NousResearch/hermes-agent

Getting Started

hermes              # Interactive CLI — start a conversation
hermes model        # Choose your LLM provider and model
hermes tools        # Configure which tools are enabled
hermes config set   # Set individual config values
hermes config get   # Print individual config values
hermes gateway      # Start the messaging gateway (Telegram, Discord, etc.)
hermes setup        # Run the full setup wizard (configures everything at once)
hermes update       # Update to the latest version
hermes doctor  

Troubleshooting

If your antivirus (Bitdefender, Windows Defender, etc.) quarantines uv.exe from the Hermes bin folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin\uv.exe), this is a false positive. The file is Astral's uv — the Rust Python package manager Hermes bundles to manage its Python environment. ML-based antivirus engines commonly flag unsigned Rust binaries that download and install packages.

If attestation says "Verification succeeded" and the last line prints True, you're good.

To whitelist Hermes: - Windows Defender: Run PowerShell as Admin → Add-MpPreference -ExclusionPath "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes\bin" - Bitdefender: Add an exception in the Bitdefender console (Protection > Antivirus > Settings > Manage Exceptions) - Whitelist the folder, not the file hash — Hermes updates uv and the hash changes every version

For more context, see the upstream Astral reports: astral-sh/uv#13553, astral-sh/uv#15011, astral-sh/uv#10079.

Skip the API-key collection — Nous Portal

Hermes works with whatever provider you want — that's not changing. But if you'd rather not collect five separate API keys for the model, web search, image generation, TTS, and a cloud browser, Nous Portal covers all of them under one subscription:

That logs you in via OAuth, sets Nous as your provider, and turns on the Tool Gateway. Check what's wired up any time with hermes portal info. Full details on the Tool Gateway docs page.

You can still bring your own keys per-tool whenever you want — the gateway is per-backend, not all-or-nothing.

• 300+ models — pick any of them with /model
• Tool Gateway — web search, image generation (FAL), text-to-speech (OpenAI), cloud browser (Browser Use), all routed through your sub. No extra accounts.

CLI vs Messaging Quick Reference

Hermes has two entry points: start the terminal UI with hermes, or run the gateway and talk to it from Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, or Email. Once you're in a conversation, many slash commands are shared across both interfaces.

For the full command lists, see the CLI guide and the Messaging Gateway guide.

• Start chatting — hermes — Run hermes gateway setup + hermes gateway start, then send the bot a message
• Start fresh conversation — /new or /reset — /new or /reset
• Change model — /model [provider:model] — /model [provider:model]
• Set a personality — /personality [name] — /personality [name]
• Retry or undo the last turn — /retry, /undo — /retry, /undo
• Compress context / check usage — /compress, /usage, /insights [--days N] — /compress, /usage, /insights [days]
• Browse skills — /skills or / — /
• Interrupt current work — Ctrl+C or send a new message — /stop or send a new message
• Platform-specific status — /platforms — /status, /sethome

Documentation

All documentation lives at hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs:

• Quickstart — Install → setup → first conversation in 2 minutes
• CLI Usage — Commands, keybindings, personalities, sessions
• Configuration — Config file, providers, models, all options
• Messaging Gateway — Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Home Assistant
• Security — Command approval, DM pairing, container isolation
• Tools & Toolsets — 40+ tools, toolset system, terminal backends
• Skills System — Procedural memory, Skills Hub, creating skills
• Memory — Persistent memory, user profiles, best practices
• MCP Integration — Connect any MCP server for extended capabilities
• Cron Scheduling — Scheduled tasks with platform delivery
• Context Files — Project context that shapes every conversation
• Architecture — Project structure, agent loop, key classes
• Contributing — Development setup, PR process, code style
• CLI Reference — All commands and flags