Session transcript exceeds the Desktop safe-load limit; use

Error message

Session transcript exceeds the Desktop safe-load limit; use the Web Dashboard export for this session.

What it means

Thrown by getAllSessionMessages() in apps/desktop/src/hermes.ts:737 when the accumulated JSON size of a session's transcript (paged at 500 messages, order 'oldest') exceeds maxJsonChars (default 32,000,000 characters). This is a deliberate protective cap: loading an unbounded transcript into the renderer would exhaust memory and freeze the app. The error tells the user to use the Web Dashboard's export for that session instead.

Source

Thrown at apps/desktop/src/hermes.ts:737

  const messages: SessionMessage[] = []
  const pageSize = 500
  const maxJsonChars = options.maxJsonChars ?? 32_000_000
  let jsonChars = 0
  let offset = 0
  let resolvedSessionId = id

  while (true) {
    const page = await getSessionMessages(id, profile, {
      limit: pageSize,
      offset,
      order: 'oldest'
    })

    resolvedSessionId = page.session_id
    jsonChars += (JSON.stringify(page.messages) ?? '').length

    if (jsonChars > maxJsonChars) {
      throw new Error(
        'Session transcript exceeds the Desktop safe-load limit; use the Web Dashboard export for this session.'
      )
    }

    messages.push(...page.messages)

    // Legacy backends ignore pagination and return the full transcript.
    if (!page.pagination || page.messages.length === 0 || page.messages.length < page.pagination.limit) {
      break
    }

    offset += page.messages.length
  }

  return { session_id: resolvedSessionId, messages }
}

export function deleteSession(id: string, profile?: string | null): Promise<{ ok: boolean }> {

View on GitHub (pinned to c896c09c42)

Solutions

For that session, use the Web Dashboard export instead of the desktop full-transcript load.
Load incrementally: call getSessionMessages(page) with limit/offset and render a windowed list rather than getAllSessionMessages.
If you must load more and accept the memory risk, pass a larger options.maxJsonChars explicitly.
Trim the session (delete bulky old messages / start a new session) if desktop full-history viewing is a hard requirement.

Example fix

// before
const all = await getAllSessionMessages(sessionId) // throws past 32 MB

// after — windowed paging
const first = await getSessionMessages(sessionId, profile, { limit: 500, offset: 0, order: 'oldest' })
// or explicit cap bump when the caller accepts the cost:
const all = await getAllSessionMessages(sessionId, profile, { maxJsonChars: 64_000_000 })

Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

const SOFT_LIMIT = 32_000_000
// pre-check via a lightweight estimate: fetch only the latest page first
const latest = await getLatestSessionMessages(id, profile)
// if backend reports totals, compare before attempting the full walk

Try / catch

try {
  const all = await getAllSessionMessages(id, profile)
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && e.message.includes('safe-load limit')) {
    // route the user to the Web Dashboard export; do NOT retry with a huge cap blindly
    offerDashboardExport(id)
  } else throw e
}

Prevention

Prefer paged/windowed rendering via getSessionMessages over getAllSessionMessages
Treat the 32 MB default as a memory guard, not a bug
Only raise maxJsonChars deliberately for a known session on capable hardware
For archival needs, use the dashboard export instead of loading into the renderer

When it happens

Trigger: Opening a session whose cumulative messages JSON exceeds 32 MB (measured with JSON.stringify per page); calling getAllSessionMessages with many pages until the counter passes the cap; calling with a custom smaller maxJsonChars option.

Common situations: Long-running agent sessions with huge tool outputs or base64 attachments; sessions shared across CLI/gateway surfaces that grew for weeks; importing old session databases; a user clicking a giant pinned session in the desktop transcript view.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of NousResearch/hermes-agent@c896c09c42 (2026-08-14). Data as JSON: /api/errors/7458005366fc35a1. Report an issue: GitHub.