hermes-agent: onboard Nous-Hermes-on-Goose to homelab clients

`bootstrap.sh --with-hermes` installs the Goose CLI, drops a Goose
config pinning the OpenRouter provider + Nous Hermes model + the
homelab MCP extension, symlinks `bin/hermes` and HERMES.md, and links
HERMES.md as `.goosehints` so the persona is injected as the system
prompt every session.

`bin/hermes` decrypts `secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml` via the existing
`homelab secret` flow and execs `goose session`.

`homelab client add --with-hermes` grants the new sops secret to the
host's age_pubkey at finalize time (parallel to the existing
shared-secrets grant). `client remove` revokes it.

`operations/hermes-agent.md` covers the end-to-end flow, verification,
troubleshooting, and queues one follow-up: the MCP server still runs
SSE-only but Goose 1.x deprecated SSE — the Goose config targets
`streamable_http` and the `homelab` extension won't connect until
`mcp/server.py` migrates. The `developer` extension (shell + edit +
`homelab` CLI) carries the agent in the meantime.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

.sops.yaml

@@ -62,4 +62,14 @@ creation_rules:
       age1xkklkvnk5z0fsnh6cfgv70hy9ksfy8rdprwerzw4yk3p4p7cxcqs2yvpz6,
       age1duyl8mkpgu80uv934dy8q7enqjms6yvdz264hme8uryuxmvvqesq6rusq0,
       age1vf8h7s8mqsn2q5eadgpdupsj4mwn8zguc77d85ws3xj40sl9rgksx2rxw6
+
+  - path_regex: ^secrets/openrouter-api-key\.yaml$
+    # OpenRouter API key consumed by the `hermes` wrapper (bin/hermes) when
+    # spawning a Goose session. Recipients are any host that should run a
+    # Nous-Hermes agent. Add a host's age_pubkey here, then
+    # `sops updatekeys -y secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml`.
+    # See operations/hermes-agent.md.
+    age: >-
+      age1xkklkvnk5z0fsnh6cfgv70hy9ksfy8rdprwerzw4yk3p4p7cxcqs2yvpz6,
+      age1vf8h7s8mqsn2q5eadgpdupsj4mwn8zguc77d85ws3xj40sl9rgksx2rxw6
 # webhook noop 2026-05-20T18:16:57+02:00

bin/hermes

@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# hermes — launch a Goose session pre-wired with the homelab persona,
+# OpenRouter (Nous Hermes) provider, and the homelab MCP server.
+#
+# See operations/hermes-agent.md for the full onboarding flow.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+die() { echo "hermes: $*" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+command -v goose >/dev/null \
+    || die "goose binary not found — re-run bootstrap.sh with --with-hermes"
+command -v homelab >/dev/null \
+    || die "homelab CLI not found — is this client bootstrapped?"
+
+# Decrypt OpenRouter API key.
+# `homelab secret` re-execs via sudo for non-root users (age key is 0600 root).
+SECRET_YAML=$(homelab secret openrouter-api-key 2>&1) || \
+    die "could not decrypt secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml — this host probably
+isn't a recipient yet. See operations/hermes-agent.md ('Granting the OpenRouter
+key to a new host'). sops output:
+${SECRET_YAML}"
+
+API_KEY=$(printf '%s' "$SECRET_YAML" | python3 -c \
+    'import sys, yaml; print(yaml.safe_load(sys.stdin)["api_key"])')
+
+case "$API_KEY" in
+    PLACEHOLDER_*|"")
+        die "openrouter-api-key.yaml still contains the placeholder; operator
+must run \`sops secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml\` on hubris to insert a real
+\`sk-or-...\` key and push the change." ;;
+esac
+
+export OPENROUTER_API_KEY="$API_KEY"
+exec goose session "$@"

bin/homelab

@@ -199,6 +199,12 @@ SHARED_SECRETS = [
     ("secrets/netbird-authentik-oidc.yaml", "^secrets/netbird-authentik-oidc\\.yaml$"),
 ]
 
