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Operator Guide

Hermit is local-first and operator-trust-oriented.

That means the operator should be able to inspect work, resolve approvals, export proof material, and recover supported actions without digging through opaque logs.

This guide focuses on the operator-facing task kernel commands that already exist.

List And Inspect Tasks

List recent tasks:

hermit task list

Inspect one task:

hermit task show <task_id>

This is the fastest way to see:

  • task metadata
  • pending or recent approvals
  • recent decisions
  • recent capability grants
  • recent workspace leases for the task

Inspect Task History

Show task events:

hermit task events <task_id>

This is useful when you want the durable sequence rather than the summarized case view.

Inspect Receipts And Proofs

Show receipts:

hermit task receipts --task-id <task_id>

Show proof summary:

hermit task proof <task_id>

Export a proof bundle:

hermit task proof-export <task_id>

Use these when the question is not "what did the model say?" but:

  • what changed
  • what evidence and authority were involved
  • whether the chain still verifies

Resolve Approvals

Approve once:

hermit task approve <approval_id>

Approve and persist directory allowance for the current conversation:

hermit task approve-always-directory <approval_id>

Deny:

hermit task deny <approval_id> --reason "not safe"

Resume a blocked task from approval:

hermit task resume <approval_id>

Work With Path Grants

List recent capability grants:

hermit task capability list

Approve a mutable workspace lease for the blocked attempt:

hermit task approve-mutable-workspace <approval_id>

Revoke a capability grant:

hermit task capability revoke <grant_id>

Roll Back Supported Receipts

If a receipt supports rollback:

hermit task rollback <receipt_id>

Treat this carefully:

  • rollback is consequential
  • rollback support is not universal
  • rollback itself becomes part of the durable task story

Rebuild Projections

Rebuild one task projection:

hermit task projections-rebuild <task_id>

Rebuild all cached task projections:

hermit task projections-rebuild --all

This is useful when you want the operator view to be rebuilt from durable records.

Memory Inspection

Hermit's operator surface also includes memory-governance inspection commands:

hermit memory inspect <memory_id>
hermit memory list --status active
hermit memory status
hermit memory rebuild

These are useful when debugging evidence-bound memory behavior rather than generic chat memory.

When something consequential happened and you want to understand it, a practical order is:

  1. hermit task show <task_id>
  2. hermit task proof <task_id>
  3. hermit task receipts --task-id <task_id>
  4. hermit task events <task_id>
  5. hermit task rollback <receipt_id> if recovery is supported and appropriate

Why The Operator Surface Matters

Hermit is not trying to hide the kernel behind a polished black box.

The operator surface is part of the thesis:

  • visibility
  • control
  • durable explanations
  • recoverability