)."""
+    if max_len <= 0:
+        return ""
+
+    if url is None:
+        return ""
+
+    raw = str(url)
+    if not raw:
+        return ""
+
+    try:
+        parsed = urlsplit(raw)
+    except Exception:
+        return raw[:max_len]
+
+    if parsed.scheme and parsed.netloc:
+        # Strip potential embedded credentials (user:pass@host).
+        netloc = parsed.netloc.rsplit("@", 1)[-1]
+        base = f"{parsed.scheme}://{netloc}"
+        path = parsed.path or ""
+        if path and path != "/":
+            basename = path.rsplit("/", 1)[-1]
+            safe = f"{base}/.../{basename}" if basename else f"{base}/..."
+        else:
+            safe = base
+    else:
+        safe = raw
+
+    if len(safe) <= max_len:
+        return safe
+    if max_len <= 3:
+        return "." * max_len
+    return f"{safe[:max_len - 3]}..."
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Image cache utilities
 #
@@ -87,7 +124,14 @@ async def cache_image_from_url(url: str, ext: str = ".jpg", retries: int = 2) ->
 
     Returns:
         Absolute path to the cached image file as a string.
+
+    Raises:
+        ValueError: If the URL targets a private/internal network (SSRF protection).
     """
+    from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+    if not is_safe_url(url):
+        raise ValueError(f"Blocked unsafe URL (SSRF protection): {_safe_url_for_log(url)}")
+
     import asyncio
     import httpx
     import logging as _logging
@@ -112,8 +156,14 @@ async def cache_image_from_url(url: str, ext: str = ".jpg", retries: int = 2) ->
                     raise
                 if attempt < retries:
                     wait = 1.5 * (attempt + 1)
-                    _log.debug("Media cache retry %d/%d for %s (%.1fs): %s",
-                               attempt + 1, retries, url[:80], wait, exc)
+                    _log.debug(
+                        "Media cache retry %d/%d for %s (%.1fs): %s",
+                        attempt + 1,
+                        retries,
+                        _safe_url_for_log(url),
+                        wait,
+                        exc,
+                    )
                     await asyncio.sleep(wait)
                     continue
                 raise
@@ -189,7 +239,14 @@ async def cache_audio_from_url(url: str, ext: str = ".ogg", retries: int = 2) ->
 
     Returns:
         Absolute path to the cached audio file as a string.
+
+    Raises:
+        ValueError: If the URL targets a private/internal network (SSRF protection).
     """
+    from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+    if not is_safe_url(url):
+        raise ValueError(f"Blocked unsafe URL (SSRF protection): {_safe_url_for_log(url)}")
+
     import asyncio
     import httpx
     import logging as _logging
@@ -214,8 +271,14 @@ async def cache_audio_from_url(url: str, ext: str = ".ogg", retries: int = 2) ->
                     raise
                 if attempt < retries:
                     wait = 1.5 * (attempt + 1)
-                    _log.debug("Audio cache retry %d/%d for %s (%.1fs): %s",
-                               attempt + 1, retries, url[:80], wait, exc)
+                    _log.debug(
+                        "Audio cache retry %d/%d for %s (%.1fs): %s",
+                        attempt + 1,
+                        retries,
+                        _safe_url_for_log(url),
+                        wait,
+                        exc,
+                    )
                     await asyncio.sleep(wait)
                     continue
                 raise
@@ -435,6 +498,9 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
         self._background_tasks: set[asyncio.Task] = set()
         # Chats where auto-TTS on voice input is disabled (set by /voice off)
         self._auto_tts_disabled_chats: set = set()
+        # Chats where typing indicator is paused (e.g. during approval waits).
+        # _keep_typing skips send_typing when the chat_id is in this set.
+        self._typing_paused: set = set()
 
     @property
     def has_fatal_error(self) -> bool:
@@ -519,6 +585,16 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
         """
         self._message_handler = handler
     
+    def set_session_store(self, session_store: Any) -> None:
+        """
+        Set the session store for checking active sessions.
+        
+        Used by adapters that need to check if a thread/conversation
+        has an active session before processing messages (e.g., Slack
+        thread replies without explicit mentions).
+        """
+        self._session_store = session_store
+    
     @abstractmethod
     async def connect(self) -> bool:
         """
@@ -884,10 +960,16 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
         
         Telegram/Discord typing status expires after ~5 seconds, so we refresh every 2
         to recover quickly after progress messages interrupt it.
+        
+        Skips send_typing when the chat is in ``_typing_paused`` (e.g. while
+        the agent is waiting for dangerous-command approval).  This is critical
+        for Slack's Assistant API where ``assistant_threads_setStatus`` disables
+        the compose box — pausing lets the user type ``/approve`` or ``/deny``.
         """
         try:
             while True:
-                await self.send_typing(chat_id, metadata=metadata)
+                if chat_id not in self._typing_paused:
+                    await self.send_typing(chat_id, metadata=metadata)
                 await asyncio.sleep(interval)
         except asyncio.CancelledError:
             pass  # Normal cancellation when handler completes
@@ -901,7 +983,20 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
                     await self.stop_typing(chat_id)
                 except Exception:
                     pass
-    
+            self._typing_paused.discard(chat_id)
+
+    def pause_typing_for_chat(self, chat_id: str) -> None:
+        """Pause typing indicator for a chat (e.g. during approval waits).
+
+        Thread-safe (CPython GIL) — can be called from the sync agent thread
+        while ``_keep_typing`` runs on the async event loop.
+        """
+        self._typing_paused.add(chat_id)
+
+    def resume_typing_for_chat(self, chat_id: str) -> None:
+        """Resume typing indicator for a chat after approval resolves."""
+        self._typing_paused.discard(chat_id)
+
     # ── Processing lifecycle hooks ──────────────────────────────────────────
     # Subclasses override these to react to message processing events
     # (e.g. Discord adds 👀/✅/❌ reactions).
@@ -1024,6 +1119,22 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
             logger.error("[%s] Fallback send also failed: %s", self.name, fallback_result.error)
         return fallback_result
 
+    @staticmethod
+    def _merge_caption(existing_text: Optional[str], new_text: str) -> str:
+        """Merge a new caption into existing text, avoiding duplicates.
+
+        Uses line-by-line exact match (not substring) to prevent false positives
+        where a shorter caption is silently dropped because it appears as a
+        substring of a longer one (e.g. "Meeting" inside "Meeting agenda").
+        Whitespace is normalised for comparison.
+        """
+        if not existing_text:
+            return new_text
+        existing_captions = [c.strip() for c in existing_text.split("\n\n")]
+        if new_text.strip() not in existing_captions:
+            return f"{existing_text}\n\n{new_text}".strip()
+        return existing_text
+
     async def handle_message(self, event: MessageEvent) -> None:
         """
         Process an incoming message.
@@ -1043,16 +1154,20 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
         
         # Check if there's already an active handler for this session
         if session_key in self._active_sessions:
-            # /approve and /deny must bypass the active-session guard.
-            # The agent thread is blocked on threading.Event.wait() inside
-            # tools/approval.py — queuing these commands creates a deadlock:
-            # the agent waits for approval, approval waits for agent to finish.
-            # Dispatch directly to the message handler without touching session
-            # lifecycle (no competing background task, no session guard removal).
+            # Certain commands must bypass the active-session guard and be
+            # dispatched directly to the gateway runner.  Without this, they
+            # are queued as pending messages and either:
+            #   - leak into the conversation as user text (/stop, /new), or
+            #   - deadlock (/approve, /deny — agent is blocked on Event.wait)
+            #
+            # Dispatch inline: call the message handler directly and send the
+            # response.  Do NOT use _process_message_background — it manages
+            # session lifecycle and its cleanup races with the running task
+            # (see PR #4926).
             cmd = event.get_command()
-            if cmd in ("approve", "deny"):
+            if cmd in ("approve", "deny", "status", "stop", "new", "reset"):
                 logger.debug(
-                    "[%s] Approval command '/%s' bypassing active-session guard for %s",
+                    "[%s] Command '/%s' bypassing active-session guard for %s",
                     self.name, cmd, session_key,
                 )
                 try:
@@ -1066,29 +1181,7 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
                             metadata=_thread_meta,
                         )
                 except Exception as e:
-                    logger.error("[%s] Approval dispatch failed: %s", self.name, e, exc_info=True)
-                return
-
-            # /status must also bypass the active-session guard so it always
-            # returns a system-generated response instead of being queued as
-            # user text and passed to the agent (#5046).
-            if cmd == "status":
-                logger.debug(
-                    "[%s] Status command bypassing active-session guard for %s",
-                    self.name, session_key,
-                )
-                try:
-                    _thread_meta = {"thread_id": event.source.thread_id} if event.source.thread_id else None
-                    response = await self._message_handler(event)
-                    if response:
-                        await self._send_with_retry(
-                            chat_id=event.source.chat_id,
-                            content=response,
-                            reply_to=event.message_id,
-                            metadata=_thread_meta,
-                        )
-                except Exception as e:
-                    logger.error("[%s] Status dispatch failed: %s", self.name, e, exc_info=True)
+                    logger.error("[%s] Command '/%s' dispatch failed: %s", self.name, cmd, e, exc_info=True)
                 return
 
             # Special case: photo bursts/albums frequently arrive as multiple near-
@@ -1101,10 +1194,7 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
                     existing.media_urls.extend(event.media_urls)
                     existing.media_types.extend(event.media_types)
                     if event.text:
-                        if not existing.text:
-                            existing.text = event.text
-                        elif event.text not in existing.text:
-                            existing.text = f"{existing.text}\n\n{event.text}".strip()
+                        existing.text = self._merge_caption(existing.text, event.text)
                 else:
                     self._pending_messages[session_key] = event
                 return  # Don't interrupt now - will run after current task completes
@@ -1266,7 +1356,12 @@ class BasePlatformAdapter(ABC):
                     if human_delay > 0:
                         await asyncio.sleep(human_delay)
                     try:
-                        logger.info("[%s] Sending image: %s (alt=%s)", self.name, image_url[:80], alt_text[:30] if alt_text else "")
+                        logger.info(
+                            "[%s] Sending image: %s (alt=%s)",
+                            self.name,
+                            _safe_url_for_log(image_url),
+                            alt_text[:30] if alt_text else "",
+                        )
                         # Route animated GIFs through send_animation for proper playback
                         if self._is_animation_url(image_url):
                             img_result = await self.send_animation(

gateway/platforms/discord.py

@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ from gateway.platforms.base import (
     cache_document_from_bytes,
     SUPPORTED_DOCUMENT_TYPES,
 )
+from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
 
 
 def _clean_discord_id(entry: str) -> str:
@@ -1285,6 +1286,10 @@ class DiscordAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         if not self._client:
             return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
 
+        if not is_safe_url(image_url):
+            logger.warning("[%s] Blocked unsafe image URL during Discord send_image", self.name)
+            return await super().send_image(chat_id, image_url, caption, reply_to, metadata=metadata)
+
         try:
             import aiohttp
 
@@ -1695,6 +1700,47 @@ class DiscordAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         async def slash_btw(interaction: discord.Interaction, question: str):
             await self._run_simple_slash(interaction, f"/btw {question}")
 
+        # Register installed skills as native slash commands (parity with
+        # Telegram, which uses telegram_menu_commands() in commands.py).
+        # Discord allows up to 100 application commands globally.
+        _DISCORD_CMD_LIMIT = 100
+        try:
+            from hermes_cli.commands import discord_skill_commands
+
+            existing_names = {cmd.name for cmd in tree.get_commands()}
+            remaining_slots = max(0, _DISCORD_CMD_LIMIT - len(existing_names))
+
+            skill_entries, skipped = discord_skill_commands(
+                max_slots=remaining_slots,
+                reserved_names=existing_names,
+            )
+
+            for discord_name, description, cmd_key in skill_entries:
+                # Closure factory to capture cmd_key per iteration
+                def _make_skill_handler(_key: str):
+                    async def _skill_slash(interaction: discord.Interaction, args: str = ""):
+                        await self._run_simple_slash(interaction, f"{_key} {args}".strip())
+                    return _skill_slash
+
+                handler = _make_skill_handler(cmd_key)
+                handler.__name__ = f"skill_{discord_name.replace('-', '_')}"
+
+                cmd = discord.app_commands.Command(
+                    name=discord_name,
+                    description=description,
+                    callback=handler,
+                )
+                discord.app_commands.describe(args="Optional arguments for the skill")(cmd)
+                tree.add_command(cmd)
+
+            if skipped:
+                logger.warning(
+                    "[%s] Discord slash command limit reached (%d): %d skill(s) not registered",
+                    self.name, _DISCORD_CMD_LIMIT, skipped,
+                )
+        except Exception as exc:
+            logger.warning("[%s] Failed to register skill slash commands: %s", self.name, exc)
+
     def _build_slash_event(self, interaction: discord.Interaction, text: str) -> MessageEvent:
         """Build a MessageEvent from a Discord slash command interaction."""
         is_dm = isinstance(interaction.channel, discord.DMChannel)
@@ -1998,6 +2044,66 @@ class DiscordAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         except Exception as e:
             return SendResult(success=False, error=str(e))
 
+    async def send_model_picker(
+        self,
+        chat_id: str,
+        providers: list,
+        current_model: str,
+        current_provider: str,
+        session_key: str,
+        on_model_selected,
+        metadata: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send an interactive select-menu model picker.
+
+        Two-step drill-down: provider dropdown → model dropdown.
+        Uses Discord embeds + Select menus via ``ModelPickerView``.
+        """
+        if not self._client or not DISCORD_AVAILABLE:
+            return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
+
+        try:
+            # Resolve target channel (use thread_id if present)
+            target_id = chat_id
+            if metadata and metadata.get("thread_id"):
+                target_id = metadata["thread_id"]
+
+            channel = self._client.get_channel(int(target_id))
+            if not channel:
+                channel = await self._client.fetch_channel(int(target_id))
+
+            try:
+                from hermes_cli.providers import get_label
+                provider_label = get_label(current_provider)
+            except Exception:
+                provider_label = current_provider
+
+            embed = discord.Embed(
+                title="⚙ Model Configuration",
+                description=(
+                    f"Current model: `{current_model or 'unknown'}`\n"
+                    f"Provider: {provider_label}\n\n"
+                    f"Select a provider:"
+                ),
+                color=discord.Color.blue(),
+            )
+
+            view = ModelPickerView(
+                providers=providers,
+                current_model=current_model,
+                current_provider=current_provider,
+                session_key=session_key,
+                on_model_selected=on_model_selected,
+                allowed_user_ids=self._allowed_user_ids,
+            )
+
+            msg = await channel.send(embed=embed, view=view)
+            return SendResult(success=True, message_id=str(msg.id))
+
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning("[%s] send_model_picker failed: %s", self.name, e)
+            return SendResult(success=False, error=str(e))
+
     def _get_parent_channel_id(self, channel: Any) -> Optional[str]:
         """Return the parent channel ID for a Discord thread-like channel, if present."""
         parent = getattr(channel, "parent", None)
@@ -2087,9 +2193,11 @@ class DiscordAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         # UNLESS the channel is in the free-response list or the message is
         # in a thread where the bot has already participated.
         #
-        # Config (all settable via discord.* in config.yaml):
+        # Config (all settable via discord.* in config.yaml or DISCORD_* env vars):
         #   discord.require_mention: Require @mention in server channels (default: true)
         #   discord.free_response_channels: Channel IDs where bot responds without mention
+        #   discord.ignored_channels: Channel IDs where bot NEVER responds (even when mentioned)
+        #   discord.no_thread_channels: Channel IDs where bot responds directly without creating thread
         #   discord.auto_thread: Auto-create thread on @mention in channels (default: true)
 
         thread_id = None
@@ -2100,9 +2208,18 @@ class DiscordAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             parent_channel_id = self._get_parent_channel_id(message.channel)
 
         if not isinstance(message.channel, discord.DMChannel):
+            # Check ignored channels first - never respond even when mentioned
+            ignored_channels_raw = os.getenv("DISCORD_IGNORED_CHANNELS", "")
+            ignored_channels = {ch.strip() for ch in ignored_channels_raw.split(",") if ch.strip()}
+            channel_ids = {str(message.channel.id)}
+            if parent_channel_id:
+                channel_ids.add(parent_channel_id)
+            if channel_ids & ignored_channels:
+                logger.debug("[%s] Ignoring message in ignored channel: %s", self.name, channel_ids)
+                return
+
             free_channels_raw = os.getenv("DISCORD_FREE_RESPONSE_CHANNELS", "")
             free_channels = {ch.strip() for ch in free_channels_raw.split(",") if ch.strip()}
-            channel_ids = {str(message.channel.id)}
             if parent_channel_id:
                 channel_ids.add(parent_channel_id)
 
@@ -2124,10 +2241,14 @@ class DiscordAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         # Auto-thread: when enabled, automatically create a thread for every
         # @mention in a text channel so each conversation is isolated (like Slack).
         # Messages already inside threads or DMs are unaffected.
+        # no_thread_channels: channels where bot responds directly without thread.
         auto_threaded_channel = None
         if not is_thread and not isinstance(message.channel, discord.DMChannel):
+            no_thread_channels_raw = os.getenv("DISCORD_NO_THREAD_CHANNELS", "")
+            no_thread_channels = {ch.strip() for ch in no_thread_channels_raw.split(",") if ch.strip()}
+            skip_thread = bool(channel_ids & no_thread_channels)
             auto_thread = os.getenv("DISCORD_AUTO_THREAD", "true").lower() in ("true", "1", "yes")
-            if auto_thread:
+            if auto_thread and not skip_thread:
                 thread = await self._auto_create_thread(message)
                 if thread:
                     is_thread = True
@@ -2489,3 +2610,218 @@ if DISCORD_AVAILABLE:
             self.resolved = True
             for child in self.children:
                 child.disabled = True
+
+    class ModelPickerView(discord.ui.View):
+        """Interactive select-menu view for model switching.
+
+        Two-step drill-down: provider dropdown → model dropdown.
+        Edits the original message in-place as the user navigates.
+        Times out after 2 minutes.
+        """
+
+        def __init__(
+            self,
+            providers: list,
+            current_model: str,
+            current_provider: str,
+            session_key: str,
+            on_model_selected,
+            allowed_user_ids: set,
+        ):
+            super().__init__(timeout=120)
+            self.providers = providers
+            self.current_model = current_model
+            self.current_provider = current_provider
+            self.session_key = session_key
+            self.on_model_selected = on_model_selected
+            self.allowed_user_ids = allowed_user_ids
+            self.resolved = False
+            self._selected_provider: str = ""
+
+            self._build_provider_select()
+
+        def _check_auth(self, interaction: discord.Interaction) -> bool:
+            if not self.allowed_user_ids:
+                return True
+            return str(interaction.user.id) in self.allowed_user_ids
+
+        def _build_provider_select(self):
+            """Build the provider dropdown menu."""
+            self.clear_items()
+            options = []
+            for p in self.providers:
+                count = p.get("total_models", len(p.get("models", [])))
+                label = f"{p['name']} ({count} models)"
+                desc = "current" if p.get("is_current") else None
+                options.append(
+                    discord.SelectOption(
+                        label=label[:100],
+                        value=p["slug"],
+                        description=desc,
+                    )
+                )
+            if not options:
+                return
+
+            select = discord.ui.Select(
+                placeholder="Choose a provider...",
+                options=options[:25],
+                custom_id="model_provider_select",
+            )
+            select.callback = self._on_provider_selected
+            self.add_item(select)
+
+            cancel_btn = discord.ui.Button(
+                label="Cancel", style=discord.ButtonStyle.red, custom_id="model_cancel"
+            )
+            cancel_btn.callback = self._on_cancel
+            self.add_item(cancel_btn)
+
+        def _build_model_select(self, provider_slug: str):
+            """Build the model dropdown for a specific provider."""
+            self.clear_items()
+            provider = next(
+                (p for p in self.providers if p["slug"] == provider_slug), None
+            )
+            if not provider:
+                return
+
+            models = provider.get("models", [])
+            options = []
+            for model_id in models[:25]:
+                short = model_id.split("/")[-1] if "/" in model_id else model_id
+                options.append(
+                    discord.SelectOption(
+                        label=short[:100],
+                        value=model_id[:100],
+                    )
+                )
+            if not options:
+                return
+
+            select = discord.ui.Select(
+                placeholder=f"Choose a model from {provider.get('name', provider_slug)}...",
+                options=options,
+                custom_id="model_model_select",
+            )
+            select.callback = self._on_model_selected
+            self.add_item(select)
+
+            back_btn = discord.ui.Button(
+                label="◀ Back", style=discord.ButtonStyle.grey, custom_id="model_back"
+            )
+            back_btn.callback = self._on_back
+            self.add_item(back_btn)
+
+            cancel_btn = discord.ui.Button(
+                label="Cancel", style=discord.ButtonStyle.red, custom_id="model_cancel2"
+            )
+            cancel_btn.callback = self._on_cancel
+            self.add_item(cancel_btn)
+
+        async def _on_provider_selected(self, interaction: discord.Interaction):
+            if not self._check_auth(interaction):
+                await interaction.response.send_message(
+                    "You're not authorized~", ephemeral=True
+                )
+                return
+
+            provider_slug = interaction.data["values"][0]
+            self._selected_provider = provider_slug
+            provider = next(
+                (p for p in self.providers if p["slug"] == provider_slug), None
+            )
+            pname = provider.get("name", provider_slug) if provider else provider_slug
+
+            self._build_model_select(provider_slug)
+
+            total = provider.get("total_models", 0) if provider else 0
+            shown = min(len(provider.get("models", [])), 25) if provider else 0
+            extra = f"\n*{total - shown} more available — type `/model <name>` directly*" if total > shown else ""
+
+            await interaction.response.edit_message(
+                embed=discord.Embed(
+                    title="⚙ Model Configuration",
+                    description=f"Provider: **{pname}**\nSelect a model:{extra}",
+                    color=discord.Color.blue(),
+                ),
+                view=self,
+            )
+
+        async def _on_model_selected(self, interaction: discord.Interaction):
+            if self.resolved:
+                await interaction.response.send_message(
+                    "Already resolved~", ephemeral=True
+                )
+                return
+            if not self._check_auth(interaction):
+                await interaction.response.send_message(
+                    "You're not authorized~", ephemeral=True
+                )
+                return
+
+            self.resolved = True
+            model_id = interaction.data["values"][0]
+
+            try:
+                result_text = await self.on_model_selected(
+                    str(interaction.channel_id),
+                    model_id,
+                    self._selected_provider,
+                )
+            except Exception as exc:
+                result_text = f"Error switching model: {exc}"
+
+            self.clear_items()
+            await interaction.response.edit_message(
+                embed=discord.Embed(
+                    title="⚙ Model Switched",
+                    description=result_text,
+                    color=discord.Color.green(),
+                ),
+                view=self,
+            )
+
+        async def _on_back(self, interaction: discord.Interaction):
+            if not self._check_auth(interaction):
+                await interaction.response.send_message(
+                    "You're not authorized~", ephemeral=True
+                )
+                return
+
+            self._build_provider_select()
+
+            try:
+                from hermes_cli.providers import get_label
+                provider_label = get_label(self.current_provider)
+            except Exception:
+                provider_label = self.current_provider
+
+            await interaction.response.edit_message(
+                embed=discord.Embed(
+                    title="⚙ Model Configuration",
+                    description=(
+                        f"Current model: `{self.current_model or 'unknown'}`\n"
+                        f"Provider: {provider_label}\n\n"
+                        f"Select a provider:"
+                    ),
+                    color=discord.Color.blue(),
+                ),
+                view=self,
+            )
+
+        async def _on_cancel(self, interaction: discord.Interaction):
+            self.resolved = True
+            self.clear_items()
+            await interaction.response.edit_message(
+                embed=discord.Embed(
+                    title="⚙ Model Configuration",
+                    description="Model selection cancelled.",
+                    color=discord.Color.greyple(),
+                ),
+                view=self,
+            )
+
+        async def on_timeout(self):
+            self.resolved = True
+            self.clear_items()

gateway/platforms/feishu.py

@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ try:
         CreateMessageRequestBody,
         GetChatRequest,
         GetMessageRequest,
-        GetImageRequest,
         GetMessageResourceRequest,
         P2ImMessageMessageReadV1,
         ReplyMessageRequest,
@@ -270,6 +269,22 @@ class FeishuAdapterSettings:
     webhook_host: str
     webhook_port: int
     webhook_path: str
+    ws_reconnect_nonce: int = 30
+    ws_reconnect_interval: int = 120
+    ws_ping_interval: Optional[int] = None
+    ws_ping_timeout: Optional[int] = None
+    admins: frozenset[str] = frozenset()
+    default_group_policy: str = ""
+    group_rules: Dict[str, FeishuGroupRule] = field(default_factory=dict)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class FeishuGroupRule:
+    """Per-group policy rule for controlling which users may interact with the bot."""
+
+    policy: str  # "open" | "allowlist" | "blacklist" | "admin_only" | "disabled"
+    allowlist: set[str] = field(default_factory=set)
+    blacklist: set[str] = field(default_factory=set)
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -358,6 +373,20 @@ def _strip_markdown_to_plain_text(text: str) -> str:
     return plain.strip()
 
 
+def _coerce_int(value: Any, default: Optional[int] = None, min_value: int = 0) -> Optional[int]:
+    """Coerce value to int with optional default and minimum constraint."""
+    try:
+        parsed = int(value)
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return default
+    return parsed if parsed >= min_value else default
+
+
+def _coerce_required_int(value: Any, default: int, min_value: int = 0) -> int:
+    parsed = _coerce_int(value, default=default, min_value=min_value)
+    return default if parsed is None else parsed
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Post payload builders and parsers
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -913,14 +942,66 @@ def _unique_lines(lines: List[str]) -> List[str]:
     return unique
 
 
-def _run_official_feishu_ws_client(ws_client: Any) -> None:
+def _run_official_feishu_ws_client(ws_client: Any, adapter: Any) -> None:
     """Run the official Lark WS client in its own thread-local event loop."""
     import lark_oapi.ws.client as ws_client_module
 
     loop = asyncio.new_event_loop()
     asyncio.set_event_loop(loop)
     ws_client_module.loop = loop
-    ws_client.start()
+    adapter._ws_thread_loop = loop
+
+    original_connect = ws_client_module.websockets.connect
+    original_configure = getattr(ws_client, "_configure", None)
+
+    def _apply_runtime_ws_overrides() -> None:
+        try:
+            setattr(ws_client, "_reconnect_nonce", adapter._ws_reconnect_nonce)
+            setattr(ws_client, "_reconnect_interval", adapter._ws_reconnect_interval)
+            if adapter._ws_ping_interval is not None:
+                setattr(ws_client, "_ping_interval", adapter._ws_ping_interval)
+        except Exception:
+            logger.debug("[Feishu] Failed to apply websocket runtime overrides", exc_info=True)
+
+    async def _connect_with_overrides(*args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> Any:
+        if adapter._ws_ping_interval is not None and "ping_interval" not in kwargs:
+            kwargs["ping_interval"] = adapter._ws_ping_interval
+        if adapter._ws_ping_timeout is not None and "ping_timeout" not in kwargs:
+            kwargs["ping_timeout"] = adapter._ws_ping_timeout
+        return await original_connect(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def _configure_with_overrides(conf: Any) -> Any:
+        assert original_configure is not None
+        result = original_configure(conf)
+        _apply_runtime_ws_overrides()
+        return result
+
+    ws_client_module.websockets.connect = _connect_with_overrides
+    if original_configure is not None:
+        setattr(ws_client, "_configure", _configure_with_overrides)
+    _apply_runtime_ws_overrides()
+    try:
+        ws_client.start()
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+    finally:
+        ws_client_module.websockets.connect = original_connect
+        if original_configure is not None:
+            setattr(ws_client, "_configure", original_configure)
+        pending = [t for t in asyncio.all_tasks(loop) if not t.done()]
+        for task in pending:
+            task.cancel()
+        if pending:
+            loop.run_until_complete(asyncio.gather(*pending, return_exceptions=True))
+        try:
+            loop.stop()
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+        try:
+            loop.close()
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+        adapter._ws_thread_loop = None
 
 
 def check_feishu_requirements() -> bool:
@@ -945,10 +1026,11 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         self._client: Optional[Any] = None
         self._ws_client: Optional[Any] = None
         self._ws_future: Optional[asyncio.Future] = None
+        self._ws_thread_loop: Optional[asyncio.AbstractEventLoop] = None
         self._loop: Optional[asyncio.AbstractEventLoop] = None
         self._webhook_runner: Optional[Any] = None
         self._webhook_site: Optional[Any] = None
-        self._event_handler = self._build_event_handler()
+        self._event_handler: Optional[Any] = None
         self._seen_message_ids: Dict[str, float] = {}  # message_id → seen_at (time.time())
         self._seen_message_order: List[str] = []
         self._dedup_state_path = get_hermes_home() / "feishu_seen_message_ids.json"
@@ -974,6 +1056,26 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
     @staticmethod
     def _load_settings(extra: Dict[str, Any]) -> FeishuAdapterSettings:
+        # Parse per-group rules from config
+        raw_group_rules = extra.get("group_rules", {})
+        group_rules: Dict[str, FeishuGroupRule] = {}
+        if isinstance(raw_group_rules, dict):
+            for chat_id, rule_cfg in raw_group_rules.items():
+                if not isinstance(rule_cfg, dict):
+                    continue
+                group_rules[str(chat_id)] = FeishuGroupRule(
+                    policy=str(rule_cfg.get("policy", "open")).strip().lower(),
+                    allowlist=set(str(u).strip() for u in rule_cfg.get("allowlist", []) if str(u).strip()),
+                    blacklist=set(str(u).strip() for u in rule_cfg.get("blacklist", []) if str(u).strip()),
+                )
+
+        # Bot-level admins
+        raw_admins = extra.get("admins", [])
+        admins = frozenset(str(u).strip() for u in raw_admins if str(u).strip())
+
+        # Default group policy (for groups not in group_rules)
+        default_group_policy = str(extra.get("default_group_policy", "")).strip().lower()
+
         return FeishuAdapterSettings(
             app_id=str(extra.get("app_id") or os.getenv("FEISHU_APP_ID", "")).strip(),
             app_secret=str(extra.get("app_secret") or os.getenv("FEISHU_APP_SECRET", "")).strip(),
@@ -1020,6 +1122,13 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                 str(extra.get("webhook_path") or os.getenv("FEISHU_WEBHOOK_PATH", _DEFAULT_WEBHOOK_PATH)).strip()
                 or _DEFAULT_WEBHOOK_PATH
             ),
+            ws_reconnect_nonce=_coerce_required_int(extra.get("ws_reconnect_nonce"), default=30, min_value=0),
+            ws_reconnect_interval=_coerce_required_int(extra.get("ws_reconnect_interval"), default=120, min_value=1),
+            ws_ping_interval=_coerce_int(extra.get("ws_ping_interval"), default=None, min_value=1),
+            ws_ping_timeout=_coerce_int(extra.get("ws_ping_timeout"), default=None, min_value=1),
+            admins=admins,
+            default_group_policy=default_group_policy,
+            group_rules=group_rules,
         )
 
     def _apply_settings(self, settings: FeishuAdapterSettings) -> None:
@@ -1031,6 +1140,9 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         self._verification_token = settings.verification_token
         self._group_policy = settings.group_policy
         self._allowed_group_users = set(settings.allowed_group_users)
+        self._admins = set(settings.admins)
+        self._default_group_policy = settings.default_group_policy or settings.group_policy
+        self._group_rules = settings.group_rules
         self._bot_open_id = settings.bot_open_id
         self._bot_user_id = settings.bot_user_id
         self._bot_name = settings.bot_name
@@ -1042,6 +1154,10 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         self._webhook_host = settings.webhook_host
         self._webhook_port = settings.webhook_port
         self._webhook_path = settings.webhook_path
+        self._ws_reconnect_nonce = settings.ws_reconnect_nonce
+        self._ws_reconnect_interval = settings.ws_reconnect_interval
+        self._ws_ping_interval = settings.ws_ping_interval
+        self._ws_ping_timeout = settings.ws_ping_timeout
 
     def _build_event_handler(self) -> Any:
         if EventDispatcherHandler is None:
@@ -1116,8 +1232,37 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         self._reset_batch_buffers()
         self._disable_websocket_auto_reconnect()
         await self._stop_webhook_server()
+
+        ws_thread_loop = self._ws_thread_loop
+        if ws_thread_loop is not None and not ws_thread_loop.is_closed():
+            logger.debug("[Feishu] Cancelling websocket thread tasks and stopping loop")
+
+            def cancel_all_tasks() -> None:
+                tasks = [t for t in asyncio.all_tasks(ws_thread_loop) if not t.done()]
+                logger.debug("[Feishu] Found %d pending tasks in websocket thread", len(tasks))
+                for task in tasks:
+                    task.cancel()
+                ws_thread_loop.call_later(0.1, ws_thread_loop.stop)
+
+            ws_thread_loop.call_soon_threadsafe(cancel_all_tasks)
+
+        ws_future = self._ws_future
+        if ws_future is not None:
+            try:
+                logger.debug("[Feishu] Waiting for websocket thread to exit (timeout=10s)")
+                await asyncio.wait_for(asyncio.shield(ws_future), timeout=10.0)
+                logger.debug("[Feishu] Websocket thread exited cleanly")
+            except asyncio.TimeoutError:
+                logger.warning("[Feishu] Websocket thread did not exit within 10s - may be stuck")
+            except asyncio.CancelledError:
+                logger.debug("[Feishu] Websocket thread cancelled during disconnect")
+            except Exception as exc:
+                logger.debug("[Feishu] Websocket thread exited with error: %s", exc, exc_info=True)
+
         self._ws_future = None
+        self._ws_thread_loop = None
         self._loop = None
+        self._event_handler = None
         self._persist_seen_message_ids()
         await self._release_app_lock()
 
@@ -1476,12 +1621,13 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
     def _on_message_event(self, data: Any) -> None:
         """Normalize Feishu inbound events into MessageEvent."""
-        if self._loop is None:
+        loop = self._loop
+        if loop is None or bool(getattr(loop, "is_closed", lambda: False)()):
             logger.warning("[Feishu] Dropping inbound message before adapter loop is ready")
             return
         future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
             self._handle_message_event_data(data),
-            self._loop,
+            loop,
         )
         future.add_done_callback(self._log_background_failure)
 
@@ -1504,7 +1650,8 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             return
 
         chat_type = getattr(message, "chat_type", "p2p")
-        if chat_type != "p2p" and not self._should_accept_group_message(message, sender_id):
+        chat_id = getattr(message, "chat_id", "") or ""
+        if chat_type != "p2p" and not self._should_accept_group_message(message, sender_id, chat_id):
             logger.debug("[Feishu] Dropping group message that failed mention/policy gate: %s", message_id)
             return
         await self._process_inbound_message(
@@ -1553,27 +1700,30 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         )
         # Only process reactions from real users. Ignore app/bot-generated reactions
         # and Hermes' own ACK emoji to avoid feedback loops.
+        loop = self._loop
         if (
             operator_type in {"bot", "app"}
             or emoji_type == _FEISHU_ACK_EMOJI
             or not message_id
-            or self._loop is None
+            or loop is None
+            or bool(getattr(loop, "is_closed", lambda: False)())
         ):
             return
         future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
             self._handle_reaction_event(event_type, data),
-            self._loop,
+            loop,
         )
         future.add_done_callback(self._log_background_failure)
 
     def _on_card_action_trigger(self, data: Any) -> Any:
         """Schedule Feishu card actions on the adapter loop and acknowledge immediately."""
-        if self._loop is None:
+        loop = self._loop
+        if loop is None or bool(getattr(loop, "is_closed", lambda: False)()):
             logger.warning("[Feishu] Dropping card action before adapter loop is ready")
         else:
             future = asyncio.run_coroutine_threadsafe(
                 self._handle_card_action_event(data),
-                self._loop,
+                loop,
             )
             future.add_done_callback(self._log_background_failure)
         if P2CardActionTriggerResponse is None:
@@ -1915,10 +2065,7 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         existing.media_urls.extend(event.media_urls)
         existing.media_types.extend(event.media_types)
         if event.text:
-            if not existing.text:
-                existing.text = event.text
-            elif event.text not in existing.text.split("\n\n"):
-                existing.text = f"{existing.text}\n\n{event.text}"
+            existing.text = self._merge_caption(existing.text, event.text)
         existing.timestamp = event.timestamp
         if event.message_id:
             existing.message_id = event.message_id
@@ -1962,6 +2109,10 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         default_ext: str,
         preferred_name: str,
     ) -> tuple[str, str]:
+        from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+        if not is_safe_url(file_url):
+            raise ValueError(f"Blocked unsafe URL (SSRF protection): {file_url[:80]}")
+
         import httpx
 
         async with httpx.AsyncClient(timeout=30.0, follow_redirects=True) as client:
@@ -2083,7 +2234,7 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         event_type = str((payload.get("header") or {}).get("event_type") or "")
         data = self._namespace_from_mapping(payload)
         if event_type == "im.message.receive_v1":
-            await self._handle_message_event_data(data)
+            self._on_message_event(data)
         elif event_type == "im.message.message_read_v1":
             self._on_message_read_event(data)
         elif event_type == "im.chat.member.bot.added_v1":
@@ -2093,7 +2244,7 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         elif event_type in ("im.message.reaction.created_v1", "im.message.reaction.deleted_v1"):
             self._on_reaction_event(event_type, data)
         elif event_type == "card.action.trigger":
-            asyncio.ensure_future(self._handle_card_action_event(data))
+            self._on_card_action_trigger(data)
         else:
             logger.debug("[Feishu] Ignoring webhook event type: %s", event_type or "unknown")
         return web.json_response({"code": 0, "msg": "ok"})
@@ -2657,18 +2808,41 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
     # Group policy and mention gating
     # =========================================================================
 
-    def _allow_group_message(self, sender_id: Any) -> bool:
-        """Current group policy gate for non-DM traffic."""
-        if self._group_policy == "disabled":
-            return False
-        sender_open_id = getattr(sender_id, "open_id", None) or getattr(sender_id, "user_id", None)
-        if self._group_policy == "open":
-            return True
-        return bool(sender_open_id and sender_open_id in self._allowed_group_users)
+    def _allow_group_message(self, sender_id: Any, chat_id: str = "") -> bool:
+        """Per-group policy gate for non-DM traffic."""
+        sender_open_id = getattr(sender_id, "open_id", None)
+        sender_user_id = getattr(sender_id, "user_id", None)
+        sender_ids = {sender_open_id, sender_user_id} - {None}
 
-    def _should_accept_group_message(self, message: Any, sender_id: Any) -> bool:
+        if sender_ids and self._admins and (sender_ids & self._admins):
+            return True
+
+        rule = self._group_rules.get(chat_id) if chat_id else None
+        if rule:
+            policy = rule.policy
+            allowlist = rule.allowlist
+            blacklist = rule.blacklist
+        else:
+            policy = self._default_group_policy or self._group_policy
+            allowlist = self._allowed_group_users
+            blacklist = set()
+
+        if policy == "disabled":
+            return False
+        if policy == "open":
+            return True
+        if policy == "admin_only":
+            return False
+        if policy == "allowlist":
+            return bool(sender_ids and (sender_ids & allowlist))
+        if policy == "blacklist":
+            return bool(sender_ids and not (sender_ids & blacklist))
+
+        return bool(sender_ids and (sender_ids & self._allowed_group_users))
+
+    def _should_accept_group_message(self, message: Any, sender_id: Any, chat_id: str = "") -> bool:
         """Require an explicit @mention before group messages enter the agent."""
-        if not self._allow_group_message(sender_id):
+        if not self._allow_group_message(sender_id, chat_id):
             return False
         # @_all is Feishu's @everyone placeholder — always route to the bot.
         raw_content = getattr(message, "content", "") or ""
@@ -2965,6 +3139,12 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             raise RuntimeError("websockets not installed; websocket mode unavailable")
         domain = FEISHU_DOMAIN if self._domain_name != "lark" else LARK_DOMAIN
         self._client = self._build_lark_client(domain)
+        self._event_handler = self._build_event_handler()
+        if self._event_handler is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("failed to build Feishu event handler")
+        loop = self._loop
+        if loop is None or loop.is_closed():
+            raise RuntimeError("adapter loop is not ready")
         await self._hydrate_bot_identity()
         self._ws_client = FeishuWSClient(
             app_id=self._app_id,
@@ -2973,10 +3153,11 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             event_handler=self._event_handler,
             domain=domain,
         )
-        self._ws_future = self._loop.run_in_executor(
+        self._ws_future = loop.run_in_executor(
             None,
             _run_official_feishu_ws_client,
             self._ws_client,
+            self,
         )
 
     async def _connect_webhook(self) -> None:
@@ -2984,6 +3165,9 @@ class FeishuAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             raise RuntimeError("aiohttp not installed; webhook mode unavailable")
         domain = FEISHU_DOMAIN if self._domain_name != "lark" else LARK_DOMAIN
         self._client = self._build_lark_client(domain)
+        self._event_handler = self._build_event_handler()
+        if self._event_handler is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("failed to build Feishu event handler")
         await self._hydrate_bot_identity()
         app = web.Application()
         app.router.add_post(self._webhook_path, self._handle_webhook_request)

gateway/platforms/matrix.py

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ Environment variables:
     MATRIX_USER_ID              Full user ID (@bot:server) — required for password login
     MATRIX_PASSWORD             Password (alternative to access token)
     MATRIX_ENCRYPTION           Set "true" to enable E2EE
+    MATRIX_DEVICE_ID            Stable device ID for E2EE persistence across restarts
     MATRIX_ALLOWED_USERS    Comma-separated Matrix user IDs (@user:server)
     MATRIX_HOME_ROOM        Room ID for cron/notification delivery
     MATRIX_REACTIONS        Set "false" to disable processing lifecycle reactions
@@ -65,6 +66,21 @@ _MAX_PENDING_EVENTS = 100
 _PENDING_EVENT_TTL = 300  # seconds — stop retrying after 5 min
 