+# Secrets granted only to hosts that opt into running the Hermes agent
+# (via `homelab client add --finalize-pubkey ... --with-hermes`).
+HERMES_SECRETS = [
+    ("secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml", "^secrets/openrouter-api-key\\.yaml$"),
+]
+
 
 # -------- comment-preserving inventory.yaml edits --------
 # yaml.safe_load + safe_dump round-trips strip every comment, which is fine
@@ -360,11 +366,15 @@ def _add_recipient_to_sops_policy(sops_path: Path, path_regex_pattern: str, pubk
     return True
 
 
-def _grant_shared_secrets(pubkey: str) -> None:
+def _grant_shared_secrets(pubkey: str, secrets: list[tuple[str, str]] = SHARED_SECRETS) -> None:
-    """Add `pubkey` to the recipient list of every shared secret + re-key."""
+    """Add `pubkey` to the recipient list of every listed secret + re-key.
+
+    `secrets` defaults to SHARED_SECRETS; pass HERMES_SECRETS to grant the
+    Hermes-only set.
+    """
     sops_path = CONTEXT / ".sops.yaml"
     env = {**os.environ, "SOPS_AGE_KEY_FILE": str(AGE_KEY)}
-    for rel_path, pattern in SHARED_SECRETS:
+    for rel_path, pattern in secrets:
         target = CONTEXT / rel_path
         if not target.exists():
             print(f"  skipping {rel_path}: file does not exist yet")
@@ -440,11 +450,14 @@ def _remove_recipient_from_sops_policy(sops_path: Path, path_regex_pattern: str,
     return True
 
 
-def _revoke_shared_secrets(pubkey: str) -> None:
+def _revoke_shared_secrets(pubkey: str, secrets: list[tuple[str, str]] = SHARED_SECRETS) -> None:
-    """Remove `pubkey` from every shared-secret rule + re-key the files."""
+    """Remove `pubkey` from every listed secret rule + re-key the files.
+
+    Defaults to SHARED_SECRETS; pass HERMES_SECRETS to revoke the Hermes-only set.
+    """
     sops_path = CONTEXT / ".sops.yaml"
     env = {**os.environ, "SOPS_AGE_KEY_FILE": str(AGE_KEY)}
-    for rel_path, pattern in SHARED_SECRETS:
+    for rel_path, pattern in secrets:
         target = CONTEXT / rel_path
         if not target.exists():
             continue
@@ -1033,7 +1046,8 @@ def cmd_client_add(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
         return subprocess.call(["sudo", "-E", sys.argv[0], "client", "add"]
                                + ([args.name] if args.name else [])
                                + (["--finalize-pubkey", args.finalize_pubkey]
-                                  if args.finalize_pubkey else []))
+                                  if args.finalize_pubkey else [])
+                               + (["--with-hermes"] if args.with_hermes else []))
     name = args.name
     inv = inventory()
     if not args.finalize_pubkey:
@@ -1054,6 +1068,7 @@ def cmd_client_add(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
         print(f"  2. On {name}: curl -fsSL <gitea>/dtoro/Homelab-Docs/raw/main/bootstrap.sh | sudo bash")
         print(f"  3. bootstrap prints an age pubkey — bring it back here and run:")
         print(f"     homelab client add {name} --finalize-pubkey <age1...>")
+        print(f"     (append --with-hermes to also grant the Hermes agent's OpenRouter key.)")
         return 0
 
