feat(terminal): collapse subagent task_ids to shared container - #16177
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Before: delegate_task children each allocated their own terminal
sandbox keyed by child task_id. Starting extra containers (or Modal
sandboxes / Daytona workspaces) is expensive, and the subagent's work
is invisible to the parent — files written by the child in its
container don't exist in the parent's when the subagent returns.
After: a single `_resolve_container_task_id` helper maps any
tool-call task_id to "default" UNLESS an env override is registered
for it. The parent agent and all delegate_task children therefore
share one long-lived sandbox — installed packages, cwd, /workspace
files, and /tmp scratch carry over freely between them.
RL and benchmark environments (TerminalBench2, HermesSweEnv, ...)
opt in to isolation via `register_task_env_overrides(task_id, {...})`;
those task_ids survive the collapse and get their own sandbox,
preserving the per-task Docker image behavior these benchmarks rely on.
file_state / active-subagents registry / TUI events still key off the
original child task_id, so the 'subagent wrote a file the parent read'
warning and UI per-subagent panels keep working.
Tradeoff: parallel delegate_task children (tasks=[...]) now share one
bash/container. Concurrent cd, env-var mutations, and writes to the
same path will collide. If that bites a specific workflow, the
subagent can opt back into isolation via register_task_env_overrides.
Applied at four lookup sites:
- tools/terminal_tool.py terminal_tool() and get_active_env()
- tools/file_tools.py _get_file_ops() and _get_live_tracking_cwd()
- tools/code_execution_tool.py _get_or_create_environment()
Docs: website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md updated to reflect the
shared-container reality and document the RL/benchmark carve-out.
Tests: tests/tools/test_shared_container_task_id.py (9 cases).
alt-glitch
added
type/feature
3 tasks
donald131
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May 2, 2026
…esearch#16177) Before: delegate_task children each allocated their own terminal sandbox keyed by child task_id. Starting extra containers (or Modal sandboxes / Daytona workspaces) is expensive, and the subagent's work is invisible to the parent — files written by the child in its container don't exist in the parent's when the subagent returns. After: a single `_resolve_container_task_id` helper maps any tool-call task_id to "default" UNLESS an env override is registered for it. The parent agent and all delegate_task children therefore share one long-lived sandbox — installed packages, cwd, /workspace files, and /tmp scratch carry over freely between them. RL and benchmark environments (TerminalBench2, HermesSweEnv, ...) opt in to isolation via `register_task_env_overrides(task_id, {...})`; those task_ids survive the collapse and get their own sandbox, preserving the per-task Docker image behavior these benchmarks rely on. file_state / active-subagents registry / TUI events still key off the original child task_id, so the 'subagent wrote a file the parent read' warning and UI per-subagent panels keep working. Tradeoff: parallel delegate_task children (tasks=[...]) now share one bash/container. Concurrent cd, env-var mutations, and writes to the same path will collide. If that bites a specific workflow, the subagent can opt back into isolation via register_task_env_overrides. Applied at four lookup sites: - tools/terminal_tool.py terminal_tool() and get_active_env() - tools/file_tools.py _get_file_ops() and _get_live_tracking_cwd() - tools/code_execution_tool.py _get_or_create_environment() Docs: website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md updated to reflect the shared-container reality and document the RL/benchmark carve-out. Tests: tests/tools/test_shared_container_task_id.py (9 cases).
