eikon

name	eikon
description	Guide the user through making or editing a herm sidebar avatar (eikon) using herm's built-in Eikon Studio tab. The agent's role is advisory (what makes a good source, which knob to reach for); source generation is /eikon-create and all rasterize/bake happens in-app.
related_skills	["eikon-create"]

Building an eikon in herm

An eikon is a 48×24 monochrome text avatar. It lives on disk as:

~/.hermes/eikons/<name>/
  <name>.eikon      packed NDJSON — written by Studio on Ctrl+S / Ctrl+U
  studio.json       Studio's workspace state
  source/           base.<ext>, <state>.<ext>

You do not write .eikon or studio.json. Studio does.

Where the user does the work

Herm's built-in Eikon tab (Gallery / Studio / Marketplace). Tell the user: "open the Eikon tab" or "Ctrl+K → Eikon". In Studio:

• eikon row → pick / New…
• source row → Local file… / Generate image… / Generate video…
• input section → contrast / invert / flip (pixel-domain, shared)
• <rasterizer> section → symbols / fill / dither (glyph-domain)
• Preview pane → wheel pans, Ctrl+wheel zooms, Shift+wheel pans X
• Ctrl+S bakes all six states without changing the active avatar
• Ctrl+U bakes all six states and uses it as the active avatar

What makes a good source

One line, once: 48×24, one color. Light subject on black, high contrast, strong silhouette. Fine detail disappears; outline is everything.

When to do what

user says	you do
"make me an eikon of X"	Load eikon-create and follow it.
drops an image path	cp it to ~/.hermes/eikons/<name>/source/base.<ext> → "Eikon tab, pick ".
"edit my eikon"	"Eikon tab → eikon row → ."
"install/shared marketplace eikon"	"Eikon tab → Marketplace", or /marketplace. Install, then Use when ready.
"install from GitHub"	"Eikon tab → New… → inspect/install", or herm eikon install github.com/user/repo/eikon-name.
"too dark / washed out"	"invert toggle, then contrast slider — under input."
"off-center / too small"	"Ctrl+wheel to zoom, wheel/drag to pan on the preview."
"make it move"	eikon-create §5 (video), or Studio's source → Generate video….

Install and manage shared eikons

For catalog eikons, use Eikon → Marketplace. Rows show source, compatibility, and trust (Verified, Unverified, or Mismatch). Marketplace installs fetch built package artifacts and do not clone creator repos.

For direct sharing, use github.com/user/repo/eikon-name for a multi-eikon GitHub catalog repo, github.com/user/repo for a single-package repo, or a local package directory. Private GitHub repos use normal git authentication.

The local lifecycle is explicit:

herm eikon search [query]
herm eikon inspect <name|github.com/user/repo/eikon-name|dir>
herm eikon install <name|github.com/user/repo/eikon-name|dir>
herm eikon use <name>
herm eikon info <name>
herm eikon update <name> --active-ok
herm eikon remove <name> --active-ok

install never activates. use activates. Updating or removing the active eikon requires explicit acknowledgement because it changes or clears the active avatar.

Creators share through normal GitHub repositories. Use upstream eikon pack, eikon index, and eikon manifest to prepare repo artifacts. eikon publish is a GitHub PR contribution helper for the configured/default catalog repo, not a hosted marketplace account or upload flow.

Quick poster

To show a candidate in chat without Studio:

chafa --size=48x24 --symbols=braille --colors=none --format=symbols --stretch "<path>"

Preview-only; Studio's output will differ (it tone-maps first).

Don'ts

• Don't hand-write .eikon NDJSON.
• Don't pick knob values for the user. Name the knob.
• Don't repeat the 48×24 brief.