An unofficial, Windows-native downstream of Hermes Agent, with an Electron desktop, CLI, messaging gateway and optional local inference, memory and voice integrations.
This single-maintainer fork is independent of, and not endorsed by, Nous Research. The downstream is maintained at zapabob/hermes-agent-windows. The original Hermes Agent is developed by Nous Research. This fork is not endorsed by Nous Research. Both the upstream attribution and the MIT licence are retained.
Current source version: 0.21.1. This is a downstream patch version; the recorded upstream release remains 0.21.0. A source version or a main-branch push does not establish that a stable installer has been published.
日本語: Windows向けの独立派生版です。今回のソース版は 0.21.1 です。 下のPowerShell手順から導入できます。既存環境の更新前には作業差分と各プロファイルを保存してください。 旧版の詳説は 日本語・简体中文 にあります。 今回の版番号と検証状況は、このREADMEを参照してください。
TL;DR: read the PowerShell source-install commands in section 11, choose your
provider in hermes setup, and launch CLI or Desktop. This is a reading summary;
dependency downloads and native builds take longer than 30 seconds.
日本語
Windows向け独立派生版のソースは0.21.1です。導入手順は第11節をご覧ください。 安定版の公開、署名、クリーン環境の検証は、それぞれ別に確認する必要があります。
简体中文
这是独立维护的 Windows 衍生版本，当前源码版本为0.21.1。 请参阅第11节安装步骤；源码构建不代表已发布经过完整验证的稳定安装包。
The source and release identity is Windows Workstation Edition 0.21.1. Upstream provenance remains independent of the downstream semantic version.
Run directly on Windows with profile isolation, hidden background helpers, native terminal handling and explicit ownership of restarted processes.
Windows users who need Desktop, CLI or messaging surfaces and can configure a remote provider or separately supplied local model runtime.
Windows background Git and web helper calls use hidden-process creation flags to avoid opening separate console windows. The Git wrapper also separates non-interactive probes from the user-facing terminal. This addresses known helper launch paths; it is not a claim that every possible console source has been eliminated.
Credential leases remain bound to the selected entry, and an empty credential pool cannot silently start a delegated child with an inherited client. Telemetry consent follows the owning profile. Process completion and delegation work preserves parent ownership, durable results and retry state. Desktop backend exit handling checks the identity of the child it owns.
The reviewed local feature set also includes paused-at-creation cron jobs, explicit MCP device login, foreign-session browsing/import, and Desktop media, todo and capability-scope handling. A similarity to upstream code is not used as a substitute for testing these contracts.
| Area | Implementation and entry points |
|---|---|
| Desktop and terminal | Electron UI, profile-aware Python backend, native process and terminal handling in apps/desktop/, tui_gateway/ and tools/ |
| CLI and messaging | Shared agent runtime with CLI and platform adapters in hermes_cli/ and gateway/ |
| Local inference | llama.cpp/GGUF launch and hot-swap helpers under scripts/windows/; models remain operator configuration |
| Recovery | External Go watchdog with explicit process ownership |
| Memory and retrieval | Profile-scoped state, memory-provider extensions and optional embedding services |
| Optional capabilities | Plug-ins for voice, browser work, research, avatars and Unity/VR workflows |
The integration inventory retains the plug-in and submodule catalogue. These integrations have their own dependencies and configuration. They are not all enabled or qualified by installing the CLI. The feature ledger is FEATURES.yaml; direct carried changes are tracked in CARRY.yaml.
The 2026-09-08 local Windows work has recorded Desktop type checking and 28 focused Desktop tests, native child-process spawn/kill tests, hidden-console helper probes, credential-routing tests, and loopback completion/OAuth tests. These are scoped checks, not qualification of every optional integration.
The initial combined Python run had failures and skips. Individual reruns separated missing test dependencies, blocked test-only loopback traffic, fixture synchronisation and real integration defects. Skipped POSIX permission tests do not establish Windows ACL correctness.
Full upstream-history adoption, all private security contracts, clean-machine installation, signed artifacts, exact-head hosted CI and complete Desktop first-run readiness remain separate gates. An isolated packaged first-run probe reached the backend but remained on onboarding; that path is not yet qualified. Do not interpret this README, a build, or a version bump as a COMPLETE or stable-release certificate.
Windows 11 x64 is the primary target. Native Python, Desktop, installer, portable, upgrade, watchdog and security checks are separate gates. Mock-only results and skipped P0 tests cannot qualify Windows support.
