Install Hermes Agent on macOS

Step 1: Install Hermes Agent

Open Terminal and run:

# Create the Hermes directory
mkdir -p ~/.hermes/hermes-agent
cd ~/.hermes/hermes-agent

# Clone from GitHub
git clone https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git .

# Set up a Python virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate

# Install
pip install -e .

Verify the install worked:

hermes --version

Step 2: Run the guided setup

Hermes ships with a setup wizard that walks you through model and provider configuration:

hermes setup

The wizard will ask:

• Provider: Choose OpenRouter (easiest start), Anthropic, OpenAI, or a local model path
• Model: Pick a default model — Claude Haiku or GPT-4o mini are good starters
• API key: Paste your key (stored in ~/.hermes/.env with restricted permissions)

If you skip setup, Hermes will prompt you on first run.

Step 3: Run your first conversation

# Make sure venv is active
source ~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/activate

# Start an interactive session
hermes

Try a simple prompt to verify everything works:

What's the current date and time on my Mac?

Hermes should respond. If it errors, check your API key in ~/.hermes/.env and that your provider/model are correctly configured in ~/.hermes/config.yaml.

Step 4: Configure your first tool

Hermes comes with built-in tools. Enable one to test a real workflow:

# List available tools
hermes tools

# Try the file tool — ask Hermes to read a file
hermes
> Read ~/Documents and tell me what's in there

Common first tools for Mac users:

• File tools: Read/write local files
• Apple Notes: Read and create notes (see Apple Notes guide)
• Terminal: Run shell commands (use with caution — Hermes asks before running commands)
• Web tools: Search the web and fetch pages

Step 5: Add a recurring workflow

Once you're comfortable, set up a cron job that runs daily:

hermes cron create \
  --name "daily-brief" \
  --schedule "0 8 * * *" \
  --prompt "Summarize today's AI and automation news relevant to Canadian SMBs. Keep it under 300 words."

Check your scheduled jobs:

hermes cron list

macOS-specific tips

• Background agent: Run hermes gateway start to keep Hermes running as a background service reachable from messaging platforms.
• Launch at login: Add hermes gateway start to a launchd plist or run it from a terminal that stays open.
• Apple Silicon: Hermes Agent runs natively on M-series chips. Python 3.10+ from Homebrew or python.org is recommended.
• Permissions: When Hermes accesses Calendar, Reminders, or Notes via AppleScript, macOS may prompt for permission. Grant it for the tools you want to use.

Next steps

Your Mac now has a working AI agent. From here:

• Configure additional model providers for different use cases
• Set up scheduled automations for recurring tasks
• Secure your API keys and secrets
• Explore SMB workflow ideas