 
+_E2EE_INSTALL_HINT = (
+    "Install with: pip install 'matrix-nio[e2e]'  "
+    "(requires libolm C library)"
+)
+
+
+def _check_e2ee_deps() -> bool:
+    """Return True if matrix-nio E2EE dependencies (python-olm) are available."""
+    try:
+        from nio.crypto import ENCRYPTION_ENABLED
+        return bool(ENCRYPTION_ENABLED)
+    except (ImportError, AttributeError):
+        return False
+
+
 def check_matrix_requirements() -> bool:
     """Return True if the Matrix adapter can be used."""
     token = os.getenv("MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN", "")
@@ -79,7 +95,6 @@ def check_matrix_requirements() -> bool:
         return False
     try:
         import nio  # noqa: F401
-        return True
     except ImportError:
         logger.warning(
             "Matrix: matrix-nio not installed. "
@@ -87,6 +102,20 @@ def check_matrix_requirements() -> bool:
         )
         return False
 
+    # If encryption is requested, verify E2EE deps are available at startup
+    # rather than silently degrading to plaintext-only at connect time.
+    encryption_requested = os.getenv("MATRIX_ENCRYPTION", "").lower() in ("true", "1", "yes")
+    if encryption_requested and not _check_e2ee_deps():
+        logger.error(
+            "Matrix: MATRIX_ENCRYPTION=true but E2EE dependencies are missing. %s. "
+            "Without this, encrypted rooms will not work. "
+            "Set MATRIX_ENCRYPTION=false to disable E2EE.",
+            _E2EE_INSTALL_HINT,
+        )
+        return False
+
+    return True
+
 
 class MatrixAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
     """Gateway adapter for Matrix (any homeserver)."""
@@ -111,6 +140,10 @@ class MatrixAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             "encryption",
             os.getenv("MATRIX_ENCRYPTION", "").lower() in ("true", "1", "yes"),
         )
+        self._device_id: str = (
+            config.extra.get("device_id", "")
+            or os.getenv("MATRIX_DEVICE_ID", "")
+        )
 
         self._client: Any = None  # nio.AsyncClient
         self._sync_task: Optional[asyncio.Task] = None
@@ -169,24 +202,42 @@ class MatrixAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         _STORE_DIR.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
         # Create the client.
+        # When a stable device_id is configured, pass it to the constructor
+        # so matrix-nio binds to it from the start (important for E2EE
+        # crypto-store persistence across restarts).
+        ctor_device_id = self._device_id or None
         if self._encryption:
+            if not _check_e2ee_deps():
+                logger.error(
+                    "Matrix: MATRIX_ENCRYPTION=true but E2EE dependencies are missing. %s. "
+                    "Refusing to connect — encrypted rooms would silently fail.",
+                    _E2EE_INSTALL_HINT,
+                )
+                return False
             try:
                 client = nio.AsyncClient(
                     self._homeserver,
                     self._user_id or "",
+                    device_id=ctor_device_id,
                     store_path=store_path,
                 )
-                logger.info("Matrix: E2EE enabled (store: %s)", store_path)
-            except Exception as exc:
-                logger.warning(
-                    "Matrix: failed to create E2EE client (%s), "
-                    "falling back to plain client. Install: "
-                    "pip install 'matrix-nio[e2e]'",
-                    exc,
+                logger.info(
+                    "Matrix: E2EE enabled (store: %s%s)",
+                    store_path,
+                    f", device_id={self._device_id}" if self._device_id else "",
                 )
-                client = nio.AsyncClient(self._homeserver, self._user_id or "")
+            except Exception as exc:
+                logger.error(
+                    "Matrix: failed to create E2EE client: %s. %s",
+                    exc, _E2EE_INSTALL_HINT,
+                )
+                return False
         else:
-            client = nio.AsyncClient(self._homeserver, self._user_id or "")
+            client = nio.AsyncClient(
+                self._homeserver,
+                self._user_id or "",
+                device_id=ctor_device_id,
+            )
 
         self._client = client
 
@@ -205,30 +256,36 @@ class MatrixAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                 if resolved_user_id:
                     self._user_id = resolved_user_id
 
+                # Prefer the user-configured device_id (MATRIX_DEVICE_ID) so
+                # the bot reuses a stable identity across restarts.  Fall back
+                # to whatever whoami returned.
+                effective_device_id = self._device_id or resolved_device_id
+
                 # restore_login() is the matrix-nio path that binds the access
                 # token to a specific device and loads the crypto store.
-                if resolved_device_id and hasattr(client, "restore_login"):
+                if effective_device_id and hasattr(client, "restore_login"):
                     client.restore_login(
                         self._user_id or resolved_user_id,
-                        resolved_device_id,
+                        effective_device_id,
                         self._access_token,
                     )
                 else:
                     if self._user_id:
                         client.user_id = self._user_id
-                    if resolved_device_id:
-                        client.device_id = resolved_device_id
+                    if effective_device_id:
+                        client.device_id = effective_device_id
                     client.access_token = self._access_token
                     if self._encryption:
                         logger.warning(
                             "Matrix: access-token login did not restore E2EE state; "
-                            "encrypted rooms may fail until a device_id is available"
+                            "encrypted rooms may fail until a device_id is available. "
+                            "Set MATRIX_DEVICE_ID to a stable value."
                         )
 
                 logger.info(
                     "Matrix: using access token for %s%s",
                     self._user_id or "(unknown user)",
-                    f" (device {resolved_device_id})" if resolved_device_id else "",
+                    f" (device {effective_device_id})" if effective_device_id else "",
                 )
             else:
                 logger.error(
@@ -271,10 +328,15 @@ class MatrixAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                 except Exception as exc:
                     logger.debug("Matrix: could not import keys: %s", exc)
         elif self._encryption:
-            logger.warning(
-                "Matrix: E2EE requested but crypto store is not loaded; "
-                "encrypted rooms may fail"
+            # E2EE was requested but the crypto store failed to load —
+            # this means encrypted rooms will silently not work.  Hard-fail.
+            logger.error(
+                "Matrix: E2EE requested but crypto store is not loaded — "
+                "cannot decrypt or encrypt messages. %s",
+                _E2EE_INSTALL_HINT,
             )
+            await client.close()
+            return False
 
         # Register event callbacks.
         client.add_event_callback(self._on_room_message, nio.RoomMessageText)
@@ -524,6 +586,11 @@ class MatrixAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         metadata: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
     ) -> SendResult:
         """Download an image URL and upload it to Matrix."""
+        from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+        if not is_safe_url(image_url):
+            logger.warning("Matrix: blocked unsafe image URL (SSRF protection)")
+            return await super().send_image(chat_id, image_url, caption, reply_to, metadata=metadata)
+
         try:
             # Try aiohttp first (always available), fall back to httpx
             try:
@@ -995,7 +1062,7 @@ class MatrixAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
         # Message type.
         msg_type = MessageType.TEXT
-        if body.startswith("!") or body.startswith("/"):
+        if body.startswith(("!", "/")):
             msg_type = MessageType.COMMAND
 
         source = self.build_source(

gateway/platforms/mattermost.py

@@ -407,6 +407,11 @@ class MattermostAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         kind: str = "file",
     ) -> SendResult:
         """Download a URL and upload it as a file attachment."""
+        from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+        if not is_safe_url(url):
+            logger.warning("Mattermost: blocked unsafe URL (SSRF protection)")
+            return await self.send(chat_id, f"{caption or ''}\n{url}".strip(), reply_to)
+
         import asyncio
         import aiohttp
 
@@ -430,7 +435,6 @@ class MattermostAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                     ct = resp.content_type or "application/octet-stream"
                     break
             except (aiohttp.ClientError, asyncio.TimeoutError) as exc:
-                last_exc = exc
                 if attempt < 2:
                     await asyncio.sleep(1.5 * (attempt + 1))
                     continue
@@ -701,6 +705,15 @@ class MattermostAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             except Exception as exc:
                 logger.warning("Mattermost: error downloading file %s: %s", fid, exc)
 
+        # Set message type based on downloaded media types.
+        if media_types and msg_type == MessageType.TEXT:
+            if any(m.startswith("image/") for m in media_types):
+                msg_type = MessageType.PHOTO
+            elif any(m.startswith("audio/") for m in media_types):
+                msg_type = MessageType.VOICE
+            elif media_types:
+                msg_type = MessageType.DOCUMENT
+
         source = self.build_source(
             chat_id=channel_id,
             chat_type=chat_type,

gateway/platforms/signal.py

@@ -717,19 +717,27 @@ class SignalAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             return SendResult(success=True)
         return SendResult(success=False, error="RPC send with attachment failed")
 
-    async def send_document(
+    async def _send_attachment(
         self,
         chat_id: str,
         file_path: str,
+        media_label: str,
         caption: Optional[str] = None,
-        filename: Optional[str] = None,
-        **kwargs,
     ) -> SendResult:
-        """Send a document/file attachment."""
+        """Send any file as a Signal attachment via RPC.
+
+        Shared implementation for send_document, send_image_file, send_voice,
+        and send_video — avoids duplicating the validation/routing/RPC logic.
+        """
         await self._stop_typing_indicator(chat_id)
 
-        if not Path(file_path).exists():
-            return SendResult(success=False, error="File not found")
+        try:
+            file_size = Path(file_path).stat().st_size
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            return SendResult(success=False, error=f"{media_label} file not found: {file_path}")
+
+        if file_size > SIGNAL_MAX_ATTACHMENT_SIZE:
+            return SendResult(success=False, error=f"{media_label} too large ({file_size} bytes)")
 
         params: Dict[str, Any] = {
             "account": self.account,
@@ -746,7 +754,59 @@ class SignalAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         if result is not None:
             self._track_sent_timestamp(result)
             return SendResult(success=True)
-        return SendResult(success=False, error="RPC send document failed")
+        return SendResult(success=False, error=f"RPC send {media_label.lower()} failed")
+
+    async def send_document(
+        self,
+        chat_id: str,
+        file_path: str,
+        caption: Optional[str] = None,
+        filename: Optional[str] = None,
+        **kwargs,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send a document/file attachment."""
+        return await self._send_attachment(chat_id, file_path, "File", caption)
+
+    async def send_image_file(
+        self,
+        chat_id: str,
+        image_path: str,
+        caption: Optional[str] = None,
+        reply_to: Optional[str] = None,
+        **kwargs,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send a local image file as a native Signal attachment.
+
+        Called by the gateway media delivery flow when MEDIA: tags containing
+        image paths are extracted from agent responses.
+        """
+        return await self._send_attachment(chat_id, image_path, "Image", caption)
+
+    async def send_voice(
+        self,
+        chat_id: str,
+        audio_path: str,
+        caption: Optional[str] = None,
+        reply_to: Optional[str] = None,
+        **kwargs,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send an audio file as a Signal attachment.
+
+        Signal does not distinguish voice messages from file attachments at
+        the API level, so this routes through the same RPC send path.
+        """
+        return await self._send_attachment(chat_id, audio_path, "Audio", caption)
+
+    async def send_video(
+        self,
+        chat_id: str,
+        video_path: str,
+        caption: Optional[str] = None,
+        reply_to: Optional[str] = None,
+        **kwargs,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send a video file as a Signal attachment."""
+        return await self._send_attachment(chat_id, video_path, "Video", caption)
 
     # ------------------------------------------------------------------
     # Typing Indicators

gateway/platforms/slack.py

@@ -84,6 +84,17 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         self._seen_messages: Dict[str, float] = {}
         self._SEEN_TTL = 300   # 5 minutes
         self._SEEN_MAX = 2000  # prune threshold
+        # Track pending approval message_ts → resolved flag to prevent
+        # double-clicks on approval buttons.
+        self._approval_resolved: Dict[str, bool] = {}
+        # Track timestamps of messages sent by the bot so we can respond
+        # to thread replies even without an explicit @mention.
+        self._bot_message_ts: set = set()
+        self._BOT_TS_MAX = 5000  # cap to avoid unbounded growth
+        # Track threads where the bot has been @mentioned — once mentioned,
+        # respond to ALL subsequent messages in that thread automatically.
+        self._mentioned_threads: set = set()
+        self._MENTIONED_THREADS_MAX = 5000
 
     async def connect(self) -> bool:
         """Connect to Slack via Socket Mode."""
@@ -176,6 +187,15 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                 await ack()
                 await self._handle_slash_command(command)
 
+            # Register Block Kit action handlers for approval buttons
+            for _action_id in (
+                "hermes_approve_once",
+                "hermes_approve_session",
+                "hermes_approve_always",
+                "hermes_deny",
+            ):
+                self._app.action(_action_id)(self._handle_approval_action)
+
             # Start Socket Mode handler in background
             self._handler = AsyncSocketModeHandler(self._app, app_token)
             self._socket_mode_task = asyncio.create_task(self._handler.start_async())
@@ -256,9 +276,22 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
                 last_result = await self._get_client(chat_id).chat_postMessage(**kwargs)
 
+            # Track the sent message ts so we can auto-respond to thread
+            # replies without requiring @mention.
+            sent_ts = last_result.get("ts") if last_result else None
+            if sent_ts:
+                self._bot_message_ts.add(sent_ts)
+                # Also register the thread root so replies-to-my-replies work
+                if thread_ts:
+                    self._bot_message_ts.add(thread_ts)
+                if len(self._bot_message_ts) > self._BOT_TS_MAX:
+                    excess = len(self._bot_message_ts) - self._BOT_TS_MAX // 2
+                    for old_ts in list(self._bot_message_ts)[:excess]:
+                        self._bot_message_ts.discard(old_ts)
+
             return SendResult(
                 success=True,
-                message_id=last_result.get("ts") if last_result else None,
+                message_id=sent_ts,
                 raw_response=last_result,
             )
 
@@ -276,10 +309,13 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         if not self._app:
             return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
         try:
+            # Convert standard markdown → Slack mrkdwn
+            formatted = self.format_message(content)
+
             await self._get_client(chat_id).chat_update(
                 channel=chat_id,
                 ts=message_id,
-                text=content,
+                text=formatted,
             )
             return SendResult(success=True, message_id=message_id)
         except Exception as e:  # pragma: no cover - defensive logging
@@ -559,6 +595,11 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         if not self._app:
             return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
 
+        from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+        if not is_safe_url(image_url):
+            logger.warning("[Slack] Blocked unsafe image URL (SSRF protection)")
+            return await super().send_image(chat_id, image_url, caption, reply_to, metadata=metadata)
+
         try:
             import httpx
 
@@ -763,13 +804,61 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         else:
             thread_ts = event.get("thread_ts") or ts  # ts fallback for channels
 
-        # In channels, only respond if bot is mentioned
+        # In channels, respond if:
+        #   1. The bot is @mentioned in this message, OR
+        #   2. The message is a reply in a thread the bot started/participated in, OR
+        #   3. The message is in a thread where the bot was previously @mentioned, OR
+        #   4. There's an existing session for this thread (survives restarts)
         bot_uid = self._team_bot_user_ids.get(team_id, self._bot_user_id)
-        if not is_dm and bot_uid:
-            if f"<@{bot_uid}>" not in text:
+        is_mentioned = bot_uid and f"<@{bot_uid}>" in text
+        event_thread_ts = event.get("thread_ts")
+        is_thread_reply = bool(event_thread_ts and event_thread_ts != ts)
+
+        if not is_dm and bot_uid and not is_mentioned:
+            reply_to_bot_thread = (
+                is_thread_reply and event_thread_ts in self._bot_message_ts
+            )
+            in_mentioned_thread = (
+                event_thread_ts is not None
+                and event_thread_ts in self._mentioned_threads
+            )
+            has_session = (
+                is_thread_reply
+                and self._has_active_session_for_thread(
+                    channel_id=channel_id,
+                    thread_ts=event_thread_ts,
+                    user_id=user_id,
+                )
+            )
+            if not reply_to_bot_thread and not in_mentioned_thread and not has_session:
                 return
+
+        if is_mentioned:
             # Strip the bot mention from the text
             text = text.replace(f"<@{bot_uid}>", "").strip()
+            # Register this thread so all future messages auto-trigger the bot
+            if event_thread_ts:
+                self._mentioned_threads.add(event_thread_ts)
+                if len(self._mentioned_threads) > self._MENTIONED_THREADS_MAX:
+                    to_remove = list(self._mentioned_threads)[:self._MENTIONED_THREADS_MAX // 2]
+                    for t in to_remove:
+                        self._mentioned_threads.discard(t)
+
+        # When entering a thread for the first time (no existing session),
+        # fetch thread context so the agent understands the conversation.
+        if is_thread_reply and not self._has_active_session_for_thread(
+            channel_id=channel_id,
+            thread_ts=event_thread_ts,
+            user_id=user_id,
+        ):
+            thread_context = await self._fetch_thread_context(
+                channel_id=channel_id,
+                thread_ts=event_thread_ts,
+                current_ts=ts,
+                team_id=team_id,
+            )
+            if thread_context:
+                text = thread_context + text
 
         # Determine message type
         msg_type = MessageType.TEXT
@@ -892,6 +981,233 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         await self._remove_reaction(channel_id, ts, "eyes")
         await self._add_reaction(channel_id, ts, "white_check_mark")
 
+    # ----- Approval button support (Block Kit) -----
+
+    async def send_exec_approval(
+        self, chat_id: str, command: str, session_key: str,
+        description: str = "dangerous command",
+        metadata: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send a Block Kit approval prompt with interactive buttons.
+
+        The buttons call ``resolve_gateway_approval()`` to unblock the waiting
+        agent thread — same mechanism as the text ``/approve`` flow.
+        """
+        if not self._app:
+            return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
+
+        try:
+            cmd_preview = command[:2900] + "..." if len(command) > 2900 else command
+            thread_ts = self._resolve_thread_ts(None, metadata)
+
+            blocks = [
+                {
+                    "type": "section",
+                    "text": {
+                        "type": "mrkdwn",
+                        "text": (
+                            f":warning: *Command Approval Required*\n"
+                            f"```{cmd_preview}```\n"
+                            f"Reason: {description}"
+                        ),
+                    },
+                },
+                {
+                    "type": "actions",
+                    "elements": [
+                        {
+                            "type": "button",
+                            "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Allow Once"},
+                            "style": "primary",
+                            "action_id": "hermes_approve_once",
+                            "value": session_key,
+                        },
+                        {
+                            "type": "button",
+                            "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Allow Session"},
+                            "action_id": "hermes_approve_session",
+                            "value": session_key,
+                        },
+                        {
+                            "type": "button",
+                            "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Always Allow"},
+                            "action_id": "hermes_approve_always",
+                            "value": session_key,
+                        },
+                        {
+                            "type": "button",
+                            "text": {"type": "plain_text", "text": "Deny"},
+                            "style": "danger",
+                            "action_id": "hermes_deny",
+                            "value": session_key,
+                        },
+                    ],
+                },
+            ]
+
+            kwargs: Dict[str, Any] = {
+                "channel": chat_id,
+                "text": f"⚠️ Command approval required: {cmd_preview[:100]}",
+                "blocks": blocks,
+            }
+            if thread_ts:
+                kwargs["thread_ts"] = thread_ts
+
+            result = await self._get_client(chat_id).chat_postMessage(**kwargs)
+            msg_ts = result.get("ts", "")
+            if msg_ts:
+                self._approval_resolved[msg_ts] = False
+
+            return SendResult(success=True, message_id=msg_ts, raw_response=result)
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.error("[Slack] send_exec_approval failed: %s", e, exc_info=True)
+            return SendResult(success=False, error=str(e))
+
+    async def _handle_approval_action(self, ack, body, action) -> None:
+        """Handle an approval button click from Block Kit."""
+        await ack()
+
+        action_id = action.get("action_id", "")
+        session_key = action.get("value", "")
+        message = body.get("message", {})
+        msg_ts = message.get("ts", "")
+        channel_id = body.get("channel", {}).get("id", "")
+        user_name = body.get("user", {}).get("name", "unknown")
+
+        # Map action_id to approval choice
+        choice_map = {
+            "hermes_approve_once": "once",
+            "hermes_approve_session": "session",
+            "hermes_approve_always": "always",
+            "hermes_deny": "deny",
+        }
+        choice = choice_map.get(action_id, "deny")
+
+        # Prevent double-clicks
+        if self._approval_resolved.get(msg_ts, False):
+            return
+        self._approval_resolved[msg_ts] = True
+
+        # Update the message to show the decision and remove buttons
+        label_map = {
+            "once": f"✅ Approved once by {user_name}",
+            "session": f"✅ Approved for session by {user_name}",
+            "always": f"✅ Approved permanently by {user_name}",
+            "deny": f"❌ Denied by {user_name}",
+        }
+        decision_text = label_map.get(choice, f"Resolved by {user_name}")
+
+        # Get original text from the section block
+        original_text = ""
+        for block in message.get("blocks", []):
+            if block.get("type") == "section":
+                original_text = block.get("text", {}).get("text", "")
+                break
+
+        updated_blocks = [
+            {
+                "type": "section",
+                "text": {
+                    "type": "mrkdwn",
+                    "text": original_text or "Command approval request",
+                },
+            },
+            {
+                "type": "context",
+                "elements": [
+                    {"type": "mrkdwn", "text": decision_text},
+                ],
+            },
+        ]
+
+        try:
+            await self._get_client(channel_id).chat_update(
+                channel=channel_id,
+                ts=msg_ts,
+                text=decision_text,
+                blocks=updated_blocks,
+            )
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning("[Slack] Failed to update approval message: %s", e)
+
+        # Resolve the approval — this unblocks the agent thread
+        try:
+            from tools.approval import resolve_gateway_approval
+            count = resolve_gateway_approval(session_key, choice)
+            logger.info(
+                "Slack button resolved %d approval(s) for session %s (choice=%s, user=%s)",
+                count, session_key, choice, user_name,
+            )
+        except Exception as exc:
+            logger.error("Failed to resolve gateway approval from Slack button: %s", exc)
+
+        # Clean up stale approval state
+        self._approval_resolved.pop(msg_ts, None)
+
+    # ----- Thread context fetching -----
+
+    async def _fetch_thread_context(
+        self, channel_id: str, thread_ts: str, current_ts: str,
+        team_id: str = "", limit: int = 30,
+    ) -> str:
+        """Fetch recent thread messages to provide context when the bot is
+        mentioned mid-thread for the first time.
+
+        Returns a formatted string with thread history, or empty string on
+        failure or if the thread is empty (just the parent message).
+        """
+        try:
+            client = self._get_client(channel_id)
+            result = await client.conversations_replies(
+                channel=channel_id,
+                ts=thread_ts,
+                limit=limit + 1,  # +1 because it includes the current message
+                inclusive=True,
+            )
+            messages = result.get("messages", [])
+            if not messages:
+                return ""
+
+            context_parts = []
+            for msg in messages:
+                msg_ts = msg.get("ts", "")
+                # Skip the current message (the one that triggered this fetch)
+                if msg_ts == current_ts:
+                    continue
+                # Skip bot messages from ourselves
+                if msg.get("bot_id") or msg.get("subtype") == "bot_message":
+                    continue
+
+                msg_user = msg.get("user", "unknown")
+                msg_text = msg.get("text", "").strip()
+                if not msg_text:
+                    continue
+
+                # Strip bot mentions from context messages
+                bot_uid = self._team_bot_user_ids.get(team_id, self._bot_user_id)
+                if bot_uid:
+                    msg_text = msg_text.replace(f"<@{bot_uid}>", "").strip()
+
+                # Mark the thread parent
+                is_parent = msg_ts == thread_ts
+                prefix = "[thread parent] " if is_parent else ""
+
+                # Resolve user name (cached)
+                name = await self._resolve_user_name(msg_user, chat_id=channel_id)
+                context_parts.append(f"{prefix}{name}: {msg_text}")
+
+            if not context_parts:
+                return ""
+
+            return (
+                "[Thread context — previous messages in this thread:]\n"
+                + "\n".join(context_parts)
+                + "\n[End of thread context]\n\n"
+            )
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning("[Slack] Failed to fetch thread context: %s", e)
+            return ""
+
     async def _handle_slash_command(self, command: dict) -> None:
         """Handle /hermes slash command."""
         text = command.get("text", "").strip()
@@ -933,6 +1249,53 @@ class SlackAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
         await self.handle_message(event)
 
+    def _has_active_session_for_thread(
+        self,
+        channel_id: str,
+        thread_ts: str,
+        user_id: str,
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Check if there's an active session for a thread.
+
+        Used to determine if thread replies without @mentions should be
+        processed (they should if there's an active session).
+
+        Uses ``build_session_key()`` as the single source of truth for key
+        construction — avoids the bug where manual key building didn't
+        respect ``thread_sessions_per_user`` and ``group_sessions_per_user``
+        settings correctly.
+        """
+        session_store = getattr(self, "_session_store", None)
+        if not session_store:
+            return False
+
+        try:
+            from gateway.session import SessionSource, build_session_key
+
+            source = SessionSource(
+                platform=Platform.SLACK,
+                chat_id=channel_id,
+                chat_type="group",
+                user_id=user_id,
+                thread_id=thread_ts,
+            )
+
+            # Read session isolation settings from the store's config
+            store_cfg = getattr(session_store, "config", None)
+            gspu = getattr(store_cfg, "group_sessions_per_user", True) if store_cfg else True
+            tspu = getattr(store_cfg, "thread_sessions_per_user", False) if store_cfg else False
+
+            session_key = build_session_key(
+                source,
+                group_sessions_per_user=gspu,
+                thread_sessions_per_user=tspu,
+            )
+
+            session_store._ensure_loaded()
+            return session_key in session_store._entries
+        except Exception:
+            return False
+
     async def _download_slack_file(self, url: str, ext: str, audio: bool = False, team_id: str = "") -> str:
         """Download a Slack file using the bot token for auth, with retry."""
         import asyncio

gateway/platforms/telegram.py

@@ -151,6 +151,10 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         self._dm_topics: Dict[str, int] = {}
         # DM Topics config from extra.dm_topics
         self._dm_topics_config: List[Dict[str, Any]] = self.config.extra.get("dm_topics", [])
+        # Interactive model picker state per chat
+        self._model_picker_state: Dict[str, dict] = {}
+        # Approval button state: message_id → session_key
+        self._approval_state: Dict[int, str] = {}
 
     def _fallback_ips(self) -> list[str]:
         """Return validated fallback IPs from config (populated by _apply_env_overrides)."""
@@ -518,7 +522,7 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                     ", ".join(fallback_ips),
                 )
             if fallback_ips:
-                logger.warning(
+                logger.info(
                     "[%s] Telegram fallback IPs active: %s",
                     self.name,
                     ", ".join(fallback_ips),
@@ -1008,14 +1012,432 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             logger.warning("[%s] send_update_prompt failed: %s", self.name, e)
             return SendResult(success=False, error=str(e))
 
+    async def send_exec_approval(
+        self, chat_id: str, command: str, session_key: str,
+        description: str = "dangerous command",
+        metadata: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send an inline-keyboard approval prompt with interactive buttons.
+
+        The buttons call ``resolve_gateway_approval()`` to unblock the waiting
+        agent thread — same mechanism as the text ``/approve`` flow.
+        """
+        if not self._bot:
+            return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
+
+        try:
+            cmd_preview = command[:3800] + "..." if len(command) > 3800 else command
+            text = (
+                f"⚠️ *Command Approval Required*\n\n"
+                f"`{cmd_preview}`\n\n"
+                f"Reason: {description}"
+            )
+
+            # Resolve thread context for thread replies
+            thread_id = None
+            if metadata:
+                thread_id = metadata.get("thread_id") or metadata.get("message_thread_id")
+
+            # We'll use the message_id as part of callback_data to look up session_key
+            # Send a placeholder first, then update — or use a counter.
+            # Simpler: use a monotonic counter to generate short IDs.
+            import itertools
+            if not hasattr(self, "_approval_counter"):
+                self._approval_counter = itertools.count(1)
+            approval_id = next(self._approval_counter)
+
+            keyboard = InlineKeyboardMarkup([
+                [
+                    InlineKeyboardButton("✅ Allow Once", callback_data=f"ea:once:{approval_id}"),
+                    InlineKeyboardButton("✅ Session", callback_data=f"ea:session:{approval_id}"),
+                ],
+                [
+                    InlineKeyboardButton("✅ Always", callback_data=f"ea:always:{approval_id}"),
+                    InlineKeyboardButton("❌ Deny", callback_data=f"ea:deny:{approval_id}"),
+                ],
+            ])
+
+            kwargs: Dict[str, Any] = {
+                "chat_id": int(chat_id),
+                "text": text,
+                "parse_mode": ParseMode.MARKDOWN,
+                "reply_markup": keyboard,
+            }
+            if thread_id:
+                kwargs["message_thread_id"] = int(thread_id)
+
+            msg = await self._bot.send_message(**kwargs)
+
+            # Store session_key keyed by approval_id for the callback handler
+            self._approval_state[approval_id] = session_key
+
+            return SendResult(success=True, message_id=str(msg.message_id))
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning("[%s] send_exec_approval failed: %s", self.name, e)
+            return SendResult(success=False, error=str(e))
+
+    async def send_model_picker(
+        self,
+        chat_id: str,
+        providers: list,
+        current_model: str,
+        current_provider: str,
+        session_key: str,
+        on_model_selected,
+        metadata: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
+    ) -> SendResult:
+        """Send an interactive inline-keyboard model picker.
+
+        Two-step drill-down: provider selection → model selection.
+        Edits the same message in-place as the user navigates.
+        """
+        if not self._bot:
+            return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
+
+        try:
+            from hermes_cli.providers import get_label
+        except ImportError:
+            def get_label(slug):
+                return slug
+
+        try:
+            # Build provider buttons — 2 per row
+            buttons: list = []
+            for p in providers:
+                count = p.get("total_models", len(p.get("models", [])))
+                label = f"{p['name']} ({count})"
+                if p.get("is_current"):
+                    label = f"✓ {label}"
+                # Compact callback data: mp:<slug>  (max 64 bytes)
+                buttons.append(
+                    InlineKeyboardButton(label, callback_data=f"mp:{p['slug']}")
+                )
+
+            rows = [buttons[i : i + 2] for i in range(0, len(buttons), 2)]
+            rows.append([InlineKeyboardButton("✗ Cancel", callback_data="mx")])
+            keyboard = InlineKeyboardMarkup(rows)
+
+            provider_label = get_label(current_provider)
+            text = (
+                f"⚙ *Model Configuration*\n\n"
+                f"Current model: `{current_model or 'unknown'}`\n"
+                f"Provider: {provider_label}\n\n"
+                f"Select a provider:"
+            )
+
+            thread_id = metadata.get("thread_id") if metadata else None
+            msg = await self._bot.send_message(
+                chat_id=int(chat_id),
+                text=text,
+                parse_mode=ParseMode.MARKDOWN,
+                reply_markup=keyboard,
+                message_thread_id=int(thread_id) if thread_id else None,
+            )
+
+            # Store picker state keyed by chat_id
+            self._model_picker_state[str(chat_id)] = {
+                "msg_id": msg.message_id,
+                "providers": providers,
+                "session_key": session_key,
+                "on_model_selected": on_model_selected,
+                "current_model": current_model,
+                "current_provider": current_provider,
+            }
+
+            return SendResult(success=True, message_id=str(msg.message_id))
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.warning("[%s] send_model_picker failed: %s", self.name, e)
+            return SendResult(success=False, error=str(e))
+
+    _MODEL_PAGE_SIZE = 8
+
+    def _build_model_keyboard(self, models: list, page: int) -> tuple:
+        """Build paginated model buttons. Returns (keyboard, page_info_text)."""
+        page_size = self._MODEL_PAGE_SIZE
+        total = len(models)
+        total_pages = max(1, (total + page_size - 1) // page_size)
+        page = max(0, min(page, total_pages - 1))
+
+        start = page * page_size
+        end = min(start + page_size, total)
+        page_models = models[start:end]
+
+        buttons: list = []
+        for i, model_id in enumerate(page_models):
+            abs_idx = start + i
+            short = model_id.split("/")[-1] if "/" in model_id else model_id
+            if len(short) > 38:
+                short = short[:35] + "..."
+            buttons.append(
+                InlineKeyboardButton(short, callback_data=f"mm:{abs_idx}")
+            )
+
+        rows = [buttons[i : i + 2] for i in range(0, len(buttons), 2)]
+
+        # Pagination row (if needed)
+        if total_pages > 1:
+            nav: list = []
+            if page > 0:
+                nav.append(InlineKeyboardButton("◀ Prev", callback_data=f"mg:{page - 1}"))
+            nav.append(InlineKeyboardButton(f"{page + 1}/{total_pages}", callback_data="mx:noop"))
+            if page < total_pages - 1:
+                nav.append(InlineKeyboardButton("Next ▶", callback_data=f"mg:{page + 1}"))
+            rows.append(nav)
+
+        rows.append([
+            InlineKeyboardButton("◀ Back", callback_data="mb"),
+            InlineKeyboardButton("✗ Cancel", callback_data="mx"),
+        ])
+
+        page_info = f" ({start + 1}–{end} of {total})" if total_pages > 1 else ""
+        return InlineKeyboardMarkup(rows), page_info
+
+    async def _handle_model_picker_callback(
+        self, query, data: str, chat_id: str
+    ) -> None:
+        """Handle model picker inline keyboard callbacks (mp:/mm:/mb:/mx:/mg:)."""
+        state = self._model_picker_state.get(chat_id)
+        if not state:
+            await query.answer(text="Picker expired — use /model again.")
+            return
+
+        try:
+            from hermes_cli.providers import get_label
+        except ImportError:
+            def get_label(slug):
+                return slug
+
+        if data.startswith("mp:"):
+            # --- Provider selected: show model buttons (page 0) ---
+            provider_slug = data[3:]
+            provider = next(
+                (p for p in state["providers"] if p["slug"] == provider_slug),
+                None,
+            )
+            if not provider:
+                await query.answer(text="Provider not found.")
+                return
+
+            models = provider.get("models", [])
+            state["selected_provider"] = provider_slug
+            state["selected_provider_name"] = provider.get("name", provider_slug)
+            state["model_list"] = models
+            state["model_page"] = 0
+
+            keyboard, page_info = self._build_model_keyboard(models, 0)
+
+            pname = provider.get("name", provider_slug)
+            total = provider.get("total_models", len(models))
+            shown = len(models)
+            extra = f"\n_{total - shown} more available — type `/model <name>` directly_" if total > shown else ""
+
+            await query.edit_message_text(
+                text=(
+                    f"⚙ *Model Configuration*\n\n"
+                    f"Provider: *{pname}*{page_info}\n"
+                    f"Select a model:{extra}"
+                ),
+                parse_mode=ParseMode.MARKDOWN,
+                reply_markup=keyboard,
+            )
+            await query.answer()
+
+        elif data.startswith("mg:"):
+            # --- Page navigation ---
+            try:
+                page = int(data[3:])
+            except ValueError:
+                await query.answer(text="Invalid page.")
+                return
+
+            models = state.get("model_list", [])
+            state["model_page"] = page
+
+            keyboard, page_info = self._build_model_keyboard(models, page)
+
+            pname = state.get("selected_provider_name", "")
+            provider_slug = state.get("selected_provider", "")
+            provider = next(
+                (p for p in state["providers"] if p["slug"] == provider_slug),
+                None,
+            )
+            total = provider.get("total_models", len(models)) if provider else len(models)
+            shown = len(models)
+            extra = f"\n_{total - shown} more available — type `/model <name>` directly_" if total > shown else ""
+
+            await query.edit_message_text(
+                text=(
+                    f"⚙ *Model Configuration*\n\n"
+                    f"Provider: *{pname}*{page_info}\n"
+                    f"Select a model:{extra}"
+                ),
+                parse_mode=ParseMode.MARKDOWN,
+                reply_markup=keyboard,
+            )
+            await query.answer()
+
+        elif data.startswith("mm:"):
+            # --- Model selected: perform the switch ---
+            try:
+                idx = int(data[3:])
+            except ValueError:
+                await query.answer(text="Invalid selection.")
+                return
+
+            model_list = state.get("model_list", [])
+            if idx < 0 or idx >= len(model_list):
+                await query.answer(text="Invalid model index.")
+                return
+
+            model_id = model_list[idx]
+            provider_slug = state.get("selected_provider", "")
+            callback = state.get("on_model_selected")
+
+            if not callback:
+                await query.answer(text="Picker expired.")
+                return
+
+            try:
+                result_text = await callback(chat_id, model_id, provider_slug)
+            except Exception as exc:
+                logger.error("Model picker switch failed: %s", exc)
+                result_text = f"Error switching model: {exc}"
+
+            # Edit message to show confirmation, remove buttons
+            try:
+                await query.edit_message_text(
+                    text=result_text,
+                    parse_mode=ParseMode.MARKDOWN,
+                    reply_markup=None,
+                )
+            except Exception:
+                # Markdown parse failure — retry as plain text
+                try:
+                    await query.edit_message_text(
+                        text=result_text,
+                        parse_mode=None,
+                        reply_markup=None,
+                    )
+                except Exception:
+                    pass
+            await query.answer(text="Model switched!")
+
+            # Clean up state
+            self._model_picker_state.pop(chat_id, None)
+
+        elif data == "mb":
+            # --- Back to provider list ---
+            buttons = []
+            for p in state["providers"]:
+                count = p.get("total_models", len(p.get("models", [])))
+                label = f"{p['name']} ({count})"
+                if p.get("is_current"):
+                    label = f"✓ {label}"
+                buttons.append(
+                    InlineKeyboardButton(label, callback_data=f"mp:{p['slug']}")
+                )
+
+            rows = [buttons[i : i + 2] for i in range(0, len(buttons), 2)]
+            rows.append([InlineKeyboardButton("✗ Cancel", callback_data="mx")])
+            keyboard = InlineKeyboardMarkup(rows)
+
+            try:
+                provider_label = get_label(state["current_provider"])
+            except Exception:
+                provider_label = state["current_provider"]
+
+            await query.edit_message_text(
+                text=(
+                    f"⚙ *Model Configuration*\n\n"
+                    f"Current model: `{state['current_model'] or 'unknown'}`\n"
+                    f"Provider: {provider_label}\n\n"
+                    f"Select a provider:"
+                ),
+                parse_mode=ParseMode.MARKDOWN,
+                reply_markup=keyboard,
+            )
+            await query.answer()
+
+        elif data == "mx":
+            # --- Cancel ---
+            self._model_picker_state.pop(chat_id, None)
+            await query.edit_message_text(
+                text="Model selection cancelled.",
+                reply_markup=None,
+            )
+            await query.answer()
+
+        else:
+            # Catch-all (e.g. page counter button "mx:noop")
+            await query.answer()
+
     async def _handle_callback_query(
         self, update: "Update", context: "ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE"
     ) -> None:
-        """Handle inline keyboard button clicks (update prompts)."""
+        """Handle inline keyboard button clicks."""
         query = update.callback_query
         if not query or not query.data:
             return
         data = query.data
+
+        # --- Model picker callbacks ---
+        if data.startswith(("mp:", "mm:", "mb", "mx", "mg:")):
+            chat_id = str(query.message.chat_id) if query.message else None
+            if chat_id:
+                await self._handle_model_picker_callback(query, data, chat_id)
+            return
+
+        # --- Exec approval callbacks (ea:choice:id) ---
+        if data.startswith("ea:"):
+            parts = data.split(":", 2)
+            if len(parts) == 3:
+                choice = parts[1]  # once, session, always, deny
+                try:
+                    approval_id = int(parts[2])
+                except (ValueError, IndexError):
+                    await query.answer(text="Invalid approval data.")
+                    return
+
+                session_key = self._approval_state.pop(approval_id, None)
+                if not session_key:
+                    await query.answer(text="This approval has already been resolved.")
+                    return
+
+                # Map choice to human-readable label
+                label_map = {
+                    "once": "✅ Approved once",
+                    "session": "✅ Approved for session",
+                    "always": "✅ Approved permanently",
+                    "deny": "❌ Denied",
+                }
+                user_display = getattr(query.from_user, "first_name", "User")
+                label = label_map.get(choice, "Resolved")
+
+                await query.answer(text=label)
+
+                # Edit message to show decision, remove buttons
+                try:
+                    await query.edit_message_text(
+                        text=f"{label} by {user_display}",
+                        parse_mode=ParseMode.MARKDOWN,
+                        reply_markup=None,
+                    )
+                except Exception:
+                    pass  # non-fatal if edit fails
+
+                # Resolve the approval — unblocks the agent thread
+                try:
+                    from tools.approval import resolve_gateway_approval
+                    count = resolve_gateway_approval(session_key, choice)
+                    logger.info(
+                        "Telegram button resolved %d approval(s) for session %s (choice=%s, user=%s)",
+                        count, session_key, choice, user_display,
+                    )
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    logger.error("Failed to resolve gateway approval from Telegram button: %s", exc)
+            return
+
+        # --- Update prompt callbacks ---
         if not data.startswith("update_prompt:"):
             return
         answer = data.split(":", 1)[1]  # "y" or "n"
@@ -1063,7 +1485,7 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             
             with open(audio_path, "rb") as audio_file:
                 # .ogg files -> send as voice (round playable bubble)
-                if audio_path.endswith(".ogg") or audio_path.endswith(".opus"):
+                if audio_path.endswith((".ogg", ".opus")):
                     _voice_thread = metadata.get("thread_id") if metadata else None
                     msg = await self._bot.send_voice(
                         chat_id=int(chat_id),
@@ -1210,7 +1632,12 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         """
         if not self._bot:
             return SendResult(success=False, error="Not connected")
-        
+
+        from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+        if not is_safe_url(image_url):
+            logger.warning("[%s] Blocked unsafe image URL (SSRF protection)", self.name)
+            return await super().send_image(chat_id, image_url, caption, reply_to, metadata=metadata)
+
         try:
             # Telegram can send photos directly from URLs (up to ~5MB)
             _photo_thread = metadata.get("thread_id") if metadata else None
@@ -1800,10 +2227,7 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             existing.media_urls.extend(event.media_urls)
             existing.media_types.extend(event.media_types)
             if event.text:
-                if not existing.text:
-                    existing.text = event.text
-                elif event.text not in existing.text:
-                    existing.text = f"{existing.text}\n\n{event.text}".strip()
+                existing.text = self._merge_caption(existing.text, event.text)
 
         prior_task = self._pending_photo_batch_tasks.get(batch_key)
         if prior_task and not prior_task.done():
@@ -1993,11 +2417,7 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             existing.media_urls.extend(event.media_urls)
             existing.media_types.extend(event.media_types)
             if event.text:
-                if existing.text:
-                    if event.text not in existing.text.split("\n\n"):
-                        existing.text = f"{existing.text}\n\n{event.text}"
-                else:
-                    existing.text = event.text
+                existing.text = self._merge_caption(existing.text, event.text)
 
         prior_task = self._media_group_tasks.get(media_group_id)
         if prior_task:
@@ -2253,3 +2673,46 @@ class TelegramAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             auto_skill=topic_skill,
             timestamp=message.date,
         )
+
+    # ── Message reactions (processing lifecycle) ──────────────────────────
+
+    def _reactions_enabled(self) -> bool:
+        """Check if message reactions are enabled via config/env."""
+        return os.getenv("TELEGRAM_REACTIONS", "false").lower() not in ("false", "0", "no")
+
+    async def _set_reaction(self, chat_id: str, message_id: str, emoji: str) -> bool:
+        """Set a single emoji reaction on a Telegram message."""
+        if not self._bot:
+            return False
+        try:
+            await self._bot.set_message_reaction(
+                chat_id=int(chat_id),
+                message_id=int(message_id),
+                reaction=emoji,
+            )
+            return True
+        except Exception as e:
+            logger.debug("[%s] set_message_reaction failed (%s): %s", self.name, emoji, e)
+            return False
+
+    async def on_processing_start(self, event: MessageEvent) -> None:
+        """Add an in-progress reaction when message processing begins."""
+        if not self._reactions_enabled():
+            return
+        chat_id = getattr(event.source, "chat_id", None)
+        message_id = getattr(event, "message_id", None)
+        if chat_id and message_id:
+            await self._set_reaction(chat_id, message_id, "\U0001f440")
+
+    async def on_processing_complete(self, event: MessageEvent, success: bool) -> None:
+        """Swap the in-progress reaction for a final success/failure reaction.
+
+        Unlike Discord (additive reactions), Telegram's set_message_reaction
+        replaces all existing reactions in one call — no remove step needed.
+        """
+        if not self._reactions_enabled():
+            return
+        chat_id = getattr(event.source, "chat_id", None)
+        message_id = getattr(event, "message_id", None)
+        if chat_id and message_id:
+            await self._set_reaction(chat_id, message_id, "\u2705" if success else "\u274c")

gateway/platforms/webhook.py

@@ -76,8 +76,17 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         self._routes: Dict[str, dict] = dict(self._static_routes)
         self._runner = None
 
-        # Delivery info keyed by session chat_id — consumed by send()
+        # Delivery info keyed by session chat_id.
+        #
+        # Read by every send() invocation for the chat_id (status messages
+        # AND the final response).  Cleaned up via TTL on each POST so the
+        # dict stays bounded — see _prune_delivery_info().  Do NOT pop on
+        # send(), or interim status messages (e.g. fallback notifications,
+        # context-pressure warnings) will consume the entry before the
+        # final response arrives, causing the response to silently fall
+        # back to the "log" deliver type.
         self._delivery_info: Dict[str, dict] = {}
+        self._delivery_info_created: Dict[str, float] = {}
 
         # Reference to gateway runner for cross-platform delivery (set externally)
         self.gateway_runner = None
@@ -160,10 +169,14 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
     ) -> SendResult:
         """Deliver the agent's response to the configured destination.
 
