# WebUI Extensions
Hermes WebUI supports a small, opt-in extension surface for self-hosted installs.
It lets an administrator serve local static assets and inject same-origin CSS or
JavaScript into the app shell without editing the WebUI source tree.
> **Trust model — read this first.** Extensions execute with full WebUI session
> authority. An extension JS file can call any API the logged-in user can call,
> including reading conversation history, sending messages, modifying settings,
> and triggering tool actions. **Only enable extensions you wrote yourself or
> from sources you trust as much as the WebUI source itself.** If your WebUI is
> shared with users you do not fully trust, do not enable extensions.
> If you set `HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_DIR` yourself, do not point it at a
> user-writable directory on a shared host.
This is intentionally not a plugin marketplace or dependency system. It is a
safe escape hatch for local dashboards, internal tooling, and workflow-specific
panels that should not live in core Hermes WebUI.
> **The vetted extension library.** The curated, one-click-installable extensions
> that appear in the gallery live in a separate public repo:
> **[hermes-webui/hermes-webui-extensions](https://github.com/hermes-webui/hermes-webui-extensions)**.
> "In the registry == vetted." That repo holds the entries, the authoring
> conventions ([`docs/extension-entry.md`](https://github.com/hermes-webui/hermes-webui-extensions/blob/main/docs/extension-entry.md)),
> the JSON schema, and the CI safety gates. This document covers the WebUI-side
> *infrastructure* (loader, manifest contract, capabilities, install client);
> see the library repo to browse existing extensions or contribute a new one.
## What extensions can do
Extensions can:
- serve files from one configured local directory at `/extensions/...`
- inject configured same-origin stylesheets into `
`
- inject configured same-origin scripts before ``
- read a local JSON manifest that lists bundled scripts/styles to inject
- call the normal WebUI APIs available to the browser session
- call trusted local loopback sidecars directly from extension JavaScript when
the browser Content Security Policy allows that origin
Extensions cannot, by themselves:
- bypass WebUI authentication
- serve files outside the configured extension directory
- load third-party scripts/styles through the built-in injection config
- register new WebUI backend routes or proxy arbitrary sidecar/backend traffic
outside the fixed consented extension sidecar path described below
- change Hermes Agent permissions, models, memory, or tools unless they call
existing authenticated APIs that already allow those changes
## Configuration
### One-click install (no configuration required)
For a single-user self-hosted instance you do not need to configure anything.
Open **Settings → Extensions**, pick an extension from the gallery, and click
**Install** — it just works. The first install creates a WebUI-managed
extension directory under your state dir (`STATE_DIR/extensions`, e.g.
`~/.hermes/webui/extensions/`) and installs into it; gallery-installed
extensions load automatically on the next app-shell render with no environment
variables and no restart of your shell.
The managed directory lives alongside your sessions and settings in the
WebUI-owned state dir. That is a different trust domain from "a world-writable
directory on a shared box": only the WebUI process (and whoever can already
write your `~/.hermes` state) can place code there. The trust model below still
applies — installed extension code runs with full session authority — so only
install extensions from the vetted gallery or sources you trust as much as the
WebUI source itself.
Some gallery entries need more than WebUI assets. If an extension declares
post-install guidance or lifecycle requirements such as a loopback sidecar or a
native host, Settings -> Extensions shows a **Next step** note on the card after
install. For example, Desktop Companion can install the WebUI bridge from the
gallery, but the desktop pet is only visible after the local Desktop Companion
app is started.
### Manual / advanced configuration (optional)
`HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_DIR` is **optional** and overrides the managed default.
Set it when you want extensions to live in a specific directory you control
(e.g. a checked-out bundle, or a path mounted into a container). When set it
must point to an existing directory before any script or stylesheet URLs are
injected; WebUI never auto-creates an admin-specified path:
```bash
export HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_DIR=/path/to/my-extension/static
export HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_SCRIPT_URLS=/extensions/app.js
export HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_STYLESHEET_URLS=/extensions/app.css
./start.sh
```
Multiple URLs may be comma-separated:
```bash
export HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_SCRIPT_URLS=/extensions/runtime.js,/extensions/app.js
export HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_STYLESHEET_URLS=/extensions/base.css,/extensions/theme.css
```
For bundled or multi-extension installs, you may list assets in a manifest file
inside `HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_DIR` instead of maintaining long comma-separated
environment variables:
```bash
cat > ~/.hermes/webui-extension-bundle/extensions.json <<'JSON'
{
"extensions": [
{
"id": "templates",
"scripts": ["templates/templates.js"],
"stylesheets": ["templates/templates.css"]
},
{
"id": "sidebar-tools",
"scripts": ["sidebar-tools/sidebar-tools.js"],
"stylesheets": ["sidebar-tools/sidebar-tools.css"]
}
]
}
JSON
HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_DIR=~/.hermes/webui-extension-bundle \
HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_MANIFEST=extensions.json \
./start.sh
```
Manifest entries use the same URL safety rules as the environment variables.
