---
date: 2026-10-16
pr: pending
feature: Phase 004 - remove the desktop shell and bundled hermes CLI
impact: No chat-chain behavior change; the bridge manager only loses an unused HERMES_DESKTOP helper, and gateway autostart no longer branches on desktop mode.
---

# Phase 004 — Remove the desktop shell

Phase: `docs/phases/phase_004.md`

## What Changed

Phase 004 removes Electron packaging, the version-management UI, and the
bundled hermes CLI. Two chat-chain-adjacent files were touched:

- `packages/server/src/services/hermes/agent-bridge/manager.ts` — deleted the
  unused `isDesktopRuntime()` helper (it read `HERMES_DESKTOP`; no call site
  remained after earlier cleanup). Gateway IPC readiness, spawn, and kill paths
  are unchanged.
- `packages/server/src/services/hermes/gateway-autostart.ts` — removed the
  Windows desktop orphan-recovery branch (`shouldRecoverWindowsDesktopGatewayOrphans`
  / `recoverWindowsDesktopGatewayOrphans`) and its `HERMES_DESKTOP` gating.
  Managed gateway recovery on other platforms keeps its existing behavior.

## Contract Check

`/chat-run` event names, field names, field types, and emission timing are
unchanged. No run dispatch, session, or usage-recording behavior changed.

## Verification

```bash
npm run harness:check
npm run build
npm run test
```