Hermes One desktop GUI for installing and chatting with a self-improving Hermes Agent

What they did

They used Hermes One (hermes-desktop) as the front end for a self-hosted Hermes Agent instead of hand-managing the CLI. The app ran the official Hermes install script, placed Hermes under ~/.hermes, and walked through provider setup so the agent had a model backend. From the GUI they opened chat sessions, created profiles, inspected and edited memory, browsed and enabled skills and tools, and set up scheduled tasks. They also configured messaging gateways so the agent could be reached from other platforms, and used the desktop shell to review session history and tweak configuration without touching config files directly. On Windows they clicked through the SmartScreen warning for the unsigned installer; on WSL they temporarily granted passwordless sudo so Playwright's dependency install could finish, then removed the sudoers drop-in.

How it went

A working local agent with a chat UI, persistent memory, skills, tools, and schedules managed from one window rather than scattered CLI commands. Setup is mostly guided, but the project is in active development, so expect rough edges and occasional breakage.

Worth knowing

The Windows installer is not code-signed, so SmartScreen warns on first launch. WSL installs can stall on a sudo password prompt with no TTY. npm install hermes-desktop is not a supported install path; use the releases or hermesone.org. Features may change or break during active development.

Wiring

Download the desktop app from hermesone.org or GitHub Releases (not npm). The app runs the official Hermes install script and stores Hermes in ~/.hermes. Configure a model provider in the setup wizard, then use the GUI panels for chat, sessions, profiles, memory, skills, tools, scheduling, and messaging gateways. On WSL, add a temporary NOPASSWD sudoers entry for the Playwright dependency step and remove it afterward.

Try it yourself

Install Hermes One from hermesone.org (or GitHub Releases) for my OS. Walk me through provider setup, then create a profile, enable a couple of skills and tools, and schedule one recurring task. Show me where memory and sessions live under ~/.hermes and how to back them up.