     # finalize_pubkey path
@@ -1065,8 +1080,13 @@ def cmd_client_add(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     print(f"set age_pubkey for {name}")
     print("granting shared secrets...")
     _grant_shared_secrets(pubkey)
+    commit_subject = f"client-add: {name} (finalize age_pubkey + grant shared secrets)"
+    if args.with_hermes:
+        print("granting hermes-only secrets...")
+        _grant_shared_secrets(pubkey, HERMES_SECRETS)
+        commit_subject = f"client-add: {name} (finalize age_pubkey + grant shared + hermes secrets)"
     push_inventory(
-        f"client-add: {name} (finalize age_pubkey + grant shared secrets)",
+        commit_subject,
         extra_paths=[".sops.yaml", "secrets/"],
     )
     print(f"finalized {name}.")
@@ -1103,6 +1123,9 @@ def cmd_client_remove(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
     if pubkey:
         print("revoking shared secrets...")
         _revoke_shared_secrets(pubkey)
+        # Also revoke from hermes-only secrets; idempotent if the pubkey
+        # was never on those rules (logs a "not present" warning, no harm).
+        _revoke_shared_secrets(pubkey, HERMES_SECRETS)
     else:
         print(f"  note: no age_pubkey recorded for {name} — skipping sops re-key")
 
@@ -1518,6 +1541,10 @@ def main() -> int:
     csub_add.add_argument("name")
     csub_add.add_argument("--finalize-pubkey", default=None,
                           help="set/update age_pubkey for an already-added client")
+    csub_add.add_argument("--with-hermes", action="store_true",
+                          help="also grant secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml so this "
+                               "host can run the Hermes agent (see "
+                               "operations/hermes-agent.md). Combine with --finalize-pubkey.")
     csub_add.set_defaults(func=cmd_client_add)
     csub_rm = csub.add_parser("remove")
     csub_rm.add_argument("name")

bootstrap.sh

@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #   curl -fsSL https://git.hubris.network/dtoro/Homelab-Docs/raw/main/bootstrap.sh \
 #     | sudo bash
 #   curl ... | sudo bash -s -- --with-mcp           # also wire Claude's .mcp.json
+#   curl ... | sudo bash -s -- --with-hermes        # also install Goose + Hermes wrapper
 #   curl ... | sudo bash -s -- --dry-run            # show what would happen
 #   curl ... | sudo bash -s -- --no-secrets         # skip age-key issuance
 #
@@ -23,8 +24,11 @@ CLONE_DIR="${HOMELAB_CONTEXT_DIR:-/opt/homelab-context}"
 ISSUANCE_URL_NETBIRD="${HOMELAB_ISSUANCE_NETBIRD:-https://secrets.hubris.network/issue}"
 ISSUANCE_URL_TAILSCALE="${HOMELAB_ISSUANCE_TAILSCALE:-https://secrets.hubris.network/issue}"
 MCP_URL="${HOMELAB_MCP_URL:-https://mcp.hubris.network/sse}"
+HERMES_MCP_URI="${HOMELAB_HERMES_MCP_URI:-https://mcp.hubris.network/mcp}"
+HERMES_MODEL="${HOMELAB_HERMES_MODEL:-nousresearch/hermes-4-405b}"
 
 WITH_MCP=0
+WITH_HERMES=0
 DRY_RUN=0
 NO_SECRETS=0
 GITEA_TOKEN="${HOMELAB_GITEA_TOKEN:-}"
@@ -34,6 +38,7 @@ GITEA_USER="${HOMELAB_GITEA_USER:-dtoro}"
 while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
     case "$1" in
         --with-mcp)    WITH_MCP=1; shift ;;
+        --with-hermes) WITH_HERMES=1; shift ;;
         --dry-run)     DRY_RUN=1; shift ;;
         --no-secrets)  NO_SECRETS=1; shift ;;
         --gitea-token) GITEA_TOKEN="$2"; shift 2 ;;
@@ -403,6 +408,116 @@ PYEOF
     fi
 fi
 
