Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent is an open-source AI agent framework by Nous Research that runs in your terminal, messaging platforms, and IDEs. It belongs to the same category as Claude Code (Anthropic), Codex (OpenAI), and OpenClaw — autonomous coding and task-execution agents that use tool calling to interact with your system. Hermes works with any LLM provider (OpenRouter, Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, local models, and 15+ others) and runs on Linux, macOS, and WSL.

What makes Hermes different:

• Self-improving through skills — Hermes learns from experience by saving reusable procedures as skills. When it solves a complex problem, discovers a workflow, or gets corrected, it can persist that knowledge as a skill document that loads into future sessions. Skills accumulate over time, making the agent better at your specific tasks and environment.
• Persistent memory across sessions — remembers who you are, your preferences, environment details, and lessons learned. Pluggable memory backends (built-in, Honcho, Mem0, and more) let you choose how memory works.
• Multi-platform gateway — the same agent runs on Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Matrix, Email, and 10+ other platforms with full tool access, not just chat.
• Provider-agnostic — swap models and providers mid-workflow without changing anything else. Credential pools rotate across multiple API keys automatically.
• Profiles — run multiple independent Hermes instances with isolated configs, sessions, skills, and memory.
• Extensible — plugins, MCP servers, custom tools, webhook triggers, cron scheduling, and the full Python ecosystem.

People use Hermes for software development, research, system administration, data analysis, content creation, home automation, and anything else that benefits from an AI agent with persistent context and full system access.

This skill helps you work with Hermes Agent effectively — setting it up, configuring features, spawning additional agent instances, troubleshooting issues, finding the right commands and settings, and understanding how the system works when you need to extend or contribute to it.

Docs: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/

Quick Start

# Install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

# Interactive chat (default)
hermes

# Single query
hermes chat -q "What is the capital of France?"

# Setup wizard
hermes setup

# Change model/provider
hermes model

# Check health
hermes doctor

---

CLI Reference

Global Flags

hermes [flags] [command]

 --version, -V Show version
 --resume, -r SESSION Resume session by ID or title
 --continue, -c [NAME] Resume by name, or most recent session
 --worktree, -w Isolated git worktree mode (parallel agents)
 --skills, -s SKILL Preload skills (comma-separate or repeat)
 --profile, -p NAME Use a named profile
 --yolo Skip dangerous command approval
 --pass-session-id Include session ID in system prompt

No subcommand defaults to chat.

Chat

hermes chat [flags]
 -q, --query TEXT Single query, non-interactive
 -m, --model MODEL Model (e.g. anthropic/claude-sonnet-4)
 -t, --toolsets LIST Comma-separated toolsets
 --provider PROVIDER Force provider (openrouter, anthropic, nous, etc.)
 -v, --verbose Verbose output
 -Q, --quiet Suppress banner, spinner, tool previews
 --checkpoints Enable filesystem checkpoints (/rollback)
 --source TAG Session source tag (default: cli)

Configuration

hermes setup [section] Interactive wizard (model|terminal|gateway|tools|agent)
hermes model Interactive model/provider picker
hermes config View current config
hermes config edit Open config.yaml in $EDITOR
hermes config set KEY VAL Set a config value
hermes config path Print config.yaml path
hermes config env-path Print .env path
hermes config check Check for missing/outdated config
hermes config migrate Update config with new options
hermes auth Interactive credential manager
hermes auth add PROVIDER Add OAuth or API-key credential (e.g. nous, openai-codex, qwen-oauth)
hermes auth list List stored credentials
hermes auth remove PROVIDER Remove a stored credential
hermes doctor [--fix] Check dependencies and config
hermes status [--all] Show component status

Tools & Skills

hermes tools Interactive tool enable/disable (curses UI)
hermes tools list Show all tools and status
hermes tools enable NAME Enable a toolset
hermes tools disable NAME Disable a toolset

hermes skills list List installed skills
hermes skills search QUERY Search the skills hub
hermes skills install ID Install a skill (ID can be a hub identifier OR a direct https://…/SKILL.md URL; pass --name to override when frontmatter has no name)
hermes skills inspect ID Preview without installing
hermes skills config Enable/disable skills per platform
hermes skills check Check for updates
hermes skills update Update outdated skills
hermes skills uninstall N Remove a hub skill
hermes skills publish PATH Publish to registry
hermes skills browse Browse all available skills
hermes skills tap add REPO Add a GitHub repo as skill source

MCP Servers

hermes mcp serve Run Hermes as an MCP server
hermes mcp add NAME Add an MCP server (--url or --command)
hermes mcp remove NAME Remove an MCP server
hermes mcp list List configured servers
hermes mcp test NAME Test connection
hermes mcp configure NAME Toggle tool selection

Gateway (Messaging Platforms)

hermes gateway run Start gateway foreground
hermes gateway install Install as background service
hermes gateway start/stop Control the service
hermes gateway restart Restart the service
hermes gateway status Check status
hermes gateway setup Configure platforms

Supported platforms: Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Email, SMS, Matrix, Mattermost, Home Assistant, DingTalk, Feishu, WeCom, BlueBubbles (iMessage), Weixin (WeChat), API Server, Webhooks. Open WebUI connects via the API Server adapter.

