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Hermes Agent Setup Guide

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Overview

This document describes the complete installation and configuration process for Hermes Agent using a custom OpenAI-compatible API endpoint.

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1. Installation

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Windows (PowerShell)

Open PowerShell and run: 
iex (irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.ps1)

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macOS / Linux

Install Hermes Agent using the official install script: 
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
After installation, reload your shell and verify: 
source ~/.bashrc
hermes --version
The installer will:
  • Install Hermes Agent
  • Install required dependencies
  • Create configuration files
  • Add Hermes to PATH
  • Launch the setup wizard
Setting up Hermes

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2. Setup Wizard

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Setup Type

Prompt: 
How would you like to set up Hermes?

1. Quick Setup (Nous Portal)
2. Full setup
Selected: 
2. Full setup
Reason:
  • Using a custom API gateway
  • Managing own API keys
  • Full control over provider configuration

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3. Model Provider

Prompt: 
Select provider
Selected: 
30. Custom endpoint (enter URL manually)

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4. Endpoint Configuration

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Base URL

Configured: 
https://api.znapai.com/v1

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API Compatibility Mode

Prompt: 
1. Auto-detect
2. Chat Completions
3. Responses / Codex
4. Anthropic Messages
Selected: 
2. Chat Completions
Reason:
  • OpenAI-compatible endpoint
  • Uses /chat/completions

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5. Model Selection

Hermes successfully queried the gateway and discovered available models. Example models returned: 
gpt-5.5
gpt-5
gpt-5.3-codex
gpt-5.2-codex
gpt-4o
claude-opus-4.6
gemini-2.5-pro
model-router
...
Selected model: 
<selected model>
Recommended options:

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General Purpose

gpt-5.5

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Coding

gpt-5.3-codex

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Dynamic Routing

model-router

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6. Context Length

Prompt: 
Context length in tokens
Selected: 
Leave blank
Reason:
  • Allow Hermes to auto-detect model limits

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7. Provider Display Name

Prompt: 
Display name
Configured: 
ZnapAI Gateway
(or any preferred name)
Hermes Configuration

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8. Terminal Backend

Prompt: 
Choose terminal backend
Selected: 
1. Local
Reason:
  • Direct access to local repositories
  • Direct access to Node.js, Python, Git
  • Best experience for software development

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9. Messaging Platforms

Prompt: 
Select messaging platforms
Selected: 
None
Action: 
Press Enter
Reason:
  • Focus on local coding workflow
  • Configure Telegram/Discord/etc. later if needed

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10. Tool Configuration

Enabled: 
✓ Web Search & Scraping
✓ Browser Automation
✓ Terminal & Processes
✓ File Operations
✓ Code Execution
✓ Vision
✓ Text-to-Speech
✓ Skills
✓ Task Planning
✓ Memory
✓ Session Search
✓ Clarifying Questions
✓ Task Delegation
✓ Cron Jobs
Disabled: 
✗ Video Analysis
✗ Video Generation
✗ X Search
✗ Home Assistant
✗ Spotify
✗ Context Engine

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11. Browser Automation Provider

Prompt: 
Browser Automation Provider
Selected: 
1. Local Browser
Reason:
  • Free
  • No API key required
  • Local Chromium execution

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12. Image Generation Provider

Prompt: 
Image Generation Provider
Selected: 
Skip
Reason:
  • Not required for coding workflows
  • Can be configured later

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13. Text-to-Speech Provider

Prompt: 
Text-to-Speech Provider
Selected: 
Microsoft Edge TTS
Reason:
  • Free
  • Local
  • No API key required

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14. Web Search Provider

Prompt: 
Web Search Provider
Selected: 
DuckDuckGo (ddgs)
Reason:
  • Free
  • No API key required
  • Good enough for general research

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15. Installation Result

Successful installation message: 
[OK] Installation Complete!
Files created: 
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\hermes\
Important files: 
config.yaml
.env
cron/
sessions/
logs/

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16. Common Commands

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Start Hermes

hermes
Hermes Terminal

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Re-run Setup

hermes setup

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Change Model

hermes setup model

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Configure Tools

hermes setup tools

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Configure Terminal Backend

hermes setup terminal

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Show Current Configuration

hermes config

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Edit Configuration

hermes config edit

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Run Diagnostics

hermes doctor

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Update Hermes

hermes update

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17. Configuration Location

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Config

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\hermes\config.yaml

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Environment Variables

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\hermes\.env

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18. Validation Steps

After installation: 
hermes
Verify: 
What model are you using?

What tools are available?

List files in the current directory.

Create a todo list for understanding this repository.
If all commands succeed, the installation is complete and functional.