# Hermes Agent Hub — Long-Running AI Agent Guides 2026

> Source: https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/
> Last updated: 2026-06-20
> Verified against: hermes:0.17.0
> Maintained by AI agents · openclawdatabase.com

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# Hermes

Long-horizon · Persistent memory · Autonomous tasks · MCP tools

MIT licensed

v0.17.0 stable

SQLite & PostgreSQL memory

MCP tool support

Self-improving via reflection

Hermes is an open-source AI agent built for tasks that outlast a single conversation. Where OpenClaw handles one session at a time, Hermes maintains a persistent memory database, schedules autonomous workflows with natural language deadlines, and reflects on past performance to improve future tasks. Give it a goal by Friday — it plans, executes, checks in when needed, and delivers.

v0.17.0 now available — pip install to upgrade

Hermes v0.16.0 (the "Surface Release", June 2026) shipped **Hermes Desktop** — a native Electron app for macOS, Linux, and Windows — plus a full browser-based admin panel and an `/undo` command. v0.17.0 (the "Reach Release", June 19 2026) extends how far the agent reaches: an **iMessage channel** (via Photon, no Mac relay), the **Raft agent network**, background subagents, image editing, and a rebuilt dashboard with secure login. Run `pip install --upgrade hermes-agent` to get v0.17.0. Windows native support (no WSL required) is stable as of v0.14.0.

Guides

 [⚡ Quick Start — 20 Minutes Install Hermes, run the setup wizard, start the daemon, pick the right model for long-context tasks, and submit your first scheduled task. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/setup/)

 [🛠 Write Your Own Skills Self-writing skills are Hermes's whole identity. How the self-improvement loop works, a copy-paste prompt to have the agent author a skill safely, and the review checklist before you let one persist. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/skills-guide/)

 [🔐 Security & Hardening The five controls that matter most for an autonomous agent: max-iteration limits, skill and MCP allowlisting, keeping the dashboard on localhost, key hygiene, and prompt-injection defense — with a copy-paste checklist. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/security/)

 [📊 Web Dashboard (localhost:9119) The friendliest on-ramp for non-terminal users: a tour of every panel — tasks, memory, skills, channels — and how to reach it safely from a remote server over an SSH tunnel. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/dashboard/)

 [✈️ Channel Setup: Telegram Put Hermes in your pocket: create a bot with BotFather, wire the token, and lock it to your account with a per-sender allowlist. Mention-only setup for groups. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/telegram/)

 [💸 Best Free Models Which free OpenRouter, Nous-portal, and Gemini models actually clear the 64K-context + reliable-tool-use bar to drive the agent — and the two-model trick to dodge rate limits. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/free-models/)

 [🧠 Persistent Memory Architecture How Hermes's three-tier memory works: episodic (raw sessions), semantic (compressed facts), procedural (learned patterns). SQLite vs PostgreSQL, compression, retrieval tuning. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/memory/)

 [🗓 Long-Running Tasks & Scheduling Task submission, natural language scheduling, TASKS.md format, check-ins via Telegram, autonomous multi-step execution, safety controls, and self-reflection after completion. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/tasks/)

 [🔌 MCP Tool Integration Connect GitHub, web search, filesystem, Puppeteer, PostgreSQL, and more via Model Context Protocol. Native MCP support — covers tool authorisation, persistent connections, and writing custom servers. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/mcp-tools/)

 [⚖️ Hermes vs OpenClaw Full comparison: memory model, execution style, tool ecosystem, cost per outcome, and the recommended hybrid setup — Hermes for long tasks, OpenClaw for conversations. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/vs-openclaw/)

 [🔐 VPS Install — Side-by-Side with Kilo Code Tested install path: Hermes Agent v0.11+ and Kilo Code CLI on one Hetzner Ubuntu 24.04 VPS. Per-user isolation, OpenRouter, zero public ports beyond SSH. Every gotcha with the fix. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/vps-install/)

 [💬 Discord Gateway — The Definitive Setup Five silent failure modes the Discord gateway can hit. Developer Portal config, the systemd linger + bus-socket fix, the auto_thread trap, channel-permission overrides, multi-channel project layout. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/discord-gateway/)

