A safer way to edit Hermes config files
A Hermes Docker setup depends on files such as , SOUL.md, USER.md, and .env. A careless edit can break a working Hermes setup and cost hours to recover. The hermes config set command may rewrite the whole file instead of changing only one setting, so unrelated settings can disappear.
Letting Hermes edit its own config can also change more than requested. Editing files as root can create problems, which may make Hermes ignore the intended settings and fall back to defaults. A single typo in YAML can stop the config from loading, and the failure may not be obvious.
The safe routine is to back up first, make the smallest possible edit, avoid editing as root, the file, check the diff, and only then restart Hermes. The backup should also be checked to confirm it exists and is not an empty file.
Key points
- Back up , SOUL.md, USER.md, and .env before changing them.
- hermes config set can rewrite the full , not just one setting.
- Do not edit Hermes as root, because can break settings loading.
- YAML can fail from one small typo, so before restarting.
- Check the diff before restarting Hermes so unexpected changes are visible.