Hermes Pet Hatch

Hermes Pets Hatch

Purpose

Create animated pets for the Hermes Pets overlay runtime. This skill is a Hermes-specific adapter around the general hatch-pet workflow: use hatch-pet for visual generation and row QA, then package the finalized frames into a Hermes custom pet package that can be imported with hermes-pet custom-pet import <path> --name <name>.

Do not add generated pets to overlay/assets/sprites/ by default. Built-in assets are repo-owned. Custom pets should be packaged under output/ first and installed into the user's Hermes Pets state directory only when asked.

Package Format

A Hermes custom pet package is a directory with this shape:

custom-pet.json
sprites/
  idle/
    idle_00.png
    idle_01.png
  run_right/
    run_right_00.png
  run_left/
    run_left_00.png
contact-sheet.png       optional
README.md               optional

custom-pet.json:

{
  "version": 1,
  "name": "pet-slug",
  "source_format": "hatch-pet",
  "states": {
    "idle": { "fps": 4, "loop": true, "frames": ["idle_00.png"] },
    "waving": { "fps": 8, "loop": false, "fallback": "idle", "frames": ["waving_00.png"] }
  }
}

Required:

• idle state with at least one real PNG frame.
• Safe lowercase package name: a-z, 0-9, _, -; starts with a letter or number.
• Safe PNG filenames without path separators or traversal.

Optional supported states:

• run_right
• run_left
• waving
• jumping
• failed
• waiting
• running
• review
• message_react
• bubble_react
• blink

Do not fabricate unsupported states such as drag, hover, walk_left, or walk_right unless the runtime and package validator explicitly support them for the current request.

Workflow

1. Gather the pet concept, references, display name, and package slug.

If the user does not provide a name, infer a short name from the concept. Keep the slug lowercase and safe. Put all generated work in output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/ or output/hatch-pet-runs/<slug>/.

2. Use the installed hatch-pet skill for visual generation.

Read and follow:

${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex}/skills/hatch-pet/SKILL.md

Use its normal image generation, row prompt, mirroring, finalization, contact sheet, and review rules. Do not draw, tile, or synthesize replacement visuals with local scripts. Only mirror run_left from run_right when the hatch-pet rules say the pet is safe to mirror.

3. Generate only Hermes-supported rows.

Map hatch-pet row names to Hermes states:

idle           -> idle
running-right  -> run_right
running-left   -> run_left
waving         -> waving
jumping        -> jumping
failed         -> failed
waiting        -> waiting
running        -> running
review         -> review

Missing optional states are acceptable because the overlay falls back to idle or the manifest state's fallback. Do not invent drag, hover, or walk rows just to fill gaps.

4. Package the finalized run.

Preferred command:

python scripts/package-custom-pet.py \
  --source output/hatch-pet-runs/<slug> \
  --name <slug> \
  --output output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/package

For a built-in fixture or compatibility test:

python scripts/package-custom-pet.py \
  --builtin-species fox \
  --name fox-fixture \
  --output output/hermes-pet-hatch/fox-fixture/package

5. Validate the package.

python scripts/validate-custom-pet.py output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/package
hermes-pet custom-pet validate output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/package

Validation must pass before calling the pet ready. It checks required idle, real PNG signatures, safe filenames, safe state names, and manifest-compatible state metadata.

6. Preview and inspect.

Use the hatch-pet contact sheet and videos from the finalized run first. If a package includes contact-sheet.png, inspect it before import. Confirm identity consistency, transparent backgrounds, readable small silhouette, and state-specific motion.

7. Import only when requested or when the task explicitly includes installation.

hermes-pet custom-pet import output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/package --name <slug>
hermes-pet custom-pet use <slug>
hermes-pet custom-pet current

The import destination is outside the repo under the active Hermes Pets state dir:

${HERMES_PET_HOME:-~/.hermes_pet}/custom-pets/<slug>/

Verification

For creation-only work:

python3 -m compileall -q src/hermes_pet
python3 scripts/validate-custom-pet.py output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/package

For runtime/import work:

hermes-pet custom-pet validate output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/package
hermes-pet custom-pet import output/hermes-pet-hatch/<slug>/package --name <slug>
hermes-pet custom-pet use <slug>
hermes-pet custom-pet current
node --check overlay/src/renderer.js overlay/src/main.js overlay/src/main.windows.js overlay/src/preload.js
python3 scripts/validate-sprite-manifest.py
hermes-pet doctor

Keep generated packages and hatch outputs in output/. Do not push, tag, or add remotes.

Source: asimons81/hermes-pets — distributed by TomeVault.