# Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent is an open-source, self-improving autonomous AI agent by Nous Research that learns from experience, builds reusable skills, maintains persistent cross-session memory, and evolves to become more capable over time.

Canonical URL: https://a2a-mcp.org/entry/hermes-agent

Language: en

Category: AI Agents

Updated: 2026-04-01

## Overview

Hermes Agent is a fully open-source (MIT license), self-hosted autonomous AI agent developed by Nous Research. Unlike traditional stateless chatbots or IDE-bound copilots, it is designed as a persistent, evolving teammate that lives on your server or VPS. It features a closed learning loop: after completing tasks, it reflects on outcomes, creates and refines reusable skills, persists knowledge, searches past conversations, and builds a deepening model of the user.

It supports any LLM provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, local models via Ollama/vLLM, Nous Portal, OpenRouter, and more) and runs efficiently even on low-cost infrastructure.

## Key Features

- **Self-Improving Learning Loop**: Automatically creates skills from experience, improves them during use, and persists knowledge across sessions.
- **Persistent Multi-Level Memory**: Uses FTS5 search with LLM summarization, Honcho integration for user modeling, and dedicated memory files (e.g., USER.md, MEMORY.md).
- **Multi-Channel Access**: Interact via Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, CLI, and a gateway that keeps the agent running 24/7.
- **Tool & Execution Support**: Built-in tools, remote terminal access, MCP server mode for extended capabilities, and support for various backends (including Modal, sandboxed execution).
- **Flexible Model Support**: Switch models instantly with `hermes model` command; optimized for both cloud APIs and local open-weight models.
- **Self-Hosted & Lightweight**: Installs with a one-line script; runs on $5 VPS, GPU servers, or idle-cost serverless setups.

## Installation

Quick install on Linux/macOS/WSL:

```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
```

Full documentation and quickstart available at the official site.

## Use Cases

- Long-term personal or team AI assistant that remembers projects and preferences over weeks/months.
- Automating complex, multi-step workflows (research, coding, data processing) with continuous improvement.
- Building custom skills for repetitive tasks without manual reprogramming.
- 24/7 agent operation via cloud VM while interacting from mobile messaging apps.
- Replacing expensive proprietary automation tools with a free, self-evolving open-source alternative.

## Technical Details

- **Language**: Python-based.
- **License**: MIT.
- **Repository**: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent
- **Architecture**: Includes a learning loop, skill documents, session database, and extensible plugin/system architecture.
- **Comparisons**: Often discussed as a strong alternative to OpenClaw, emphasizing better memory management, self-improvement, and reduced "amnesia" in agent workflows.

Hermes Agent represents a shift toward truly persistent and adaptive AI agents that improve through real usage rather than resetting between sessions.

## Tags

- ai-agent
- autonomous-agent
- self-improving
- persistent-memory
- open-source
- nous-research
- python
- skill-creation
- telegram
- cli

## Sources

- [Project website](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/)