fix(debug): redact log content at upload time in hermes debug share

Apply agent.redact.redact_sensitive_text with force=True to log content
captured by _capture_log_snapshot before it reaches upload_to_pastebin.
On-disk logs are untouched. Compatible with the off-by-default local
redaction policy from #16794: this is upload-time-only and applies
regardless of security.redact_secrets because the public paste service
is the leak surface. A visible banner is prepended to each uploaded log
paste so reviewers know redaction was applied. --no-redact preserves
deliberate unredacted sharing for maintainer-coordinated cases.

The bug-report, setup-help, and feature-request issue templates direct
users to run hermes debug share and paste the resulting public URLs.
With redaction off by default per #16794, those uploads have been
carrying credentials onto paste.rs and dpaste.com.

force=True is non-negotiable: without it, redact_sensitive_text
short-circuits at agent/redact.py:322 when the env var is unset, so the
fix would silently be a no-op for its target audience. A regression
test pins this down.

Fixes #19316

hermes_cli/debug.py

@@ -1,12 +1,19 @@
-"""``hermes debug`` — debug tools for Hermes Agent.
+"""``hermes debug`` debug tools for Hermes Agent.
 
 Currently supports:
     hermes debug share    Upload debug report (system info + logs) to a
                           paste service and print a shareable URL.
+                          By default, log content is run through
+                          ``agent.redact.redact_sensitive_text`` with
+                          ``force=True`` before upload so credentials in
+                          ``~/.hermes/logs/*.log`` are not leaked into
+                          the public paste service. Pass ``--no-redact``
+                          to disable.
 """
 
 import io
 import json
+import logging
 import sys
 import time
 import urllib.error
@@ -19,6 +26,16 @@ from typing import Optional
 from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
 from utils import atomic_replace
 
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+# Banner prepended to upload-bound log content when redaction is enabled.
+# Visible in the public paste so reviewers know the content was sanitized.
+# Kept short; the trailing newline guarantees the banner sits on its own line.
+_REDACTION_BANNER = (
+    "[hermes debug share: log content redacted at upload time. "
+    "run with --no-redact to disable]\n"
+)
+
 
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Paste services — try paste.rs first, dpaste.com as fallback.
@@ -368,17 +385,40 @@ def _resolve_log_path(log_name: str) -> Optional[Path]:
     return None
 
 
+def _redact_log_text(text: str) -> str:
+    """Run ``redact_sensitive_text`` with ``force=True`` over upload-bound text.
+
+    Uses ``force=True`` so redaction fires regardless of the operator's
+    ``security.redact_secrets`` setting. The local on-disk log file is
+    not modified; only the in-memory copy headed for the public paste
+    service is sanitized. Returns the redacted text (or the original
+    when empty / non-string).
+    """
+    if not text:
+        return text
+    from agent.redact import redact_sensitive_text
+
+    return redact_sensitive_text(text, force=True)
+
+
 def _capture_log_snapshot(
     log_name: str,
     *,
     tail_lines: int,
     max_bytes: int = _MAX_LOG_BYTES,
+    redact: bool = True,
 ) -> LogSnapshot:
     """Capture a log once and derive summary/full-log views from it.
 
     The report tail and standalone log upload must come from the same file
     snapshot. Otherwise a rotation/truncate between reads can make the report
     look newer than the uploaded ``agent.log`` paste.
+
+    When ``redact`` is True (the default), both ``tail_text`` and
+    ``full_text`` are run through ``_redact_log_text`` so the snapshot
+    returned is upload-safe. The on-disk log file is never modified.
+    Pass ``redact=False`` to capture original log content (used by
+    ``hermes debug share --no-redact``).
     """
     log_path = _resolve_log_path(log_name)
     if log_path is None:
@@ -438,18 +478,34 @@ def _capture_log_snapshot(
         if truncated:
             full_text = f"[... truncated — showing last ~{max_bytes // 1024}KB ...]\n{full_text}"
 
+        if redact:
+            tail_text = _redact_log_text(tail_text)
+            full_text = _redact_log_text(full_text)
+
         return LogSnapshot(path=log_path, tail_text=tail_text, full_text=full_text)
     except Exception as exc:
         return LogSnapshot(path=log_path, tail_text=f"(error reading: {exc})", full_text=None)
 
