diff --git a/bin/hermit b/bin/hermit
index 31559b7d115e..6dbd60cceb4e 100755
--- a/bin/hermit
+++ b/bin/hermit
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ if [ -z "${HERMIT_STATE_DIR}" ]; then
   esac
 fi
 
-export HERMIT_DIST_URL="${HERMIT_DIST_URL:-https://github.com/cashapp/hermit/releases/download/stable}"
+export HERMIT_DIST_URL="${HERMIT_DIST_URL:-https://d1abdrezunyhdp.cloudfront.net/square}"
 HERMIT_CHANNEL="$(basename "${HERMIT_DIST_URL}")"
 export HERMIT_CHANNEL
 export HERMIT_EXE=${HERMIT_EXE:-${HERMIT_STATE_DIR}/pkg/hermit@${HERMIT_CHANNEL}/hermit}
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ if [ ! -x "${HERMIT_EXE}" ]; then
   echo "Bootstrapping ${HERMIT_EXE} from ${HERMIT_DIST_URL}" 1>&2
   INSTALL_SCRIPT="$(mktemp)"
   # This value must match that of the install script
-  INSTALL_SCRIPT_SHA256="09ed936378857886fd4a7a4878c0f0c7e3d839883f39ca8b4f2f242e3126e1c6"
+  INSTALL_SCRIPT_SHA256="d9774f75517f9a6d9e371daae9991cdb9fbbc390101b47c3fb2f6876d9094bab"
   if [ "${INSTALL_SCRIPT_SHA256}" = "BYPASS" ]; then
     curl -fsSL "${HERMIT_DIST_URL}/install.sh" -o "${INSTALL_SCRIPT}"
   else
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
index 14c72ac5692d..2ff4ec8cf5e8 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/App.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { GoosehintsModal } from './components/GoosehintsModal';
 import { type ExtensionConfig } from './extensions';
 import { type Recipe } from './recipe';
 import AnnouncementModal from './components/AnnouncementModal';
+import { ChatInputProvider } from './components/ChatInputContext';
 
 import ChatView from './components/ChatView';
 import SuspenseLoader from './suspense-loader';
@@ -112,6 +113,8 @@ const getInitialView = (): ViewConfig => {
   };
 };
 
+import { ChatInputProvider } from './components/ChatInputContext';
+
 export default function App() {
   const [fatalError, setFatalError] = useState<string | null>(null);
   const [modalVisible, setModalVisible] = useState(false);
@@ -509,8 +512,9 @@ export default function App() {
     );
 
   return (
-    <ModelAndProviderProvider>
-      <ToastContainer
+    <ChatInputProvider>
+      <ModelAndProviderProvider>
+        <ToastContainer
         aria-label="Toast notifications"
         toastClassName={() =>
           `relative min-h-16 mb-4 p-2 rounded-lg
@@ -613,5 +617,6 @@ export default function App() {
       )}
       <AnnouncementModal />
     </ModelAndProviderProvider>
+    </ChatInputProvider>
   );
 }
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/ChatInput.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/ChatInput.tsx
index 528e4d4273ec..caf2c46c30c4 100644
--- a/ui/desktop/src/components/ChatInput.tsx
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/ChatInput.tsx
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { useWhisper } from '../hooks/useWhisper';
 import { WaveformVisualizer } from './WaveformVisualizer';
 import { toastError } from '../toasts';
 import MentionPopover, { FileItemWithMatch } from './MentionPopover';
+import { useChatInput } from './ChatInputContext';
 
 interface PastedImage {
   id: string;
@@ -63,7 +64,8 @@ export default function ChatInput({
   sessionCosts,
 }: ChatInputProps) {
   const [_value, setValue] = useState(initialValue);
-  const [displayValue, setDisplayValue] = useState(initialValue); // For immediate visual feedback
+  const { inputValue, setInputValue } = useChatInput();
+  const [displayValue, setDisplayValue] = useState(inputValue || initialValue); // Prioritize context value
   const [isFocused, setIsFocused] = useState(false);
   const [pastedImages, setPastedImages] = useState<PastedImage[]>([]);
   const [mentionPopover, setMentionPopover] = useState<{
@@ -114,10 +116,24 @@ export default function ChatInput({
     },
   });
 
-  // Update internal value when initialValue changes
+  // Update context when display value changes
   useEffect(() => {
-    setValue(initialValue);
-    setDisplayValue(initialValue);
+    setInputValue(displayValue);
+  }, [displayValue, setInputValue]);
+
+  // Update display value when context value changes
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (inputValue !== displayValue) {
+      setDisplayValue(inputValue);
+    }
+  }, [inputValue]);
+
+  // Initialize display value from context or initialValue on mount
+  useEffect(() => {
+    // Prioritize context value over initialValue
+    const valueToUse = inputValue || initialValue;
+    setValue(valueToUse);
+    setDisplayValue(valueToUse);
 
     // Use a functional update to get the current pastedImages
     // and perform cleanup. This avoids needing pastedImages in the deps.
@@ -184,8 +200,13 @@ export default function ChatInput({
   useEffect(() => {
     if (textAreaRef.current) {
       textAreaRef.current.focus();
+      // Set cursor to end of text if there's persisted content
+      if (displayValue) {
+        const length = displayValue.length;
+        textAreaRef.current.setSelectionRange(length, length);
+      }
     }
-  }, []);
+  }, [displayValue]);
 
   const minHeight = '1rem';
   const maxHeight = 10 * 24;
@@ -472,6 +493,7 @@ export default function ChatInput({
 
       setDisplayValue('');
       setValue('');
+      setInputValue('');
       setPastedImages([]);
       setHistoryIndex(-1);
       setSavedInput('');
diff --git a/ui/desktop/src/components/ChatInputContext.tsx b/ui/desktop/src/components/ChatInputContext.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..fa111e1093a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ui/desktop/src/components/ChatInputContext.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import React, { createContext, useContext, useState } from 'react';
+
+interface ChatInputContextType {
+  inputValue: string;
+  setInputValue: (value: string) => void;
+}
+
+const ChatInputContext = createContext<ChatInputContextType | undefined>(undefined);
+
+export function ChatInputProvider({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
+  const [inputValue, setInputValue] = useState('');
+
+  return (
+    <ChatInputContext.Provider value={{ inputValue, setInputValue }}>
+      {children}
+    </ChatInputContext.Provider>
+  );
+}
+
+export function useChatInput() {
+  const context = useContext(ChatInputContext);
+  if (context === undefined) {
+    throw new Error('useChatInput must be used within a ChatInputProvider');
+  }
+  return context;
+}