Hermes Pets v0.7.0

Hermes Pets v0.7.0 Native Windows Installer Beta

Date: 2026-06-05

Verdict

v0.7.0 adds first-class native Windows support as an unsigned beta desktop
installer while preserving the existing WSL2/Windows workflow.

Release thesis

Make Hermes Pets installable on Windows 10/11 without WSL, system Python, or npm
after installation.

PyInstaller CLI + bundled bridge + Electron overlay -> NSIS installer -> live Windows QA

Scope completed

• Added a Windows installer build under packaging/windows/.
• Bundled Hermes Pets.exe, bin/hermes-pet.exe, bin/hermes-pet-bridge.exe,
  overlay assets, and runtime dependencies into the installer.
• Added installed-mode process control for launch, launch --replace,
  overlay-status, close, close --bridge, and doctor.
• Added scripts/verify-native-windows-overlay.ps1 and a Windows installer CI
  job.
• Upgraded runtime overlay dependencies to Electron 42.3.3 and ws 8.21.0.
• Documented native Windows as an unsigned beta path with manual reinstall
  upgrades, checksum verification, and SmartScreen expectations.

Validation evidence

Passed before release:

• uv run --extra dev pytest -q
• uv run --with setuptools --with wheel python scripts/verify-package-artifacts.py
• JavaScript syntax checks for overlay and installer entrypoints
• scripts/verify-native-windows-overlay.ps1
• npm audit --omit=dev for overlay/
• npm audit --omit=dev for packaging/windows/
• packaging/windows/build-installer.ps1
• Silent install, native live overlay launch, overlay-status, close --bridge,
  and uninstall rehearsal on Windows
• Silent reinstall rehearsal with pet state preserved

Release artifact

• Hermes-Pets-Setup-0.7.0.exe
• SHA-256:
  6295C2D088EDED2651ECDDB6854809953BCB1CC08C7248237353E7D5DC1B308F
• Unsigned beta installer; publish the generated .sha256 checksum beside it.

Out of scope

• Authenticode signing
• Auto-update
• PyPI publishing
• Native Linux or macOS overlay support

Hermes Pets v0.6.2

Hermes Pets v0.6.2 Custom Pet Gallery Expansion

Date: 2026-06-04

Verdict

v0.6.2 expands the curated custom pet gallery with three Codex-created public-figure-inspired packages.

Release thesis

Keep the gallery useful by turning tested local Codex pets into repository-backed packages other operators can validate, preview, and install.

Codex-created pets -> local import test -> curated repo packages -> gallery docs and site previews

Scope completed

• Added Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Jeff Bezos as downloadable custom pet packages under docs/custom-pets/.
• Preserved the Codex source metadata and real spritesheets for each package.
• Added per-pet READMEs with validation commands and public-figure-inspired attribution notes.
• Updated the gallery index and static site showcase so the public docs match the shipped package set.
• Bumped package metadata from 0.6.1 to 0.6.2 for the gallery expansion release.

Validation evidence

Before packaging, each pet passed the local operator path:

• hermes-pet custom-pet import-codex <path> --replace
• hermes-pet custom-pet validate ~/.hermes_pet/custom-pets/<slug>
• hermes-pet custom-pet preview --installed <slug>
• hermes-pet custom-pet use <slug>
• hermes-pet launch --replace
• hermes-pet emit bubble "Testing custom pet: <slug>"
• hermes-pet doctor returned ready after the overlay cycle

Out of scope

• Hosted gallery
• In-app package downloader
• Automatic remote publishing
• PyPI publishing
• Windows installer publishing
• New renderer or overlay behavior

Hermes Pets v0.6.1 Custom Pet Gallery Release

Hermes Pets v0.6.1 Custom Pet Gallery Release

Date: 2026-05-24

Verdict

v0.6.1 ships the first curated custom pet gallery entries in the public repo.

Release thesis

Turn the imported Freddy and Jason custom pets into repository-backed packages other people can download, validate, and install.

Imported custom pets -> curated repo gallery -> downloadable packages -> Hermes Pets install/use

Scope completed

• Added a public docs/custom-pets/ gallery for curated custom pets.
• Added Freddy and Jason as downloadable package directories with package metadata, README files, and sprite frames.
• Added a release checklist for future custom pet additions and publications.
• Kept the release focused on the curated gallery, not a hosted downloader or in-app gallery backend.

Out of scope

• Hosted gallery
• Remote upload flow
• Automatic package distribution from inside the app
• New renderer or overlay features
• Broad dashboard redesign

Hermes Pets v0.6.0

Hermes Pets v0.6.0 ships the local recap export flow: a deterministic static recap card, a local export bundle, a narrow CLI entry point, deterministic tests, and the final visual polish fix from review.

