Installation

All supported installation methods for Hermes Agent

Prerequisites

Requirement	Notes
git	Required to clone the repository. Install with sudo apt install git (Debian/Ubuntu), xcode-select --install (macOS), or your distro’s package manager.
Python 3.11+	The installer provisions Python automatically via uv — you do not need to install it manually.
Linux, macOS, or WSL2	Native Windows is not supported. Use WSL2 on Windows.

Node.js is installed automatically by the one-line installer (used by browser tools and the WhatsApp bridge).

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Install

One-line installer (recommended)

The installer handles everything: Python, Node.js, all Python dependencies, the mini-swe-agent submodule (terminal backend), and the hermes CLI symlink.

Linux WSL2

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

After it completes, reload your shell:

bash

source ~/.bashrc

Then run the setup wizard:

hermes setup

Installer options

Pass flags after -- when piping through bash:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --skip-setup

Flag	Description
--skip-setup	Skip the interactive setup wizard at the end
--branch NAME	Install a specific git branch (default: main)
--dir PATH	Override the install directory (default: ~/.hermes/hermes-agent)
--no-venv	Do not create a virtual environment

Manual install

Use manual install if you want to contribute to Hermes, pin a specific commit, or integrate it into an existing environment.

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git
   cd hermes-agent
   
2. Initialize the mini-swe-agent submodule

   mini-swe-agent is the terminal backend. It is required for the agent to run shell commands.

   git submodule update --init mini-swe-agent
   

   For RL/Atropos training work, also initialize the optional submodule:

   git submodule update --init tinker-atropos
   
3. Create a virtual environment with uv

   Install uv if you don’t have it:

   curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
   

   Then create and activate the environment:

   uv venv .venv --python 3.11
   source .venv/bin/activate
   
4. Install dependencies

   uv pip install -e ".[all,dev]"
   uv pip install -e "./mini-swe-agent"
   

   If you initialized tinker-atropos:

   uv pip install -e "./tinker-atropos"
   
5. Symlink the CLI command

   mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
   ln -sf "$(pwd)/.venv/bin/hermes" ~/.local/bin/hermes
   

   Make sure ~/.local/bin is on your PATH:

   export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
   

   Add the export to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc to make it permanent.

6. Run the setup wizard

   hermes setup
   

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Updating

Update to the latest version with:

hermes update

This pulls the latest commits, updates Python dependencies, and re-syncs bundled skills. Your config (~/.hermes/config.yaml) and API keys (~/.hermes/.env) are not modified.

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Uninstalling

hermes uninstall

This removes the installed files and the hermes symlink. Your ~/.hermes/ directory (config, API keys, sessions, memories) is not deleted automatically — remove it manually if you want a clean slate:

rm -rf ~/.hermes

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File locations

All user data lives in ~/.hermes/:

Path	Contents
~/.hermes/config.yaml	All settings (model, toolsets, terminal backend, display, etc.)
~/.hermes/.env	API keys and secrets
~/.hermes/SOUL.md	Agent persona/identity file
~/.hermes/sessions/	Conversation history (SQLite)
~/.hermes/skills/	User-installed and bundled skills
~/.hermes/cron/	Scheduled job definitions
~/.hermes/logs/	Gateway and scheduler logs