fix windows desktop bridge startup (#1196)

packages/desktop/src/main/index.ts

@@ -28,16 +28,22 @@ function quitApp() {
   app.quit()
 }
 
+function loginItemOptions() {
+  return {
+    path: process.execPath,
+    args: ['--hidden'],
+  }
+}
+
 function getOpenAtLogin(): boolean {
-  return app.getLoginItemSettings().openAtLogin
+  return app.getLoginItemSettings(loginItemOptions()).openAtLogin
 }
 
 function setOpenAtLogin(openAtLogin: boolean) {
   app.setLoginItemSettings({
+    ...loginItemOptions(),
     openAtLogin,
     openAsHidden: true,
-    path: process.execPath,
-    args: ['--hidden'],
   })
 }
 

packages/desktop/src/main/webui-server.ts

@@ -228,14 +228,12 @@ export async function startWebUiServer(port = DEFAULT_PORT): Promise<string> {
   // setup is a #!/bin/sh wrapper, not a python interpreter, so detection
   // resolves to /bin/sh and the bridge crashes (exit code 2) immediately.
   const isWin = process.platform === 'win32'
+  const bundledPython = isWin
+    ? join(pythonDir(), 'python.exe')
+    : join(pythonDir(), 'bin', 'python3')
   const bundledPythonNoWindow = isWin
     ? join(pythonDir(), 'pythonw.exe')
-    : join(pythonDir(), 'bin', 'python3')
-  const bundledPython = isWin && existsSync(bundledPythonNoWindow)
-    ? bundledPythonNoWindow
-    : isWin
-      ? join(pythonDir(), 'python.exe')
-      : join(pythonDir(), 'bin', 'python3')
+    : bundledPython
   const bridgePort = await getFreeTcpPort()
   const workerPortBase = await getFreeTcpPortInRange(20000, 59000)
   const loginShellPath = await getLoginShellPath()
@@ -255,6 +253,9 @@ export async function startWebUiServer(port = DEFAULT_PORT): Promise<string> {
     NODE_ENV: 'production',
     HERMES_DESKTOP: 'true',
     HERMES_BIN: hermesBin(),
+    // The bridge and its per-profile workers need working stdout/stderr for
+    // ready handshakes. Use python.exe on Windows and hide windows at the
+    // process creation layer instead of switching the bridge to pythonw.exe.
     HERMES_AGENT_BRIDGE_PYTHON: bundledPython,
     HERMES_AGENT_CLI_PYTHON: existsSync(bundledPythonNoWindow) ? bundledPythonNoWindow : bundledPython,
     HERMES_AGENT_ROOT: pythonDir(),

packages/server/src/services/hermes/agent-bridge/hermes_bridge.py

@@ -71,6 +71,40 @@ def _hidden_subprocess_kwargs() -> dict[str, int]:
     return {"creationflags": getattr(subprocess, "CREATE_NO_WINDOW", 0)}
 
 
+def _install_windows_hidden_subprocess_defaults() -> None:
+    """Hide console windows for subprocesses launched inside desktop bridge runs.
+
+    The desktop bridge itself must keep stdout/stderr pipes for readiness and
+    worker handshakes, so it runs under python.exe. On Windows that means any
+    nested console executable, including git.exe from context expansion, can
+    flash a window unless the child process is created with CREATE_NO_WINDOW.
+    """
+    if os.name != "nt":
+        return
+    if os.environ.get("HERMES_DESKTOP", "").strip().lower() != "true":
+        return
+    if getattr(subprocess, "_hermes_hidden_defaults_installed", False):
+        return
+
+    original_popen = subprocess.Popen
+    create_no_window = getattr(subprocess, "CREATE_NO_WINDOW", 0) or 0x08000000
+
+    class HiddenPopen(original_popen):  # type: ignore[misc, valid-type]
+        def __init__(self, *args: Any, **kwargs: Any) -> None:
+            flags = kwargs.get("creationflags", 0) or 0
+            try:
+                kwargs["creationflags"] = int(flags) | create_no_window
+            except Exception:
+                kwargs["creationflags"] = create_no_window
+            super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    subprocess.Popen = HiddenPopen  # type: ignore[assignment]
+    subprocess._hermes_hidden_defaults_installed = True  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+
+
+_install_windows_hidden_subprocess_defaults()
+
+
 def _process_exists(pid: int) -> bool:
     if pid <= 0:
         return False

tests/server/agent-bridge-profile-env.test.ts

@@ -106,6 +106,74 @@ print(json.dumps({
   })
 })
 
+describe('agent bridge Windows desktop subprocess defaults', () => {
+  it('adds CREATE_NO_WINDOW to nested subprocesses without replacing existing flags', async () => {
+    const result = await runBridgeProbe(String.raw`
+import importlib.util
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+
+spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("hermes_bridge", os.environ["BRIDGE_PATH"])
+bridge = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+sys.modules["hermes_bridge"] = bridge
+spec.loader.exec_module(bridge)
+
+original_os_name = bridge.os.name
+original_popen = bridge.subprocess.Popen
+original_create_no_window = getattr(bridge.subprocess, "CREATE_NO_WINDOW", None)
+original_installed = getattr(bridge.subprocess, "_hermes_hidden_defaults_installed", None)
+
+class FakePopen:
+    calls = []
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        FakePopen.calls.append({"args": args, "kwargs": kwargs})
+
+try:
+    bridge.os.name = "nt"
+    bridge.os.environ["HERMES_DESKTOP"] = "true"
+    bridge.subprocess.Popen = FakePopen
+    bridge.subprocess.CREATE_NO_WINDOW = 0x08000000
+    if hasattr(bridge.subprocess, "_hermes_hidden_defaults_installed"):
+        delattr(bridge.subprocess, "_hermes_hidden_defaults_installed")
+
+    bridge._install_windows_hidden_subprocess_defaults()
+    bridge.subprocess.Popen(["git", "status"], creationflags=0x00000200)
+    flags = FakePopen.calls[0]["kwargs"]["creationflags"]
+finally:
+    bridge.os.name = original_os_name
+    bridge.subprocess.Popen = original_popen
+    if original_create_no_window is None:
+        try:
+            delattr(bridge.subprocess, "CREATE_NO_WINDOW")
+        except AttributeError:
+            pass
+    else:
+        bridge.subprocess.CREATE_NO_WINDOW = original_create_no_window
+    if original_installed is None:
+        try:
+            delattr(bridge.subprocess, "_hermes_hidden_defaults_installed")
+        except AttributeError:
+            pass
+    else:
+        bridge.subprocess._hermes_hidden_defaults_installed = original_installed
+
+print(json.dumps({
+    "flags": flags,
+    "has_create_no_window": bool(flags & 0x08000000),
+    "kept_existing_flag": bool(flags & 0x00000200),
+}))
+`)
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({
+      flags: 0x08000200,
+      has_create_no_window: true,
+      kept_existing_flag: true,
+    })
+  })
+})
+
 describe('agent bridge profile environment', () => {
   it('runs agent calls with the requested profile HERMES_HOME and restores the bridge home', async () => {
     const profileHome = join(tempDir, 'profiles', 'work')