# B64 Ref: Hermes Agent plugin

> @b64: context references that decode encoded text for the model: @b64:<value> takes base64 (standard or URL-safe, padded or not), hex (0x48656c6c6f, 48:65:6c, \x48\x65), percent-encoding or a data: URI, told apart by…

Canonical: https://hermeswatcher.com/plugins/b64-ref  
Tier: Community  
Official page (Nous Research): https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/plugins/b64-ref  
Last updated in catalog: 2026-10-25

@b64: context references that decode encoded text for the model: @b64:<value> takes base64 (standard or URL-safe, padded or not), hex (0x48656c6c6f, 48:65:6c, \x48\x65), percent-encoding or a data: URI, told apart by the value's shape or picked with base64:, base64url:, hex: or url:, and attaches what it holds: text as text with control and invisible characters escaped, JSON pretty-printed, gzip and zlib inflated in memory (at most 1 MiB, one layer), and binary named by its format (PNG and GIF with their size, JPEG, PDF, ZIP, ELF, SQLite and more) with a hex dump of its first 128 bytes; notes point out a value that was cut short, padding that is off, a second layer of encoding and a JWT inside; the TUI and Desktop composer preview a value as you type it.

## Good to know before installing

Reads only the text of the reference itself, using Python's base64, json, urllib.parse and zlib; nothing decoded is run, opened or saved; no network, no files read or written, no subprocess, no credentials read; the plugin keeps no copy of what it decodes, but the @b64: reference and the decoded contents become part of the message sent to your model provider and saved in the session history, so decode only values you are willing to share with it; register() only adds the @b64: reference provider.

From the plugin's catalog listing.

## How to install

1. Install it. Hermes asks for any API keys it needs, then asks whether to turn it on.

```bash
hermes plugins install b64-ref
```

2. Said no? Turn it on later:

```bash
hermes plugins enable b64-ref
```

3. Restart Hermes so it loads the plugin.

Some plugins also need a sign-in or settings: see the official page. Memory plugins ask whether to become your memory provider instead. Steps follow the official plugins guide: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/plugins

## Facts

- Category: Coding & developer tools
- Maintained by: olric3015 (Community)
- Needs: No API keys declared
- Requires Hermes: `>=0.21.5`
- Version: 1.0.0
- In the catalog since: 2026-10-25

## Links

- [Full setup and settings (official page)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/plugins/b64-ref)
- [Source code](https://github.com/olric3015/hermes-plugins/tree/main/b64-ref)
- [All plugins](https://hermeswatcher.com/plugins.md)

---

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