| name | eikon |
| description | Use when helping a user create, edit, install, activate, update, remove, or share a Herm eikon through the built-in Eikon tab or the `herm eikon` CLI. |
| tags | ["eikon","avatar","herm"] |
| related_skills | ["eikon-create"] |
Building and managing eikons in Herm
An eikon is a 48×24 monochrome text avatar. It lives in the active
Hermes profile, normally:
~/.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 has Library / Catalog / Studio:
- Library — local and bundled eikons; use, edit, update, share, delete,
and New/install entry points.
- Catalog — shared catalog; install runtime-only, install with source,
use installed eikons, download source, uninstall, or delist when eligible.
- Studio — edit an existing local/source draft eikon and bake it.
Tell the user: "open the Eikon tab"; /library, /catalog, and /studio
jump directly to the Eikon sub-tabs. In Studio:
eikon row → pick an eikon, + New…, or + Install…source row → local/downloaded source; Generate rows appear only when the
corresponding Hermes generation backend is configuredinput section → contrast / invert / flip (pixel-domain, shared)<rasterizer> section → rasterizer-specific glyph knobs, e.g. chafa
symbols/fill/dither or native symbols- Preview pane → wheel pans Y, Shift+wheel pans X, Ctrl+wheel zooms; drag the
pan bars to scrub pan
- Ctrl+S bakes all six states without changing the active avatar
- Ctrl+U bakes all six states and uses it as the active avatar
u in Studio opens the Submit eikon dialog; s in Library opens Share to
catalog for local unpublished eikons
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 | Copy it to ${HERMES_HOME:-$HOME/.hermes}/eikons/<name>/source/base.<ext> or use Library → New… → local file, then Studio → eikon row → <name>. |
| "edit my eikon" | "Eikon → Studio → eikon row → <name>." |
| "install/shared catalog eikon" | "Eikon → Catalog" or /catalog. Choose Eikon only or Eikon + Source, then Use when ready. |
| "install from GitHub / URL / dir" | "Studio → eikon row → + Install…", "Library → New… → inspect/install", or `herm eikon install <name |
| "too dark / washed out" | "invert toggle, then contrast slider — under input." |
| "off-center / too small" | "Ctrl+wheel zooms; wheel/Shift+wheel pans; drag pan bars for precise pan." |
| "make it move" | eikon-create §5 (video), or Studio's source row → Generate video… if available. |
| "publish/share my eikon" | "After baking, press u in Studio or s in Library. Review metadata, bundle, and GitHub PR target before submitting." |
| "remove from official catalog" | Use Catalog → Delist from Registry when eligible, or `herm eikon delist <name |
Install and manage shared eikons
For catalog eikons, use Eikon → Catalog. Rows show source,
compatibility, trust (Verified, Unverified, or Mismatch), digest,
and installed/active state. Catalog installs fetch built package artifacts;
they do not clone creator repos.
Default install is Eikon only: runtime package, no activation, no editable
source. Choose Eikon + Source, or later Download Source, when the user
wants to edit it in Studio.
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, a git or
HTTP URL, or a local package directory. Private GitHub repos use normal git
authentication.
The local lifecycle is explicit:
herm eikon search [query] [--json]
herm eikon browse [query] [--json]
herm eikon inspect <name|url|dir> [--json]
herm eikon install <name|url|dir> [--name N] [--no-source] [--active-ok] [--json]
herm eikon list [--json]
herm eikon use <name> [--json]
herm eikon info <name> [--json]
herm eikon update <name> [--active-ok] [--json]
herm eikon remove <name> [--active-ok] [--json]
herm eikon delist <name|id> [--json]
install does not activate. If the installed name is currently active,
installing replaces the active avatar's backing package and requires
--active-ok. use activates. Updating or removing the active eikon also
requires --active-ok.
Creators share through normal GitHub repositories. For official registry
listing, use u in Studio or Library → Share to catalog after baking: Herm
runs registry preflight, asks for title/author/description/glyph, previews the
public bundle, then creates a GitHub PR through local gh auth or gives manual
PR instructions.
Use upstream eikon pack, eikon index, and eikon manifest for
direct-install repos. eikon publish is the lower-level GitHub PR contribution
helper for the configured/default catalog repo, not a hosted account, upload,
dashboard, or moderation flow.
Browser catalog surfaces such as eikon.liftaris.dev are discovery-only: they
preview catalog entries and give copyable herm eikon install … instructions.
Do not imply a browser click installs, activates, authenticates, or mutates Herm.
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 because 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.
- Don't say install activates. Install only writes the local package; Use
activates.
- Don't describe hosted marketplace accounts, upload tokens, dashboards, or
browser-native install flows for the v1 registry.
