From 6212b4fcf730a6d0f1b2eea8899bdbc1a53a500b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Finn@MiBook" Date: Tue, 8 Sep 2026 16:56:26 +0200 Subject: [PATCH] docs: design spec for Hermes Agent on mibook Locks in host (mibook, not jupiter), deployment mode (NixOS native module), and auth (claude setup-token / ANTHROPIC_TOKEN, Max extra credits) after a grilling round. Builds on feat/sops-nix as-is. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 5 Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Vbvwg3Qt2u9nbkEA3wL17S --- .../2026-09-08-hermes-agent-nixos-design.md | 147 ++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 147 insertions(+) create mode 100644 docs/superpowers/specs/2026-09-08-hermes-agent-nixos-design.md diff --git a/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-09-08-hermes-agent-nixos-design.md b/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-09-08-hermes-agent-nixos-design.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7f3dfee --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/superpowers/specs/2026-09-08-hermes-agent-nixos-design.md @@ -0,0 +1,147 @@ +# Hermes Agent on mibook + +**Date:** 2026-09-08 +**Machine:** mibook (laptop, KDE desktop, current daily driver) +**Status:** Design approved, pending implementation plan +**Base branch:** `feat/sops-nix` (pushed to `origin`, not yet merged to `main`) + +## Goal + +Deploy [NousResearch/hermes-agent](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) +as a NixOS-native systemd service on mibook, reachable via Telegram and Email, +using an Anthropic Claude subscription (`claude setup-token`) rather than a +pay-per-token API key. Design + implementation plan only — no execution in +this round; a later session applies the plan. + +## Decisions + +| Topic | Decision | +|-------|----------| +| Host | mibook, not jupiter. Availability gap (laptop sleeps/lid-closes) is accepted, not engineered around | +| Use case | Messaging gateway (Telegram + Email), not CLI-only | +| Deployment mode | NixOS native module (`services.hermes-agent.*` from upstream `nixosModules.default`), wrapped in `my.profiles.hermes-agent`. Home Manager was considered and rejected — not wired into this flake anywhere; adding it for one service is a new framework dependency, not proportionate | +| Module source | Official `github:NousResearch/hermes-agent`, not the community `0xrsydn/nix-hermes-agent` wrapper | +| Nix support tier | Docs explicitly call Nix/NixOS "Tier 2, best-effort" — Docker/FHS is upstream's primary supported path. Accepted tradeoff, not a blocker | +| LLM provider auth | Anthropic via `claude setup-token` (long-lived, headless-friendly token) → `ANTHROPIC_TOKEN`, not `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` | +| Billing caveat | Setup-token/OAuth path only draws from a **Claude Max "extra usage credits"** pool, never the base Max allowance. Claude Pro cannot use this path at all. User intends to use `claude setup-token`; not independently re-verified that extra credits are purchased — confirm in Anthropic console before/during implementation | +| Secrets | One sops secret, `hermes-env`, containing a full env-file blob (matches the module's `environmentFiles` list-of-paths interface — not a single-value secret) | +| sops prerequisite | **None.** mibook is already a registered sops recipient (`host_mibook` in `.sops.yaml`, `secrets/mibook.yaml` exists, proven via a live `nixos-rebuild switch` in the sops-nix work). No "Phase 9"-style bootstrapping needed — that deferred work is about *jupiter*, irrelevant now that mibook is the target | +| Network exposure | None. Telegram (long-polling) and Email (IMAP/SMTP) are both outbound-initiated from mibook. No Caddy/webserver module changes, no public endpoint | +| Messaging platforms | Telegram + Email only, first pass. Hermes Agent supports 27+ platforms total (Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Matrix, etc.) — others deliberately out of scope, same pattern applies later if wanted | + +### Deliberately deferred (YAGNI) +- Any workaround for mibook's availability gap (cloud relay, wake scheduling, HA failover to jupiter) +- Discord, Slack, or any other messaging platform beyond Telegram + Email +- Public/internet exposure of any kind +- Merging or rebasing `feat/sops-nix` — this design builds on top of it as-is + +## Part 1 — The module + +New flake input in `flake.nix`, following the exact shape `sops-nix` already +uses: + +```nix +hermes-agent = { + url = "github:NousResearch/hermes-agent"; + inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs"; +}; +``` + +Import the upstream module **only into mibook's