Hermes Agent — 8-Lesson Tour
A free curriculum for the Nous Research open-source agent — install, CLI, features, messaging, integrations, guides, developer extension and a full command reference.
Everything you need to go from 'what is Hermes?' to 'here's what I just shipped on my team's Telegram'. Built from the official Nous Research docs, rewritten for SetupClaw readers with attribution on every lesson.
Based on the official Nous Research docs
Every lesson links back to the canonical Hermes documentation as its source.
Curriculum
- 0110 min read
Getting Started: Install Hermes Agent and Hold Your First Conversation
Prerequisites, the one-line installer, picking an AI provider, and the 'layered adoption' principle Nous recommends before you enable any heavier feature.
Start lesson - 0212 min read
Using Hermes: CLI, TUI, Slash Commands, and Sessions
The two interfaces (classic CLI and modern TUI), how slash commands work, multi-line input, session resume, and the background-task pattern.
Start lesson - 0314 min read
Hermes Features: Memory, Skills, Tools, and Voice Mode
The four pillars that make Hermes more than a chatbot — persistent memory files, on-demand skills, toolsets, and voice interaction — and how they fit together.
Start lesson - 0413 min read
Messaging Platforms: Run Hermes on Telegram, Discord, Slack and 15+ More
The gateway architecture, the shared allowlist security model, and a platform-by-platform capability matrix — so you can pick the right channel for your team.
Start lesson - 0512 min read
Integrations: AI Providers, Tool Servers, Web Search and Voice Backends
How Hermes talks to the outside world — LLM providers, MCP tool servers, the four web-search backends, voice providers, and OpenAI-compatible API mode.
Start lesson - 0611 min read
Guides and Tips: Get More Out of Hermes in Daily Use
Prompt discipline, AGENTS.md for project context, keyboard shortcuts, memory vs skills, token budget control, and the operational security checklist.
Start lesson - 0714 min read
Developer Guide: Architecture, Contributing, and Extending Hermes
Repo setup with uv, cross-platform and security invariants, the three extension paths (tools / skills / providers), testing, and the commit/PR conventions.
Start lesson - 0815 min read
Reference: A Tour of Every Hermes CLI Command
A grouped tour through every `hermes …` command — chat, model, sessions, skills, cron, gateway, doctor, dashboard and the rest — so you always know which one you want.
Start lesson
About this guide
Hermes Agent is built by Nous Research and licensed MIT. This guide summarises the official docs in our own voice for SetupClaw readers who prefer the OpenClaw learning format. For the canonical, always-up-to-date version, follow the source links on each lesson.
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