Bare relative entries such as `templates/templates.js` resolve to
`/extensions/templates/templates.js`; absolute same-origin entries such as
`/extensions/shared.js` or `/static/theme.css` are also accepted. A manifest may
be an object with top-level `scripts` / `stylesheets`, an object with an
`extensions` array, or a top-level array of extension objects. Disabled entries
may be kept in the manifest with the JSON boolean `"enabled": false`. Explicit
`HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_SCRIPT_URLS` and
`HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_STYLESHEET_URLS` still work and are appended after
manifest assets, with duplicates ignored.
When an extension is installed from Settings -> Extensions, WebUI records the
installed package and loads that package's `manifest.json` automatically on the
next app-shell render. In this gallery-installed mode, a manifest located at
`HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_DIR//manifest.json` resolves bare relative
assets relative to that package directory. For example,
`"scripts": ["assets/companion-adapter.js"]` in
`desktop-companion/manifest.json` injects
`/extensions/desktop-companion/assets/companion-adapter.js`.
Manual manifests configured with `HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_MANIFEST` follow the
same rule: relative assets resolve from the manifest file's directory. A root
manifest such as `extensions.json` keeps the existing
`/extensions/` behavior, while a subdirectory manifest such as
`desktop-companion/manifest.json` resolves relative assets under
`/extensions/desktop-companion/`.
Extension entries may also declare a loopback sidecar for diagnostics and the
opt-in proxy:
```json
{
"extensions": [
{
"id": "desktop-companion",
"name": "Desktop Companion",
"scripts": ["companion-adapter.js"],
"stylesheets": ["companion-adapter.css"],
"sidecar": {
"type": "loopback",
"origin": "http://127.0.0.1:17787",
"health_path": "/health",
"proxy_auth": "token-v1"
}
}
]
}
```
Loopback sidecars do **not** change asset injection behavior. They are reported
by diagnostics so an operator can see that a local companion service was
declared and optionally check its health from the browser. If the operator later
approves the proxy in **Settings → Extensions**, WebUI may proxy requests only
through the fixed per-extension sidecar path for that extension.
### Sidecar proxy authentication (`proxy_auth`)
The loopback port a sidecar binds is reachable by **any local process**, and the
proxy strips every inbound credential (cookies, `Authorization`, CSRF, `x-hermes-*`)
before forwarding — so a sidecar cannot, on its own, tell a proxied request from a
direct one. The `proxy_auth` field closes that gap:
- **`token-v1`** (recommended for any sidecar that mutates state) — WebUI mints a
per-extension secret at `STATE_DIR/sidecar-auth/.token` (mode `0600`) and
injects it as the `X-Hermes-Sidecar-Token` header on every proxied request. The
sidecar resolves the token file in this order — `HERMES_EXT_SIDECAR_TOKEN_FILE`
→ `$HERMES_WEBUI_STATE_DIR/sidecar-auth/.token` →
`$HERMES_HOME/webui/sidecar-auth/.token` → platform default
(`~/.hermes/webui/…`, `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\webui\…` on Windows) — and must
validate the header on every route except `/health`, returning **`401` on a
missing/mismatched token** and **`503` when the token file is absent/unreadable**.
The canonical scaffold in the extensions repository (`examples/`, see
`docs/SIDECAR_CONTRACT.md`) does all of this for you — do not hand-roll it.
- **absent (or the explicit literal `"legacy"`)** — **legacy** mode (no token;
unchanged behavior). Only appropriate for read-only, non-sensitive sidecars.
- Any **other** value fails closed (the sidecar declaration is rejected).
**Auth-off posture:** WebUI authentication is optional and off by default. Because
the consent endpoint and proxy route are unauthenticated in that mode, `token-v1`
fails closed regardless of whether the sidecar origin is loopback: consent and proxy
resolution return `403` until WebUI authentication is configured. Otherwise, any
caller that can reach WebUI could ask core to inject the token and use it as a
forwarding oracle. The extensions panel exposes the `local_unprotected` posture so
the operator is told to enable authentication before granting consent. The token
protects against other-UID and sandboxed local callers; it does **not** defend against
arbitrary same-UID code (which can read the token file, WebUI's own signing key, or
run the sidecar's tool directly).
