Hermes Install Guide | Learning Center
A practical Hermes install guide using NemoClaw's Hermes agent flow, including onboarding, non-interactive setup, API endpoint checks, and the most important differences from the standard OpenClaw path.
Search intent
This page is for someone searching how to install Hermes, usually because they want a basic local or sandboxed setup path and need to know which NemoClaw-specific commands actually matter.
This page is original guidance derived from NVIDIA's public NemoClaw Hermes quickstart. Hermes is marked experimental in that source, so this guide keeps the focus on safe first-run setup and verification rather than production claims.
Step 0: choose the right path
Do not start with the wrong tutorial just because it sounded impressive in a video title.
OpenClaw
Best first stop when you want the fastest official install path to a working local OpenClaw agent.
Benefits
- + Official installer is the recommended path for most users and can install Node automatically.
- + Supports macOS, Linux, Windows, and WSL2, with onboarding launched as part of the fast path.
- + You can verify quickly with openclaw --version, openclaw doctor, and openclaw gateway status.
Drawbacks
- - The docs explicitly say WSL2 is more stable than native Windows, so Windows users may still hit a platform tradeoff.
- - If you want everything isolated under a local prefix instead of the default npm-style flow, the official docs push you toward a different installer path.
NemoClaw
Best when you want the official guided wizard to create a fresh sandboxed OpenClaw environment with provider and policy choices built in.
Benefits
- + Official quickstart walks you through provider selection, sandbox naming, optional web search, messaging channels, and network policy presets.
- + Provider credentials stay on the host while the agent inside the sandbox talks to inference.local.
- + The install summary gives you both browser and terminal paths for the first agent prompt.
Drawbacks
- - The official docs mark NemoClaw as alpha software and not for production use.
- - It has materially heavier prerequisites, including Docker, more disk and memory, and a sandbox build that can take 5 to 15 minutes.
Hermes
Best when you specifically want the official Hermes sandbox flow and its OpenAI-compatible API endpoint instead of the standard OpenClaw browser dashboard path.
Benefits
- + The official Hermes quickstart gives you a nemohermes alias, guided onboarding, and an OpenAI-compatible API on port 8642.
- + You can keep Hermes and OpenClaw side by side by choosing a separate sandbox name.
- + It is the clearest documented path here when your consumer app needs to call an API endpoint rather than use a local browser dashboard.
Drawbacks
- - The official docs call Hermes experimental, say defaults may change without notice, and do not recommend it for production use.
- - The first Hermes build can take several minutes because the sandbox base image may need to be built.
- - Hermes does not give you the OpenClaw browser dashboard flow, so it is a worse first experience if you expected a UI-first setup.
Step 1: start here like you're new
Plain-language context so you know what this tutorial is doing before you touch the terminal.
Hermes is like setting up a specialized AI worker inside a protected workshop instead of dropping it directly onto your laptop. You still get an agent, but the setup goes through NemoClaw so the environment is more structured.
By the end, you should have a Hermes sandbox you can connect to, a health endpoint you can verify, and the minimum context needed to start experimenting with a more controlled agentic setup.
This is a good fit if...
- - You want to try an agent inside a sandboxed flow rather than a looser direct install.
- - You plan to connect tools or clients to an OpenAI-compatible endpoint after setup.
- - You want a stepping stone toward multi-agent or guarded agent experiments without designing the whole platform yourself.
- - You want the simplest beginner path with the least moving parts. Start with OpenClaw first.
- - You need production-grade guarantees today. Hermes is described as experimental in the source docs.
Step 2: Before you install Hermes
Confirm the environment assumptions that are unique to the Hermes flow before you start onboarding.
- Treat Hermes as experimental and avoid positioning it as production-ready without your own qualification work.
- Review the NemoClaw prerequisites first because the Hermes flow uses the same sandbox and host-preflight model.
- Plan a unique sandbox name if you want Hermes and OpenClaw running side by side instead of reusing the default `hermes` name.
Step 3: install using one path
Pick one install option below. These are alternatives, not steps you should all run in sequence.
Option 1: Recommended path: install NemoClaw with the Hermes agent selected
Set the agent selector first, then launch the public NemoClaw installer. This installs the CLI and starts onboarding with the Hermes alias preselected.
export NEMOCLAW_AGENT=hermes
curl -fsSL https://www.nvidia.com/nemoclaw.sh | bashOption 2: If NemoClaw is already installed
Use the Hermes-specific onboarding alias directly when the base CLI is already on the machine and you only need the Hermes sandbox flow.
nemohermes onboardOption 3: Non-interactive setup
For repeatable scripting or CI, set the Hermes agent, accept the third-party notice, define a sandbox name, stage the provider credential, and run the same installer.
export NEMOCLAW_AGENT=hermes
export NEMOCLAW_NON_INTERACTIVE=1
export NEMOCLAW_ACCEPT_THIRD_PARTY_SOFTWARE=1
export NEMOCLAW_SANDBOX_NAME=my-hermes
export NVIDIA_API_KEY=<your-key>
curl -fsSL https://www.nvidia.com/nemoclaw.sh | bashStep 4: verify the install
Use these checks to confirm the install worked before you move into onboarding or API setup.
- Check the forwarded health endpoint with `curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:8642/health` after onboarding completes.
- If the endpoint stops responding after a restart, start the forward again with `openshell forward start --background 8642 my-hermes`.
- Use `nemohermes my-hermes status` and `nemohermes my-hermes logs --follow` before you troubleshoot model or client settings.
Step 5: your first agentic workflow
Do one useful workflow immediately so the install turns into value instead of shelfware.
Stand up a guarded research-and-response helper
Use Hermes to expose a controlled local endpoint, then send it a request that summarizes a production issue and proposes next checks without pretending it has done work it has not actually done.
Why this matters
This proves the endpoint is alive and gives you a realistic first step toward agentic systems that need API access, structured inputs, and stronger boundaries than a loose chat workflow.
- 1. Complete onboarding and confirm the health endpoint responds.
- 2. Connect to the Hermes sandbox or client path you plan to use.
- 3. Send a short production issue summary, such as late material arrival or recurring downtime.
- 4. Ask Hermes for a structured response with assumptions, likely causes, and next checks.
- 5. Review whether the answer stays grounded instead of inventing facts.
Starter prompt
A CNC cell missed its schedule because material arrived late and one machine had repeated downtime alarms. Summarize the situation, list likely causes, and propose the next five checks without claiming anything that is not in the input.
You know it worked when...
- The endpoint returns a usable response through the Hermes flow.
- The answer is structured and cautious instead of overconfident.
- You can imagine plugging the same response shape into a ticket, dashboard, or ops workflow.
Step 6: next steps
These are the follow-on actions that usually matter immediately after a successful install.
Connect to the Hermes sandbox
Once onboarding finishes, connect to the sandbox through the Hermes alias and start the Hermes CLI inside the environment.
nemohermes my-hermes connect
hermesConfigure your client correctly
Hermes exposes an OpenAI-compatible API on port 8642. Use the base URL shown by onboarding and do not treat it like an OpenClaw browser dashboard token flow.
curl -sf http://127.0.0.1:8642/healthPublic reference points
This page was written from public primary documentation surfaced through search, then rewritten into an original install guide.
Popular public video walkthroughs
These are outbound links to public YouTube videos surfaced through search. They are included as references only and are not copied into this guide.
Popular AI creator channels
These are public creator channels worth watching for broader AI ideas and workflow context. They are outbound references only.
Bring this back into JobLine.ai
These links connect the educational path back into platform surfaces where people can keep learning, evaluate fit, or apply the workflow inside JobLine.ai.