How to Install Hermes on macOS and Connect It to BenAgent

This guide sets up Hermes Agent on macOS for a local BenAgent workflow. Hermes remains the agent runtime. BenAgent is the Mac surface that sends prompts to the private endpoint you control, applies an optional Keychain-backed Bearer token when configured, and helps verify the connection before your first real request.

What you will build

• A working Hermes CLI on macOS.
• A running Hermes gateway service.
• A local Hermes API server listening on http://127.0.0.1:8642.
• A loopback Hermes API endpoint using either trusted no-auth access or a matching Bearer token.
• A verified BenAgent provider configuration that uses /v1/chat/completions.

Requirements

• A Mac with Terminal access.
• Git installed and available through git --version.
• A model/provider configuration for Hermes, either through Nous Portal or your own provider key.
• BenAgent installed from the Mac App Store or your local build.

1. Install Hermes

The recommended macOS path is the Hermes Desktop installer because it installs both the desktop app and the command-line tool. If you only want the CLI, the official install script supports macOS too.

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
source ~/.zshrc

After installation, verify that the shell can find Hermes. If this fails, reload your shell or add the Hermes launcher directory to your PATH.

which hermes
hermes --version
hermes doctor

2. Configure the Hermes model provider

Hermes needs a model provider before BenAgent can send useful prompts to it. The fastest path is the Nous Portal setup. You can also use the interactive model configuration if you prefer OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, or another supported provider.

hermes setup --portal
# or configure provider and model manually
hermes model

3. Enable the local Hermes API server

BenAgent talks to Hermes through a local HTTP endpoint. Keep no-auth access on loopback, or configure API_SERVER_KEY and save the same optional Hermes Bearer token in BenAgent Settings.

Open ~/.hermes/.env and enable the API server. This example uses trusted loopback no-auth access; add API_SERVER_KEY if you want token authentication.

API_SERVER_ENABLED=true
GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true

GATEWAY_ALLOW_ALL_USERS is intended here only for a loopback server on your Mac. Do not expose this no-auth setup publicly; use API_SERVER_KEY, Hermes allowlists, and a trusted network boundary when appropriate.

4. Start the Hermes gateway on macOS

The Hermes gateway is the background process that exposes the local API server and messaging integrations. On macOS, prefer a clear stop/start cycle after changing ~/.hermes/.env.

hermes gateway status

hermes gateway install

hermes gateway stop
hermes gateway start
hermes gateway status

5. Configure BenAgent

Open BenAgent, choose Hermes as the selected runtime, and keep the default local connection details unless your Hermes gateway runs somewhere else.

• Provider: Hermes
• Base URL: http://127.0.0.1:8642
• Endpoint path: /v1/chat/completions
• Authorization: none for this loopback example, or the optional Hermes Bearer token that matches API_SERVER_KEY

Use BenAgent's setup readiness and Test Agent action before relying on the runtime for real work. A successful test means the endpoint and authentication mode align, and Hermes can answer through its configured model provider.

Troubleshooting

• hermes: command not found: reload your shell with source ~/.zshrc, then check which hermes again.
• Connection refused: run hermes gateway status, then start the gateway.
• Unauthorized or 401: re-check whether API_SERVER_KEY and the optional Hermes Bearer token in BenAgent are both absent or exactly match.
• Model or provider errors: run hermes doctor and hermes model, then fix the provider key before testing from BenAgent.
• Gateway reload feels stuck on macOS: use hermes gateway stop followed by hermes gateway start instead of depending on a restart shortcut.

Next step

Once Hermes is verified, keep BenAgent open beside your normal Mac workspace. You can ask quick questions without switching apps, preserve bounded local conversation context, and later wire Hermes cron or plugin delivery into BenAgent's desktop event surface.