WebSocket Payload Too Large
How to debug WebSocket payload too large errors in Hermes runtimes, terminals, or live-streamed agent features.
Payload-too-large errors usually indicate that a live transport is carrying more data than the connection path wants to accept in one message.
What the symptom usually means
You may see terminal disconnects, live-stream failures, or abrupt connection drops when logs, command output, or serialized data exceed the expected message size.
Most likely causes
The main causes are oversized single messages, insufficient chunking, verbose log streams, or assumptions that a WebSocket can safely transport arbitrarily large blobs without framing strategy.
Recommended fix order
Reproduce with the smallest failing payload, add chunking or truncation, reduce verbose output where possible, and verify the full transport path from browser to runtime.
Work from identity and connectivity first, then provider settings, then higher-level prompt or runtime assumptions. That sequence avoids wasting time on downstream symptoms.
Get back to a working Hermes deployment faster
Hermes Host reduces the number of moving parts you have to debug at once, which makes channel, provider, and runtime issues much easier to isolate.
FAQ
Why does this happen more with live terminals and logs?
Because those features can emit bursty, high-volume output that is easy to serialize into messages that are too large.
Is the fix always to raise limits?
No. Message sizing and chunking are usually safer than simply allowing larger frames everywhere.