hermes Command — Complete Reference & Examples

Overview

hermes is the primary entry point for Hermes Agent. Running it without any subcommand launches an interactive chat session in your configured interface (TUI or classic REPL) — it is equivalent to hermes chat. The CLI also exposes dozens of subcommands for configuration, integrations, skills, sessions, and maintenance.

hermes [options] [command]

Global Options

Option	Description
`-h, --help`	Show help and exit.
`--version, -V`	Show version information and exit.
`-z PROMPT, --oneshot PROMPT`	One-shot mode: send a single prompt and print only the final response to stdout. No banner, spinner, or session ID line — ideal for scripts and pipes.
`--usage-file PATH`	One-shot mode only: after the run, write a JSON usage report (cost, token counts, model, api_calls) to PATH.
`-m MODEL, --model MODEL`	Model override for this invocation (e.g. `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6`). Applies to `--oneshot` and `--tui`.
`--provider PROVIDER`	Provider override (e.g. `openrouter`, `anthropic`). Applies to `--oneshot` and `--tui`.
`--reasoning LEVEL`	Reasoning effort for this invocation: `none`, `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `max`, or `ultra`.
`-t TOOLSETS, --toolsets TOOLSETS`	Comma-separated toolsets to enable for this invocation.
`--resume SESSION, -r SESSION`	Resume a previous session by ID or title.
`--no-restore-cwd`	Don’t cd into a resumed session’s recorded working directory.
`--continue [SESSION_NAME], -c [SESSION_NAME]`	Resume a session by name, or the most recent one if no name is given.
`--worktree, -w`	Run in an isolated git worktree (for parallel agents).
`--accept-hooks`	Auto-approve any unseen shell hooks without a TTY prompt (useful for CI and headless runs).
`--skills SKILLS, -s SKILLS`	Preload one or more skills for the session (repeat flag or comma-separated).
`--yolo`	Bypass all dangerous command approval prompts (use at your own risk).
`--pass-session-id`	Include the session ID in the agent’s system prompt.
`--ignore-user-config`	Ignore `~/.hermes/config.yaml` and fall back to built-in defaults (credentials in `.env` are still loaded).
`--ignore-rules`	Skip auto-injection of `AGENTS.md`, `SOUL.md`, `.cursorrules`, memory, and preloaded skills.
`--safe-mode`	Troubleshooting mode: disable ALL customizations — user config, memory injection, plugins, and MCP servers. Implies `--ignore-user-config` and `--ignore-rules`.
`--tui`	Launch the modern TUI instead of the classic REPL.
`--cli`	Force the classic `prompt_toolkit` REPL (overrides `display.interface=tui`).
`--dev`	With `--tui`: run TypeScript sources via `tsx` (skip the dist build).
`--profile PROFILE, -p PROFILE`	Run under a named Hermes profile (sets `HERMES_HOME`). Consumed before argument parsing, so it works with every subcommand.

Subcommands

hermes ships with more than sixty subcommands. The main groups:

Group	Subcommands
Chat & models	`chat`, `model`, `moa`, `fallback`, `acp`
Integrations & messaging	`gateway`, `whatsapp`, `whatsapp-cloud`, `slack`, `send`, `webhook`, `portal`, `proxy`, `mcp`, `lsp`, `computer-use`
Configuration & access	`setup`, `config`, `profile`, `project`, `secrets`, `egress`, `skin`, `console`, `pairing`, `approvals`, `auth`, `login`, `logout`
Sessions, memory & analytics	`sessions`, `memory`, `journey` (alias for `learning` + `memory-graph`), `checkpoints`, `insights`, `prompt-size`, `logs`
Skills & extensions	`skills`, `bundles`, `plugins`, `curator`, `pets`, `sync`
Management & admin	`status`, `doctor`, `security`, `cron`, `hooks`, `backup`, `import`, `import-agent`, `migrate`, `dump`, `debug`, `monitoring`, `version`, `update`, `uninstall`, `completion`, `dashboard`, `serve`, `desktop` (alias `gui`), `claw`, `kanban`, `tools`

Run hermes <command> --help for details on any subcommand.

Examples

hermes                          # Start interactive chat
hermes chat -q "Hello"          # Single query mode
hermes -z "Summarize this repo" # One-shot mode: prints only the response
hermes --tui                    # Launch the modern TUI
hermes --cli                    # Force the classic REPL
hermes -c                       # Resume the most recent session
hermes -c "my project"          # Resume a session by name (latest in lineage)
hermes --resume <session_id>    # Resume a specific session by ID
hermes -m anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6 --reasoning high   # Model + reasoning override
hermes -t web -s hermes-agent-dev,github-auth            # Toolset + skill preload
hermes --profile work           # Run under the 'work' profile
hermes setup                    # Run the setup wizard
hermes model                    # Select the default model
hermes config edit              # Edit config in $EDITOR
hermes gateway install          # Install gateway background service
hermes sessions list            # List past sessions
hermes logs -f                  # Follow agent.log in real time
hermes dashboard                # Start web UI dashboard (port 9119)
hermes update                   # Update to the latest version

Tips

Bare hermes starts interactive chat — equivalent to hermes chat.
Use --tui for the full-screen interface, or set display.interface: tui in config.yaml to make it the default.
-c/--continue picks up the most recent session; -r/--resume targets a specific session ID.
-z/--oneshot is designed for scripts and pipes; pair it with --usage-file to track spend.
--safe-mode disables all customizations — the first thing to try when something breaks.
--yolo skips all approval prompts; only use it in trusted, isolated environments.
--profile/-p is handled before argument parsing, so it works with every subcommand.