relay-server

name	relay-server
description	Setup and run the Hermes-Relay server for Android chat support, terminal, bridge, and related relay features.

Hermes-Relay Server

Setup and run the Hermes-Relay Server for the Hermes-Relay Android app.

What It Is

A lightweight Python WSS server that bridges the Hermes-Relay Android app to server-side features that need persistent bidirectional communication: terminal (remote shell via tmux) and bridge (agent-driven phone control). Chat does not use the relay — it rides the standard upstream Hermes surfaces (the dashboard /api/ws gateway, with API-server SSE as fallback).

When You Need It

• Chat only? You do NOT need the relay server. The app uses the standard upstream Hermes surfaces — the dashboard gateway (:9119) preferred, the API server (:8642) as fallback.
• Terminal or Bridge? You need the relay server running on the same machine as hermes-agent.

Quick Setup

One-liner (pip)

pip install aiohttp pyyaml && python -m relay_server --no-ssl

Run this from the hermes-android/ repo root, or wherever relay_server/ is located.

As a Hermes plugin + relay

# 1. Install the Android plugin (18 android_* tools)
cp -r plugin ~/.hermes/plugins/hermes-relay

# 2. Install relay dependencies
pip install -r relay_server/requirements.txt

# 3. Start the relay server
python -m relay_server --no-ssl --log-level INFO

Docker

docker run -d --name hermes-relay \
  --network host \
  -v ~/.hermes:/home/relay/.hermes:ro \
  ghcr.io/codename-11/hermes-relay:latest

Or build locally:

docker build -t hermes-relay relay_server/
docker run -d --name hermes-relay --network host -v ~/.hermes:/home/relay/.hermes:ro hermes-relay

Systemd service (persistent)

sudo cp relay_server/hermes-relay.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now hermes-relay

Edit the service file first to set User= and WorkingDirectory= to match your setup.

Configuration

All settings via environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
RELAY_HOST	0.0.0.0	Bind address
RELAY_PORT	8767	Listen port
RELAY_SSL_CERT	(none)	Path to TLS certificate
RELAY_SSL_KEY	(none)	Path to TLS private key
RELAY_WEBAPI_URL	http://localhost:8642	Hermes API Server URL
RELAY_HERMES_CONFIG	~/.hermes/config.yaml	Path to hermes config (for profile loading)
RELAY_LOG_LEVEL	INFO	Logging level

CLI Options

python -m relay_server [OPTIONS]

  --port PORT        Override listen port (default: 8767)
  --no-ssl           Disable TLS (dev only — use for localhost)
  --log-level LEVEL  Set logging level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR)
  --config PATH      Path to hermes config.yaml

Architecture

Phone (HTTP/SSE) --> Hermes API Server (:8642)   [chat — direct, no relay]
Phone (WSS)      --> Relay Server (:8767)         [terminal, bridge]

The relay authenticates phones via a 6-character pairing code, then issues a 30-day session token. All communication uses typed envelope messages multiplexed over a single WebSocket connection.

Verify It Works

curl http://localhost:8767/health
# {"status": "ok", "version": "0.4.0", "channels": ["chat", "terminal", "bridge"]}

Troubleshooting

• Connection refused: Is the relay running? Check systemctl status hermes-relay or docker logs hermes-relay
• Auth failures: Pairing codes expire after 10 minutes. Generate a new one.
• TLS errors: Use --no-ssl for local dev. For production, set RELAY_SSL_CERT and RELAY_SSL_KEY.
• Can't reach from phone: Ensure port 8767 is open in firewall. Use ss -tlnp | grep 8767 to verify listening.