+# -------- Hermes (Goose + Nous Hermes) wiring --------
+# Installs the Goose CLI binary system-wide, symlinks the `hermes` wrapper
+# and HERMES.md persona, and drops a Goose config that pins the OpenRouter
+# provider, the Nous Hermes model, and the homelab MCP extension.
+# See operations/hermes-agent.md.
+if [ "$WITH_HERMES" -eq 1 ]; then
+    # Resolve the operator's home (SUDO_USER under `sudo bash`).
+    if [ -n "${SUDO_USER:-}" ] && [ "$SUDO_USER" != "root" ]; then
+        H_USER="$SUDO_USER"
+        H_HOME=$(eval echo "~$SUDO_USER")
+    else
+        H_USER="root"
+        H_HOME="$HOME"
+    fi
+
+    # 1. Install Goose binary at /usr/local/bin/goose (idempotent).
+    if ! command -v goose >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+        echo "[bootstrap] installing Goose CLI"
+        if [ "$DRY_RUN" -eq 1 ]; then
+            echo "+ would run upstream goose installer and symlink to /usr/local/bin/goose"
+        else
+            # Upstream installer drops the binary at ~/.local/bin/goose for the
+            # invoking user. We run it as $H_USER then symlink system-wide.
+            sudo -u "$H_USER" \
+                env CONFIGURE=false \
+                bash -c 'curl -fsSL https://github.com/aaif-goose/goose/releases/download/stable/download_cli.sh | bash'
+            if [ -x "$H_HOME/.local/bin/goose" ]; then
+                ln -sfn "$H_HOME/.local/bin/goose" /usr/local/bin/goose
+            else
+                echo "[bootstrap] WARNING: goose binary not found at $H_HOME/.local/bin/goose after install" >&2
+            fi
+        fi
+    else
+        echo "[bootstrap] goose already installed: $(command -v goose)"
+    fi
+
+    # 2. Symlink hermes wrapper.
+    echo "[bootstrap] linking hermes CLI to /usr/local/bin/hermes"
+    run "ln -sfn '$CLONE_DIR/bin/hermes' /usr/local/bin/hermes"
+
+    # 3. Symlink HERMES.md persona. The hermes wrapper does not need it — the
+    # Goose config below references the canonical clone path — but operators
+    # frequently `cat /root/HERMES.md` to inspect the persona, mirroring the
+    # AGENTS.md convention above.
+    case "$OS" in
+        Linux)  HERMES_LINK=/root/HERMES.md ;;
+        Darwin) HERMES_LINK=/etc/HERMES.md ;;
+    esac
+    run "ln -sfn '$CLONE_DIR/HERMES.md' '$HERMES_LINK'"
+    echo "[bootstrap] linked HERMES.md → $HERMES_LINK"
+
+    # 4. Drop the Goose config. Idempotent YAML merge — preserves any keys the
+    # operator added by hand, overwrites only the keys we manage.
+    GOOSE_DIR="$H_HOME/.config/goose"
+    GOOSE_CONFIG="$GOOSE_DIR/config.yaml"
+    GOOSEHINTS="$GOOSE_DIR/.goosehints"
+    run "mkdir -p '$GOOSE_DIR'"
+
+    PY_GOOSE_MERGE=$(cat <<PYEOF
+import os, sys
+try:
+    import yaml
+except ImportError:
+    print("PyYAML required", file=sys.stderr); sys.exit(2)
+
+path = "$GOOSE_CONFIG"
+mcp_uri = "$HERMES_MCP_URI"
+model = "$HERMES_MODEL"
+
+cfg = {}
+if os.path.exists(path):
+    with open(path) as f:
+        try:
+            cfg = yaml.safe_load(f) or {}
+        except Exception:
+            cfg = {}
+
+cfg["GOOSE_PROVIDER"] = "openrouter"
+cfg["GOOSE_MODEL"] = model
+cfg.setdefault("GOOSE_MODE", "smart_approve")
+cfg.setdefault("extensions", {})
+cfg["extensions"]["developer"] = {
+    "bundled": True, "enabled": True, "name": "developer",
+    "timeout": 300, "type": "builtin",
+}
+cfg["extensions"]["homelab"] = {
+    "enabled": True, "name": "homelab",
+    "description": "Read-only homelab context tools (FastMCP).",
+    "type": "streamable_http", "uri": mcp_uri, "timeout": 60,
+}
+with open(path, "w") as f:
+    yaml.safe_dump(cfg, f, sort_keys=False)
+print("[bootstrap] merged Goose config at", path)
+PYEOF
+)
+    if [ "$DRY_RUN" -eq 1 ]; then
+        echo "+ would merge Goose config at $GOOSE_CONFIG"
+    else
+        python3 -c "$PY_GOOSE_MERGE"
+        chown -R "$H_USER" "$GOOSE_DIR"
+    fi
+
+    # 5. Symlink HERMES.md as the global .goosehints — Goose injects it into
+    # the system prompt on every session start.
+    run "ln -sfn '$CLONE_DIR/HERMES.md' '$GOOSEHINTS'"
+    if [ "$DRY_RUN" -eq 0 ]; then
+        chown -h "$H_USER" "$GOOSEHINTS" 2>/dev/null || true
+    fi
+fi
+
 # -------- netbird tuning (skip per-session SSO for ssh into mesh peers) --------
 # Apply the SSH JWT cache TTL so `ssh ... .netbird.selfhosted` doesn't trigger
 # device-code SSO on every connection. Flag added in netbird 0.71.x