The Desktop and gateway can use a remote provider or an operator-managed llama.cpp server. Hot-swap presets select independently installed GGUF files. Inference readiness requires a real model response, not only an open port.
The external Go watchdog supervises its owned backend and optional inference services. Desktop, messaging gateway and model servers have distinct lifecycles. See the watchdog guide.
Profiles scope configuration, credentials, sessions and memory. Embedding services and memory providers are optional and need their own configuration. No model files or personal memory are included in the source distribution.
Avatar, Unity/VRChat and voice plug-ins remain optional integrations. Their SDKs, applications and hardware must be configured separately. The retained inventory records available integration paths; it does not certify every path on the current workstation.
The target is Windows 11 x64. Use PowerShell, Git, uv, and Python 3.11–3.13.
Dependency installation can take several minutes and may require native build
tools for optional extras. WSL is not required for the native application.
git clone https://github.com/zapabob/hermes-agent-windows.git
Set-Location hermes-agent-windows
uv sync --locked --all-extras
uv run hermes setup
uv run hermes chatThe setup wizard selects a model provider. A GPU is optional when using a remote provider. Local models require separately supplied model files and a compatible inference runtime; this repository does not include model weights.
To launch Desktop from the same checkout:
uv run hermes desktopFor an installer or portable archive, consult the downstream Releases page. Use only an actually published asset with its matching manifest and checksums. The Windows release workflow produces a per-user NSIS installer and a portable archive when its publication gates are satisfied; local source builds are separate. The installation guide describes the layout and verification procedure; older version examples are not evidence of a 0.21.1 release.
The official upstream installer targets the upstream product; use this downstream repository or its published release assets for this distribution.
Use a Node.js version accepted by
apps/desktop/package.json. Install JavaScript
dependencies at the repository root; Desktop is an npm workspace.
npm ci
npm run typecheck --workspace apps/desktop
npm run build --workspace apps/desktopThe build produces application files. Packaging and installing a new Desktop binary are separate operations. Do not infer the running version from source files alone, and do not replace an executable while its process is running.
Save uncommitted source work before changing commits. Keep credentials, profile databases, model files and local operational records out of commits. Record the current commit and retain a rollback copy of the deployed Desktop.
Review the selected downstream commit, test it, then update the checkout and rebuild the application. Restart only services whose executable path and process identity are confirmed. The Desktop control backend, messaging gateway, llama server, embedding server and Go watchdog have distinct lifecycles; closing one window does not establish that all of them restarted.
After restarting, check the application window, backend response and actual model readiness. A listening port alone does not prove a successful agent turn. See local runtime configuration and the watchdog documentation.
For the 2026-09-08 implementation campaign, the fork comparison base is
20c7dd9d87fc6d0dc6b5cb2ed675e139b788be34 and the upstream comparison endpoint is
6e2b8e070d28b1a3381a3fb290b6b8d6cce13cef. Neither is replaced by a moving main.
The older upstream release/snapshot fields in
downstream/distribution.json retain their
own provenance; they are not the campaign endpoint.
Integrate missing behaviour through its canonical owner. Preserve the fork's profile isolation, prompt caching, approval boundaries and demonstrated features. Do not use a wholesale upstream merge, rebase or cherry-pick as a substitute for contract review.
Read AGENTS.md before implementation. The campaign pins CodeGraph 1.6.0 and obtains its CLI/MCP schema from the installed executable. An index with extraction limits is incomplete evidence, even if it has no pending references. See the release policy for the separate publication gates.
The retained release-provenance snapshot is
b51c055a12220f8c7c18660e8599365012e19532. It is not the campaign endpoint.
The preview and stable publication channels retain their separate gates.
The shared Python agent core sits behind CLI, messaging, TUI and Electron surfaces. Capability belongs in tools, adapters and plug-ins; preserve the canonical owner instead of copying upstream file placement.
Keep secrets, personal state and operator evidence out of commits. Preserve credential scopes, deterministic approvals and process identity checks. Read SECURITY.md; unresolved private contracts remain unqualified.
The original project is NousResearch/hermes-agent. Upstream contributions retain their authorship and attribution.
The original Hermes Agent is developed by Nous Research and licensed under MIT. This downstream retains that attribution and the MIT licence.
The retained integration inventory records 154 plug-in manifests, including Model providers (42), at its documented snapshot. Counts describe that inventory, not current runtime enablement or qualification. See INTEGRATIONS.md for the complete catalogue.