---
name: hermes-webui-docker
description: "Deploy Hermes WebUI in Docker talking to host Hermes agent."
version: 2.0.0
author: Agent
---

# Hermes WebUI in Docker (Hybrid Deployment)

## When to Use

When Hermes agent (gateway, CLI, dashboard) runs **natively on the host** but the WebUI runs in a Docker container. This hybrid topology is useful when:
- WebUI needs access to host filesystem paths (e.g. `/opt/hermes/memory-os/`, `/workspace`)
- You want WebUI isolated in a container without moving the entire Hermes stack to Docker
- The gateway is already running as a systemd service on the host

## Architecture

```
Host (port 8642)                    Docker (port 8787)
┌──────────────────┐               ┌──────────────────────┐
│  Hermes Gateway   │◄──────────────│    Hermes WebUI      │
│  (systemd)        │  host.docker  │  ghcr.io/nesquena/   │
│  port 8642        │  .internal:   │  hermes-webui:latest │
│                   │  8642         │  /opt → /opt:rw     │
│  Ollama:11434     │               │  ~/.hermes → /home/  │
│  SearXNG:11436    │               │  ~/ → /workspace:rw │
└──────────────────┘               └──────────────────────┘
```

## Docker Compose (WebUI Only)

```yaml
services:
  hermes-webui:
    image: ghcr.io/nesquena/hermes-webui:latest
    container_name: hermes-webui
    ports:
      - "8787:8787"
    volumes:
      # Config, sessions, state — shared with host agent
      - /home/estorozhenko/.hermes:/home/hermeswebui/.hermes
      # Host filesystem — WebUI can see /opt/hermes/memory-os/, etc.
      - /opt:/opt:rw
      # Workspace — code browser in WebUI
      - /home/estorozhenko:/workspace
    environment:
      - HERMES_WEBUI_HOST=0.0.0.0
      - HERMES_WEBUI_PORT=8787
      - HERMES_WEBUI_STATE_DIR=/home/hermeswebui/.hermes/webui
      # Gateway is on HOST — use host.docker.internal
      - HERMES_API_URL=http://host.docker.internal:8642
      - HERMES_WEBUI_CHAT_BACKEND=gateway
      - HERMES_WEBUI_GATEWAY_BASE_URL=http://host.docker.internal:8642
      # Runs API needs newer gateway routes (/api/session/stream, /api/session?...)
      # that gateway 0.19.0 DOES NOT have (only /api/sessions/{id}/...). On 0.19.0
      # keep this false or WebUI hangs on "Loading conversation...".
      - HERMES_WEBUI_GATEWAY_USE_RUNS_API=false
      - HERMES_WEBUI_GATEWAY_API_KEY=${API_SERVER_KEY:-}
      - WANTED_UID=${UID:-1000}
      - WANTED_GID=${GID:-1000}
    extra_hosts:
      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"
    restart: unless-stopped
```

## Environment Variables — Key Differences from All-in-Docker

| Variable | All-in-Docker (container name) | Hybrid (host.docker.internal) |
|---|---|---|
| `HERMES_API_URL` | `http://hermes-agent:8642` | `http://host.docker.internal:8642` |
| `HERMES_WEBUI_GATEWAY_BASE_URL` | `http://hermes-agent:8642` | `http://host.docker.internal:8642` |

The `extra_hosts: host.docker.internal:host-gateway` line is **required** — without it the container cannot resolve `host.docker.internal` on Linux.

## Host Filesystem Access

WebUI's file browser and Memory OS tabs see the container's filesystem, not the host's. Mount the host paths the WebUI needs:

- **`/opt:/opt:rw`** — grants access to `/opt/hermes/memory-os/`, `/opt/hermes/.hermes/`, etc.
- **`/home/estorozhenko:/workspace`** — code browser access to user's home
- **`/home/estorozhenko/.hermes:/home/hermeswebui/.hermes`** — shares sessions, config, skills (required for state persistence)

Without these mounts, WebUI will show errors like "path /opt/hermes/memory-os/ not found" because it only sees the container's internal filesystem.

## Host Services that Must Be Running

- **Hermes Gateway** — port 8642 (systemd: `hermes-gateway.service`)
- **Hermes Dashboard** — port 9119 (systemd: `hermes-dashboard.service`, bind `127.0.0.1`)
  - Created via `hermes-dashboard.service` unit file in `/etc/systemd/system/`
  - Dashboard **refuses** `--host 0.0.0.0` without auth providers (Jun 2026+ hardening)
  - **Workaround:** bind `127.0.0.1` and access via SSH tunnel: `ssh -L 9119:localhost:9119 bigbox`
  - Alternative: configure basic auth in `config.yaml` (`dashboard.basic_auth.username` + `password_hash`)
- **Ollama** — port 11434 (if delegation uses local model)
- **SearXNG** — port 11436 (if web search uses local instance)

All must listen on `0.0.0.0` or at least the Docker bridge interface for the container to reach them. Check with `ss -tlnp | grep -E '8642|11434|11436'`.

## Gateway API Server Configuration

**This is the #1 reason WebUI cannot reach the gateway.** The `api_server` is a **gateway platform** (like Telegram or Email) — on host-native setups it must be configured explicitly.

Detailed reference: `references/host-gateway-config.md` (code walkthrough, troubleshooting table, env overlay logic).