module list**, not +`baseModules` — this is a single-host service, unlike `sops-nix.nixosModules.sops` +which every machine needs. In `machines/configuration.nix`, mibook's +`modules = defaultModules ++ [ hermes-agent.nixosModules.default ./mibook/configuration.nix ]` +(exact insertion point to be confirmed against the file at implementation +time — `defaultModules` is currently machine-agnostic, so this is a targeted, +minimal deviation from that shared list, not a restructuring of it). + +New file `modules/environments/hermes-agent/default.nix` following the +repo's standard profile pattern: + +```nix +{ config, lib, pkgs, ... }: +let + cfg = config.my.profiles.hermes-agent; +in +{ + options.my.profiles.hermes-agent.enable = lib.mkEnableOption "Hermes Agent (Telegram + Email gateway)"; + + config = lib.mkIf cfg.enable { + services.hermes-agent = { + enable = true; + settings.model.default = "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5"; # confirm exact model string at implementation + environmentFiles = [ config.sops.secrets."hermes-env".path ]; + addToSystemPackages = true; + }; + }; +} +``` + +Add `./environments/hermes-agent` to `modules/environments/default.nix`; +enable `my.profiles.hermes-agent.enable = true` in +`machines/mibook/environments.nix`. + +**Provided for free by the upstream module:** `hermes` system user/group +(`createUser` default true), hardened systemd unit (`NoNewPrivileges`, +`ProtectSystem=strict`, `PrivateTmp` — not independently user-configurable +per the docs), `hermes` CLI on `$PATH` via `addToSystemPackages`. + +## Part 2 — Secret + +Add to `machines/mibook/secrets.nix` (existing file, per `docs/secrets.md`): + +```nix +sops.secrets.hermes-env = { + owner = "hermes"; + group = "hermes"; + mode = "0400"; + restartUnits = [ "hermes-agent.service" ]; # confirm exact unit name at implementation +}; +``` + +Populate via `nix develop -c sops secrets/mibook.yaml`, adding a +multi-line `hermes-env` block: + +``` +ANTHROPIC_TOKEN= +TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN= + +``` + +**Verify at implementation, not assumed:** the module's own documented +example uses `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`; the setup-token path is documented +separately (and thinly) as `ANTHROPIC_TOKEN`. Confirm the running module +actually picks up `ANTHROPIC_TOKEN` before treating auth as working — +if it doesn't, the fallback is a plain `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` (pay-per-token, +loses the subscription framing this design was built around). + +**Must `git add secrets/mibook.yaml` before `nix build`** — untracked +files are invisible to flake evaluation (existing repo rule, `docs/secrets.md`). + +## Part 3 — Rollout runbook (on mibook) + +1. Confirm Claude Max extra-usage-credits are actually purchased (Anthropic + console) — the whole auth design depends on this pool being funded. +2. Run `claude setup-token` on mibook; capture the token. +3. Create/gather Telegram bot token (`@BotFather`) and email credentials. +4. Add the `hermes-agent` flake input; add the module wrapper file; wire it + into `modules/environments/default.nix` and `machines/mibook/environments.nix`. +5. Add `sops.secrets.hermes-env` to `machines/mibook/secrets.nix`. +6. `nix develop -c sops secrets/mibook.yaml`, populate `hermes-env`, `git add`. +7. `nix build '.#nixosConfigurations.mibook.config.system.build.toplevel'` — CI-style check before touching the running system. +8. `sudo nixos-rebuild test --flake '.#mibook'` — verify before persisting across reboot. +9. `journalctl -u hermes-agent.service -f` — confirm it starts, decrypts the secret, connects to Telegram (and doesn't loop-crash on the `ANTHROPIC_TOKEN` question from Part 2). +10. Send a test Telegram message; send a test email; confirm both round-trip. +11. `sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake '.#mibook'` once verified. + +### Rollback +`my.profiles.hermes-agent.enable = false`, `nixos-rebuild switch`. No data +migration involved (no existing deployment to preserve), so rollback is a +one-line revert, not a runbook. + +## Open risks (carried forward, not resolved by design) + +1. **`ANTHROPIC_TOKEN` vs `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`** — thin upstream docs, needs a real test (Part 2). +2. **Extra-credits billing pool funding** — not independently verified, user-asserted intent (Part 3, step 1). +3. **Tier 2 Nix support** — expect some manual troubleshooting; upstream doesn't guarantee the flake stays working across their commits. +4. **Availability gap** — accepted by design, not a bug to fix later unless priorities change.