Hermes Agent Desktop App — Run Hermes Locally on Mac, Windows, and Linux

What Hermes Agent Provides

Hermes Agent by Nous Research is a multi-platform AI agent framework. It runs as a background service and exposes:

• A web gateway UI on localhost:8642 — your “desktop” window into the agent
• An OpenAI-compatible API server on port 8642 for programmatic access
• Platform integrations for Telegram, Discord, Slack, and others
• Built-in tools: web search (Tavily, Exa, Firecrawl), shell execution, FAL.ai image generation, approval policies, and cron jobs
• Session memory using vector embeddings, persisted across restarts

Because Hermes is server-side by design, the “desktop app” pattern is the gateway tab pinned in your browser — optionally installed as a PWA for a true app-like feel. The three paths below cover every common use case.

Path 1: Local Gateway as Desktop Companion

The simplest setup: run Hermes directly on your machine and open the gateway in your browser. It behaves like a single-page desktop app and works completely offline (except for model API calls and external tool integrations you enable).

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+ with pip
• An API key for at least one model provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint — including local Ollama)
• See the Hermes install guide for full prerequisites

Steps

1. Install Hermes Agent from the upstream repository:

   pip install hermes-agent

2. Start the Hermes gateway:

   hermes start

3. Open http://localhost:8642 in your browser. The gateway UI loads immediately.
4. On first launch, complete the setup wizard to connect your model provider and configure your agent.
5. Optional: install the tab as a PWA (see Power Tips below) so it opens as a standalone window with no browser chrome.

Path 2: Managed via OpenClaw Launch

If you want Hermes always online — accessible from any device, not tied to your laptop being on — the managed path on OpenClaw Launch is the lowest-effort option. Your agent runs on a cloud server and the gateway URL is a permanent HTTPS endpoint, not localhost.

1. Go to openclawlaunch.com and sign in or create a free account.
2. In the configurator, select Hermes Agent as your agent type.
3. Pick your model provider, optional integrations (Telegram, Discord, etc.), and click Deploy.
4. After a few seconds, your instance page shows a live gateway URL. Open it in any browser — on your laptop, phone, or tablet.
5. Bookmark or install the gateway URL as a PWA for an app-like feel on desktop and mobile simultaneously.

Path 3: Self-Host with Docker on Your Laptop

Running Hermes in Docker is the cleanest local option: isolated from your system Python, easy to update, and straightforward to configure via environment variables. The container keeps running as long as Docker Desktop is open.

1. Install Docker Desktop for your OS and start it.
2. Pull the Hermes Agent image:

   docker pull ghcr.io/nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest

3. Run the container with a persistent data volume:

   docker run -d \
     --name hermes \
     --restart unless-stopped \
     -p 8642:8642 \
     -v hermes-data:/home/node/.hermes \
     -e OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-... \
     ghcr.io/nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest

4. Open http://localhost:8642 in your browser. Your agent data persists in the hermes-data Docker volume across container restarts.
5. Set Docker Desktop to Start on login so the container comes up automatically when you boot your machine.

For a full Docker Compose setup with additional services (Postgres, Redis, browser sidecar), see the Hermes Docker Compose guide.

Power Tips

Install as a Browser PWA (Progressive Web App)

Both Chrome and Edge let you install any website as a standalone desktop app. When installed, the gateway opens in its own window with no browser tabs, address bar, or toolbar — indistinguishable from a native desktop app.

• Chrome: Open localhost:8642 (or your managed URL), click the install icon in the address bar, then Install. The app appears in your OS app launcher.
• Edge: Menu → Apps → Install this site as an app.
• Safari (macOS): File → Add to Dock (macOS Sonoma+). Opens as a separate app in the Dock.

System Tray Integration

On macOS, you can use a tool like Mango or WebCatalog to wrap the gateway URL into a system-tray app that is one click away at all times. On Windows, ToDesktop or Nativefier produce a lightweight Electron wrapper around any URL.

Autostart on Login

• macOS: Create a LaunchAgent plist at ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.hermes-agent.plist that runs hermes start (or docker start hermes).
• Windows: Add a shortcut to hermes start in the Startup folder (Win+R → shell:startup).
• Linux: Create a systemd user service unit (~/.config/systemd/user/hermes.service) with WantedBy=default.target.

Keyboard Shortcut to Open the Gateway

Assign a global keyboard shortcut to open http://localhost:8642 in your default browser:

• macOS: Use Raycast or Alfred with an “Open URL” action bound to a hotkey.
• Windows: AutoHotkey with a one-liner: ^!h::Run, http://localhost:8642 (Ctrl+Alt+H).
• Linux: Bind a keybinding in your desktop environment settings to run xdg-open http://localhost:8642.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there an official Hermes Agent desktop app?

No. As of the current release (v2026.4.16), Nous Research does not ship a packaged Electron, Tauri, or native desktop binary for Hermes Agent. Hermes is a Python server framework — the intended UX is the gateway web UI on localhost:8642. The browser-as-desktop-app pattern (PWA install, system tray wrappers) is the closest practical equivalent and works well in practice.

Can I access my local Hermes instance from my phone?

Yes, if your laptop and phone are on the same Wi-Fi network. Find your laptop's LAN IP (ifconfig on macOS/Linux, ipconfig on Windows) and open http://<LAN-IP>:8642 on your phone. For access from outside your network, use a managed instance on OpenClaw Launch — it exposes a public HTTPS URL.

Does Hermes Agent work on Windows?

Yes. The easiest Windows path is Docker Desktop (Path 3 above) — Docker handles all Linux dependencies transparently. Alternatively, install Python 3.10+ natively via the Microsoft Store or python.org and follow the standard pip install route. See the dedicated Hermes Agent on Windows guide for step-by-step instructions.

Will my Hermes data persist if I restart the container or my machine?

With Docker, yes — as long as you mount a named volume (the -v hermes-data:/home/node/.hermes flag shown in Path 3). Docker volumes survive docker rm and machine reboots. When running Hermes natively (Path 1), session memory and config are stored in your home directory and persist across restarts automatically.

What is the difference between Hermes Agent and an OpenClaw Launch managed instance?

Hermes Agent is the open-source framework you run yourself (locally or via Docker). OpenClaw Launch is a managed hosting service that runs Hermes on a cloud server for you — no Python or Docker required, always online, accessible from any device. Both expose the same gateway UI and agent capabilities; the difference is who manages the infrastructure.

What's Next?

• Hermes Agent Docker Compose — Full multi-service setup with Postgres, Redis, and browser sidecar
• Hermes Agent on Windows — Step-by-step Windows install guide
• Hermes Agent + Ollama — Point Hermes at a local model for fully offline, zero-API-cost operation
• Managed Hermes Hosting — Always-on cloud instance, no server management
• What Is Hermes Agent? — Overview of capabilities and architecture