NousResearch/hermes-agent v0.22.0

Hermes Agent v0.22.0 — The Threshold Release

Repository: NousResearch/hermes-agent

Tag: v0.22.0

Published: 2026-10-14T03:21:46Z

Prerelease: no

Release notes:

Hermes Agent v0.22.0

Release Date: October 13, 2026 Since v0.21.0: ~24,200 commits · ~6,080 merged PRs · ~15,600 files changed · ~2,045,000 insertions · ~1,140,000 deletions · ~7,180 issues closed · ~2,520 contributors

> The Threshold Release. Hermes was the god of thresholds: the doorway, the crossing, the boundary stone. v0.21.0 assembled the pantheon; v0.22.0 is about getting through the door. A fresh desktop install now opens on a guided setup chat that runs on a free trial model, so a newcomer is talking to Hermes before they own an API key. Connectors carry the agent across into the apps you already use, with no account needed to start. Local models bring it home to your own hardware with a one-click llama.cpp runtime. And the threshold itself got sturdier: tested SemVer stable releases that installs follow by default, signed desktop packages (including the Microsoft Store), and one package manager underneath everything. Around that spine: a 600-plugin catalog, the Claude 5.5 / GPT-6 model wave, password-manager sign-in for the browser, a bot screen you can take over, one backend and one gateway for every profile, and a codebase a third smaller. This is the largest window Hermes has shipped, about 2.5x the v0.21.0 cycle, and it rolls up and fully documents the v0.21.1–v0.21.7 patch releases.

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✨ Highlights

• A first launch that sets itself up — Open the desktop app on a computer where you have never used Hermes and it starts a short setup chat instead of a settings screen. One card at a time it asks your name, an accent color and a layout, which apps to connect, which plugins to install, then gives a quick tour and offers up to four first tasks picked for you. It runs on a free trial model (nous/welcome, once per OS user), so it needs no key; Skip setup ends it and Settings → Run onboarding again brings it back. The agent also gained set_theme, so "make it violet, dark mode" works in any desktop chat. (#137429, #137522, #137807, #134209, #105258 — @alt-glitch, @OutThisLife, @ethernet8023, @rewbs)

• Connectors: Hermes works inside your apps — The agent can now act in hosted apps such as Gmail, Linear and Notion through the Nous tool gateway: ask for an app, sign in once in your browser, and the tools are usable in the same turn. You do not need a Nous account to start; the first time you use an app, Hermes creates a free connectors-only identity. The desktop has a new Connectors page that puts hosted apps and your MCP servers in one list (it replaces the MCP tab), the same setup card appears in the TUI and CLI, and you can connect several named accounts of one app (a work and a home Gmail) and manage them with /connectors or hermes connectors. (#106842, #111008, #119074, #135143, #135072, #135097, #135151, #135173, #137426 — @alt-glitch, @rewbs)

• Local models in one click — Hermes can now run open models entirely on your machine with nothing leaving it: no account, no API key. It installs and maintains llama.cpp with the right engine for your hardware (CPU, CUDA, Metal, Vulkan or ROCm), rates every catalog model against your GPU and RAM, and picks the highest-quality build that fits. Downloads pause and resume, the server starts and stops with Hermes, and engine updates are one click. Start from Settings → Providers → Local Models on Windows, macOS and Linux, or hermes model → Local models in a terminal. The catalog includes Qwen3.8 27B, Qwen3.8 Flash Next (with its MTP speculative head), Qwen3.6 35B-A3B and DeepSeek V4 Flash, plus any GGUF from Hugging Face. (#100667, #101823, #128768, #111423, #133111, #134116 — @jquesnelle, @ethernet8023)

• Stable release channels — Hermes now ships tested SemVer releases. Every release passes source CI, Docker, Nix, signed desktop builds and install/upgrade runs on every OS before it is published, and source installs now move from release to release by default instead of tracking every commit on main. Prefer the bleeding edge? hermes update --set-channel main, or the new channel switch in Desktop Settings → About. Moving to an older release is labelled a rollback and never happens without asking, and installer reruns keep you on the channel you chose. (#102765, #135847, #135949, #136313, #137780 — @ethernet8023, @KoNit-K)

• Signed desktop packages, the Microsoft Store, and one package manager — The desktop app is now a sealed, signed package that carries its own Python and Node and updates itself, so first launch builds nothing. Windows gets a signed MSIX (x64 and ARM64) through App Installer or the Microsoft Store; macOS gets a signed, notarized build for Apple Silicon. Underneath, a new unified package manager (hermes pm) owns every pinned, hash-checked tool and Python environment: updates build a new...