fix: align webui runtime env handling with gateway behavior

api/profiles.py

@@ -696,6 +696,40 @@ def get_profile_runtime_env(home: Path) -> dict[str, str]:
     return env
 
 
+# Match Hermes Agent gateway behavior: profile-scoped WebUI runs should
+# project intended runtime vars (credentials, HERMES_HOME, TERMINAL_*)
+# without allowing profile env to override core shell identity variables
+# like HOME or PATH.
+_BLOCKED_RUNTIME_ENV_KEYS = {
+    'HOME',
+    'PATH',
+    'PWD',
+    'SHELL',
+    'USER',
+    'LOGNAME',
+    'SHLVL',
+    'OLDPWD',
+    'PYTHONPATH',
+    'VIRTUAL_ENV',
+    'LD_LIBRARY_PATH',
+}
+
+
+def filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity(env: dict[str, str]) -> dict[str, str]:
+    """Return a profile runtime env filtered to mimic Hermes gateway semantics."""
+    filtered: dict[str, str] = {}
+    for key, value in (env or {}).items():
+        k = str(key).strip()
+        if not k:
+            continue
+        if k in _BLOCKED_RUNTIME_ENV_KEYS:
+            continue
+        if k.startswith('XDG_'):
+            continue
+        filtered[k] = value
+    return filtered
+
+
 @contextmanager
 def profile_env_for_background_worker(
     session,
@@ -724,6 +758,7 @@ def profile_env_for_background_worker(
 
         profile_home_path = Path(get_hermes_home_for_profile(profile))
         runtime_env = get_profile_runtime_env(profile_home_path)
+        safe_runtime_env = filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity(runtime_env)
     except Exception:
         log.debug(
             "Failed to resolve profile env for %s profile %s; falling back to current env",
@@ -734,7 +769,7 @@ def profile_env_for_background_worker(
         yield
         return
 
-    thread_env = dict(runtime_env)
+    thread_env = dict(safe_runtime_env)
     thread_env["HERMES_HOME"] = str(profile_home_path)
     # Hybrid profile routing: keep the broad runtime env in WebUI's thread-local
     # channel for WebUI helpers, and also mirror it into process env for the
@@ -749,11 +784,11 @@ def profile_env_for_background_worker(
     try:
         _set_thread_env(**thread_env)
         with _ENV_LOCK:
-            old_runtime_env = {key: os.environ.get(key) for key in runtime_env}
+            old_runtime_env = {key: os.environ.get(key) for key in safe_runtime_env}
             had_hermes_home = "HERMES_HOME" in os.environ
             old_hermes_home = os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME")
             skill_home_snapshot = snapshot_skill_home_modules()
-            os.environ.update(runtime_env)
+            os.environ.update(safe_runtime_env)
             os.environ["HERMES_HOME"] = str(profile_home_path)
             try:
                 patch_skill_home_modules(profile_home_path)

api/streaming.py

@@ -5856,6 +5856,7 @@ def _run_agent_streaming(
         # process-level active-profile global.  Falls back gracefully.
         try:
             from api.profiles import (
+                filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity,
                 patch_skill_home_modules,
                 get_hermes_home_for_profile,
                 get_profile_runtime_env,
@@ -5863,9 +5864,11 @@ def _run_agent_streaming(
             _profile_home_path = get_hermes_home_for_profile(getattr(s, 'profile', None))
             _profile_home = str(_profile_home_path)
             _profile_runtime_env = get_profile_runtime_env(_profile_home_path)
+            _safe_profile_runtime_env = filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity(_profile_runtime_env)
         except ImportError:
             _profile_home = os.environ.get('HERMES_HOME', '')
             _profile_runtime_env = {}
+            _safe_profile_runtime_env = {}
             patch_skill_home_modules = None
 
         # Profile-aware provider/model enrichment: when the session belongs
@@ -5922,7 +5925,7 @@ def _run_agent_streaming(
         # The finally block re-acquires to restore — keeping critical sections short
         # and preventing a deadlock where the restore would re-enter the same lock.
         with _ENV_LOCK:
-            old_profile_env = {key: os.environ.get(key) for key in _profile_runtime_env}
+            old_profile_env = {key: os.environ.get(key) for key in _safe_profile_runtime_env}
             old_cwd = os.environ.get('TERMINAL_CWD')
             old_exec_ask = os.environ.get('HERMES_EXEC_ASK')
             old_session_key = os.environ.get('HERMES_SESSION_KEY')
@@ -5930,7 +5933,7 @@ def _run_agent_streaming(
             old_session_platform = os.environ.get('HERMES_SESSION_PLATFORM')
             old_session_chat_id = os.environ.get('HERMES_SESSION_CHAT_ID')
             old_hermes_home = os.environ.get('HERMES_HOME')
-            os.environ.update(_profile_runtime_env)
+            os.environ.update(_safe_profile_runtime_env)
             os.environ['TERMINAL_CWD'] = str(s.workspace)
             os.environ['HERMES_EXEC_ASK'] = '1'
             os.environ['HERMES_SESSION_KEY'] = session_id

tests/test_profile_terminal_env.py

@@ -52,8 +52,44 @@ def test_streaming_applies_profile_runtime_env_to_agent_run():
 
     assert "get_profile_runtime_env" in src
     assert "_profile_runtime_env" in src
+    assert "_safe_profile_runtime_env" in src
     assert "old_profile_env" in src
-    assert "os.environ.update(_profile_runtime_env)" in src
+    assert "filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity" in src
+    assert "os.environ.update(_safe_profile_runtime_env)" in src
+    assert "os.environ.update(_profile_runtime_env)" not in src
+
+
+def test_filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity_blocks_shell_identity_vars():
+    from api.profiles import filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity
+
+    env = {
+        "HOME": "/tmp/fake-home",
+        "PATH": "/tmp/fake-bin:/usr/bin",
+        "PWD": "/tmp/fake-pwd",
+        "SHELL": "/bin/zsh",
+        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "test-key",
+        "TERMINAL_ENV": "ssh",
+        "TERMINAL_CWD": "/workspace",
+    }
+
+    filtered = filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity(env)
+
+    assert "HOME" not in filtered
+    assert "PATH" not in filtered
+    assert "PWD" not in filtered
+    assert "SHELL" not in filtered
+    assert filtered["OPENAI_API_KEY"] == "test-key"
+    assert filtered["TERMINAL_ENV"] == "ssh"
+    assert filtered["TERMINAL_CWD"] == "/workspace"
+
+
+def test_profile_background_worker_uses_gateway_parity_runtime_env_filter():
+    src = Path("api/profiles.py").read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+
+    assert "filter_runtime_env_for_gateway_parity" in src
+    assert "safe_runtime_env" in src
+    assert "os.environ.update(safe_runtime_env)" in src
+    assert "os.environ.update(runtime_env)" not in src
 
 
 def test_streaming_thread_env_allows_profile_terminal_cwd_override():