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.
This commit is contained in:
nesquena-hermes
2026-05-17 17:18:39 +00:00
parent 522efc2921
commit 5cc8b6c654
5 changed files with 245 additions and 11 deletions

View File

@@ -166,7 +166,50 @@ The two- and three-container setups use **named Docker volumes** (not bind mount
└─────────────────────────┘
```
The WebUI container doesn't ship with the agent's Python deps — at startup it runs `uv pip install /home/hermeswebui/.hermes/hermes-agent` to install them from the shared volume.
The WebUI container doesn't ship with the agent's Python deps — at startup it runs `uv pip install /home/hermeswebui/.hermes/hermes-agent` to install them from the shared volume. The WebUI mount is read-only; the agent container is the only writer.
## Upgrading the agent container
The `hermes-agent-src` named volume is initialised from the agent image's `/opt/hermes` on first `up`. Docker reuses the volume verbatim on every subsequent `up`**even after `docker pull` of a newer agent image**. The cached volume content masks the new image's source tree, so a fresh `docker pull` of `nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest` does not by itself give you the new agent code, dependencies, or entrypoint.
This is the root cause of [#1416](https://github.com/nesquena/hermes-webui/issues/1416): the symptom looked like a missing entrypoint, but the entrypoint was actually present in the new image and hidden behind the stale named volume.
To upgrade the agent image cleanly, drop the source volume before recreating:
```bash
# Two-container setup
docker compose -f docker-compose.two-container.yml down
docker volume rm <project>_hermes-agent-src
docker compose -f docker-compose.two-container.yml pull
docker compose -f docker-compose.two-container.yml up -d
# Three-container setup
docker compose -f docker-compose.three-container.yml down
docker volume rm <project>_hermes-agent-src
docker compose -f docker-compose.three-container.yml pull
docker compose -f docker-compose.three-container.yml up -d
```
Replace `<project>` with your Compose project name (the parent directory by default; check with `docker volume ls`). The `hermes-home` volume (config, sessions, state) is left untouched — only `hermes-agent-src` (the agent's installed Python source) is recreated.
> The single-container setup (`docker-compose.yml`) does not use `hermes-agent-src` and is not affected by this upgrade pattern — pulling a newer WebUI image and `docker compose up -d --force-recreate` is sufficient.
## What the multi-container setup isolates (and what it doesn't)
The two- and three-container setups give you **process, network, and resource isolation** between the gateway and the chat UI:
- Each service has its own PID namespace and lifecycle — the agent process can crash without taking down the chat UI and vice versa.
- The gateway API (port 8642) is bound by the agent service only; the WebUI cannot bind it. Other containers reach the gateway via the `hermes-net` Docker network.
- Resource limits (`deploy.resources.limits` in `docker-compose.three-container.yml`) apply per service, so you can cap the agent independently of the dashboard.
- Restart policies, log streams, and container health checks are scoped per service.
What multi-container does **not** isolate:
- **Filesystem boundary.** Both services share `hermes-home` (config, sessions, state), and the WebUI mounts the agent's installed source from `hermes-agent-src`. The WebUI mount is read-only (since v0.51.84), but the agent service still has write access, and both services share the home volume.
- **UID/GID boundary.** Both services default to `${UID:-1000}` so files written by one are readable by the other. If you align them to different UIDs you'll get permission errors on the shared volume.
- **Trust boundary on the agent source.** The WebUI installs Python dependencies from the shared `hermes-agent-src` volume at startup. The read-only mount means a compromised WebUI cannot rewrite the agent source, but it does run code from that volume.
If you need **filesystem isolation** between the chat UI and the agent (e.g. you don't trust the WebUI to read agent state), the multi-container setup is not enough — run the agent on a separate host and connect the WebUI to it via the gateway HTTP API. If you don't need any boundary, the single-container setup is simpler.
## Bind-mount migration (advanced)
@@ -205,6 +248,7 @@ volumes:
## Related issues
- #1416 — agent-image upgrade requires removing `hermes-agent-src` named volume (see [Upgrading the agent container](#upgrading-the-agent-container))
- #1389`HERMES_HOME_MODE` override (fixed in v0.50.254 — agent honors `HERMES_SKIP_CHMOD` and `HERMES_HOME_MODE`)
- #1399 — UID alignment in compose files (fixed in v0.50.260 via PR #1428 + this guide)
- #858 — two-container `/opt/hermes` path confusion