hermes-agent/website/docs/reference/cli-commands.md

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1	CLI Commands Reference	Authoritative reference for Hermes terminal commands and command families

CLI Commands Reference

This page covers the terminal commands you run from your shell.

For in-chat slash commands, see Slash Commands Reference.

Global entrypoint

hermes [global-options] <command> [subcommand/options]

Global options

Option	Description
--version, -V	Show version and exit.
--profile <name>, -p <name>	Select which Hermes profile to use for this invocation. Overrides the sticky default set by hermes profile use.
--resume <session>, -r <session>	Resume a previous session by ID or title.
--continue [name], -c [name]	Resume the most recent session, or the most recent session matching a title.
--worktree, -w	Start in an isolated git worktree for parallel-agent workflows.
--yolo	Bypass dangerous-command approval prompts.
--pass-session-id	Include the session ID in the agent's system prompt.

Top-level commands

Command	Purpose
hermes chat	Interactive or one-shot chat with the agent.
hermes model	Interactively choose the default provider and model.
hermes gateway	Run or manage the messaging gateway service.
hermes setup	Interactive setup wizard for all or part of the configuration.
hermes whatsapp	Configure and pair the WhatsApp bridge.
hermes login / logout	Authenticate with OAuth-backed providers.
hermes auth	Manage credential pools — add, list, remove, reset, set strategy.
hermes status	Show agent, auth, and platform status.
hermes cron	Inspect and tick the cron scheduler.
hermes webhook	Manage dynamic webhook subscriptions for event-driven activation.
hermes doctor	Diagnose config and dependency issues.
hermes config	Show, edit, migrate, and query configuration files.
hermes pairing	Approve or revoke messaging pairing codes.
hermes skills	Browse, install, publish, audit, and configure skills.
hermes honcho	Manage Honcho cross-session memory integration.
hermes acp	Run Hermes as an ACP server for editor integration.
hermes mcp	Manage MCP server configurations and run Hermes as an MCP server.
hermes plugins	Manage Hermes Agent plugins (install, enable, disable, remove).
hermes tools	Configure enabled tools per platform.
hermes sessions	Browse, export, prune, rename, and delete sessions.
hermes insights	Show token/cost/activity analytics.
hermes claw	OpenClaw migration helpers.
hermes profile	Manage profiles — multiple isolated Hermes instances.
hermes completion	Print shell completion scripts (bash/zsh).
hermes version	Show version information.
hermes update	Pull latest code and reinstall dependencies.
hermes uninstall	Remove Hermes from the system.

hermes chat

hermes chat [options]

Common options:

Option	Description
-q, --query "..."	One-shot, non-interactive prompt.
-m, --model <model>	Override the model for this run.
-t, --toolsets <csv>	Enable a comma-separated set of toolsets.
--provider <provider>	Force a provider: auto, openrouter, nous, openai-codex, copilot-acp, copilot, anthropic, huggingface, zai, kimi-coding, minimax, minimax-cn, kilocode.
-s, --skills <name>	Preload one or more skills for the session (can be repeated or comma-separated).
-v, --verbose	Verbose output.
-Q, --quiet	Programmatic mode: suppress banner/spinner/tool previews.
--resume <session> / --continue [name]	Resume a session directly from chat.
--worktree	Create an isolated git worktree for this run.
--checkpoints	Enable filesystem checkpoints before destructive file changes.
--yolo	Skip approval prompts.
--pass-session-id	Pass the session ID into the system prompt.
--source <tag>	Session source tag for filtering (default: cli). Use tool for third-party integrations that should not appear in user session lists.

Examples:

hermes
hermes chat -q "Summarize the latest PRs"
hermes chat --provider openrouter --model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6
hermes chat --toolsets web,terminal,skills
hermes chat --quiet -q "Return only JSON"
hermes chat --worktree -q "Review this repo and open a PR"

hermes model

Interactive provider + model selector.

hermes model

Use this when you want to:

• switch default providers
• log into OAuth-backed providers during model selection
• pick from provider-specific model lists
• configure a custom/self-hosted endpoint
• save the new default into config

/model slash command (mid-session)

Switch models without leaving a session:

/model                              # Show current model and available options
/model claude-sonnet-4              # Switch model (auto-detects provider)
/model zai:glm-5                    # Switch provider and model
/model custom:qwen-2.5              # Use model on your custom endpoint
/model custom                       # Auto-detect model from custom endpoint
/model custom:local:qwen-2.5        # Use a named custom provider
/model openrouter:anthropic/claude-sonnet-4  # Switch back to cloud