operations/agent-enrollment.md

@@ -5,6 +5,10 @@ joins the cross-client context system: a `/opt/homelab-context/` clone of
 this repo that auto-syncs every 5 min, a per-client age key for SOPS
 decryption, the `homelab` CLI, and an MCP endpoint in Claude Code's config.
 
+> Onboarding a Nous-Hermes-powered Goose agent on top of standard enrollment?
+> See [hermes-agent.md](./hermes-agent.md). It uses the same `bootstrap.sh`
+> with an additional `--with-hermes` flag.
+
 Architecture in [project_homelab_context_plan](https://… memory link); the
 operational reference is here.
 
@@ -274,6 +278,9 @@ The CLI prints a follow-up checklist that the operator must do manually:
 
 ## Changelog
 
+### 2026-05-31 — cross-link to hermes-agent.md
+Added a sibling page covering Nous-Hermes-on-Goose enrollment ([hermes-agent.md](./hermes-agent.md)) and noted it at the top of this page. The Hermes flow extends `bootstrap.sh` with `--with-hermes` and `homelab client add` with the same flag; it does not change the underlying enrollment steps documented here.
+
 ### 2026-05-21 — netbird-ssh JWT issuer + username + LAN-fallback troubleshooting rows
 Added three rows to the troubleshooting table covering issues surfaced during the netbird vanilla migration: (1) post-migration SSH JWT validator cache stuck on old Dex issuer (full `systemctl stop/start` required, not `restart`), (2) `user not found` from netbird-ssh's local-username default (use explicit `root@`), and (3) homelab CLI's LAN→netbird-FQDN fallback for off-LAN operators. Companion code change: per-host `ssh.user` field in `inventory.yaml` + `homelab` CLI's `ssh_target()` helper.
 

