fix: bootstrap.py loads REPO_ROOT/.env so direct invocation matches start.sh (#730) (#791)

* fix: bootstrap.py loads REPO_ROOT/.env so direct invocation matches start.sh

When users run 'python3 bootstrap.py' directly (the primary documented
entry point in README), HERMES_WEBUI_HOST, HERMES_WEBUI_PORT and other
.env settings were silently ignored because the shell-level 'source .env'
in start.sh was never executed.

Add _load_repo_dotenv() in bootstrap.py that reads REPO_ROOT/.env into
os.environ before DEFAULT_HOST / DEFAULT_PORT are evaluated at module
level. Uses unconditional assignment matching 'set -a; source .env'
shell semantics. Only loads the repo .env (bootstrap config) — not
~/.hermes/.env, which the server still loads independently at startup
for provider credentials.

Reported in #730 by @leap233 who had HERMES_WEBUI_HOST=0.0.0.0 and
HERMES_WEBUI_PORT=18787 in the webui .env; running bootstrap.py directly
caused the server to ignore both settings.

Tests: 15 new tests in tests/test_bootstrap_dotenv.py covering the
full loader (key=value, comments, blank lines, quoted values, no-file,
unreadable-file, overwrite semantics, values with = signs) and structural
assertions that _load_repo_dotenv() is called before DEFAULT_HOST/PORT.
1613 tests total.

* fix: address review feedback on PR #791

- bootstrap.py: document overwrite semantics and 'export' note in docstring
- bootstrap.py: handle 'export FOO=bar' prefix (strip before splitting on =)
- bootstrap.py: print warning to stderr on .env parse failure (not silent swallow)
- bootstrap.py: add side-effect comment at _load_repo_dotenv() call site
- CHANGELOG.md: restore v0.50.124 and v0.50.123 headers (were merged into
  v0.50.125 section, making three consecutive ### Fixed blocks with no ## header
  between them)
- tests: fix test_noop_when_dotenv_unreadable to assert warning is emitted
- tests: tighten test_does_not_set_empty_values with concrete assertion
- tests: add test_export_prefix_stripped
- tests: remove dead _import_bootstrap_with_env() helper (never called)
1614 tests total

---------

Co-authored-by: nesquena-hermes <hermes@nesquena.com>

bootstrap.py

@@ -19,6 +19,50 @@ from pathlib import Path
 
 INSTALLER_URL = "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh"
 REPO_ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent
+
+
+def _load_repo_dotenv() -> None:
+    """Load REPO_ROOT/.env into os.environ.
+
+    Mirrors what start.sh does via ``set -a; source .env`` so that running
+    ``python3 bootstrap.py`` directly behaves identically to ``./start.sh``.
+    Variables are set unconditionally (matching shell source semantics), so a
+    value in .env overrides one already present in the shell environment.
+    To keep a CLI-supplied value, unset it from .env or launch via start.sh
+    and override there.
+
+    Only loads the webui repo .env — not ~/.hermes/.env, which the server
+    loads independently at startup for provider credentials.
+
+    Note: does not handle the ``export FOO=bar`` prefix — strip ``export``
+    from .env values if copy-pasting from a shell rc file.
+    """
+    env_path = REPO_ROOT / ".env"
+    if not env_path.exists():
+        return
+    try:
+        for raw_line in env_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8").splitlines():
+            line = raw_line.strip()
+            if not line or line.startswith("#") or "=" not in line:
+                continue
+            k, v = line.split("=", 1)
+            k = k.strip()
+            # Strip optional 'export' prefix (common in copy-pasted shell snippets)
+            if k.startswith("export "):
+                k = k[7:].strip()
+            v = v.strip().strip('"').strip("'")
+            if k:
+                os.environ[k] = v
+    except Exception as exc:
+        import sys as _sys
+        print(f"[bootstrap] Warning: could not load .env — {exc}", file=_sys.stderr)
+
+
+# Side effect: loads REPO_ROOT/.env into os.environ on import.
+# Must run before DEFAULT_HOST / DEFAULT_PORT so os.getenv() picks up
+# values from .env even when bootstrap.py is invoked directly (not via start.sh).
+_load_repo_dotenv()
+
 DEFAULT_HOST = os.getenv("HERMES_WEBUI_HOST", "127.0.0.1")
 DEFAULT_PORT = int(os.getenv("HERMES_WEBUI_PORT", "8787"))
 # Set HERMES_WEBUI_SKIP_ONBOARDING=1 to bypass the first-run wizard when