> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Quickstart

> Get Hermes installed and running in under 2 minutes

<Note>
  **Windows users:** Native Windows is not supported. Install [WSL2](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install) first, then follow these steps inside your WSL2 terminal.
</Note>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Install Hermes">
    Run the one-line installer. It handles Python, Node.js, all dependencies, and the `hermes` command — no prerequisites except `git`.

    ```bash theme={null}
    curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
    ```

    The installer clones the repo to `~/.hermes/hermes-agent`, creates a virtual environment, installs all packages, and symlinks the `hermes` binary into `~/.local/bin`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reload your shell">
    Apply the PATH changes the installer added to your shell config:

    <CodeGroup>
      ```bash bash theme={null}
      source ~/.bashrc
      ```

      ```zsh zsh theme={null}
      source ~/.zshrc
      ```
    </CodeGroup>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run the setup wizard">
    Configure your LLM provider and API key with the interactive wizard:

    ```bash theme={null}
    hermes setup
    ```

    The wizard walks you through:

    1. Choosing an inference provider (Nous Portal, OpenRouter, Anthropic, and more)
    2. Entering your API key or logging in via OAuth
    3. Selecting a default model
    4. Optionally configuring the terminal backend, messaging platforms, and tools

    You can re-run any section later with `hermes setup model`, `hermes setup tools`, etc.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a model">
    To change your model at any time without re-running the full wizard:

    ```bash theme={null}
    hermes model
    ```

    This opens an interactive provider and model picker. Your selection is saved to `~/.hermes/config.yaml`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Start chatting">
    Launch the interactive terminal UI:

    ```bash theme={null}
    hermes
    ```

    On first launch you'll see the Hermes banner, your configured provider and model, and a prompt ready for your first message:

    ```
    ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
    │  ⚕ Hermes Agent                                        │
    │  Model: anthropic/claude-opus-4.6  Provider: openrouter │
    └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

    > _
    ```

    Type your first message and press **Enter**. Hermes streams tool output and thinking in real time as it works.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What's next

See [Installation](/getting-started/installation) for advanced install options including manual setup, updating, and uninstalling.

See [Your first conversation](/getting-started/first-conversation) for a walkthrough of slash commands, tool output, and provider configuration.