-        chat_id is ``webhook:{route}:{delivery_id}`` — we pop the delivery
-        info stored during webhook receipt so it doesn't leak memory.
+        chat_id is ``webhook:{route}:{delivery_id}``.  The delivery info
+        stored during webhook receipt is read with ``.get()`` (not popped)
+        so that interim status messages emitted before the final response
+        — fallback-model notifications, context-pressure warnings, etc. —
+        do not consume the entry and silently downgrade the final response
+        to the ``log`` deliver type.  TTL cleanup happens on POST.
         """
-        delivery = self._delivery_info.pop(chat_id, {})
+        delivery = self._delivery_info.get(chat_id, {})
         deliver_type = delivery.get("deliver", "log")
 
         if deliver_type == "log":
@@ -190,6 +203,23 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             success=False, error=f"Unknown deliver type: {deliver_type}"
         )
 
+    def _prune_delivery_info(self, now: float) -> None:
+        """Drop delivery_info entries older than the idempotency TTL.
+
+        Mirrors the cleanup pattern used for ``_seen_deliveries``.  Called
+        on each POST so the dict size is bounded by ``rate_limit * TTL``
+        even if many webhooks fire and never receive a final response.
+        """
+        cutoff = now - self._idempotency_ttl
+        stale = [
+            k
+            for k, t in self._delivery_info_created.items()
+            if t < cutoff
+        ]
+        for k in stale:
+            self._delivery_info.pop(k, None)
+            self._delivery_info_created.pop(k, None)
+
     async def get_chat_info(self, chat_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
         return {"name": chat_id, "type": "webhook"}
 
@@ -203,10 +233,8 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
     def _reload_dynamic_routes(self) -> None:
         """Reload agent-created subscriptions from disk if the file changed."""
-        from pathlib import Path as _Path
-        hermes_home = _Path(
-            os.getenv("HERMES_HOME", str(_Path.home() / ".hermes"))
-        ).expanduser()
+        from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+        hermes_home = get_hermes_home()
         subs_path = hermes_home / _DYNAMIC_ROUTES_FILENAME
         if not subs_path.exists():
             if self._dynamic_routes:
@@ -384,7 +412,9 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         # same route get independent agent runs (not queued/interrupted).
         session_chat_id = f"webhook:{route_name}:{delivery_id}"
 
-        # Store delivery info for send() — consumed (popped) on delivery
+        # Store delivery info for send().  Read by every send() invocation
+        # for this chat_id (interim status messages and the final response),
+        # so we do NOT pop on send.  TTL-based cleanup keeps the dict bounded.
         deliver_config = {
             "deliver": route_config.get("deliver", "log"),
             "deliver_extra": self._render_delivery_extra(
@@ -393,6 +423,8 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             "payload": payload,
         }
         self._delivery_info[session_chat_id] = deliver_config
+        self._delivery_info_created[session_chat_id] = now
+        self._prune_delivery_info(now)
 
         # Build source and event
         source = self.build_source(
@@ -484,6 +516,10 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
         Supports dot-notation access into nested dicts:
         ``{pull_request.title}`` → ``payload["pull_request"]["title"]``
+
+        Special token ``{__raw__}`` dumps the entire payload as indented
+        JSON (truncated to 4000 chars).  Useful for monitoring alerts or
+        any webhook where the agent needs to see the full payload.
         """
         if not template:
             truncated = json.dumps(payload, indent=2)[:4000]
@@ -494,6 +530,9 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
 
         def _resolve(match: re.Match) -> str:
             key = match.group(1)
+            # Special token: dump the entire payload as JSON
+            if key == "__raw__":
+                return json.dumps(payload, indent=2)[:4000]
             value: Any = payload
             for part in key.split("."):
                 if isinstance(value, dict):
@@ -613,4 +652,10 @@ class WebhookAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
                     error=f"No chat_id or home channel for {platform_name}",
                 )
 
-        return await adapter.send(chat_id, content)
+        # Pass thread_id from deliver_extra so Telegram forum topics work
+        metadata = None
+        thread_id = extra.get("message_thread_id") or extra.get("thread_id")
+        if thread_id:
+            metadata = {"thread_id": thread_id}
+
+        return await adapter.send(chat_id, content, metadata=metadata)

gateway/platforms/wecom.py

@@ -653,7 +653,7 @@ class WeComAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
             return ".png"
         if data.startswith(b"\xff\xd8\xff"):
             return ".jpg"
-        if data.startswith(b"GIF87a") or data.startswith(b"GIF89a"):
+        if data.startswith((b"GIF87a", b"GIF89a")):
             return ".gif"
         if data.startswith(b"RIFF") and data[8:12] == b"WEBP":
             return ".webp"
@@ -689,7 +689,7 @@ class WeComAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
     @staticmethod
     def _derive_message_type(body: Dict[str, Any], text: str, media_types: List[str]) -> MessageType:
         """Choose the normalized inbound message type."""
-        if any(mtype.startswith("application/") or mtype.startswith("text/") for mtype in media_types):
+        if any(mtype.startswith(("application/", "text/")) for mtype in media_types):
             return MessageType.DOCUMENT
         if any(mtype.startswith("image/") for mtype in media_types):
             return MessageType.TEXT if text else MessageType.PHOTO
@@ -910,6 +910,10 @@ class WeComAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         url: str,
         max_bytes: int,
     ) -> Tuple[bytes, Dict[str, str]]:
+        from tools.url_safety import is_safe_url
+        if not is_safe_url(url):
+            raise ValueError(f"Blocked unsafe URL (SSRF protection): {url[:80]}")
+
         if not HTTPX_AVAILABLE:
             raise RuntimeError("httpx is required for WeCom media download")
 

gateway/platforms/whatsapp.py

@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ _IS_WINDOWS = platform.system() == "Windows"
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Dict, Optional, Any
 
-from hermes_cli.config import get_hermes_home
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_dir
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)

gateway/run.py

@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import signal
 import tempfile
 import threading
 import time
-import uuid
 from pathlib import Path
 from datetime import datetime
 from typing import Dict, Optional, Any, List
@@ -378,7 +377,7 @@ def _check_unavailable_skill(command_name: str) -> str | None:
                     )
 
         # Check optional skills (shipped with repo but not installed)
-        from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home, get_optional_skills_dir
+        from hermes_constants import get_optional_skills_dir
         repo_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
         optional_dir = get_optional_skills_dir(repo_root / "optional-skills")
         if optional_dir.exists():
@@ -1127,6 +1126,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             # Set up message + fatal error handlers
             adapter.set_message_handler(self._handle_message)
             adapter.set_fatal_error_handler(self._handle_adapter_fatal_error)
+            adapter.set_session_store(self.session_store)
             
             # Try to connect
             logger.info("Connecting to %s...", platform.value)
@@ -1424,6 +1424,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
                     adapter.set_message_handler(self._handle_message)
                     adapter.set_fatal_error_handler(self._handle_adapter_fatal_error)
+                    adapter.set_session_store(self.session_store)
 
                     success = await adapter.connect()
                     if success:
@@ -1856,6 +1857,11 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         if _quick_key in self._running_agents and _stale_ts:
             _stale_age = time.time() - _stale_ts
             _stale_agent = self._running_agents.get(_quick_key)
+            # Never evict the pending sentinel — it was just placed moments
+            # ago during the async setup phase before the real agent is
+            # created.  Sentinels have no get_activity_summary(), so the
+            # idle check below would always evaluate to inf >= timeout and
+            # immediately evict them, racing with the setup path.
             _stale_idle = float("inf")  # assume idle if we can't check
             _stale_detail = ""
             if _stale_agent and hasattr(_stale_agent, "get_activity_summary"):
@@ -1874,8 +1880,11 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             # cases where the agent object was garbage-collected).
             _wall_ttl = max(_raw_stale_timeout * 10, 7200) if _raw_stale_timeout > 0 else float("inf")
             _should_evict = (
-                (_raw_stale_timeout > 0 and _stale_idle >= _raw_stale_timeout)
-                or _stale_age > _wall_ttl
+                _stale_agent is not _AGENT_PENDING_SENTINEL
+                and (
+                    (_raw_stale_timeout > 0 and _stale_idle >= _raw_stale_timeout)
+                    or _stale_age > _wall_ttl
+                )
             )
             if _should_evict:
                 logger.warning(
@@ -1978,10 +1987,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                             existing.media_urls.extend(event.media_urls)
                             existing.media_types.extend(event.media_types)
                             if event.text:
-                                if not existing.text:
-                                    existing.text = event.text
-                                elif event.text not in existing.text:
-                                    existing.text = f"{existing.text}\n\n{event.text}".strip()
+                                existing.text = BasePlatformAdapter._merge_caption(existing.text, event.text)
                         else:
                             adapter._pending_messages[_quick_key] = event
                     else:
@@ -2812,7 +2818,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                         guessed, _ = _mimetypes.guess_type(path)
                         if guessed:
                             mtype = guessed
-                if not (mtype.startswith("application/") or mtype.startswith("text/")):
+                if not mtype.startswith(("application/", "text/")):
                     continue
                 # Extract display filename by stripping the doc_{uuid12}_ prefix
                 import os as _os
@@ -3244,7 +3250,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             old_entry = self.session_store._entries.get(session_key)
             if old_entry:
                 _flush_task = asyncio.create_task(
-                    self._async_flush_memories(old_entry.session_id, session_key)
+                    self._async_flush_memories(old_entry.session_id)
                 )
                 self._background_tasks.add(_flush_task)
                 _flush_task.add_done_callback(self._background_tasks.discard)
@@ -3252,9 +3258,25 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             logger.debug("Gateway memory flush on reset failed: %s", e)
         self._evict_cached_agent(session_key)
         
+        try:
+            from tools.env_passthrough import clear_env_passthrough
+            clear_env_passthrough()
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+
+        try:
+            from tools.credential_files import clear_credential_files
+            clear_credential_files()
+        except Exception:
+            pass
+
         # Reset the session
         new_entry = self.session_store.reset_session(session_key)
 
+        # Clear any session-scoped model override so the next agent picks up
+        # the configured default instead of the previously switched model.
+        self._session_model_overrides.pop(session_key, None)
+
         # Emit session:end hook (session is ending)
         await self.hooks.emit("session:end", {
             "platform": source.platform.value if source.platform else "",
@@ -3320,25 +3342,36 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         """Handle /status command."""
         source = event.source
         session_entry = self.session_store.get_or_create_session(source)
-        
+
         connected_platforms = [p.value for p in self.adapters.keys()]
-        
+
         # Check if there's an active agent
         session_key = session_entry.session_key
         is_running = session_key in self._running_agents
-        
+
+        title = None
+        if self._session_db:
+            try:
+                title = self._session_db.get_session_title(session_entry.session_id)
+            except Exception:
+                title = None
+
         lines = [
             "📊 **Hermes Gateway Status**",
             "",
-            f"**Session ID:** `{session_entry.session_id[:12]}...`",
+            f"**Session ID:** `{session_entry.session_id}`",
+        ]
+        if title:
+            lines.append(f"**Title:** {title}")
+        lines.extend([
             f"**Created:** {session_entry.created_at.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')}",
             f"**Last Activity:** {session_entry.updated_at.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M')}",
             f"**Tokens:** {session_entry.total_tokens:,}",
             f"**Agent Running:** {'Yes ⚡' if is_running else 'No'}",
             "",
             f"**Connected Platforms:** {', '.join(connected_platforms)}",
-        ]
-        
+        ])
+
         return "\n".join(lines)
     
     async def _handle_stop_command(self, event: MessageEvent) -> str:
@@ -3446,11 +3479,11 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             lines.append(f"_(Requested page {requested_page} was out of range, showing page {page}.)_")
         return "\n".join(lines)
     
-    async def _handle_model_command(self, event: MessageEvent) -> str:
+    async def _handle_model_command(self, event: MessageEvent) -> Optional[str]:
         """Handle /model command — switch model for this session.
 
         Supports:
-          /model                              — show current model info
+          /model                              — interactive picker (Telegram/Discord) or text list
           /model <name>                       — switch for this session only
           /model <name> --global              — switch and persist to config.yaml
           /model <name> --provider <provider> — switch provider + model
@@ -3481,7 +3514,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                     cfg = yaml.safe_load(f) or {}
                 model_cfg = cfg.get("model", {})
                 if isinstance(model_cfg, dict):
-                    current_model = model_cfg.get("name", "")
+                    current_model = model_cfg.get("default", "")
                     current_provider = model_cfg.get("provider", current_provider)
                     current_base_url = model_cfg.get("base_url", "")
                 user_provs = cfg.get("providers")
@@ -3498,8 +3531,118 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             current_base_url = override.get("base_url", current_base_url)
             current_api_key = override.get("api_key", current_api_key)
 
-        # No args: show authenticated providers with models
+        # No args: show interactive picker (Telegram/Discord) or text list
         if not model_input and not explicit_provider:
+            # Try interactive picker if the platform supports it
+            adapter = self.adapters.get(source.platform)
+            has_picker = (
+                adapter is not None
+                and getattr(type(adapter), "send_model_picker", None) is not None
+            )
+
+            if has_picker:
+                try:
+                    providers = list_authenticated_providers(
+                        current_provider=current_provider,
+                        user_providers=user_provs,
+                        max_models=50,
+                    )
+                except Exception:
+                    providers = []
+
+                if providers:
+                    # Build a callback closure for when the user picks a model.
+                    # Captures self + locals needed for the switch logic.
+                    _self = self
+                    _session_key = session_key
+                    _cur_model = current_model
+                    _cur_provider = current_provider
+                    _cur_base_url = current_base_url
+                    _cur_api_key = current_api_key
+
+                    async def _on_model_selected(
+                        _chat_id: str, model_id: str, provider_slug: str
+                    ) -> str:
+                        """Perform the model switch and return confirmation text."""
+                        result = _switch_model(
+                            raw_input=model_id,
+                            current_provider=_cur_provider,
+                            current_model=_cur_model,
+                            current_base_url=_cur_base_url,
+                            current_api_key=_cur_api_key,
+                            is_global=False,
+                            explicit_provider=provider_slug,
+                        )
+                        if not result.success:
+                            return f"Error: {result.error_message}"
+
+                        # Update cached agent in-place
+                        cached_entry = None
+                        _cache_lock = getattr(_self, "_agent_cache_lock", None)
+                        _cache = getattr(_self, "_agent_cache", None)
+                        if _cache_lock and _cache is not None:
+                            with _cache_lock:
+                                cached_entry = _cache.get(_session_key)
+                        if cached_entry and cached_entry[0] is not None:
+                            try:
+                                cached_entry[0].switch_model(
+                                    new_model=result.new_model,
+                                    new_provider=result.target_provider,
+                                    api_key=result.api_key,
+                                    base_url=result.base_url,
+                                    api_mode=result.api_mode,
+                                )
+                            except Exception as exc:
+                                logger.warning("Picker model switch failed for cached agent: %s", exc)
+
+                        # Store model note + session override
+                        if not hasattr(_self, "_pending_model_notes"):
+                            _self._pending_model_notes = {}
+                        _self._pending_model_notes[_session_key] = (
+                            f"[Note: model was just switched from {_cur_model} to {result.new_model} "
+                            f"via {result.provider_label or result.target_provider}. "
+                            f"Adjust your self-identification accordingly.]"
+                        )
+                        if not hasattr(_self, "_session_model_overrides"):
+                            _self._session_model_overrides = {}
+                        _self._session_model_overrides[_session_key] = {
+                            "model": result.new_model,
+                            "provider": result.target_provider,
+                            "api_key": result.api_key,
+                            "base_url": result.base_url,
+                            "api_mode": result.api_mode,
+                        }
+
+                        # Build confirmation text
+                        plabel = result.provider_label or result.target_provider
+                        lines = [f"Model switched to `{result.new_model}`"]
+                        lines.append(f"Provider: {plabel}")
+                        mi = result.model_info
+                        if mi:
+                            if mi.context_window:
+                                lines.append(f"Context: {mi.context_window:,} tokens")
+                            if mi.max_output:
+                                lines.append(f"Max output: {mi.max_output:,} tokens")
+                            if mi.has_cost_data():
+                                lines.append(f"Cost: {mi.format_cost()}")
+                            lines.append(f"Capabilities: {mi.format_capabilities()}")
+                        lines.append("_(session only — use `/model <name> --global` to persist)_")
+                        return "\n".join(lines)
+
+                    metadata = {"thread_id": source.thread_id} if source.thread_id else None
+                    result = await adapter.send_model_picker(
+                        chat_id=source.chat_id,
+                        providers=providers,
+                        current_model=current_model,
+                        current_provider=current_provider,
+                        session_key=session_key,
+                        on_model_selected=_on_model_selected,
+                        metadata=metadata,
+                    )
+                    if result.success:
+                        return None  # Picker sent — adapter handles the response
+
+            # Fallback: text list (for platforms without picker or if picker failed)
             provider_label = get_label(current_provider)
             lines = [f"Current: `{current_model or 'unknown'}` on {provider_label}", ""]
 
@@ -3591,7 +3734,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                 else:
                     cfg = {}
                 model_cfg = cfg.setdefault("model", {})
-                model_cfg["name"] = result.new_model
+                model_cfg["default"] = result.new_model
                 model_cfg["provider"] = result.target_provider
                 if result.base_url:
                     model_cfg["base_url"] = result.base_url
@@ -3773,7 +3916,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
             return f"🎭 Personality set to **{args}**\n_(takes effect on next message)_"
 
-        available = "`none`, " + ", ".join(f"`{n}`" for n in personalities.keys())
+        available = "`none`, " + ", ".join(f"`{n}`" for n in personalities)
         return f"Unknown personality: `{args}`\n\nAvailable: {available}"
     
     async def _handle_retry_command(self, event: MessageEvent) -> str:
@@ -4416,6 +4559,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                     provider_data_collection=pr.get("data_collection"),
                     session_id=task_id,
                     platform=platform_key,
+                    user_id=source.user_id,
                     session_db=self._session_db,
                     fallback_model=self._fallback_model,
                 )
@@ -4777,8 +4921,8 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         cycle = ["off", "new", "all", "verbose"]
         descriptions = {
             "off": "⚙️ Tool progress: **OFF** — no tool activity shown.",
-            "new": "⚙️ Tool progress: **NEW** — shown when tool changes (short previews).",
-            "all": "⚙️ Tool progress: **ALL** — every tool call shown (short previews).",
+            "new": "⚙️ Tool progress: **NEW** — shown when tool changes (preview length: `display.tool_preview_length`, default 40).",
+            "all": "⚙️ Tool progress: **ALL** — every tool call shown (preview length: `display.tool_preview_length`, default 40).",
             "verbose": "⚙️ Tool progress: **VERBOSE** — every tool call with full arguments.",
         }
 
@@ -4974,7 +5118,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         # Flush memories for current session before switching
         try:
             _flush_task = asyncio.create_task(
-                self._async_flush_memories(current_entry.session_id, session_key)
+                self._async_flush_memories(current_entry.session_id)
             )
             self._background_tasks.add(_flush_task)
             _flush_task.add_done_callback(self._background_tasks.discard)
@@ -5185,9 +5329,6 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                 old_servers = set(_servers.keys())
 
             # Read new config before shutting down, so we know what will be added/removed
-            new_config = _load_mcp_config()
-            new_server_names = set(new_config.keys())
-
             # Shutdown existing connections
             await loop.run_in_executor(None, shutdown_mcp_servers)
 
@@ -5275,7 +5416,6 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
         from tools.approval import (
             resolve_gateway_approval, has_blocking_approval,
-            pending_approval_count,
         )
 
         if not has_blocking_approval(session_key):
@@ -5303,6 +5443,11 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         if not count:
             return "No pending command to approve."
 
+        # Resume typing indicator — agent is about to continue processing.
+        _adapter = self.adapters.get(source.platform)
+        if _adapter:
+            _adapter.resume_typing_for_chat(source.chat_id)
+
         count_msg = f" ({count} commands)" if count > 1 else ""
         logger.info("User approved %d dangerous command(s) via /approve%s", count, scope_msg)
         return f"✅ Command{'s' if count > 1 else ''} approved{scope_msg}{count_msg}. The agent is resuming..."
@@ -5335,6 +5480,11 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         if not count:
             return "No pending command to deny."
 
+        # Resume typing indicator — agent continues (with BLOCKED result).
+        _adapter = self.adapters.get(source.platform)
+        if _adapter:
+            _adapter.resume_typing_for_chat(source.chat_id)
+
         count_msg = f" ({count} commands)" if count > 1 else ""
         logger.info("User denied %d dangerous command(s) via /deny", count)
         return f"❌ Command{'s' if count > 1 else ''} denied{count_msg}."
@@ -5894,6 +6044,11 @@ class GatewayRunner:
 
         if enriched_parts:
             prefix = "\n\n".join(enriched_parts)
+            # Strip the empty-content placeholder from the Discord adapter
+            # when we successfully transcribed the audio — it's redundant.
+            _placeholder = "(The user sent a message with no text content)"
+            if user_text and user_text.strip() == _placeholder:
+                return prefix
             if user_text:
                 return f"{prefix}\n\n{user_text}"
             return prefix
@@ -5920,12 +6075,13 @@ class GatewayRunner:
         platform_name = watcher.get("platform", "")
         chat_id = watcher.get("chat_id", "")
         thread_id = watcher.get("thread_id", "")
+        agent_notify = watcher.get("notify_on_complete", False)
         notify_mode = self._load_background_notifications_mode()
 
-        logger.debug("Process watcher started: %s (every %ss, notify=%s)",
-                      session_id, interval, notify_mode)
+        logger.debug("Process watcher started: %s (every %ss, notify=%s, agent_notify=%s)",
+                      session_id, interval, notify_mode, agent_notify)
 
-        if notify_mode == "off":
+        if notify_mode == "off" and not agent_notify:
             # Still wait for the process to exit so we can log it, but don't
             # push any messages to the user.
             while True:
@@ -5949,6 +6105,47 @@ class GatewayRunner:
             last_output_len = current_output_len
 
             if session.exited:
+                # --- Agent-triggered completion: inject synthetic message ---
+                if agent_notify:
+                    from tools.ansi_strip import strip_ansi
+                    _out = strip_ansi(session.output_buffer[-2000:]) if session.output_buffer else ""
+                    synth_text = (
+                        f"[SYSTEM: Background process {session_id} completed "
+                        f"(exit code {session.exit_code}).\n"
+                        f"Command: {session.command}\n"
+                        f"Output:\n{_out}]"
+                    )
+                    adapter = None
+                    for p, a in self.adapters.items():
+                        if p.value == platform_name:
+                            adapter = a
+                            break
+                    if adapter and chat_id:
+                        try:
+                            from gateway.platforms.base import MessageEvent, MessageType
+                            from gateway.session import SessionSource
+                            from gateway.config import Platform
+                            _platform_enum = Platform(platform_name)
+                            _source = SessionSource(
+                                platform=_platform_enum,
+                                chat_id=chat_id,
+                                thread_id=thread_id or None,
+                            )
+                            synth_event = MessageEvent(
+                                text=synth_text,
+                                message_type=MessageType.TEXT,
+                                source=_source,
+                            )
+                            logger.info(
+                                "Process %s finished — injecting agent notification for session %s",
+                                session_id, session_key,
+                            )
+                            await adapter.handle_message(synth_event)
+                        except Exception as e:
+                            logger.error("Agent notify injection error: %s", e)
+                    break
+
+                # --- Normal text-only notification ---
                 # Decide whether to notify based on mode
                 should_notify = (
                     notify_mode in ("all", "result")
@@ -5973,8 +6170,9 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                             logger.error("Watcher delivery error: %s", e)
                 break
 
-            elif has_new_output and notify_mode == "all":
+            elif has_new_output and notify_mode == "all" and not agent_notify:
                 # New output available -- deliver status update (only in "all" mode)
+                # Skip periodic updates for agent_notify watchers (they only care about completion)
                 new_output = session.output_buffer[-500:] if session.output_buffer else ""
                 message_text = (
                     f"[Background process {session_id} is still running~ "
@@ -6142,10 +6340,15 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                 progress_queue.put(msg)
                 return
             
-            # "all" / "new" modes: short preview, always truncated (40 chars)
+            # "all" / "new" modes: short preview, respects tool_preview_length
+            # config (defaults to 40 chars when unset to keep gateway messages
+            # compact — unlike CLI spinners, these persist as permanent messages).
             if preview:
-                if len(preview) > 40:
-                    preview = preview[:37] + "..."
+                from agent.display import get_tool_preview_max_len
+                _pl = get_tool_preview_max_len()
+                _cap = _pl if _pl > 0 else 40
+                if len(preview) > _cap:
+                    preview = preview[:_cap - 3] + "..."
                 msg = f"{emoji} {tool_name}: \"{preview}\""
             else:
                 msg = f"{emoji} {tool_name}..."
@@ -6461,6 +6664,7 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                     provider_data_collection=pr.get("data_collection"),
                     session_id=session_id,
                     platform=platform_key,
+                    user_id=source.user_id,
                     session_db=self._session_db,
                     fallback_model=self._fallback_model,
                 )
@@ -6585,6 +6789,15 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                 UX.  Otherwise fall back to a plain text message with
                 ``/approve`` instructions.
                 """
+                # Pause the typing indicator while the agent waits for
+                # user approval.  Critical for Slack's Assistant API where
+                # assistant_threads_setStatus disables the compose box — the
+                # user literally cannot type /approve while "is thinking..."
+                # is active.  The approval message send auto-clears the Slack
+                # status; pausing prevents _keep_typing from re-setting it.
+                # Typing resumes in _handle_approve_command/_handle_deny_command.
+                _status_adapter.pause_typing_for_chat(_status_chat_id)
+
                 cmd = approval_data.get("command", "")
                 desc = approval_data.get("description", "dangerous command")
 
@@ -7003,6 +7216,27 @@ class GatewayRunner:
                     if pending:
                         logger.debug("Processing queued message after agent completion: '%s...'", pending[:40])
             
+            # Safety net: if the pending text is a slash command (e.g. "/stop",
+            # "/new"), discard it — commands should never be passed to the agent
+            # as user input.  The primary fix is in base.py (commands bypass the
+            # active-session guard), but this catches edge cases where command
+            # text leaks through the interrupt_message fallback.
+            if pending and pending.strip().startswith("/"):
+                _pending_parts = pending.strip().split(None, 1)
+                _pending_cmd_word = _pending_parts[0][1:].lower() if _pending_parts else ""
+                if _pending_cmd_word:
+                    try:
+                        from hermes_cli.commands import resolve_command as _rc_pending
+                        if _rc_pending(_pending_cmd_word):
+                            logger.info(
+                                "Discarding command '/%s' from pending queue — "
+                                "commands must not be passed as agent input",
+                                _pending_cmd_word,
+                            )
+                            pending = None
+                    except Exception:
+                        pass
+
             if pending:
                 logger.debug("Processing pending message: '%s...'", pending[:40])
                 

gateway/stream_consumer.py

@@ -28,6 +28,10 @@ logger = logging.getLogger("gateway.stream_consumer")
 # Sentinel to signal the stream is complete
 _DONE = object()
 
+# Sentinel to signal a tool boundary — finalize current message and start a
+# new one so that subsequent text appears below tool progress messages.
+_NEW_SEGMENT = object()
+
 
 @dataclass
 class StreamConsumerConfig:
@@ -78,9 +82,16 @@ class GatewayStreamConsumer:
         return self._already_sent
 
     def on_delta(self, text: str) -> None:
-        """Thread-safe callback — called from the agent's worker thread."""
+        """Thread-safe callback — called from the agent's worker thread.
+
+        When *text* is ``None``, signals a tool boundary: the current message
+        is finalized and subsequent text will be sent as a new message so it
+        appears below any tool-progress messages the gateway sent in between.
+        """
         if text:
             self._queue.put(text)
+        elif text is None:
+            self._queue.put(_NEW_SEGMENT)
 
     def finish(self) -> None:
         """Signal that the stream is complete."""
@@ -96,12 +107,16 @@ class GatewayStreamConsumer:
             while True:
                 # Drain all available items from the queue
                 got_done = False
+                got_segment_break = False
                 while True:
                     try:
                         item = self._queue.get_nowait()
                         if item is _DONE:
                             got_done = True
                             break
+                        if item is _NEW_SEGMENT:
+                            got_segment_break = True
+                            break
                         self._accumulated += item
                     except queue.Empty:
                         break
@@ -111,8 +126,9 @@ class GatewayStreamConsumer:
                 elapsed = now - self._last_edit_time
                 should_edit = (
                     got_done
+                    or got_segment_break
                     or (elapsed >= self.cfg.edit_interval
-                        and len(self._accumulated) > 0)
+                        and self._accumulated)
                     or len(self._accumulated) >= self.cfg.buffer_threshold
                 )
 
@@ -133,7 +149,7 @@ class GatewayStreamConsumer:
                         self._last_sent_text = ""
 
                     display_text = self._accumulated
-                    if not got_done:
+                    if not got_done and not got_segment_break:
                         display_text += self.cfg.cursor
 
                     await self._send_or_edit(display_text)
@@ -145,6 +161,15 @@ class GatewayStreamConsumer:
                         await self._send_or_edit(self._accumulated)
                     return
 
+                # Tool boundary: the should_edit block above already flushed
+                # accumulated text without a cursor.  Reset state so the next
+                # text chunk creates a fresh message below any tool-progress
+                # messages the gateway sent in between.
+                if got_segment_break:
+                    self._message_id = None
+                    self._accumulated = ""
+                    self._last_sent_text = ""
+
                 await asyncio.sleep(0.05)  # Small yield to not busy-loop
 
         except asyncio.CancelledError:

hermes_cli/auth.py

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 import httpx
 import yaml
 
-from hermes_cli.config import get_hermes_home, get_config_path
+from hermes_cli.config import get_hermes_home, get_config_path, read_raw_config
 from hermes_constants import OPENROUTER_BASE_URL
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ DEVICE_AUTH_POLL_INTERVAL_CAP_SECONDS = 1     # poll at most every 1s
 DEFAULT_CODEX_BASE_URL = "https://chatgpt.com/backend-api/codex"
 DEFAULT_GITHUB_MODELS_BASE_URL = "https://api.githubcopilot.com"
 DEFAULT_COPILOT_ACP_BASE_URL = "acp://copilot"
+DEFAULT_GEMINI_BASE_URL = "https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai"
 CODEX_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID = "app_EMoamEEZ73f0CkXaXp7hrann"
 CODEX_OAUTH_TOKEN_URL = "https://auth.openai.com/oauth/token"
 CODEX_ACCESS_TOKEN_REFRESH_SKEW_SECONDS = 120
@@ -125,6 +126,14 @@ PROVIDER_REGISTRY: Dict[str, ProviderConfig] = {
         inference_base_url=DEFAULT_COPILOT_ACP_BASE_URL,
         base_url_env_var="COPILOT_ACP_BASE_URL",
     ),
+    "gemini": ProviderConfig(
+        id="gemini",
+        name="Google AI Studio",
+        auth_type="api_key",
+        inference_base_url="https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/openai",
+        api_key_env_vars=("GOOGLE_API_KEY", "GEMINI_API_KEY"),
+        base_url_env_var="GEMINI_BASE_URL",
+    ),
     "zai": ProviderConfig(
         id="zai",
         name="Z.AI / GLM",
@@ -395,6 +404,47 @@ def detect_zai_endpoint(api_key: str, timeout: float = 8.0) -> Optional[Dict[str
     return None
 
 
+def _resolve_zai_base_url(api_key: str, default_url: str, env_override: str) -> str:
+    """Return the correct Z.AI base URL by probing endpoints.
+
+    If the user has explicitly set GLM_BASE_URL, that always wins.
+    Otherwise, probe the candidate endpoints to find one that accepts the
+    key.  The detected endpoint is cached in provider state (auth.json) keyed
+    on a hash of the API key so subsequent starts skip the probe.
+    """
+    if env_override:
+        return env_override
+
+    # Check provider-state cache for a previously-detected endpoint.
+    auth_store = _load_auth_store()
+    state = _load_provider_state(auth_store, "zai") or {}
+    cached = state.get("detected_endpoint")
+    if isinstance(cached, dict) and cached.get("base_url"):
+        key_hash = cached.get("key_hash", "")
+        if key_hash == hashlib.sha256(api_key.encode()).hexdigest()[:16]:
+            logger.debug("Z.AI: using cached endpoint %s", cached["base_url"])
+            return cached["base_url"]
+
+    # Probe — may take up to ~8s per endpoint.
+    detected = detect_zai_endpoint(api_key)
+    if detected and detected.get("base_url"):
+        # Persist the detection result keyed on the API key hash.
+        key_hash = hashlib.sha256(api_key.encode()).hexdigest()[:16]
+        state["detected_endpoint"] = {
+            "base_url": detected["base_url"],
+            "endpoint_id": detected.get("id", ""),
+            "model": detected.get("model", ""),
+            "label": detected.get("label", ""),
+            "key_hash": key_hash,
+        }
+        _save_provider_state(auth_store, "zai", state)
+        logger.info("Z.AI: auto-detected endpoint %s (%s)", detected["label"], detected["base_url"])
+        return detected["base_url"]
+
+    logger.debug("Z.AI: probe failed, falling back to default %s", default_url)
+    return default_url
+
+
 # =============================================================================
 # Error Types
 # =============================================================================
@@ -758,6 +808,7 @@ def resolve_provider(
     # Normalize provider aliases
     _PROVIDER_ALIASES = {
         "glm": "zai", "z-ai": "zai", "z.ai": "zai", "zhipu": "zai",
+        "google": "gemini", "google-gemini": "gemini", "google-ai-studio": "gemini",
         "kimi": "kimi-coding", "moonshot": "kimi-coding",
         "minimax-china": "minimax-cn", "minimax_cn": "minimax-cn",
         "claude": "anthropic", "claude-code": "anthropic",
@@ -926,7 +977,7 @@ def _read_codex_tokens(*, _lock: bool = True) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     state = _load_provider_state(auth_store, "openai-codex")
     if not state:
         raise AuthError(
-            "No Codex credentials stored. Run `hermes login` to authenticate.",
+            "No Codex credentials stored. Run `hermes auth` to authenticate.",
             provider="openai-codex",
             code="codex_auth_missing",
             relogin_required=True,
@@ -934,7 +985,7 @@ def _read_codex_tokens(*, _lock: bool = True) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     tokens = state.get("tokens")
     if not isinstance(tokens, dict):
         raise AuthError(
-            "Codex auth state is missing tokens. Run `hermes login` to re-authenticate.",
+            "Codex auth state is missing tokens. Run `hermes auth` to re-authenticate.",
             provider="openai-codex",
             code="codex_auth_invalid_shape",
             relogin_required=True,
@@ -943,14 +994,14 @@ def _read_codex_tokens(*, _lock: bool = True) -> Dict[str, Any]:
     refresh_token = tokens.get("refresh_token")
     if not isinstance(access_token, str) or not access_token.strip():
         raise AuthError(
-            "Codex auth is missing access_token. Run `hermes login` to re-authenticate.",
+            "Codex auth is missing access_token. Run `hermes auth` to re-authenticate.",
             provider="openai-codex",
             code="codex_auth_missing_access_token",
             relogin_required=True,
         )
     if not isinstance(refresh_token, str) or not refresh_token.strip():
         raise AuthError(
-            "Codex auth is missing refresh_token. Run `hermes login` to re-authenticate.",
+            "Codex auth is missing refresh_token. Run `hermes auth` to re-authenticate.",
             provider="openai-codex",
             code="codex_auth_missing_refresh_token",
             relogin_required=True,
@@ -985,7 +1036,7 @@ def refresh_codex_oauth_pure(
     del access_token  # Access token is only used by callers to decide whether to refresh.
     if not isinstance(refresh_token, str) or not refresh_token.strip():
         raise AuthError(
-            "Codex auth is missing refresh_token. Run `hermes login` to re-authenticate.",
+            "Codex auth is missing refresh_token. Run `hermes auth` to re-authenticate.",
             provider="openai-codex",
             code="codex_auth_missing_refresh_token",
             relogin_required=True,
@@ -1020,6 +1071,14 @@ def refresh_codex_oauth_pure(
             pass
         if code in {"invalid_grant", "invalid_token", "invalid_request"}:
             relogin_required = True
+        if code == "refresh_token_reused":
+            message = (
+                "Codex refresh token was already consumed by another client "
+                "(e.g. Codex CLI or VS Code extension). "
+                "Run `codex` in your terminal to generate fresh tokens, "
+                "then run `hermes auth` to re-authenticate."
+            )
+            relogin_required = True
         raise AuthError(
             message,
             provider="openai-codex",
@@ -1081,7 +1140,8 @@ def _refresh_codex_auth_tokens(
 def _import_codex_cli_tokens() -> Optional[Dict[str, str]]:
     """Try to read tokens from ~/.codex/auth.json (Codex CLI shared file).
     
