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Hermes TUI for Live Agent Operations

The Hermes TUI is a modern terminal front end backed by the same agent runtime, configuration, sessions, tools, skills, and memory as the classic CLI. It adds richer live controls without creating a separate agent identity.

Official documentation: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/tui

Launch and choose a default

Run hermes --tui for one invocation, set display.interface: tui for a persistent preference, or use hermes --cli when the classic interface is better for a specific task. Sessions live in the same state.db, so work can move between the TUI and classic CLI.

The TUI adds overlays for models, usage, sessions, help, and active agents. It can switch among live conversations in one process, expose per-branch subagent progress, and reload newly added environment values without a full application restart.

Operator checklist

  • Run hermes doctor before debugging interface symptoms.
  • Confirm the selected profile and working directory.
  • Keep approvals visible; avoid enabling YOLO casually.
  • Use the session switcher instead of mixing unrelated work in one context.
  • Watch context and cost through the usage panel.
  • Use the agents overlay for live worker state and intervention.
  • Pick a mouse-tracking mode that behaves correctly in tmux.
  • Fall back to the classic CLI when terminal compatibility is poor.

Pitfalls

  • Assuming the TUI has separate sessions or configuration.
  • Pointing its internal gateway variable at the OpenAI-compatible API server.
  • Confusing a closed live tab with a deleted saved session.
  • Leaving a risky approval mode enabled because the visual reminder is familiar.
  • Debugging theme or mouse issues as agent failures.

Verification steps

  1. Launch with hermes --tui and confirm tools, profile, and model.
  2. Start a named test session and open the live session switcher.
  3. Inspect the usage and agents overlays.
  4. Resume the session from the classic CLI.
  5. Return to the TUI and confirm shared history.
  6. Test one low-risk approval flow.
  7. Restart the TUI and verify explicit resume behavior works as expected.

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