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Hermes Agent

Open-source AI agent framework with persistent memory, reusable skills, tools, and messaging gateways

Hermes Agent is an open-source AI agent framework with persistent memory, reusable skills, 40+ tools, cron jobs, and messaging gateways.

About Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent is an open-source, self-improving AI assistant by Nous Research that features persistent cross-session memory, a skills system that learns and refines reusable capabilities over time, and multi-platform access through terminal UI, Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, and email. It solves the fundamental limitation of AI assistants forgetting everything between sessions by implementing a multi-level memory system where the agent retains user preferences, project context, and learned problem-solving strategies across conversations. Hermes Agent bridges the gap between stateless AI chat interfaces and truly persistent AI teammates that grow more capable and personalized through continued use.

Hermes Agent includes over 40 built-in tools for web search, file operations, terminal commands, image generation, text-to-speech, vision analysis, and code execution, all usable autonomously without human intervention. The self-improving skills system works by observing complex task completions, extracting reusable skill documents from successful approaches, and refining those skills on subsequent encounters, effectively creating a growing library of domain expertise. The agent runs on any infrastructure from a $5 VPS to serverless cloud, with two primary entry points: a terminal UI for local interactive use and a gateway server for messaging platform integrations.

Hermes Agent targets developers, researchers, and power users who want a persistent AI assistant that learns their workflows, remembers their projects, and becomes more useful over time through accumulated experience and skill development. It integrates with multiple communication platforms allowing users to interact with their agent from wherever they work, whether that is the terminal, a messaging app, or email. Hermes Agent is particularly valuable for developers who want an AI assistant that understands their codebase context across sessions, system administrators who need an always-available helper for server management, and teams that want a shared AI teammate accessible through their existing communication channels.

Pricing & Platform Specs

Pricing Summary

Free and 100% open source under the MIT License (Hermes Agent) with open weights on Hugging Face under the Llama 3.1 Community License (Hermes 3). Zero software licensing costs; users can run models locally for free via Ollama/vLLM or connect to pay-as-you-go cloud API providers like OpenRouter and Together AI.

full pricing breakdown →

Supported Platforms

CLI and gateway for macOS, Linux, Windows/WSL, messaging platforms, webhooks, and API integrations.

Explore categories, tags & use cases

Open-source extensible AI agent by Block

Autonomous coding agent from Block (Square) that works with any LLM through MCP-first extensibility. Apache 2.0 licensed with 47K+ GitHub stars and a Linux Foundation AAIF founding project. Designed for terminal-based workflows with deep tool integration, making it a strong open-source option for developers who want agent-assisted coding without vendor lock-in.

Open Source

Open-source AI coding agent for the terminal

Open-source terminal-based AI coding agent built in Go by the SST team, with a rich TUI (Bubble Tea) supporting 75+ model providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, Bedrock, Groq, and OpenRouter. Features vim-like editing, persistent SQLite sessions, and LSP integration for 40+ languages. Fully free with no vendor lock-in, it has rapidly grown to 95k+ GitHub stars.

Open Source

Autonomous LLM-powered terminal coding agent

Autohand is an AI platform for adaptive continuous engineering and autonomous code evolution, giving teams infrastructure to coordinate multiple AI agents inside sandboxed execution environments. Its open-source Commander tool builds command interfaces that orchestrate multi-agent workflows, while the broader platform lets agents iteratively write, test, and evolve code safely. Aimed at engineering teams pushing beyond simple code generation toward continuous AI-driven software improvement.

Open Source

Side-by-Side Comparisons

grok bot
Grok Bot
vs
Hermes Agent logo
Hermes Agent

Grok Bot vs Hermes Agent: Managed Cloud Teammate or Self-Improving Runtime?

Grok Bot and Hermes Agent can both operate tools, retain context, delegate work, and run recurring tasks, but they ask the buyer to own very different layers. Grok Bot supplies a managed cloud workspace tied to Cursor identity and can launch Cursor Cloud Agents that build, test, and open pull requests from isolated VMs. Hermes Agent supplies an MIT-licensed runtime with provider choice, self-hosting, persistent memory, self-improving skills, gateways, cron, and ACP. Hermes is stronger for control and portability; Grok Bot is the clearer overall winner for teams prioritizing fast setup, everyday usability, and a direct request-to-PR workflow.

Grok BotHermes Agent
Hermes Agent logo
Hermes Agent
vs
OpenCode logo
OpenCode

Hermes Agent vs OpenCode: Coding Agent or Persistent AI Workflow Agent?

OpenCode and Hermes Agent both appeal to developers who want open, tool-using AI agents, but they optimize for different jobs. OpenCode is a focused terminal-first coding agent. Hermes Agent is broader: a persistent workflow agent with memory, reusable skills, scheduled jobs, messaging gateways, and multi-system automation for work that extends beyond the repository.

Hermes AgentOpenCode
Hermes Agent logo
Hermes Agent
vs
goose ai
Goose

Hermes Agent vs Goose: Persistent AI Teammate or Native Open-Source Agent?

Hermes Agent and Goose are both open-source AI agent projects, but they serve different instincts. Goose is a strong fit for developers who want a native local desktop and CLI agent. Hermes Agent is stronger when you want persistent memory, reusable skills, scheduled jobs, messaging gateways, and multi-system workflow automation that keeps improving across sessions.

Hermes AgentGoose

Community experience

Sources & verification

Sources checked
Content verified

Verification dates are editorial checks. Routine CMS saves and automatic updatedAt timestamps do not advance them.

FAQ

What is Hermes Agent?

Hermes Agent is an open-source AI agent framework with persistent memory, reusable skills, 40+ tools, cron jobs, and messaging gateways.

Is Hermes Agent free?

Yes — Hermes Agent is open source and free to use. Free and 100% open source under the MIT License (Hermes Agent) with open weights on Hugging Face under the Llama 3.1 Community License (Hermes 3). Zero software licensing costs; users can run models locally for free via Ollama/vLLM or connect to pay-as-you-go cloud API providers like OpenRouter and Together AI.

Is Hermes Agent open source?

Yes — Hermes Agent is open source.

Is Hermes Agent still maintained?

Yes — Hermes Agent is active. Its listing was last verified on September 6, 2026.

What are the best Hermes Agent alternatives?

The first editor-selected Hermes Agent alternatives are Goose, OpenCode, Autohand.

How does Hermes Agent score in our review?

The published editorial review lists Hermes Agent at 87/100 overall across speed, privacy, and developer experience. Check the review's evidence status and test metadata for its verification level.