02356abc
pushed a commit
to 02356abc/hermes-agent
that referenced
this pull request
May 14, 2026
…esearch#16177) Before: delegate_task children each allocated their own terminal sandbox keyed by child task_id. Starting extra containers (or Modal sandboxes / Daytona workspaces) is expensive, and the subagent's work is invisible to the parent — files written by the child in its container don't exist in the parent's when the subagent returns. After: a single `_resolve_container_task_id` helper maps any tool-call task_id to "default" UNLESS an env override is registered for it. The parent agent and all delegate_task children therefore share one long-lived sandbox — installed packages, cwd, /workspace files, and /tmp scratch carry over freely between them. RL and benchmark environments (TerminalBench2, HermesSweEnv, ...) opt in to isolation via `register_task_env_overrides(task_id, {...})`; those task_ids survive the collapse and get their own sandbox, preserving the per-task Docker image behavior these benchmarks rely on. file_state / active-subagents registry / TUI events still key off the original child task_id, so the 'subagent wrote a file the parent read' warning and UI per-subagent panels keep working. Tradeoff: parallel delegate_task children (tasks=[...]) now share one bash/container. Concurrent cd, env-var mutations, and writes to the same path will collide. If that bites a specific workflow, the subagent can opt back into isolation via register_task_env_overrides. Applied at four lookup sites: - tools/terminal_tool.py terminal_tool() and get_active_env() - tools/file_tools.py _get_file_ops() and _get_live_tracking_cwd() - tools/code_execution_tool.py _get_or_create_environment() Docs: website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md updated to reflect the shared-container reality and document the RL/benchmark carve-out. Tests: tests/tools/test_shared_container_task_id.py (9 cases).
dannyJ848
pushed a commit
to dannyJ848/hermes-agent
that referenced
this pull request
May 17, 2026
…esearch#16177) Before: delegate_task children each allocated their own terminal sandbox keyed by child task_id. Starting extra containers (or Modal sandboxes / Daytona workspaces) is expensive, and the subagent's work is invisible to the parent — files written by the child in its container don't exist in the parent's when the subagent returns. After: a single `_resolve_container_task_id` helper maps any tool-call task_id to "default" UNLESS an env override is registered for it. The parent agent and all delegate_task children therefore share one long-lived sandbox — installed packages, cwd, /workspace files, and /tmp scratch carry over freely between them. RL and benchmark environments (TerminalBench2, HermesSweEnv, ...) opt in to isolation via `register_task_env_overrides(task_id, {...})`; those task_ids survive the collapse and get their own sandbox, preserving the per-task Docker image behavior these benchmarks rely on. file_state / active-subagents registry / TUI events still key off the original child task_id, so the 'subagent wrote a file the parent read' warning and UI per-subagent panels keep working. Tradeoff: parallel delegate_task children (tasks=[...]) now share one bash/container. Concurrent cd, env-var mutations, and writes to the same path will collide. If that bites a specific workflow, the subagent can opt back into isolation via register_task_env_overrides. Applied at four lookup sites: - tools/terminal_tool.py terminal_tool() and get_active_env() - tools/file_tools.py _get_file_ops() and _get_live_tracking_cwd() - tools/code_execution_tool.py _get_or_create_environment() Docs: website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md updated to reflect the shared-container reality and document the RL/benchmark carve-out. Tests: tests/tools/test_shared_container_task_id.py (9 cases).
gweeteve
pushed a commit
to gweeteve/hermes-agent
that referenced
this pull request
Jun 2, 2026
…esearch#16177) Before: delegate_task children each allocated their own terminal sandbox keyed by child task_id. Starting extra containers (or Modal sandboxes / Daytona workspaces) is expensive, and the subagent's work is invisible to the parent — files written by the child in its container don't exist in the parent's when the subagent returns. After: a single `_resolve_container_task_id` helper maps any tool-call task_id to "default" UNLESS an env override is registered for it. The parent agent and all delegate_task children therefore share one long-lived sandbox — installed packages, cwd, /workspace files, and /tmp scratch carry over freely between them. RL and benchmark environments (TerminalBench2, HermesSweEnv, ...) opt in to isolation via `register_task_env_overrides(task_id, {...})`; those task_ids survive the collapse and get their own sandbox, preserving the per-task Docker image behavior these benchmarks rely on. file_state / active-subagents registry / TUI events still key off the original child task_id, so the 'subagent wrote a file the parent read' warning and UI per-subagent panels keep working. Tradeoff: parallel delegate_task children (tasks=[...]) now share one bash/container. Concurrent cd, env-var mutations, and writes to the same path will collide. If that bites a specific workflow, the subagent can opt back into isolation via register_task_env_overrides. Applied at four lookup sites: - tools/terminal_tool.py terminal_tool() and get_active_env() - tools/file_tools.py _get_file_ops() and _get_live_tracking_cwd() - tools/code_execution_tool.py _get_or_create_environment() Docs: website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md updated to reflect the shared-container reality and document the RL/benchmark carve-out. Tests: tests/tools/test_shared_container_task_id.py (9 cases).
