## Two residual Windows fixes that were hanging from earlier commits.
### 1. `hermes gateway status` reported 2 PIDs per gateway — TWO bugs compounded
Diagnosed with psutil parent/child walk against live gateway PIDs:
**Bug A (the real one): `_get_parent_pid` silently failed on Windows.**
The helper shelled out to `ps -o ppid= -p <pid>`, which doesn't exist
on Windows — `FileNotFoundError` → returns `None` → the ancestor walk
terminated at `os.getpid()` alone. Consequence: the PID table scan in
`_scan_gateway_pids` couldn't filter out `hermes gateway status`'s own
launcher stub (a venv `pythonw.exe`/`python.exe` that matches the same
`-m hermes_cli.main gateway` pattern as the gateway). Every status
call saw "itself" as a second gateway.
Fix: `_get_parent_pid` now calls `psutil.Process(pid).ppid()` first
(psutil is a core dependency since 3dfb35700) and falls back to `ps`
only when `shutil.which("ps")` succeeds — matching the Windows-footgun
checker's "always guard `ps` / `wmic` / etc. with `shutil.which`" rule.
Before: `Gateway process running (PID: 21952, 46880)` — 46880 changing
on every call (the status invocation's own launcher, which died by the
time the next status call looked).
After (5 consecutive calls):
```
✓ Gateway process running (PID: 21952)
✓ Gateway process running (PID: 21952)
✓ Gateway process running (PID: 21952)
✓ Gateway process running (PID: 21952)
✓ Gateway process running (PID: 21952)
```
Ancestor walk on the fix: 14 PIDs (full chain through bash/explorer)
instead of the broken 1-PID set.
**Bug B (the cosmetic one): venv-launcher dedup.** Standard Windows
CPython venv behaviour is that `<venv>/Scripts/pythonw.exe` is a ~5 MB
launcher stub that spawns the base Python (`C:\\Program Files\\Python311
\\pythonw.exe`) with the same command line and waits. Our process
scanner sees two PIDs for every gateway: launcher + interpreter, same
cmdline. Bug A masked this by accidentally counting the status call
AS one of them; with Bug A fixed, we see both the real launcher and
real interpreter for the gateway process itself.
Fix: `_filter_venv_launcher_stubs` at the tail of `_scan_gateway_pids`
walks each matched PID's ppid via psutil. Any PID that's the PARENT
of another matched PID is a launcher stub — drop it, keep the child.
Scoped to Windows (`is_windows() and len(pids) > 1`) and no-ops when
psutil isn't importable.
Net effect: `gateway status` now reports one PID per gateway — the
interpreter — matching POSIX behaviour and user expectations.
### 2. `install.ps1`: bootstrap pip + auto-install platform SDKs
New `Install-PlatformSdks` function wired between `Invoke-SetupWizard`
and `Start-GatewayIfConfigured`. Fixes two related issues on fresh
Windows installs:
1. The tiered `uv pip install` cascade (introduced in 87fca8342)
correctly falls through when tier 1 `.[all]` fails on the RL git
deps, but the fallback tiers can silently skip SDKs from `[messaging]`
when there's a partial-resolve. Result: user sets `DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN`
in `.env`, fires up gateway, hits "discord module not installed".
2. `uv` creates venvs WITHOUT pip by default, so the user's escape
hatch (`pip install discord.py` in the venv) doesn't exist either.
The new function:
- Skips if `-NoVenv` (nothing to bootstrap into).
- Scans `~/.hermes/.env` for messaging tokens (TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN,
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN, SLACK_BOT_TOKEN, SLACK_APP_TOKEN, WHATSAPP_ENABLED),
filtering placeholder values.
- For each token that's set, runs `python -c "import <sdk>"` to verify.
- If any import fails: runs `python -m ensurepip --upgrade` to bootstrap
pip into the venv (idempotent — no-ops if pip is already present),
then `pip install <spec>` for each missing SDK with specs mirroring
pyproject.toml's `[messaging]` extra to avoid version drift.
The `$ErrorActionPreference = "SilentlyContinue"` spans are not
cosmetic — PowerShell wraps native-stderr from a non-zero-exit
subprocess as a `NativeCommandError` that prints even through
`*> $null` / `2>$null`. Save + restore EAP over the import-probe
and pip-install blocks keeps the output clean.
Verified on this Windows 10 box:
- Initial state: telegram+fastapi+psutil present, discord+slack_sdk
missing (tier 1 `.[all]` had failed — `.tirith-install-failed`
marker in `%LOCALAPPDATA%\\hermes`).
- First run with discord+slack tokens in .env: detects both missing,
ensurepip (skipped — pip was already bootstrapped earlier this
session for telegram), installs `discord.py[voice]==2.7.1` +
`PyNaCl` + `davey`, installs `slack-sdk==3.41.0`. All imports
succeed on verify.
- Second run: all three SDKs report OK, function no-ops.
Pip spec strings mirror pyproject.toml's `[messaging]` extra verbatim
so a bump to the extra picks up here automatically — no drift.
### Files
- `hermes_cli/gateway.py`: `_get_parent_pid` rewritten (psutil-first);
`_filter_venv_launcher_stubs` added; `_scan_gateway_pids` dedups
launchers on Windows when it finds >1 match.