-    Returns tokens dict if valid, None otherwise. Does NOT write to the shared file.
+    Returns tokens dict if valid and not expired, None otherwise.
+    Does NOT write to the shared file.
     """
     codex_home = os.getenv("CODEX_HOME", "").strip()
     if not codex_home:
@@ -1094,7 +1154,17 @@ def _import_codex_cli_tokens() -> Optional[Dict[str, str]]:
         tokens = payload.get("tokens")
         if not isinstance(tokens, dict):
             return None
-        if not tokens.get("access_token") or not tokens.get("refresh_token"):
+        access_token = tokens.get("access_token")
+        refresh_token = tokens.get("refresh_token")
+        if not access_token or not refresh_token:
+            return None
+        # Reject expired tokens — importing stale tokens from ~/.codex/
+        # that can't be refreshed leaves the user stuck with "Login successful!"
+        # but no working credentials.
+        if _codex_access_token_is_expiring(access_token, 0):
+            logger.debug(
+                "Codex CLI tokens at %s are expired — skipping import.", auth_path,
+            )
             return None
         return dict(tokens)
     except Exception:
@@ -1122,7 +1192,7 @@ def resolve_codex_runtime_credentials(
             logger.info("Migrating Codex credentials from ~/.codex/ to Hermes auth store")
             print("⚠️  Migrating Codex credentials to Hermes's own auth store.")
             print("   This avoids conflicts with Codex CLI and VS Code.")
-            print("   Run `hermes login` to create a fully independent session.\n")
+            print("   Run `hermes auth` to create a fully independent session.\n")
             _save_codex_tokens(cli_tokens)
             data = _read_codex_tokens()
         else:
@@ -1886,7 +1956,36 @@ def get_nous_auth_status() -> Dict[str, Any]:
 
 
 def get_codex_auth_status() -> Dict[str, Any]:
-    """Status snapshot for Codex auth."""
+    """Status snapshot for Codex auth.
+    
+    Checks the credential pool first (where `hermes auth` stores credentials),
+    then falls back to the legacy provider state.
+    """
+    # Check credential pool first — this is where `hermes auth` and
+    # `hermes model` store device_code tokens.
+    try:
+        from agent.credential_pool import load_pool
+        pool = load_pool("openai-codex")
+        if pool and pool.has_credentials():
+            entry = pool.select()
+            if entry is not None:
+                api_key = (
+                    getattr(entry, "runtime_api_key", None)
+                    or getattr(entry, "access_token", "")
+                )
+                if api_key and not _codex_access_token_is_expiring(api_key, 0):
+                    return {
+                        "logged_in": True,
+                        "auth_store": str(_auth_file_path()),
+                        "last_refresh": getattr(entry, "last_refresh", None),
+                        "auth_mode": "chatgpt",
+                        "source": f"pool:{getattr(entry, 'label', 'unknown')}",
+                        "api_key": api_key,
+                    }
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
+    # Fall back to legacy provider state
     try:
         creds = resolve_codex_runtime_credentials()
         return {
@@ -1895,6 +1994,7 @@ def get_codex_auth_status() -> Dict[str, Any]:
             "last_refresh": creds.get("last_refresh"),
             "auth_mode": creds.get("auth_mode"),
             "source": creds.get("source"),
+            "api_key": creds.get("api_key"),
         }
     except AuthError as exc:
         return {
@@ -2004,6 +2104,8 @@ def resolve_api_key_provider_credentials(provider_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
 
     if provider_id == "kimi-coding":
         base_url = _resolve_kimi_base_url(api_key, pconfig.inference_base_url, env_url)
+    elif provider_id == "zai":
+        base_url = _resolve_zai_base_url(api_key, pconfig.inference_base_url, env_url)
     elif env_url:
         base_url = env_url.rstrip("/")
     else:
@@ -2078,7 +2180,7 @@ def detect_external_credentials() -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
         found.append({
             "provider": "openai-codex",
             "path": str(codex_path),
-            "label": f"Codex CLI credentials found ({codex_path}) — run `hermes login` to create a separate session",
+            "label": f"Codex CLI credentials found ({codex_path}) — run `hermes auth` to create a separate session",
         })
 
     return found
@@ -2112,14 +2214,7 @@ def _update_config_for_provider(
     config_path = get_config_path()
     config_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
 
-    config: Dict[str, Any] = {}
-    if config_path.exists():
-        try:
-            loaded = yaml.safe_load(config_path.read_text()) or {}
-            if isinstance(loaded, dict):
-                config = loaded
-        except Exception:
-            config = {}
+    config = read_raw_config()
 
     current_model = config.get("model")
     if isinstance(current_model, dict):
@@ -2156,12 +2251,8 @@ def _reset_config_provider() -> Path:
     if not config_path.exists():
         return config_path
 
-    try:
-        config = yaml.safe_load(config_path.read_text()) or {}
-    except Exception:
-        return config_path
-
-    if not isinstance(config, dict):
+    config = read_raw_config()
+    if not config:
         return config_path
 
     model = config.get("model")
@@ -2177,14 +2268,21 @@ def _prompt_model_selection(
     model_ids: List[str],
     current_model: str = "",
     pricing: Optional[Dict[str, Dict[str, str]]] = None,
+    unavailable_models: Optional[List[str]] = None,
+    portal_url: str = "",
 ) -> Optional[str]:
     """Interactive model selection. Puts current_model first with a marker. Returns chosen model ID or None.
 
     If *pricing* is provided (``{model_id: {prompt, completion}}``), a compact
     price indicator is shown next to each model in aligned columns.
+
+    If *unavailable_models* is provided, those models are shown grayed out
+    and unselectable, with an upgrade link to *portal_url*.
     """
     from hermes_cli.models import _format_price_per_mtok
 
+    _unavailable = unavailable_models or []
+
     # Reorder: current model first, then the rest (deduplicated)
     ordered = []
     if current_model and current_model in model_ids:
@@ -2193,9 +2291,12 @@ def _prompt_model_selection(
         if mid not in ordered:
             ordered.append(mid)
 
+    # All models for column-width computation (selectable + unavailable)
+    all_models = list(ordered) + list(_unavailable)
+
     # Column-aligned labels when pricing is available
-    has_pricing = bool(pricing and any(pricing.get(m) for m in ordered))
-    name_col = max((len(m) for m in ordered), default=0) + 2 if has_pricing else 0
+    has_pricing = bool(pricing and any(pricing.get(m) for m in all_models))
+    name_col = max((len(m) for m in all_models), default=0) + 2 if has_pricing else 0
 
     # Pre-compute formatted prices and dynamic column widths
     _price_cache: dict[str, tuple[str, str, str]] = {}
@@ -2203,7 +2304,7 @@ def _prompt_model_selection(
     cache_col = 0  # only set if any model has cache pricing
     has_cache = False
     if has_pricing:
-        for mid in ordered:
+        for mid in all_models:
             p = pricing.get(mid)  # type: ignore[union-attr]
             if p:
                 inp = _format_price_per_mtok(p.get("prompt", ""))
@@ -2248,12 +2349,35 @@ def _prompt_model_selection(
             header += f"  {'Cache':>{cache_col}}"
         menu_title += header + "  /Mtok"
 
+    # ANSI escape for dim text
+    _DIM = "\033[2m"
+    _RESET = "\033[0m"
+
     # Try arrow-key menu first, fall back to number input
     try:
         from simple_term_menu import TerminalMenu
+
         choices = [f"  {_label(mid)}" for mid in ordered]
         choices.append("  Enter custom model name")
         choices.append("  Skip (keep current)")
+
+        # Print the unavailable block BEFORE the menu via regular print().
+        # simple_term_menu pads title lines to terminal width (causes wrapping),
+        # so we keep the title minimal and use stdout for the static block.
+        # clear_screen=False means our printed output stays visible above.
+        _upgrade_url = (portal_url or DEFAULT_NOUS_PORTAL_URL).rstrip("/")
+        if _unavailable:
+            print(menu_title)
+            print()
+            for mid in _unavailable:
+                print(f"{_DIM}     {_label(mid)}{_RESET}")
+            print()
+            print(f"{_DIM}  ── Upgrade at {_upgrade_url} for paid models ──{_RESET}")
+            print()
+            effective_title = "Available free models:"
+        else:
+            effective_title = menu_title
+
         menu = TerminalMenu(
             choices,
             cursor_index=default_idx,
@@ -2262,7 +2386,7 @@ def _prompt_model_selection(
             menu_highlight_style=("fg_green",),
             cycle_cursor=True,
             clear_screen=False,
-            title=menu_title,
+            title=effective_title,
         )
         idx = menu.show()
         if idx is None:
@@ -2285,6 +2409,13 @@ def _prompt_model_selection(
     n = len(ordered)
     print(f"  {n + 1:>{num_width}}. Enter custom model name")
     print(f"  {n + 2:>{num_width}}. Skip (keep current)")
+
+    if _unavailable:
+        _upgrade_url = (portal_url or DEFAULT_NOUS_PORTAL_URL).rstrip("/")
+        print()
+        print(f"  {_DIM}── Unavailable models (requires paid tier — upgrade at {_upgrade_url}) ──{_RESET}")
+        for mid in _unavailable:
+            print(f"  {'':>{num_width}}  {_DIM}{_label(mid)}{_RESET}")
     print()
 
     while True:
@@ -2327,8 +2458,8 @@ def _save_model_choice(model_id: str) -> None:
 def login_command(args) -> None:
     """Deprecated: use 'hermes model' or 'hermes setup' instead."""
     print("The 'hermes login' command has been removed.")
-    print("Use 'hermes model' to select a provider and model,")
-    print("or 'hermes setup' for full interactive setup.")
+    print("Use 'hermes auth' to manage credentials,")
+    print("'hermes model' to select a provider, or 'hermes setup' for full setup.")
     raise SystemExit(0)
 
 
@@ -2338,17 +2469,25 @@ def _login_openai_codex(args, pconfig: ProviderConfig) -> None:
     # Check for existing Hermes-owned credentials
     try:
         existing = resolve_codex_runtime_credentials()
-        print("Existing Codex credentials found in Hermes auth store.")
-        try:
-            reuse = input("Use existing credentials? [Y/n]: ").strip().lower()
-        except (EOFError, KeyboardInterrupt):
-            reuse = "y"
-        if reuse in ("", "y", "yes"):
-            config_path = _update_config_for_provider("openai-codex", existing.get("base_url", DEFAULT_CODEX_BASE_URL))
-            print()
-            print("Login successful!")
-            print(f"  Config updated: {config_path} (model.provider=openai-codex)")
-            return
+        # Verify the resolved token is actually usable (not expired).
+        # resolve_codex_runtime_credentials attempts refresh, so if we get
+        # here the token should be valid — but double-check before telling
+        # the user "Login successful!".
+        _resolved_key = existing.get("api_key", "")
+        if isinstance(_resolved_key, str) and _resolved_key and not _codex_access_token_is_expiring(_resolved_key, 60):
+            print("Existing Codex credentials found in Hermes auth store.")
+            try:
+                reuse = input("Use existing credentials? [Y/n]: ").strip().lower()
+            except (EOFError, KeyboardInterrupt):
+                reuse = "y"
+            if reuse in ("", "y", "yes"):
+                config_path = _update_config_for_provider("openai-codex", existing.get("base_url", DEFAULT_CODEX_BASE_URL))
+                print()
+                print("Login successful!")
+                print(f"  Config updated: {config_path} (model.provider=openai-codex)")
+                return
+        else:
+            print("Existing Codex credentials are expired. Starting fresh login...")
     except AuthError:
         pass
 
@@ -2643,13 +2782,26 @@ def _nous_device_code_login(
         "agent_key_reused": None,
         "agent_key_obtained_at": None,
     }
-    return refresh_nous_oauth_from_state(
-        auth_state,
-        min_key_ttl_seconds=min_key_ttl_seconds,
-        timeout_seconds=timeout_seconds,
-        force_refresh=False,
-        force_mint=True,
-    )
+    try:
+        return refresh_nous_oauth_from_state(
+            auth_state,
+            min_key_ttl_seconds=min_key_ttl_seconds,
+            timeout_seconds=timeout_seconds,
+            force_refresh=False,
+            force_mint=True,
+        )
+    except AuthError as exc:
+        if exc.code == "subscription_required":
+            portal_url = auth_state.get(
+                "portal_base_url", DEFAULT_NOUS_PORTAL_URL
+            ).rstrip("/")
+            print()
+            print("Your Nous Portal account does not have an active subscription.")
+            print(f"  Subscribe here: {portal_url}/billing")
+            print()
+            print("After subscribing, run `hermes model` again to finish setup.")
+            raise SystemExit(1)
+        raise
 
 
 def _login_nous(args, pconfig: ProviderConfig) -> None:
@@ -2666,16 +2818,16 @@ def _login_nous(args, pconfig: ProviderConfig) -> None:
         auth_state = _nous_device_code_login(
             portal_base_url=getattr(args, "portal_url", None),
             inference_base_url=getattr(args, "inference_url", None),
-            client_id=getattr(args, "client_id", None),
-            scope=getattr(args, "scope", None),
+            client_id=getattr(args, "client_id", None) or pconfig.client_id,
+            scope=getattr(args, "scope", None) or pconfig.scope,
             open_browser=not getattr(args, "no_browser", False),
             timeout_seconds=timeout_seconds,
             insecure=insecure,
             ca_bundle=ca_bundle,
             min_key_ttl_seconds=5 * 60,
         )
+
         inference_base_url = auth_state["inference_base_url"]
-        verify: bool | str = False if insecure else (ca_bundle if ca_bundle else True)
 
         with _auth_store_lock():
             auth_store = _load_auth_store()
@@ -2697,18 +2849,37 @@ def _login_nous(args, pconfig: ProviderConfig) -> None:
                     code="invalid_token",
                 )
 
-            # Use curated model list (same as OpenRouter defaults) instead
-            # of the full /models dump which returns hundreds of models.
-            from hermes_cli.models import _PROVIDER_MODELS
+            from hermes_cli.models import (
+                _PROVIDER_MODELS, get_pricing_for_provider, filter_nous_free_models,
+                check_nous_free_tier, partition_nous_models_by_tier,
+            )
             model_ids = _PROVIDER_MODELS.get("nous", [])
 
             print()
+            unavailable_models: list = []
+            if model_ids:
+                pricing = get_pricing_for_provider("nous")
+                model_ids = filter_nous_free_models(model_ids, pricing)
+                free_tier = check_nous_free_tier()
+                if free_tier:
+                    model_ids, unavailable_models = partition_nous_models_by_tier(
+                        model_ids, pricing, free_tier=True,
+                    )
+            _portal = auth_state.get("portal_base_url", "")
             if model_ids:
                 print(f"Showing {len(model_ids)} curated models — use \"Enter custom model name\" for others.")
-                selected_model = _prompt_model_selection(model_ids)
+                selected_model = _prompt_model_selection(
+                    model_ids, pricing=pricing,
+                    unavailable_models=unavailable_models,
+                    portal_url=_portal,
+                )
                 if selected_model:
                     _save_model_choice(selected_model)
                     print(f"Default model set to: {selected_model}")
+            elif unavailable_models:
+                _url = (_portal or DEFAULT_NOUS_PORTAL_URL).rstrip("/")
+                print("No free models currently available.")
+                print(f"Upgrade at {_url} to access paid models.")
             else:
                 print("No curated models available for Nous Portal.")
         except Exception as exc:

hermes_cli/auth_commands.py

@@ -18,7 +18,6 @@ from agent.credential_pool import (
     STRATEGY_ROUND_ROBIN,
     STRATEGY_RANDOM,
     STRATEGY_LEAST_USED,
-    SUPPORTED_POOL_STRATEGIES,
     PooledCredential,
     _exhausted_until,
     _normalize_custom_pool_name,
@@ -305,6 +304,32 @@ def auth_remove_command(args) -> None:
             if cleared:
                 print(f"Cleared {env_var} from .env")
 
+    # If this was a singleton-seeded credential (OAuth device_code, hermes_pkce),
+    # clear the underlying auth store / credential file so it doesn't get
+    # re-seeded on the next load_pool() call.
+    elif removed.source == "device_code" and provider in ("openai-codex", "nous"):
+        from hermes_cli.auth import (
+            _load_auth_store, _save_auth_store, _auth_store_lock,
+        )
+        with _auth_store_lock():
+            auth_store = _load_auth_store()
+            providers_dict = auth_store.get("providers")
+            if isinstance(providers_dict, dict) and provider in providers_dict:
+                del providers_dict[provider]
+                _save_auth_store(auth_store)
+                print(f"Cleared {provider} OAuth tokens from auth store")
+
+    elif removed.source == "hermes_pkce" and provider == "anthropic":
+        from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+        oauth_file = get_hermes_home() / ".anthropic_oauth.json"
+        if oauth_file.exists():
+            oauth_file.unlink()
+            print("Cleared Hermes Anthropic OAuth credentials")
+
+    elif removed.source == "claude_code" and provider == "anthropic":
+        print("Note: Claude Code credentials live in ~/.claude/.credentials.json")
+        print("      Remove them manually if you want to deauthorize Claude Code.")
+
 
 def auth_reset_command(args) -> None:
     provider = _normalize_provider(getattr(args, "provider", ""))

hermes_cli/banner.py

@@ -190,6 +190,79 @@ def check_for_updates() -> Optional[int]:
     return behind
 
 
+def _resolve_repo_dir() -> Optional[Path]:
+    """Return the active Hermes git checkout, or None if this isn't a git install."""
+    hermes_home = get_hermes_home()
+    repo_dir = hermes_home / "hermes-agent"
+    if not (repo_dir / ".git").exists():
+        repo_dir = Path(__file__).parent.parent.resolve()
+    return repo_dir if (repo_dir / ".git").exists() else None
+
+
+def _git_short_hash(repo_dir: Path, rev: str) -> Optional[str]:
+    """Resolve a git revision to an 8-character short hash."""
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            ["git", "rev-parse", "--short=8", rev],
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=5,
+            cwd=str(repo_dir),
+        )
+    except Exception:
+        return None
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        return None
+    value = (result.stdout or "").strip()
+    return value or None
+
+
+def get_git_banner_state(repo_dir: Optional[Path] = None) -> Optional[dict]:
+    """Return upstream/local git hashes for the startup banner."""
+    repo_dir = repo_dir or _resolve_repo_dir()
+    if repo_dir is None:
+        return None
+
+    upstream = _git_short_hash(repo_dir, "origin/main")
+    local = _git_short_hash(repo_dir, "HEAD")
+    if not upstream or not local:
+        return None
+
+    ahead = 0
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            ["git", "rev-list", "--count", "origin/main..HEAD"],
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=5,
+            cwd=str(repo_dir),
+        )
+        if result.returncode == 0:
+            ahead = int((result.stdout or "0").strip() or "0")
+    except Exception:
+        ahead = 0
+
+    return {"upstream": upstream, "local": local, "ahead": max(ahead, 0)}
+
+
+def format_banner_version_label() -> str:
+    """Return the version label shown in the startup banner title."""
+    base = f"Hermes Agent v{VERSION} ({RELEASE_DATE})"
+    state = get_git_banner_state()
+    if not state:
+        return base
+
+    upstream = state["upstream"]
+    local = state["local"]
+    ahead = int(state.get("ahead") or 0)
+
+    if ahead <= 0 or upstream == local:
+        return f"{base} · upstream {upstream}"
+
+    carried_word = "commit" if ahead == 1 else "commits"
+    return f"{base} · upstream {upstream} · local {local} (+{ahead} carried {carried_word})"
+
+
 # =========================================================================
 # Non-blocking update check
 # =========================================================================
@@ -449,7 +522,7 @@ def build_welcome_banner(console: Console, model: str, cwd: str,
     border_color = _skin_color("banner_border", "#CD7F32")
     outer_panel = Panel(
         layout_table,
-        title=f"[bold {title_color}]{agent_name} v{VERSION} ({RELEASE_DATE})[/]",
+        title=f"[bold {title_color}]{format_banner_version_label()}[/]",
         border_style=border_color,
         padding=(0, 2),
     )

hermes_cli/callbacks.py

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ def clarify_callback(cli, question, choices):
 
     timeout = CLI_CONFIG.get("clarify", {}).get("timeout", 120)
     response_queue = queue.Queue()
-    is_open_ended = not choices or len(choices) == 0
+    is_open_ended = not choices
 
     cli._clarify_state = {
         "question": question,
@@ -63,47 +63,6 @@ def clarify_callback(cli, question, choices):
     )
 
 
-def sudo_password_callback(cli) -> str:
-    """Prompt for sudo password through the TUI.
-
-    Sets up a password input area and blocks until the user responds.
-    """
-    timeout = 45
-    response_queue = queue.Queue()
-
-    cli._sudo_state = {"response_queue": response_queue}
-    cli._sudo_deadline = _time.monotonic() + timeout
-
-    if hasattr(cli, "_app") and cli._app:
-        cli._app.invalidate()
-
-    while True:
-        try:
-            result = response_queue.get(timeout=1)
-            cli._sudo_state = None
-            cli._sudo_deadline = 0
-            if hasattr(cli, "_app") and cli._app:
-                cli._app.invalidate()
-            if result:
-                cprint(f"\n{_DIM}  ✓ Password received (cached for session){_RST}")
-            else:
-                cprint(f"\n{_DIM}  ⏭ Skipped{_RST}")
-            return result
-        except queue.Empty:
-            remaining = cli._sudo_deadline - _time.monotonic()
-            if remaining <= 0:
-                break
-            if hasattr(cli, "_app") and cli._app:
-                cli._app.invalidate()
-
-    cli._sudo_state = None
-    cli._sudo_deadline = 0
-    if hasattr(cli, "_app") and cli._app:
-        cli._app.invalidate()
-    cprint(f"\n{_DIM}  ⏱ Timeout — continuing without sudo{_RST}")
-    return ""
-
-
 def prompt_for_secret(cli, var_name: str, prompt: str, metadata=None) -> dict:
     """Prompt for a secret value through the TUI (e.g. API keys for skills).
 

hermes_cli/claw.py

@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ Usage:
 
 import importlib.util
 import logging
-import shutil
 import sys
 from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -24,7 +23,6 @@ from hermes_cli.setup import (
     print_info,
     print_success,
     print_error,
-    print_warning,
     prompt_yes_no,
 )
 

hermes_cli/clipboard.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Clipboard image extraction for macOS, Linux, and WSL2.
+"""Clipboard image extraction for macOS, Windows, Linux, and WSL2.
 
 Provides a single function `save_clipboard_image(dest)` that checks the
 system clipboard for image data, saves it to *dest* as PNG, and returns
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@ True on success.  No external Python dependencies — uses only OS-level
 CLI tools that ship with the platform (or are commonly installed).
 
 Platform support:
-  macOS  — osascript (always available), pngpaste (if installed)
-  WSL2   — powershell.exe via .NET System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard
-  Linux  — wl-paste (Wayland), xclip (X11)
+  macOS   — osascript (always available), pngpaste (if installed)
+  Windows — PowerShell via .NET System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard
+  WSL2    — powershell.exe via .NET System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard
+  Linux   — wl-paste (Wayland), xclip (X11)
 """
 
 import base64
@@ -32,6 +33,8 @@ def save_clipboard_image(dest: Path) -> bool:
     dest.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     if sys.platform == "darwin":
         return _macos_save(dest)
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        return _windows_save(dest)
     return _linux_save(dest)
 
 
@@ -42,6 +45,8 @@ def has_clipboard_image() -> bool:
     """
     if sys.platform == "darwin":
         return _macos_has_image()
+    if sys.platform == "win32":
+        return _windows_has_image()
     if _is_wsl():
         return _wsl_has_image()
     if os.environ.get("WAYLAND_DISPLAY"):
@@ -112,6 +117,104 @@ def _macos_osascript(dest: Path) -> bool:
     return False
 
 
+# ── Shared PowerShell scripts (native Windows + WSL2) ─────────────────────
+
+# .NET System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard — used by both native Windows (powershell)
+# and WSL2 (powershell.exe) paths.
+_PS_CHECK_IMAGE = (
+    "Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms;"
+    "[System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard]::ContainsImage()"
+)
+
+_PS_EXTRACT_IMAGE = (
+    "Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms;"
+    "Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Drawing;"
+    "$img = [System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard]::GetImage();"
+    "if ($null -eq $img) { exit 1 }"
+    "$ms = New-Object System.IO.MemoryStream;"
+    "$img.Save($ms, [System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat]::Png);"
+    "[System.Convert]::ToBase64String($ms.ToArray())"
+)
+
+
+# ── Native Windows ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+# Native Windows uses ``powershell`` (Windows PowerShell 5.1, always present)
+# or ``pwsh`` (PowerShell 7+, optional).  Discovery is cached per-process.
+
+
+def _find_powershell() -> str | None:
+    """Return the first available PowerShell executable, or None."""
+    for name in ("powershell", "pwsh"):
+        try:
+            r = subprocess.run(
+                [name, "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command", "echo ok"],
+                capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+            )
+            if r.returncode == 0 and "ok" in r.stdout:
+                return name
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            continue
+        except Exception:
+            continue
+    return None
+
+
+# Cache the resolved PowerShell executable (checked once per process)
+_ps_exe: str | None | bool = False  # False = not yet checked
+
+
+def _get_ps_exe() -> str | None:
+    global _ps_exe
+    if _ps_exe is False:
+        _ps_exe = _find_powershell()
+    return _ps_exe
+
+
+def _windows_has_image() -> bool:
+    """Check if the Windows clipboard contains an image."""
+    ps = _get_ps_exe()
+    if ps is None:
+        return False
+    try:
+        r = subprocess.run(
+            [ps, "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command", _PS_CHECK_IMAGE],
+            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5,
+        )
+        return r.returncode == 0 and "True" in r.stdout
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.debug("Windows clipboard image check failed: %s", e)
+    return False
+
+
+def _windows_save(dest: Path) -> bool:
+    """Extract clipboard image on native Windows via PowerShell → base64 PNG."""
+    ps = _get_ps_exe()
+    if ps is None:
+        logger.debug("No PowerShell found — Windows clipboard image paste unavailable")
+        return False
+    try:
+        r = subprocess.run(
+            [ps, "-NoProfile", "-NonInteractive", "-Command", _PS_EXTRACT_IMAGE],
+            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=15,
+        )
+        if r.returncode != 0:
+            return False
+
+        b64_data = r.stdout.strip()
+        if not b64_data:
+            return False
+
+        png_bytes = base64.b64decode(b64_data)
+        dest.write_bytes(png_bytes)
+        return dest.exists() and dest.stat().st_size > 0
+
+    except Exception as e:
+        logger.debug("Windows clipboard image extraction failed: %s", e)
+        dest.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    return False
+
+
 # ── Linux ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 def _is_wsl() -> bool:
@@ -142,24 +245,7 @@ def _linux_save(dest: Path) -> bool:
 
 
 # ── WSL2 (powershell.exe) ────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
-# PowerShell script: get clipboard image as base64-encoded PNG on stdout.
-# Using .NET System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard — always available on Windows.
-_PS_CHECK_IMAGE = (
-    "Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms;"
-    "[System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard]::ContainsImage()"
-)
-
-_PS_EXTRACT_IMAGE = (
-    "Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Windows.Forms;"
-    "Add-Type -AssemblyName System.Drawing;"
-    "$img = [System.Windows.Forms.Clipboard]::GetImage();"
-    "if ($null -eq $img) { exit 1 }"
-    "$ms = New-Object System.IO.MemoryStream;"
-    "$img.Save($ms, [System.Drawing.Imaging.ImageFormat]::Png);"
-    "[System.Convert]::ToBase64String($ms.ToArray())"
-)
-
+# Reuses _PS_CHECK_IMAGE / _PS_EXTRACT_IMAGE defined above.
 
 def _wsl_has_image() -> bool:
     """Check if Windows clipboard has an image (via powershell.exe)."""

hermes_cli/commands.py

@@ -293,16 +293,8 @@ def _resolve_config_gates() -> set[str]:
     if not gated:
         return set()
     try:
-        import yaml
-        config_path = os.path.join(
-            os.getenv("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes")),
-            "config.yaml",
-        )
-        if os.path.exists(config_path):
-            with open(config_path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
-                cfg = yaml.safe_load(f) or {}
-        else:
-            cfg = {}
+        from hermes_cli.config import read_raw_config
+        cfg = read_raw_config()
     except Exception:
         return set()
     result: set[str] = set()
@@ -366,21 +358,46 @@ def telegram_bot_commands() -> list[tuple[str, str]]:
     for cmd in COMMAND_REGISTRY:
         if not _is_gateway_available(cmd, overrides):
             continue
-        tg_name = cmd.name.replace("-", "_")
-        result.append((tg_name, cmd.description))
+        tg_name = _sanitize_telegram_name(cmd.name)
+        if tg_name:
+            result.append((tg_name, cmd.description))
     return result
 
 
-_TG_NAME_LIMIT = 32
+_CMD_NAME_LIMIT = 32
+"""Max command name length shared by Telegram and Discord."""
+
+# Backward-compat alias — tests and external code may reference the old name.
+_TG_NAME_LIMIT = _CMD_NAME_LIMIT
+
+# Telegram Bot API allows only lowercase a-z, 0-9, and underscores in
+# command names.  This regex strips everything else after initial conversion.
+_TG_INVALID_CHARS = re.compile(r"[^a-z0-9_]")
+_TG_MULTI_UNDERSCORE = re.compile(r"_{2,}")
 
 
-def _clamp_telegram_names(
+def _sanitize_telegram_name(raw: str) -> str:
+    """Convert a command/skill/plugin name to a valid Telegram command name.
+
+    Telegram requires: 1-32 chars, lowercase a-z, digits 0-9, underscores only.
+    Steps: lowercase → replace hyphens with underscores → strip all other
+    invalid characters → collapse consecutive underscores → strip leading/
+    trailing underscores.
+    """
+    name = raw.lower().replace("-", "_")
+    name = _TG_INVALID_CHARS.sub("", name)
+    name = _TG_MULTI_UNDERSCORE.sub("_", name)
+    return name.strip("_")
+
+
+def _clamp_command_names(
     entries: list[tuple[str, str]],
     reserved: set[str],
 ) -> list[tuple[str, str]]:
-    """Enforce Telegram's 32-char command name limit with collision avoidance.
+    """Enforce 32-char command name limit with collision avoidance.
 
-    Names exceeding 32 chars are truncated.  If truncation creates a duplicate
+    Both Telegram and Discord cap slash command names at 32 characters.
+    Names exceeding the limit are truncated.  If truncation creates a duplicate
     (against *reserved* names or earlier entries in the same batch), the name is
     shortened to 31 chars and a digit ``0``-``9`` is appended to differentiate.
     If all 10 digit slots are taken the entry is silently dropped.
@@ -388,10 +405,10 @@ def _clamp_telegram_names(
     used: set[str] = set(reserved)
     result: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
     for name, desc in entries:
-        if len(name) > _TG_NAME_LIMIT:
-            candidate = name[:_TG_NAME_LIMIT]
+        if len(name) > _CMD_NAME_LIMIT:
+            candidate = name[:_CMD_NAME_LIMIT]
             if candidate in used:
-                prefix = name[:_TG_NAME_LIMIT - 1]
+                prefix = name[:_CMD_NAME_LIMIT - 1]
                 for digit in range(10):
                     candidate = f"{prefix}{digit}"
                     if candidate not in used:
@@ -407,6 +424,129 @@ def _clamp_telegram_names(
     return result
 
 
+# Backward-compat alias.
+_clamp_telegram_names = _clamp_command_names
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Shared skill/plugin collection for gateway platforms
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
+    platform: str,
+    max_slots: int,
+    reserved_names: set[str],
+    desc_limit: int = 100,
+    sanitize_name: "Callable[[str], str] | None" = None,
+) -> tuple[list[tuple[str, str, str]], int]:
+    """Collect plugin + skill entries for a gateway platform.
+
+    Priority order:
+      1. Plugin slash commands (take precedence over skills)
+      2. Built-in skill commands (fill remaining slots, alphabetical)
+
+    Only skills are trimmed when the cap is reached.
+    Hub-installed skills are excluded.  Per-platform disabled skills are
+    excluded.
+
+    Args:
+        platform: Platform identifier for per-platform skill filtering
+            (``"telegram"``, ``"discord"``, etc.).
+        max_slots: Maximum number of entries to return (remaining slots after
+            built-in/core commands).
+        reserved_names: Names already taken by built-in commands.  Mutated
+            in-place as new names are added.
+        desc_limit: Max description length (40 for Telegram, 100 for Discord).
+        sanitize_name: Optional name transform applied before clamping, e.g.
+            :func:`_sanitize_telegram_name` for Telegram.  May return an
+            empty string to signal "skip this entry".
+
+    Returns:
+        ``(entries, hidden_count)`` where *entries* is a list of
+        ``(name, description, cmd_key)`` triples and *hidden_count* is the
+        number of skill entries dropped due to the cap.  ``cmd_key`` is the
+        original ``/skill-name`` key from :func:`get_skill_commands`.
+    """
+    all_entries: list[tuple[str, str, str]] = []
+
+    # --- Tier 1: Plugin slash commands (never trimmed) ---------------------
+    plugin_pairs: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.plugins import get_plugin_manager
+        pm = get_plugin_manager()
+        plugin_cmds = getattr(pm, "_plugin_commands", {})
+        for cmd_name in sorted(plugin_cmds):
+            name = sanitize_name(cmd_name) if sanitize_name else cmd_name
+            if not name:
+                continue
+            desc = "Plugin command"
+            if len(desc) > desc_limit:
+                desc = desc[:desc_limit - 3] + "..."
+            plugin_pairs.append((name, desc))
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
+    plugin_pairs = _clamp_command_names(plugin_pairs, reserved_names)
+    reserved_names.update(n for n, _ in plugin_pairs)
+    # Plugins have no cmd_key — use empty string as placeholder
+    for n, d in plugin_pairs:
+        all_entries.append((n, d, ""))
+
+    # --- Tier 2: Built-in skill commands (trimmed at cap) -----------------
+    _platform_disabled: set[str] = set()
+    try:
+        from agent.skill_utils import get_disabled_skill_names
+        _platform_disabled = get_disabled_skill_names(platform=platform)
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
+    skill_triples: list[tuple[str, str, str]] = []
+    try:
+        from agent.skill_commands import get_skill_commands
+        from tools.skills_tool import SKILLS_DIR
+        _skills_dir = str(SKILLS_DIR.resolve())
+        _hub_dir = str((SKILLS_DIR / ".hub").resolve())
+        skill_cmds = get_skill_commands()
+        for cmd_key in sorted(skill_cmds):
+            info = skill_cmds[cmd_key]
+            skill_path = info.get("skill_md_path", "")
+            if not skill_path.startswith(_skills_dir):
+                continue
+            if skill_path.startswith(_hub_dir):
+                continue
+            skill_name = info.get("name", "")
+            if skill_name in _platform_disabled:
+                continue
+            raw_name = cmd_key.lstrip("/")
+            name = sanitize_name(raw_name) if sanitize_name else raw_name
+            if not name:
+                continue
+            desc = info.get("description", "")
+            if len(desc) > desc_limit:
+                desc = desc[:desc_limit - 3] + "..."
+            skill_triples.append((name, desc, cmd_key))
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
+    # Clamp names; _clamp_command_names works on (name, desc) pairs so we
+    # need to zip/unzip.
+    skill_pairs = [(n, d) for n, d, _ in skill_triples]
+    key_by_pair = {(n, d): k for n, d, k in skill_triples}
+    skill_pairs = _clamp_command_names(skill_pairs, reserved_names)
+
+    # Skills fill remaining slots — only tier that gets trimmed
+    remaining = max(0, max_slots - len(all_entries))
+    hidden_count = max(0, len(skill_pairs) - remaining)
+    for n, d in skill_pairs[:remaining]:
+        all_entries.append((n, d, key_by_pair.get((n, d), "")))
+
+    return all_entries[:max_slots], hidden_count
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Platform-specific wrappers
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
 def telegram_menu_commands(max_commands: int = 100) -> tuple[list[tuple[str, str]], int]:
     """Return Telegram menu commands capped to the Bot API limit.
 
