Files
hermes-webui/docker-compose.two-container.yml
nesquena-hermes 5cc8b6c654 docs(docker): document agent-image upgrade flow + read-only WebUI source mount
The hermes-agent-src named volume in the two- and three-container compose
files is initialised from the agent image's /opt/hermes on first `up` and
Docker reuses it verbatim on every subsequent `up` — even after a fresh
`docker pull` of the agent image. This was the root cause of #1416 (the
'missing entrypoint' symptom was a stale cached volume hiding the new
image's source tree).

Changes:

- Add an 'Upgrading the agent container' section to docs/docker.md with
  the canonical `down → docker volume rm → pull → up -d` recipe, plus the
  same pointer as a comment block in both multi-container compose files
  near the volume declarations.
- Switch the WebUI's hermes-agent-src mount to `:ro` in both multi-container
  compose files. The WebUI only reads this volume to install the agent's
  Python deps at startup; mounting it read-only enforces that at the kernel
  layer and brings the actual mount mode in line with the existing
  docs/docker.md architecture diagram (which already labelled this edge as
  read-only).
- Align the workspace bind default in both multi-container compose files
  with the single-container convention — `${HERMES_WORKSPACE:-${HOME}/workspace}`
  instead of `${HERMES_WORKSPACE:-~/workspace}` — so the default resolves
  the same way across Linux, macOS, WSL2, and Docker Desktop on Windows.
- Add a 'What the multi-container setup isolates (and what it doesn't)'
  section to docs/docker.md to frame the two/three-container setups as
  process/network/resource isolation, not filesystem isolation, so users
  don't reach for multi-container expecting a trust boundary it doesn't
  provide.
- Cross-link #1416 from the Related issues section.

Adds 9 regression tests in tests/test_docker_docs_and_readonly.py covering:
- :ro on the WebUI side of hermes-agent-src in both files
- agent side stays read-write (still needs to populate /opt/hermes on first run)
- ${HOME} (not ~) in workspace bind defaults in both files
- single-container file already uses ${HOME} (pin to prevent drift)
- docs/docker.md has the 'Upgrading the agent container' section + recipe
- compose files reference docs/docker.md + show the upgrade step inline
- docs/docker.md frames the isolation model honestly

Test suite: 42 passed (33 existing Docker tests + 9 new). No behaviour
change for users who set HERMES_WORKSPACE explicitly, and no migration is
required for existing deployments — Docker rebinds the existing volume
read-only on next `up`. Users upgrading the agent image should now follow
the documented `docker volume rm hermes-agent-src` recipe.

Closes #1416 (documented upgrade procedure) and addresses the read-only
half of the multi-container coupling concern raised on #2453.
2026-05-17 17:18:39 +00:00

