What is Hermes Agent?

Hermes Agent is an open-source CLI-based AI agent developed by Nous Research. It supports multiple LLM providers, has a plugin system, and runs as a terminal-based agent with tools for web search, file operations, and code execution.

What providers does Hermes Agent support?

Hermes supports OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Google Gemini, MiniMax, and custom providers. You configure the provider and model in config.yaml or set environment variables.

Does Hermes Agent require a GPU?

No. Hermes Agent is a CLI tool that calls LLM APIs — it runs on any machine with Node.js and an internet connection. The models run on the provider's servers, not locally.

Can Hermes Agent use local models?

Yes, through custom providers like Ollama or llama.cpp. You can configure a local endpoint as a custom provider in config.yaml.

How to set up Hermes Agent: a step-by-step guide

A complete guide to installing and configuring Hermes Agent — the open-source CLI agent from Nous Research. Configure providers, set up skills, and run your first agent session.

TL;DR: Hermes Agent is an open-source CLI agent from Nous Research. Install it via npm, configure a provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter), and run your first session. Skills and plugins extend what it can do.

Hermes Agent is the open-source CLI agent that powers this very session. It’s built by Nous Research and designed to be a general-purpose agent with tool access, skill management, and multi-provider support. Here’s how to set it up from scratch.

Key takeaways:

Install globally via npm: npm install -g hermes-agent

Configure at least one LLM provider in ~/.hermes/config.yaml

Skills add capabilities — installed to ~/.hermes/skills/

MCP servers connect external tools (web search, file system, databases)

Profile system lets you switch between config sets

Prerequisites

Requirement	Minimum
Node.js	18.x or higher
npm	9.x or higher
Operating system	macOS, Linux, Windows (WSL2)
RAM	512 MB (agent only, not for local models)

Step 1: Install Hermes Agent

Install globally via npm:

npm install -g hermes-agent

Verify the installation:

hermes --version

This should print the installed version. If you see a command not found error, ensure your npm global bin directory is in your PATH.

Step 2: Configure a provider

Hermes needs at least one LLM provider to work. Create the config directory:

mkdir -p ~/.hermes

Edit ~/.hermes/config.yaml:

defaultProvider: openrouter
providers:
  openrouter:
    apiKey: your-openrouter-api-key
    baseUrl: https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
    models:
      default: google/gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25
  anthropic:
    apiKey: your-anthropic-api-key
    models:
      default: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

You can also set environment variables instead:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...
export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=sk-or-...

Pro tip

Start with OpenRouter — it gives you access to dozens of models with a single API key. You can test different models before committing to a specific provider.

Step 3: Run your first session

Start an interactive session:

hermes chat

You’ll see the agent initialize, load skills, and present a prompt. Try asking it something simple:

What tools do you have available?

Hermes will list its available tools — web search, file operations, terminal access, and any skills you’ve installed.

Step 4: Install skills

Skills extend Hermes with domain-specific capabilities. They live in ~/.hermes/skills/. Each skill is a directory with a SKILL.md file that describes when and how to use it.

# List installed skills
hermes skills list

# View a skill's content
cat ~/.hermes/skills/your-skill-name/SKILL.md

Skills can be created manually or installed from external sources like Newsjack, which installs skills for content discovery and PR monitoring.

Step 5: Configure profiles

Hermes supports multiple profiles for different contexts — work, personal, different provider sets:

# ~/.hermes/config.yaml
profiles:
  default:
    provider: openrouter
    model: google/gemini-2.5-pro-exp-03-25
  work:
    provider: anthropic
    model: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

Switch profiles with:

hermes chat --profile work

Each profile has its own skills directory, so you can keep work and personal skills separate.

Configuration reference

Key environment variables

Variable	Purpose
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`	Anthropic Claude access
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	OpenAI GPT access
`OPENROUTER_API_KEY`	Multi-model provider access
`HERMES_HOME`	Override config directory (default: `~/.hermes`)

Key config paths

Path	Purpose
`~/.hermes/config.yaml`	Main configuration
`~/.hermes/skills/`	Skill directories
`~/.hermes/plugins/`	Plugin modules
`~/.hermes/profiles/<name>/`	Profile-specific config

The official documentation is at hermes-agent.nousresearch.com.

For more on AI agent tooling and setup patterns, check out my comparison of coding agents and how to build your first AI agent.

How to build your first AI agent in 2026 — A step-by-step tutorial from scratch, building the core loop and tools
Best AI coding agents in 2026 — Comparing Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, and OpenCode for development workflows
Best open source AI tools for indie hackers in 2026 — A curated list of production-ready open source AI tools for solo developers
AI agent web app vocabulary — A scannable reference of terms for steering agents and shipping web apps

This article was published on Agentic Up (https://agenticup.dev) — practical guides for developers and founders building with AI agents. Reach me at [email protected].

How to set up Hermes Agent: a step-by-step guide

Prerequisites

Step 1: Install Hermes Agent

Step 2: Configure a provider

Step 3: Run your first session

Step 4: Install skills

Step 5: Configure profiles

Configuration reference

Key environment variables

Key config paths

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