Platform docs: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/messaging/

Sessions

hermes sessions list List recent sessions
hermes sessions browse Interactive picker
hermes sessions export OUT Export to JSONL
hermes sessions rename ID T Rename a session
hermes sessions delete ID Delete a session
hermes sessions prune Clean up old sessions (--older-than N days)
hermes sessions stats Session store statistics

Cron Jobs

hermes cron list List jobs (--all for disabled)
hermes cron create SCHED Create: '30m', 'every 2h', '0 9 * * *'
hermes cron edit ID Edit schedule, prompt, delivery
hermes cron pause/resume ID Control job state
hermes cron run ID Trigger on next tick
hermes cron remove ID Delete a job
hermes cron status Scheduler status

Troubleshooting Cron Errors

When a cron job reports errors:

1. Check if the script exists. For no_agent: true jobs, the script path is absolute — verify it with ls . If missing, the job is orphaned and should be removed.
2. Check the last run status. cronjob action='list' shows last_status and last_run_at — a pattern of repeated errors on a stale job means it's abandoned.
3. Distinguish ghost jobs from real failures. A cron job that references a non-existent script (e.g., mission-tick.sh) is not a runtime bug — it's an orphaned job from a deleted project. Remove it with cronjob action='remove'.
4. Check for paused vs active state. Paused jobs won't run; scheduled jobs will. Don't waste time debugging a paused job.

Webhooks

hermes webhook subscribe N Create route at /webhooks/
hermes webhook list List subscriptions
hermes webhook remove NAME Remove a subscription
hermes webhook test NAME Send a test POST

Profiles

hermes profile list List all profiles
hermes profile create NAME Create (--clone, --clone-all, --clone-from)
hermes profile use NAME Set sticky default
hermes profile delete NAME Delete a profile
hermes profile show NAME Show details
hermes profile alias NAME Manage wrapper scripts
hermes profile rename A B Rename a profile
hermes profile export NAME Export to tar.gz
hermes profile import FILE Import from archive

Credential Pools

hermes auth add Interactive credential wizard
hermes auth list [PROVIDER] List pooled credentials
hermes auth remove P INDEX Remove by provider + index
hermes auth reset PROVIDER Clear exhaustion status

Other

hermes insights [--days N] Usage analytics
hermes update Update to latest version
hermes pairing list/approve/revoke DM authorization
hermes plugins list/install/remove Plugin management
hermes honcho setup/status Honcho memory integration (requires honcho plugin)
hermes memory setup/status/off Memory provider config
hermes completion bash|zsh Shell completions
hermes acp ACP server (IDE integration)
hermes claw migrate Migrate from OpenClaw
hermes uninstall Uninstall Hermes

---

Slash Commands (In-Session)

Type these during an interactive chat session. New commands land fairly often; if something below looks stale, run /help in-session for the authoritative list or see the live slash commands reference. The registry of record is hermes_cli/commands.py for the classic Python CLI and gateway surfaces. The separate TypeScript --tui also has its own slash registry under ui-tui/src/app/slash/commands/; check both before adding or renaming a command. As of the current TUI, /switch is an alias of /sessions (along with /session and /resume). Registering /switch as a Python-side model command creates a split-brain collision: autocomplete/help may describe model switching while hermes --tui executes the session picker. Use /model for model switching or choose a non-conflicting command name.

Session Control

/new (/reset) Fresh session
/clear Clear screen + new session (CLI)
/retry Resend last message
/undo Remove last exchange
/title [name] Name the session
/compress Manually compress context
/stop Kill background processes
/rollback [N] Restore filesystem checkpoint
/snapshot [sub] Create or restore state snapshots of Hermes config/state (CLI)
/background  Run prompt in background
/queue  Queue for next turn
/steer  Inject a message after the next tool call without interrupting
/agents (/tasks) Show active agents and running tasks
/resume [name] Resume a named session
/goal [text|sub] Set a standing goal Hermes works on across turns until achieved
 (subcommands: status, pause, resume, clear)
/redraw Force a full UI repaint (CLI)

