TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is Hermes Agent?
• What can you do with Hermes Agent?
• How to install Hermes Agent?
• Resources

What is Hermes Agent?

Hermes Agent is an open-source self-improving AI agent by Nous Research. It maintains memory across sessions, so it learns from the tasks it completes, and continually improves it's performance over time.

After ordering your Contabo VPS/VDS, you'll receive your credentials in your order confirmation email. The initial password for your 1-Click application will be the one you set during the order process. You can also find all your login information anytime in the Contabo Customer Panel, under the detailed view of your VPS/VDS

What can you do with Hermes Agent?

Hermes Agent is designed to act as a multi-platform assistant that can execute tasks, automate workflows, and scale with your needs. It's features include:

• Building knowledge over time - Hermes doesn’t reset after each interaction. It retains memory of past tasks, solutions, and project context, allowing it to improve over time and handle recurring problems more efficiently. 
• Automating operations - You can schedule tasks using natural language, such as generating reports, running backups or sending updates. 
• Delegating tasks to multiple isolated subagents that can operate simultaneously. Each subagent has its own environment, enabling efficient parallel processing without context overlap or performance loss. 
• Interacting with the web - Hermes can search the web, control a browser, generate images, process visual input, and convert text to speech

How to install Hermes Agent?

Below you will find guidelines on installing Hermes Agent. Note: After installation, Hermes Agent is configured via SSH. See How Do I Set Up a SSH Connection? 

⚠️ Firewall Notice: If you are using the Contabo Firewall, ensure that port 22 (SSH) is open to connect to your server. 

Step 1: Log in to the Customer Control Panel

1. Log in to the Customer Control Panel.

2. Navigate to Servers & Hosting - VPS/VDS.

3. Locate the VPS/VDS where you want to install Hermes Agent.

Step 2: Start the installation

1. Click the Quick Action (⋮) menu next to the VPS/VDS.

2. Select Reinstall.

Step 3: Select Application Installation

1. In the installation window, switch to the Application Installation tab.

2. From the application list, select Hermes Agent.

Step 4: Set the admin password

1. Enter an Admin Password.

   • Make sure to store the password. This password is required to access the server via SSH.

2. Review the information note:

   • Contabo provides technical support for the VPS/VDS 
   • For Hermes Agent configuration and usage, please refer to the Hermes Agent documentation.

Step 5: Start the installation

1. Click Install to begin.

2. Hermes Agent will be installed.

⏳ The installation may take several minutes.

Step 6: Connect to your VPS/VDS via SSH

Hermes Agent runs securely on the server and does not expose a public web interface by default. To continue the setup, you must connect to your server using SSH.
If you are not familiar with SSH, follow this guide first: How Do I Set Up a SSH Connection?
 

Connect using SSH

1. Open a terminal on your computer.

2. Connect to your VPS/VDS using the root user and your server’s IP address:
   
   

Enter the root password you set during installation when prompted.

⚠️If you see a warning like the following:

WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED!

This usually means the server was recently reinstalled. 

You can fix it with the following prompt:

ssh-keygen -R <your-server-ip/hostname*>

*Enter either your server's IP or hostname, depending on what you used previously to connect.

Then reconnect with the following prompt:

ssh root@<your-server-ip/hostname>

*Enter either your server's IP or hostname, depending on what you used previously to connect.

Once connected, you will see a terminal session running on your VPS/VDS.

Step 7: Configure Hermes Agent

Once the installation is complete, configure your preferences with the following command before starting a chat:

hermes setup

Configuration files:

Config:    /root/.hermes/config.yaml 

API keys:  /root/.hermes/.env 

To start chatting with your agent once the setup is complete, run the following command:

hermes

To view the web dashboard, run the following command:

hermes dashboard

Resources

• Hermes Agent documentation