# Hermes Agent setup: your first 24 hours > An opinionated, documentation-grounded checklist for a new Hermes install: one working model, deliberate tools and approvals, memory you can trust, one skill, one scheduled job and a paired phone. Canonical: https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/first-24-hours-default-setup Section: Learn ยท Getting started Last reviewed: Oct 20, 2026 Basis: Explained from the official Hermes Agent docs and repository (Nous Research). Steps follow the linked official sources. ## The rule for day one The official quickstart has one rule of thumb, and we'd make it the rule for your whole first day: if Hermes can't complete a normal chat, don't add more features yet. Every step below assumes the one before it works. If something breaks, run the recovery order from the docs: `hermes doctor`, then `hermes model`, then `hermes setup`. ## Hour one: a model that actually answers Run `hermes setup`, or `hermes model` if you already know your provider. The quickest path is the Nous Portal option (`hermes setup --portal`), which handles login, model choice and the Tool Gateway in one step. Any provider in the catalog works, though. If you plan to run a local model, set its context to at least 64,000 tokens before you start. Hermes rejects smaller windows at startup. Then prove it works. Start `hermes` (or `hermes --tui` for the newer interface), ask something you can check, such as which file in the current folder looks like the main entrypoint, and keep the conversation going for a couple of turns. Exit, then run `hermes --continue` to make sure the session resumes. Use `hermes status` for a one-screen summary of your model, provider and gateway state. ## Hour two: tools and approvals on purpose Run `hermes tools` to see which toolsets are enabled on each platform, or `hermes tools --summary` for a quick printout. Our suggestion is to switch off anything you don't expect to use this week. Fewer tools means a smaller prompt and fewer surprises. You can always turn them back on. Keep `approvals.mode` on the default, `smart`. Low-risk commands are approved automatically, clearly dangerous ones are denied, and uncertain ones come to you. Avoid `off` and `/yolo` until you know how the agent behaves on your machine. Note that scheduled jobs deny dangerous commands by default (`approvals.cron_mode: deny`), which is a sensible default to keep. If you want stronger isolation, set `terminal.backend` to `docker` with `hermes config set terminal.backend docker`. ## Hour three: memory you can trust Built-in memory is on by default, stored in `MEMORY.md` and `USER.md`. Tell Hermes a few durable facts: your name, your timezone, where your projects live. Then run `/new` and ask it to recall them. Memory is loaded as a snapshot at the start of a session, so new entries only show up after a session boundary. That's normal, not a bug. If you'd rather approve what the agent writes about you, set `memory.write_approval: true`. Writes that aren't made in the foreground of the CLI are then staged for review with `/memory pending`, and you approve or reject them with `/memory approve` and `/memory reject`. This is optional, but useful while you're still building trust. ## Afternoon: one skill and one scheduled job Hermes already ships with bundled skills, and the agent picks them up by itself when a task matches one. Install exactly one more from the hub: browse with `hermes skills browse` or search with `hermes skills search `, preview it with `hermes skills inspect `, then install it with `hermes skills install `. Installation runs a security scan first. Every installed skill also becomes a slash command. Next, create one recurring job whose result is easy to check, for example: `hermes cron create "every 1d at 09:00" "Summarize what changed in my notes folder yesterday" --name "Morning check"`. Cron jobs are run by the gateway, which ticks the scheduler every 60 seconds, so the gateway has to be running (next step). Check it with `hermes cron status` and `hermes cron list`, and trigger it once with `hermes cron run ` so you don't have to wait until tomorrow. ## Evening: pair your phone Run `hermes gateway setup` and connect one platform. Telegram is the most common choice. Install it as a background service with `hermes gateway install` (a user service on Linux, launchd on macOS, a login-time Scheduled Task on Windows) so it doesn't depend on an open terminal, then check it with `hermes gateway status`. Then DM your bot. By default, an unknown sender gets an 8-character pairing code, which expires after one hour. Approve yourself on the host with `hermes pairing approve telegram `, and check who has access with `hermes pairing list`. In the chat, run `/sethome` so scheduled results have a home channel, then point your job at it with `hermes cron edit --deliver telegram`. ## Before bed - Take a snapshot with `hermes backup` now that you have a setup worth keeping. - Leave fallback providers, extra profiles and more skills for day two. The docs recommend getting the base provider stable before adding routing. - On messaging platforms, a chat is one continuous session until you run `/new`. Start a fresh one at natural breaks so memory and costs stay healthy. ## Related guides - [Hermes Agent messaging gateway explained](https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/messaging-gateway-explained.md) - [Hermes Agent security: approvals, allowlists, sandboxing](https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/security-model-approvals-and-sandboxing.md) - [How Hermes Agent memory works (and where it stops)](https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/how-hermes-memory-works.md) - [How to write your first Hermes Agent skill](https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/writing-your-first-skill.md) - [How to schedule recurring tasks in Hermes Agent](https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/scheduling-with-evidence.md) - [Moving to Hermes Agent from OpenClaw and other agents](https://hermeswatcher.com/learn/moving-from-openclaw-and-other-agents.md) ## Related tools - [Know whether an automation actually worked](https://hermeswatcher.com/workflows/reliable-recurring-automation.md) - [Wake up to a useful research briefing](https://hermeswatcher.com/workflows/daily-research-briefing.md) - [Models and providers: configure the actual inference route](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/models.md) - [CLI: run bounded tasks and inspect the working environment](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/cli.md) - [Command approvals: decide what the agent may run unattended](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/approvals-security.md) - [Persistent memory: retain compact working knowledge](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/memory.md) - [Skills: reusable procedures for repeated work](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/skills.md) - [Scheduled tasks: automate a proven run](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/scheduling.md) - [Telegram: reach Hermes from a private bot conversation](https://hermeswatcher.com/tools/telegram.md) ## Sources - [Quickstart (official docs)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/quickstart) - [Tools and Toolsets (official docs)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/tools) - [Security (official docs)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) - [Persistent Memory (official docs)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory) - [Scheduled Tasks (official docs)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/cron) - [Messaging Gateway (official docs)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/messaging/) - [CLI Commands Reference (official docs)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/reference/cli-commands) --- 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