Configuration

/config Show config (CLI)
/model [name] Show or change model
/personality [name] Set personality
/reasoning [level] Set reasoning (none|minimal|low|medium|high|xhigh|show|hide)
/verbose Cycle: off → new → all → verbose
/voice [on|off|tts] Voice mode
/yolo Toggle approval bypass
/busy [sub] Control what Enter does while Hermes is working (CLI)
 (subcommands: queue, steer, interrupt, status)
/indicator [style] Pick the TUI busy-indicator style (CLI)
 (styles: kaomoji, emoji, unicode, ascii)
/footer [on|off] Toggle gateway runtime-metadata footer on final replies
/skin [name] Change theme (CLI)
/statusbar Toggle status bar (CLI)

Tools & Skills

/tools Manage tools (CLI)
/toolsets List toolsets (CLI)
/skills Search/install skills (CLI)
/skill  Load a skill into session
/reload-skills Re-scan ~/.hermes/skills/ for added/removed skills
/reload Reload .env variables into the running session (CLI)
/reload-mcp Reload MCP servers
/cron Manage cron jobs (CLI)
/curator [sub] Background skill maintenance (status, run, pin, archive, …)
/kanban [sub] Multi-profile collaboration board (tasks, links, comments)
/plugins List plugins (CLI)

Gateway

/approve Approve a pending command (gateway)
/deny Deny a pending command (gateway)
/restart Restart gateway (gateway)
/sethome Set current chat as home channel (gateway)
/update Update Hermes to latest (gateway)
/topic [sub] Enable or inspect Telegram DM topic sessions (gateway)
/platforms (/gateway) Show platform connection status (gateway)

Utility

/branch (/fork) Branch the current session
/fast Toggle priority/fast processing
/browser Open CDP browser connection
/history Show conversation history (CLI)
/save Save conversation to file (CLI)
/copy [N] Copy the last assistant response to clipboard (CLI)
/paste Attach clipboard image (CLI)
/image Attach local image file (CLI)

Info

/help Show commands
/commands [page] Browse all commands (gateway)
/usage Token usage
/insights [days] Usage analytics
/gquota Show Google Gemini Code Assist quota usage (CLI)
/status Session info (gateway)
/profile Active profile info
/debug Upload debug report (system info + logs) and get shareable links

Exit

/quit (/exit, /q) Exit CLI

---

Key Paths & Config

~/.hermes/config.yaml Main configuration
~/.hermes/.env API keys and secrets
| `~/.hermes/skills/` | Installed skills |
| `~/.hermes/skills/DIRECTORY.md` | Generated index of installed skills; regenerate with `python ~/.hermes/scripts/regen_skill_directory.py` (user-local — verify it exists) |
| `~/.hermes/sessions/` | Gateway routing index, request dumps, *.jsonl transcripts (and optional per-session JSON snapshots when sessions.write_json_snapshots: true) |
~/.hermes/state.db Canonical session store (SQLite + FTS5)
~/.hermes/logs/ Gateway and error logs
~/.hermes/auth.json OAuth tokens and credential pools
~/.hermes/hermes-agent/ Source code (if git-installed)

Profiles use ~/.hermes/profiles// with the same layout.

Config Sections

Edit with hermes config edit or hermes config set section.key value.

| Section | Key options | |---------|-------------| | model | default, provider, base_url, api_key, context_length | | agent | max_turns (90), tool_use_enforcement | | terminal | backend (local/docker/ssh/modal), cwd, timeout (180) | | compression | enabled, threshold (0.50), target_ratio (0.20) — see Context Compression Tuning below | | display | skin, tool_progress, show_reasoning, show_cost | | stt | enabled, provider (local/groq/openai/mistral) | | tts | provider (edge/elevenlabs/openai/minimax/mistral/neutts) | | memory | memory_enabled, user_profile_enabled, provider | | security | tirith_enabled, website_blocklist | | delegation | model, provider, base_url, api_key, max_iterations (50), reasoning_effort | | checkpoints | enabled, max_snapshots (50) |

Full config reference: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/configuration

Context Compression Tuning

Hermes compresses older messages when context nears the model's limit. Two settings control this — they serve different purposes and should NOT be equal:

• threshold (OEM default 0.50) — when compression activates. Context usage exceeds this ratio of context_length, and Hermes starts summarizing older messages to make room.
• target_ratio (OEM default 0.20) — how aggressively to compress down to. A lower number means more aggressive compression, but setting it too low causes constant re-triggering because context fills back up quickly after each summary cycle.

The relationship matters: threshold must be higher than target_ratio. If they're equal (e.g., both 0.80), compression triggers at the threshold and tries to compress to the same value — it does summarization work with almost zero gain, wasting tokens on summaries that barely move the needle.

If target_ratio is too low relative to threshold (OEM's 0.20 vs 0.50 = 4x gap), every compression cycle eats a big chunk of context. This creates constant churn: compress → fill up again quickly → compress again, burning tokens on repeated summaries.

Tuning for long-context models (96K+ effective):

1. Set threshold close to where your model's quali

…

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: AtlasOmnia
• Source: AtlasOmnia/donna-starter
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.