Hermes Commands Quick Reference

TLDR: Hermes has 50+ CLI commands organized into 11 categories — this hermes CLI reference and hermes cheat sheet covers them all.

Key Takeaways

• hermes alone = interactive chat (your daily driver)
• hermes chat -q "query" = one-shot queries for scripts
• hermes --continue = resume your last session
• /model, /compress, /retry = essential in-session slash commands
• hermes gateway = messaging platform subsystem
• Use hermes --help or /help in-session for the live list

Chat Commands

Command	What it does
hermes	Launch interactive chat (default)
hermes chat -q "text"	One-shot query, non-interactive
hermes chat -m "model"	Start with a specific model
hermes chat -t "web,terminal"	Start with specific toolsets
hermes chat --yolo	Skip command approval prompts
hermes chat -Q	Quiet mode (no banner, no spinner)
hermes --continue	Resume most recent session
hermes --continue "name"	Resume a named session
hermes --resume SESSION_ID	Resume a specific session by ID

Configuration

hermes config                  # View current config
hermes config edit             # Open config.yaml in $EDITOR
hermes config set key val      # Set a value (e.g., model.default "claude")
hermes config path             # Print config file path
hermes config env-path         # Print .env path
hermes config check            # Validate config
hermes config migrate          # Update config with new options
hermes setup                   # Interactive setup wizard
hermes setup model             # Just the model section
hermes setup gateway           # Just the gateway section

Model & Provider

hermes model                   # Interactive model picker
hermes login --provider nous   # OAuth login for a provider
hermes logout                  # Clear stored auth

Sessions

hermes sessions list           # Recent sessions
hermes sessions browse         # Interactive picker
hermes sessions rename ID T    # Rename a session
hermes sessions delete ID      # Delete a session
hermes sessions prune          # Clean up old sessions
hermes sessions export FILE    # Export to JSONL
hermes sessions stats          # Storage statistics

Tools & Skills

hermes tools                   # Interactive tool toggling
hermes tools list              # Show all tools and their status
hermes tools enable web        # Enable a toolset
hermes tools disable browser   # Disable a toolset

hermes skills list             # Installed skills
hermes skills search QUERY     # Search the skills hub
hermes skills install NAME     # Install a skill from the hub
hermes skills uninstall N      # Remove a hub skill
hermes skills inspect ID       # Preview without installing
hermes skills publish PATH     # Publish to registry
hermes skills browse           # Browse all available skills
hermes skills check            # Check for updates
hermes skills update           # Update outdated skills
hermes skills config           # Enable/disable per platform

Gateway (Messaging)

hermes gateway run             # Start gateway foreground
hermes gateway install         # Install as systemd service
hermes gateway start           # Start the service
hermes gateway stop            # Stop the service
hermes gateway restart         # Restart the service
hermes gateway status          # Check if running
hermes gateway setup           # Configure platforms
hermes gateway logs            # Show recent logs

Cron & Automation

hermes cron list               # List scheduled jobs
hermes cron create SCHEDULE    # Create a job
hermes cron edit JOB_ID        # Edit a job
hermes cron pause JOB_ID       # Pause a job
hermes cron resume JOB_ID      # Resume a job
hermes cron run JOB_ID         # Trigger manually
hermes cron remove JOB_ID      # Delete a job
hermes cron status             # Scheduler health

Profiles

hermes profile list            # List all profiles
hermes profile create NAME     # Create a new profile
hermes profile use NAME        # Set as default
hermes profile show NAME       # Show details
hermes profile delete NAME     # Delete a profile
hermes profile rename A B      # Rename a profile
hermes profile export NAME     # Export as tar.gz
hermes profile import FILE     # Import from archive
hermes profile alias NAME      # Create wrapper scripts

MCP Servers

hermes mcp list                # Configured servers
hermes mcp add NAME            # Add server (--url or --command)
hermes mcp remove NAME         # Remove a server
hermes mcp test NAME           # Test connection
hermes mcp configure NAME      # Toggle tool selection
hermes mcp serve               # Run Hermes as an MCP server

Auth & Credentials

hermes auth add                # Add API key to credential pool
hermes auth list PROVIDER      # List pooled keys
hermes auth remove P INDEX     # Remove a key
hermes auth reset PROVIDER     # Clear exhaustion status

Webhooks

hermes webhook subscribe N     # Create route at /webhooks/<name>
hermes webhook list            # List subscriptions
hermes webhook remove NAME     # Remove a subscription
hermes webhook test NAME       # Send test POST

Maintenance

hermes doctor                  # Check dependencies and config
hermes doctor --fix            # Auto-fix common issues
hermes update                  # Update Hermes to latest
hermes uninstall               # Uninstall Hermes
hermes version                 # Show version
hermes insights                # Usage analytics

In-Session Slash Commands

Type these during an interactive chat session:

Command	What it does
/new or /reset	Fresh session
/retry	Resend last message
/undo	Remove last exchange
/title name	Name the session
/compress	Summarize earlier turns to save tokens
/model name	Switch model mid-session
/yolo	Toggle approval bypass
/voice on/off/tts	Toggle voice mode
/skills	Browse and install skills
/tools	Manage tools
/help	Show all slash commands
/quit	Exit CLI
/config	Show current config
/verbose	Cycle verbosity levels
/cron	Manage cron jobs
/plugins	List plugins
/stop	Kill background processes
/background prompt	Run a prompt in the background
/queue prompt	Queue for next turn
/rollback [N]	Restore filesystem from checkpoint
/agents	Show active subagents
/goal text	Set a standing goal
/status	Session info
/usage	Token usage
/platforms	Gateway connection status

FAQ

Q: What’s the most common command people use? hermes (interactive chat) by far. Followed by hermes --continue to resume sessions and hermes chat -q for one-off queries.

Q: How do I see all available commands? Run hermes --help for CLI commands or /help in-session for slash commands.

Q: Can I create custom aliases? Yes — use hermes profile alias NAME to create wrapper scripts for common invocations.

Next Steps

• Plugins Guide — extend Hermes with plugins
• Running Multiple Agents — parallel agents and worktree mode