feat(web): add iFlow Search as native Web Search & Extract provider

[zhengyanglsun]

What does this PR do?

Adds iFlow Search as a bundled native Web Search & Extract provider (iflow), following the plugin architecture from #25182. Users select iFlow from the Web Search & Extract provider picker and configure IFLOW_API_KEY (BYOK). Maps WebSearchProvider.search() → POST /api/search/webSearch and extract() → POST /api/search/webFetch against https://platform.iflow.cn (override via IFLOW_BASE_URL).

Intentionally separate from the existing MCP-based iFlow docs route (#29632).

Related Issue

Fixes #42646

Type of Change

• ✨ New feature (non-breaking change that adds functionality)

Changes Made

• plugins/web/iflow/{plugin.yaml,__init__.py,provider.py} — IFlowWebSearchProvider (search + extract), BYOK
• tools/web_tools.py — register iflow in backend sets, auto-detect, availability checks
• hermes_cli/config.py — IFLOW_API_KEY, IFLOW_BASE_URL in OPTIONAL_ENV_VARS; status display
• agent/web_search_registry.py — legacy fallback preference order
• tests/tools/test_web_providers_iflow.py — dedicated provider tests (mocked httpx, no network)
• tests/plugins/web/test_web_search_provider_plugins.py — bundled provider set includes iflow
• website/docs/reference/environment-variables.md + zh-Hans i18n — document IFLOW_API_KEY / IFLOW_BASE_URL

How to Test

1. Provider plugin discovery + behavior (no network):
   uv run --extra dev pytest tests/tools/test_web_providers_iflow.py tests/plugins/web/test_web_search_provider_plugins.py -m "not integration"
   → 74 passed, 2 deselected
2. Lint:
   uv run --extra dev ruff check plugins/web/iflow tests/tools/test_web_providers_iflow.py hermes_cli/config.py
   → All checks passed
3. Live BYOK smoke (requires IFLOW_API_KEY, outside pytest hermetic env):
   • webSearch("Hermes Agent", limit=1) → success
   • webFetch(["https://example.com"]) → success
   • Direct POST https://platform.iflow.cn/api/search/webSearch → HTTP 200

Note: pytest -m integration skips by design because root conftest.py strips credential env vars.

Checklist

Code

• I've read the Contributing Guide
• My commit messages follow Conventional Commits
• I searched for existing PRs / issues to avoid duplicates
• My PR contains only changes related to this feature
• Scoped provider tests pass (74 passed); full pytest tests/ -q pending upstream CI after workflow approval
• I've added tests for my changes
• I've tested on my platform: macOS / Python 3.12

Documentation & Housekeeping

• I've updated relevant documentation (environment-variables.md, en + zh-Hans)
• cli-config.yaml.example — N/A (only new web.backend value iflow)
• CONTRIBUTING.md / AGENTS.md — N/A
• Cross-platform impact considered — pure-Python httpx provider
• Tool descriptions/schemas — N/A (reuses existing web_search/web_extract schemas)

Closes #42646

[zhengyanglsun]

CI workflows on this fork PR are currently awaiting maintainer approval (action_required on all 11 checks). When you have a moment, could you approve workflow runs so upstream CI can execute?

Local validation so far:

• uv run --extra dev pytest tests/tools/test_web_providers_iflow.py tests/plugins/web/test_web_search_provider_plugins.py -m "not integration" → 74 passed, 2 deselected
• uv run --extra dev ruff check plugins/web/iflow tests/tools/test_web_providers_iflow.py hermes_cli/config.py → all passed
• BYOK smoke with IFLOW_API_KEY: webSearch + webFetch succeeded against platform.iflow.cn

Recent housekeeping commits also:

• profile-aware missing-key guidance (display_hermes_home())
• IFLOW_API_KEY / IFLOW_BASE_URL documented in environment-variables.md (en + zh-Hans)
• AUTHOR_MAP entry for contributor attribution check

Happy to address any review feedback. Thanks!

cc @teknium1 @kshitijk4poor

[teknium1]

Thanks for the focused implementation and the BYOK validation documented in the PR. This is an automated hermes-sweeper review.

• The change adds iFlow Search as a bundled vendor integration under plugins/web/iflow.
• Hermes' standing policy is that new third-party product integrations do not land in the core tree, regardless of implementation quality, because ongoing compatibility maintenance belongs with the integration owner.
• The linked issue Feature request: add iFlow Search as a native Web Search & Extract provider #42646 was already closed under this same policy. The existing web-provider interface supports a standalone iFlow plugin installed under ~/.hermes/plugins/ or distributed through a pip entry point, using ctx.register_web_search_provider(...).

Please publish iFlow Search as a standalone plugin repository; it can be promoted in #plugins-skills-and-skins.

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Closed as not planned per standing maintainer policy (in-tree-provider-integration). This is a design-direction decision, not a code-quality judgment.

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Closed as not-planned per standing maintainer policy (in-tree-provider-integration). This is a design-direction decision, not a code-quality judgment — see the Contribution Rubric in AGENTS.md for what the project is looking for. If you believe this policy was misapplied to your change, comment here and a maintainer will take a look.