[Bug]: /compact slash command name collision causes "Duplicate slash command alias" error

[Chongtc]

Bug Description

Summary
Three separate components in Hermes Agent all register the /compact slash command, causing a "Duplicate slash command alias: /compact" error at startup when running alongside Claude Code in VS Code.

Affected Version
Latest main as of 2026-07-02 (commit pulled via hermes update — 1357 new commits).

Components Involved
Component File Registration Purpose
Command registry hermes_cli/commands.py:92 /compress with aliases=("compact",) Context compression
ACP adapter acp_adapter/server.py:459,488 "compact" in _SLASH_COMMANDS and _ADVERTISED_COMMANDS IDE command palette
TUI gateway tui_gateway/server.py:11125 ("/compact", "Toggle compact display mode", "TUI") in _TUI_EXTRA Display density toggle
TUI frontend ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts:279 name: 'compact' Display density toggle

Three different commands all use the name /compact:

commands.py — /compress has aliases=("compact",), so /compact resolves to context compression (inspired by Claude Code's /compact). This is the canonical registration.

acp_adapter/server.py — advertises a standalone "compact" command to the IDE via ACP. When the ACP host (Claude Code) already has its own /compact, this produces a duplicate registration error.

tui_gateway/server.py + ui-tui/.../core.ts — registers /compact as a TUI display density toggle (on/off/toggle for compact transcript layout). This is an entirely different function from context compression.

When all three are active simultaneously (VS Code + Hermes ACP adapter + TUI), the name collision triggers the error.

Steps to Reproduce

Install Hermes Agent at latest main
Have Claude Code VS Code extension installed
Start Hermes (TUI or desktop app) with ACP adapter enabled
Observe: Duplicate slash command alias: /compact
Suggested Fix
ACP adapter — rename "compact" → "compress" in _SLASH_COMMANDS, _ADVERTISED_COMMANDS, and _cmd_compact method. This matches the CLI canonical name and avoids colliding with Claude Code.

TUI — rename /compact → /density (or similar) since it controls display layout, not context compression. The internal config key (display.tui_compact) can remain unchanged.

Long-term — consider adding duplicate-name validation at command registration time, so collisions surface as clear errors during development rather than runtime failures for users.

Expected Behavior

Expect Hermes Deskstop app can work as per normal

Actual Behavior

The Duplicate slash command alias: /compact keep appearing and not allow to proceed to go app like chat

Affected Component

Tools (terminal, file ops, web, code execution, etc.)

Messaging Platform (if gateway-related)

No response

Debug Report

I already temprorily fixed and no error 

--- hermes dump ---
version:          0.18.0 [30e947e0] (2026-07-02)
os:               Windows 10 AMD64
python:           3.11.15
openai_sdk:       2.24.0
profile:          default
hermes_home:      ~/AppData\Local\hermes
model:            deepseek-v4-flash
provider:         custom
terminal:         local

Operating System

Window 11

Python Version

No response

Hermes Version

V0.18.0

Additional Logs / Traceback (optional)

Root Cause Analysis (optional)

Patch
A working patch is available — the following 3-file change resolves the issue:

acp_adapter/server.py — 6 occurrences: compact → compress
tui_gateway/server.py — 3 occurrences: /compact → /density in _TUI_EXTRA and completion extras
ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts — 3 occurrences: compact → density as command name

Proposed Fix (optional)

A working patch is available — the following 3-file change resolves the issue:

acp_adapter/server.py — 6 occurrences: compact → compress
tui_gateway/server.py — 3 occurrences: /compact → /density in _TUI_EXTRA and completion extras
ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/core.ts — 3 occurrences: compact → density as command name

Are you willing to submit a PR for this?

• I'd like to fix this myself and submit a PR

[alt-glitch]

This was generated by AI during triage.

Related to #57070 (the narrower commands.catalog RPC double-report in tui_gateway/server.py) and its open fix PRs #57073, #57078, #57131. This issue is broader: it also covers the ACP adapter registering a standalone compact command (acp_adapter/server.py), which collides with Claude Code's own /compact and produces the startup Duplicate slash command alias: /compact error. Root cause is the /compact alias added in merged #57029 overlapping the pre-existing TUI display toggle. Keeping this open as the superset thread; the ACP-adapter rename dimension is not covered by the #57070 fix PRs.

[GottZ]

Three open PRs currently address this issue, all taking the same rename approach.

• fix(acp): rename /compact to /compress to avoid Claude Code collision #57162 (+21/-21) — fixes the root cause: removes both collision sources from the issue — the ACP adapter renames 'compact'→'compress' (mapping, _ADVERTISED_COMMANDS, method _cmd_compress) and the TUI gateway plus core.ts rename '/compact'→'/density'; it also updates tests/acp/test_server.py and switches the gateway config key to 'density' consistently on both server and client side; CI SUCCESS.
• fix: resolve /compact slash command name collision (#57133) #57208 (+14/-14) — fixes the root cause: identical rename in the same three files (ACP compact→compress including the method rename, TUI/core.ts /compact→/density), fully removing the collision; however, tests/acp/test_server.py is untouched and still asserts 'compact', which explains the CI FAILURE.
• fix: resolve /compact slash command name collision (#57133) #57519 (+10/-10) — fixes the root cause: the most minimal variant of the same rename — ACP maps 'compress' to the unchanged _cmd_compact method, TUI/core.ts rename /compact→/density; tests are not updated (would break as in fix: resolve /compact slash command name collision (#57133) #57208) and some help texts remain stale ('toggle compact transcript').

Duplicates: #57162, #57208 and #57519 implement essentially the same change.

Suggested consolidation: merge #57162 — it is the only one of the three that updates the four affected test assertions in tests/acp/test_server.py, the only one with CI SUCCESS, and the only one renaming the gateway config key consistently on both sides (core.ts sends 'density', the gateway handler accepts 'density'). #57208 and #57519 could then be closed as duplicates, since they make the same change in the same places but leave the tests on the old name. Two points remain open: the long-term suggestion from the issue (duplicate-name validation at command registration) is not addressed by any of the three PRs, and before merging #57162 it should be checked whether existing user configs with a stored 'compact' key need a migration.

Cross-PR triage: each diff was read against this issue; verdicts reflect diff content, not PR titles. Part of an automated triage batch.