Hermes proposes a per-profile escape from the host gateway multiplexer

A September 23 Hermes proposal would restore an explicit topology choice for operators who need one gateway per named profile. Rather than revive the retired multiplex_profiles: false setting, PR #119680 introduces gateway.standalone: true in the named profile's own configuration. The ordinary host gateway continues serving the remaining profiles. The proposed exception is local to the profile choosing it, not a host-wide reversal of multiplexing.

The author describes the practical motivation as independently managed gateways losing per-profile restart control and secondary WhatsApp or relay ingress after the September 21 change. The proposal makes the desired topology a stored setting rather than a consequence of which process happened to start first. A standalone launcher would never become the host multiplexer. Administrative callers that need every installed profile, including dashboard job enumeration, retain a separate way to list them all.

The inspected implementation also limits the apparently simple switch. The default profile cannot declare itself standalone. Before a separate named-profile gateway starts, existing live gateways must confirm they are not already serving that profile. A conflicting owner produces a rescan refusal; the same ownership check applies after a competing process wins the startup lock. This is coordination logic, not just a new boolean.

The facts

- PR #119680 was open when inspected on September 23; no merge or released implementation was confirmed. - The proposed setting is gateway.standalone in a named profile's own config.yaml. - The host's serving roster excludes opted-out profiles, while installed-profile enumeration can include them. - The default profile ignores the standalone setting and remains the host gateway. - Startup checks reject a profile still served by another live gateway, including the lock-losing race. - Per-profile stop and restart inside the multiplexer, and the retired multiplex_profiles: false behavior, are explicitly outside scope.

Why it matters

Multiplexing reduces duplicated processes but couples operational lifecycles. A fleet may prefer separate failure and restart domains even when profiles share a machine. The proposal recognizes that preference without turning every profile into a potential host coordinator. The important property is one serving owner per profile, not the number of process IDs visible to the operator.

Current

Checked September 23, 2026. The inspected release baseline is v2026.9.21. The primary source is open proposal. Tagged release availability and development-source state are separate: a release baseline does not establish that a proposed setting or newly merged feature is in an installed package.

Evidence

Primary: NousResearch/hermes-agent PR #119680 (https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/pull/119680). Context and implementation: Hermes documentation — multi-profile gateways (https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/multi-profile-gateways/); NousResearch/hermes-agent — multi-profile-gateways.md (source) (https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/blob/fb044ccef85cd97bb42367e213f80b4c587d3e42/website/docs/user-guide/multi-profile-gateways.md). The linked source text was inspected; reported experiments and test results remain attributed to their authors.

Operator take

Map which profiles require independent ingress or maintenance windows before evaluating this change. Check both the serving roster and management visibility: excluding a profile from message handling must not make its jobs disappear from administration. For a trial, preserve the existing topology and verify ownership refusal before testing a successful handoff. Do not apply an open configuration proposal to a released installation and assume it has changed behavior.

Caveat

This remains proposed behavior. Source and tests were inspected, but no live multi-gateway migration was performed here. The proposal does not restore every legacy topology control, and the ordinary host gateway remains the default for profiles that do not opt out.