01 / Setup
Run the wizard once.
Use the interactive setup to configure provider, model, terminal, gateway, tools, and agent defaults.
hermes setup
If the mental model is wrong, every feature gets used badly. Hermes is not most powerful as a chat box. It becomes valuable when it works inside a real operating frame.
This embedded ASCII video narrates the full process: from chaotic chat usage to durable context, inspection, planning, execution, system capture, and automation. The background changes with every scene so the visual field always matches the meaning.
Start practical. Install or open Hermes, pick a model, verify the system, then run one grounded task with tools instead of staying in pure chat.
Use the interactive setup to configure provider, model, terminal, gateway, tools, and agent defaults.
hermes setup
Use health and status commands to catch missing dependencies, auth issues, and gateway/tool configuration problems.
hermes doctor
hermes status
Hermes is provider-agnostic. Switch models/providers without changing the workflow around them.
hermes model
For automation and repeatable checks, run a single query from the shell and capture the final answer.
hermes chat -q "Inspect this repo and summarize the risks"
Hermes is strongest when durable context, tools, skills, memory, scheduling, and messaging all serve the same operator loop.
Use hermes for interactive work, hermes chat -q for one-off execution, and --worktree when parallel agents need isolated git workspaces.
Enable focused toolsets such as terminal, file, web, browser, vision, image generation, TTS, todo, cronjob, delegation, memory, session search, and skills.
Memory keeps stable facts and preferences. Skills keep reusable procedures, commands, pitfalls, and verification steps.
hermes skills search github
hermes skills install <identifier>
hermes memory status
The gateway brings Hermes to Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Email, SMS, Matrix, Mattermost, Home Assistant, Feishu, WeCom, BlueBubbles, Weixin, API Server, and webhooks.
hermes gateway setup
hermes gateway status
Use cron for scheduled runs and webhooks for event-driven work. This is where useful prompts become operational routines.
hermes cron create "0 9 * * *"
hermes webhook subscribe deploy-watch
Connect MCP servers, install plugins, and expose Hermes itself as an MCP server when your workflow needs more specialized tools.
hermes mcp list
hermes plugins list
Good Hermes usage is not a sequence of lucky chats. It is a controlled loop: context → inspect → plan → act → verify → compound.
Load stable information: project, constraints, source-of-truth docs, success criteria, and do-not-touch zones.
Read files, docs, logs, webpages, issues, and system state before touching anything.
Break work into reversible steps, surface risks, and choose the minimum safe move.
Use tools deliberately. Ask for approval before destructive, broad, or external-impact operations.
Run tests, builds, browser checks, API probes, or live smoke tests. Report exact commands and results.
Build your personal operating system.
Hermes becomes powerful when it stops being a chatbot and starts becoming part of how you execute: terminal, files, browser, memory, skills, schedules, webhooks, and messaging all tied to one disciplined loop.