…wns through chokepoint

Follow-up to #53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from #53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule #17 to the corrected invariant.

…wns through chokepoint (#53829)

Follow-up to #53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from #53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule #17 to the corrected invariant.

…53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (#53829)"

This reverts commit 2ecca1e.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (#53810)"

This reverts commit 5db1430.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (#53791)"

This reverts commit ef17cd2.

…ch#53853 revert

The first cut routed these probes through _subprocess_compat.run/popen (the
NousResearch#53810 chokepoint), but NousResearch#53853 reverted NousResearch#53791/NousResearch#53810/NousResearch#53829 — so those calls
would now AttributeError on main (the wrappers are gone; windows_hide_flags()
survived). Switch the two sites to pass creationflags=windows_hide_flags()
directly, the same surviving-helper approach NousResearch#53892 took post-revert.

Also drop the now-moot footgun changes: the console-spawn rule was reverted, so
adding tui_gateway to its --all roots no longer buys anything (and would only
surface unrelated, hasattr-guarded signal handlers in entry.py). Net change is
now just the two gateway probe sites + the test, which asserts the no-window
flag is passed.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <[email protected]>

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule #17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 920e599.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 20efdec.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit c1db2a5.

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit bc1c8f2.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 40591a4.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit c2eab69.

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 2ecca1e.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 5db1430.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit ef17cd2.

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 2ecca1e.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 5db1430.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit ef17cd2.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 2ecca1e.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 5db1430.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit ef17cd2.

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 710ac05.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 3db485a.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit 80b090d.

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 12aa1c3.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit ec5d0c1.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit d0ffccd.

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 2ecca1e.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 5db1430.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit ef17cd2.

…sResearch#53810)

* fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns

Native-Windows desktop/gateway users saw cmd/conhost windows flash on
gateway restart, image paste, the dashboard Projects tree, voice notes,
and ~5 min after closing the app (detached cron). Two root causes:

- Console-subsystem exes (taskkill, schtasks, wmic, netstat, tasklist,
  agent-browser, git, ffmpeg, powershell, git-bash) spawned via raw
  subprocess allocate a fresh console when the launching process has
  none (pythonw desktop backend / detached gateway) - even with output
  captured.
- uv venv pythonw shims re-exec console python.exe, so Python children
  get a console regardless of how they're launched.

Fixes:
- Single hidden-spawn primitive (_subprocess_compat.run/.popen) that ORs
  CREATE_NO_WINDOW on Windows, no-op on POSIX. Route every Hermes-owned
  console-exe spawn through it.
- FreeConsole() catch-all in hermes_bootstrap: any Python child that
  exclusively owns an auto-allocated console detaches it at startup
  (GetConsoleProcessList()==1 gate leaves shared interactive consoles
  untouched).
- Replace PowerShell/wmic gateway PID scans with in-process psutil.
- Skip schtasks queries on non-interactive desktop restarts.
- Prefer native agent-browser .exe over .cmd shims.
- Guard test bans raw subprocess spawns of the Windows-only console
  tools repo-wide so the popup class can't regress.

* fix(windows): scope FreeConsole to background entry points; fix merge fallout

Console detach review (per NousResearch#53810 feedback): GetConsoleProcessList()==1 can't
tell a uv pythonw->python phantom console apart from a user opening the
interactive CLI/TUI in its own fresh console (double-click, shortcut, ConPTY) —
both report a single attached process with a tty. Running FreeConsole() in the
import-time bootstrap therefore risked detaching a legitimately-interactive
terminal.

- Extract FreeConsole into explicit hermes_bootstrap.detach_orphan_console();
  remove it from apply_windows_utf8_bootstrap() (import side effect).
- Call it only from known background mains: gateway run, dashboard backend
  (start_server, what the desktop spawns), cron standalone, tui_gateway entry,
  slash worker. Interactive CLI/TUI never calls it.
- Behavior-contract tests: frees only when solo owner, leaves shared console,
  no-op without console / on POSIX, and asserts it's not an import side effect.

Merge fallout from origin/main (NousResearch#53791):
- local.py: 3-way merge left a dangling **_popen_kwargs (NameError crashing
  every terminal init). _subprocess_compat.popen already hides the window, so
  drop it.
- discord adapter: merge stacked an undefined windows_hide_flags() onto the
  primitive call; drop the redundant arg.
- test_gateway: scan now goes psutil-first (zero spawn); rewrite the
  case-variant test to drive that production path.

* test(claw): mock _subprocess_compat.run seam for Windows process scan

claw.py's Windows tasklist/powershell scan routes through the hidden-spawn
primitive; the tests still patched claw_mod.subprocess, so on win32 the mock
was never hit and real spawns returned nothing. Patch the actual seam.

…wns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)

Follow-up to NousResearch#53791 addressing review feedback: the footgun checker treated
capture_output=/stdout=/stderr=/check_output as proof a subprocess can't pop a
Windows console. That invariant is false — stream redirection controls where a
child's output goes, not whether a console is allocated. From a console-less
parent (Desktop/Electron, pythonw.exe, detached gateway/cron) a console-subsystem
child still flashes a window even when fully captured.

- check-windows-footguns.py: capture/redirect/check_output is no longer a blanket
  safe-pass. Added _WINDOWS_FLASHING_PROGRAMS (git/gh/npm/node/python/uv/ffmpeg/
  docker/powershell/…); calls to those are flagged even when captured. Non-flashing
  programs keep the capture exemption (no 271-site noise). _subprocess_compat.run/
  popen calls are inherently safe (wrapper injects CREATE_NO_WINDOW).
- Routed the 35 genuine flashing git/gh/npm/uv/ffmpeg/docker spawns through the
  _subprocess_compat.run/popen chokepoint (Brooklyn's wrapper from NousResearch#53810) — the
  durable fix, not per-site annotations. cmd.exe /c start stays # ok (intentional).
- Updated tests + CONTRIBUTING.md rule NousResearch#17 to the corrected invariant.

…Research#53810 NousResearch#53829 (NousResearch#53853)

* Revert "fix(windows): capture is not a no-window boundary; route flashing spawns through chokepoint (NousResearch#53829)"

This reverts commit 2ecca1e.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop terminal-window popups from background spawns (NousResearch#53810)"

This reverts commit 5db1430.

* Revert "fix(windows): stop subprocess console-window popups + add CI guard (NousResearch#53791)"

This reverts commit ef17cd2.