prose-contracts/hermes-zulip-restore.prose.md

report_only_agents, kind, name, description, agent, version, status, runtime_contract

report_only_agents	kind	name	description	agent	version	status	runtime_contract
koby	function	hermes-zulip-restore	path, verifies env credentials, restarts the gateway, and confirms Zulip connects. Run this whenever a Hermes agent stops responding on Zulip or after a fresh agent deployment.	abiba	1.0.0	active	2

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Hermes Zulip Restore — Bring Any Agent Back to Good State

Single-shot function that restores full Zulip connectivity for a Hermes agent. Covers adapter deployment, HTML stripping (slash command fix), env verification, gateway restart, and connection validation.

Parameters

Param	Type	Required	Default	Description
target	string	yes	—	Agent name: mumuni, koby, or shumba (Tanko excluded — DSH since 2026-08-27)

Maintains

• adapter_deployed: bool — Whether _strip_html adapter is at correct bundled path
• zulip_connected: bool — Whether gateway_state shows zulip.state = "connected"
• env_valid: bool — Whether .env has ZULIP_SITE, ZULIP_EMAIL, ZULIP_API_KEY
• gateway_running: bool — Whether gateway process is running

Postconditions

• _strip_html function present in <hermes-agent>/plugins/platforms/zulip/adapter.py
• All three adapter files (__init__.py, adapter.py, plugin.yaml) present at bundled path
• Zulip env vars set in ~/.hermes/.env (or /home/jerome/.hermes/.env for Tanko, historical — DSH since 2026-08-27)
• Gateway restarted and zulip platform reports state connected
• HTML stripping enabled for /approve and /deny slash command support

Requires

• SSH access to target host (direct or via amdpve for CTs)
• Git repo at https://git.sysloggh.net/SyslogSolution/zulip-platform-plugins.git
• Python 3 with httpx installed on target
• Zulip server accessible at https://chat.sysloggh.net

Live-State Fields

Host	CT	Proxmox	IP (direct)	Hermes Home	User
Koby	CT111	amdpve	192.168.68.129	/root/.hermes	root
Shumba	—	—	192.168.68.119	/home/lucky/.hermes	lucky

Field	Value	Trust
Zulip server	https://chat.sysloggh.net	✅ Verified
Git repo (zulip-platform)	https://git.sysloggh.net/SyslogSolution/zulip-platform-plugins.git	✅ Verified
Bundled adapter path	<HERMES_HOME>/hermes-agent/plugins/platforms/zulip/	✅ Verified
Git branch	feat/zulip-streaming	✅ Verified (contains _strip_html fix)

Execution

Step 1: Locate Target

Map target to connectivity parameters from the live-state table above. For CT112 and CT111, route through ssh root@amdpve then pct exec <id>.

Step 2: Deploy Zulip Adapter

On the target host:

# Clone or update the plugin repo
mkdir -p /tmp/zulip-deploy
cd /tmp/zulip-deploy
if [ -d zulip-platform-plugins ]; then
  cd zulip-platform-plugins && git pull origin feat/zulip-streaming
else
  git clone --branch feat/zulip-streaming \
    https://git.sysloggh.net/SyslogSolution/zulip-platform-plugins.git
fi

# Ensure bundled plugin directory exists
mkdir -p <HERMES_HOME>/hermes-agent/plugins/platforms/zulip

# Copy adapter files
cp zulip-platform-plugins/plugins/platforms/zulip/adapter.py \
   zulip-platform-plugins/plugins/platforms/zulip/__init__.py \
   zulip-platform-plugins/plugins/platforms/zulip/plugin.yaml \
   <HERMES_HOME>/hermes-agent/plugins/platforms/zulip/

# Fix ownership (was Tanko-only; RETIRED 2026-08-27 — tanko on DSH, no Hermes plugin)
chown -R jerome:jerome <HERMES_HOME>/hermes-agent/plugins/platforms/zulip/  # Tanko only (historical)

# Clean up
rm -rf /tmp/zulip-deploy

Step 3: Verify _strip_html is Present

grep -q "_strip_html" <HERMES_HOME>/hermes-agent/plugins/platforms/zulip/adapter.py

Expected: exit code 0. If not found → adapter is stale, re-run Step 2 with fresh clone.

Step 4: Verify Env Credentials

grep -E "ZULIP_SITE|ZULIP_EMAIL|ZULIP_API_KEY" <HERMES_HOME>/.env

Expected: all three variables set with non-empty values. If any missing:

• ZULIP_SITE: https://chat.sysloggh.net
• ZULIP_EMAIL: <agent>-bot@chat.sysloggh.net
• ZULIP_API_KEY: obtain from Zulip admin panel (Bots → show API key)

Step 5: Restart Gateway

cd <HERMES_HOME>/hermes-agent
# Use venv if available
python3 -m hermes_cli.main gateway restart  # or: venv/bin/python -m hermes_cli.main gateway restart

Wait for the restart to complete (up to 45s). Check:

grep "Gateway running" <HERMES_HOME>/logs/gateway.log | tail -1

Expected: "Gateway running with N platform(s)" where N > 1 (includes zulip).

Step 6: Validate Zulip Connection

python3 -c "
import json
d = json.load(open('$HERMES_HOME/gateway_state.json'))
print('zulip:', d.get('platforms', {}).get('zulip', {}).get('state', 'NOT FOUND'))
"

Expected: zulip: connected. If not connected, check gateway log:

grep -E "zulip|Zulip|ZULIP" <HERMES_HOME>/logs/gateway.log | tail -10

Step 7: Report

Compile results: { adapter_deployed, zulip_connected, env_valid, gateway_running }.

State	Action
All true	✅ Agent restored — relay success to user
adapter_deployed: false	Re-run Step 2
env_valid: false	Prompt for missing credentials
zulip_connected: false	Check Zulip server reachability, verify API key
gateway_running: false	Check process logs for crash cause

Known Failure Modes

Symptom	Root Cause	Recovery
Gateway running with 1 platform(s)	Adapter at wrong path (user plugins vs bundled)	Deploy to <hermes-agent>/plugins/platforms/zulip/ not ~/.hermes/plugins/
Queue expired / BAD_EVENT_QUEUE_ID	Idle for 10+ minutes → normal	Auto-reconnects — no action needed
No events received for N seconds	No DMs or @mentions sent to this bot	Normal if nobody messaged the agent
httpx not found	Missing dependency	pip install httpx in the Hermes venv or system Python
Slash commands not matching	Missing _strip_html — Zulip sends <p>/approve</p>	Verify _strip_html in adapter (Step 3)
Permission denied on gateway restart	Running as wrong user	Use su - jerome for Tanko; root for others

Git Branch Reference

The _strip_html fix lives on feat/zulip-streaming branch:

https://git.sysloggh.net/SyslogSolution/zulip-platform-plugins/src/branch/feat/zulip-streaming

Commit 55ca15d — fix(zulip): add _strip_html for slash command matching Pull request #33 is the primary integration branch.

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Last verified good state: 2026-07-08 — Mumuni, Tanko, Koby all connected with _strip_html applied.