Academy → Using HermesOfficial documentation · clear explanation

Pets (Petdex Mascots)

Pets (Petdex Mascots)

Beginner to advanced12 minutes3 questions2026-08-09
The idea in one minute

Start with meaning, then move to detail.

This lesson explains Pets (Petdex Mascots) as part of using Hermes and understanding its behavior. You will learn what it does, when it matters, and the smallest safe test that proves it works.

If you are new

If you are new, do not memorize names. Focus on three questions: what problem does this solve, what access does it need, and how can you verify the result?

For hands-on use

For practice, inspect the first example, identify its effects, run it on test data, and compare the result with the source claim.

For specialists

For advanced readers, inspect How it works, Rendering, Quick start (CLI), then verify failure modes and version compatibility.

What do you need first?

Start with installation if you have not run Hermes yet.

What will you know?

A clear outcome before you read.

  • Understand Pets (Petdex Mascots) without assumed prior knowledge.
  • Separate the source description from what still needs testing in your environment.
  • Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.
Official page description

Adopt an animated mascot that reacts to agent activity across the CLI, TUI, and desktop app

Topic map

What does the source say, and in what order?

  1. 01
    How it works

    Start here to understand the core idea or structure.

  2. 02
    Rendering

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  3. 03
    Quick start (CLI)

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  4. 04
    hermes pets commands

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  5. 05
    /pet slash command

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  6. 06
    Generating a pet (/hatch)

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  7. 07
    Image backend

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  8. 08
    Desktop app

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  9. 09
    Roaming

    Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.

  10. 10
    Alt+wheel resizing

    Finish here to verify the result and special cases.

Examples from the official page

Copy only after you understand the effect.

# Browse the gallery (filter by substring) hermes pets list hermes pets list cat # Install a pet and make it active in one step hermes pets install boba --select # Preview / animate it in your terminal (Ctrl+C to stop) hermes pets show # Check your setup hermes pets doctor
display: pet: enabled: false # master on/off (true once you select a pet) slug: "" # active pet; empty = first installed render_mode: auto # auto | kitty | iterm | sixel | unicode | off scale: 0.33 # master size knob (relative to native 192x208 frames) unicode_cols: 0 # hard override for terminal width (0 = derive from scale)
Try it now

Read the first command and identify its inputs and outputs before copying it.

Match every command to your installed Hermes version, review the files and accounts it can reach, and use non-sensitive data for the first test. If this explanation differs from the source, the official source wins.

Knowledge check

Three decisions before completion.

1. What is the source of truth when “Pets (Petdex Mascots)” changes?
2. What is the best way to apply this lesson?
3. What should happen before a step can modify files or an external account?