Quickstart
This guide takes you from zero to your first Hermes conversation in about 60 seconds.
Prerequisites
- OS: Linux, macOS, or WSL2 on Windows.
- Model: An LLM with at least a 64,000-token context window. Most hosted models (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Qwen, DeepSeek) qualify.
- API key: For OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, Nous Portal, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
1. Install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
Then reload your shell: source ~/.bashrc or source ~/.zshrc.
2. Configure
Run the interactive setup wizard:
hermes setup
Or configure each part separately:
hermes model # pick your LLM provider
hermes tools # enable toolsets
hermes env # manage API keys
3. Launch
hermes # classic CLI
hermes --tui # terminal UI with overlays
Next steps
- Run
hermes --continueto resume your previous session. - Use
/helpinside the REPL to discover slash commands. - Browse agentskills.io to install community skills.
- Continue to Installation for Docker, SSH, and serverless setups.