HeyRocky

Install Hermes on Linux

What this page covers

This page covers the standard Linux install path, including the official installer, shell reload, provider selection, and verification commands. It also applies to most WSL2 terminal setups after the Linux shell is working.

Hermes changes quickly, so treat the official documentation as the source of truth and use the built-in CLI to inspect the local install before editing config by hand.

Fast path

```bash

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

```

```bash

source ~/.bashrc # or source ~/.zshrc

```

```bash

hermes setup

```

```bash

hermes model

```

```bash

hermes chat -q "Say hello, then tell me which model you are using."

```

```bash

hermes doctor

```

Practical checklist

  • Install in the user shell that will actually run Hermes and the gateway.
  • Choose a provider with at least 64K context; the official docs note that Hermes rejects smaller-context models.
  • Use `hermes setup --portal` when a Nous Portal login should configure a model plus Tool Gateway tools in one flow.
  • If this will become a server/gateway machine, verify the normal CLI before installing background services.
  • For WSL2 gateway service work, ensure systemd support is configured before assuming persistent services will survive.

Common pitfalls

  • Debugging gateway or cron before the base CLI works.
  • Configuring secrets in `config.yaml`; secrets belong in `.env` or OAuth credential storage.
  • Using local/self-hosted models without confirming the context window.

Verification checklist

  • `hermes chat -q ...` returns a real response.
  • `hermes doctor` passes or reports only understood non-blockers.
  • `hermes config` shows the intended provider/model.
  • The target shell can run `hermes` without manually exporting PATH each time.

Official reference

https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/quickstart

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