Hermes Agent is an open-source AI agent from Nous Research. It lives on the server, works with your chosen model, and communicates through a messenger. Installation takes a few minutes.

How it differs from OpenClaw

OpenClaw was the first notable project of its kind and continues to evolve. Behind Hermes is a funded company that makes money from subscriptions, and you can see that in the product: less manual configuration, more works right out of the box. According to user observations, Hermes has already surpassed OpenClaw in terms of token consumption via OpenRouter.

If you're already on OpenClaw

You don't need to set everything up from scratch. Part of the configuration can be transferred with one command:

hermes claw migrate

Fresh installation

1. Server

Any VPS with standard Ubuntu will work, the provider doesn't matter.

2. Installing the agent

Connect to the server and run the installation script from the official repository:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

The script runs immediately after download. If you want to see what it does first, open it via the same link in your browser.

3. Initial setup

After installation, a wizard will appear. Choose Quick Setup: it will guide you through the provider, model, and messenger without unnecessary questions.

4. Model

The wizard will offer a long list. Two convenient options to get started:

  • You have a ChatGPT subscription — select OpenAI Codex, you won't need to pay for API separately.
  • Want to try for free — select free models via OpenRouter. Their selection changes; the current list is on the OpenRouter page.

Free models have a daily request limit, which is enough to get acquainted with the agent.

5. Telegram

  1. Send @BotFather the /newbot command and get a token.
  2. Paste the token into the setup wizard.
  3. Specify your numeric Telegram ID. Special bots display it; just send any message to such a bot.

The ID is needed so the agent only responds to you. Don't share the bot token with anyone: it can be used to control the bot.

What to check after installation

  • The bot responds to messages in Telegram.
  • The agent doesn't respond from another account.
  • The model provider has a spending limit set if the model is paid.