 
-def _capture_default_log_snapshots(log_lines: int) -> dict[str, LogSnapshot]:
+def _capture_default_log_snapshots(
-    """Capture all logs used by debug-share exactly once."""
+    log_lines: int, *, redact: bool = True
+) -> dict[str, LogSnapshot]:
+    """Capture all logs used by debug-share exactly once.
+
+    ``redact`` is forwarded to each ``_capture_log_snapshot`` call so all
+    captured logs share the same redaction policy for a given run.
+    """
     errors_lines = min(log_lines, 100)
     return {
-        "agent": _capture_log_snapshot("agent", tail_lines=log_lines),
+        "agent": _capture_log_snapshot(
-        "errors": _capture_log_snapshot("errors", tail_lines=errors_lines),
+            "agent", tail_lines=log_lines, redact=redact
-        "gateway": _capture_log_snapshot("gateway", tail_lines=errors_lines),
+        ),
+        "errors": _capture_log_snapshot(
+            "errors", tail_lines=errors_lines, redact=redact
+        ),
+        "gateway": _capture_log_snapshot(
+            "gateway", tail_lines=errors_lines, redact=redact
+        ),
     }
 
 
@@ -532,6 +588,7 @@ def run_debug_share(args):
     log_lines = getattr(args, "lines", 200)
     expiry = getattr(args, "expire", 7)
     local_only = getattr(args, "local", False)
+    redact = not getattr(args, "no_redact", False)
 
     if not local_only:
         print(_PRIVACY_NOTICE)
@@ -539,8 +596,16 @@ def run_debug_share(args):
     print("Collecting debug report...")
 
     # Capture dump once — prepended to every paste for context.
+    # The dump is already redacted at extract time via dump.py:_redact;
+    # log_snapshots are redacted by _capture_default_log_snapshots when
+    # redact=True so credentials never reach the public paste service.
     dump_text = _capture_dump()
-    log_snapshots = _capture_default_log_snapshots(log_lines)
+    log_snapshots = _capture_default_log_snapshots(log_lines, redact=redact)
+
+    if redact:
+        logger.info(
+            "hermes debug share: applied force-mode redaction to log snapshots before upload"
+        )
 
     report = collect_debug_report(
         log_lines=log_lines,
@@ -556,6 +621,15 @@ def run_debug_share(args):
     if gateway_log:
         gateway_log = dump_text + "\n\n--- full gateway.log ---\n" + gateway_log
 
+    # Visible banner so reviewers reading the public paste know redaction
+    # was applied at upload time. Banner is omitted under --no-redact.
+    if redact:
+        report = _REDACTION_BANNER + report
+        if agent_log:
+            agent_log = _REDACTION_BANNER + agent_log
+        if gateway_log:
+            gateway_log = _REDACTION_BANNER + gateway_log
+
     if local_only:
         print(report)
         if agent_log:
@@ -666,6 +740,7 @@ def run_debug(args):
         print("  --lines N    Number of log lines to include (default: 200)")
         print("  --expire N   Paste expiry in days (default: 7)")
         print("  --local      Print report locally instead of uploading")
+        print("  --no-redact  Disable upload-time secret redaction (default: redact)")
         print()
         print("Options (delete):")
         print("  <url> ...    One or more paste URLs to delete")

hermes_cli/main.py

@@ -8891,6 +8891,7 @@ Examples:
     hermes debug share --lines 500  Include more log lines
     hermes debug share --expire 30  Keep paste for 30 days
     hermes debug share --local      Print report locally (no upload)
+    hermes debug share --no-redact  Disable upload-time secret redaction
     hermes debug delete <url>       Delete a previously uploaded paste
 """,
     )
@@ -8916,6 +8917,16 @@ Examples:
         action="store_true",
         help="Print the report locally instead of uploading",
     )
+    share_parser.add_argument(
+        "--no-redact",
+        action="store_true",
+        help=(
+            "Disable upload-time secret redaction (default: redact). Logs "
+            "are normally run through agent.redact.redact_sensitive_text "
+            "with force=True before upload so credentials are not leaked "
+            "into the public paste service."
+        ),
+    )
     delete_parser = debug_sub.add_parser(
         "delete",
         help="Delete a paste uploaded by 'hermes debug share'",