@@ -425,80 +565,52 @@ def telegram_menu_commands(max_commands: int = 100) -> tuple[list[tuple[str, str
         skill commands omitted due to the cap.
     """
     core_commands = list(telegram_bot_commands())
-    # Reserve core names so plugin/skill truncation can't collide with them
     reserved_names = {n for n, _ in core_commands}
     all_commands = list(core_commands)
 
-    # Plugin slash commands get priority over skills
-    plugin_entries: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
-    try:
-        from hermes_cli.plugins import get_plugin_manager
-        pm = get_plugin_manager()
-        plugin_cmds = getattr(pm, "_plugin_commands", {})
-        for cmd_name in sorted(plugin_cmds):
-            tg_name = cmd_name.replace("-", "_")
-            desc = "Plugin command"
-            if len(desc) > 40:
-                desc = desc[:37] + "..."
-            plugin_entries.append((tg_name, desc))
-    except Exception:
-        pass
-
-    # Clamp plugin names to 32 chars with collision avoidance
-    plugin_entries = _clamp_telegram_names(plugin_entries, reserved_names)
-    reserved_names.update(n for n, _ in plugin_entries)
-    all_commands.extend(plugin_entries)
-
-    # Load per-platform disabled skills so they don't consume menu slots.
-    # get_skill_commands() already filters the *global* disabled list, but
-    # per-platform overrides (skills.platform_disabled.telegram) were never
-    # applied here — that's what this block fixes.
-    _platform_disabled: set[str] = set()
-    try:
-        from agent.skill_utils import get_disabled_skill_names
-        _platform_disabled = get_disabled_skill_names(platform="telegram")
-    except Exception:
-        pass
-
-    # Remaining slots go to built-in skill commands (not hub-installed).
-    skill_entries: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
-    try:
-        from agent.skill_commands import get_skill_commands
-        from tools.skills_tool import SKILLS_DIR
-        _skills_dir = str(SKILLS_DIR.resolve())
-        _hub_dir = str((SKILLS_DIR / ".hub").resolve())
-        skill_cmds = get_skill_commands()
-        for cmd_key in sorted(skill_cmds):
-            info = skill_cmds[cmd_key]
-            skill_path = info.get("skill_md_path", "")
-            if not skill_path.startswith(_skills_dir):
-                continue
-            if skill_path.startswith(_hub_dir):
-                continue
-            # Skip skills disabled for telegram
-            skill_name = info.get("name", "")
-            if skill_name in _platform_disabled:
-                continue
-            name = cmd_key.lstrip("/").replace("-", "_")
-            desc = info.get("description", "")
-            # Keep descriptions short — setMyCommands has an undocumented
-            # total payload limit.  40 chars fits 100 commands safely.
-            if len(desc) > 40:
-                desc = desc[:37] + "..."
-            skill_entries.append((name, desc))
-    except Exception:
-        pass
-
-    # Clamp skill names to 32 chars with collision avoidance
-    skill_entries = _clamp_telegram_names(skill_entries, reserved_names)
-
-    # Skills fill remaining slots — they're the only tier that gets trimmed
     remaining_slots = max(0, max_commands - len(all_commands))
-    hidden_count = max(0, len(skill_entries) - remaining_slots)
-    all_commands.extend(skill_entries[:remaining_slots])
+    entries, hidden_count = _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
+        platform="telegram",
+        max_slots=remaining_slots,
+        reserved_names=reserved_names,
+        desc_limit=40,
+        sanitize_name=_sanitize_telegram_name,
+    )
+    # Drop the cmd_key — Telegram only needs (name, desc) pairs.
+    all_commands.extend((n, d) for n, d, _k in entries)
     return all_commands[:max_commands], hidden_count
 
 
+def discord_skill_commands(
+    max_slots: int,
+    reserved_names: set[str],
+) -> tuple[list[tuple[str, str, str]], int]:
+    """Return skill entries for Discord slash command registration.
+
+    Same priority and filtering logic as :func:`telegram_menu_commands`
+    (plugins > skills, hub excluded, per-platform disabled excluded), but
+    adapted for Discord's constraints:
+
+    - Hyphens are allowed in names (no ``-`` → ``_`` sanitization)
+    - Descriptions capped at 100 chars (Discord's per-field max)
+
+    Args:
+        max_slots: Available command slots (100 minus existing built-in count).
+        reserved_names: Names of already-registered built-in commands.
+
+    Returns:
+        ``(entries, hidden_count)`` where *entries* is a list of
+        ``(discord_name, description, cmd_key)`` triples.  ``cmd_key`` is
+        the original ``/skill-name`` key needed for the slash handler callback.
+    """
+    return _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
+        platform="discord",
+        max_slots=max_slots,
+        reserved_names=set(reserved_names),  # copy — don't mutate caller's set
+        desc_limit=100,
+    )
+
+
 def slack_subcommand_map() -> dict[str, str]:
     """Return subcommand -> /command mapping for Slack /hermes handler.
 

hermes_cli/config.py

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ _EXTRA_ENV_KEYS = frozenset({
     "TERMINAL_ENV", "TERMINAL_SSH_KEY", "TERMINAL_SSH_PORT",
     "WHATSAPP_MODE", "WHATSAPP_ENABLED",
     "MATTERMOST_HOME_CHANNEL", "MATTERMOST_REPLY_MODE",
-    "MATRIX_PASSWORD", "MATRIX_ENCRYPTION", "MATRIX_HOME_ROOM",
+    "MATRIX_PASSWORD", "MATRIX_ENCRYPTION", "MATRIX_DEVICE_ID", "MATRIX_HOME_ROOM",
     "MATRIX_REQUIRE_MENTION", "MATRIX_FREE_RESPONSE_ROOMS", "MATRIX_AUTO_THREAD",
 })
 import yaml
@@ -416,6 +416,7 @@ DEFAULT_CONFIG = {
         "provider": "local",  # "local" (free, faster-whisper) | "groq" | "openai" (Whisper API)
         "local": {
             "model": "base",  # tiny, base, small, medium, large-v3
+            "language": "",  # auto-detect by default; set to "en", "es", "fr", etc. to force
         },
         "openai": {
             "model": "whisper-1",  # whisper-1, gpt-4o-mini-transcribe, gpt-4o-transcribe
@@ -590,6 +591,30 @@ OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS = {
         "category": "provider",
         "advanced": True,
     },
+    "GOOGLE_API_KEY": {
+        "description": "Google AI Studio API key (also recognized as GEMINI_API_KEY)",
+        "prompt": "Google AI Studio API key",
+        "url": "https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey",
+        "password": True,
+        "category": "provider",
+        "advanced": True,
+    },
+    "GEMINI_API_KEY": {
+        "description": "Google AI Studio API key (alias for GOOGLE_API_KEY)",
+        "prompt": "Gemini API key",
+        "url": "https://aistudio.google.com/app/apikey",
+        "password": True,
+        "category": "provider",
+        "advanced": True,
+    },
+    "GEMINI_BASE_URL": {
+        "description": "Google AI Studio base URL override",
+        "prompt": "Gemini base URL (leave empty for default)",
+        "url": None,
+        "password": False,
+        "category": "provider",
+        "advanced": True,
+    },
     "GLM_API_KEY": {
         "description": "Z.AI / GLM API key (also recognized as ZAI_API_KEY / Z_AI_API_KEY)",
         "prompt": "Z.AI / GLM API key",
@@ -844,6 +869,13 @@ OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS = {
         "password": True,
         "category": "tool",
     },
+    "FIRECRAWL_BROWSER_TTL": {
+        "description": "Firecrawl browser session TTL in seconds (optional, default 300)",
+        "prompt": "Browser session TTL (seconds)",
+        "tools": ["browser_navigate", "browser_click"],
+        "password": False,
+        "category": "tool",
+    },
     "CAMOFOX_URL": {
         "description": "Camofox browser server URL for local anti-detection browsing (e.g. http://localhost:9377)",
         "prompt": "Camofox server URL",
@@ -1048,6 +1080,14 @@ OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS = {
         "category": "messaging",
         "advanced": True,
     },
+    "MATRIX_DEVICE_ID": {
+        "description": "Stable Matrix device ID for E2EE persistence across restarts (e.g. HERMES_BOT)",
+        "prompt": "Matrix device ID (stable across restarts)",
+        "url": None,
+        "password": False,
+        "category": "messaging",
+        "advanced": True,
+    },
     "GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS": {
         "description": "Allow all users to interact with messaging bots (true/false). Default: false.",
         "prompt": "Allow all users (true/false)",
@@ -1240,6 +1280,43 @@ def get_missing_config_fields() -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
     return missing
 
 
+def get_missing_skill_config_vars() -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
+    """Return skill-declared config vars that are missing or empty in config.yaml.
+
+    Scans all enabled skills for ``metadata.hermes.config`` entries, then checks
+    which ones are absent or empty under ``skills.config.<key>`` in the user's
+    config.yaml.  Returns a list of dicts suitable for prompting.
+    """
+    try:
+        from agent.skill_utils import discover_all_skill_config_vars, SKILL_CONFIG_PREFIX
+    except Exception:
+        return []
+
+    all_vars = discover_all_skill_config_vars()
+    if not all_vars:
+        return []
+
+    config = load_config()
+    missing: List[Dict[str, Any]] = []
+    for var in all_vars:
+        # Skill config is stored under skills.config.<logical_key>
+        storage_key = f"{SKILL_CONFIG_PREFIX}.{var['key']}"
+        parts = storage_key.split(".")
+        current = config
+        value = None
+        for part in parts:
+            if isinstance(current, dict) and part in current:
+                current = current[part]
+                value = current
+            else:
+                value = None
+                break
+        # Missing = key doesn't exist or is empty string
+        if value is None or (isinstance(value, str) and not value.strip()):
+            missing.append(var)
+    return missing
+
+
 def check_config_version() -> Tuple[int, int]:
     """
     Check config version.
@@ -1671,7 +1748,50 @@ def migrate_config(interactive: bool = True, quiet: bool = False) -> Dict[str, A
         config = load_config()
         config["_config_version"] = latest_ver
         save_config(config)
-    
+
+    # ── Skill-declared config vars ──────────────────────────────────────
+    # Skills can declare config.yaml settings they need via
+    # metadata.hermes.config in their SKILL.md frontmatter.
+    # Prompt for any that are missing/empty.
+    missing_skill_config = get_missing_skill_config_vars()
+    if missing_skill_config and interactive and not quiet:
+        print(f"\n  {len(missing_skill_config)} skill setting(s) not configured:")
+        for var in missing_skill_config:
+            skill_name = var.get("skill", "unknown")
+            print(f"    • {var['key']} — {var['description']} (from skill: {skill_name})")
+        print()
+        try:
+            answer = input("  Configure skill settings? [y/N]: ").strip().lower()
+        except (EOFError, KeyboardInterrupt):
+            answer = "n"
+
+        if answer in ("y", "yes"):
+            print()
+            config = load_config()
+            try:
+                from agent.skill_utils import SKILL_CONFIG_PREFIX
+            except Exception:
+                SKILL_CONFIG_PREFIX = "skills.config"
+            for var in missing_skill_config:
+                default = var.get("default", "")
+                default_hint = f" (default: {default})" if default else ""
+                value = input(f"  {var['prompt']}{default_hint}: ").strip()
+                if not value and default:
+                    value = str(default)
+                if value:
+                    storage_key = f"{SKILL_CONFIG_PREFIX}.{var['key']}"
+                    _set_nested(config, storage_key, value)
+                    results["config_added"].append(var["key"])
+                    print(f"  ✓ Saved {var['key']} = {value}")
+                else:
+                    results["warnings"].append(
+                        f"Skipped {var['key']} — skill '{var.get('skill', '?')}' may ask for it later"
+                    )
+                print()
+            save_config(config)
+        else:
+            print("  Set later with: hermes config set <key> <value>")
+
     return results
 
 
@@ -1762,6 +1882,24 @@ def _normalize_max_turns_config(config: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
 
 
 
+def read_raw_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
+    """Read ~/.hermes/config.yaml as-is, without merging defaults or migrating.
+
+    Returns the raw YAML dict, or ``{}`` if the file doesn't exist or can't
+    be parsed.  Use this for lightweight config reads where you just need a
+    single value and don't want the overhead of ``load_config()``'s deep-merge
+    + migration pipeline.
+    """
+    try:
+        config_path = get_config_path()
+        if config_path.exists():
+            with open(config_path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+                return yaml.safe_load(f) or {}
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+    return {}
+
+
 def load_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
     """Load configuration from ~/.hermes/config.yaml."""
     import copy
@@ -1813,8 +1951,8 @@ _FALLBACK_COMMENT = """
 #
 # Supported providers:
 #   openrouter   (OPENROUTER_API_KEY)  — routes to any model
-#   openai-codex (OAuth — hermes login) — OpenAI Codex
-#   nous         (OAuth — hermes login) — Nous Portal
+#   openai-codex (OAuth — hermes auth) — OpenAI Codex
+#   nous         (OAuth — hermes auth) — Nous Portal
 #   zai          (ZAI_API_KEY)         — Z.AI / GLM
 #   kimi-coding  (KIMI_API_KEY)        — Kimi / Moonshot
 #   minimax      (MINIMAX_API_KEY)     — MiniMax
@@ -1856,8 +1994,8 @@ _COMMENTED_SECTIONS = """
 #
 # Supported providers:
 #   openrouter   (OPENROUTER_API_KEY)  — routes to any model
-#   openai-codex (OAuth — hermes login) — OpenAI Codex
-#   nous         (OAuth — hermes login) — Nous Portal
+#   openai-codex (OAuth — hermes auth) — OpenAI Codex
+#   nous         (OAuth — hermes auth) — Nous Portal
 #   zai          (ZAI_API_KEY)         — Z.AI / GLM
 #   kimi-coding  (KIMI_API_KEY)        — Kimi / Moonshot
 #   minimax      (MINIMAX_API_KEY)     — MiniMax
@@ -2325,6 +2463,23 @@ def show_config():
     print(f"  Telegram:     {'configured' if telegram_token else color('not configured', Colors.DIM)}")
     print(f"  Discord:      {'configured' if discord_token else color('not configured', Colors.DIM)}")
     
+    # Skill config
+    try:
+        from agent.skill_utils import discover_all_skill_config_vars, resolve_skill_config_values
+        skill_vars = discover_all_skill_config_vars()
+        if skill_vars:
+            resolved = resolve_skill_config_values(skill_vars)
+            print()
+            print(color("◆ Skill Settings", Colors.CYAN, Colors.BOLD))
+            for var in skill_vars:
+                key = var["key"]
+                value = resolved.get(key, "")
+                skill_name = var.get("skill", "")
+                display_val = str(value) if value else color("(not set)", Colors.DIM)
+                print(f"  {key:<20s} {display_val}  {color(f'[{skill_name}]', Colors.DIM)}")
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
     print()
     print(color("─" * 60, Colors.DIM))
     print(color("  hermes config edit     # Edit config file", Colors.DIM))
@@ -2384,7 +2539,7 @@ def set_config_value(key: str, value: str):
         'TINKER_API_KEY',
     ]
     
-    if key.upper() in api_keys or key.upper().endswith('_API_KEY') or key.upper().endswith('_TOKEN') or key.upper().startswith('TERMINAL_SSH'):
+    if key.upper() in api_keys or key.upper().endswith(('_API_KEY', '_TOKEN')) or key.upper().startswith('TERMINAL_SSH'):
         save_env_value(key.upper(), value)
         print(f"✓ Set {key} in {get_env_path()}")
         return

hermes_cli/doctor.py

@@ -836,7 +836,7 @@ def run_doctor(args):
                 get_honcho_client(hcfg)
                 check_ok(
                     "Honcho connected",
-                    f"workspace={hcfg.workspace_id} mode={hcfg.memory_mode} freq={hcfg.write_frequency}",
+                    f"workspace={hcfg.workspace_id} mode={hcfg.recall_mode} freq={hcfg.write_frequency}",
                 )
             except Exception as _e:
                 check_fail("Honcho connection failed", str(_e))
@@ -920,8 +920,8 @@ def run_doctor(args):
                         pass
     except ImportError:
         pass
-    except Exception as _e:
-        logger.debug("Profile health check failed: %s", _e)
+    except Exception:
+        pass
 
     # =========================================================================
     # Summary

hermes_cli/gateway.py

@@ -267,6 +267,34 @@ def _profile_suffix() -> str:
     return hashlib.sha256(str(home).encode()).hexdigest()[:8]
 
 
+def _profile_arg(hermes_home: str | None = None) -> str:
+    """Return ``--profile <name>`` only when HERMES_HOME is a named profile.
+
+    For ``~/.hermes/profiles/<name>``, returns ``"--profile <name>"``.
+    For the default profile or hash-based custom paths, returns the empty string.
+
+    Args:
+        hermes_home: Optional explicit HERMES_HOME path. Defaults to the current
+            ``get_hermes_home()`` value. Should be passed when generating a
+            service definition for a different user (e.g. system service).
+    """
+    import re
+    from pathlib import Path as _Path
+    home = Path(hermes_home or str(get_hermes_home())).resolve()
+    default = (_Path.home() / ".hermes").resolve()
+    if home == default:
+        return ""
+    profiles_root = (default / "profiles").resolve()
+    try:
+        rel = home.relative_to(profiles_root)
+        parts = rel.parts
+        if len(parts) == 1 and re.match(r"^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9_-]{0,63}$", parts[0]):
+            return f"--profile {parts[0]}"
+    except ValueError:
+        pass
+    return ""
+
+
 def get_service_name() -> str:
     """Derive a systemd service name scoped to this HERMES_HOME.
 
@@ -626,6 +654,7 @@ def generate_systemd_unit(system: bool = False, run_as_user: str | None = None)
     if system:
         username, group_name, home_dir = _system_service_identity(run_as_user)
         hermes_home = _hermes_home_for_target_user(home_dir)
+        profile_arg = _profile_arg(hermes_home)
         path_entries.extend(_build_user_local_paths(Path(home_dir), path_entries))
         path_entries.extend(common_bin_paths)
         sane_path = ":".join(path_entries)
@@ -640,7 +669,7 @@ StartLimitBurst=5
 Type=simple
 User={username}
 Group={group_name}
-ExecStart={python_path} -m hermes_cli.main gateway run --replace
+ExecStart={python_path} -m hermes_cli.main{f" {profile_arg}" if profile_arg else ""} gateway run --replace
 WorkingDirectory={working_dir}
 Environment="HOME={home_dir}"
 Environment="USER={username}"
@@ -661,6 +690,7 @@ WantedBy=multi-user.target
 """
 
     hermes_home = str(get_hermes_home().resolve())
+    profile_arg = _profile_arg(hermes_home)
     path_entries.extend(_build_user_local_paths(Path.home(), path_entries))
     path_entries.extend(common_bin_paths)
     sane_path = ":".join(path_entries)
@@ -672,7 +702,7 @@ StartLimitBurst=5
 
 [Service]
 Type=simple
-ExecStart={python_path} -m hermes_cli.main gateway run --replace
+ExecStart={python_path} -m hermes_cli.main{f" {profile_arg}" if profile_arg else ""} gateway run --replace
 WorkingDirectory={working_dir}
 Environment="PATH={sane_path}"
 Environment="VIRTUAL_ENV={venv_dir}"
@@ -965,6 +995,7 @@ def generate_launchd_plist() -> str:
     log_dir = get_hermes_home() / "logs"
     log_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     label = get_launchd_label()
+    profile_arg = _profile_arg(hermes_home)
     # Build a sane PATH for the launchd plist.  launchd provides only a
     # minimal default (/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin) which misses Homebrew,
     # nvm, cargo, etc.  We prepend venv/bin and node_modules/.bin (matching
@@ -986,21 +1017,32 @@ def generate_launchd_plist() -> str:
         dict.fromkeys(priority_dirs + [p for p in os.environ.get("PATH", "").split(":") if p])
     )
 
+    # Build ProgramArguments array, including --profile when using a named profile
+    prog_args = [
+        f"<string>{python_path}</string>",
+        "<string>-m</string>",
+        "<string>hermes_cli.main</string>",
+    ]
+    if profile_arg:
+        for part in profile_arg.split():
+            prog_args.append(f"<string>{part}</string>")
+    prog_args.extend([
+        "<string>gateway</string>",
+        "<string>run</string>",
+        "<string>--replace</string>",
+    ])
+    prog_args_xml = "\n        ".join(prog_args)
+
     return f"""<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
 <!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
 <plist version="1.0">
 <dict>
     <key>Label</key>
     <string>{label}</string>
-    
+
     <key>ProgramArguments</key>
     <array>
-        <string>{python_path}</string>
-        <string>-m</string>
-        <string>hermes_cli.main</string>
-        <string>gateway</string>
-        <string>run</string>
-        <string>--replace</string>
+        {prog_args_xml}
     </array>
     
     <key>WorkingDirectory</key>
@@ -1121,7 +1163,7 @@ def launchd_start():
     try:
         subprocess.run(["launchctl", "kickstart", f"{_launchd_domain()}/{label}"], check=True, timeout=30)
     except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
-        if e.returncode != 3:
+        if e.returncode not in (3, 113):
             raise
         print("↻ launchd job was unloaded; reloading service definition")
         subprocess.run(["launchctl", "bootstrap", _launchd_domain(), str(plist_path)], check=True, timeout=30)
@@ -1183,7 +1225,7 @@ def launchd_restart():
         subprocess.run(["launchctl", "kickstart", "-k", target], check=True, timeout=90)
         print("✓ Service restarted")
     except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
-        if e.returncode != 3:
+        if e.returncode not in (3, 113):
             raise
         # Job not loaded — bootstrap and start fresh
         print("↻ launchd job was unloaded; reloading")
@@ -1803,8 +1845,7 @@ def _setup_signal():
         print_warning("signal-cli not found on PATH.")
         print_info("  Signal requires signal-cli running as an HTTP daemon.")
         print_info("  Install options:")
-        print_info("    Linux:  sudo apt install signal-cli")
-        print_info("            or download from https://github.com/AsamK/signal-cli")
+        print_info("    Linux:  download from https://github.com/AsamK/signal-cli/releases")
         print_info("    macOS:  brew install signal-cli")
         print_info("    Docker: bbernhard/signal-cli-rest-api")
         print()

hermes_cli/logs.py

@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ Usage examples::
     hermes logs --since 30m -f     # follow, starting 30 min ago
 """
 
-import os
 import re
 import sys
 import time

hermes_cli/main.py

@@ -908,7 +908,7 @@ def select_provider_and_model(args=None):
         try:
             active = resolve_provider("auto")
         except AuthError:
-            active = "openrouter"  # no provider yet; show full picker
+            active = None  # no provider yet; default to first in list
 
     # Detect custom endpoint
     if active == "openrouter" and get_env_value("OPENAI_BASE_URL"):
@@ -921,6 +921,7 @@ def select_provider_and_model(args=None):
         "copilot-acp": "GitHub Copilot ACP",
         "copilot": "GitHub Copilot",
         "anthropic": "Anthropic",
+        "gemini": "Google AI Studio",
         "zai": "Z.AI / GLM",
         "kimi-coding": "Kimi / Moonshot",
         "minimax": "MiniMax",
@@ -933,21 +934,26 @@ def select_provider_and_model(args=None):
         "huggingface": "Hugging Face",
         "custom": "Custom endpoint",
     }
-    active_label = provider_labels.get(active, active)
+    active_label = provider_labels.get(active, active) if active else "none"
 
     print()
     print(f"  Current model:    {current_model}")
     print(f"  Active provider:  {active_label}")
     print()
 
-    # Step 1: Provider selection — put active provider first with marker
-    providers = [
-        ("openrouter", "OpenRouter (100+ models, pay-per-use)"),
+    # Step 1: Provider selection — top providers shown first, rest behind "More..."
+    top_providers = [
         ("nous", "Nous Portal (Nous Research subscription)"),
-        ("openai-codex", "OpenAI Codex"),
-        ("copilot-acp", "GitHub Copilot ACP (spawns `copilot --acp --stdio`)"),
-        ("copilot", "GitHub Copilot (uses GITHUB_TOKEN or gh auth token)"),
+        ("openrouter", "OpenRouter (100+ models, pay-per-use)"),
         ("anthropic", "Anthropic (Claude models — API key or Claude Code)"),
+        ("openai-codex", "OpenAI Codex"),
+        ("copilot", "GitHub Copilot (uses GITHUB_TOKEN or gh auth token)"),
+        ("huggingface", "Hugging Face Inference Providers (20+ open models)"),
+    ]
+
+    extended_providers = [
+        ("copilot-acp", "GitHub Copilot ACP (spawns `copilot --acp --stdio`)"),
+        ("gemini", "Google AI Studio (Gemini models — OpenAI-compatible endpoint)"),
         ("zai", "Z.AI / GLM (Zhipu AI direct API)"),
         ("kimi-coding", "Kimi / Moonshot (Moonshot AI direct API)"),
         ("minimax", "MiniMax (global direct API)"),
@@ -957,7 +963,6 @@ def select_provider_and_model(args=None):
         ("opencode-go", "OpenCode Go (open models, $10/month subscription)"),
         ("ai-gateway", "AI Gateway (Vercel — 200+ models, pay-per-use)"),
         ("alibaba", "Alibaba Cloud / DashScope Coding (Qwen + multi-provider)"),
-        ("huggingface", "Hugging Face Inference Providers (20+ open models)"),
     ]
 
     # Add user-defined custom providers from config.yaml
@@ -971,12 +976,11 @@ def select_provider_and_model(args=None):
             base_url = (entry.get("base_url") or "").strip()
             if not name or not base_url:
                 continue
-            # Generate a stable key from the name
             key = "custom:" + name.lower().replace(" ", "-")
             short_url = base_url.replace("https://", "").replace("http://", "").rstrip("/")
             saved_model = entry.get("model", "")
             model_hint = f" — {saved_model}" if saved_model else ""
-            providers.append((key, f"{name} ({short_url}){model_hint}"))
+            top_providers.append((key, f"{name} ({short_url}){model_hint}"))
             _custom_provider_map[key] = {
                 "name": name,
                 "base_url": base_url,
@@ -984,31 +988,54 @@ def select_provider_and_model(args=None):
                 "model": saved_model,
             }
 
-    # Always add the manual custom endpoint option last
-    providers.append(("custom", "Custom endpoint (enter URL manually)"))
+    top_keys = {k for k, _ in top_providers}
+    extended_keys = {k for k, _ in extended_providers}
 
-    # Add removal option if there are saved custom providers
-    if _custom_provider_map:
-        providers.append(("remove-custom", "Remove a saved custom provider"))
+    # If the active provider is in the extended list, promote it into top
+    if active and active in extended_keys:
+        promoted = [(k, l) for k, l in extended_providers if k == active]
+        extended_providers = [(k, l) for k, l in extended_providers if k != active]
+        top_providers = promoted + top_providers
+        top_keys.add(active)
 
-    # Reorder so the active provider is at the top
-    known_keys = {k for k, _ in providers}
-    active_key = active if active in known_keys else "custom"
+    # Build the primary menu
     ordered = []
-    for key, label in providers:
-        if key == active_key:
-            ordered.insert(0, (key, f"{label}  ← currently active"))
+    default_idx = 0
+    for key, label in top_providers:
+        if active and key == active:
+            ordered.append((key, f"{label}  ← currently active"))
+            default_idx = len(ordered) - 1
         else:
             ordered.append((key, label))
+
+    ordered.append(("more", "More providers..."))
     ordered.append(("cancel", "Cancel"))
 
-    provider_idx = _prompt_provider_choice([label for _, label in ordered])
+    provider_idx = _prompt_provider_choice(
+        [label for _, label in ordered], default=default_idx,
+    )
     if provider_idx is None or ordered[provider_idx][0] == "cancel":
         print("No change.")
         return
 
     selected_provider = ordered[provider_idx][0]
 
+    # "More providers..." — show the extended list
+    if selected_provider == "more":
+        ext_ordered = list(extended_providers)
+        ext_ordered.append(("custom", "Custom endpoint (enter URL manually)"))
+        if _custom_provider_map:
+            ext_ordered.append(("remove-custom", "Remove a saved custom provider"))
+        ext_ordered.append(("cancel", "Cancel"))
+
+        ext_idx = _prompt_provider_choice(
+            [label for _, label in ext_ordered], default=0,
+        )
+        if ext_idx is None or ext_ordered[ext_idx][0] == "cancel":
+            print("No change.")
+            return
+        selected_provider = ext_ordered[ext_idx][0]
+
     # Step 2: Provider-specific setup + model selection
     if selected_provider == "openrouter":
         _model_flow_openrouter(config, current_model)
@@ -1030,38 +1057,37 @@ def select_provider_and_model(args=None):
         _model_flow_anthropic(config, current_model)
     elif selected_provider == "kimi-coding":
         _model_flow_kimi(config, current_model)
-    elif selected_provider in ("zai", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "kilocode", "opencode-zen", "opencode-go", "ai-gateway", "alibaba", "huggingface"):
+    elif selected_provider in ("gemini", "zai", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "kilocode", "opencode-zen", "opencode-go", "ai-gateway", "alibaba", "huggingface"):
         _model_flow_api_key_provider(config, selected_provider, current_model)
 
 
-def _prompt_provider_choice(choices):
-    """Show provider selection menu. Returns index or None."""
+def _prompt_provider_choice(choices, *, default=0):
+    """Show provider selection menu with curses arrow-key navigation.
+
+    Falls back to a numbered list when curses is unavailable (e.g. piped
+    stdin, non-TTY environments).  Returns the selected index, or None
+    if the user cancels.
+    """
     try:
-        from simple_term_menu import TerminalMenu
-        menu_items = [f"  {c}" for c in choices]
-        menu = TerminalMenu(
-            menu_items, cursor_index=0,
-            menu_cursor="-> ", menu_cursor_style=("fg_green", "bold"),
-            menu_highlight_style=("fg_green",),
-            cycle_cursor=True, clear_screen=False,
-            title="Select provider:",
-        )
-        idx = menu.show()
-        print()
-        return idx
-    except (ImportError, NotImplementedError):
+        from hermes_cli.setup import _curses_prompt_choice
+        idx = _curses_prompt_choice("Select provider:", choices, default)
+        if idx >= 0:
+            print()
+            return idx
+    except Exception:
         pass
 
     # Fallback: numbered list
     print("Select provider:")
     for i, c in enumerate(choices, 1):
-        print(f"  {i}. {c}")
+        marker = "→" if i - 1 == default else " "
+        print(f"  {marker} {i}. {c}")
     print()
     while True:
         try:
-            val = input(f"Choice [1-{len(choices)}]: ").strip()
+            val = input(f"Choice [1-{len(choices)}] ({default + 1}): ").strip()
             if not val:
-                return None
+                return default
             idx = int(val) - 1
             if 0 <= idx < len(choices):
                 return idx
@@ -1084,7 +1110,8 @@ def _model_flow_openrouter(config, current_model=""):
         print("Get one at: https://openrouter.ai/keys")
         print()
         try:
-            key = input("OpenRouter API key (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
+            import getpass
+            key = getpass.getpass("OpenRouter API key (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
         except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
             print()
             return
@@ -1127,7 +1154,7 @@ def _model_flow_nous(config, current_model="", args=None):
     from hermes_cli.auth import (
         get_provider_auth_state, _prompt_model_selection, _save_model_choice,
         _update_config_for_provider, resolve_nous_runtime_credentials,
-        fetch_nous_models, AuthError, format_auth_error,
+        AuthError, format_auth_error,
         _login_nous, PROVIDER_REGISTRY,
     )
     from hermes_cli.config import get_env_value, save_config, save_env_value
@@ -1168,14 +1195,15 @@ def _model_flow_nous(config, current_model="", args=None):
     # Already logged in — use curated model list (same as OpenRouter defaults).
     # The live /models endpoint returns hundreds of models; the curated list
     # shows only agentic models users recognize from OpenRouter.
-    from hermes_cli.models import _PROVIDER_MODELS, get_pricing_for_provider
+    from hermes_cli.models import (
+        _PROVIDER_MODELS, get_pricing_for_provider, filter_nous_free_models,
+        check_nous_free_tier, partition_nous_models_by_tier,
+    )
     model_ids = _PROVIDER_MODELS.get("nous", [])
     if not model_ids:
         print("No curated models available for Nous Portal.")
         return
 
-    print(f"Showing {len(model_ids)} curated models — use \"Enter custom model name\" for others.")
-
     # Verify credentials are still valid (catches expired sessions early)
     try:
         creds = resolve_nous_runtime_credentials(min_key_ttl_seconds=5 * 60)
@@ -1201,7 +1229,44 @@ def _model_flow_nous(config, current_model="", args=None):
     # Fetch live pricing (non-blocking — returns empty dict on failure)
     pricing = get_pricing_for_provider("nous")
 
-    selected = _prompt_model_selection(model_ids, current_model=current_model, pricing=pricing)
+    # Check if user is on free tier
+    free_tier = check_nous_free_tier()
+
+    # For both tiers: apply the allowlist filter first (removes non-allowlisted
+    # free models and allowlist models that aren't actually free).
+    # Then for free users: partition remaining models into selectable/unavailable.
+    model_ids = filter_nous_free_models(model_ids, pricing)
+    unavailable_models: list[str] = []
+    if free_tier:
+        model_ids, unavailable_models = partition_nous_models_by_tier(model_ids, pricing, free_tier=True)
+
+    if not model_ids and not unavailable_models:
+        print("No models available for Nous Portal after filtering.")
+        return
+
+    # Resolve portal URL for upgrade links (may differ on staging)
+    _nous_portal_url = ""
+    try:
+        _nous_state = get_provider_auth_state("nous")
+        if _nous_state:
+            _nous_portal_url = _nous_state.get("portal_base_url", "")
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
+    if free_tier and not model_ids:
+        print("No free models currently available.")
+        if unavailable_models:
+            from hermes_cli.auth import DEFAULT_NOUS_PORTAL_URL
+            _url = (_nous_portal_url or DEFAULT_NOUS_PORTAL_URL).rstrip("/")
+            print(f"Upgrade at {_url} to access paid models.")
+        return
+
+    print(f"Showing {len(model_ids)} curated models — use \"Enter custom model name\" for others.")
+
+    selected = _prompt_model_selection(
+        model_ids, current_model=current_model, pricing=pricing,
+        unavailable_models=unavailable_models, portal_url=_nous_portal_url,
+    )
     if selected:
         _save_model_choice(selected)
         # Reactivate Nous as the provider and update config
@@ -1249,7 +1314,6 @@ def _model_flow_openai_codex(config, current_model=""):
         PROVIDER_REGISTRY, DEFAULT_CODEX_BASE_URL,
     )
     from hermes_cli.codex_models import get_codex_model_ids
-    from hermes_cli.config import get_env_value, save_env_value
     import argparse
 
     status = get_codex_auth_status()
@@ -1267,12 +1331,21 @@ def _model_flow_openai_codex(config, current_model=""):
             return
 
     _codex_token = None
+    # Prefer credential pool (where `hermes auth` stores device_code tokens),
+    # fall back to legacy provider state.
     try:
-        from hermes_cli.auth import resolve_codex_runtime_credentials
-        _codex_creds = resolve_codex_runtime_credentials()
-        _codex_token = _codex_creds.get("api_key")
+        _codex_status = get_codex_auth_status()
+        if _codex_status.get("logged_in"):
+            _codex_token = _codex_status.get("api_key")
     except Exception:
         pass
+    if not _codex_token:
+        try:
+            from hermes_cli.auth import resolve_codex_runtime_credentials
+            _codex_creds = resolve_codex_runtime_credentials()
+            _codex_token = _codex_creds.get("api_key")
+        except Exception:
+            pass
 
     codex_models = get_codex_model_ids(access_token=_codex_token)
 
@@ -1293,7 +1366,7 @@ def _model_flow_custom(config):
     so it appears in the provider menu on subsequent runs.
     """
     from hermes_cli.auth import _save_model_choice, deactivate_provider
-    from hermes_cli.config import get_env_value, save_env_value, load_config, save_config
+    from hermes_cli.config import get_env_value, load_config, save_config
 
     current_url = get_env_value("OPENAI_BASE_URL") or ""
     current_key = get_env_value("OPENAI_API_KEY") or ""
@@ -1307,7 +1380,8 @@ def _model_flow_custom(config):
 
     try:
         base_url = input(f"API base URL [{current_url or 'e.g. https://api.example.com/v1'}]: ").strip()
-        api_key = input(f"API key [{current_key[:8] + '...' if current_key else 'optional'}]: ").strip()
+        import getpass
+        api_key = getpass.getpass(f"API key [{current_key[:8] + '...' if current_key else 'optional'}]: ").strip()
     except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
         print("\nCancelled.")
         return
@@ -1554,7 +1628,7 @@ def _model_flow_named_custom(config, provider_info):
     Otherwise probes the endpoint's /models API to let the user pick one.
     """
     from hermes_cli.auth import _save_model_choice, deactivate_provider
-    from hermes_cli.config import save_env_value, load_config, save_config
+    from hermes_cli.config import load_config, save_config
     from hermes_cli.models import fetch_api_models
 
     name = provider_info["name"]
@@ -1764,7 +1838,7 @@ def _model_flow_copilot(config, current_model=""):
         deactivate_provider,
         resolve_api_key_provider_credentials,
     )
-    from hermes_cli.config import get_env_value, save_env_value, load_config, save_config
+    from hermes_cli.config import save_env_value, load_config, save_config
     from hermes_cli.models import (
         fetch_api_models,
         fetch_github_model_catalog,
@@ -1816,7 +1890,8 @@ def _model_flow_copilot(config, current_model=""):
                 return
         elif choice == "2":
             try:
-                new_key = input("  Token (COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN): ").strip()
+                import getpass
+                new_key = getpass.getpass("  Token (COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN): ").strip()
             except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
                 print()
                 return
@@ -2057,7 +2132,8 @@ def _model_flow_kimi(config, current_model=""):
         print(f"No {pconfig.name} API key configured.")
         if key_env:
             try:
-                new_key = input(f"{key_env} (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
+                import getpass
+                new_key = getpass.getpass(f"{key_env} (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
             except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
                 print()
                 return
@@ -2151,7 +2227,8 @@ def _model_flow_api_key_provider(config, provider_id, current_model=""):
         print(f"No {pconfig.name} API key configured.")
         if key_env:
             try:
-                new_key = input(f"{key_env} (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
+                import getpass
+                new_key = getpass.getpass(f"{key_env} (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
             except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
                 print()
                 return
@@ -2180,24 +2257,37 @@ def _model_flow_api_key_provider(config, provider_id, current_model=""):
         save_env_value(base_url_env, override)
         effective_base = override
 
-    # Model selection — try live /models endpoint first, fall back to defaults.
-    # Providers with large live catalogs (100+ models) use a curated list instead
-    # so users see familiar model names rather than an overwhelming dump.
+    # Model selection — resolution order:
+    #   1. models.dev registry (cached, filtered for agentic/tool-capable models)
+    #   2. Curated static fallback list (offline insurance)
+    #   3. Live /models endpoint probe (small providers without models.dev data)
     curated = _PROVIDER_MODELS.get(provider_id, [])
-    if curated and len(curated) >= 8:
+
+    # Try models.dev first — returns tool-capable models, filtered for noise
+    mdev_models: list = []
+    try:
+        from agent.models_dev import list_agentic_models
+        mdev_models = list_agentic_models(provider_id)
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+
+    if mdev_models:
+        model_list = mdev_models
+        print(f"  Found {len(model_list)} model(s) from models.dev registry")
+    elif curated and len(curated) >= 8:
         # Curated list is substantial — use it directly, skip live probe
-        live_models = None
+        model_list = curated
+        print(f"  Showing {len(model_list)} curated models — use \"Enter custom model name\" for others.")
     else:
         api_key_for_probe = existing_key or (get_env_value(key_env) if key_env else "")
         live_models = fetch_api_models(api_key_for_probe, effective_base)
-
-    if live_models and len(live_models) >= len(curated):
-        model_list = live_models
-        print(f"  Found {len(model_list)} model(s) from {pconfig.name} API")
-    else:
-        model_list = curated
-        if model_list:
-            print(f"  Showing {len(model_list)} curated models — use \"Enter custom model name\" for others.")
+        if live_models and len(live_models) >= len(curated):
+            model_list = live_models
+            print(f"  Found {len(model_list)} model(s) from {pconfig.name} API")
+        else:
+            model_list = curated
+            if model_list:
+                print(f"  Showing {len(model_list)} curated models — use \"Enter custom model name\" for others.")
         # else: no defaults either, will fall through to raw input
 
     if provider_id in {"opencode-zen", "opencode-go"}:
@@ -2285,7 +2375,8 @@ def _run_anthropic_oauth_flow(save_env_value):
         print("  If the setup-token was displayed above, paste it here:")
         print()
         try:
-            manual_token = input("  Paste setup-token (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
+            import getpass
+            manual_token = getpass.getpass("  Paste setup-token (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
         except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
             print()
             return False
@@ -2312,7 +2403,8 @@ def _run_anthropic_oauth_flow(save_env_value):
         print("  Or paste an existing setup-token now (sk-ant-oat-...):")
         print()
         try:
-            token = input("  Setup-token (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
+            import getpass
+            token = getpass.getpass("  Setup-token (or Enter to cancel): ").strip()
         except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
             print()
             return False
@@ -2337,8 +2429,6 @@ def _model_flow_anthropic(config, current_model=""):
     )
     from hermes_cli.models import _PROVIDER_MODELS
 
-    pconfig = PROVIDER_REGISTRY["anthropic"]
-
     # Check ALL credential sources
     existing_key = (
         get_env_value("ANTHROPIC_TOKEN")
@@ -2405,7 +2495,8 @@ def _model_flow_anthropic(config, current_model=""):
             print("  Get an API key at: https://console.anthropic.com/settings/keys")
             print()
             try:
-                api_key = input("  API key (sk-ant-...): ").strip()
+                import getpass
+                api_key = getpass.getpass("  API key (sk-ant-...): ").strip()
             except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
                 print()
                 return
@@ -3510,7 +3601,7 @@ def cmd_update(args):
         try:
             from hermes_cli.profiles import list_profiles, get_active_profile_name, seed_profile_skills
             active = get_active_profile_name()
-            other_profiles = [p for p in list_profiles() if not p.is_default and p.name != active]
+            other_profiles = [p for p in list_profiles() if p.name != active]
             if other_profiles:
                 print()
                 print("→ Syncing bundled skills to other profiles...")
@@ -3606,7 +3697,7 @@ def cmd_update(args):
         try:
             from hermes_cli.gateway import (
                 is_macos, is_linux, _ensure_user_systemd_env,
-                get_systemd_linger_status, find_gateway_pids,
+                find_gateway_pids,
                 _get_service_pids,
             )
             import signal as _signal
@@ -3762,7 +3853,7 @@ def cmd_profile(args):
     """Profile management — create, delete, list, switch, alias."""
     from hermes_cli.profiles import (
         list_profiles, create_profile, delete_profile, seed_profile_skills,
-        get_active_profile, set_active_profile, get_active_profile_name,
+        set_active_profile, get_active_profile_name,
         check_alias_collision, create_wrapper_script, remove_wrapper_script,
         _is_wrapper_dir_in_path, _get_wrapper_dir,
     )
@@ -3890,7 +3981,6 @@ def cmd_profile(args):
             print(f"  {name} chat               Start chatting")
             print(f"  {name} gateway start      Start the messaging gateway")
             if clone or clone_all:
-                from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
                 profile_dir_display = f"~/.hermes/profiles/{name}"
                 print(f"\n  Edit {profile_dir_display}/.env for different API keys")
                 print(f"  Edit {profile_dir_display}/SOUL.md for different personality")
@@ -4150,7 +4240,7 @@ For more help on a command:
     )
     chat_parser.add_argument(
         "--provider",
-        choices=["auto", "openrouter", "nous", "openai-codex", "copilot-acp", "copilot", "anthropic", "huggingface", "zai", "kimi-coding", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "kilocode"],
+        choices=["auto", "openrouter", "nous", "openai-codex", "copilot-acp", "copilot", "anthropic", "gemini", "huggingface", "zai", "kimi-coding", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "kilocode"],
         default=None,
         help="Inference provider (default: auto)"
     )
@@ -4313,7 +4403,7 @@ For more help on a command:
     gateway_uninstall.add_argument("--system", action="store_true", help="Target the Linux system-level gateway service")
 
     # gateway setup
-    gateway_setup = gateway_subparsers.add_parser("setup", help="Configure messaging platforms")
+    gateway_subparsers.add_parser("setup", help="Configure messaging platforms")
 
     gateway_parser.set_defaults(func=cmd_gateway)
     
@@ -4588,10 +4678,10 @@ For more help on a command:
     config_subparsers = config_parser.add_subparsers(dest="config_command")
     
     # config show (default)
-    config_show = config_subparsers.add_parser("show", help="Show current configuration")
+    config_subparsers.add_parser("show", help="Show current configuration")
     
     # config edit
-    config_edit = config_subparsers.add_parser("edit", help="Open config file in editor")
+    config_subparsers.add_parser("edit", help="Open config file in editor")
     
     # config set
     config_set = config_subparsers.add_parser("set", help="Set a configuration value")
@@ -4599,16 +4689,16 @@ For more help on a command:
     config_set.add_argument("value", nargs="?", help="Value to set")
     
     # config path
-    config_path = config_subparsers.add_parser("path", help="Print config file path")
+    config_subparsers.add_parser("path", help="Print config file path")
     
     # config env-path
-    config_env = config_subparsers.add_parser("env-path", help="Print .env file path")
+    config_subparsers.add_parser("env-path", help="Print .env file path")
     
     # config check
-    config_check = config_subparsers.add_parser("check", help="Check for missing/outdated config")
+    config_subparsers.add_parser("check", help="Check for missing/outdated config")
     
     # config migrate
-    config_migrate = config_subparsers.add_parser("migrate", help="Update config with new options")
+    config_subparsers.add_parser("migrate", help="Update config with new options")
     
     config_parser.set_defaults(func=cmd_config)
     
@@ -4622,7 +4712,7 @@ For more help on a command:
     )
     pairing_sub = pairing_parser.add_subparsers(dest="pairing_action")
 
-    pairing_list_parser = pairing_sub.add_parser("list", help="Show pending + approved users")
+    pairing_sub.add_parser("list", help="Show pending + approved users")
 
     pairing_approve_parser = pairing_sub.add_parser("approve", help="Approve a pairing code")
     pairing_approve_parser.add_argument("platform", help="Platform name (telegram, discord, slack, whatsapp)")
@@ -4632,7 +4722,7 @@ For more help on a command:
     pairing_revoke_parser.add_argument("platform", help="Platform name")
     pairing_revoke_parser.add_argument("user_id", help="User ID to revoke")
 
