Download and Install Hermes Agent on Linux
One official command installs Hermes Agent on Linux: curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash. Prerequisites are just git, curl, and xz-utils.
Who this is for:Linux desktop or server users, including anyone running a long-lived agent on a VPS.
Steps
-
Install prerequisites
On Debian/Ubuntu ensure curl and xz-utils; the desktop app additionally needs build-essential.
sudo apt install curl xz-utils git --version -
Run the official installer
The installer handles Python 3.11, Node.js v22, ripgrep, and ffmpeg automatically.
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash -
Reload your shell and start
Reload the shell config, then start.
source ~/.bashrc hermes -
Configure a model provider
Choose an LLM provider and set an API key.
hermes model -
(Servers) service-user deployment
Per official docs: install Playwright dependencies as admin first, then run the installer as the service user; add --skip-browser to skip browser setup.
sudo npx playwright install-deps chromium
How to verify
- hermes opens the chat interface
- hermes doctor passes all checks
FAQ
Where does it install?
Per-user default is ~/.hermes/hermes-agent/; root mode installs to /usr/local/lib/hermes-agent/.
Python too old?
Hermes needs Python 3.11+, but the official installer handles it. In self-managed setups check python3 --version and upgrade via your package manager.
Can I install on Android?
Yes, Termux is officially supported with the same one-line command as Linux.
Related pages
- Download and Install Hermes Agent on macOS
- Download and Install Hermes Agent on Windows (Desktop / PowerShell / WSL2)
- Install Hermes Agent on WSL2 (Advanced Windows Path)
- Hermes Agent Model Provider and API Key Setup
- Migrate from OpenClaw to Hermes Agent (official hermes claw migrate)
- How to fix: hermes: command not found
- How to fix: API key not set / invalid API key
- How to fix: Hermes requires Python 3.11 or newer
- How to fix: context length exceeded
- Telegram + Hermes Agent: Known Pitfalls and Fixes
- Curated official issues
- School solution cards