operations/hermes-agent.md

@@ -0,0 +1,199 @@
+# Hermes agent — Nous-Hermes-powered Goose sessions on a homelab client
+
+Onboards [Nous Research's Hermes](https://nousresearch.com/) (a fine-tuned
+Llama variant) as a working terminal agent on a homelab client. Builds on top
+of standard client enrollment (see [agent-enrollment.md](./agent-enrollment.md))
+— this page covers only the Hermes-specific additions.
+
+The agent runs as a [Goose](https://goose-docs.ai/) session. Goose provides:
+
+- The chat loop, multi-turn history, and streaming
+- The OpenRouter provider that routes to Nous Hermes
+- The built-in `developer` extension (shell + file editor — same surface Claude
+  Code has)
+- A remote MCP extension pointed at `mcp.hubris.network` for read-only
+  homelab context (`list_lxcs`, `tail_log`, `search_docs`, etc.)
+
+The persona is `/opt/homelab-context/HERMES.md`, symlinked as Goose's global
+`.goosehints` so it's injected into the system prompt on every session.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+| Requirement | How |
+| --- | --- |
+| Standard enrollment complete (`homelab whoami` works) | [agent-enrollment.md](./agent-enrollment.md) |
+| `secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml` exists with a real `sk-or-...` value | See "Seeding the OpenRouter key" below |
+| The host's `age_pubkey` is on the openrouter-api-key.yaml sops rule | `homelab client add <host> --finalize-pubkey <age1...> --with-hermes` |
+
+## Onboarding flow
+
+```bash
+# 1. On hubris (or any enrolled client): reserve the inventory entry.
+homelab client add new-machine
+
+# 2. Join new-machine to Netbird (setup-key or OIDC).
+
+# 3. On new-machine: bootstrap with --with-hermes.
+TOKEN=...   # gitea PAT, read:repository
+curl -fsSL -u "dtoro:$TOKEN" \
+  https://git.hubris.network/dtoro/Homelab-Docs/raw/branch/main/bootstrap.sh \
+  -o /tmp/bootstrap.sh
+sudo HOMELAB_GITEA_TOKEN=$TOKEN bash /tmp/bootstrap.sh --with-mcp --with-hermes
+
+# 4. Back on hubris: finalize the age pubkey AND grant the Hermes secret.
+homelab client add new-machine \
+  --finalize-pubkey age1... \
+  --with-hermes
+
+# 5. Wait ≤5 min for sync, then on new-machine:
+hermes "what LXCs are running?"
+```
+
+The bootstrap `--with-hermes` flag does five things, all idempotent:
+
+1. Downloads the latest Goose binary into the operator's `~/.local/bin/goose`
+   (upstream installer) and symlinks `/usr/local/bin/goose` to it.
+2. Symlinks `/opt/homelab-context/bin/hermes` → `/usr/local/bin/hermes`.
+3. Symlinks `/opt/homelab-context/HERMES.md` → `/root/HERMES.md` (Linux) or
+   `/etc/HERMES.md` (macOS) for `cat`-as-operator convenience.
+4. Drops `~/.config/goose/config.yaml` pinning the provider, model, and
+   extensions (preserves any keys the operator added by hand).
+5. Symlinks `~/.config/goose/.goosehints` → HERMES.md, so the persona is
+   injected as the system prompt on every session.
+
+## Seeding the OpenRouter key
+
+The first time anyone enrolls with `--with-hermes`, the encrypted file
+`secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml` contains a placeholder. On hubris (or any
+existing recipient):
+
+```bash
+sops secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml
+# editor opens; replace api_key value with the real sk-or-... key, save, close.
+git -C /opt/homelab-context add secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml
+git -C /opt/homelab-context commit -m 'openrouter-api-key: seed real key'
+git -C /opt/homelab-context push
+```
+
+Until this step happens, `hermes …` exits with `openrouter-api-key.yaml still
+contains the placeholder`. Subsequent enrollees get the real key automatically
+via `--with-hermes` (which adds them as a sops recipient on
+`secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml`).
+
+## Granting the OpenRouter key to an already-enrolled host
+
+If a host was enrolled without `--with-hermes` and you want to add it later:
+
+```bash
+# On hubris:
+PUBKEY=$(homelab whoami --hostname <host> | grep age_pubkey | awk '{print $2}')
+homelab client add <host> --finalize-pubkey "$PUBKEY" --with-hermes
+```
+
+`--finalize-pubkey` is required by the existing flow even when the pubkey is
+unchanged — it's also the trigger that runs the sops grant.
+
+After ≤5 min sync the host can decrypt the key. Bootstrap doesn't need to
+re-run; only the secret recipient list changed.
+
+## Verifying
+
+```bash
+homelab whoami                                # standard enrollment OK
+homelab secret openrouter-api-key | head -c 8 # decrypts (prints `api_key:`)
+which goose && which hermes                   # binaries present
+goose info -v                                  # provider/model wiring sane
+hermes "what LXCs are running?"                # interactive Goose session
+
+# Non-interactive smoke test:
