🤖 AI Tools
· 6 min read

Hermes Agent: The Self-Improving AI Agent With 225K GitHub Stars (2026)

Hermes Agent is the fastest-growing open-source agent framework of 2026. Built by Nous Research, it has 225,000+ GitHub stars and a unique feature: a built-in learning loop that creates skills from experience, improves them during use, and builds a deepening model of who you are across sessions.

If you want an AI agent that runs on your own server, talks to you via Telegram or Discord, and gets smarter the more you use it, Hermes Agent is the best option available.

What is Hermes Agent?

Hermes Agent is a self-improving AI agent built by Nous Research. It’s not just a coding agent or a chatbot. It’s a general-purpose agent that:

  • Creates skills from experience
  • Improves skills during use
  • Persists knowledge across sessions
  • Searches its own past conversations
  • Builds a model of who you are
  • Runs on your own server (not a cloud service)
  • Talks to you via Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, or CLI

The key differentiator: the learning loop. Most agents start fresh every session. Hermes Agent remembers what it learned, creates reusable skills from complex tasks, and improves those skills over time.

Key specs

SpecValue
DeveloperNous Research
GitHub stars225,000+
LicenseMIT
Launch dateFebruary 2026
LanguagesPython, TypeScript
ModelsAny (Nous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI, custom)
PlatformsmacOS, Windows, Linux, Termux
MessagingTelegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal
Tools40+ built-in
InstallationOne-liner script

The learning loop

This is what makes Hermes Agent different from every other agent framework:

1. Memory: Carries preferences, project context, and relevant history into new sessions. Doesn’t start cold.

2. Skills: Repeated patterns become reusable skills you can inspect, edit, or remove. Skills self-improve during use.

3. Lessons: Corrections become durable lessons that change later behavior. Workspace-scoped lessons for project-specific guidance.

4. User modeling: Uses Honcho dialectic user modeling to build a deepening understanding of who you are and how you work.

5. Session search: FTS5 session search with LLM summarization for cross-session recall. Can find and reference past conversations.

This isn’t just “save the conversation history.” It’s a genuine learning loop where the agent creates knowledge from experience and applies it later.

Installation

Linux, macOS, WSL2

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell)

iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1)

After installation

source ~/.bashrc    # or source ~/.zshrc
hermes              # start chatting

Configuration

hermes setup        # full setup wizard
hermes model        # choose your LLM provider
hermes tools        # configure enabled tools
hermes config set   # set individual config values
hermes gateway      # start messaging gateway

Using Nous Portal

If you don’t want to collect separate API keys:

hermes setup --portal

This gives you access to 300+ models and the Tool Gateway (web search, image generation, TTS, cloud browser) under one subscription.

Using other providers

hermes model openrouter:anthropic/claude-sonnet-5
hermes model openai:gpt-5.6-sol
hermes model custom:https://your-endpoint.com/v1

Messaging gateway

Hermes Agent can talk to you from multiple platforms simultaneously:

hermes gateway setup    # configure platforms
hermes gateway start    # start the gateway

Supported platforms:

  • Telegram
  • Discord
  • Slack
  • WhatsApp
  • Signal
  • Email

All from a single gateway process. Conversation continues across platforms.

Tools and capabilities

Hermes Agent includes 40+ built-in tools:

  • Code: Write, edit, test, debug code
  • Files: Read, write, search, manage files
  • Shell: Run commands, manage processes
  • Web: Search, browse, fetch web content
  • Git: Commit, push, pull, manage repos
  • Memory: Store, recall, search knowledge
  • Skills: Create, improve, manage skills
  • Cron: Schedule recurring tasks
  • MCP: Connect external tools

Terminal backends

Seven terminal backends for different environments:

  • Local (default)
  • Docker
  • SSH
  • Singularity
  • Modal (serverless)
  • Daytona (serverless)
  • Vercel Sandbox

Daytona and Modal offer serverless persistence: your agent’s environment hibernates when idle and wakes on demand.

Scheduled automations

Built-in cron scheduler with delivery to any platform:

hermes cron add "Check open PRs and summarize" --schedule "0 9 * * *"
hermes cron add "Monitor deployment health" --schedule "*/5 * * * *"
hermes cron add "Weekly code quality report" --schedule "0 9 * * 1"

Jobs deliver results to Telegram, Discord, Slack, or wherever you’re connected.

Multi-agent coordination

Hermes Agent can spawn isolated subagents for parallel work:

  • Independent research and implementation
  • Parallel workstreams that return results to the parent
  • Python scripts that call tools via RPC

The main conversation stays focused on the goal while specialized agents handle work in parallel.

Security

Hermes Agent runs on your own server. Your data never leaves your infrastructure. Key security features:

  • Command approval (deny-by-default option)
  • Container isolation (Docker backend)
  • DM pairing for messaging platforms
  • Blank Slate mode (tighter tool scoping)

Migration from OpenClaw

If you’re coming from OpenClaw (the other major open-source agent in 2026):

hermes claw migrate              # interactive migration
hermes claw migrate --dry-run    # preview what would be migrated

Imports: persona, memories, skills, API keys, messaging settings, TTS assets.

When to use Hermes Agent

  • You want a self-improving agent that learns from experience
  • You need to run agents on your own server (data privacy)
  • You want to talk to your agent via Telegram/Discord/Slack
  • You prefer open-source with MIT license
  • You want a general-purpose agent, not just coding

When to use something else

  • AWS ecosystem: Kiro Crew (persistent workspace)
  • Python framework: CrewAI or AutoGen
  • Interactive coding: Claude Code, Cursor, or Kiro IDE
  • Cloud-first: Claude Code or ChatGPT

My take

Hermes Agent is the most interesting open-source agent of 2026. The learning loop is a genuine differentiator. No other agent framework creates skills from experience and improves them over time.

The 225,000+ GitHub stars are impressive but not surprising. Nous Research has a strong reputation in the open-source AI community. The MIT license means no restrictions on commercial use.

The messaging integration is the other standout feature. Talking to your agent via Telegram while it works on a cloud VM is a workflow that no other agent matches. It’s not just a coding tool. It’s a general-purpose assistant that lives where you do.

For developers who want a self-improving agent that runs on their own infrastructure, Hermes Agent is the best choice. For teams in the AWS ecosystem, Kiro Crew is the alternative.

FAQ

Is Hermes Agent free?

Yes. MIT license, open source. You pay for the model API calls (through Nous Portal or your own provider), but the agent itself is free.

How is Hermes Agent different from Claude Code?

Claude Code is a coding agent locked to Anthropic models. Hermes Agent is a general-purpose agent that works with any model, runs on your own server, talks via Telegram/Discord, and has a learning loop.

Does Hermes Agent work with any model?

Yes. Nous Portal, OpenRouter, OpenAI, custom endpoints. Switch with hermes model command. No code changes needed.

Can I run Hermes Agent on a $5 VPS?

Yes. The agent runs on minimal hardware. A $5 VPS with 1GB RAM is sufficient for most use cases. GPU is not required (the agent calls external model APIs).

What is the learning loop?

The agent creates skills from experience, improves them during use, persists knowledge across sessions, and builds a user model over time. This is unique among open-source agent frameworks.

Is Hermes Agent better than CrewAI?

They serve different purposes. Hermes Agent is a self-improving general-purpose agent with messaging integration. CrewAI is a multi-agent framework for building specialized agent teams. For personal use, Hermes. For team orchestration, CrewAI.

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