Extension entries may declare browser-local settings when they also request
extension-owned storage:
```json
{
"id": "desktop-companion",
"permissions": {
"storage": {
"owned": true
}
},
"settings_schema": [
{
"key": "show_badge",
"type": "boolean",
"label": "Show badge",
"default": true
},
{
"key": "mode",
"type": "enum",
"label": "Mode",
"options": [
{"value": "compact", "label": "Compact"},
{"value": "full", "label": "Full"}
],
"default": "compact"
}
]
}
```
Settings are a first-pass browser feature. WebUI sanitizes the manifest schema, injects the accepted schema before extension scripts, and leaves persistence to the browser. The backend does not store extension settings or expose a generic settings write route, and it does not treat these values as secrets.
The sanitizer accepts only `boolean`, `string`, `number`, `integer`, and `enum`
fields. It drops `sensitive: true` fields, unsupported types, malformed enum
options, duplicate keys after the first valid field, and defaults that do not
match the declared type. `settings_schema` is honored only when
`permissions.storage.owned` is exactly `true`.
Extension scripts can use the sanctioned browser accessors:
```js
const settings = window.HermesExtensionSettings.settingsForExtension("desktop-companion");
const value = settings.get("show_badge");
settings.set("show_badge", false);
const storage = window.HermesExtensionSettings.storageForExtension("desktop-companion");
storage.set("lastPanel", "settings");
const sameSettings = window.hermesExt.settings.forExtension("desktop-companion");
const sameStorage = window.hermesExt.storage.forExtension("desktop-companion");
```
Settings persist only non-default overrides. Resetting settings removes those
overrides and returns schema defaults. Extension-owned storage uses a separate
browser-local namespace, and clearing storage removes that namespace without
changing settings.
## URL rules
Injected asset URLs are deliberately restricted:
- must be same-origin paths
- must start with `/extensions/` or `/static/` after manifest normalization
- must not include a URL scheme, host, fragment, quote, angle bracket, newline,
NUL byte, or backslash
- must not contain dot-segments or dotfiles after percent-decoding
Allowed examples:
```text
/extensions/app.js
/extensions/app.css
/extensions/app.js?v=1
/static/theme.css
```
Rejected examples:
```text
https://example.com/app.js
//example.com/app.js
javascript:alert(1)
/api/session
/extensions/app.js#fragment
```
These restrictions keep the existing Content Security Policy intact and avoid
turning the extension hook into a third-party script loader. Invalid configured
URLs are ignored rather than injected.
## Trusted local sidecars
Manifest-bundled extensions may integrate with a trusted local sidecar process,
such as a desktop companion listening on `http://127.0.0.1:17787`. The injected
extension JavaScript can talk to that sidecar directly from the browser, and
WebUI diagnostics still use that direct browser path. WebUI may also proxy the
same sidecar through a fixed per-extension sidecar path after explicit persisted
user consent. WebUI does not create arbitrary extension-owned backend routes.
Loopback sidecar origins are already included in WebUI's enforced CSP
`connect-src` directive:
```text
http://127.0.0.1:*
http://localhost:*
http://ipc.localhost
ws://127.0.0.1:*
ws://localhost:*
```
The wildcard ports above cover any loopback port, including
`http://127.0.0.1:17787`. For a trusted non-loopback origin that you explicitly
control, append the exact origin with `HERMES_WEBUI_CSP_CONNECT_EXTRA` before
starting WebUI:
```bash
HERMES_WEBUI_CSP_CONNECT_EXTRA=https://companion.example.internal HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_DIR=/path/to/my-extension/static HERMES_WEBUI_EXTENSION_MANIFEST=extensions.json ./start.sh
```
`HERMES_WEBUI_CSP_CONNECT_EXTRA` accepts space-separated `http(s)://` or
`ws(s)://` origins only. It rejects paths, directive injection, and invalid port
numbers. Avoid wildcard or remote origins unless you fully control the target;
extension JavaScript runs with the logged-in WebUI session's authority.
## Loopback sidecar declarations
Sidecar declarations are sanitized before they appear in diagnostics:
- only `"type": "loopback"` is supported
- `origin` must be an `http` or `https` origin on `127.0.0.1`, `localhost`, or
`[::1]`
- `origin` must not include a username, password, path, query string, or fragment
- `health_path` is optional and defaults to `/health`
- when present, `health_path` must start with `/` and must not contain a scheme,
host, query string, fragment, quotes, control characters, backslashes, empty
segments, whitespace, or path traversal
Invalid sidecars are skipped with a stable warning code such as
`sidecar_origin_rejected`, `sidecar_type_unsupported`,
`sidecar_health_path_rejected`, or `sidecar_invalid`. Raw rejected origins and
paths are never returned by the status endpoint. If `health_path` is omitted,
diagnostics use `/health`; if `health_path` is present but invalid, the sidecar is
skipped rather than probed.
## Embedding an external web app in an iframe
By default the WebUI's Content-Security-Policy only allows it to embed
**same-origin** content in an `