Provider and base URL changes are persisted to config.yaml automatically. When switching away from a custom endpoint, the stale base URL is cleared to prevent it leaking into other providers.

hermes gateway

hermes gateway <subcommand>

Subcommands:

Subcommand	Description
run	Run the gateway in the foreground.
start	Start the installed gateway service.
stop	Stop the service.
restart	Restart the service.
status	Show service status.
install	Install as a user service (systemd on Linux, launchd on macOS).
uninstall	Remove the installed service.
setup	Interactive messaging-platform setup.

hermes setup

hermes setup [model|terminal|gateway|tools|agent] [--non-interactive] [--reset]

Use the full wizard or jump into one section:

Section	Description
model	Provider and model setup.
terminal	Terminal backend and sandbox setup.
gateway	Messaging platform setup.
tools	Enable/disable tools per platform.
agent	Agent behavior settings.

Options:

Option	Description
--non-interactive	Use defaults / environment values without prompts.
--reset	Reset configuration to defaults before setup.

hermes whatsapp

hermes whatsapp

Runs the WhatsApp pairing/setup flow, including mode selection and QR-code pairing.

hermes login / hermes logout

hermes login [--provider nous|openai-codex] [--portal-url ...] [--inference-url ...]
hermes logout [--provider nous|openai-codex]

login supports:

• Nous Portal OAuth/device flow
• OpenAI Codex OAuth/device flow

Useful options for login:

• --no-browser
• --timeout <seconds>
• --ca-bundle <pem>
• --insecure

hermes auth

Manage credential pools for same-provider key rotation. See Credential Pools for full documentation.

hermes auth                                              # Interactive wizard
hermes auth list                                         # Show all pools
hermes auth list openrouter                              # Show specific provider
hermes auth add openrouter --api-key sk-or-v1-xxx        # Add API key
hermes auth add anthropic --type oauth                   # Add OAuth credential
hermes auth remove openrouter 2                          # Remove by index
hermes auth reset openrouter                             # Clear cooldowns

Subcommands: add, list, remove, reset. When called with no subcommand, launches the interactive management wizard.

hermes status

hermes status [--all] [--deep]

Option	Description
--all	Show all details in a shareable redacted format.
--deep	Run deeper checks that may take longer.

hermes cron

hermes cron <list|create|edit|pause|resume|run|remove|status|tick>

Subcommand	Description
list	Show scheduled jobs.
create / add	Create a scheduled job from a prompt, optionally attaching one or more skills via repeated --skill.
edit	Update a job's schedule, prompt, name, delivery, repeat count, or attached skills. Supports --clear-skills, --add-skill, and --remove-skill.
pause	Pause a job without deleting it.
resume	Resume a paused job and compute its next future run.
run	Trigger a job on the next scheduler tick.
remove	Delete a scheduled job.
status	Check whether the cron scheduler is running.
tick	Run due jobs once and exit.

hermes webhook

hermes webhook <subscribe|list|remove|test>

Manage dynamic webhook subscriptions for event-driven agent activation. Requires the webhook platform to be enabled in config — if not configured, prints setup instructions.

Subcommand	Description
subscribe / add	Create a webhook route. Returns the URL and HMAC secret to configure on your service.
list / ls	Show all agent-created subscriptions.
remove / rm	Delete a dynamic subscription. Static routes from config.yaml are not affected.
test	Send a test POST to verify a subscription is working.

hermes webhook subscribe

hermes webhook subscribe <name> [options]

Option	Description
--prompt	Prompt template with {dot.notation} payload references.
--events	Comma-separated event types to accept (e.g. issues,pull_request). Empty = all.
--description	Human-readable description.
--skills	Comma-separated skill names to load for the agent run.
--deliver	Delivery target: log (default), telegram, discord, slack, github_comment.
--deliver-chat-id	Target chat/channel ID for cross-platform delivery.
--secret	Custom HMAC secret. Auto-generated if omitted.

