fix(cli): prefer launch cwd for local sessions

cli.py

@@ -459,26 +459,27 @@ def load_cli_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
     if "backend" in terminal_config:
         terminal_config["env_type"] = terminal_config["backend"]
 
-    # Handle special cwd values: "." or "auto" means use current working directory.
-    # Only resolve to the host's CWD for the local backend where the host
-    # filesystem is directly accessible.  For ALL remote/container backends
-    # (ssh, docker, modal, singularity), the host path doesn't exist on the
-    # target -- remove the key so terminal_tool.py uses its per-backend default.
+    # Interactive CLI/TUI sessions use the directory the user launched from.
+    # terminal.cwd is still consumed by gateway/daemon startup, where there is
+    # no meaningful shell cwd and a configured anchor is required.
     #
-    # GUARD: If TERMINAL_CWD is already set to a real absolute path (by the
-    # gateway's config bridge earlier in the process), don't clobber it.
-    # This prevents a lazy import of cli.py during gateway runtime from
-    # rewriting TERMINAL_CWD to the service's working directory.
-    # See issue #10817.
+    # For gateway runtime, preserve the historical placeholder handling:
+    # if TERMINAL_CWD was already resolved by gateway/run.py, a lazy import of
+    # cli.py must not rewrite it to the service process cwd. See issue #10817.
     _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS = (".", "auto", "cwd")
-    if terminal_config.get("cwd") in _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS:
+    _gateway_runtime = os.environ.get("HERMES_GATEWAY_PROCESS") == "1"
+    effective_backend = terminal_config.get("env_type", "local")
+    _force_interactive_cwd = not _gateway_runtime and effective_backend == "local"
+    if _force_interactive_cwd:
+        terminal_config["cwd"] = os.getcwd()
+        defaults["terminal"]["cwd"] = terminal_config["cwd"]
+    elif terminal_config.get("cwd") in _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS:
         _existing_cwd = os.environ.get("TERMINAL_CWD", "")
         if _existing_cwd and _existing_cwd not in _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS and os.path.isabs(_existing_cwd):
             # Gateway (or earlier startup) already resolved a real path — keep it
             terminal_config["cwd"] = _existing_cwd
             defaults["terminal"]["cwd"] = _existing_cwd
         else:
-            effective_backend = terminal_config.get("env_type", "local")
             if effective_backend == "local":
                 terminal_config["cwd"] = os.getcwd()
                 defaults["terminal"]["cwd"] = terminal_config["cwd"]
@@ -524,7 +525,11 @@ def load_cli_config() -> Dict[str, Any]:
     # were already set by .env -- the user's .env is the fallback source.
     for config_key, env_var in env_mappings.items():
         if config_key in terminal_config:
-            if _file_has_terminal_config or env_var not in os.environ:
+            if (
+                (config_key == "cwd" and _force_interactive_cwd)
+                or _file_has_terminal_config
+                or env_var not in os.environ
+            ):
                 val = terminal_config[config_key]
                 if isinstance(val, list):
                     os.environ[env_var] = json.dumps(val)

gateway/run.py

@@ -300,6 +300,11 @@ def _home_target_env_var(platform_name: str) -> str:
 _env_path = _hermes_home / '.env'
 load_hermes_dotenv(hermes_home=_hermes_home, project_env=Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1] / '.env')
 
+# Marks this process for modules that are shared with interactive CLI/TUI
+# startup. In particular, cli.load_cli_config() must preserve the gateway's
+# configured TERMINAL_CWD during lazy imports.
+os.environ["HERMES_GATEWAY_PROCESS"] = "1"
+
 
 _DOCKER_VOLUME_SPEC_RE = re.compile(r"^(?P<host>.+):(?P<container>/[^:]+?)(?::(?P<options>[^:]+))?$")
 _DOCKER_MEDIA_OUTPUT_CONTAINER_PATHS = {"/output", "/outputs"}

tests/cli/test_cwd_env_respect.py

@@ -1,35 +1,47 @@
-"""Tests that load_cli_config() guards against lazy-import TERMINAL_CWD clobbering.
+"""Tests for load_cli_config() cwd resolution.
 
 When the gateway resolves TERMINAL_CWD at startup and cli.py is later
 imported lazily (via delegate_tool → CLI_CONFIG), load_cli_config() must
 not overwrite the already-resolved value with os.getcwd().
 
-config.yaml terminal.cwd is the canonical source of truth.
+Interactive CLI/TUI startup should use the shell launch directory for local
+terminal sessions, even if config.yaml or .env has a stale terminal cwd.
+
+Gateway config.yaml terminal.cwd remains the canonical source of truth.
 .env TERMINAL_CWD and MESSAGING_CWD are deprecated.
 See issue #10817.
 """
 
 import os
-import pytest
 
 
 # The sentinel values that mean "resolve at runtime"
 _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS = (".", "auto", "cwd")
 
 
-def _resolve_terminal_cwd(terminal_config: dict, defaults: dict, env: dict):
+def _resolve_terminal_cwd(
+    terminal_config: dict,
+    defaults: dict,
+    env: dict,
+    *,
+    gateway_runtime: bool = False,
+):
     """Simulate the CWD resolution logic from load_cli_config().
 
