# Model Picker: Hermes Agent plugin

> Per-turn cost classifier across three model tiers (Quick / Standard / Expert): rates each user turn from configurable best_for lists and rewrites the outgoing request's model through the llm_request middleware, biased…

Canonical: https://hermeswatcher.com/plugins/model-picker  
Tier: Community  
Official page (Nous Research): https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/plugins/model-picker  
Last updated in catalog: 2026-10-20

Per-turn cost classifier across three model tiers (Quick / Standard / Expert): rates each user turn from configurable best_for lists and rewrites the outgoing request's model through the llm_request middleware, biased to keep the previous tier unless the turn changes shape, with escalate_model for tool failures.

## Good to know before installing

The plugin rewrites the model field of every outgoing request for a classified session, picking between three configured model ids that must all belong to the session's own provider (a foreign-provider tier is refused and the session model stands); it makes one bounded auxiliary classifier call through the host's plugin LLM route on each classified turn (up to about 12,000 characters of recent conversation plus the prompt), reading its model ids from config.json next to the plugin, MODEL_PICKER_CONFIG, or MODEL_PICKER_* env, and falls back to the host's primary model; routing decisions, with the first 120 characters of each classified prompt, are logged to $HERMES_HOME/logs/model-picker.log; a classifier-driven tier change can ask the context engine to compact the transcript before the switch, and escalate_model replaces the next request's context with a model-written handoff summary plus the recent tail; that engine registers only when the host config sets context.engine: model-picker.

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 model-picker
```

2. Said no? Turn it on later:

```bash
hermes plugins enable model-picker
```

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: Cost, speed & monitoring, AI models & providers
- Maintained by: aean0x (Community)
- Needs: No API keys declared
- Adds tools: `escalate_model`
- Version: 0.12.0
- In the catalog since: 2026-10-20

## Links

- [Full setup and settings (official page)](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/plugins/model-picker)
- [Source code](https://github.com/aean0x/hermes-model-picker#readme)
- [All plugins](https://hermeswatcher.com/plugins.md)

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