-    pairing_clear_parser = pairing_sub.add_parser("clear-pending", help="Clear all pending codes")
+    pairing_sub.add_parser("clear-pending", help="Clear all pending codes")
 
     def cmd_pairing(args):
         from hermes_cli.pairing import pairing_command
@@ -4808,7 +4898,7 @@ For more help on a command:
     memory_sub = memory_parser.add_subparsers(dest="memory_command")
     memory_sub.add_parser("setup", help="Interactive provider selection and configuration")
     memory_sub.add_parser("status", help="Show current memory provider config")
-    memory_off_p = memory_sub.add_parser("off", help="Disable external provider (built-in only)")
+    memory_sub.add_parser("off", help="Disable external provider (built-in only)")
 
     def cmd_memory(args):
         sub = getattr(args, "memory_command", None)
@@ -4972,7 +5062,7 @@ For more help on a command:
     sessions_prune.add_argument("--source", help="Only prune sessions from this source")
     sessions_prune.add_argument("--yes", "-y", action="store_true", help="Skip confirmation")
 
-    sessions_stats = sessions_subparsers.add_parser("stats", help="Show session store statistics")
+    sessions_subparsers.add_parser("stats", help="Show session store statistics")
 
     sessions_rename = sessions_subparsers.add_parser("rename", help="Set or change a session's title")
     sessions_rename.add_argument("session_id", help="Session ID to rename")
@@ -5332,7 +5422,7 @@ For more help on a command:
     )
     profile_subparsers = profile_parser.add_subparsers(dest="profile_action")
 
-    profile_list = profile_subparsers.add_parser("list", help="List all profiles")
+    profile_subparsers.add_parser("list", help="List all profiles")
     profile_use = profile_subparsers.add_parser("use", help="Set sticky default profile")
     profile_use.add_argument("profile_name", help="Profile name (or 'default')")
 

hermes_cli/memory_setup.py

@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ import os
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
+from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Curses-based interactive picker (same pattern as hermes tools)
@@ -275,7 +277,7 @@ def cmd_setup_provider(provider_name: str) -> None:
         config["memory"] = {}
 
     if hasattr(provider, "post_setup"):
-        hermes_home = str(Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes"))))
+        hermes_home = str(get_hermes_home())
         provider.post_setup(hermes_home, config)
         return
 
@@ -326,7 +328,7 @@ def cmd_setup(args) -> None:
     # If the provider has a post_setup hook, delegate entirely to it.
     # The hook handles its own config, connection test, and activation.
     if hasattr(provider, "post_setup"):
-        hermes_home = str(Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes"))))
+        hermes_home = str(get_hermes_home())
         provider.post_setup(hermes_home, config)
         return
 
@@ -336,7 +338,7 @@ def cmd_setup(args) -> None:
     if not isinstance(provider_config, dict):
         provider_config = {}
 
-    env_path = Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes"))) / ".env"
+    env_path = get_hermes_home() / ".env"
     env_writes = {}
 
     if schema:
@@ -400,7 +402,7 @@ def cmd_setup(args) -> None:
     save_config(config)
 
     # Write non-secret config to provider's native location
-    hermes_home = str(Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes"))))
+    hermes_home = str(get_hermes_home())
     if provider_config and hasattr(provider, "save_config"):
         try:
             provider.save_config(provider_config, hermes_home)

hermes_cli/model_normalize.py

@@ -8,8 +8,9 @@ Different LLM providers expect model identifiers in different formats:
   hyphens: ``claude-sonnet-4-6``.
 - **Copilot** expects bare names *with* dots preserved:
   ``claude-sonnet-4.6``.
-- **OpenCode** (Zen & Go) follows the same dot-to-hyphen convention as
+- **OpenCode Zen** follows the same dot-to-hyphen convention as
   Anthropic: ``claude-sonnet-4-6``.
+- **OpenCode Go** preserves dots in model names: ``minimax-m2.7``.
 - **DeepSeek** only accepts two model identifiers:
   ``deepseek-chat`` and ``deepseek-reasoner``.
 - **Custom** and remaining providers pass the name through as-is.
@@ -41,6 +42,7 @@ _VENDOR_PREFIXES: dict[str, str] = {
     "o3": "openai",
     "o4": "openai",
     "gemini": "google",
+    "gemma": "google",
     "deepseek": "deepseek",
     "glm": "z-ai",
     "kimi": "moonshotai",
@@ -66,7 +68,6 @@ _AGGREGATOR_PROVIDERS: frozenset[str] = frozenset({
 _DOT_TO_HYPHEN_PROVIDERS: frozenset[str] = frozenset({
     "anthropic",
     "opencode-zen",
-    "opencode-go",
 })
 
 # Providers that want bare names with dots preserved.
@@ -77,6 +78,7 @@ _STRIP_VENDOR_ONLY_PROVIDERS: frozenset[str] = frozenset({
 
 # Providers whose own naming is authoritative -- pass through unchanged.
 _PASSTHROUGH_PROVIDERS: frozenset[str] = frozenset({
+    "gemini",
     "zai",
     "kimi-coding",
     "minimax",

hermes_cli/model_switch.py

@@ -21,22 +21,16 @@ OpenRouter variant suffixes (``:free``, ``:extended``, ``:fast``).
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
-from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import List, NamedTuple, Optional
 
 from hermes_cli.providers import (
-    ALIASES,
-    LABELS,
-    TRANSPORT_TO_API_MODE,
     determine_api_mode,
     get_label,
-    get_provider,
     is_aggregator,
-    normalize_provider,
     resolve_provider_full,
 )
 from hermes_cli.model_normalize import (
-    detect_vendor,
     normalize_model_for_provider,
 )
 from agent.models_dev import (
@@ -339,12 +333,37 @@ def resolve_alias(
     return None
 
 
+def get_authenticated_provider_slugs(
+    current_provider: str = "",
+    user_providers: dict = None,
+) -> list[str]:
+    """Return slugs of providers that have credentials.
+
+    Uses ``list_authenticated_providers()`` which is backed by the models.dev
+    in-memory cache (1 hr TTL) — no extra network cost.
+    """
+    try:
+        providers = list_authenticated_providers(
+            current_provider=current_provider,
+            user_providers=user_providers,
+            max_models=0,
+        )
+        return [p["slug"] for p in providers]
+    except Exception:
+        return []
+
+
 def _resolve_alias_fallback(
     raw_input: str,
-    fallback_providers: tuple[str, ...] = ("openrouter", "nous"),
+    authenticated_providers: list[str] = (),
 ) -> Optional[tuple[str, str, str]]:
-    """Try to resolve an alias on fallback providers."""
-    for provider in fallback_providers:
+    """Try to resolve an alias on the user's authenticated providers.
+
+    Falls back to ``("openrouter", "nous")`` only when no authenticated
+    providers are supplied (backwards compat for non-interactive callers).
+    """
+    providers = authenticated_providers or ("openrouter", "nous")
+    for provider in providers:
         result = resolve_alias(raw_input, provider)
         if result is not None:
             return result
@@ -494,7 +513,11 @@ def switch_model(
             # --- Step b: Alias exists but not on current provider -> fallback ---
             key = raw_input.strip().lower()
             if key in MODEL_ALIASES:
-                fallback_result = _resolve_alias_fallback(raw_input)
+                authed = get_authenticated_provider_slugs(
+                    current_provider=current_provider,
+                    user_providers=user_providers,
+                )
+                fallback_result = _resolve_alias_fallback(raw_input, authed)
                 if fallback_result is not None:
                     target_provider, new_model, resolved_alias = fallback_result
                     logger.debug(

hermes_cli/models.py

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ OPENROUTER_MODELS: list[tuple[str, str]] = [
     ("stepfun/step-3.5-flash",          ""),
     ("minimax/minimax-m2.7",            ""),
     ("minimax/minimax-m2.5",            ""),
-    ("z-ai/glm-5",                      ""),
+    ("z-ai/glm-5.1",                    ""),
     ("z-ai/glm-5-turbo",                ""),
     ("moonshotai/kimi-k2.5",            ""),
     ("x-ai/grok-4.20-beta",             ""),
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ _PROVIDER_MODELS: dict[str, list[str]] = {
         "stepfun/step-3.5-flash",
         "minimax/minimax-m2.7",
         "minimax/minimax-m2.5",
-        "z-ai/glm-5",
+        "z-ai/glm-5.1",
         "z-ai/glm-5-turbo",
         "moonshotai/kimi-k2.5",
         "x-ai/grok-4.20-beta",
@@ -111,6 +111,17 @@ _PROVIDER_MODELS: dict[str, list[str]] = {
         "gemini-2.5-pro",
         "grok-code-fast-1",
     ],
+    "gemini": [
+        "gemini-3.1-pro-preview",
+        "gemini-3-flash-preview",
+        "gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview",
+        "gemini-2.5-pro",
+        "gemini-2.5-flash",
+        "gemini-2.5-flash-lite",
+        # Gemma open models (also served via AI Studio)
+        "gemma-4-31b-it",
+        "gemma-4-26b-it",
+    ],
     "zai": [
         "glm-5",
         "glm-5-turbo",
@@ -254,12 +265,209 @@ _PROVIDER_MODELS: dict[str, list[str]] = {
     ],
 }
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Nous Portal free-model filtering
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Models that are ALLOWED to appear when priced as free on Nous Portal.
+# Any other free model is hidden — prevents promotional/temporary free models
+# from cluttering the selection when users are paying subscribers.
+# Models in this list are ALSO filtered out if they are NOT free (i.e. they
+# should only appear in the menu when they are genuinely free).
+_NOUS_ALLOWED_FREE_MODELS: frozenset[str] = frozenset({
+    "xiaomi/mimo-v2-pro",
+    "xiaomi/mimo-v2-omni",
+})
+
+
+def _is_model_free(model_id: str, pricing: dict[str, dict[str, str]]) -> bool:
+    """Return True if *model_id* has zero-cost prompt AND completion pricing."""
+    p = pricing.get(model_id)
+    if not p:
+        return False
+    try:
+        return float(p.get("prompt", "1")) == 0 and float(p.get("completion", "1")) == 0
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return False
+
+
+def filter_nous_free_models(
+    model_ids: list[str],
+    pricing: dict[str, dict[str, str]],
+) -> list[str]:
+    """Filter the Nous Portal model list according to free-model policy.
+
+    Rules:
+      • Paid models that are NOT in the allowlist → keep (normal case).
+      • Free models that are NOT in the allowlist → drop.
+      • Allowlist models that ARE free → keep.
+      • Allowlist models that are NOT free → drop.
+    """
+    if not pricing:
+        return model_ids  # no pricing data — can't filter, show everything
+
+    result: list[str] = []
+    for mid in model_ids:
+        free = _is_model_free(mid, pricing)
+        if mid in _NOUS_ALLOWED_FREE_MODELS:
+            # Allowlist model: only show when it's actually free
+            if free:
+                result.append(mid)
+        else:
+            # Regular model: keep only when it's NOT free
+            if not free:
+                result.append(mid)
+    return result
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Nous Portal account tier detection
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+def fetch_nous_account_tier(access_token: str, portal_base_url: str = "") -> dict[str, Any]:
+    """Fetch the user's Nous Portal account/subscription info.
+
+    Calls ``<portal>/api/oauth/account`` with the OAuth access token.
+
+    Returns the parsed JSON dict on success, e.g.::
+
+        {
+            "subscription": {
+                "plan": "Plus",
+                "tier": 2,
+                "monthly_charge": 20,
+                "credits_remaining": 1686.60,
+                ...
+            },
+            ...
+        }
+
+    Returns an empty dict on any failure (network, auth, parse).
+    """
+    base = (portal_base_url or "https://portal.nousresearch.com").rstrip("/")
+    url = f"{base}/api/oauth/account"
+    headers = {
+        "Authorization": f"Bearer {access_token}",
+        "Accept": "application/json",
+    }
+    try:
+        req = urllib.request.Request(url, headers=headers)
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=8) as resp:
+            return json.loads(resp.read().decode())
+    except Exception:
+        return {}
+
+
+def is_nous_free_tier(account_info: dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
+    """Return True if the account info indicates a free (unpaid) tier.
+
+    Checks ``subscription.monthly_charge == 0``.  Returns False when
+    the field is missing or unparseable (assumes paid — don't block users).
+    """
+    sub = account_info.get("subscription")
+    if not isinstance(sub, dict):
+        return False
+    charge = sub.get("monthly_charge")
+    if charge is None:
+        return False
+    try:
+        return float(charge) == 0
+    except (TypeError, ValueError):
+        return False
+
+
+def partition_nous_models_by_tier(
+    model_ids: list[str],
+    pricing: dict[str, dict[str, str]],
+    free_tier: bool,
+) -> tuple[list[str], list[str]]:
+    """Split Nous models into (selectable, unavailable) based on user tier.
+
+    For paid-tier users: all models are selectable, none unavailable
+    (free-model filtering is handled separately by ``filter_nous_free_models``).
+
+    For free-tier users: only free models are selectable; paid models
+    are returned as unavailable (shown grayed out in the menu).
+    """
+    if not free_tier:
+        return (model_ids, [])
+
+    if not pricing:
+        return (model_ids, [])  # can't determine, show everything
+
+    selectable: list[str] = []
+    unavailable: list[str] = []
+    for mid in model_ids:
+        if _is_model_free(mid, pricing):
+            selectable.append(mid)
+        else:
+            unavailable.append(mid)
+    return (selectable, unavailable)
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# TTL cache for free-tier detection — avoids repeated API calls within a
+# session while still picking up upgrades quickly.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+_FREE_TIER_CACHE_TTL: int = 180  # seconds (3 minutes)
+_free_tier_cache: tuple[bool, float] | None = None  # (result, timestamp)
+
+
+def clear_nous_free_tier_cache() -> None:
+    """Invalidate the cached free-tier result (e.g. after login/logout)."""
+    global _free_tier_cache
+    _free_tier_cache = None
+
+
+def check_nous_free_tier() -> bool:
+    """Check if the current Nous Portal user is on a free (unpaid) tier.
+
+    Results are cached for ``_FREE_TIER_CACHE_TTL`` seconds to avoid
+    hitting the Portal API on every call.  The cache is short-lived so
+    that an account upgrade is reflected within a few minutes.
+
+    Returns False (assume paid) on any error — never blocks paying users.
+    """
+    global _free_tier_cache
+    import time
+
+    now = time.monotonic()
+    if _free_tier_cache is not None:
+        cached_result, cached_at = _free_tier_cache
+        if now - cached_at < _FREE_TIER_CACHE_TTL:
+            return cached_result
+
+    try:
+        from hermes_cli.auth import get_provider_auth_state, resolve_nous_runtime_credentials
+
+        # Ensure we have a fresh token (triggers refresh if needed)
+        resolve_nous_runtime_credentials(min_key_ttl_seconds=60)
+
+        state = get_provider_auth_state("nous")
+        if not state:
+            _free_tier_cache = (False, now)
+            return False
+        access_token = state.get("access_token", "")
+        portal_url = state.get("portal_base_url", "")
+        if not access_token:
+            _free_tier_cache = (False, now)
+            return False
+
+        account_info = fetch_nous_account_tier(access_token, portal_url)
+        result = is_nous_free_tier(account_info)
+        _free_tier_cache = (result, now)
+        return result
+    except Exception:
+        _free_tier_cache = (False, now)
+        return False  # default to paid on error — don't block users
+
+
 _PROVIDER_LABELS = {
     "openrouter": "OpenRouter",
     "openai-codex": "OpenAI Codex",
     "copilot-acp": "GitHub Copilot ACP",
     "nous": "Nous Portal",
     "copilot": "GitHub Copilot",
+    "gemini": "Google AI Studio",
     "zai": "Z.AI / GLM",
     "kimi-coding": "Kimi / Moonshot",
     "minimax": "MiniMax",
@@ -286,6 +494,9 @@ _PROVIDER_ALIASES = {
     "github-model": "copilot",
     "github-copilot-acp": "copilot-acp",
     "copilot-acp-agent": "copilot-acp",
+    "google": "gemini",
+    "google-gemini": "gemini",
+    "google-ai-studio": "gemini",
     "kimi": "kimi-coding",
     "moonshot": "kimi-coding",
     "minimax-china": "minimax-cn",
@@ -550,7 +761,8 @@ def list_available_providers() -> list[dict[str, str]]:
     # Canonical providers in display order
     _PROVIDER_ORDER = [
         "openrouter", "nous", "openai-codex", "copilot", "copilot-acp",
-        "huggingface", "zai", "kimi-coding", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "kilocode", "anthropic", "alibaba",
+        "gemini", "huggingface",
+        "zai", "kimi-coding", "minimax", "minimax-cn", "kilocode", "anthropic", "alibaba",
         "opencode-zen", "opencode-go",
         "ai-gateway", "deepseek", "custom",
     ]
@@ -919,10 +1131,6 @@ def _payload_items(payload: Any) -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
     return []
 
 
-def _extract_model_ids(payload: Any) -> list[str]:
-    return [item.get("id", "") for item in _payload_items(payload) if item.get("id")]
-
-
 def copilot_default_headers() -> dict[str, str]:
     """Standard headers for Copilot API requests.
 

hermes_cli/nous_subscription.py

@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ def _browser_label(current_provider: str) -> str:
     mapping = {
         "browserbase": "Browserbase",
         "browser-use": "Browser Use",
+        "firecrawl": "Firecrawl",
         "camofox": "Camofox",
         "local": "Local browser",
     }
@@ -156,6 +157,7 @@ def _resolve_browser_feature_state(
     direct_camofox: bool,
     direct_browserbase: bool,
     direct_browser_use: bool,
+    direct_firecrawl: bool,
     managed_browser_available: bool,
 ) -> tuple[str, bool, bool, bool]:
     """Resolve browser availability using the same precedence as runtime."""
@@ -165,18 +167,22 @@ def _resolve_browser_feature_state(
     if browser_provider_explicit:
         current_provider = browser_provider or "local"
         if current_provider == "browserbase":
-            provider_available = managed_browser_available or direct_browserbase
+            available = bool(browser_local_available and direct_browserbase)
+            active = bool(browser_tool_enabled and available)
+            return current_provider, available, active, False
+        if current_provider == "browser-use":
+            provider_available = managed_browser_available or direct_browser_use
             available = bool(browser_local_available and provider_available)
             managed = bool(
                 browser_tool_enabled
                 and browser_local_available
                 and managed_browser_available
-                and not direct_browserbase
+                and not direct_browser_use
             )
             active = bool(browser_tool_enabled and available)
             return current_provider, available, active, managed
-        if current_provider == "browser-use":
-            available = bool(browser_local_available and direct_browser_use)
+        if current_provider == "firecrawl":
+            available = bool(browser_local_available and direct_firecrawl)
             active = bool(browser_tool_enabled and available)
             return current_provider, available, active, False
         if current_provider == "camofox":
@@ -187,16 +193,21 @@ def _resolve_browser_feature_state(
         active = bool(browser_tool_enabled and available)
         return current_provider, available, active, False
 
-    if managed_browser_available or direct_browserbase:
+    if managed_browser_available or direct_browser_use:
         available = bool(browser_local_available)
         managed = bool(
             browser_tool_enabled
             and browser_local_available
             and managed_browser_available
-            and not direct_browserbase
+            and not direct_browser_use
         )
         active = bool(browser_tool_enabled and available)
-        return "browserbase", available, active, managed
+        return "browser-use", available, active, managed
+
+    if direct_browserbase:
+        available = bool(browser_local_available)
+        active = bool(browser_tool_enabled and available)
+        return "browserbase", available, active, False
 
     available = bool(browser_local_available)
     active = bool(browser_tool_enabled and available)
@@ -260,7 +271,7 @@ def get_nous_subscription_features(
     managed_web_available = managed_tools_flag and nous_auth_present and is_managed_tool_gateway_ready("firecrawl")
     managed_image_available = managed_tools_flag and nous_auth_present and is_managed_tool_gateway_ready("fal-queue")
     managed_tts_available = managed_tools_flag and nous_auth_present and is_managed_tool_gateway_ready("openai-audio")
-    managed_browser_available = managed_tools_flag and nous_auth_present and is_managed_tool_gateway_ready("browserbase")
+    managed_browser_available = managed_tools_flag and nous_auth_present and is_managed_tool_gateway_ready("browser-use")
     managed_modal_available = managed_tools_flag and nous_auth_present and is_managed_tool_gateway_ready("modal")
     modal_state = resolve_modal_backend_state(
         modal_mode,
@@ -315,6 +326,7 @@ def get_nous_subscription_features(
         direct_camofox=direct_camofox,
         direct_browserbase=direct_browserbase,
         direct_browser_use=direct_browser_use,
+        direct_firecrawl=direct_firecrawl,
         managed_browser_available=managed_browser_available,
     )
 
@@ -505,10 +517,10 @@ def apply_nous_managed_defaults(
         changed.add("tts")
 
     if "browser" in selected_toolsets and not features.browser.explicit_configured and not (
-        get_env_value("BROWSERBASE_API_KEY")
-        or get_env_value("BROWSER_USE_API_KEY")
+        get_env_value("BROWSER_USE_API_KEY")
+        or get_env_value("BROWSERBASE_API_KEY")
     ):
-        browser_cfg["cloud_provider"] = "browserbase"
+        browser_cfg["cloud_provider"] = "browser-use"
         changed.add("browser")
 
     if "image_gen" in selected_toolsets and not get_env_value("FAL_KEY"):

hermes_cli/plugins.py

@@ -36,8 +36,9 @@ import sys
 import types
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Set
+from typing import Any, Callable, Dict, List, Optional, Set, Union
 
+from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 from utils import env_var_enabled
 
 try:
@@ -95,7 +96,7 @@ class PluginManifest:
     version: str = ""
     description: str = ""
     author: str = ""
-    requires_env: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    requires_env: List[Union[str, Dict[str, Any]]] = field(default_factory=list)
     provides_tools: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
     provides_hooks: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
     source: str = ""        # "user", "project", or "entrypoint"
@@ -258,8 +259,7 @@ class PluginManager:
         manifests: List[PluginManifest] = []
 
         # 1. User plugins (~/.hermes/plugins/)
-        hermes_home = os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes"))
-        user_dir = Path(hermes_home) / "plugins"
+        user_dir = get_hermes_home() / "plugins"
         manifests.extend(self._scan_directory(user_dir, source="user"))
 
         # 2. Project plugins (./.hermes/plugins/)

hermes_cli/plugins_cmd.py

@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ import subprocess
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
+from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 # Minimum manifest version this installer understands.
@@ -26,8 +28,7 @@ _SUPPORTED_MANIFEST_VERSION = 1
 
 def _plugins_dir() -> Path:
     """Return the user plugins directory, creating it if needed."""
-    hermes_home = os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes"))
-    plugins = Path(hermes_home) / "plugins"
+    plugins = get_hermes_home() / "plugins"
     plugins.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
     return plugins
 
@@ -147,6 +148,82 @@ def _copy_example_files(plugin_dir: Path, console) -> None:
                 )
 
 
+def _prompt_plugin_env_vars(manifest: dict, console) -> None:
+    """Prompt for required environment variables declared in plugin.yaml.
+
+    ``requires_env`` accepts two formats:
+
+    Simple list (backwards-compatible)::
+
+        requires_env:
+          - MY_API_KEY
+
+    Rich list with metadata::
+
+        requires_env:
+          - name: MY_API_KEY
+            description: "API key for Acme service"
+            url: "https://acme.com/keys"
+            secret: true
+
+    Already-set variables are skipped.  Values are saved to the user's ``.env``.
+    """
+    requires_env = manifest.get("requires_env") or []
+    if not requires_env:
+        return
+
+    from hermes_cli.config import get_env_value, save_env_value  # noqa: F811
+    from hermes_constants import display_hermes_home
+
+    # Normalise to list-of-dicts
+    env_specs: list[dict] = []
+    for entry in requires_env:
+        if isinstance(entry, str):
+            env_specs.append({"name": entry})
+        elif isinstance(entry, dict) and entry.get("name"):
+            env_specs.append(entry)
+
+    # Filter to only vars that aren't already set
+    missing = [s for s in env_specs if not get_env_value(s["name"])]
+    if not missing:
+        return
+
+    plugin_name = manifest.get("name", "this plugin")
+    console.print(f"\n[bold]{plugin_name}[/bold] requires the following environment variables:\n")
+
+    for spec in missing:
+        name = spec["name"]
+        desc = spec.get("description", "")
+        url = spec.get("url", "")
+        secret = spec.get("secret", False)
+
+        label = f"  {name}"
+        if desc:
+            label += f" — {desc}"
+        console.print(label)
+        if url:
+            console.print(f"  [dim]Get yours at: {url}[/dim]")
+
+        try:
+            if secret:
+                import getpass
+                value = getpass.getpass(f"  {name}: ").strip()
+            else:
+                value = input(f"  {name}: ").strip()
+        except (EOFError, KeyboardInterrupt):
+            console.print(f"\n[dim]  Skipped (you can set these later in {display_hermes_home()}/.env)[/dim]")
+            return
+
+        if value:
+            save_env_value(name, value)
+            os.environ[name] = value
+            console.print(f"  [green]✓[/green] Saved to {display_hermes_home()}/.env")
+        else:
+            console.print(f"  [dim]  Skipped (set {name} in {display_hermes_home()}/.env later)[/dim]")
+
+    console.print()
+
+
 def _display_after_install(plugin_dir: Path, identifier: str) -> None:
     """Show after-install.md if it exists, otherwise a default message."""
     from rich.console import Console
@@ -218,7 +295,7 @@ def cmd_install(identifier: str, force: bool = False) -> None:
         sys.exit(1)
 
     # Warn about insecure / local URL schemes
-    if git_url.startswith("http://") or git_url.startswith("file://"):
+    if git_url.startswith(("http://", "file://")):
         console.print(
             "[yellow]Warning:[/yellow] Using insecure/local URL scheme. "
             "Consider using https:// or git@ for production installs."
@@ -306,6 +383,12 @@ def cmd_install(identifier: str, force: bool = False) -> None:
     # Copy .example files to their real names (e.g. config.yaml.example → config.yaml)
     _copy_example_files(target, console)
 
+    # Re-read manifest from installed location (for env var prompting)
+    installed_manifest = _read_manifest(target)
+
+    # Prompt for required environment variables before showing after-install docs
+    _prompt_plugin_env_vars(installed_manifest, console)
+
     _display_after_install(target, identifier)
 
     console.print("[dim]Restart the gateway for the plugin to take effect:[/dim]")

hermes_cli/profiles.py

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import shutil
 import stat
 import subprocess
 import sys
-from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from dataclasses import dataclass
 from pathlib import Path, PurePosixPath, PureWindowsPath
 from typing import List, Optional
 
@@ -517,7 +517,6 @@ def delete_profile(name: str, yes: bool = False) -> Path:
     ]
 
     # Check for service
-    from hermes_cli.gateway import _profile_suffix, get_service_name
     wrapper_path = _get_wrapper_dir() / name
     has_wrapper = wrapper_path.exists()
     if has_wrapper:

hermes_cli/providers.py

@@ -20,8 +20,7 @@ Other modules import from this file.  No parallel registries.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
-import os
-from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from dataclasses import dataclass
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
@@ -345,26 +344,6 @@ def get_label(provider_id: str) -> str:
     return canonical
 
 
-# Build LABELS dict for backward compat
-def _build_labels() -> Dict[str, str]:
-    """Build labels dict from overlays + overrides. Lazy, cached."""
-    labels: Dict[str, str] = {}
-    for pid in HERMES_OVERLAYS:
-        labels[pid] = get_label(pid)
-    labels.update(_LABEL_OVERRIDES)
-    return labels
-
-# Lazy-built on first access
-_labels_cache: Optional[Dict[str, str]] = None
-
-@property
-def LABELS() -> Dict[str, str]:
-    """Backward-compatible labels dict."""
-    global _labels_cache
-    if _labels_cache is None:
-        _labels_cache = _build_labels()
-    return _labels_cache
-
 # For direct import compat, expose as module-level dict
 # Built on demand by get_label() calls
 LABELS: Dict[str, str] = {

hermes_cli/runtime_provider.py

@@ -495,7 +495,11 @@ def _resolve_explicit_runtime(
             explicit_base_url
             or str(state.get("inference_base_url") or auth_mod.DEFAULT_NOUS_INFERENCE_URL).strip().rstrip("/")
         )
-        api_key = explicit_api_key or str(state.get("agent_key") or state.get("access_token") or "").strip()
+        # Only use agent_key for inference — access_token is an OAuth token for the
+        # portal API (minting keys, refreshing tokens), not for the inference API.
+        # Falling back to access_token sends an OAuth bearer token to the inference
+        # endpoint, which returns 404 because it is not a valid inference credential.
+        api_key = explicit_api_key or str(state.get("agent_key") or "").strip()
         expires_at = state.get("agent_key_expires_at") or state.get("expires_at")
         if not api_key:
             creds = resolve_nous_runtime_credentials(
@@ -635,31 +639,47 @@ def resolve_runtime_provider(
             )
 
     if provider == "nous":
-        creds = resolve_nous_runtime_credentials(
-            min_key_ttl_seconds=max(60, int(os.getenv("HERMES_NOUS_MIN_KEY_TTL_SECONDS", "1800"))),
-            timeout_seconds=float(os.getenv("HERMES_NOUS_TIMEOUT_SECONDS", "15")),
-        )
-        return {
-            "provider": "nous",
-            "api_mode": "chat_completions",
-            "base_url": creds.get("base_url", "").rstrip("/"),
-            "api_key": creds.get("api_key", ""),
-            "source": creds.get("source", "portal"),
-            "expires_at": creds.get("expires_at"),
-            "requested_provider": requested_provider,
-        }
+        try:
+            creds = resolve_nous_runtime_credentials(
+                min_key_ttl_seconds=max(60, int(os.getenv("HERMES_NOUS_MIN_KEY_TTL_SECONDS", "1800"))),
+                timeout_seconds=float(os.getenv("HERMES_NOUS_TIMEOUT_SECONDS", "15")),
+            )
+            return {
+                "provider": "nous",
+                "api_mode": "chat_completions",
+                "base_url": creds.get("base_url", "").rstrip("/"),
+                "api_key": creds.get("api_key", ""),
+                "source": creds.get("source", "portal"),
+                "expires_at": creds.get("expires_at"),
+                "requested_provider": requested_provider,
+            }
+        except AuthError:
+            if requested_provider != "auto":
+                raise
+            # Auto-detected Nous but credentials are stale/revoked —
+            # fall through to env-var providers (e.g. OpenRouter).
+            logger.info("Auto-detected Nous provider but credentials failed; "
+                        "falling through to next provider.")
 
     if provider == "openai-codex":
-        creds = resolve_codex_runtime_credentials()
-        return {
-            "provider": "openai-codex",
-            "api_mode": "codex_responses",
-            "base_url": creds.get("base_url", "").rstrip("/"),
-            "api_key": creds.get("api_key", ""),
-            "source": creds.get("source", "hermes-auth-store"),
-            "last_refresh": creds.get("last_refresh"),
-            "requested_provider": requested_provider,
-        }
+        try:
+            creds = resolve_codex_runtime_credentials()
+            return {
+                "provider": "openai-codex",
+                "api_mode": "codex_responses",
+                "base_url": creds.get("base_url", "").rstrip("/"),
+                "api_key": creds.get("api_key", ""),
+                "source": creds.get("source", "hermes-auth-store"),
+                "last_refresh": creds.get("last_refresh"),
+                "requested_provider": requested_provider,
+            }
+        except AuthError:
+            if requested_provider != "auto":
+                raise
+            # Auto-detected Codex but credentials are stale/revoked —
+            # fall through to env-var providers (e.g. OpenRouter).
+            logger.info("Auto-detected Codex provider but credentials failed; "
+                        "falling through to next provider.")
 
     if provider == "copilot-acp":
         creds = resolve_external_process_provider_credentials(provider)

hermes_cli/skin_engine.py

@@ -96,7 +96,6 @@ Activate with ``/skin <name>`` in the CLI or ``display.skin: <name>`` in config.
 """
 
 import logging
-import os
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Tuple

hermes_cli/status.py

@@ -123,7 +123,8 @@ def show_status(args):
         "MiniMax-CN": "MINIMAX_CN_API_KEY",
         "Firecrawl": "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY",
         "Tavily": "TAVILY_API_KEY",
-        "Browserbase": "BROWSERBASE_API_KEY",  # Optional — local browser works without this
+        "Browser Use": "BROWSER_USE_API_KEY",  # Optional — local browser works without this
+        "Browserbase": "BROWSERBASE_API_KEY",  # Optional — direct credentials only
         "FAL": "FAL_KEY",
         "Tinker": "TINKER_API_KEY",
         "WandB": "WANDB_API_KEY",

hermes_cli/tools_config.py

@@ -61,22 +61,6 @@ def _prompt(question: str, default: str = None, password: bool = False) -> str:
         print()
         return default or ""
 
-def _prompt_yes_no(question: str, default: bool = True) -> bool:
-    default_str = "Y/n" if default else "y/N"
-    while True:
-        try:
-            value = input(color(f"{question} [{default_str}]: ", Colors.YELLOW)).strip().lower()
-        except (KeyboardInterrupt, EOFError):
-            print()
-            return default
-        if not value:
-            return default
-        if value in ('y', 'yes'):
-            return True
-        if value in ('n', 'no'):
-            return False
-
-
 # ─── Toolset Registry ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 # Toolsets shown in the configurator, grouped for display.
@@ -280,21 +264,21 @@ TOOL_CATEGORIES = {
         "icon": "🌐",
         "providers": [
             {
-                "name": "Nous Subscription (Browserbase cloud)",
-                "tag": "Managed Browserbase billed to your subscription",
+                "name": "Nous Subscription (Browser Use cloud)",
+                "tag": "Managed Browser Use billed to your subscription",
                 "env_vars": [],
-                "browser_provider": "browserbase",
+                "browser_provider": "browser-use",
                 "requires_nous_auth": True,
                 "managed_nous_feature": "browser",
-                "override_env_vars": ["BROWSERBASE_API_KEY", "BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID"],
-                "post_setup": "browserbase",
+                "override_env_vars": ["BROWSER_USE_API_KEY"],
+                "post_setup": "agent_browser",
             },
             {
                 "name": "Local Browser",
                 "tag": "Free headless Chromium (no API key needed)",
                 "env_vars": [],
                 "browser_provider": "local",
-                "post_setup": "browserbase",  # Same npm install for agent-browser
+                "post_setup": "agent_browser",
             },
             {
                 "name": "Browserbase",
@@ -304,7 +288,7 @@ TOOL_CATEGORIES = {
                     {"key": "BROWSERBASE_PROJECT_ID", "prompt": "Browserbase project ID"},
                 ],
                 "browser_provider": "browserbase",
-                "post_setup": "browserbase",
+                "post_setup": "agent_browser",
             },
             {
                 "name": "Browser Use",
@@ -313,7 +297,16 @@ TOOL_CATEGORIES = {
                     {"key": "BROWSER_USE_API_KEY", "prompt": "Browser Use API key", "url": "https://browser-use.com"},
                 ],
                 "browser_provider": "browser-use",
-                "post_setup": "browserbase",
+                "post_setup": "agent_browser",
+            },
+            {
+                "name": "Firecrawl",
+                "tag": "Cloud browser with remote execution",
+                "env_vars": [
+                    {"key": "FIRECRAWL_API_KEY", "prompt": "Firecrawl API key", "url": "https://firecrawl.dev"},
+                ],
+                "browser_provider": "firecrawl",
+                "post_setup": "agent_browser",
             },
             {
                 "name": "Camofox",
@@ -372,7 +365,7 @@ TOOLSET_ENV_REQUIREMENTS = {
 def _run_post_setup(post_setup_key: str):
     """Run post-setup hooks for tools that need extra installation steps."""
     import shutil
-    if post_setup_key == "browserbase":
+    if post_setup_key in ("agent_browser", "browserbase"):
         node_modules = PROJECT_ROOT / "node_modules" / "agent-browser"
         if not node_modules.exists() and shutil.which("npm"):
             _print_info("    Installing Node.js dependencies for browser tools...")
@@ -561,6 +554,7 @@ def _get_platform_tools(
     # MCP servers are expected to be available on all platforms by default.
     # If the platform explicitly lists one or more MCP server names, treat that
     # as an allowlist. Otherwise include every globally enabled MCP server.
+    # Special sentinel: "no_mcp" in the toolset list disables all MCP servers.
     mcp_servers = config.get("mcp_servers") or {}
     enabled_mcp_servers = {
         name
@@ -568,10 +562,15 @@ def _get_platform_tools(
         if isinstance(server_cfg, dict)
         and _parse_enabled_flag(server_cfg.get("enabled", True), default=True)
     }
-    explicit_mcp_servers = explicit_passthrough & enabled_mcp_servers
-    enabled_toolsets.update(explicit_passthrough - enabled_mcp_servers)
+    # Allow "no_mcp" sentinel to opt out of all MCP servers for this platform
+    if "no_mcp" in toolset_names:
+        explicit_mcp_servers = set()
+        enabled_toolsets.update(explicit_passthrough - enabled_mcp_servers - {"no_mcp"})
+    else:
+        explicit_mcp_servers = explicit_passthrough & enabled_mcp_servers
+        enabled_toolsets.update(explicit_passthrough - enabled_mcp_servers)
     if include_default_mcp_servers:
-        if explicit_mcp_servers:
+        if explicit_mcp_servers or "no_mcp" in toolset_names:
             enabled_toolsets.update(explicit_mcp_servers)
         else:
             enabled_toolsets.update(enabled_mcp_servers)

hermes_cli/uninstall.py

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ Provides options for:
 - Keep data: Remove code but keep ~/.hermes/ (configs, sessions, logs)
 """
 
-import os
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -24,10 +23,6 @@ def log_success(msg: str):
 def log_warn(msg: str):
     print(f"{color('⚠', Colors.YELLOW)} {msg}")
 
-def log_error(msg: str):
-    print(f"{color('✗', Colors.RED)} {msg}")
-
-
 def get_project_root() -> Path:
     """Get the project installation directory."""
     return Path(__file__).parent.parent.resolve()

hermes_cli/webhook.py

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import re
 import secrets
 import time
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Dict, Optional
+from typing import Dict
 
 from hermes_constants import display_hermes_home
 
@@ -25,9 +25,8 @@ _SUBSCRIPTIONS_FILENAME = "webhook_subscriptions.json"
 
 
 def _hermes_home() -> Path:
-    return Path(
-        os.getenv("HERMES_HOME", str(Path.home() / ".hermes"))
-    ).expanduser()
+    from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+    return get_hermes_home()
 
 
 def _subscriptions_path() -> Path:

hermes_logging.py

@@ -13,7 +13,6 @@ secrets are never written to disk.
 """
 
 import logging
-import os
 from logging.handlers import RotatingFileHandler
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Optional

hermes_state.py

@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ Key design decisions:
 
 import json
 import logging
-import os
 import random
 import re
 import sqlite3

hermes_time.py

@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ crashes due to a bad timezone string.
 import logging
 import os
 from datetime import datetime
-from pathlib import Path
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 from typing import Optional
 
@@ -92,7 +91,6 @@ def get_timezone() -> Optional[ZoneInfo]:
 
 def get_timezone_name() -> str:
     """Return the IANA name of the configured timezone, or empty string."""
-    global _cached_tz_name, _cache_resolved
     if not _cache_resolved:
         get_timezone()  # populates cache
     return _cached_tz_name or ""

mcp_serve.py

@@ -37,9 +37,8 @@ import sys
 import threading
 import time
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
-from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
+from typing import Dict, List, Optional
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("hermes.mcp_serve")
 

model_tools.py

@@ -211,7 +211,7 @@ _LEGACY_TOOLSET_MAP = {
     "browser_tools": [
         "browser_navigate", "browser_snapshot", "browser_click",
         "browser_type", "browser_scroll", "browser_back",
-        "browser_press", "browser_close", "browser_get_images",
+        "browser_press", "browser_get_images",
         "browser_vision", "browser_console"
     ],
     "cronjob_tools": ["cronjob"],

nix/nixosModules.nix

@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@
 
       # ── Activation: link config + auth + documents ────────────────────
       {
-        system.activationScripts."hermes-agent-setup" = lib.stringAfter [ "users" ] ''
+        system.activationScripts."hermes-agent-setup" = lib.stringAfter [ "users" "setupSecrets" ] ''
           # Ensure directories exist (activation runs before tmpfiles)
           mkdir -p ${cfg.stateDir}/.hermes
           mkdir -p ${cfg.stateDir}/home

nix/packages.nix

@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@
     in {
       packages.default = pkgs.stdenv.mkDerivation {
         pname = "hermes-agent";
-        version = "0.1.0";
+        version = (builtins.fromTOML (builtins.readFile ../pyproject.toml)).project.version;
 
         dontUnpack = true;
         dontBuild = true;

plugins/memory/byterover/__init__.py

@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@ import os
 import shutil
 import subprocess
 import threading
-import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ class ByteRoverMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             return self._tool_curate(args)
         elif tool_name == "brv_status":
             return self._tool_status()
-        return json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}"})
+        return tool_error(f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}")
 
     def shutdown(self) -> None:
         if self._sync_thread and self._sync_thread.is_alive():
@@ -332,7 +332,7 @@ class ByteRoverMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
     def _tool_query(self, args: dict) -> str:
         query = args.get("query", "")
         if not query:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "query is required"})
+            return tool_error("query is required")
 
         result = _run_brv(
             ["query", "--", query.strip()[:5000]],
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ class ByteRoverMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
         )
 
         if not result["success"]:
-            return json.dumps({"error": result.get("error", "Query failed")})
+            return tool_error(result.get("error", "Query failed"))
 
         output = result.get("output", "").strip()
         if not output or len(output) < _MIN_OUTPUT_LEN:
@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ class ByteRoverMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
     def _tool_curate(self, args: dict) -> str:
         content = args.get("content", "")
         if not content:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "content is required"})
+            return tool_error("content is required")
 
         result = _run_brv(
             ["curate", "--", content],
@@ -363,14 +363,14 @@ class ByteRoverMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
         )
 
         if not result["success"]:
-            return json.dumps({"error": result.get("error", "Curate failed")})
+            return tool_error(result.get("error", "Curate failed"))
 
         return json.dumps({"result": "Memory curated successfully."})
 
     def _tool_status(self) -> str:
         result = _run_brv(["status"], timeout=15, cwd=self._cwd)
         if not result["success"]:
-            return json.dumps({"error": result.get("error", "Status check failed")})
+            return tool_error(result.get("error", "Status check failed"))
         return json.dumps({"status": result.get("output", "")})
 