Subscriptions persist to ~/.hermes/webhook_subscriptions.json and are hot-reloaded by the webhook adapter without a gateway restart.

hermes doctor

hermes doctor [--fix]

Option	Description
--fix	Attempt automatic repairs where possible.

hermes config

hermes config <subcommand>

Subcommands:

Subcommand	Description
show	Show current config values.
edit	Open config.yaml in your editor.
set <key> <value>	Set a config value.
path	Print the config file path.
env-path	Print the .env file path.
check	Check for missing or stale config.
migrate	Add newly introduced options interactively.

hermes pairing

hermes pairing <list|approve|revoke|clear-pending>

Subcommand	Description
list	Show pending and approved users.
approve <platform> <code>	Approve a pairing code.
revoke <platform> <user-id>	Revoke a user's access.
clear-pending	Clear pending pairing codes.

hermes skills

hermes skills <subcommand>

Subcommands:

Subcommand	Description
browse	Paginated browser for skill registries.
search	Search skill registries.
install	Install a skill.
inspect	Preview a skill without installing it.
list	List installed skills.
check	Check installed hub skills for upstream updates.
update	Reinstall hub skills with upstream changes when available.
audit	Re-scan installed hub skills.
uninstall	Remove a hub-installed skill.
publish	Publish a skill to a registry.
snapshot	Export/import skill configurations.
tap	Manage custom skill sources.
config	Interactive enable/disable configuration for skills by platform.

Common examples:

hermes skills browse
hermes skills browse --source official
hermes skills search react --source skills-sh
hermes skills search https://mintlify.com/docs --source well-known
hermes skills inspect official/security/1password
hermes skills inspect skills-sh/vercel-labs/json-render/json-render-react
hermes skills install official/migration/openclaw-migration
hermes skills install skills-sh/anthropics/skills/pdf --force
hermes skills check
hermes skills update
hermes skills config

Notes:

• --force can override non-dangerous policy blocks for third-party/community skills.
• --force does not override a dangerous scan verdict.
• --source skills-sh searches the public skills.sh directory.
• --source well-known lets you point Hermes at a site exposing /.well-known/skills/index.json.

hermes honcho

hermes honcho <subcommand>

Subcommands:

Subcommand	Description
setup	Interactive Honcho setup wizard.
status	Show current Honcho config and connection status.
sessions	List known Honcho session mappings.
map	Map the current directory to a Honcho session name.
peer	Show or update peer names and dialectic reasoning level.
mode	Show or set memory mode: hybrid, honcho, or local.
tokens	Show or set token budgets for context and dialectic.
identity	Seed or show the AI peer identity representation.
migrate	Migration guide from openclaw-honcho to Hermes Honcho.

hermes acp

hermes acp

Starts Hermes as an ACP (Agent Client Protocol) stdio server for editor integration.

Related entrypoints:

hermes-acp
python -m acp_adapter

Install support first:

pip install -e '.[acp]'

See ACP Editor Integration and ACP Internals.

hermes mcp

hermes mcp <subcommand>

Manage MCP (Model Context Protocol) server configurations and run Hermes as an MCP server.

Subcommand	Description
serve [-v|--verbose]	Run Hermes as an MCP server — expose conversations to other agents.
add <name> [--url URL] [--command CMD] [--args ...] [--auth oauth|header]	Add an MCP server with automatic tool discovery.
remove <name> (alias: rm)	Remove an MCP server from config.
list (alias: ls)	List configured MCP servers.
test <name>	Test connection to an MCP server.
configure <name> (alias: config)	Toggle tool selection for a server.

See MCP Config Reference, Use MCP with Hermes, and MCP Server Mode.

hermes plugins

hermes plugins [subcommand]

Manage Hermes Agent plugins. Running hermes plugins with no subcommand launches an interactive curses checklist to enable/disable installed plugins.

Subcommand	Description
(none)	Interactive toggle UI — enable/disable plugins with arrow keys and space.
install <identifier> [--force]	Install a plugin from a Git URL or owner/repo.
update <name>	Pull latest changes for an installed plugin.
remove <name> (aliases: rm, uninstall)	Remove an installed plugin.
enable <name>	Enable a disabled plugin.
disable <name>	Disable a plugin without removing it.
list (alias: ls)	List installed plugins with enabled/disabled status.

Disabled plugins are stored in config.yaml under plugins.disabled and skipped during loading.

See Plugins and Build a Hermes Plugin.

hermes tools

hermes tools [--summary]

Option	Description
--summary	Print the current enabled-tools summary and exit.