- `scripts/install.ps1`: new `Install-PlatformSdks` function (~85
lines); wired into the main flow at line 1438.
### Verification
- `venv/Scripts/python.exe scripts/check-windows-footguns.py --all`
→ `✓ No Windows footguns found (380 file(s) scanned).`
- `ast.parse` passes on gateway.py.
- `[System.Management.Automation.Language.Parser]::ParseFile` passes
on install.ps1.
- Live gateway (PID 21952, running since 12:33 today) survived 5x
stress loop of `hermes gateway status` without dying.
|
||
|---|---|---|
| .github | ||
| .plans | ||
| acp_adapter | ||
| acp_registry | ||
| agent | ||
| assets | ||
| cron | ||
| datagen-config-examples | ||
| docker | ||
| docs | ||
| environments | ||
| gateway | ||
| hermes_cli | ||
| locales | ||
| nix | ||
| optional-skills | ||
| packaging/homebrew | ||
| plans | ||
| plugins | ||
| providers | ||
| scripts | ||
| skills | ||
| tests | ||
| tinker-atropos@65f084ee80 | ||
| tools | ||
| tui_gateway | ||
| ui-tui | ||
| web | ||
| website | ||
| .dockerignore | ||
| .env.example | ||
| .envrc | ||
| .gitattributes | ||
| .gitignore | ||
| .gitmodules | ||
| .mailmap | ||
| AGENTS.md | ||
| batch_runner.py | ||
| cli-config.yaml.example | ||
| cli.py | ||
| constraints-termux.txt | ||
| CONTRIBUTING.md | ||
| docker-compose.yml | ||
| Dockerfile | ||
| flake.lock | ||
| flake.nix | ||
| hermes | ||
| hermes-already-has-routines.md | ||
| hermes_bootstrap.py | ||
| hermes_constants.py | ||
| hermes_logging.py | ||
| hermes_state.py | ||
| hermes_time.py | ||
| LICENSE | ||
| MANIFEST.in | ||
| mcp_serve.py | ||
| mini_swe_runner.py | ||
| model_tools.py | ||
| package-lock.json | ||
| package.json | ||
| pyproject.toml | ||
| README.md | ||
| README.zh-CN.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.2.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.3.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.4.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.5.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.6.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.7.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.8.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.9.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.10.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.11.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.12.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.13.0.md | ||
| rl_cli.py | ||
| run_agent.py | ||
| SECURITY.md | ||
| setup-hermes.sh | ||
| toolset_distributions.py | ||
| toolsets.py | ||
| trajectory_compressor.py | ||
| utils.py | ||
| uv.lock | ||
Hermes Agent ☤
The self-improving AI agent built by Nous Research. It's the only agent with a built-in learning loop — it creates skills from experience, improves them during use, nudges itself to persist knowledge, searches its own past conversations, and builds a deepening model of who you are across sessions. Run it on a $5 VPS, a GPU cluster, or serverless infrastructure that costs nearly nothing when idle. It's not tied to your laptop — talk to it from Telegram while it works on a cloud VM.
Use any model you want — Nous Portal, OpenRouter (200+ models), NVIDIA NIM (Nemotron), Xiaomi MiMo, z.ai/GLM, Kimi/Moonshot, MiniMax, Hugging Face, OpenAI, or your own endpoint. Switch with hermes model — no code changes, no lock-in.
| A real terminal interface | Full TUI with multiline editing, slash-command autocomplete, conversation history, interrupt-and-redirect, and streaming tool output. |
| Lives where you do | Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, and CLI — all from a single gateway process. Voice memo transcription, cross-platform conversation continuity. |
| A closed learning loop | Agent-curated memory with periodic nudges. Autonomous skill creation after complex tasks. Skills self-improve during use. FTS5 session search with LLM summarization for cross-session recall. Honcho dialectic user modeling. Compatible with the agentskills.io open standard. |
| Scheduled automations | Built-in cron scheduler with delivery to any platform. Daily reports, nightly backups, weekly audits — all in natural language, running unattended. |
| Delegates and parallelizes | Spawn isolated subagents for parallel workstreams. Write Python scripts that call tools via RPC, collapsing multi-step pipelines into zero-context-cost turns. |
| Runs anywhere, not just your laptop | Seven terminal backends — local, Docker, SSH, Singularity, Modal, Daytona, and Vercel Sandbox. Daytona and Modal offer serverless persistence — your agent's environment hibernates when idle and wakes on demand, costing nearly nothing between sessions. Run it on a $5 VPS or a GPU cluster. |
| Research-ready | Batch trajectory generation, Atropos RL environments, trajectory compression for training the next generation of tool-calling models. |
Quick Install
Linux, macOS, WSL2, Termux
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
Windows (native, PowerShell)
Run this in PowerShell:
irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex
The installer handles everything: uv, Python 3.11, Node.js, ripgrep, ffmpeg, and a portable Git Bash (MinGit, unpacked to %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\git — no admin required, completely isolated from any system Git install). Hermes uses this bundled Git Bash to run shell commands.