148 lines
6.4 KiB
YAML

# Two-container Docker Compose: Hermes Agent + Hermes WebUI
#
# QUICK START:
# docker compose -f docker-compose.two-container.yml up -d
# Open http://localhost:8787
#
# This runs the agent and web UI in separate containers connected via shared
# Docker volumes. The WebUI installs the agent's Python dependencies from the
# shared agent source volume at startup.
#
# WHEN TO USE THIS:
# - You want isolation between the agent gateway and the WebUI
# - You're already running hermes-agent in its own container
# - You don't need the dashboard (use docker-compose.three-container.yml for that)
#
# WHEN NOT TO USE THIS:
# - You hit "Permission denied" trying to share an existing ~/.hermes directory
# → use docker-compose.yml (single-container) instead, OR
# → keep this file but switch to NAMED VOLUMES (the default) instead of bind mounts
# - You're on Podman 3.4 or older without keep-id namespace support
# → see https://github.com/sunnysktsang/hermes-suite for an all-in-one image
#
# KNOWN LIMITATION (#681): tools triggered from the WebUI run in the WebUI
# container, not the agent container. If you need git/node/etc. on the
# WebUI's filesystem, install them in the WebUI image — or use a single-
# container setup where everything lives in one place.
#
# NOTE ON VOLUMES:
# This file uses named Docker volumes (hermes-home, hermes-agent-src) which
# work out of the box on every Docker installation. If you prefer bind mounts
# to share an existing host directory:
#
# volumes:
# hermes-home:
# driver: local
# driver_opts:
# type: none
# o: bind
# device: /home/youruser/.hermes
#
# When using bind mounts, BOTH containers must mount the same host path,
# AND your host directory must be readable by UID 1000 (the default). Run:
# id -u && id -g
# to find your host UID/GID, then put them in a .env file:
# echo "UID=$(id -u)" >> .env
# echo "GID=$(id -g)" >> .env
services:
hermes-agent:
image: nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest
container_name: hermes-agent
command: gateway run
ports:
# Gateway API — exposed on localhost only.
# Other containers on hermes-net reach it via http://hermes-agent:8642.
# Remove 127.0.0.1: to expose on the host network (e.g. for remote clients).
- "127.0.0.1:8642:8642"
volumes:
# Persist config, state, sessions, skills, memory across restarts
- hermes-home:/home/hermes/.hermes
# Expose agent source so the WebUI can install dependencies from it
- hermes-agent-src:/opt/hermes
environment:
- HERMES_HOME=/home/hermes/.hermes
# Align UID/GID across containers sharing the hermes-home volume.
# Defaults to 1000 to match WANTED_UID/WANTED_GID in the webui service.
# The agent image's entrypoint already supports usermod remapping.
- HERMES_UID=${UID:-1000}
- HERMES_GID=${GID:-1000}
# Bind-mount permission handling for the agent — narrow set of overrides.
# NOTE: The agent's HERMES_HOME_MODE applies to the HERMES_HOME *directory*
# mode (default 0700) — NOT to credential files like the WebUI's variant.
# If you set this, you MUST keep the owner-execute bit so the agent can
# traverse its own home directory. 0640 BREAKS the agent (no x bit → no
# traversal). Use 0750 for group-traversable or 0701 for x-only.
# The agent's container detection (/.dockerenv) already auto-skips
# credential chmod inside Docker, so HERMES_SKIP_CHMOD is redundant here.
# - HERMES_HOME_MODE=0750
restart: unless-stopped
networks:
- hermes-net
hermes-webui:
image: ghcr.io/nesquena/hermes-webui:latest
container_name: hermes-webui
depends_on:
- hermes-agent
ports:
- "127.0.0.1:8787:8787"
volumes:
# Same hermes home as the agent — shares config, sessions, state
- hermes-home:/home/hermeswebui/.hermes
# Agent source mounted where docker_init.bash expects it.
# Mounted read-only — the WebUI only reads this volume to install
# the agent's Python dependencies at startup (`uv pip install`).
# Read-only enforces that defence-in-depth at the kernel layer.
- hermes-agent-src:/home/hermeswebui/.hermes/hermes-agent:ro
# Workspace directory — browse and edit files from the WebUI.
# Adapt the host path to your project directory.
# Override with: HERMES_WORKSPACE=/your/path docker compose up
# ${HOME} is used rather than `~` so the default resolves the same way
# across Linux, macOS, WSL2, and Docker Desktop on Windows.
- ${HERMES_WORKSPACE:-${HOME}/workspace}:/workspace
environment:
- HERMES_WEBUI_HOST=0.0.0.0
- HERMES_WEBUI_PORT=8787
- HERMES_WEBUI_STATE_DIR=/home/hermeswebui/.hermes/webui
# Match your host user's UID/GID for correct file permissions.
# In two-container setups the WebUI auto-detects UID/GID from the shared
# hermes-home volume, but you can override explicitly if needed (#668):
# Run `id -u` and `id -g` to find your values.
# On macOS, UIDs start at 501 — set these in a .env file:
# echo "UID=$(id -u)" >> .env && echo "GID=$(id -g)" >> .env
- WANTED_UID=${UID:-1000}
- WANTED_GID=${GID:-1000}
# Optional: set a password for remote access
# - HERMES_WEBUI_PASSWORD=your-secret-password
# Bind-mount permission handling for the WebUI (fixes #1389, #1399).
# NOTE: WebUI's HERMES_HOME_MODE is a credential-file threshold (allow
# group bits on .env/.signing_key/etc.), DIFFERENT from the agent's
# which applies to the HERMES_HOME directory itself. 0640 is correct
# for the WebUI; do NOT copy this value to the agent service block.
# - HERMES_SKIP_CHMOD=1
# - HERMES_HOME_MODE=0640
restart: unless-stopped
networks:
- hermes-net
networks:
hermes-net:
driver: bridge
volumes:
# IMPORTANT — upgrading the agent image:
# The `hermes-agent-src` volume is initialised from the agent image's
# `/opt/hermes` on first `up`, and Docker reuses the volume verbatim on
# later runs — even after `docker pull` of a newer agent image. After
# upgrading the agent image, run:
#
# docker compose down
# docker volume rm <project>_hermes-agent-src
# docker compose pull
# docker compose up -d
#
# The full procedure (and why) is documented in docs/docker.md.
hermes-home:
hermes-agent-src: