# Hermes Agent CLI cheat sheet > Common Hermes Agent commands and file locations, from the official CLI reference. Canonical: https://hermeswatcher.com/cheatsheet ## Install & update - `curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash`: Install on Linux, macOS or WSL2 - `iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1)`: Install on native Windows (PowerShell) - `hermes update`: Update a source install to the latest stable release - `hermes update --check`: Show how far behind your channel you are, without updating - `hermes --version`: Show the installed version - `hermes uninstall --dry-run`: Preview uninstall; plain hermes uninstall keeps your data, --full removes everything ## Everyday chat - `hermes`: Start an interactive session (classic CLI) - `hermes --tui`: Start the newer TUI - `hermes chat -q "..."`: Seed a session with a prompt - `hermes -z "..."`: Scripted one-shot that prints only the final reply - `hermes --yolo`: Auto-approve actions (skips approval prompts). Skips every safety prompt: use only in a sandbox. - `!`: Run a shell command from the prompt without a model turn - `Alt+Enter / Ctrl+J`: Insert a newline in the input - `Ctrl+C`: Clear the draft, or interrupt the agent on an empty prompt ## Slash commands in chat - `/help`: Show available commands - `/new`: Start a fresh session (alias /reset) - `/model [model-name]`: Show or change the model - `/undo`: Remove the last user/assistant exchange - `/context [all]`: Show a breakdown of context-window usage - `/usage`: Show token usage and cost - `/personality `: Apply a personality overlay (e.g. concise, pirate; none clears) - `/bg `: Run a prompt in a background session - `/btw `: Ask a side question without interrupting - `/rollback`: List or restore filesystem checkpoints - `/quit`: Exit the CLI (alias /exit) ## Models & config - `hermes model`: Interactive provider and model picker - `hermes setup`: Full setup wizard - `hermes setup --portal`: One-shot Nous Portal login plus Tool Gateway - `hermes config set `: Set a value; dotted keys go to config.yaml, UPPER_SNAKE keys to .env - `hermes config get `: Print one value (secrets masked unless --raw) - `hermes config check`: Find missing options after an update - `hermes config set terminal.backend docker`: Run agent commands inside Docker instead of locally - `hermes auth add --api-key `: Add a key to a provider's credential pool ## Sessions - `hermes --continue`: Resume the most recent session (short: -c) - `hermes --resume `: Resume a specific session (short: -r) - `hermes sessions list`: List sessions with title, preview and last-active time - `hermes sessions rename `: Rename a session - `hermes sessions export --format md --session-id <id>`: Export one session as markdown (bulk exports need a filter) - `hermes sessions prune --dry-run`: Preview deleting old ended sessions (90-day default cutoff) ## Memory - `hermes memory setup`: Configure an external memory provider - `hermes journey`: Timeline of learned skills and memories (aliases: learning, memory-graph) - `/memory pending`: List staged memory writes awaiting approval - `/memory approve all`: Apply staged memory writes (or approve <id>) - `/refine`: Run the memory/skill review now ## Skills - `hermes skills browse`: Browse hub skills - `hermes skills inspect <id>`: Preview a skill before installing - `hermes skills install <id>`: Install a skill (with security scan) - `hermes skills list`: List installed skills - `hermes skills update`: Reinstall changed hub skills - `hermes -s <skill>`: Preload a skill for the session - `/<skill-name> [args]`: Load an installed skill and add your instruction - `/learn <source>`: Turn a file, URL, workflow or notes into a skill - `/reload-skills`: Rescan skills and refresh their slash commands ## Tools & MCP - `hermes tools`: Configure enabled tools per platform (interactive) - `hermes chat --toolsets "web,terminal"`: Enable specific toolsets for a run - `/tools`: List available tools in the CLI - `hermes mcp`: Interactive MCP server picker - `hermes mcp install <name>`: Install a catalog MCP server (e.g. deepwiki) - `hermes mcp serve`: Run Hermes as an MCP server - `/reload-mcp`: Reload MCP servers after config changes - `hermes acp`: Run Hermes as an ACP server for editor integration ## Gateway & messaging - `hermes gateway setup`: Configure messaging platforms interactively - `hermes gateway`: Run the gateway in the foreground - `hermes gateway install`: Install as a user service (systemd on Linux, launchd on macOS) - `hermes gateway start`: Start the background service (also stop, restart) - `hermes gateway status`: Check gateway service status - `hermes pairing list`: View pending and approved users - `hermes pairing approve <platform> <code>`: Approve a DM pairing code - `/sethome`: In a chat: mark it as the home channel for deliveries - `/approve`: In a chat: approve a pending dangerous command (/deny rejects) ## Scheduling (cron) - `hermes cron create "every 2h" "Check server status"`: Create a recurring job - `hermes cron list`: Show scheduled