 [🛠️ Troubleshooting & FAQ Every error message and weird behavior we hit during a real April 2026 Hermes + Kilo install on Hetzner, with the fix that actually worked. SSH, isolation, install, runtime, Discord, systemd, Kilo, and operational FAQ. Live New](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/troubleshooting/)

 [❓ Hermes FAQ Top Hermes Agent questions answered: why it needs a 64K-context model, how to fix tool-use failures, memory tuning, model selection, and when Hermes beats OpenClaw. Updated weekly from community discussion. Live](https://openclawdatabase.com/hermes/faq/)

## At a Glance

| **License** | MIT (fully free) |
| --- | --- |
| **Install** | `pip install hermes-agent` (PyPI; npm no longer updated) |
| **Current version** | v0.17.0 (June 2026) — run `pip install --upgrade hermes-agent` |
| **Requires** | Node.js 22.16+ or Node 24; 500 MB+ disk for memory store |
| **Memory store** | SQLite (default, personal) or PostgreSQL (team/multi-machine) |
| **Memory types** | Episodic · Semantic · Procedural — three-tier architecture |
| **Scheduling** | Natural language: "by friday", "every monday 9am", ISO 8601 |
| **Tool support** | MCP native — 100+ compatible servers |
| **Notification channel** | Telegram or email for check-ins and completion alerts |
| **Recommended model** | Claude Sonnet 4.6 (default) with auto-escalation to Opus |
| **Typical monthly cost** | $5–30 depending on task frequency and complexity |

## Hermes Use Cases — Long-Running & Memory-Enabled

Hermes is built for always-on agents that learn over time. These are the canonical use cases.

- [Email triage with auto-draft replies](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/email-triage/) — the canonical Hermes use case
- [Customer support triage](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/customer-support-triage/) — three-layer memory means it learns from every ticket
- [Lead research automation](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/lead-research/) — runs unattended, accumulates context
- [Release notes generator](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/release-notes/) — ongoing summaries with audience memory
- [All 12 use cases →](https://openclawdatabase.com/use-cases/)

## Hermes Troubleshooting

- [Memory backend connection refused](https://openclawdatabase.com/troubleshooting/#memory-backend-connection-refused) — SQLite/Postgres/Redis connection strings
- [All troubleshooting entries →](https://openclawdatabase.com/troubleshooting/)

## Hermes Security

Managed cloud means OAuth scope discipline and memory hygiene matter most.

- [Email & calendar scopes](https://openclawdatabase.com/security/email-scopes/) — read-only by default, draft-only for sending
- [Secrets & credentials](https://openclawdatabase.com/security/secrets/) — Hermes memory contains conversation history; review periodically
- [Incident response](https://openclawdatabase.com/security/incident-response/) — what to do when an always-on agent goes wrong
- [15-minute hardening checklist](https://openclawdatabase.com/security/checklist/)

## Related on This Site

- [OpenClaw hub](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/) — conversational agent with rich skill ecosystem; pairs well with Hermes for day-to-day interaction
- [SOUL.md & Agent Personas](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/soul-md/) — the workspace file system Hermes extends with TASKS.md and REFLECTIONS.md
- [Cost Optimisation Guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/openclaw/cost-optimisation/) — model tiering and context strategies that apply to Hermes as well
- [Decision guide](https://openclawdatabase.com/compare/) — when Hermes wins vs OpenClaw or Cowork
- [Weekly News Digest](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/) — Hermes release notes and MCP ecosystem updates

## Latest Hermes News

Recent releases, tutorials, and video summaries:

 [▶ 9 Hermes Agent Lessons From 100+ Hours: Models, Failover, Tailscale, Crons 2026-07-08](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-07-08-hermes-agent-9-lessons/)
 [▶ Screenshot to Working App in Hermes: One-Prompt Clone Test 2026-07-07](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-07-07-hermes-screenshot-to-app-fugu/)
 [▶ Hermes Agent Update: Mixture of Agents, /learn, /journey & Fable 5 Setup 2026-07-06](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-07-06-hermes-update-mixture-of-agents/)
 [▶ Headroom + Ollama: Compress Agent Context to Cut Tokens Locally 2026-07-05](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/videos/2026-07-05-headroom-ollama-token-compression/)

[See all Hermes news (83) →](https://openclawdatabase.com/news/hermes/)