hermes - 💡(How to fix) Fix hermes update fails web UI build when NODE_ENV=production — npm install omits devDependencies

Bug description

When running hermes update in an environment where NODE_ENV=production is set (common on VPS / CI / docker deployments), the web UI build step fails because npm install skips devDependencies.

In ui-tui/package.json, critical build-time packages (typescript, esbuild, @types/node, tsx) are listed under devDependencies. When NODE_ENV=production, npm omits them, leading to errors like:

• sh: 1: tsc: not found
• Cannot find package 'esbuild'
• Cannot find name 'process' (missing @types/node)

The update then falls back to serving stale dist/ from a previous build.

Steps to reproduce

1. Set NODE_ENV=production in the shell.
2. Run hermes update (or npm install inside ui-tui/).
3. Observe the npm install step completes but only dependencies are installed.
4. Build fails because typescript, esbuild, and @types/node are missing.

Expected behaviour

hermes update should ensure build tooling is available regardless of NODE_ENV. Options:

• Option A: Run npm install --include=dev during the update step.
• Option B: Move typescript, esbuild, @types/node from devDependencies to dependencies.
• Option C: Prefix the npm install step with NODE_ENV=development.

Actual behaviour

Build fails with stale dist fallback.

Environment

• Hermes: 0.14.0 (git main)
• Node.js: 22.22.2
• npm: 10.x
• OS: Ubuntu 24.04 (Linux 6.8.0)

Minimal reproduction

export NODE_ENV=production
cd /data/hermes/hermes-agent/ui-tui
npm install
npm run build   # fails: esbuild not found

Suggested fix

In the hermes update script:

NODE_ENV=development npm install --prefix ui-tui
# OR
npm install --include=dev --prefix ui-tui

Workaround (user-side)

Until fixed:

NODE_ENV=development hermes update

Impact: Every VPS/production deployment with NODE_ENV=production silently gets stale web UI builds after hermes update.