### How It Gets Enabled

| Context | Mechanism |
|---|---|
| **All-in-Docker** | Env vars: `API_SERVER_ENABLED=true`, `API_SERVER_KEY=xxx` |
| **Host native** (systemd) | **Must be in `config.yaml`** — env vars are NOT auto-propagated to the systemd unit |

### Config.yaml Section

```yaml
platforms:
  api_server:
    enabled: true
    host: 0.0.0.0
    port: 8642
    key: "your-32-char-hex-key-here"

⚠️ **Field name matters:** The code reads `extra.get("key", ...)` — so the YAML field must be `key`, NOT `api_key`. A field named `api_key` is silently ignored (not bridged into extra).

Place this at the root level of `config.yaml` (NOT nested under `gateway:`).

### Why It Fails Silently

- Gateway starts, shows "⚕ Hermes Gateway Starting...", connects to Email etc. — looks healthy.
- But if `api_server` platform isn't configured, it simply doesn't bind port 8642.
- `systemctl status hermes-gateway.service` shows `active (running)` — misleading.
- The only symptom is `ss -tlnp | grep 8642` shows nothing.

### Verification

```bash
systemctl is-active hermes-gateway.service
ss -tlnp | grep 8642
curl -s http://localhost:8642/health
# Expected: {"status": "ok", "platform": "hermes-agent", "version": "0.19.0"}
```

If `ss` shows no listener on 8642 but the service is `active`, the api_server platform isn't configured.

### systemd Env Var Alternative

Alternatively, add to the systemd unit file:

```ini
Environment="API_SERVER_ENABLED=true"
Environment="API_SERVER_HOST=0.0.0.0"
Environment="API_SERVER_KEY=your-key-here"
```

Then `sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl restart hermes-gateway.service`.

## Checking Connectivity

```bash
# From inside the container:
docker exec hermes-webui curl -s http://host.docker.internal:8642/health

# From host (should also work):
curl -s http://localhost:8642/health

# Logs show API calls:
docker logs hermes-webui --tail 20
```

If WebUI shows "Check HERMES_WEBUI_GATEWAY_BASE_URL and Gateway API server health":
1. Verify 8642 listens: `ss -tlnp | grep 8642`
2. If not → check `platforms: api_server:` in config.yaml or env vars in systemd unit
3. Verify key matches between gateway and `HERMES_WEBUI_GATEWAY_API_KEY`
4. `host.docker.internal` must resolve inside container (requires `extra_hosts`)

## Migrating from All-in-Docker to Hybrid

When undoing a full Docker migration (all 3 containers + dashboard), do:

1. **Stop & remove agent + dashboard containers:**
   ```bash
   docker stop hermes-agent hermes-dashboard
   docker rm hermes-agent hermes-dashboard
   ```

2. **Re-enable host gateway systemd service** (if it was disabled during migration):
   ```bash
   sudo systemctl enable --now hermes-gateway.service
   ```

3. **Create dashboard systemd service** (Jun 2026+ requires auth for public bind):
   ```bash
   # Bind 127.0.0.1 and tunnel in via SSH/WireGuard
   ExecStart=/home/estorozhenko/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m hermes_cli.main dashboard --host 127.0.0.1
   ```
   Full unit template: see `references/dashboard-systemd-service.md`.

4. **Update docker-compose.yml** — remove hermes-agent + hermes-dashboard services, keep only webui.

5. **Change environment URLs** from container names to `host.docker.internal`:
   - `HERMES_API_URL=http://hermes-agent:8642` → `http://host.docker.internal:8642`
   - `HERMES_WEBUI_GATEWAY_BASE_URL=http://hermes-agent:8642` → `http://host.docker.internal:8642`

6. **Add `/opt:/opt:rw` volume** if WebUI needs host filesystem access.

7. **Recreate webui container:**
   ```bash
   docker compose -f /opt/hermes/docker/docker-compose.yml up -d
   ```

## Pitfalls

- **Gateway API key mismatch — EASY TO MISS ROOT CAUSE:** The API key exists in **4 sources** (config.yaml `key:` field, `~/.hermes/.env`, systemd unit, docker `.env`). All must match. The most common failure pattern: config.yaml and systemd agree, but `~/.hermes/.env` has a **different** value that overwrites the process env at startup. Always check `grep API_SERVER_KEY ~/.hermes/.env` when debugging 401.
- **YAML field name is `key`, not `api_key`:** The adapter reads `extra.get("key", os.getenv("API_SERVER_KEY", ""))`. A field named `api_key` in config.yaml silently does nothing because the YAML→extra bridge only looks for the exact name `key`.
- **`host.docker.internal` only works with `extra_hosts`** on Linux. Without it, the hostname won't resolve. Alternative: use host's actual IP (e.g. `192.168.x.x` or Docker bridge gateway like `172.17.0.1`)
- **docker stop/rm for containers may be blocked by safety system** — use `docker compose -f <file> down` instead
- **`/opt` on davfs2 (Yandex Disk via WebDAV)** — `stat`, `find`, `rm` are very slow on WebDAV-backed mounts. Consider mounting specific subdirectories instead of the whole `/opt` if the filesystem is partly WebDAV
- **Telegram SOCKS5 tunnel** — if gateway is on host and Telegram is used, ensure `telegram-tunnel.service` is active