Local-first only, no hosted gallery, no accounts, no public posting from inside the app.

Hermes Pets v0.5.0

Hermes Pets v0.5.0 Release Notes Draft

Hermes Pets v0.5.0 is the Codex custom-pet trust release.

This release proves the full operator path for Codex-created desktop pets:

Discover -> import -> activate -> preview -> render in the live WSL/Windows overlay

Highlights

• Added source-labeled Codex pet discovery for CODEX_HOME/pets, ~/.codex/pets, and /mnt/c/Users/*/.codex/pets.
• Hardened duplicate Codex candidate handling so WSL and Windows stores are distinguishable.
• Added direct-path dashboard selection for explicit Codex candidates, avoiding ambiguous duplicate slugs.
• Improved dashboard Import From Codex flow across empty state, populated state, latest import, custom install names, duplicate names, replace behavior, and use-after-import.
• Dashboard success feedback now tells the truth when the bridge is offline after selecting an imported pet.
• Duplicate-name dashboard errors now explain how to recover: enable Replace same name or choose a different install name.
• Verified a real Codex-imported pet in the live WSL/Windows Electron overlay, including render, bubble/event forwarding, attention state, bridge reconnect, and missing-custom-pet fallback.

Trust and release evidence

Local validation passed on commit 1dc45b12bce125218dfa4617727d0e1fd0b52c33.

The final stack included:

• uv run pytest -q, 110 passed
• version consistency for pyproject.toml, uv.lock, and source CLI at 0.5.0
• actual uv-tool runtime Pillow verification
• Node syntax checks
• renderer smoke
• sprite manifest validation
• Codex temp-state import/current/preview smoke
• packaged overlay verification
• wheel and sdist artifact verification
• local install smoke from the repo path
• live WSL/Windows overlay verifier
• hermes-pet doctor

Still out of scope

v0.5.0 does not add:

• PyPI publishing
• Windows installer publishing
• hosted dashboard
• hosted gallery
• drag/drop import
• remote upload
• native Linux/macOS/native Windows full-overlay support
• full voice mode
• rich achievements
• broad dashboard redesign

Those remain separate future decisions.

Hermes Pets v0.4.1

Hermes Pets v0.4.1

Corrective patch release after the public v0.4.0 trust/update release.

v0.4.1 fixes release hygiene and WSL/Windows launch reliability issues found during the v0.4.0 recovery audit. It does not add a new product feature track, publish to PyPI, ship a Windows installer, or change the supported platform matrix.

Fixed

• Bumped the package to 0.4.1 and regenerated uv.lock so package metadata and lockfile version surfaces agree.
• Improved hermes-pet update install diagnostics so an inherited VIRTUAL_ENV mismatch is reported instead of masking the Python executable's actual virtual environment.
• Hardened the Windows overlay launcher:
  • stops existing Electron process trees with bounded retry;
  • recognizes stale Electron subprocesses from the Hermes Pets Electron cache;
  • mirrors the overlay app into %LOCALAPPDATA%\HermesAgent\pet-overlay-electron\app-<port> before launch so Electron reads renderer files from a native Windows path instead of a WSL UNC path.
• Hardened scripts/verify-live-overlay.sh with bounded retry for transient Windows/Electron startup and teardown races.
• Refreshed README, current-state notes, changelog, and release-readiness records for the corrective release.

Validation

Validation was local because this repo currently has no GitHub Actions CI checks reporting on the PR branch.

Local validation included:

• uv sync --locked
• uv lock --check
• Python compileall
• full pytest suite, 91 passed
• update-command targeted tests, 27 passed
• Node syntax checks for overlay and dashboard files
• Windows PowerShell 5.1 parser checks for both overlay launcher copies
• shell syntax checks
• renderer smoke test
• sprite manifest validation
• temp-state CLI smoke
• live WSL/Windows overlay verification
• fresh release virtualenv package artifact verification
• packaged overlay verification
• version consistency checks for pyproject.toml, uv.lock, console CLI, and source module CLI

Explicit non-claims

• No PyPI publication.
• No Windows installer.
• No hosted dashboard or hosted custom-pet gallery.
• No claim that remote CI passed.
• No claim that Electron timing races are permanently eliminated. The launcher and verifier are more resilient, but Windows/Electron startup and teardown timing is still the area to watch.
• Native Linux, macOS, and native Windows remain investigation targets only for full overlay support.

Hermes Pets v0.4.0

Superseded: v0.4.0 has been superseded by v0.4.1, which includes the follow-up fix/validation pass. Use v0.4.1 for new installs and smoke testing.

