How to Update Hermes Agent

Check Your Current Version

hermes --version

For Docker installs:

docker inspect hermes-agent | grep -i image

Backup Memory and Config First

Hermes's memory store is the part you don't want to lose. Back up the entire ~/.hermes directory before any update:

# Local backup
cp -r ~/.hermes ~/.hermes-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)

# Docker volume backup
docker run --rm \
  -v hermes-data:/data \
  -v $(pwd):/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/hermes-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz -C /data .

Update via Docker

Most Hermes installs run on Docker. Pull the new image, stop the old container, and recreate with the same volumes:

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

# Stop old container
docker stop hermes-agent

# Recreate (data persists in named volume)
docker rm hermes-agent
docker run -d --name hermes-agent \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 8787:8787 \
  -v hermes-data:/root/.hermes \
  ghcr.io/nousresearch/hermes-agent:latest

Update via npm

If you installed Hermes globally via npm:

npm update -g hermes-agent

# Or pin a specific version
npm install -g hermes-agent@latest

Update Native Install (Linux / macOS)

# Pull latest from source
cd ~/hermes-agent
git pull origin main
npm install
npm run build

# Restart the service
systemctl --user restart hermes-agent
# or, if running via tmux/screen
pkill -f hermes-agent && hermes start

Verify the Update

hermes --version
hermes status

Send a test message to your bot on Telegram or your web UI. The first reply after an update can take ~10–30 seconds while Hermes warms up the new model adapters and re-hydrates memory.

Roll Back If Something Breaks

If the new version doesn't behave, you can roll back in two commands:

# Docker: pin to a previous tag
docker stop hermes-agent && docker rm hermes-agent
docker run -d --name hermes-agent \
  -p 8787:8787 \
  -v hermes-data:/root/.hermes \
  ghcr.io/nousresearch/hermes-agent:v0.9.4   # previous tag

# Restore memory from backup
rm -rf ~/.hermes
mv ~/.hermes-backup-YYYYMMDD ~/.hermes

What Changes Between Releases

• Model adapters — new providers (Anthropic, OpenRouter, Google AI Studio) and updated calling conventions.
• Memory format — occasional schema migrations. The agent runs them automatically on first boot of the new version.
• Tools and skills — new built-ins; existing tool signatures are stable.
• Channel adapters — bug fixes for Telegram/Discord/WhatsApp rate limits and reconnection.

Check the Hermes Agent releases page for the changelog before any major version bump.

Common Issues After Update

“Cannot read memory store”

Memory schema migration didn't complete. Stop the agent, restore your backup, and run:

hermes memory migrate --safe

Channel reconnect loop after update

The platform's long-poll or webhook token sometimes gets invalidated by a fresh container. Re-pair on the affected platform — Telegram especially.

Model adapter error: “Unsupported parameter”

The new version changed a default. Open your config and remove deprecated keys named in the upgrade notes. The agent logs the exact key on startup.

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