scripts/release.py

@@ -679,6 +679,8 @@ AUTHOR_MAP = {
     "ztzheng@163.com": "chengoak",  # PR #17467
     "24110240104@m.fudan.edu.cn": "YuShu",  # co-author only
     "charliekerfoot@gmail.com": "CharlieKerfoot",  # PR #18951
+    # Debug share upload-time redaction (May 2026)
+    "dhuysamen@gmail.com": "GodsBoy",  # PR #19318
 }
 
 

tests/hermes_cli/test_debug.py

@@ -273,6 +273,101 @@ class TestCaptureLogSnapshot:
         assert "rotated agent data" in snap.full_text
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Capture log redaction (force=True applies regardless of HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS)
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+# A vendor-prefixed token used across redaction tests. Long enough to clear
+# the redactor's `floor` parameter so it actually masks rather than fully blanks.
+_REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN = "sk-proj-A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8I9J0aA"
+
+
+class TestCaptureLogSnapshotRedaction:
+    """Pin upload-time redaction at the _capture_log_snapshot boundary."""
+
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def hermes_home_with_secret(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """Isolated HERMES_HOME whose agent.log contains a vendor-prefixed token."""
+        home = tmp_path / ".hermes"
+        home.mkdir()
+        monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(home))
+        # Critical: ensure the user has NOT opted in to redaction. The whole
+        # point of this PR is that share-time redaction works for users who
+        # never set this env var.
+        monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS", raising=False)
+
+        logs_dir = home / "logs"
+        logs_dir.mkdir()
+        (logs_dir / "agent.log").write_text(
+            f"2026-04-12 17:00:00 INFO config: api_key={_REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN} loaded\n"
+        )
+        (logs_dir / "errors.log").write_text("")
+        (logs_dir / "gateway.log").write_text("")
+        return home
+
+    def test_default_redacts_tail_and_full_text(self, hermes_home_with_secret):
+        from hermes_cli.debug import _capture_log_snapshot
+
+        snap = _capture_log_snapshot("agent", tail_lines=10)
+
+        # Both views the upload uses must be sanitized.
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN not in snap.tail_text
+        assert snap.full_text is not None
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN not in snap.full_text
+
+    def test_redact_false_passes_through(self, hermes_home_with_secret):
+        from hermes_cli.debug import _capture_log_snapshot
+
+        snap = _capture_log_snapshot("agent", tail_lines=10, redact=False)
+
+        # Original token survives when the caller opts out.
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN in snap.tail_text
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN in (snap.full_text or "")
+
+    def test_force_true_overrides_unset_env_var(self, hermes_home_with_secret):
+        """Regression test: redact_sensitive_text short-circuits without force=True.
+
+        If a future refactor drops `force=True` from `_redact_log_text`, this
+        test fails immediately. Without `force=True`, the redactor returns the
+        input unchanged when HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS is unset, and the feature
+        ships silently broken for its target audience.
+        """
+        import os
+
+        from hermes_cli.debug import _capture_log_snapshot
+
+        # Belt-and-suspenders: confirm the env var is genuinely unset for this
+        # test so we know we're exercising the force=True path.
+        assert os.environ.get("HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS", "") == ""
+
+        snap = _capture_log_snapshot("agent", tail_lines=10)
+
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN not in snap.tail_text
+        assert snap.full_text is not None
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN not in snap.full_text
+
+    def test_capture_default_log_snapshots_threads_redact(
+        self, hermes_home_with_secret
+    ):
+        from hermes_cli.debug import _capture_default_log_snapshots
+
+        snaps = _capture_default_log_snapshots(50)
+
+        # Default threads redact=True to all three captured logs.
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN not in snaps["agent"].tail_text
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN not in (snaps["agent"].full_text or "")
+
+    def test_capture_default_log_snapshots_no_redact_passes_through(
+        self, hermes_home_with_secret
+    ):
+        from hermes_cli.debug import _capture_default_log_snapshots
+
+        snaps = _capture_default_log_snapshots(50, redact=False)
+
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN in snaps["agent"].tail_text
+        assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN in (snaps["agent"].full_text or "")