+echo "List the homelab MCP tools you have available" | hermes
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+The bootstrap-managed keys in `~/.config/goose/config.yaml`:
+
+```yaml
+GOOSE_PROVIDER: openrouter
+GOOSE_MODEL: nousresearch/hermes-4-405b
+GOOSE_MODE: smart_approve         # asks before destructive tool calls
+extensions:
+  developer:
+    type: builtin
+    bundled: true
+    enabled: true
+    name: developer
+    timeout: 300
+  homelab:
+    type: streamable_http
+    enabled: true
+    name: homelab
+    uri: https://mcp.hubris.network/mcp
+    timeout: 60
+```
+
+Override via env on a single bootstrap run:
+
+```bash
+HOMELAB_HERMES_MODEL=nousresearch/hermes-3-llama-3.1-405b \
+HOMELAB_HERMES_MCP_URI=https://mcp.hubris.network/mcp \
+  sudo bash /tmp/bootstrap.sh --with-hermes
+```
+
+Any keys you add by hand (e.g. `GOOSE_TEMPERATURE`, extra `extensions.*`) are
+preserved across re-bootstraps — the merge only overwrites the keys it manages.
+
+## Tool permissions
+
+`GOOSE_MODE: smart_approve` is the bootstrap default: Goose runs read-only
+shell commands without prompting and asks for confirmation before destructive
+ones. To make the agent fully unattended (e.g. for scheduled jobs), set
+`GOOSE_MODE: auto` in `~/.config/goose/config.yaml`. To require confirmation on
+every tool call, use `approve`. See
+[goose-permissions](https://goose-docs.ai/docs/guides/managing-tools/goose-permissions/).
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `hermes: could not decrypt secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml` | Host isn't a recipient on the sops rule | `homelab client add <host> --finalize-pubkey <age1...> --with-hermes` from hubris |
+| `hermes: openrouter-api-key.yaml still contains the placeholder` | No real key has been seeded yet | See "Seeding the OpenRouter key" above |
+| Goose hangs on first `hermes` invocation with no output | Goose's interactive `configure` ran on first launch and is awaiting input | Re-run; the installer is supposed to skip it (CONFIGURE=false). If it persists, run `goose configure` once manually in a real terminal to commit the config. |
+| `homelab` extension fails to connect / no MCP tools listed | MCP server still runs SSE-only; Goose requires `streamable_http`. See follow-up #1 below. | Either: (a) migrate the FastMCP server to streamable_http (one-line change in `mcp/server.py` — `mcp.run(transport="streamable_http")` — then redeploy), or (b) accept that the agent works via the developer extension alone (shell + `homelab` CLI cover everything MCP would). |
+| `goose: command not found` after bootstrap | Upstream installer dropped binary in `~/.local/bin/` but `/usr/local/bin/goose` symlink didn't land | Re-run bootstrap with `--with-hermes`; the symlink step is at the end of the install block. If still missing, `ln -sfn ~/.local/bin/goose /usr/local/bin/goose` manually. |
+| Tool calls hit OpenRouter rate limits | One shared key across many hosts | Future: per-host keys; for now, see the rate-limits guide referenced in `goose info -v`. |
+
+## Cross-references
+
+- [agent-enrollment.md](./agent-enrollment.md) — base client onboarding the
+  Hermes flow assumes is done.
+- [`HERMES.md`](../HERMES.md) — the persona the Hermes agent reads on every
+  session start (via `~/.config/goose/.goosehints`).
+- [`bin/hermes`](../bin/hermes) — the wrapper that decrypts the OpenRouter key
+  and execs `goose session`.
+- [`bootstrap.sh`](../bootstrap.sh) — the `--with-hermes` flag's install block.
+
+## Follow-ups
+
+1. **Migrate the MCP server to streamable_http.** Goose 1.x deprecated SSE
+   (`"SSE transport is no longer supported - kept only for config file
+   compatibility"` in `crates/goose/src/agents/extension.rs`). Our FastMCP
+   server at `mcp/server.py:336` still calls `mcp.run(transport="sse")`. Until
+   that's changed, the `homelab` MCP extension in Goose will fail to connect.
+   The developer extension (shell + edit) covers most ops without it; this is
+   a polish item, not a blocker.
+2. **Per-host OpenRouter keys** for billing attribution. Today all Hermes
+   hosts share one key.
+3. **Pin the model version** rather than tracking `nousresearch/hermes-4-405b`
+   directly — OpenRouter periodically rotates the underlying weights.
+4. **Local-inference fallback** (ollama / vllm) once the homelab has a GPU
+   node. The wrapper, persona, and MCP wiring stay unchanged; only
+   `GOOSE_PROVIDER`/`GOOSE_MODEL` change.
+
+## Changelog
+
+### 2026-05-31 — initial page
+Captures the Hermes-on-Goose onboarding flow added in the same commit as
+`bootstrap.sh --with-hermes`, `bin/hermes`, the sops rule for
+`secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml`, and the `homelab client add --with-hermes`
+extension. MCP streamable_http migration is queued as follow-up #1.

