Hermes Agent Is Now a First-Class AIOS Client¶
Hermes Agent (the open-source CLI AI agent by Nous Research) now joins Codex CLI, Claude Code, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, and Crush as the seventh first-class AIOS client in Harness CLI.
This isn't just a config entry. The core of this integration is an MCP bridge server — exposing AIOS's five most valuable capabilities as MCP tools that Hermes can call directly.
Why Hermes Agent needed this¶
Hermes already ships session_search, memory, delegate_task, skill_manage, and cronjob as built-in tools. But like every other AIOS client, it lacks systematic support in three areas:
- Strategic context recall — Hermes can search session history, but it can't trim by token budget with priority sorting. Long sessions flood the context window with low-value history.
- Environment health self-checks — Wrong MCP config, outdated Node version, broken skill directories — these silent problems drag down entire workflows, but Hermes has no automatic detection or repair.
- Large output compression — Browser screenshots, long shell output, and HTML dumps waste tokens when they go straight into the context window. Hermes has no interception layer.
The AIOS MCP bridge closes all three gaps.
The 5 MCP tools¶
scripts/aios-mcp-server.mjs is the new MCP bridge server. It exposes five tools:
aios_context_pack¶
Token-budget-aware context compression. Three strategies:
| Strategy | Behavior | Use case |
|---|---|---|
legacy |
Tail truncation | Simple scenarios, no priority |
balanced |
Priority-sorted pruning | Daily use, keeps most important info |
aggressive |
Only critical signals | Harness/checkpoint mode, max compression |
# Call from inside a Hermes session
aios_context_pack(query="auth bug fix history", token_budget=2000, strategy="balanced")
aios_doctor_suite¶
Full health check — MCP config, Node version, ContextDB status, skill directories, and client connectivity. Supports --fix for auto-repair.
aios_doctor_suite(workspace="/path/to/project", fix=true)
aios_intercept_compress¶
Large tool output compression. Three compression modes:
| Mode | Compression level | Use case |
|---|---|---|
tight |
Balanced | Default |
ultra |
Maximum | Harness/checkpoints |
precise |
Minimal | Safety-critical operations |
aios_intercept_compress(text="<raw browser output>", mode="tight", tool_name="page.screenshot")
aios_skill_validate¶
Validate Hermes/AIOS skill directory structure — checks SKILL.md frontmatter required fields (name, description, version, author), content completeness, and referenced file existence.
aios_skill_validate(skill_path="/path/to/.hermes/skills/my-skill")
aios_skill_install¶
Install skills from AIOS skill-sources into Hermes's .hermes/skills/ directory. Supports copy (portable) and link (local dev) install modes.
aios_skill_install(skill_name="context-pack", install_mode="copy")
Client registration details¶
Hermes is registered in CLIENT_DEFINITIONS with:
| Property | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| capabilities | skills, native, harness, superpowers | No team/agents yet |
| commandName | hermes | CLI command |
| runtimeClientId | hermes-agent | Runtime identifier |
| projectSkillRoot | .hermes/skills |
Skill install directory |
| instructionFileName | AGENTS.md | Hermes auto-loads project root AGENTS.md |
| modelArgFlag | --model |
Model selection flag |
| unattendedArgs | empty | Hermes has no --yolo mode |
MCP config dual-scope:
| Scope | File | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project | .mcp.json |
Shared with Claude Code |
| Home | config.yaml (under ~/.hermes/) |
Hermes YAML config |
How to enable¶
Step 1: Make sure AIOS is installed¶
aios doctor
Step 2: Run Setup¶
aios # TUI → Setup → select hermes
Or directly:
aios setup --client hermes
Step 3: Verify MCP bridge¶
aios doctor --fix
# Doctor auto-registers aios-mcp-server into Hermes MCP config
Step 4: Use in Hermes¶
Start Hermes in any project. The 5 AIOS MCP tools are automatically available:
hermes
# In conversation: @aios_context_pack query="..." token_budget=2000 strategy="balanced"
Differences from other clients¶
| Feature | Codex/Claude | Hermes |
|---|---|---|
| Skills directory | .codex/skills / .claude/skills |
.hermes/skills |
| Instruction file | AGENTS.md / CLAUDE.md | AGENTS.md (shared) |
| Unattended mode | --yolo / --dangerously-skip-permissions |
None (uses delegate_task) |
| MCP config | JSON / TOML | JSON + YAML dual-scope |
| Team orchestration | Supported | Not yet (future extension) |
What's next¶
- Distill Hermes-native skills — Extract
context-pack,hermes-doctoretc. from AIOS skill-sources into.hermes/skills/format - Team orchestration extension — Hermes
delegate_taskalready supports sub-agent dispatch; future integration with AIOS multi-client team orchestration - ACP sub-agent bridge — Hermes supports ACP (e.g. Copilot CLI); could merge with AIOS
delegate_taskfor cross-client orchestration
Read the AIOS docs for the full guide, or check Agent Governance to see how AIOS keeps multi-client workflows safe.