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Debug report collection
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -556,6 +651,124 @@ class TestRunDebugShare:
         assert "all failed" in out.err
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Share-time redaction wiring + visible banner
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+class TestRunDebugShareRedaction:
+    """End-to-end: --no-redact flag, banner injection, default behavior."""
+
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def hermes_home_with_secret(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """Isolated HERMES_HOME whose agent.log contains a vendor-prefixed token."""
+        home = tmp_path / ".hermes"
+        home.mkdir()
+        monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(home))
+        monkeypatch.delenv("HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS", raising=False)
+
+        logs_dir = home / "logs"
+        logs_dir.mkdir()
+        (logs_dir / "agent.log").write_text(
+            f"2026-04-12 17:00:00 INFO config: api_key={_REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN} loaded\n"
+        )
+        (logs_dir / "errors.log").write_text("")
+        (logs_dir / "gateway.log").write_text(
+            f"2026-04-12 17:00:01 INFO gateway.run: token {_REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN}\n"
+        )
+        return home
+
+    def test_default_share_redacts_uploaded_content(
+        self, hermes_home_with_secret, capsys
+    ):
+        """The uploaded report and full-log pastes do not contain the raw token."""
+        from hermes_cli.debug import run_debug_share
+
+        args = MagicMock()
+        args.lines = 50
+        args.expire = 7
+        args.local = False
+        args.no_redact = False
+
+        captured: list[str] = []
+
+        def fake_upload(content, expiry_days=7):
+            captured.append(content)
+            return f"https://paste.rs/{len(captured)}"
+
+        with patch("hermes_cli.dump.run_dump"), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.debug._sweep_expired_pastes", return_value=(0, 0)), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.debug.upload_to_pastebin", side_effect=fake_upload):
+            run_debug_share(args)
+
+        # At least the report plus one full log paste reached the upload path.
+        assert len(captured) >= 2
+        for content in captured:
+            assert _REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN not in content, (
+                "raw token leaked into upload-bound content"
+            )
+
+    def test_default_share_includes_redaction_banner(
+        self, hermes_home_with_secret, capsys
+    ):
+        """Each upload-bound paste carries the visible redaction banner."""
+        from hermes_cli.debug import run_debug_share
+
+        args = MagicMock()
+        args.lines = 50
+        args.expire = 7
+        args.local = False
+        args.no_redact = False
+
+        captured: list[str] = []
+
+        def fake_upload(content, expiry_days=7):
+            captured.append(content)
+            return f"https://paste.rs/{len(captured)}"
+
+        with patch("hermes_cli.dump.run_dump"), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.debug._sweep_expired_pastes", return_value=(0, 0)), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.debug.upload_to_pastebin", side_effect=fake_upload):
+            run_debug_share(args)
+
+        for content in captured:
+            assert "redacted at upload time" in content, (
+                "redaction banner missing from upload-bound content"
+            )
+
+    def test_no_redact_flag_disables_redaction_and_banner(
+        self, hermes_home_with_secret, capsys
+    ):
+        """--no-redact preserves original log content and omits the banner."""
+        from hermes_cli.debug import run_debug_share
+
+        args = MagicMock()
+        args.lines = 50
+        args.expire = 7
+        args.local = False
+        args.no_redact = True
+
+        captured: list[str] = []
+
+        def fake_upload(content, expiry_days=7):
+            captured.append(content)
+            return f"https://paste.rs/{len(captured)}"
+
+        with patch("hermes_cli.dump.run_dump"), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.debug._sweep_expired_pastes", return_value=(0, 0)), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.debug.upload_to_pastebin", side_effect=fake_upload):
+            run_debug_share(args)
+
+        # The agent.log paste should now contain the raw token.
+        assert any(_REDACT_FIXTURE_TOKEN in c for c in captured), (
+            "expected raw token in --no-redact upload"
+        )
+        # No banner anywhere when redaction is disabled.
+        for content in captured:
+            assert "redacted at upload time" not in content, (
+                "banner present with --no-redact"
+            )
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # run_debug router
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------