Manage Hermes Sessions with Browse, Resume, Export, and Prune

Hermes stores conversations so work can continue across CLI and messaging surfaces. The session commands help you list, browse, rename, resume, export, and prune that history. Good hygiene makes retrieval reliable while keeping old private material from accumulating without purpose.

Official session guide: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/sessions

Build a useful session index

Use descriptive titles for durable projects and decisions. hermes sessions list provides a quick inventory, while hermes sessions browse offers an interactive picker. Resume a known session with hermes --resume <session> or continue the latest suitable work with care. Rename generic titles once the real purpose is clear.

Use search to recall what was said, but inspect the original live source when a task points to a website, file, account, or external system. A session records historical conversation; it does not prove current state.

Session-hygiene checklist

Name long-running sessions by stable purpose, not temporary status.
Confirm the profile before listing or resuming history.
Read the recent resolution before continuing old work.
Check live external sources before acting on historical claims.
Export only the minimum needed for support or analysis.
Redact secrets, personal data, and unrelated messages.
Define a retention period appropriate to the work.
Back up required records before pruning.

Export and retention

hermes sessions export <output> creates a portable representation for analysis or support. Treat exports as sensitive: transcripts can contain paths, account details, pasted documents, and tool results. Inspect the artifact before sharing it. Use prune controls for old sessions only after confirming they are no longer needed and that any required record has been retained appropriately.

Pitfalls

Resuming the newest session when a named project session exists.
Treating historical tool output as evidence of current external state.
Exporting an entire history for a one-message support problem.
Pruning before saving required decisions or audit records.
Mixing profiles and assuming their sessions are shared.
Leaving generic titles that make later search ambiguous.

Verification steps

List sessions and confirm the active profile and expected history.
Rename one durable session with a clear project purpose.
Resume it and verify the opening and latest decision context.
Search for a known phrase and compare the result with the transcript.
Export a small test set to a protected local path.
Open the export and scan for sensitive content before sharing.
Test retention or prune rules only on disposable sessions first.