 

plugins/memory/hindsight/__init__.py

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import threading
 from typing import Any, Dict, List
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -290,8 +291,7 @@ class HindsightMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
         if self._mode == "local":
             def _start_daemon():
                 import traceback
-                from pathlib import Path
-                log_dir = Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", os.path.expanduser("~/.hermes"))) / "logs"
+                log_dir = get_hermes_home() / "logs"
                 log_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
                 log_path = log_dir / "hindsight-embed.log"
                 try:
@@ -434,12 +434,12 @@ class HindsightMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             client = self._get_client()
         except Exception as e:
             logger.warning("Hindsight client init failed: %s", e)
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"Hindsight client unavailable: {e}"})
+            return tool_error(f"Hindsight client unavailable: {e}")
 
         if tool_name == "hindsight_retain":
             content = args.get("content", "")
             if not content:
-                return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: content"})
+                return tool_error("Missing required parameter: content")
             context = args.get("context")
             try:
                 _run_sync(client.aretain(
@@ -448,12 +448,12 @@ class HindsightMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return json.dumps({"result": "Memory stored successfully."})
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.warning("hindsight_retain failed: %s", e)
-                return json.dumps({"error": f"Failed to store memory: {e}"})
+                return tool_error(f"Failed to store memory: {e}")
 
         elif tool_name == "hindsight_recall":
             query = args.get("query", "")
             if not query:
-                return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: query"})
+                return tool_error("Missing required parameter: query")
             try:
                 resp = _run_sync(client.arecall(
                     bank_id=self._bank_id, query=query, budget=self._budget
@@ -464,12 +464,12 @@ class HindsightMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return json.dumps({"result": "\n".join(lines)})
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.warning("hindsight_recall failed: %s", e)
-                return json.dumps({"error": f"Failed to search memory: {e}"})
+                return tool_error(f"Failed to search memory: {e}")
 
         elif tool_name == "hindsight_reflect":
             query = args.get("query", "")
             if not query:
-                return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: query"})
+                return tool_error("Missing required parameter: query")
             try:
                 resp = _run_sync(client.areflect(
                     bank_id=self._bank_id, query=query, budget=self._budget
@@ -477,9 +477,9 @@ class HindsightMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return json.dumps({"result": resp.text or "No relevant memories found."})
             except Exception as e:
                 logger.warning("hindsight_reflect failed: %s", e)
-                return json.dumps({"error": f"Failed to reflect: {e}"})
+                return tool_error(f"Failed to reflect: {e}")
 
-        return json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}"})
+        return tool_error(f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}")
 
     def shutdown(self) -> None:
         global _loop, _loop_thread

plugins/memory/holographic/__init__.py

@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import json
 import logging
 import re
-from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Dict, List
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 from .store import MemoryStore
 from .retrieval import FactRetriever
 
@@ -231,7 +231,7 @@ class HolographicMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             return self._handle_fact_store(args)
         elif tool_name == "fact_feedback":
             return self._handle_fact_feedback(args)
-        return json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}"})
+        return tool_error(f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}")
 
     def on_session_end(self, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
         if not self._config.get("auto_extract", False):
@@ -297,7 +297,7 @@ class HolographicMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             elif action == "reason":
                 entities = args.get("entities", [])
                 if not entities:
-                    return json.dumps({"error": "reason requires 'entities' list"})
+                    return tool_error("reason requires 'entities' list")
                 results = retriever.reason(
                     entities,
                     category=args.get("category"),
@@ -335,12 +335,12 @@ class HolographicMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return json.dumps({"facts": facts, "count": len(facts)})
 
             else:
-                return json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown action: {action}"})
+                return tool_error(f"Unknown action: {action}")
 
         except KeyError as exc:
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"Missing required argument: {exc}"})
+            return tool_error(f"Missing required argument: {exc}")
         except Exception as exc:
-            return json.dumps({"error": str(exc)})
+            return tool_error(str(exc))
 
     def _handle_fact_feedback(self, args: dict) -> str:
         try:
@@ -349,9 +349,9 @@ class HolographicMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             result = self._store.record_feedback(fact_id, helpful=helpful)
             return json.dumps(result)
         except KeyError as exc:
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"Missing required argument: {exc}"})
+            return tool_error(f"Missing required argument: {exc}")
         except Exception as exc:
-            return json.dumps({"error": str(exc)})
+            return tool_error(str(exc))
 
     # -- Auto-extraction (on_session_end) ------------------------------------
 

plugins/memory/holographic/store.py

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ Single-user Hermes memory store plugin.
 import re
 import sqlite3
 import threading
-from datetime import datetime
 from pathlib import Path
 
 try:

plugins/memory/honcho/__init__.py

@@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import json
 import logging
 import threading
-from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -217,6 +217,12 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 logger.debug("Honcho not configured — plugin inactive")
                 return
 
+            # Override peer_name with gateway user_id for per-user memory scoping.
+            # CLI sessions won't have user_id, so the config default is preserved.
+            _gw_user_id = kwargs.get("user_id")
+            if _gw_user_id:
+                cfg.peer_name = _gw_user_id
+
             self._config = cfg
 
             # ----- B1: recall_mode from config -----
@@ -633,15 +639,15 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
     def handle_tool_call(self, tool_name: str, args: dict, **kwargs) -> str:
         """Handle a Honcho tool call, with lazy session init for tools-only mode."""
         if self._cron_skipped:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "Honcho is not active (cron context)."})
+            return tool_error("Honcho is not active (cron context).")
 
         # Port #1957: ensure session is initialized for tools-only mode
         if not self._session_initialized:
             if not self._ensure_session():
-                return json.dumps({"error": "Honcho session could not be initialized."})
+                return tool_error("Honcho session could not be initialized.")
 
         if not self._manager or not self._session_key:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "Honcho is not active for this session."})
+            return tool_error("Honcho is not active for this session.")
 
         try:
             if tool_name == "honcho_profile":
@@ -653,7 +659,7 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             elif tool_name == "honcho_search":
                 query = args.get("query", "")
                 if not query:
-                    return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: query"})
+                    return tool_error("Missing required parameter: query")
                 max_tokens = min(int(args.get("max_tokens", 800)), 2000)
                 result = self._manager.search_context(
                     self._session_key, query, max_tokens=max_tokens
@@ -665,7 +671,7 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             elif tool_name == "honcho_context":
                 query = args.get("query", "")
                 if not query:
-                    return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: query"})
+                    return tool_error("Missing required parameter: query")
                 peer = args.get("peer", "user")
                 result = self._manager.dialectic_query(
                     self._session_key, query, peer=peer
@@ -675,17 +681,17 @@ class HonchoMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             elif tool_name == "honcho_conclude":
                 conclusion = args.get("conclusion", "")
                 if not conclusion:
-                    return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: conclusion"})
+                    return tool_error("Missing required parameter: conclusion")
                 ok = self._manager.create_conclusion(self._session_key, conclusion)
                 if ok:
                     return json.dumps({"result": f"Conclusion saved: {conclusion}"})
-                return json.dumps({"error": "Failed to save conclusion."})
+                return tool_error("Failed to save conclusion.")
 
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}"})
+            return tool_error(f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}")
 
         except Exception as e:
             logger.error("Honcho tool %s failed: %s", tool_name, e)
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"Honcho {tool_name} failed: {e}"})
+            return tool_error(f"Honcho {tool_name} failed: {e}")
 
     def shutdown(self) -> None:
         for t in (self._prefetch_thread, self._sync_thread):

plugins/memory/honcho/cli.py

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
-from plugins.memory.honcho.client import resolve_active_host, resolve_config_path, GLOBAL_CONFIG_PATH, HOST
+from plugins.memory.honcho.client import resolve_active_host, resolve_config_path, HOST
 
 
 def clone_honcho_for_profile(profile_name: str) -> bool:
@@ -1220,7 +1220,6 @@ def register_cli(subparser) -> None:
     Called by the plugin CLI registration system during argparse setup.
     The *subparser* is the parser for ``hermes honcho``.
     """
-    import argparse
 
     subparser.add_argument(
         "--target-profile", metavar="NAME", dest="target_profile",

plugins/memory/mem0/__init__.py

@@ -20,10 +20,10 @@ import logging
 import os
 import threading
 import time
-from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any, Dict, List
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -203,7 +203,9 @@ class Mem0MemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
     def initialize(self, session_id: str, **kwargs) -> None:
         self._config = _load_config()
         self._api_key = self._config.get("api_key", "")
-        self._user_id = self._config.get("user_id", "hermes-user")
+        # Prefer gateway-provided user_id for per-user memory scoping;
+        # fall back to config/env default for CLI (single-user) sessions.
+        self._user_id = kwargs.get("user_id") or self._config.get("user_id", "hermes-user")
         self._agent_id = self._config.get("agent_id", "hermes")
         self._rerank = self._config.get("rerank", True)
 
@@ -304,7 +306,7 @@ class Mem0MemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
         try:
             client = self._get_client()
         except Exception as e:
-            return json.dumps({"error": str(e)})
+            return tool_error(str(e))
 
         if tool_name == "mem0_profile":
             try:
@@ -316,12 +318,12 @@ class Mem0MemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return json.dumps({"result": "\n".join(lines), "count": len(lines)})
             except Exception as e:
                 self._record_failure()
-                return json.dumps({"error": f"Failed to fetch profile: {e}"})
+                return tool_error(f"Failed to fetch profile: {e}")
 
         elif tool_name == "mem0_search":
             query = args.get("query", "")
             if not query:
-                return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: query"})
+                return tool_error("Missing required parameter: query")
             rerank = args.get("rerank", False)
             top_k = min(int(args.get("top_k", 10)), 50)
             try:
@@ -338,12 +340,12 @@ class Mem0MemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return json.dumps({"results": items, "count": len(items)})
             except Exception as e:
                 self._record_failure()
-                return json.dumps({"error": f"Search failed: {e}"})
+                return tool_error(f"Search failed: {e}")
 
         elif tool_name == "mem0_conclude":
             conclusion = args.get("conclusion", "")
             if not conclusion:
-                return json.dumps({"error": "Missing required parameter: conclusion"})
+                return tool_error("Missing required parameter: conclusion")
             try:
                 client.add(
                     [{"role": "user", "content": conclusion}],
@@ -354,9 +356,9 @@ class Mem0MemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return json.dumps({"result": "Fact stored."})
             except Exception as e:
                 self._record_failure()
-                return json.dumps({"error": f"Failed to store: {e}"})
+                return tool_error(f"Failed to store: {e}")
 
-        return json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}"})
+        return tool_error(f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}")
 
     def shutdown(self) -> None:
         for t in (self._prefetch_thread, self._sync_thread):

plugins/memory/openviking/__init__.py

@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ Capabilities:
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import atexit
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -30,6 +31,7 @@ import threading
 from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -37,6 +39,30 @@ _DEFAULT_ENDPOINT = "http://127.0.0.1:1933"
 _TIMEOUT = 30.0
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Process-level atexit safety net — ensures pending sessions are committed
+# even if shutdown_memory_provider is never called (e.g. gateway crash,
+# SIGKILL, or exception in _async_flush_memories preventing shutdown).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+_last_active_provider: Optional["OpenVikingMemoryProvider"] = None
+
+
+def _atexit_commit_sessions():
+    """Fire on_session_end for the last active provider on process exit."""
+    global _last_active_provider
+    provider = _last_active_provider
+    if provider is None:
+        return
+    _last_active_provider = None
+    try:
+        provider.on_session_end([])
+    except Exception:
+        pass  # best-effort at shutdown time
+
+
+atexit.register(_atexit_commit_sessions)
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # HTTP helper — uses httpx to avoid requiring the openviking SDK
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -277,6 +303,10 @@ class OpenVikingMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
             logger.warning("httpx not installed — OpenViking plugin disabled")
             self._client = None
 
+        # Register as the last active provider for atexit safety net
+        global _last_active_provider
+        _last_active_provider = self
+
     def system_prompt_block(self) -> str:
         if not self._client:
             return ""
@@ -387,13 +417,18 @@ class OpenVikingMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
         OpenViking automatically extracts 6 categories of memories:
         profile, preferences, entities, events, cases, and patterns.
         """
-        if not self._client or self._turn_count == 0:
+        if not self._client:
             return
 
-        # Wait for any pending sync to finish first
+        # Wait for any pending sync to finish first — do this before the
+        # turn_count check so the last turn's messages are flushed even if
+        # the count hasn't been incremented yet.
         if self._sync_thread and self._sync_thread.is_alive():
             self._sync_thread.join(timeout=10.0)
 
+        if self._turn_count == 0:
+            return
+
         try:
             self._client.post(f"/api/v1/sessions/{self._session_id}/commit")
             logger.info("OpenViking session %s committed (%d turns)", self._session_id, self._turn_count)
@@ -427,7 +462,7 @@ class OpenVikingMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
 
     def handle_tool_call(self, tool_name: str, args: dict, **kwargs) -> str:
         if not self._client:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "OpenViking server not connected"})
+            return tool_error("OpenViking server not connected")
 
         try:
             if tool_name == "viking_search":
@@ -440,22 +475,26 @@ class OpenVikingMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
                 return self._tool_remember(args)
             elif tool_name == "viking_add_resource":
                 return self._tool_add_resource(args)
-            return json.dumps({"error": f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}"})
+            return tool_error(f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}")
         except Exception as e:
-            return json.dumps({"error": str(e)})
+            return tool_error(str(e))
 
     def shutdown(self) -> None:
         # Wait for background threads to finish
         for t in (self._sync_thread, self._prefetch_thread):
             if t and t.is_alive():
                 t.join(timeout=5.0)
+        # Clear atexit reference so it doesn't double-commit
+        global _last_active_provider
+        if _last_active_provider is self:
+            _last_active_provider = None
 
     # -- Tool implementations ------------------------------------------------
 
     def _tool_search(self, args: dict) -> str:
         query = args.get("query", "")
         if not query:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "query is required"})
+            return tool_error("query is required")
 
         payload: Dict[str, Any] = {"query": query}
         mode = args.get("mode", "auto")
@@ -492,7 +531,7 @@ class OpenVikingMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
     def _tool_read(self, args: dict) -> str:
         uri = args.get("uri", "")
         if not uri:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "uri is required"})
+            return tool_error("uri is required")
 
         level = args.get("level", "overview")
         # Map our level names to OpenViking GET endpoints
@@ -544,7 +583,7 @@ class OpenVikingMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
     def _tool_remember(self, args: dict) -> str:
         content = args.get("content", "")
         if not content:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "content is required"})
+            return tool_error("content is required")
 
         # Store as a session message that will be extracted during commit.
         # The category hint helps OpenViking's extraction classify correctly.
@@ -568,7 +607,7 @@ class OpenVikingMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
     def _tool_add_resource(self, args: dict) -> str:
         url = args.get("url", "")
         if not url:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "url is required"})
+            return tool_error("url is required")
 
         payload: Dict[str, Any] = {"path": url}
         if args.get("reason"):

plugins/memory/retaindb/__init__.py

@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ Config (env vars or hermes config.yaml under retaindb:):
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
-import hashlib
 import json
 import logging
 import os
@@ -35,6 +34,7 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, List
 from urllib.parse import quote
 
 from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ class _Client:
             "Content-Type": "application/json",
             "x-sdk-runtime": "hermes-plugin",
         }
-        if path.startswith("/v1/memory") or path.startswith("/v1/context"):
+        if path.startswith(("/v1/memory", "/v1/context")):
             h["X-API-Key"] = token
         return h
 
@@ -505,7 +505,8 @@ class RetainDBMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
         self._user_id = kwargs.get("user_id", "default") or "default"
         self._agent_id = kwargs.get("agent_id", "hermes") or "hermes"
 
-        hermes_home_path = Path(os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", Path.home() / ".hermes"))
+        from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+        hermes_home_path = get_hermes_home()
         db_path = hermes_home_path / "retaindb_queue.db"
         self._queue = _WriteQueue(self._client, db_path)
 
@@ -649,11 +650,11 @@ class RetainDBMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
 
     def handle_tool_call(self, tool_name: str, args: dict, **kwargs) -> str:
         if not self._client:
-            return json.dumps({"error": "RetainDB not initialized"})
+            return tool_error("RetainDB not initialized")
         try:
             return json.dumps(self._dispatch(tool_name, args))
         except Exception as exc:
-            return json.dumps({"error": str(exc)})
+            return tool_error(str(exc))
 
     def _dispatch(self, tool_name: str, args: dict) -> Any:
         c = self._client

plugins/memory/supermemory/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+# Supermemory Memory Provider
+
+Semantic long-term memory with profile recall, semantic search, explicit memory tools, and session-end conversation ingest.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- `pip install supermemory`
+- Supermemory API key from [supermemory.ai](https://supermemory.ai)
+
+## Setup
+
+```bash
+hermes memory setup    # select "supermemory"
+```
+
+Or manually:
+
+```bash
+hermes config set memory.provider supermemory
+echo 'SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY=***' >> ~/.hermes/.env
+```
+
+## Config
+
+Config file: `$HERMES_HOME/supermemory.json`
+
+| Key | Default | Description |
+|-----|---------|-------------|
+| `container_tag` | `hermes` | Container tag used for search and writes. Supports `{identity}` template for profile-scoped tags (e.g. `hermes-{identity}` → `hermes-coder`). |
+| `auto_recall` | `true` | Inject relevant memory context before turns |
+| `auto_capture` | `true` | Store cleaned user-assistant turns after each response |
+| `max_recall_results` | `10` | Max recalled items to format into context |
+| `profile_frequency` | `50` | Include profile facts on first turn and every N turns |
+| `capture_mode` | `all` | Skip tiny or trivial turns by default |
+| `search_mode` | `hybrid` | Search mode: `hybrid` (profile + memories), `memories` (memories only), `documents` (documents only) |
+| `entity_context` | built-in default | Extraction guidance passed to Supermemory |
+| `api_timeout` | `5.0` | Timeout for SDK and ingest requests |
+
+### Environment Variables
+
+| Variable | Description |
+|----------|-------------|
+| `SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY` | API key (required) |
+| `SUPERMEMORY_CONTAINER_TAG` | Override container tag (takes priority over config file) |
+
+## Tools
+
+| Tool | Description |
+|------|-------------|
+| `supermemory_store` | Store an explicit memory |
+| `supermemory_search` | Search memories by semantic similarity |
+| `supermemory_forget` | Forget a memory by ID or best-match query |
+| `supermemory_profile` | Retrieve persistent profile and recent context |
+
+## Behavior
+
+When enabled, Hermes can:
+
+- prefetch relevant memory context before each turn
+- store cleaned conversation turns after each completed response
+- ingest the full session on session end for richer graph updates
+- expose explicit tools for search, store, forget, and profile access
+
+## Profile-Scoped Containers
+
+Use `{identity}` in the `container_tag` to scope memories per Hermes profile:
+
+```json
+{
+  "container_tag": "hermes-{identity}"
+}
+```
+
+For a profile named `coder`, this resolves to `hermes-coder`. The default profile resolves to `hermes-default`. Without `{identity}`, all profiles share the same container.
+
+## Multi-Container Mode
+
+For advanced setups (e.g. OpenClaw-style multi-workspace), you can enable custom container tags so the agent can read/write across multiple named containers:
+
+```json
+{
+  "container_tag": "hermes",
+  "enable_custom_container_tags": true,
+  "custom_containers": ["project-alpha", "project-beta", "shared-knowledge"],
+  "custom_container_instructions": "Use project-alpha for coding tasks, project-beta for research, and shared-knowledge for team-wide facts."
+}
+```
+
+When enabled:
+- `supermemory_search`, `supermemory_store`, `supermemory_forget`, and `supermemory_profile` accept an optional `container_tag` parameter
+- The tag must be in the whitelist: primary container + `custom_containers`
+- Automatic operations (turn sync, prefetch, memory write mirroring, session ingest) always use the **primary** container only
+- Custom container instructions are injected into the system prompt
+
+## Support
+
+- [Supermemory Discord](https://supermemory.link/discord)
+- [support@supermemory.com](mailto:support@supermemory.com)
+- [supermemory.ai](https://supermemory.ai)

plugins/memory/supermemory/__init__.py

@@ -0,0 +1,791 @@
+"""Supermemory memory plugin using the MemoryProvider interface.
+
+Provides semantic long-term memory with profile recall, semantic search,
+explicit memory tools, cleaned turn capture, and session-end conversation ingest.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import logging
+import os
+import re
+import threading
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.request
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
+
+from agent.memory_provider import MemoryProvider
+from tools.registry import tool_error
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+_DEFAULT_CONTAINER_TAG = "hermes"
+_DEFAULT_MAX_RECALL_RESULTS = 10
+_DEFAULT_PROFILE_FREQUENCY = 50
+_DEFAULT_CAPTURE_MODE = "all"
+_DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE = "hybrid"
+_VALID_SEARCH_MODES = ("hybrid", "memories", "documents")
+_DEFAULT_API_TIMEOUT = 5.0
+_MIN_CAPTURE_LENGTH = 10
+_MAX_ENTITY_CONTEXT_LENGTH = 1500
+_CONVERSATIONS_URL = "https://api.supermemory.ai/v4/conversations"
+_TRIVIAL_RE = re.compile(
+    r"^(ok|okay|thanks|thank you|got it|sure|yes|no|yep|nope|k|ty|thx|np)\.?$",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+_CONTEXT_STRIP_RE = re.compile(
+    r"<supermemory-context>[\s\S]*?</supermemory-context>\s*", re.DOTALL
+)
+_CONTAINERS_STRIP_RE = re.compile(
+    r"<supermemory-containers>[\s\S]*?</supermemory-containers>\s*", re.DOTALL
+)
+_DEFAULT_ENTITY_CONTEXT = (
+    "User-assistant conversation. Format: [role: user]...[user:end] and "
+    "[role: assistant]...[assistant:end].\n\n"
+    "Only extract things useful in future conversations. Most messages are not worth remembering.\n\n"
+    "Remember lasting personal facts, preferences, routines, tools, ongoing projects, working context, "
+    "and explicit requests to remember something.\n\n"
+    "Do not remember temporary intents, one-time tasks, assistant actions, implementation details, or in-progress status.\n\n"
+    "When in doubt, store less."
+)
+
+
+def _default_config() -> dict:
+    return {
+        "container_tag": _DEFAULT_CONTAINER_TAG,
+        "auto_recall": True,
+        "auto_capture": True,
+        "max_recall_results": _DEFAULT_MAX_RECALL_RESULTS,
+        "profile_frequency": _DEFAULT_PROFILE_FREQUENCY,
+        "capture_mode": _DEFAULT_CAPTURE_MODE,
+        "search_mode": _DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE,
+        "entity_context": _DEFAULT_ENTITY_CONTEXT,
+        "api_timeout": _DEFAULT_API_TIMEOUT,
+        "enable_custom_container_tags": False,
+        "custom_containers": [],
+        "custom_container_instructions": "",
+    }
+
+
+def _sanitize_tag(raw: str) -> str:
+    tag = re.sub(r"[^a-zA-Z0-9_]", "_", raw or "")
+    tag = re.sub(r"_+", "_", tag)
+    return tag.strip("_") or _DEFAULT_CONTAINER_TAG
+
+
+def _clamp_entity_context(text: str) -> str:
+    if not text:
+        return _DEFAULT_ENTITY_CONTEXT
+    text = text.strip()
+    return text[:_MAX_ENTITY_CONTEXT_LENGTH]
+
+
+def _as_bool(value: Any, default: bool) -> bool:
+    if isinstance(value, bool):
+        return value
+    if isinstance(value, str):
+        lowered = value.strip().lower()
+        if lowered in ("true", "1", "yes", "y", "on"):
+            return True
+        if lowered in ("false", "0", "no", "n", "off"):
+            return False
+    return default
+
+
+def _load_supermemory_config(hermes_home: str) -> dict:
+    config = _default_config()
+    config_path = Path(hermes_home) / "supermemory.json"
+    if config_path.exists():
+        try:
+            raw = json.loads(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+            if isinstance(raw, dict):
+                config.update({k: v for k, v in raw.items() if v is not None})
+        except Exception:
+            logger.debug("Failed to parse %s", config_path, exc_info=True)
+
+    # Keep raw container_tag — template variables like {identity} are resolved
+    # in initialize(), and _sanitize_tag runs AFTER resolution.
+    raw_tag = str(config.get("container_tag", _DEFAULT_CONTAINER_TAG)).strip()
+    config["container_tag"] = raw_tag if raw_tag else _DEFAULT_CONTAINER_TAG
+    config["auto_recall"] = _as_bool(config.get("auto_recall"), True)
+    config["auto_capture"] = _as_bool(config.get("auto_capture"), True)
+    try:
+        config["max_recall_results"] = max(1, min(20, int(config.get("max_recall_results", _DEFAULT_MAX_RECALL_RESULTS))))
+    except Exception:
+        config["max_recall_results"] = _DEFAULT_MAX_RECALL_RESULTS
+    try:
+        config["profile_frequency"] = max(1, min(500, int(config.get("profile_frequency", _DEFAULT_PROFILE_FREQUENCY))))
+    except Exception:
+        config["profile_frequency"] = _DEFAULT_PROFILE_FREQUENCY
+    config["capture_mode"] = "everything" if config.get("capture_mode") == "everything" else "all"
+    raw_search_mode = str(config.get("search_mode", _DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE)).strip().lower()
+    config["search_mode"] = raw_search_mode if raw_search_mode in _VALID_SEARCH_MODES else _DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE
+    config["entity_context"] = _clamp_entity_context(str(config.get("entity_context", _DEFAULT_ENTITY_CONTEXT)))
+    try:
+        config["api_timeout"] = max(0.5, min(15.0, float(config.get("api_timeout", _DEFAULT_API_TIMEOUT))))
+    except Exception:
+        config["api_timeout"] = _DEFAULT_API_TIMEOUT
+
+    # Multi-container support
+    config["enable_custom_container_tags"] = _as_bool(config.get("enable_custom_container_tags"), False)
+    raw_containers = config.get("custom_containers", [])
+    if isinstance(raw_containers, list):
+        config["custom_containers"] = [_sanitize_tag(str(t)) for t in raw_containers if t]
+    else:
+        config["custom_containers"] = []
+    config["custom_container_instructions"] = str(config.get("custom_container_instructions", "")).strip()
+
+    return config
+
+
+def _save_supermemory_config(values: dict, hermes_home: str) -> None:
+    config_path = Path(hermes_home) / "supermemory.json"
+    existing = {}
+    if config_path.exists():
+        try:
+            raw = json.loads(config_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+            if isinstance(raw, dict):
+                existing = raw
+        except Exception:
+            existing = {}
+    existing.update(values)
+    config_path.write_text(json.dumps(existing, indent=2, sort_keys=True) + "\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def _detect_category(text: str) -> str:
+    lowered = text.lower()
+    if re.search(r"prefer|like|love|hate|want", lowered):
+        return "preference"
+    if re.search(r"decided|will use|going with", lowered):
+        return "decision"
+    if re.search(r"\bis\b|\bare\b|\bhas\b|\bhave\b", lowered):
+        return "fact"
+    return "other"
+
+
+def _format_relative_time(iso_timestamp: str) -> str:
+    try:
+        dt = datetime.fromisoformat(iso_timestamp.replace("Z", "+00:00"))
+        now = datetime.now(timezone.utc)
+        seconds = (now - dt).total_seconds()
+        if seconds < 1800:
+            return "just now"
+        if seconds < 3600:
+            return f"{int(seconds / 60)}m ago"
+        if seconds < 86400:
+            return f"{int(seconds / 3600)}h ago"
+        if seconds < 604800:
+            return f"{int(seconds / 86400)}d ago"
+        if dt.year == now.year:
+            return dt.strftime("%d %b")
+        return dt.strftime("%d %b %Y")
+    except Exception:
+        return ""
+
+
+def _deduplicate_recall(static_facts: list, dynamic_facts: list, search_results: list) -> tuple[list, list, list]:
+    seen = set()
+    out_static, out_dynamic, out_search = [], [], []
+    for fact in static_facts or []:
+        if fact and fact not in seen:
+            seen.add(fact)
+            out_static.append(fact)
+    for fact in dynamic_facts or []:
+        if fact and fact not in seen:
+            seen.add(fact)
+            out_dynamic.append(fact)
+    for item in search_results or []:
+        memory = item.get("memory", "")
+        if memory and memory not in seen:
+            seen.add(memory)
+            out_search.append(item)
+    return out_static, out_dynamic, out_search
+
+
+def _format_prefetch_context(static_facts: list, dynamic_facts: list, search_results: list, max_results: int) -> str:
+    statics, dynamics, search = _deduplicate_recall(static_facts, dynamic_facts, search_results)
+    statics = statics[:max_results]
+    dynamics = dynamics[:max_results]
+    search = search[:max_results]
+    if not statics and not dynamics and not search:
+        return ""
+
+    sections = []
+    if statics:
+        sections.append("## User Profile (Persistent)\n" + "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in statics))
+    if dynamics:
+        sections.append("## Recent Context\n" + "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in dynamics))
+    if search:
+        lines = []
+        for item in search:
+            memory = item.get("memory", "")
+            if not memory:
+                continue
+            similarity = item.get("similarity")
+            updated = item.get("updated_at") or item.get("updatedAt") or ""
+            prefix_bits = []
+            rel = _format_relative_time(updated)
+            if rel:
+                prefix_bits.append(f"[{rel}]")
+            if similarity is not None:
+                try:
+                    prefix_bits.append(f"[{round(float(similarity) * 100)}%]")
+                except Exception:
+                    pass
+            prefix = " ".join(prefix_bits)
+            lines.append(f"- {prefix} {memory}".strip())
+        if lines:
+            sections.append("## Relevant Memories\n" + "\n".join(lines))
+    if not sections:
+        return ""
+
+    intro = (
+        "The following is background context from long-term memory. Use it silently when relevant. "
+        "Do not force memories into the conversation."
+    )
+    body = "\n\n".join(sections)
+    return f"<supermemory-context>\n{intro}\n\n{body}\n</supermemory-context>"
+
+
+def _clean_text_for_capture(text: str) -> str:
+    text = _CONTEXT_STRIP_RE.sub("", text or "")
+    text = _CONTAINERS_STRIP_RE.sub("", text)
+    return text.strip()
+
+
+def _is_trivial_message(text: str) -> bool:
+    return bool(_TRIVIAL_RE.match((text or "").strip()))
+
+
+class _SupermemoryClient:
+    def __init__(self, api_key: str, timeout: float, container_tag: str, search_mode: str = "hybrid"):
+        from supermemory import Supermemory
+
+        self._api_key = api_key
+        self._container_tag = container_tag
+        self._search_mode = search_mode if search_mode in _VALID_SEARCH_MODES else _DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE
+        self._timeout = timeout
+        self._client = Supermemory(api_key=api_key, timeout=timeout, max_retries=0)
+
+    def add_memory(self, content: str, metadata: Optional[dict] = None, *,
+                   entity_context: str = "", container_tag: Optional[str] = None,
+                   custom_id: Optional[str] = None) -> dict:
+        tag = container_tag or self._container_tag
+        kwargs: dict[str, Any] = {
+            "content": content.strip(),
+            "container_tags": [tag],
+        }
+        if metadata:
+            kwargs["metadata"] = metadata
+        if entity_context:
+            kwargs["entity_context"] = _clamp_entity_context(entity_context)
+        if custom_id:
+            kwargs["custom_id"] = custom_id
+        result = self._client.documents.add(**kwargs)
+        return {"id": getattr(result, "id", "")}
+
+    def search_memories(self, query: str, *, limit: int = 5,
+                        container_tag: Optional[str] = None,
+                        search_mode: Optional[str] = None) -> list[dict]:
+        tag = container_tag or self._container_tag
+        mode = search_mode or self._search_mode
+        kwargs: dict[str, Any] = {"q": query, "container_tag": tag, "limit": limit}
+        if mode in _VALID_SEARCH_MODES:
+            kwargs["search_mode"] = mode
+        response = self._client.search.memories(**kwargs)
+        results = []
+        for item in (getattr(response, "results", None) or []):
+            results.append({
+                "id": getattr(item, "id", ""),
+                "memory": getattr(item, "memory", "") or "",
+                "similarity": getattr(item, "similarity", None),
+                "updated_at": getattr(item, "updated_at", None) or getattr(item, "updatedAt", None),
+                "metadata": getattr(item, "metadata", None),
+            })
+        return results
+
+    def get_profile(self, query: Optional[str] = None, *,
+                    container_tag: Optional[str] = None) -> dict:
+        tag = container_tag or self._container_tag
+        kwargs: dict[str, Any] = {"container_tag": tag}
+        if query:
+            kwargs["q"] = query
+        response = self._client.profile(**kwargs)
+        profile_data = getattr(response, "profile", None)
+        search_data = getattr(response, "search_results", None) or getattr(response, "searchResults", None)
+        static = getattr(profile_data, "static", []) or [] if profile_data else []
+        dynamic = getattr(profile_data, "dynamic", []) or [] if profile_data else []
+        raw_results = getattr(search_data, "results", None) or search_data or []
+        search_results = []
+        if isinstance(raw_results, list):
+            for item in raw_results:
+                if isinstance(item, dict):
+                    search_results.append(item)
+                else:
+                    search_results.append({
+                        "memory": getattr(item, "memory", ""),
+                        "updated_at": getattr(item, "updated_at", None) or getattr(item, "updatedAt", None),
+                        "similarity": getattr(item, "similarity", None),
+                    })
+        return {"static": static, "dynamic": dynamic, "search_results": search_results}
+
+    def forget_memory(self, memory_id: str, *, container_tag: Optional[str] = None) -> None:
+        tag = container_tag or self._container_tag
+        self._client.memories.forget(container_tag=tag, id=memory_id)
+
+    def forget_by_query(self, query: str, *, container_tag: Optional[str] = None) -> dict:
+        results = self.search_memories(query, limit=5, container_tag=container_tag)
+        if not results:
+            return {"success": False, "message": "No matching memory found to forget."}
+        target = results[0]
+        memory_id = target.get("id", "")
+        if not memory_id:
+            return {"success": False, "message": "Best matching memory has no id."}
+        self.forget_memory(memory_id, container_tag=container_tag)
+        preview = (target.get("memory") or "")[:100]
+        return {"success": True, "message": f'Forgot: "{preview}"', "id": memory_id}
+
+    def ingest_conversation(self, session_id: str, messages: list[dict]) -> None:
+        payload = json.dumps({
+            "conversationId": session_id,
+            "messages": messages,
+            "containerTags": [self._container_tag],
+        }).encode("utf-8")
+        req = urllib.request.Request(
+            _CONVERSATIONS_URL,
+            data=payload,
+            headers={
+                "Authorization": f"Bearer {self._api_key}",
+                "Content-Type": "application/json",
+            },
+            method="POST",
+        )
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=self._timeout + 3):
+            return
+
+
+STORE_SCHEMA = {
+    "name": "supermemory_store",
+    "description": "Store an explicit memory for future recall.",
+    "parameters": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "content": {"type": "string", "description": "The memory content to store."},
+            "metadata": {"type": "object", "description": "Optional metadata attached to the memory."},
+        },
+        "required": ["content"],
+    },
+}
+
+SEARCH_SCHEMA = {
+    "name": "supermemory_search",
+    "description": "Search long-term memory by semantic similarity.",
+    "parameters": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "query": {"type": "string", "description": "What to search for."},
+            "limit": {"type": "integer", "description": "Maximum results to return, 1 to 20."},
+        },
+        "required": ["query"],
+    },
+}
+
+FORGET_SCHEMA = {
+    "name": "supermemory_forget",
+    "description": "Forget a memory by exact id or by best-match query.",
+    "parameters": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "id": {"type": "string", "description": "Exact memory id to delete."},
+            "query": {"type": "string", "description": "Query used to find the memory to forget."},
+        },
+    },
+}
+
+PROFILE_SCHEMA = {
+    "name": "supermemory_profile",
+    "description": "Retrieve persistent profile facts and recent memory context.",
+    "parameters": {
+        "type": "object",
+        "properties": {
+            "query": {"type": "string", "description": "Optional query to focus the profile response."},
+        },
+    },
+}
+
+
+class SupermemoryMemoryProvider(MemoryProvider):
+    def __init__(self):
+        self._config = _default_config()
+        self._api_key = ""
+        self._client: Optional[_SupermemoryClient] = None
+        self._container_tag = _DEFAULT_CONTAINER_TAG
+        self._session_id = ""
+        self._turn_count = 0
+        self._prefetch_result = ""
+        self._prefetch_lock = threading.Lock()
+        self._prefetch_thread: Optional[threading.Thread] = None
+        self._sync_thread: Optional[threading.Thread] = None
+        self._write_thread: Optional[threading.Thread] = None
+        self._auto_recall = True
+        self._auto_capture = True
+        self._max_recall_results = _DEFAULT_MAX_RECALL_RESULTS
+        self._profile_frequency = _DEFAULT_PROFILE_FREQUENCY
+        self._capture_mode = _DEFAULT_CAPTURE_MODE
+        self._search_mode = _DEFAULT_SEARCH_MODE
+        self._entity_context = _DEFAULT_ENTITY_CONTEXT
+        self._api_timeout = _DEFAULT_API_TIMEOUT
+        self._hermes_home = ""
+        self._write_enabled = True
+        self._active = False
+        # Multi-container support
+        self._enable_custom_containers = False
+        self._custom_containers: List[str] = []
+        self._custom_container_instructions = ""
+        self._allowed_containers: List[str] = []
+
+    @property
+    def name(self) -> str:
+        return "supermemory"
+
+    def is_available(self) -> bool:
+        api_key = os.environ.get("SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY", "")
+        if not api_key:
+            return False
+        try:
+            __import__("supermemory")
+            return True
+        except Exception:
+            return False
+
+    def get_config_schema(self):
+        # Only prompt for the API key during `hermes memory setup`.
+        # All other options are documented for $HERMES_HOME/supermemory.json
+        # or the SUPERMEMORY_CONTAINER_TAG env var.
+        return [
+            {"key": "api_key", "description": "Supermemory API key", "secret": True, "required": True, "env_var": "SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY", "url": "https://supermemory.ai"},
+        ]
+
+    def save_config(self, values, hermes_home):
+        sanitized = dict(values or {})
+        if "container_tag" in sanitized:
+            sanitized["container_tag"] = _sanitize_tag(str(sanitized["container_tag"]))
+        if "entity_context" in sanitized:
+            sanitized["entity_context"] = _clamp_entity_context(str(sanitized["entity_context"]))
+        _save_supermemory_config(sanitized, hermes_home)
+
+    def initialize(self, session_id: str, **kwargs) -> None:
+        from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+        self._hermes_home = kwargs.get("hermes_home") or str(get_hermes_home())
+        self._session_id = session_id
+        self._turn_count = 0
+        self._config = _load_supermemory_config(self._hermes_home)
+        self._api_key = os.environ.get("SUPERMEMORY_API_KEY", "")
+
+        # Resolve container tag: env var > config > default.
+        # Supports {identity} template for profile-scoped containers.
+        env_tag = os.environ.get("SUPERMEMORY_CONTAINER_TAG", "").strip()
+        raw_tag = env_tag or self._config["container_tag"]
+        identity = kwargs.get("agent_identity", "default")
+        self._container_tag = _sanitize_tag(raw_tag.replace("{identity}", identity))
+
+        self._auto_recall = self._config["auto_recall"]
+        self._auto_capture = self._config["auto_capture"]
+        self._max_recall_results = self._config["max_recall_results"]
+        self._profile_frequency = self._config["profile_frequency"]
+        self._capture_mode = self._config["capture_mode"]
+        self._search_mode = self._config["search_mode"]
+        self._entity_context = self._config["entity_context"]
+        self._api_timeout = self._config["api_timeout"]
+
+        # Multi-container setup
+        self._enable_custom_containers = self._config["enable_custom_container_tags"]
+        self._custom_containers = self._config["custom_containers"]
+        self._custom_container_instructions = self._config["custom_container_instructions"]
+        self._allowed_containers = [self._container_tag] + list(self._custom_containers)
+
+        agent_context = kwargs.get("agent_context", "")
+        self._write_enabled = agent_context not in ("cron", "flush", "subagent")
+        self._active = bool(self._api_key)
+        self._client = None
+        if self._active:
+            try:
+                self._client = _SupermemoryClient(
+                    api_key=self._api_key,
+                    timeout=self._api_timeout,
+                    container_tag=self._container_tag,
+                    search_mode=self._search_mode,
+                )
+            except Exception:
+                logger.warning("Supermemory initialization failed", exc_info=True)
+                self._active = False
+                self._client = None
+
+    def on_turn_start(self, turn_number: int, message: str, **kwargs) -> None:
+        self._turn_count = max(turn_number, 0)
+
+    def system_prompt_block(self) -> str:
+        if not self._active:
+            return ""
+        lines = [
+            "# Supermemory",
+            f"Active. Container: {self._container_tag}.",
+            "Use supermemory_search, supermemory_store, supermemory_forget, and supermemory_profile for explicit memory operations.",
+        ]
+        if self._enable_custom_containers and self._custom_containers:
+            tags_str = ", ".join(self._allowed_containers)
+            lines.append(f"\nMulti-container mode enabled. Available containers: {tags_str}.")
+            lines.append("Pass an optional container_tag to supermemory_search, supermemory_store, supermemory_forget, and supermemory_profile to target a specific container.")
+            if self._custom_container_instructions:
+                lines.append(f"\n{self._custom_container_instructions}")
+        return "\n".join(lines)
+
+    def prefetch(self, query: str, *, session_id: str = "") -> str:
+        if not self._active or not self._auto_recall or not self._client or not query.strip():
+            return ""
+        try:
+            profile = self._client.get_profile(query=query[:200])
+            include_profile = self._turn_count <= 1 or (self._turn_count % self._profile_frequency == 0)
+            context = _format_prefetch_context(
+                static_facts=profile["static"] if include_profile else [],
+                dynamic_facts=profile["dynamic"] if include_profile else [],
+                search_results=profile["search_results"],
+                max_results=self._max_recall_results,
+            )
+            return context
+        except Exception:
+            logger.debug("Supermemory prefetch failed", exc_info=True)
+            return ""
+
+    def sync_turn(self, user_content: str, assistant_content: str, *, session_id: str = "") -> None:
+        if not self._active or not self._auto_capture or not self._write_enabled or not self._client:
+            return
+
+        clean_user = _clean_text_for_capture(user_content)
+        clean_assistant = _clean_text_for_capture(assistant_content)
+        if not clean_user or not clean_assistant:
+            return
+        if self._capture_mode == "all":
+            if len(clean_user) < _MIN_CAPTURE_LENGTH or len(clean_assistant) < _MIN_CAPTURE_LENGTH:
+                return
+            if _is_trivial_message(clean_user):
+                return
+
+        content = (
+            f"[role: user]\n{clean_user}\n[user:end]\n\n"
+            f"[role: assistant]\n{clean_assistant}\n[assistant:end]"
+        )
+        metadata = {"source": "hermes", "type": "conversation_turn"}
+
+        def _run():
+            try:
+                self._client.add_memory(content, metadata=metadata, entity_context=self._entity_context)
+            except Exception:
+                logger.debug("Supermemory sync_turn failed", exc_info=True)
+
+        if self._sync_thread and self._sync_thread.is_alive():
+            self._sync_thread.join(timeout=2.0)
+        self._sync_thread = None
+        self._sync_thread = threading.Thread(target=_run, daemon=True, name="supermemory-sync")
+        self._sync_thread.start()
+
+    def on_session_end(self, messages: List[Dict[str, Any]]) -> None:
+        if not self._active or not self._write_enabled or not self._client or not self._session_id:
+            return
+        cleaned = []
+        for message in messages or []:
+            role = message.get("role")
+            if role not in ("user", "assistant"):
+                continue
+            content = _clean_text_for_capture(str(message.get("content", "")))
+            if content:
+                cleaned.append({"role": role, "content": content})
+        if not cleaned:
+            return
+        if len(cleaned) == 1 and len(cleaned[0].get("content", "")) < 20:
+            return
+        try:
+            self._client.ingest_conversation(self._session_id, cleaned)
+        except urllib.error.HTTPError:
+            logger.warning("Supermemory session ingest failed", exc_info=True)
+        except Exception:
+            logger.warning("Supermemory session ingest failed", exc_info=True)
+
+    def on_memory_write(self, action: str, target: str, content: str) -> None:
+        if not self._active or not self._write_enabled or not self._client:
+            return
+        if action != "add" or not (content or "").strip():
+            return
+
+        def _run():
+            try:
+                self._client.add_memory(
+                    content.strip(),
+                    metadata={"source": "hermes_memory", "target": target, "type": "explicit_memory"},
+                    entity_context=self._entity_context,
+                )
+            except Exception:
+                logger.debug("Supermemory on_memory_write failed", exc_info=True)
+
+        if self._write_thread and self._write_thread.is_alive():
+            self._write_thread.join(timeout=2.0)
+        self._write_thread = None
+        self._write_thread = threading.Thread(target=_run, daemon=False, name="supermemory-memory-write")
+        self._write_thread.start()
+
+    def shutdown(self) -> None:
+        for attr_name in ("_prefetch_thread", "_sync_thread", "_write_thread"):
+            thread = getattr(self, attr_name, None)
+            if thread and thread.is_alive():
+                thread.join(timeout=5.0)
+            setattr(self, attr_name, None)
+
+    def _resolve_tool_container_tag(self, args: dict) -> Optional[str]:
+        """Validate and resolve container_tag from tool call args.
+
+        Returns None (use primary) if multi-container is disabled or no tag provided.
+        Returns the validated tag if it's in the allowed list.
+        Raises ValueError if the tag is not whitelisted.
+        """
+        if not self._enable_custom_containers:
+            return None
+        tag = str(args.get("container_tag") or "").strip()
+        if not tag:
+            return None
+        sanitized = _sanitize_tag(tag)
+        if sanitized not in self._allowed_containers:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Container tag '{sanitized}' is not allowed. "
+                f"Allowed: {', '.join(self._allowed_containers)}"
+            )
+        return sanitized
+
+    def get_tool_schemas(self) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
+        if not self._enable_custom_containers:
+            return [STORE_SCHEMA, SEARCH_SCHEMA, FORGET_SCHEMA, PROFILE_SCHEMA]
+
+        # When multi-container is enabled, add optional container_tag to relevant tools
+        container_param = {
+            "type": "string",
+            "description": f"Optional container tag. Allowed: {', '.join(self._allowed_containers)}. Defaults to primary ({self._container_tag}).",
+        }
+        schemas = []
+        for base in [STORE_SCHEMA, SEARCH_SCHEMA, FORGET_SCHEMA, PROFILE_SCHEMA]:
+            schema = json.loads(json.dumps(base))  # deep copy
+            schema["parameters"]["properties"]["container_tag"] = container_param
+            schemas.append(schema)
+        return schemas
+
+    def _tool_store(self, args: dict) -> str:
+        content = str(args.get("content") or "").strip()
+        if not content:
+            return tool_error("content is required")
+        try:
+            tag = self._resolve_tool_container_tag(args)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            return tool_error(str(exc))
+        metadata = args.get("metadata") or {}
+        if not isinstance(metadata, dict):
+            metadata = {}
+        metadata.setdefault("type", _detect_category(content))
+        metadata["source"] = "hermes_tool"
+        try:
+            result = self._client.add_memory(content, metadata=metadata, entity_context=self._entity_context, container_tag=tag)
+            preview = content[:80] + ("..." if len(content) > 80 else "")
+            resp: dict[str, Any] = {"saved": True, "id": result.get("id", ""), "preview": preview}
+            if tag:
+                resp["container_tag"] = tag
+            return json.dumps(resp)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            return tool_error(f"Failed to store memory: {exc}")
+
+    def _tool_search(self, args: dict) -> str:
+        query = str(args.get("query") or "").strip()
+        if not query:
+            return tool_error("query is required")
+        try:
+            tag = self._resolve_tool_container_tag(args)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            return tool_error(str(exc))
+        try:
+            limit = max(1, min(20, int(args.get("limit", 5) or 5)))
+        except Exception:
+            limit = 5
+        try:
+            results = self._client.search_memories(query, limit=limit, container_tag=tag)
+            formatted = []
+            for item in results:
+                entry: dict[str, Any] = {"id": item.get("id", ""), "content": item.get("memory", "")}
+                if item.get("similarity") is not None:
+                    try:
+                        entry["similarity"] = round(float(item["similarity"]) * 100)
+                    except Exception:
+                        pass
+                formatted.append(entry)
+            resp: dict[str, Any] = {"results": formatted, "count": len(formatted)}
+            if tag:
+                resp["container_tag"] = tag
+            return json.dumps(resp)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            return tool_error(f"Search failed: {exc}")
+
+    def _tool_forget(self, args: dict) -> str:
+        memory_id = str(args.get("id") or "").strip()
+        query = str(args.get("query") or "").strip()
+        if not memory_id and not query:
+            return tool_error("Provide either id or query")
+        try:
+            tag = self._resolve_tool_container_tag(args)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            return tool_error(str(exc))
+        try:
+            if memory_id:
+                self._client.forget_memory(memory_id, container_tag=tag)
+                return json.dumps({"forgotten": True, "id": memory_id})
+            return json.dumps(self._client.forget_by_query(query, container_tag=tag))
+        except Exception as exc:
+            return tool_error(f"Forget failed: {exc}")
+
+    def _tool_profile(self, args: dict) -> str:
+        query = str(args.get("query") or "").strip() or None
+        try:
+            tag = self._resolve_tool_container_tag(args)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            return tool_error(str(exc))
+        try:
+            profile = self._client.get_profile(query=query, container_tag=tag)
+            sections = []
+            if profile["static"]:
+                sections.append("## User Profile (Persistent)\n" + "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in profile["static"]))
+            if profile["dynamic"]:
+                sections.append("## Recent Context\n" + "\n".join(f"- {item}" for item in profile["dynamic"]))
+            resp: dict[str, Any] = {
+                "profile": "\n\n".join(sections),
+                "static_count": len(profile["static"]),
+                "dynamic_count": len(profile["dynamic"]),
+            }
+            if tag:
+                resp["container_tag"] = tag
+            return json.dumps(resp)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            return tool_error(f"Profile failed: {exc}")
+
+    def handle_tool_call(self, tool_name: str, args: Dict[str, Any], **kwargs) -> str:
+        if not self._active or not self._client:
+            return tool_error("Supermemory is not configured")
+        if tool_name == "supermemory_store":
+            return self._tool_store(args)
+        if tool_name == "supermemory_search":
+            return self._tool_search(args)
+        if tool_name == "supermemory_forget":
+            return self._tool_forget(args)
+        if tool_name == "supermemory_profile":
+            return self._tool_profile(args)
+        return tool_error(f"Unknown tool: {tool_name}")
+
+
+def register(ctx):
+    ctx.register_memory_provider(SupermemoryMemoryProvider())