Hermes Pets v0.4.0

Hermes Pets v0.4.0 is a trust and update-flow release.

This release focuses on making hermes-pet update safer, clearer, and more trustworthy for users running from editable or source-based installs.

Added / Improved

• Added guarded update flow improvements for hermes-pet update
• Improved version trust so source checkouts prefer nearby pyproject.toml version truth
• Fixed stale editable metadata behavior where an installed command could report an old version from package metadata
• Improved smoke script evidence:
  • prints PATH command version
  • prints source checkout version
  • warns when versions disagree
  • clearly labels temp-state mode
  • clarifies expected isolated overlay behavior

Verification

Release verification passed:

• Full Python test suite: 87 passed
• Update command tests: 23 passed
• Compile check passed
• Renderer smoke passed
• Sprite manifest validation passed
• Shell syntax checks passed
• Package artifact verification passed
• Packaged overlay verification passed
• Live overlay verifier passed
• Manual visual overlay confirmation passed
• Exact-tag GitHub install smoke passed

Install

pip install "git+https://github.com/asimons81/hermes-pets.git@v0.4.0"

Hermes Pets v0.3.0

Hermes Pets v0.3.0

Hermes Pets v0.3.0 is a local dashboard and foundations release for the supported WSL2/Windows full-overlay path.

Highlights

• Localhost-only dashboard with per-process token URL and token-protected API calls.
• Change Pet flow for switching built-in species or hatching a fresh random pet with reset semantics matching hermes-pet hatch.
• Custom pet dashboard controls for typed-path import, selecting installed visual packages, clearing back to the built-in pet, and removing installed packages.
• Foundational achievements stored in achievements.json, with idempotent unlocks and quiet overlay unlock notices.
• Opt-in voice preview plumbing with local adapter command support.
• Packaged dashboard assets included in the v0.3.0 wheel and sdist.
• Supported platform remains WSL2/Windows full-overlay.

Verification

• uv run pytest: 64 tests passing.
• v0.3.0 wheel and sdist verified with python3 scripts/verify-package-artifacts.py.
• Packaged overlay verified with scripts/verify-packaged-overlay.sh.
• Live overlay verifier passed on WSL/Windows.
• Local GitHub-style install smoke passed.

Out Of Scope

• PyPI publishing.
• Installer publishing.
• Hosted dashboard or hosted gallery.
• Full voice/personality mode.

v0.2.0

Hermes Pets v0.2.0

Phase 5 release-readiness baseline.

Highlights

• Defines WSL2/Windows with Windows interop as the supported full-overlay platform.
• Keeps native Linux, macOS, and native Windows as investigation or unsupported targets until proven.
• Keeps GitHub install as the supported public install path.
• Adds wheel/sdist artifact verification for Python modules, overlay files, launcher scripts, manifests, and sprites.
• Adds PyPI and installer decision notes without publishing to PyPI.
• Adds a curated custom pet contribution workflow with validation, preview, licensing, and review expectations.
• Records Phase 5 verification evidence and release decision notes.

Verification

Passed on WSL/Windows:

.venv/bin/pytest
node scripts/smoke-renderer.js
.venv/bin/python scripts/verify-package-artifacts.py
PYTHON=.venv/bin/python scripts/verify-packaged-overlay.sh
PYTHON=.venv/bin/python scripts/smoke-hermes-pet.sh --temp-state
PYTHON=.venv/bin/python scripts/verify-live-overlay.sh
HERMES_PET_INSTALL_TARGET=/home/tony/projects/hermes-pet scripts/smoke-github-install.sh

No PyPI publish is part of this release.

Hermes Pets v0.1.0

Hermes Pets v0.1.0

Initial public release of Hermes Pets.

Highlights

• Installable Python package via GitHub
• hermes-pet CLI
• Electron overlay lifecycle commands
• Bridge-aware event emission
• Runtime wrappers for commands and job status tracking
• Quiet, mute, preferences, and briefing commands
• Custom pet validation, import, use, list, current, and remove workflow
• Packaged overlay assets resolved through importlib.resources
• Included sprite assets and Windows overlay launcher

Smoke test

Fresh GitHub install passed on WSL2 / Ubuntu with Python 3.12.3.

Verified:

• hermes-pet --help
• hermes-pet doctor
• hermes-pet overlay-status
• hermes-pet prefs
• hermes-pet brief
• hermes-pet launch --replace
• hermes-pet emit bubble
• hermes-pet close --bridge
• hermes-pet run
• hermes-pet wrap
• hermes-pet jobs --last
• custom pet validate/import/use/current/list/remove

No code bugs were found during smoke testing.

Notes

The README now includes both GitHub install and local editable install instructions.