---
kind: responsibility
name: zulip-approval-fix
description: >
  Fixes broken /approve and /deny slash commands for Hermes agents in Zulip.
  Zulip delivers messages as HTML (<p>/approve</p>), but the gateway's slash
  command parser expects plain text. HTML tags prevent command matching.
agent: abiba
version: 2.0.0
status: deployed
---

## Root Cause

The Hermes gateway ALREADY has native `/approve` and `/deny` handling via
`slash_commands.py:_handle_approve_command()`. No custom approval interception
is needed in the platform adapter.

The bug: Zulip's API returns message content as **rendered HTML** 
(`<p>/approve session</p>`), but the gateway's slash command prefix matcher
checks `text.startswith("/approve")`. The `<p>` tag prevents matching.

## Fix (Applied)

One line added to `~/.hermes/plugins/platforms/zulip/adapter.py`:

```python
content = msg.get("content", "")
content = _strip_html(content)  # Strip Zulip HTML for /commands
```

Plus a small `_strip_html()` helper that strips HTML tags and decodes entities.

## How the Full Flow Works

1. Agent tries dangerous command → `check_all_command_guards()`
2. Gateway's `_approval_notify_sync` sends approval prompt via `send()`
3. User sees: "⚠️ Dangerous command requires approval — Reply /approve or /deny"
4. User types `/approve session` in Zulip
5. Zulip API returns `<p>/approve session</p>`
6. Adapter strips HTML → `/approve session`
7. Gateway's slash command handler matches `/approve`
8. `_handle_approve_command` calls `resolve_gateway_approval(session_key, "session")`
9. Agent thread unblocks, command executes

## Gateway Slash Commands Supported

| Command | Effect |
|---------|--------|
| `/approve` | Approve once |
| `/approve session` | Approve for this session |
| `/approve always` | Permanently approve this pattern |
| `/approve all` | Approve ALL pending commands |
| `/approve all session` | Approve all + remember session |
| `/deny` | Deny oldest pending |
| `/deny all` | Deny all pending |

## Files Changed

| File | Host | Change |
|------|------|--------|
| `~/.hermes/plugins/platforms/zulip/adapter.py` | .122, .123 | +_strip_html() helper + HTML stripping in message handler |

## Deployed

- ✅ Mumuni (.123) — patched + gateway restarted
- ✅ Tanko (.122) — patched (jerome user), gateway restart pending

## Verification

1. Send DM: "run rm /tmp/test" to Mumuni/Tanko in Zulip
2. Agent should respond with approval prompt: "⚠️ Dangerous command requires approval"
3. Reply `/approve` — agent should execute and respond
4. Reply `/deny` — agent should block and explain why