fix: preserve prioritized Telegram menu commands

hermes_cli/commands.py

@@ -768,7 +768,7 @@ def _clamp_command_names(
 
 def _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
     platform: str,
-    max_slots: int,
+    max_slots: int | None,
     reserved_names: set[str],
     desc_limit: int = 100,
     sanitize_name: "Callable[[str], str] | None" = None,
@@ -787,7 +787,8 @@ def _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
         platform: Platform identifier for per-platform skill filtering
             (``"telegram"``, ``"discord"``, etc.).
         max_slots: Maximum number of entries to return (remaining slots after
-            built-in/core commands).
+            built-in/core commands). Pass ``None`` to collect every eligible
+            plugin/skill candidate and apply the platform cap later.
         reserved_names: Names already taken by built-in commands.  Mutated
             in-place as new names are added.
         desc_limit: Max description length (40 for Telegram, 100 for Discord).
@@ -878,12 +879,20 @@ def _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
     # any clamp-induced renames.
     skill_triples = _clamp_command_names(skill_triples, reserved_names)
 
-    # Skills fill remaining slots — only tier that gets trimmed
-    remaining = max(0, max_slots - len(all_entries))
-    hidden_count = max(0, len(skill_triples) - remaining)
+    # Skills fill remaining slots — only tier that gets trimmed at this layer.
+    # Telegram uses max_slots=None so it can promote configured priority skills
+    # before applying the Bot API cap in telegram_menu_commands().
+    if max_slots is None:
+        remaining = len(skill_triples)
+        hidden_count = 0
+    else:
+        remaining = max(0, max_slots - len(all_entries))
+        hidden_count = max(0, len(skill_triples) - remaining)
     for n, d, k in skill_triples[:remaining]:
         all_entries.append((n, d, k))
 
+    if max_slots is None:
+        return all_entries, hidden_count
     return all_entries[:max_slots], hidden_count
 
 
@@ -911,19 +920,19 @@ def telegram_menu_commands(max_commands: int = 100) -> tuple[list[tuple[str, str
     core_commands = _prioritize_telegram_menu_commands(list(telegram_bot_commands()))
     reserved_names = {n for n, _ in core_commands}
     all_commands = list(core_commands)
-    hidden_core_count = max(0, len(all_commands) - max_commands)
 
-    remaining_slots = max(0, max_commands - len(all_commands))
-    entries, hidden_count = _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
+    entries, _hidden_at_collection = _collect_gateway_skill_entries(
         platform="telegram",
-        max_slots=remaining_slots,
+        max_slots=None,
         reserved_names=reserved_names,
         desc_limit=40,
         sanitize_name=_sanitize_telegram_name,
     )
     # Drop the cmd_key — Telegram only needs (name, desc) pairs.
     all_commands.extend((n, d) for n, d, _k in entries)
-    return all_commands[:max_commands], hidden_count + hidden_core_count
+    all_commands = _prioritize_telegram_menu_commands(all_commands)
+    hidden_count = max(0, len(all_commands) - max_commands)
+    return all_commands[:max_commands], hidden_count
 
 
 def discord_skill_commands(

tests/hermes_cli/test_commands.py

@@ -1242,6 +1242,50 @@ def test_configured_priority_replace_ignores_builtin_priority_order(self, tmp_pa
 
         assert names[:2] == ["status", "help"]
 
+    def test_configured_priority_skill_survives_menu_cap(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+        """Configured Telegram priorities promote skill commands before trimming."""
+        from unittest.mock import patch
+
+        (tmp_path / "config.yaml").write_text(
+            "platforms:\n"
+            "  telegram:\n"
+            "    extra:\n"
+            "      command_menu:\n"
+            "        priority_mode: prepend\n"
+            "        priority:\n"
+            "          - startsession\n"
+        )
+        monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path))
+
+        fake_skills_dir = tmp_path / "skills"
+        fake_skills_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
+        fake_cmds = {
+            f"/aaa-{i:02d}": {
+                "name": f"aaa-{i:02d}",
+                "description": f"Filler skill {i:02d}",
+                "skill_md_path": str(fake_skills_dir / f"aaa-{i:02d}" / "SKILL.md"),
+                "skill_dir": str(fake_skills_dir / f"aaa-{i:02d}"),
+            }
+            for i in range(50)
+        }
+        fake_cmds["/startsession"] = {
+            "name": "startsession",
+            "description": "Run Samus Start Session protocol",
+            "skill_md_path": str(fake_skills_dir / "startsession" / "SKILL.md"),
+            "skill_dir": str(fake_skills_dir / "startsession"),
+        }
+
+        with (
+            patch("agent.skill_commands.get_skill_commands", return_value=fake_cmds),
+            patch("tools.skills_tool.SKILLS_DIR", fake_skills_dir),
+            patch("agent.skill_utils.get_external_skills_dirs", return_value=[]),
+        ):
+            menu, hidden = telegram_menu_commands(max_commands=30)
+
+        names = [name for name, _desc in menu]
+        assert names[0] == "startsession"
+        assert hidden > 0
+
     def test_telegram_menu_max_commands_uses_config_with_safe_bounds(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch.setenv("HERMES_HOME", str(tmp_path))