jobs - `hermes cron edit <job_id> --schedule "every 4h"`: Change a job's schedule - `hermes cron pause <job_id>`: Pause a job (resume to restart) - `hermes cron run <job_id>`: Trigger a job on the next tick - `hermes cron remove <job_id>`: Delete a job - `/cron add "in 30m" "Remind me to check the build"`: Create a one-shot job from chat - `hermes pause`: Global emergency stop for cron, kanban dispatch and gateway turns (hermes resume to undo) ## Profiles - `hermes profile create <name>`: Create an isolated profile and its <name> command alias - `hermes profile create <name> --clone`: Copy config, .env, SOUL.md, skills and memory from the current profile - `hermes profile list`: List profiles and their status - `hermes profile use <name>`: Set the sticky default profile ("default" switches back) - `hermes -p <name> chat`: Target a profile for one command - `hermes profile export <name>`: Pack a profile into a .tar.gz archive (credentials stripped; -o sets the path) ## Diagnostics - `hermes doctor`: Diagnose config and dependency issues (--fix attempts repairs) - `hermes status --full`: Print every status section (--deep runs slower checks) - `hermes logs -f`: Follow the agent log (names: agent, errors, gateway, mcp, ...) - `hermes dump`: Print a copy-pasteable setup summary for support - `hermes insights`: Token, cost and activity analytics - `hermes backup`: Back up the Hermes home directory to a zip ## Files and folders - `~/.hermes/`: Hermes home and default profile; override with HERMES_HOME - `~/.hermes/config.yaml`: Main non-secret settings: model, terminal backend, memory, skills, compression, display, MCP servers - `~/.hermes/.env`: API keys and other secrets - `~/.hermes/auth.json`: OAuth credentials (e.g. Nous Portal) - `~/.hermes/SOUL.md`: Primary agent identity, loaded first in the system prompt - `~/.hermes/memories/MEMORY.md`: Agent's own notes; ~2,200 character limit - `~/.hermes/memories/USER.md`: Your user profile; ~1,375 character limit - `~/.hermes/skills/<category>/<skill>/SKILL.md`: Installed and agent-created skills - `~/.hermes/state.db`: SQLite session database (messages, FTS5 search index) for CLI, TUI and gateway - `~/.hermes/sessions/`: Gateway session files and /save snapshots (sessions/saved/) - `~/.hermes/cron/jobs.json`: Scheduled job definitions; run output in ~/.hermes/cron/output/ - `~/.hermes/logs/`: Logs such as errors.log and gateway.log, with secrets redacted - `~/.hermes/profiles/<name>/`: A named profile's own config, .env, memories, skills, sessions and cron - `~/.hermes/hermes-agent/`: Source checkout from the POSIX install script - `~/.local/bin/hermes`: CLI entry point (POSIX script install); profile aliases also live in ~/.local/bin/ - `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\`: Windows source-install data directory (code in hermes-agent\, CLI in bin\) - `<repo>/.hermes/skills/`: Project-local skills (must be trusted first) Note: Reflects the official Hermes Agent docs and GitHub README as read on 2026-10-20. The latest stable release at that time was v0.22.2 (Oct 15, 2026), with nightly canary builds on top. Commands and flags change quickly between releases, so check with hermes <command> --help. ## Sources - [CLI Commands Reference](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/reference/cli-commands) - [Slash Commands Reference](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/reference/slash-commands) - [CLI Guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/cli) - [Quickstart](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/quickstart) - [Installation](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/installation/) - [Updating & Uninstalling](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/updating) - [Configuration](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/configuration) - [Sessions](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/sessions) - [Profiles](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/profiles) - [Persistent Memory](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory) - [Skills System](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/skills) - [Tools & Toolsets](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/tools) - [MCP Integration](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/mcp) - [Scheduled Tasks (Cron)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/cron) - [Messaging Gateway](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/messaging/) - [NousResearch/hermes-agent README](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) --- HermesWatcher is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nous Research. The [official Hermes Agent documentation](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs) and [repository](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) from Nous Research are the authority; each page here lists the official sources it was written from. If this site and the official docs disagree, trust the official docs. Index for agents: https://hermeswatcher.com/llms.txt