If you already have Git installed, the installer detects it and uses that instead. Otherwise a ~45MB MinGit download is all you need — it won't touch or interfere with any system Git.
Android / Termux: The tested manual path is documented in the Termux guide. On Termux, Hermes installs a curated
.[termux]extra because the full.[all]extra currently pulls Android-incompatible voice dependencies.Windows: Native Windows is supported — the PowerShell one-liner above installs everything. If you'd rather use WSL2, the Linux command works there too. Native Windows install lives under
%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes; WSL2 installs under~/.hermesas on Linux. The only Hermes feature that currently needs WSL2 specifically is the browser-based dashboard chat pane (it uses a POSIX PTY — classic CLI and gateway both run natively).
After installation:
source ~/.bashrc # reload shell (or: source ~/.zshrc)
hermes # start chatting!
Getting Started
hermes # Interactive CLI — start a conversation
hermes model # Choose your LLM provider and model
hermes tools # Configure which tools are enabled
hermes config set # Set individual config values
hermes gateway # Start the messaging gateway (Telegram, Discord, etc.)
hermes setup # Run the full setup wizard (configures everything at once)
hermes claw migrate # Migrate from OpenClaw (if coming from OpenClaw)
hermes update # Update to the latest version
hermes doctor # Diagnose any issues
CLI vs Messaging Quick Reference
Hermes has two entry points: start the terminal UI with hermes, or run the gateway and talk to it from Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, or Email. Once you're in a conversation, many slash commands are shared across both interfaces.
| Action | CLI | Messaging platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Start chatting | hermes |
Run hermes gateway setup + hermes gateway start, then send the bot a message |
| Start fresh conversation | /new or /reset |
/new or /reset |
| Change model | /model [provider:model] |
/model [provider:model] |
| Set a personality | /personality [name] |
/personality [name] |
| Retry or undo the last turn | /retry, /undo |
/retry, /undo |
| Compress context / check usage | /compress, /usage, /insights [--days N] |
/compress, /usage, /insights [days] |
| Browse skills | /skills or /<skill-name> |
/<skill-name> |
| Interrupt current work | Ctrl+C or send a new message |
/stop or send a new message |
| Platform-specific status | /platforms |
/status, /sethome |
For the full command lists, see the CLI guide and the Messaging Gateway guide.
Documentation
All documentation lives at hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs:
| Section | What's Covered |
|---|---|
| Quickstart | Install → setup → first conversation in 2 minutes |
| CLI Usage | Commands, keybindings, personalities, sessions |
| Configuration | Config file, providers, models, all options |
| Messaging Gateway | Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Home Assistant |
| Security | Command approval, DM pairing, container isolation |
| Tools & Toolsets | 40+ tools, toolset system, terminal backends |
| Skills System | Procedural memory, Skills Hub, creating skills |
| Memory | Persistent memory, user profiles, best practices |
| MCP Integration | Connect any MCP server for extended capabilities |
| Cron Scheduling | Scheduled tasks with platform delivery |
| Context Files | Project context that shapes every conversation |
| Architecture | Project structure, agent loop, key classes |
| Contributing | Development setup, PR process, code style |
| CLI Reference | All commands and flags |
| Environment Variables | Complete env var reference |
Migrating from OpenClaw
If you're coming from OpenClaw, Hermes can automatically import your settings, memories, skills, and API keys.
During first-time setup: The setup wizard (hermes setup) automatically detects ~/.openclaw and offers to migrate before configuration begins.
Anytime after install:
hermes claw migrate # Interactive migration (full preset)
hermes claw migrate --dry-run # Preview what would be migrated
hermes claw migrate --preset user-data # Migrate without secrets
hermes claw migrate --overwrite # Overwrite existing conflicts
What gets imported:
- SOUL.md — persona file
- Memories — MEMORY.md and USER.md entries
- Skills — user-created skills →
~/.hermes/skills/openclaw-imports/ - Command allowlist — approval patterns
- Messaging settings — platform configs, allowed users, working directory
- API keys — allowlisted secrets (Telegram, OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, ElevenLabs)
- TTS assets — workspace audio files
- Workspace instructions — AGENTS.md (with
--workspace-target)
See hermes claw migrate --help for all options, or use the openclaw-migration skill for an interactive agent-guided migration with dry-run previews.
Contributing
We welcome contributions! See the Contributing Guide for development setup, code style, and PR process.
Quick start for contributors — clone and go with setup-hermes.sh:
git clone https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git
cd hermes-agent
./setup-hermes.sh # installs uv, creates venv, installs .[all], symlinks ~/.local/bin/hermes
./hermes # auto-detects the venv, no need to `source` first
Manual path (equivalent to the above):
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
uv venv .venv --python 3.11
source .venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e ".[all,dev]"
scripts/run_tests.sh
RL Training (optional): The RL/Atropos integration (
environments/) — seeCONTRIBUTING.mdfor the full setup.
Community
- 💬 Discord
- 📚 Skills Hub
- 🐛 Issues
- 🔌 HermesClaw — Community WeChat bridge: Run Hermes Agent and OpenClaw on the same WeChat account.
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
Built by Nous Research.