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 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Vbvwg3Qt2u9nbkEA3wL17S
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Claude Sonnet 5
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# Hermes Agent on mibook
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**Date:** 2026-09-08
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**Machine:** mibook (laptop, KDE desktop, current daily driver)
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**Status:** Design approved, pending implementation plan
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**Base branch:** `feat/sops-nix` (pushed to `origin`, not yet merged to `main`)
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## Goal
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Deploy [NousResearch/hermes-agent](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent)
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as a NixOS-native systemd service on mibook, reachable via Telegram and Email,
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using an Anthropic Claude subscription (`claude setup-token`) rather than a
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pay-per-token API key. Design + implementation plan only — no execution in
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this round; a later session applies the plan.
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## Decisions
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| Topic | Decision |
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|-------|----------|
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| Host | mibook, not jupiter. Availability gap (laptop sleeps/lid-closes) is accepted, not engineered around |
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| Use case | Messaging gateway (Telegram + Email), not CLI-only |
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| 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 |
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| Module source | Official `github:NousResearch/hermes-agent`, not the community `0xrsydn/nix-hermes-agent` wrapper |
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| 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 |
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| LLM provider auth | Anthropic via `claude setup-token` (long-lived, headless-friendly token) → `ANTHROPIC_TOKEN`, not `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` |
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| 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 |
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| 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) |
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| 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 |
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| Network exposure | None. Telegram (long-polling) and Email (IMAP/SMTP) are both outbound-initiated from mibook. No Caddy/webserver module changes, no public endpoint |
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| 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 |
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### Deliberately deferred (YAGNI)
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- Any workaround for mibook's availability gap (cloud relay, wake scheduling, HA failover to jupiter)
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- Discord, Slack, or any other messaging platform beyond Telegram + Email
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- Public/internet exposure of any kind
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- Merging or rebasing `feat/sops-nix` — this design builds on top of it as-is
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## Part 1 — The module
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New flake input in `flake.nix`, following the exact shape `sops-nix` already
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uses:
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```nix
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hermes-agent = {
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url = "github:NousResearch/hermes-agent";
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inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
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};
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```
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Import the upstream module **only into mibook's module list**, not
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`baseModules` — this is a single-host service, unlike `sops-nix.nixosModules.sops`
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which every machine needs. In `machines/configuration.nix`, mibook's
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`modules = defaultModules ++ [ hermes-agent.nixosModules.default ./mibook/configuration.nix ]`
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(exact insertion point to be confirmed against the file at implementation
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time — `defaultModules` is currently machine-agnostic, so this is a targeted,
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minimal deviation from that shared list, not a restructuring of it).
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New file `modules/environments/hermes-agent/default.nix` following the
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repo's standard profile pattern:
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```nix
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{ config, lib, pkgs, ... }:
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let
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cfg = config.my.profiles.hermes-agent;
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in
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{
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options.my.profiles.hermes-agent.enable = lib.mkEnableOption "Hermes Agent (Telegram + Email gateway)";
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config = lib.mkIf cfg.enable {
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services.hermes-agent = {
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enable = true;
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settings.model.default = "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5"; # confirm exact model string at implementation
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environmentFiles = [ config.sops.secrets."hermes-env".path ];
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addToSystemPackages = true;
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};
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};
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}
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```
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Add `./environments/hermes-agent` to `modules/environments/default.nix`;
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enable `my.profiles.hermes-agent.enable = true` in
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`machines/mibook/environments.nix`.
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**Provided for free by the upstream module:** `hermes` system user/group
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(`createUser` default true), hardened systemd unit (`NoNewPrivileges`,
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`ProtectSystem=strict`, `PrivateTmp` — not independently user-configurable
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per the docs), `hermes` CLI on `$PATH` via `addToSystemPackages`.
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## Part 2 — Secret
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Add to `machines/mibook/secrets.nix` (existing file, per `docs/secrets.md`):
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```nix
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sops.secrets.hermes-env = {
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owner = "hermes";
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group = "hermes";
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mode = "0400";
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restartUnits = [ "hermes-agent.service" ]; # confirm exact unit name at implementation
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};
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```
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Populate via `nix develop -c sops secrets/mibook.yaml`, adding a
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multi-line `hermes-env` block:
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```
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ANTHROPIC_TOKEN=<output of `claude setup-token`>
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TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=<from @BotFather>
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<IMAP/SMTP host, user, password or app-password — exact keys per Hermes' email integration doc>
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```
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**Verify at implementation, not assumed:** the module's own documented
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example uses `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`; the setup-token path is documented
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separately (and thinly) as `ANTHROPIC_TOKEN`. Confirm the running module
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actually picks up `ANTHROPIC_TOKEN` before treating auth as working —
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if it doesn't, the fallback is a plain `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` (pay-per-token,
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loses the subscription framing this design was built around).
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**Must `git add secrets/mibook.yaml` before `nix build`** — untracked
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files are invisible to flake evaluation (existing repo rule, `docs/secrets.md`).
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## Part 3 — Rollout runbook (on mibook)
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1. Confirm Claude Max extra-usage-credits are actually purchased (Anthropic
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console) — the whole auth design depends on this pool being funded.
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2. Run `claude setup-token` on mibook; capture the token.
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3. Create/gather Telegram bot token (`@BotFather`) and email credentials.
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4. Add the `hermes-agent` flake input; add the module wrapper file; wire it
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into `modules/environments/default.nix` and `machines/mibook/environments.nix`.
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5. Add `sops.secrets.hermes-env` to `machines/mibook/secrets.nix`.
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6. `nix develop -c sops secrets/mibook.yaml`, populate `hermes-env`, `git add`.
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7. `nix build '.#nixosConfigurations.mibook.config.system.build.toplevel'` — CI-style check before touching the running system.
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8. `sudo nixos-rebuild test --flake '.#mibook'` — verify before persisting across reboot.
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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).
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10. Send a test Telegram message; send a test email; confirm both round-trip.
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11. `sudo nixos-rebuild switch --flake '.#mibook'` once verified.
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### Rollback
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`my.profiles.hermes-agent.enable = false`, `nixos-rebuild switch`. No data
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migration involved (no existing deployment to preserve), so rollback is a
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one-line revert, not a runbook.
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## Open risks (carried forward, not resolved by design)
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1. **`ANTHROPIC_TOKEN` vs `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`** — thin upstream docs, needs a real test (Part 2).
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2. **Extra-credits billing pool funding** — not independently verified, user-asserted intent (Part 3, step 1).
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3. **Tier 2 Nix support** — expect some manual troubleshooting; upstream doesn't guarantee the flake stays working across their commits.
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4. **Availability gap** — accepted by design, not a bug to fix later unless priorities change.
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