-    This mirrors the code in cli.py that checks for a pre-resolved
-    TERMINAL_CWD before falling back to os.getcwd().
+    This mirrors the code in cli.py that forces interactive local sessions
+    to os.getcwd(), while preserving pre-resolved gateway TERMINAL_CWD.
     """
-    if terminal_config.get("cwd") in _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS:
+    effective_backend = terminal_config.get("env_type", "local")
+    force_interactive_cwd = not gateway_runtime and effective_backend == "local"
+    if force_interactive_cwd:
+        terminal_config["cwd"] = "/fake/getcwd"  # stand-in for os.getcwd()
+        defaults["terminal"]["cwd"] = terminal_config["cwd"]
+    elif terminal_config.get("cwd") in _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS:
         _existing_cwd = env.get("TERMINAL_CWD", "")
         if _existing_cwd and _existing_cwd not in _CWD_PLACEHOLDERS and os.path.isabs(_existing_cwd):
             terminal_config["cwd"] = _existing_cwd
             defaults["terminal"]["cwd"] = _existing_cwd
         else:
-            effective_backend = terminal_config.get("env_type", "local")
             if effective_backend == "local":
                 terminal_config["cwd"] = "/fake/getcwd"  # stand-in for os.getcwd()
                 defaults["terminal"]["cwd"] = terminal_config["cwd"]
@@ -39,7 +51,7 @@ def _resolve_terminal_cwd(terminal_config: dict, defaults: dict, env: dict):
     # Simulate the bridging loop: write terminal_config["cwd"] to env
     _file_has_terminal = defaults.get("_file_has_terminal", False)
     if "cwd" in terminal_config:
-        if _file_has_terminal or "TERMINAL_CWD" not in env:
+        if force_interactive_cwd or _file_has_terminal or "TERMINAL_CWD" not in env:
             env["TERMINAL_CWD"] = str(terminal_config["cwd"])
 
     return env.get("TERMINAL_CWD", "")
@@ -54,7 +66,9 @@ def test_gateway_resolved_cwd_survives(self):
         terminal_config = {"cwd": ".", "env_type": "local"}
         defaults = {"terminal": {"cwd": "."}, "_file_has_terminal": False}
 
-        result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(terminal_config, defaults, env)
+        result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(
+            terminal_config, defaults, env, gateway_runtime=True
+        )
         assert result == "/home/user/workspace"
 
     def test_gateway_resolved_cwd_survives_with_file_terminal(self):
@@ -63,21 +77,32 @@ def test_gateway_resolved_cwd_survives_with_file_terminal(self):
         terminal_config = {"cwd": ".", "env_type": "local"}
         defaults = {"terminal": {"cwd": "."}, "_file_has_terminal": True}
 
-        result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(terminal_config, defaults, env)
+        result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(
+            terminal_config, defaults, env, gateway_runtime=True
+        )
         assert result == "/home/user/workspace"
 
 
-class TestConfigCwdResolution:
-    """config.yaml terminal.cwd is the canonical source of truth."""
+class TestInteractiveCwdResolution:
+    """Interactive CLI/TUI local sessions use the launch cwd."""
 
-    def test_explicit_config_cwd_wins(self):
-        """terminal.cwd: /explicit/path always wins."""
-        env = {"TERMINAL_CWD": "/old/gateway/value"}
-        terminal_config = {"cwd": "/explicit/path"}
+    def test_explicit_config_cwd_does_not_pin_interactive_cli(self):
+        """terminal.cwd must not override the shell cwd for local CLI/TUI."""
+        env = {}
+        terminal_config = {"cwd": "/explicit/path", "env_type": "local"}
         defaults = {"terminal": {"cwd": "/explicit/path"}, "_file_has_terminal": True}
 
         result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(terminal_config, defaults, env)
-        assert result == "/explicit/path"
+        assert result == "/fake/getcwd"
+
+    def test_env_terminal_cwd_does_not_pin_interactive_cli(self):
+        """A stale .env TERMINAL_CWD must not override local launch cwd."""
+        env = {"TERMINAL_CWD": "/old/gateway/value"}
+        terminal_config = {"cwd": ".", "env_type": "local"}
+        defaults = {"terminal": {"cwd": "."}, "_file_has_terminal": False}
+
+        result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(terminal_config, defaults, env)
+        assert result == "/fake/getcwd"
 
     def test_dot_cwd_resolves_to_getcwd_when_no_prior(self):
         """With no pre-set TERMINAL_CWD, "." resolves to os.getcwd()."""
@@ -88,6 +113,21 @@ def test_dot_cwd_resolves_to_getcwd_when_no_prior(self):
         result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(terminal_config, defaults, env)
         assert result == "/fake/getcwd"
 
+
+class TestGatewayConfigCwdResolution:
+    """Gateway config.yaml terminal.cwd is the canonical source of truth."""
+
+    def test_explicit_config_cwd_wins_for_gateway_runtime(self):
+        """terminal.cwd: /explicit/path still anchors gateway sessions."""
+        env = {"TERMINAL_CWD": "/old/gateway/value"}
+        terminal_config = {"cwd": "/explicit/path"}
+        defaults = {"terminal": {"cwd": "/explicit/path"}, "_file_has_terminal": True}
+
+        result = _resolve_terminal_cwd(
+            terminal_config, defaults, env, gateway_runtime=True
+        )
+        assert result == "/explicit/path"
+
     def test_remote_backend_pops_cwd(self):
         """Remote backend + placeholder cwd → popped for backend default."""
         env = {}