Set up a self-directed AI agent with Hermes

Hermes Agent is a self-directed AI assistant that connects to your local models to execute system tasks, generate code, and manage workflows. It retains memory across sessions and creates reusable skills based on your interactions. By integrating it with messaging platforms like Discord, you can interact with your local AI agent remotely.

Learning objectives

In this guide, you will learn how to:

• Install Hermes Agent on Olares.
• Configure Hermes Agent to connect to a local model.
• Interact with your agent directly via the terminal.
• Integrate with Discord for remote chat.

Prerequisites

• Local model: Ollama is installed with at least one tool-capable model downloaded and running. This tutorial uses qwen3.5:9b.
• Discord account: Required to create the bot application.
• Discord server: A server where you have permissions to add bots.

Install Hermes Agent

1. Open Market and search for "Hermes".

   

2. Click Get, and then click Install. When the installation finishes, two shortcuts appear in the Launchpad:

   • Hermes CLI: The command line interface
   • Dashboard: The graphical dashboard

   

Run multiple Hermes agents

Olares supports app cloning. If you want to run multiple independent AI agents for different tasks, you can clone the Hermes Agent app. For more information, see Clone applications.

Configure Hermes Agent

Run a quick setup to connect Hermes Agent to your local model.

Step 1: Get model and endpoint details

1. Check the installed models by running the following command:

   ollama list

2. Copy and save your model name exactly as shown in the NAME column. For example, qwen3.5:9b.

3. Check the context window of the model by running the following command:

   ollama ps

4. Copy and save the value as shown in the CONTEXT column. For example, 32768.

5. Open Settings, go to Applications > Ollama > Shared entrances > Ollama API, and then copy the endpoint address. For example, http://d54536a50.shared.olares.com.

   

Step 2: Run the setup wizard

1. Open the Hermes CLI app from the Launchpad.

2. Enter the following command to start the configuration wizard:

   hermes setup

3. The wizard guides you through a series of steps. Use the arrow keys to navigate and press Enter to confirm.

   Settings	Option
   How would you like to set up Hermes	Select Quick setup - provider, model & messaging (recommended).
   Select provider	Select Custom endpoint (enter URL manually).
   API base URL	Enter your model's API address and append /v1 to the end. For example, http://d54536a50.shared.olares.com/v1.
   API key	Enter any text as a placeholder value, such as ollama-local. The input remains hidden for security.
   Available models	Enter the number corresponding to your target model from the generated list.
   Context length in tokens	If your model's context window is less than 65536, enter a value greater than 65536. If your model's context window is more than 65536, leave this field blank to auto-detect.
   Display name	Enter a name for easy identification, such as ollama-local.
   Connect a messaging platform	Select Skip - set up later with hermes setup gateway.

4. Keep the Hermes CLI window open for the next step.

Interact with Hermes Agent

Option 1: Terminal chat

The Terminal User Interface (TUI) runs directly in the Hermes CLI with no extra setup. It is ideal for quick tests.

1. When the setup wizard completes, it prompts you to launch hermes chat. Type y and press Enter to start the TUI.

   TIP

   If you exited the wizard, manually start the chat by entering hermes chat in the Hermes CLI.

   

2. Send a message, such as what can you do, to verify that the agent responds correctly.

   

3. To close the TUI and return to the standard CLI, type /exit, and then press Enter.

Option 2: Remote chat via Discord

To chat with your agent remotely, connect it to a Discord bot.

Step 1: Create a Discord bot

1. Log in to the Discord Developer Portal with your Discord account.

2. Select Applications from the left sidebar, and then click New Application.

   

3. Enter a name for the new app, agree to the terms, and then click Create.

   

4. From the left sidebar, select Bot.

5. Scroll down to the Privileged Gateway Intents section and enable the following settings:

   • Presence Intent
   • Server Members Intent
   • Message Content Intent

   

6. Click Save Changes.

7. Scroll up to the Token section, click Reset Token, and then copy the generated token for your Discord bot. You need the token for messaging platform configuration later in the Hermes CLI.

   

Step 2: Invite the bot to your server

1. From the left sidebar, select OAuth2, and then find the OAuth2 URL Generator section:

   a. In Scopes, select Bot and applications.commands.

   

   b. Scroll down to Bot Permissions, set the permissions as shown in the following image. You can modify the settings later.

   

2. Copy the Generated URL at the bottom.

3. Paste the URL into a new browser tab, select your Discord server from Add to server, click Continue, and then click Authorize.

   

   The bot is authorized and added to your server.

   

Step 3: Configure the messaging platform

Connect Hermes Agent to your Discord bot by configuring and running the Hermes gateway.

1. Open the Hermes CLI, and then enter the following command to start the configuration wizard:

   hermes gateway setup

2. Select Discord as your messaging platform.

3. Follow the prompts to configure the bot integration:

   • Discord bot token: Enter the bot token generated from your Discord Developer Portal. The input remains hidden.
   • Allowed user IDs or usernames: Enter your Discord user ID to restrict access to yourself.
   • (Optional) Home channel ID: Enter the ID of the Discord channel where the bot operates.

4. Select Done.

5. When prompted to Restart the gateway to pick up changes, enter y.

6. Check your bot status in Discord. A green status icon confirms the bot is online, which means the gateway restarted successfully and the configuration is correct.

Step 4: Authorize your account

For security, the bot does not talk to unauthorized users. You must pair your Discord account with the bot.

1. Send a Direct Message to your new bot. The bot will reply with an error message containing a pairing code.

2. Open the Hermes CLI and enter the following command:

   hermes pairing approve discord {Your-Pairing-Code}

3. Once approved, you can start chatting with your agent in Discord. If you are talking to it in a channel, mention it first.

Advanced configuration

To manually adjust parameters, edit the configuration files directly, and then restart the Hermes CLI to apply the changes.

1. Open the Files app from the Launchpad.
2. Go to Data > hermesagent > home, and locate the configuration files, such as config.yaml and .env.

The file structure and configuration options match the official defaults. For detailed parameter descriptions, see the Hermes configuration guide.

FAQs

How to manually restart the Hermes gateway?

You can restart the gateway manually using one of the following methods:

• Use the Hermes CLI

  This is the fastest method. Open the Hermes CLI from the Launchpad, and then run the following command:

  touch /opt/data/.gateway-restart-requested

• Use the Hermes Dashboard

  This is the most intuitive method. Open the Hermes Dashboard from the Launchpad, and then select Restart Gateway in the left sidebar.

• Use Control Hub

  Open Control Hub, and then go to Browse > {username} > hermesagent-{username} > Deployments > hermesagent, and then click Restart in the upper-right corner. This method completely restarts the entire service, which takes slightly longer.

Next steps

After you complete the basic setup, explore the official resources to expand your agent's capabilities:

• For advanced terminal commands, see CLI Interface.
• For integration with Slack, Telegram, and other platforms, see Messaging Platforms.
• For installation of skills, see Skills System.
• For installation of tools, see Tools & Toolsets.
• For information about best practices and optimization, see Tips & Best Practices.

Note on sudo commands

The Hermes CLI in the Olares environment does not support sudo commands. Ignore any steps in the official documentation that require sudo privileges.

Learn more

• How do I create a server in Discord
• How to find the Channel ID number
• OpenClaw