secrets/openrouter-api-key.yaml

@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+api_key: ENC[AES256_GCM,data:ps6aTT939SWpgyUoMMIj6YsJG3UnJFBdRKuESpoMeyphB9QnrkqSb5Y/kXI=,iv:6KxZTpPUR2GmPzr5opMP4Wp/yPIQqE9AWtAO5xBDGTI=,tag:qfRt1AlQ97PeHMsGmXnqsQ==,type:str]
+sops:
+    kms: []
+    gcp_kms: []
+    azure_kv: []
+    hc_vault: []
+    age:
+        - recipient: age1xkklkvnk5z0fsnh6cfgv70hy9ksfy8rdprwerzw4yk3p4p7cxcqs2yvpz6
+          enc: |
+            -----BEGIN AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
+            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSBUZEU0QWtxb0RMMkNqTHI3
+            d25ONHF2Z2F6L0c4VWd6amMvYkQ0NU5YeEh3ClpBSEt5bXNJVmF5Q2pzNGdzVWVC
+            MzFDSTk2YlpyWkxIdDg0RmFxR21EMzgKLS0tIE1GRW52Wk10eXppM05XSDMrc3RH
+            eWQ5TFR0R29RWUxsbVhlWm1TVkFvb0UKwv6OafGdw06J21tQoUlvNI0aLVvl2CVm
+            nwbltuhQvWdFPVBRP/Cx0eK7Vh80tJrnOfXeGpNVgiCs2lpxBlUR2g==
+            -----END AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
+        - recipient: age1vf8h7s8mqsn2q5eadgpdupsj4mwn8zguc77d85ws3xj40sl9rgksx2rxw6
+          enc: |
+            -----BEGIN AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
+            YWdlLWVuY3J5cHRpb24ub3JnL3YxCi0+IFgyNTUxOSBMZVdubENvWkxGWmNnVks0
+            NFJYQVBKMnJJZ3FEUDVJWXl2WitMTDFYdEd3CmJQaSt4bTZyUVlBZHgybXRhbWky
+            UGIzNkwzUzNZaWN3WmNKSUkxQkl0OTAKLS0tIENyNlphYmVRV3BUNU1FQzd0QStN
+            V0JLNU5RT09RVjd2OTJUTWMvek9NaTQK0R0OfQnm7AhIeroefldUNDsgDHX1cDmk
+            GybdGEoM8j8Is8GLc6Gk+yQmz7yNvVfYBkaaFsH3Crz3HupuyXI59g==
+            -----END AGE ENCRYPTED FILE-----
+    lastmodified: "2026-05-30T23:08:58Z"
+    mac: ENC[AES256_GCM,data:68i7qPK7zJXDspmVYfTVJGd141ldXeiPEHK/tsX3p9QHBSP8otXwAzaEqcjNG83dXhrse9CRzzyJmrLm7EO714hZyHKh6MKZb/BOuiwnMCZse0qbK55ghkzTQLMkeSuIM2KsN396mlH/Ehd/hQV6oC6OPq2RQUs/aJt55ESutLc=,iv:kGPKf9e6w1vz7soEyDL7mGQCBkrxiG0Wvm7FHEYp3jc=,tag:zHd7qoIx9Fei2Aabgsztuw==,type:str]
+    pgp: []
+    unencrypted_suffix: _unencrypted
+    version: 3.9.4