waefrebeorn
pushed a commit
to waefrebeorn/slermes
that referenced
this pull request
Jul 2, 2026
…esearch#16177) Before: delegate_task children each allocated their own terminal sandbox keyed by child task_id. Starting extra containers (or Modal sandboxes / Daytona workspaces) is expensive, and the subagent's work is invisible to the parent — files written by the child in its container don't exist in the parent's when the subagent returns. After: a single `_resolve_container_task_id` helper maps any tool-call task_id to "default" UNLESS an env override is registered for it. The parent agent and all delegate_task children therefore share one long-lived sandbox — installed packages, cwd, /workspace files, and /tmp scratch carry over freely between them. RL and benchmark environments (TerminalBench2, HermesSweEnv, ...) opt in to isolation via `register_task_env_overrides(task_id, {...})`; those task_ids survive the collapse and get their own sandbox, preserving the per-task Docker image behavior these benchmarks rely on. file_state / active-subagents registry / TUI events still key off the original child task_id, so the 'subagent wrote a file the parent read' warning and UI per-subagent panels keep working. Tradeoff: parallel delegate_task children (tasks=[...]) now share one bash/container. Concurrent cd, env-var mutations, and writes to the same path will collide. If that bites a specific workflow, the subagent can opt back into isolation via register_task_env_overrides. Applied at four lookup sites: - tools/terminal_tool.py terminal_tool() and get_active_env() - tools/file_tools.py _get_file_ops() and _get_live_tracking_cwd() - tools/code_execution_tool.py _get_or_create_environment() Docs: website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md updated to reflect the shared-container reality and document the RL/benchmark carve-out. Tests: tests/tools/test_shared_container_task_id.py (9 cases).
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Summary
The top-level agent and all
delegate_tasksubagents now share one long-lived terminal sandbox. RL/benchmark rollouts keep their per-task isolation via the existingregister_task_env_overridesopt-in.Before: each delegate_task child spun up its own Docker container / Modal sandbox / Daytona workspace keyed by the child task_id. Expensive, and files/packages written by the child were invisible to the parent when the subagent returned.
After: a single
_resolve_container_task_idhelper intools/terminal_tool.pycollapses any tool-call task_id to"default"unless an env override is registered for that task_id. All four call sites (terminal_tool.terminal_tool+get_active_env, file_tools._get_file_ops+_get_live_tracking_cwd, code_execution_tool._get_or_create_environment) go through it.Changes
tools/terminal_tool.py— add_resolve_container_task_id(); routeterminal_tool()andget_active_env()through ittools/file_tools.py— route_get_file_ops()and_get_live_tracking_cwd()through ittools/code_execution_tool.py— route_get_or_create_environment()through ittests/tools/test_shared_container_task_id.py— 9 new regression tests covering None/empty/literal-default, subagent IDs, arbitrary session IDs, RL override honoured, cleared override re-collapses,get_active_envreads shared container from subagent ID,get_active_envhonours RL overridewebsite/docs/user-guide/configuration.md— rewrite Container-lifecycle paragraph to matchDesign notes
file_state/ active-subagents registry / TUI events still key off the original child task_id, so "subagent wrote a file the parent read" warnings and per-subagent UI panels keep working — only the container/sandbox lookup is collapsed.delegate_task(tasks=[...])children now share one bash / one/tmp. Concurrentcd, env-var mutations, and same-path writes will collide. Documented explicitly. Escape hatch:register_task_env_overrides(task_id, {...}).Validation
E2E against real Docker with
nikolaik/python-nodejsimage:/tmp/markthen subagent (task_id="subagent-1-abc") reads ithostnamecalls return the same IDregister_task_env_overrides_active_environmentsafter 5 mixed calls[default, subagent-1-abc, subagent-2-xyz, rl-task-42][default, rl-task-42]docker psrunning containersUnit tests: 9/9 new regression tests pass; 3796/3796 in
tests/tools/pass (no regressions).Depends on concept introduced by merged PR #16158 (container lifecycle doc).