Hermes Agent — Use, configure, theme, extend, and orchestrate Hermes Agent
Hermes Agent — Use, configure, theme, extend, and orchestrate Hermes Agent
Start with meaning, then move to detail.
This lesson explains Hermes Agent — Use, configure, theme, extend, and orchestrate Hermes Agent as part of extending Hermes and connecting external tools. You will learn what it does, when it matters, and the smallest safe test that proves it works.
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 practice, inspect the first example, identify its effects, run it on test data, and compare the result with the source claim.
For advanced readers, inspect Skill metadata, Reference: full SKILL.md, Scope & Verification, then verify failure modes and version compatibility.
Complete installation and one successful task before adding new capabilities.
A clear outcome before you read.
- Understand Hermes Agent — Use, configure, theme, extend, and orchestrate Hermes Agent 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.
Short definitions before the details.
- Skill
- An instruction bundle that teaches Hermes a repeatable workflow without necessarily adding an external service.
Use, configure, theme, extend, and orchestrate Hermes Agent
What does the source say, and in what order?
- 01Skill metadata
Start here to understand the core idea or structure.
- 02Reference: full SKILL.md
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 03Scope & Verification
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 04Quick Start
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 05Key Paths
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 06Routing Table — load the reference for the task
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 07Spawning Additional Hermes Instances
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 08When to Use This vs delegatetask
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 09One-Shot Mode
Read this after the foundation, then connect it to the previous step.
- 10Interactive PTY Mode (via tmux)
Finish here to verify the result and special cases.
Copy only after you understand the effect.
# Install (shell installer — sets up uv, Python, the venv, and the launcher)
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
# Interactive chat (default surface; set display.interface: tui to launch the Ink TUI instead)
hermes
# Single query
hermes chat -q "What is the capital of France?"
# Setup wizard / pick model+provider / health check
hermes setup
hermes model
hermes doctor
# Other surfaces
hermes desktop # launch the native desktop app (alias: hermes gui)
hermes dashboard # web admin panel + embedded chat
hermes proxy ~/.hermes/config.yaml Main configuration (settings — never secrets)
~/.hermes/.env API keys and secrets ONLY (under $HERMES_HOME if set)
$HERMES_HOME/skills/ Installed skills
~/.hermes/skins/ Custom themes (see references/themes.md)
~/.hermes/desktop-plugins/ Desktop app UI plugins (see references/desktop-plugins.md)
~/.hermes/tui-widgets/ TUI widget apps (see references/tui-widgets.md)
~/.hermes/pets/ Installed pet mascots (see references/petdex.md)
~/.hermes/state.db Canonical session store (SQLite + FTS5)
~/.hermes/sessions/ terminal(command="hermes chat -q 'Research GRPO papers and write summary to ~/research/grpo.md'", timeout=300)
# Background for long tasks:
terminal(command="hermes chat -q 'Set up CI/CD for ~/myapp'", background=true)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.