Without --summary, this launches the interactive per-platform tool configuration UI.

hermes sessions

hermes sessions <subcommand>

Subcommands:

Subcommand	Description
list	List recent sessions.
browse	Interactive session picker with search and resume.
export <output> [--session-id ID]	Export sessions to JSONL.
delete <session-id>	Delete one session.
prune	Delete old sessions.
stats	Show session-store statistics.
rename <session-id> <title>	Set or change a session title.

hermes insights

hermes insights [--days N] [--source platform]

Option	Description
--days <n>	Analyze the last n days (default: 30).
--source <platform>	Filter by source such as cli, telegram, or discord.

hermes claw

hermes claw migrate [options]

Migrate your OpenClaw setup to Hermes. Reads from ~/.openclaw (or a custom path) and writes to ~/.hermes. Automatically detects legacy directory names (~/.clawdbot, ~/.moldbot) and config filenames (clawdbot.json, moldbot.json).

Option	Description
--dry-run	Preview what would be migrated without writing anything.
--preset <name>	Migration preset: full (default, includes secrets) or user-data (excludes API keys).
--overwrite	Overwrite existing Hermes files on conflicts (default: skip).
--migrate-secrets	Include API keys in migration (enabled by default with --preset full).
--source <path>	Custom OpenClaw directory (default: ~/.openclaw).
--workspace-target <path>	Target directory for workspace instructions (AGENTS.md).
--skill-conflict <mode>	Handle skill name collisions: skip (default), overwrite, or rename.
--yes	Skip the confirmation prompt.

What gets migrated

The migration covers 30+ categories across persona, memory, skills, model providers, messaging platforms, agent behavior, session policies, MCP servers, TTS, and more. Items are either directly imported into Hermes equivalents or archived for manual review.

Directly imported: SOUL.md, MEMORY.md, USER.md, AGENTS.md, skills (4 source directories), default model, custom providers, MCP servers, messaging platform tokens and allowlists (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Matrix, Mattermost), agent defaults (reasoning effort, compression, human delay, timezone, sandbox), session reset policies, approval rules, TTS config, browser settings, tool settings, exec timeout, command allowlist, gateway config, and API keys from 3 sources.

Archived for manual review: Cron jobs, plugins, hooks/webhooks, memory backend (QMD), skills registry config, UI/identity, logging, multi-agent setup, channel bindings, IDENTITY.md, TOOLS.md, HEARTBEAT.md, BOOTSTRAP.md.

API key resolution checks three sources in priority order: config values → ~/.openclaw/.env → auth-profiles.json. All token fields handle plain strings, env templates (${VAR}), and SecretRef objects.

For the complete config key mapping, SecretRef handling details, and post-migration checklist, see the full migration guide.

Examples

# Preview what would be migrated
hermes claw migrate --dry-run

# Full migration including API keys
hermes claw migrate --preset full

# Migrate user data only (no secrets), overwrite conflicts
hermes claw migrate --preset user-data --overwrite

# Migrate from a custom OpenClaw path
hermes claw migrate --source /home/user/old-openclaw

hermes profile

hermes profile <subcommand>

Manage profiles — multiple isolated Hermes instances, each with its own config, sessions, skills, and home directory.

Subcommand	Description
list	List all profiles.
use <name>	Set a sticky default profile.
create <name> [--clone] [--no-alias]	Create a new profile. --clone copies config, .env, and SOUL.md from the active profile.
delete <name> [-y]	Delete a profile.
show <name>	Show profile details (home directory, config, etc.).
alias <name> [--remove] [--name NAME]	Manage wrapper scripts for quick profile access.
rename <old> <new>	Rename a profile.
export <name> [-o FILE]	Export a profile to a .tar.gz archive.
import <archive> [--name NAME]	Import a profile from a .tar.gz archive.

Examples:

hermes profile list
hermes profile create work --clone
hermes profile use work
hermes profile alias work --name h-work
hermes profile export work -o work-backup.tar.gz
hermes profile import work-backup.tar.gz --name restored
hermes -p work chat -q "Hello from work profile"

hermes completion

hermes completion [bash|zsh]

Print a shell completion script to stdout. Source the output in your shell profile for tab-completion of Hermes commands, subcommands, and profile names.

Examples:

# Bash
hermes completion bash >> ~/.bashrc

# Zsh
hermes completion zsh >> ~/.zshrc

Maintenance commands

Command	Description
hermes version	Print version information.
hermes update	Pull latest changes and reinstall dependencies.
hermes uninstall [--full] [--yes]	Remove Hermes, optionally deleting all config/data.

See also

• Slash Commands Reference
• CLI Interface
• Sessions
• Skills System
• Skins & Themes