plugins/memory/supermemory/plugin.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+name: supermemory
+version: 1.0.0
+description: "Supermemory semantic long-term memory with profile recall, semantic search, explicit memory tools, and session ingest."
+pip_dependencies:
+  - supermemory

pyproject.toml

@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ hermes-agent = "run_agent:main"
 hermes-acp = "acp_adapter.entry:main"
 
 [tool.setuptools]
-py-modules = ["run_agent", "model_tools", "toolsets", "batch_runner", "trajectory_compressor", "toolset_distributions", "cli", "hermes_constants", "hermes_state", "hermes_time", "rl_cli", "utils"]
+py-modules = ["run_agent", "model_tools", "toolsets", "batch_runner", "trajectory_compressor", "toolset_distributions", "cli", "hermes_constants", "hermes_state", "hermes_time", "hermes_logging", "rl_cli", "utils"]
 
 [tool.setuptools.packages.find]
 include = ["agent", "tools", "tools.*", "hermes_cli", "gateway", "gateway.*", "cron", "acp_adapter", "plugins", "plugins.*"]

run_agent.py

@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ Usage:
     response = agent.run_conversation("Tell me about the latest Python updates")
 """
 
-import atexit
 import asyncio
 import base64
 import concurrent.futures
@@ -36,7 +35,6 @@ import sys
 import tempfile
 import time
 import threading
-import weakref
 from types import SimpleNamespace
 import uuid
 from typing import List, Dict, Any, Optional
@@ -68,7 +66,8 @@ from model_tools import (
     handle_function_call,
     check_toolset_requirements,
 )
-from tools.terminal_tool import cleanup_vm
+from tools.terminal_tool import cleanup_vm, get_active_env
+from tools.tool_result_storage import maybe_persist_tool_result, enforce_turn_budget
 from tools.interrupt import set_interrupt as _set_interrupt
 from tools.browser_tool import cleanup_browser
 
@@ -411,63 +410,6 @@ def _strip_budget_warnings_from_history(messages: list) -> None:
 # Large tool result handler — save oversized output to temp file
 # =========================================================================
 
-# Threshold at which tool results are saved to a file instead of kept inline.
-# 100K chars ≈ 25K tokens — generous for any reasonable output but prevents
-# catastrophic context explosions.
-_LARGE_RESULT_CHARS = 100_000
-
-# How many characters of the original result to include as an inline preview
-# so the model has immediate context about what the tool returned.
-_LARGE_RESULT_PREVIEW_CHARS = 1_500
-
-
-def _save_oversized_tool_result(function_name: str, function_result: str) -> str:
-    """Replace oversized tool results with a file reference + preview.
-
-    When a tool returns more than ``_LARGE_RESULT_CHARS`` characters, the full
-    content is written to a temporary file under ``HERMES_HOME/cache/tool_responses/``
-    and the result sent to the model is replaced with:
-      • a brief head preview  (first ``_LARGE_RESULT_PREVIEW_CHARS`` chars)
-      • the file path so the model can use ``read_file`` / ``search_files``
-
-    Falls back to destructive truncation if the file write fails.
-    """
-    original_len = len(function_result)
-    if original_len <= _LARGE_RESULT_CHARS:
-        return function_result
-
-    # Build the target directory
-    try:
-        response_dir = os.path.join(get_hermes_home(), "cache", "tool_responses")
-        os.makedirs(response_dir, exist_ok=True)
-
-        timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S_%f")
-        # Sanitize tool name for use in filename
-        safe_name = re.sub(r"[^\w\-]", "_", function_name)[:40]
-        filename = f"{safe_name}_{timestamp}.txt"
-        filepath = os.path.join(response_dir, filename)
-
-        with open(filepath, "w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
-            f.write(function_result)
-
-        preview = function_result[:_LARGE_RESULT_PREVIEW_CHARS]
-        return (
-            f"{preview}\n\n"
-            f"[Large tool response: {original_len:,} characters total — "
-            f"only the first {_LARGE_RESULT_PREVIEW_CHARS:,} shown above. "
-            f"Full output saved to: {filepath}\n"
-            f"Use read_file or search_files on that path to access the rest.]"
-        )
-    except Exception as exc:
-        # Fall back to destructive truncation if file write fails
-        logger.warning("Failed to save large tool result to file: %s", exc)
-        return (
-            function_result[:_LARGE_RESULT_CHARS]
-            + f"\n\n[Truncated: tool response was {original_len:,} chars, "
-            f"exceeding the {_LARGE_RESULT_CHARS:,} char limit. "
-            f"File save failed: {exc}]"
-        )
-
 
 class AIAgent:
     """
@@ -528,6 +470,7 @@ class AIAgent:
         reasoning_config: Dict[str, Any] = None,
         prefill_messages: List[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
         platform: str = None,
+        user_id: str = None,
         skip_context_files: bool = False,
         skip_memory: bool = False,
         session_db=None,
@@ -592,6 +535,7 @@ class AIAgent:
         self.quiet_mode = quiet_mode
         self.ephemeral_system_prompt = ephemeral_system_prompt
         self.platform = platform  # "cli", "telegram", "discord", "whatsapp", etc.
+        self._user_id = user_id  # Platform user identifier (gateway sessions)
         # Pluggable print function — CLI replaces this with _cprint so that
         # raw ANSI status lines are routed through prompt_toolkit's renderer
         # instead of going directly to stdout where patch_stdout's StdoutProxy
@@ -654,7 +598,7 @@ class AIAgent:
         self.stream_delta_callback = stream_delta_callback
         self.status_callback = status_callback
         self.tool_gen_callback = tool_gen_callback
-        self._last_reported_tool = None  # Track for "new tool" mode
+
         
         # Tool execution state — allows _vprint during tool execution
         # even when stream consumers are registered (no tokens streaming then)
@@ -1094,6 +1038,9 @@ class AIAgent:
                             "hermes_home": str(_ghh()),
                             "agent_context": "primary",
                         }
+                        # Thread gateway user identity for per-user memory scoping
+                        if self._user_id:
+                            _init_kwargs["user_id"] = self._user_id
                         # Profile identity for per-profile provider scoping
                         try:
                             from hermes_cli.profiles import get_active_profile_name
@@ -1502,10 +1449,6 @@ class AIAgent:
         """Return True when the base URL targets OpenRouter."""
         return "openrouter" in self._base_url_lower
 
-    def _is_anthropic_url(self) -> bool:
-        """Return True when the base URL targets Anthropic (native or /anthropic proxy path)."""
-        return "api.anthropic.com" in self._base_url_lower or self._base_url_lower.rstrip("/").endswith("/anthropic")
-
     def _max_tokens_param(self, value: int) -> dict:
         """Return the correct max tokens kwarg for the current provider.
         
@@ -1691,74 +1634,6 @@ class AIAgent:
         
         return None
 
-    def _classify_empty_content_response(
-        self,
-        assistant_message,
-        *,
-        finish_reason: Optional[str],
-        approx_tokens: int,
-        api_messages: List[Dict[str, Any]],
-        conversation_history: Optional[List[Dict[str, Any]]],
-    ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
-        """Classify think-only/empty responses so we can retry, compress, or salvage.
-
-        We intentionally do NOT short-circuit all structured-reasoning responses.
-        Prior discussion/PR history shows some models recover on retry. Instead we:
-        - compress immediately when the pattern looks like implicit context pressure
-        - salvage reasoning early when the same reasoning-only payload repeats
-        - otherwise preserve the normal retry path
-        """
-        reasoning_text = self._extract_reasoning(assistant_message)
-        has_structured_reasoning = bool(
-            getattr(assistant_message, "reasoning", None)
-            or getattr(assistant_message, "reasoning_content", None)
-            or getattr(assistant_message, "reasoning_details", None)
-        )
-        content = getattr(assistant_message, "content", None) or ""
-        stripped_content = self._strip_think_blocks(content).strip()
-        signature = (
-            content,
-            reasoning_text or "",
-            bool(has_structured_reasoning),
-            finish_reason or "",
-        )
-        repeated_signature = signature == getattr(self, "_last_empty_content_signature", None)
-
-        compressor = getattr(self, "context_compressor", None)
-        ctx_len = getattr(compressor, "context_length", 0) or 0
-        threshold_tokens = getattr(compressor, "threshold_tokens", 0) or 0
-        is_large_session = bool(
-            (ctx_len and approx_tokens >= max(int(ctx_len * 0.4), threshold_tokens))
-            or len(api_messages) > 80
-        )
-        is_local_custom = is_local_endpoint(getattr(self, "base_url", "") or "")
-        is_resumed = bool(conversation_history)
-        context_pressure_signals = any(
-            [
-                finish_reason == "length",
-                getattr(compressor, "_context_probed", False),
-                is_large_session,
-                is_resumed,
-            ]
-        )
-        should_compress = bool(
-            self.compression_enabled
-            and is_local_custom
-            and context_pressure_signals
-            and not stripped_content
-        )
-
-        self._last_empty_content_signature = signature
-        return {
-            "reasoning_text": reasoning_text,
-            "has_structured_reasoning": has_structured_reasoning,
-            "repeated_signature": repeated_signature,
-            "should_compress": should_compress,
-            "is_local_custom": is_local_custom,
-            "is_large_session": is_large_session,
-            "is_resumed": is_resumed,
-        }
-    
     def _cleanup_task_resources(self, task_id: str) -> None:
         """Clean up VM and browser resources for a given task."""
         try:
@@ -2702,20 +2577,7 @@ class AIAgent:
 
         if not _soul_loaded:
             # Fallback to hardcoded identity
-            _ai_peer_name = (
-                None
-                if False
-                else None
-            )
-            if _ai_peer_name:
-                _identity = DEFAULT_AGENT_IDENTITY.replace(
-                    "You are Hermes Agent",
-                    f"You are {_ai_peer_name}",
-                    1,
-                )
-            else:
-                _identity = DEFAULT_AGENT_IDENTITY
-            prompt_parts = [_identity]
+            prompt_parts = [DEFAULT_AGENT_IDENTITY]
 
         # Tool-aware behavioral guidance: only inject when the tools are loaded
         tool_guidance = []
@@ -3400,7 +3262,7 @@ class AIAgent:
         elif "stream" in api_kwargs:
             raise ValueError("Codex Responses stream flag is only allowed in fallback streaming requests.")
 
-        unexpected = sorted(key for key in api_kwargs.keys() if key not in allowed_keys)
+        unexpected = sorted(key for key in api_kwargs if key not in allowed_keys)
         if unexpected:
             raise ValueError(
                 f"Codex Responses request has unsupported field(s): {', '.join(unexpected)}."
@@ -3444,7 +3306,22 @@ class AIAgent:
         """Normalize a Responses API object to an assistant_message-like object."""
         output = getattr(response, "output", None)
         if not isinstance(output, list) or not output:
-            raise RuntimeError("Responses API returned no output items")
+            # The Codex backend can return empty output when the answer was
+            # delivered entirely via stream events. Check output_text as a
+            # last-resort fallback before raising.
+            out_text = getattr(response, "output_text", None)
+            if isinstance(out_text, str) and out_text.strip():
+                logger.debug(
+                    "Codex response has empty output but output_text is present (%d chars); "
+                    "synthesizing output item.", len(out_text.strip()),
+                )
+                output = [SimpleNamespace(
+                    type="message", role="assistant", status="completed",
+                    content=[SimpleNamespace(type="output_text", text=out_text.strip())],
+                )]
+                response.output = output
+            else:
+                raise RuntimeError("Responses API returned no output items")
 
         response_status = getattr(response, "status", None)
         if isinstance(response_status, str):
@@ -3868,7 +3745,12 @@ class AIAgent:
         has_tool_calls = False
         first_delta_fired = False
         self._reasoning_deltas_fired = False
+        # Accumulate streamed text so we can recover if get_final_response()
+        # returns empty output (e.g. chatgpt.com backend-api sends
+        # response.incomplete instead of response.completed).
+        self._codex_streamed_text_parts: list = []
         for attempt in range(max_stream_retries + 1):
+            collected_output_items: list = []
             try:
                 with active_client.responses.stream(**api_kwargs) as stream:
                     for event in stream:
@@ -3878,6 +3760,8 @@ class AIAgent:
                         # Fire callbacks on text content deltas (suppress during tool calls)
                         if "output_text.delta" in event_type or event_type == "response.output_text.delta":
                             delta_text = getattr(event, "delta", "")
+                            if delta_text:
+                                self._codex_streamed_text_parts.append(delta_text)
                             if delta_text and not has_tool_calls:
                                 if not first_delta_fired:
                                     first_delta_fired = True
@@ -3895,7 +3779,51 @@ class AIAgent:
                             reasoning_text = getattr(event, "delta", "")
                             if reasoning_text:
                                 self._fire_reasoning_delta(reasoning_text)
-                    return stream.get_final_response()
+                        # Collect completed output items — some backends
+                        # (chatgpt.com/backend-api/codex) stream valid items
+                        # via response.output_item.done but the SDK's
+                        # get_final_response() returns an empty output list.
+                        elif event_type == "response.output_item.done":
+                            done_item = getattr(event, "item", None)
+                            if done_item is not None:
+                                collected_output_items.append(done_item)
+                        # Log non-completed terminal events for diagnostics
+                        elif event_type in ("response.incomplete", "response.failed"):
+                            resp_obj = getattr(event, "response", None)
+                            status = getattr(resp_obj, "status", None) if resp_obj else None
+                            incomplete_details = getattr(resp_obj, "incomplete_details", None) if resp_obj else None
+                            logger.warning(
+                                "Codex Responses stream received terminal event %s "
+                                "(status=%s, incomplete_details=%s, streamed_chars=%d). %s",
+                                event_type, status, incomplete_details,
+                                sum(len(p) for p in self._codex_streamed_text_parts),
+                                self._client_log_context(),
+                            )
+                    final_response = stream.get_final_response()
+                    # PATCH: ChatGPT Codex backend streams valid output items
+                    # but get_final_response() can return an empty output list.
+                    # Backfill from collected items or synthesize from deltas.
+                    _out = getattr(final_response, "output", None)
+                    if isinstance(_out, list) and not _out:
+                        if collected_output_items:
+                            final_response.output = list(collected_output_items)
+                            logger.debug(
+                                "Codex stream: backfilled %d output items from stream events",
+                                len(collected_output_items),
+                            )
+                        elif self._codex_streamed_text_parts and not has_tool_calls:
+                            assembled = "".join(self._codex_streamed_text_parts)
+                            final_response.output = [SimpleNamespace(
+                                type="message",
+                                role="assistant",
+                                status="completed",
+                                content=[SimpleNamespace(type="output_text", text=assembled)],
+                            )]
+                            logger.debug(
+                                "Codex stream: synthesized output from %d text deltas (%d chars)",
+                                len(self._codex_streamed_text_parts), len(assembled),
+                            )
+                    return final_response
             except (_httpx.RemoteProtocolError, _httpx.ReadTimeout, _httpx.ConnectError, ConnectionError) as exc:
                 if attempt < max_stream_retries:
                     logger.debug(
@@ -3946,11 +3874,28 @@ class AIAgent:
             return stream_or_response
 
         terminal_response = None
+        collected_output_items: list = []
+        collected_text_deltas: list = []
         try:
             for event in stream_or_response:
                 event_type = getattr(event, "type", None)
                 if not event_type and isinstance(event, dict):
                     event_type = event.get("type")
+
+                # Collect output items and text deltas for backfill
+                if event_type == "response.output_item.done":
+                    done_item = getattr(event, "item", None)
+                    if done_item is None and isinstance(event, dict):
+                        done_item = event.get("item")
+                    if done_item is not None:
+                        collected_output_items.append(done_item)
+                elif event_type in ("response.output_text.delta",):
+                    delta = getattr(event, "delta", "")
+                    if not delta and isinstance(event, dict):
+                        delta = event.get("delta", "")
+                    if delta:
+                        collected_text_deltas.append(delta)
+
                 if event_type not in {"response.completed", "response.incomplete", "response.failed"}:
                     continue
 
@@ -3958,6 +3903,26 @@ class AIAgent:
                 if terminal_response is None and isinstance(event, dict):
                     terminal_response = event.get("response")
                 if terminal_response is not None:
+                    # Backfill empty output from collected stream events
+                    _out = getattr(terminal_response, "output", None)
+                    if isinstance(_out, list) and not _out:
+                        if collected_output_items:
+                            terminal_response.output = list(collected_output_items)
+                            logger.debug(
+                                "Codex fallback stream: backfilled %d output items",
+                                len(collected_output_items),
+                            )
+                        elif collected_text_deltas:
+                            assembled = "".join(collected_text_deltas)
+                            terminal_response.output = [SimpleNamespace(
+                                type="message", role="assistant",
+                                status="completed",
+                                content=[SimpleNamespace(type="output_text", text=assembled)],
+                            )]
+                            logger.debug(
+                                "Codex fallback stream: synthesized from %d deltas (%d chars)",
+                                len(collected_text_deltas), len(assembled),
+                            )
                     return terminal_response
         finally:
             close_fn = getattr(stream_or_response, "close", None)
@@ -5224,11 +5189,13 @@ class AIAgent:
         return transformed
 
     def _anthropic_preserve_dots(self) -> bool:
-        """True when using Alibaba/DashScope anthropic-compatible endpoint (model names keep dots, e.g. qwen3.5-plus)."""
-        if (getattr(self, "provider", "") or "").lower() == "alibaba":
+        """True when using an anthropic-compatible endpoint that preserves dots in model names.
+        Alibaba/DashScope keeps dots (e.g. qwen3.5-plus).
+        OpenCode Go keeps dots (e.g. minimax-m2.7)."""
+        if (getattr(self, "provider", "") or "").lower() in {"alibaba", "opencode-go"}:
             return True
         base = (getattr(self, "base_url", "") or "").lower()
-        return "dashscope" in base or "aliyuncs" in base
+        return "dashscope" in base or "aliyuncs" in base or "opencode.ai/zen/go" in base
 
     def _build_api_kwargs(self, api_messages: list) -> dict:
         """Build the keyword arguments dict for the active API mode."""
@@ -5436,6 +5403,12 @@ class AIAgent:
         if extra_body:
             api_kwargs["extra_body"] = extra_body
 
+        # xAI prompt caching: send x-grok-conv-id header to route requests
+        # to the same server, maximizing automatic cache hits.
+        # https://docs.x.ai/developers/advanced-api-usage/prompt-caching
+        if "x.ai" in self._base_url_lower and hasattr(self, "session_id") and self.session_id:
+            api_kwargs["extra_headers"] = {"x-grok-conv-id": self.session_id}
+
         return api_kwargs
 
     def _supports_reasoning_extra_body(self) -> bool:
@@ -5712,6 +5685,7 @@ class AIAgent:
                 api_msg.pop("reasoning", None)
                 api_msg.pop("finish_reason", None)
                 api_msg.pop("_flush_sentinel", None)
+                api_msg.pop("_thinking_prefill", None)
                 if _needs_sanitize:
                     self._sanitize_tool_calls_for_strict_api(api_msg)
                 api_messages.append(api_msg)
@@ -5797,7 +5771,7 @@ class AIAgent:
                         args = json.loads(tc.function.arguments)
                         flush_target = args.get("target", "memory")
                         from tools.memory_tool import memory_tool as _memory_tool
-                        result = _memory_tool(
+                        _memory_tool(
                             action=args.get("action"),
                             target=flush_target,
                             content=args.get("content"),
@@ -6194,15 +6168,17 @@ class AIAgent:
                 except Exception as cb_err:
                     logging.debug(f"Tool complete callback error: {cb_err}")
 
-            # Save oversized results to file instead of destructive truncation
-            function_result = _save_oversized_tool_result(name, function_result)
+            function_result = maybe_persist_tool_result(
+                content=function_result,
+                tool_name=name,
+                tool_use_id=tc.id,
+                env=get_active_env(effective_task_id),
+            )
 
-            # Discover subdirectory context files from tool arguments
             subdir_hints = self._subdirectory_hints.check_tool_call(name, args)
             if subdir_hints:
                 function_result += subdir_hints
 
-            # Append tool result message in order
             tool_msg = {
                 "role": "tool",
                 "content": function_result,
@@ -6210,6 +6186,12 @@ class AIAgent:
             }
             messages.append(tool_msg)
 
+        # ── Per-turn aggregate budget enforcement ─────────────────────────
+        num_tools = len(parsed_calls)
+        if num_tools > 0:
+            turn_tool_msgs = messages[-num_tools:]
+            enforce_turn_budget(turn_tool_msgs, env=get_active_env(effective_task_id))
+
         # ── Budget pressure injection ────────────────────────────────────
         budget_warning = self._get_budget_warning(api_call_count)
         if budget_warning and messages and messages[-1].get("role") == "tool":
@@ -6494,8 +6476,12 @@ class AIAgent:
                 except Exception as cb_err:
                     logging.debug(f"Tool complete callback error: {cb_err}")
 
-            # Save oversized results to file instead of destructive truncation
-            function_result = _save_oversized_tool_result(function_name, function_result)
+            function_result = maybe_persist_tool_result(
+                content=function_result,
+                tool_name=function_name,
+                tool_use_id=tool_call.id,
+                env=get_active_env(effective_task_id),
+            )
 
             # Discover subdirectory context files from tool arguments
             subdir_hints = self._subdirectory_hints.check_tool_call(function_name, function_args)
@@ -6533,6 +6519,11 @@ class AIAgent:
             if self.tool_delay > 0 and i < len(assistant_message.tool_calls):
                 time.sleep(self.tool_delay)
 
+        # ── Per-turn aggregate budget enforcement ─────────────────────────
+        num_tools_seq = len(assistant_message.tool_calls)
+        if num_tools_seq > 0:
+            enforce_turn_budget(messages[-num_tools_seq:], env=get_active_env(effective_task_id))
+
         # ── Budget pressure injection ─────────────────────────────────
         # After all tool calls in this turn are processed, check if we're
         # approaching max_iterations. If so, inject a warning into the LAST
@@ -6635,7 +6626,7 @@ class AIAgent:
             api_messages = []
             for msg in messages:
                 api_msg = msg.copy()
-                for internal_field in ("reasoning", "finish_reason"):
+                for internal_field in ("reasoning", "finish_reason", "_thinking_prefill"):
                     api_msg.pop(internal_field, None)
                 if _needs_sanitize:
                     self._sanitize_tool_calls_for_strict_api(api_msg)
@@ -6827,6 +6818,7 @@ class AIAgent:
         self._empty_content_retries = 0
         self._incomplete_scratchpad_retries = 0
         self._codex_incomplete_retries = 0
+        self._thinking_prefill_retries = 0
         self._last_content_with_tools = None
         self._mute_post_response = False
         self._surrogate_sanitized = False
@@ -7172,6 +7164,8 @@ class AIAgent:
                 # Remove finish_reason - not accepted by strict APIs (e.g. Mistral)
                 if "finish_reason" in api_msg:
                     api_msg.pop("finish_reason")
+                # Strip internal thinking-prefill marker
+                api_msg.pop("_thinking_prefill", None)
                 # Strip Codex Responses API fields (call_id, response_item_id) for
                 # strict providers like Mistral, Fireworks, etc. that reject unknown fields.
                 # Uses new dicts so the internal messages list retains the fields
@@ -7357,9 +7351,31 @@ class AIAgent:
                         elif not isinstance(output_items, list):
                             response_invalid = True
                             error_details.append("response.output is not a list")
-                        elif len(output_items) == 0:
-                            response_invalid = True
-                            error_details.append("response.output is empty")
+                        elif not output_items:
+                            # Stream backfill may have failed, but
+                            # _normalize_codex_response can still recover
+                            # from response.output_text. Only mark invalid
+                            # when that fallback is also absent.
+                            _out_text = getattr(response, "output_text", None)
+                            _out_text_stripped = _out_text.strip() if isinstance(_out_text, str) else ""
+                            if _out_text_stripped:
+                                logger.debug(
+                                    "Codex response.output is empty but output_text is present "
+                                    "(%d chars); deferring to normalization.",
+                                    len(_out_text_stripped),
+                                )
+                            else:
+                                _resp_status = getattr(response, "status", None)
+                                _resp_incomplete = getattr(response, "incomplete_details", None)
+                                logger.warning(
+                                    "Codex response.output is empty after stream backfill "
+                                    "(status=%s, incomplete_details=%s, model=%s). %s",
+                                    _resp_status, _resp_incomplete,
+                                    getattr(response, "model", None),
+                                    f"api_mode={self.api_mode} provider={self.provider}",
+                                )
+                                response_invalid = True
+                                error_details.append("response.output is empty")
                     elif self.api_mode == "anthropic_messages":
                         content_blocks = getattr(response, "content", None) if response is not None else None
                         if response is None:
@@ -7368,11 +7384,11 @@ class AIAgent:
                         elif not isinstance(content_blocks, list):
                             response_invalid = True
                             error_details.append("response.content is not a list")
-                        elif len(content_blocks) == 0:
+                        elif not content_blocks:
                             response_invalid = True
                             error_details.append("response.content is empty")
                     else:
-                        if response is None or not hasattr(response, 'choices') or response.choices is None or len(response.choices) == 0:
+                        if response is None or not hasattr(response, 'choices') or response.choices is None or not response.choices:
                             response_invalid = True
                             if response is None:
                                 error_details.append("response is None")
@@ -8179,11 +8195,17 @@ class AIAgent:
                         self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}   🌐 Endpoint: {_base}", force=True)
                         # Actionable guidance for common auth errors
                         if status_code in (401, 403) or "unauthorized" in error_msg or "forbidden" in error_msg or "permission" in error_msg:
-                            self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}   💡 Your API key was rejected by the provider. Check:", force=True)
-                            self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      • Is the key valid? Run: hermes setup", force=True)
-                            self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      • Does your account have access to {_model}?", force=True)
-                            if "openrouter" in str(_base).lower():
-                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      • Check credits: https://openrouter.ai/settings/credits", force=True)
+                            if _provider == "openai-codex" and status_code == 401:
+                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}   💡 Codex OAuth token was rejected (HTTP 401). Your token may have been", force=True)
+                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      refreshed by another client (Codex CLI, VS Code). To fix:", force=True)
+                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      1. Run `codex` in your terminal to generate fresh tokens.", force=True)
+                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      2. Then run `hermes auth` to re-authenticate.", force=True)
+                            else:
+                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}   💡 Your API key was rejected by the provider. Check:", force=True)
+                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      • Is the key valid? Run: hermes setup", force=True)
+                                self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      • Does your account have access to {_model}?", force=True)
+                                if "openrouter" in str(_base).lower():
+                                    self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}      • Check credits: https://openrouter.ai/settings/credits", force=True)
                         else:
                             self._vprint(f"{self.log_prefix}   💡 This type of error won't be fixed by retrying.", force=True)
                         logging.error(f"{self.log_prefix}Non-retryable client error: {api_error}")
@@ -8688,6 +8710,15 @@ class AIAgent:
                             if clean:
                                 self._vprint(f"  ┊ 💬 {clean}")
                     
+                    # Pop thinking-only prefill message(s) before appending
+                    # (tool-call path — same rationale as the final-response path).
+                    while (
+                        messages
+                        and isinstance(messages[-1], dict)
+                        and messages[-1].get("_thinking_prefill")
+                    ):
+                        messages.pop()
+
                     messages.append(assistant_msg)
 
                     # Close any open streaming display (response box, reasoning
@@ -8801,11 +8832,36 @@ class AIAgent:
                             self._response_was_previewed = True
                             break
 
-                        # Reasoning-only response: the model produced thinking
-                        # but no visible content.  This is a valid response —
-                        # keep reasoning in its own field and set content to
-                        # "(empty)" so every provider accepts the message.
-                        # No retries needed.
+                        # ── Thinking-only prefill continuation ──────────
+                        # The model produced structured reasoning (via API
+                        # fields) but no visible text content.  Rather than
+                        # giving up, append the assistant message as-is and
+                        # continue — the model will see its own reasoning
+                        # on the next turn and produce the text portion.
+                        # Inspired by clawdbot's "incomplete-text" recovery.
+                        _has_structured = bool(
+                            getattr(assistant_message, "reasoning", None)
+                            or getattr(assistant_message, "reasoning_content", None)
+                            or getattr(assistant_message, "reasoning_details", None)
+                        )
+                        if _has_structured and self._thinking_prefill_retries < 2:
+                            self._thinking_prefill_retries += 1
+                            self._vprint(
+                                f"{self.log_prefix}↻ Thinking-only response — "
+                                f"prefilling to continue "
+                                f"({self._thinking_prefill_retries}/2)"
+                            )
+                            interim_msg = self._build_assistant_message(
+                                assistant_message, "incomplete"
+                            )
+                            interim_msg["_thinking_prefill"] = True
+                            messages.append(interim_msg)
+                            self._session_messages = messages
+                            self._save_session_log(messages)
+                            continue
+
+                        # Exhausted prefill attempts or no structured
+                        # reasoning — fall through to "(empty)" terminal.
                         reasoning_text = self._extract_reasoning(assistant_message)
                         assistant_msg = self._build_assistant_message(assistant_message, finish_reason)
                         assistant_msg["content"] = "(empty)"
@@ -8824,6 +8880,7 @@ class AIAgent:
                     if hasattr(self, '_empty_content_retries'):
                         self._empty_content_retries = 0
                     self._last_empty_content_signature = None
+                    self._thinking_prefill_retries = 0
 
                     if (
                         self.api_mode == "codex_responses"
@@ -8862,7 +8919,18 @@ class AIAgent:
                     final_response = self._strip_think_blocks(final_response).strip()
                     
                     final_msg = self._build_assistant_message(assistant_message, finish_reason)
-                    
+
+                    # Pop thinking-only prefill message(s) before appending
+                    # the final response.  This avoids consecutive assistant
+                    # messages which break strict-alternation providers
+                    # (Anthropic Messages API) and keeps history clean.
+                    while (
+                        messages
+                        and isinstance(messages[-1], dict)
+                        and messages[-1].get("_thinking_prefill")
+                    ):
+                        messages.pop()
+
                     messages.append(final_msg)
                     
                     if not self.quiet_mode:
@@ -8904,7 +8972,6 @@ class AIAgent:
                                     "content": f"Error executing tool: {error_msg}",
                                 }
                                 messages.append(err_msg)
-                        pending_handled = True
                     break
                 
                 # Non-tool errors don't need a synthetic message injected.

scripts/install.ps1

@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ $NodeVersion = "22"
 function Write-Banner {
     Write-Host ""
     Write-Host "┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐" -ForegroundColor Magenta
-    Write-Host "│             ⚕ Hermes Agent Installer                   │" -ForegroundColor Magenta
+    Write-Host "│             ⚕ Hermes Agent Installer                    │" -ForegroundColor Magenta
     Write-Host "├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤" -ForegroundColor Magenta
     Write-Host "│  An open source AI agent by Nous Research.              │" -ForegroundColor Magenta
     Write-Host "└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘" -ForegroundColor Magenta

scripts/release.py

@@ -21,8 +21,6 @@ Usage:
 """
 
 import argparse
-import json
-import os
 import re
 import shutil
 import subprocess