May 22, 2026 · Free Guide · Beginner Friendly

Set Up The Free AI Agent That Remembers Everything.

ChatGPT and Claude forget you the second you close the tab. Hermes doesn't. It's a free AI agent that runs on your computer, remembers every conversation, learns what you like, and even builds its own shortcuts as you use it.

This guide walks you through it like I'm sitting next to you. No coding. No terminal commands you don't understand. About 10 minutes from this paragraph to your first working agent.

First, What Is Hermes In Plain English?

Think of Hermes like ChatGPT's smarter, more loyal cousin. Same kind of chat box. Same kind of AI behind it. But three big differences:

  • It remembers you forever.Tell it your business, your goals, your style, your pet's name. It writes it down and pulls it up the next time you chat. No more starting from scratch every session.
  • It runs jobs on a schedule."Every morning at 7am, send me the top 3 AI news stories." Hermes does it. Forever.
  • It learns your patterns. Do the same kind of task three times and Hermes turns it into a one-click shortcut for next time. The more you use it, the faster it gets.

It's free. It's open source. It runs on your own computer (not in someone else's cloud). And it just got a real desktop app, so you don't have to touch a terminal anymore.

BEFORE YOU START

Two Things You Need. That's It.

  • A computer. Mac, Windows, or Linux. Anything from the last 5 years works.
  • An AI account to power it.Hermes is the body. You bring the brain. The easiest brain to use is Anthropic (the company that makes Claude). Don't worry about this yet, we'll set it up together in Step 3.

That's genuinely it. No Python install. No terminal setup. The desktop app handles all of that behind the scenes.

STEP 1 · DOWNLOAD HERMES

Grab The Desktop App.

Click this link: github.com/fathah/hermes-desktop/releases

Scroll to the top of the page and find the latest release. Under it you'll see a list of files. Pick the one that matches your computer:

  • Mac: the file ending in .dmg
  • Windows: the file ending in .exe
  • Linux: the file ending in .AppImage (works on almost everything)

Click it. It downloads. Move on to Step 2.

STEP 2 · INSTALL AND OPEN IT

Same As Installing Any App.

On Mac: double-click the .dmg file in your Downloads folder. A window opens with the Hermes icon. Drag it into the Applications folder. Done. Open the Applications folder and double-click Hermes to launch.

If Mac says "cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software":open System Settings → Privacy & Security → scroll to the bottom → click "Open Anyway." This is normal for indie apps. It's open source, you can read every line on GitHub.

On Windows: double-click the .exein Downloads. Click through the installer. Open Hermes from the Start menu when it's done.

First time you open Hermes:it takes about 60-90 seconds to finish setting itself up. It's installing the agent behind the scenes. Let it cook. When it's done, you'll see a chat window with a sidebar on the left.

STEP 3 · CONNECT THE BRAIN

Give Hermes An AI Model To Think With.

Hermes can't think on its own. It needs an AI model behind it. I'm going to walk you through the simplest path — using Claude as the brain. It's the smartest model right now and it costs a few cents per use.

Get a Claude API key (3 minutes):

  • Go to console.anthropic.com and sign up (or log in if you already have a Claude account).
  • On the left, click API Keys.
  • Click Create Key. Name it "Hermes".
  • Copy the key immediately. It looks like sk-ant-...and it's only shown once.
  • Add $5 of credit to your Anthropic account under Billing. $5 lasts most people a couple of weeks of normal use.

Drop the key into Hermes:

  • In the Hermes app, click Settings in the sidebar.
  • Find the section called Providers or Models.
  • Click Anthropic.
  • Paste your API key. Hit Save.
  • Pick a Claude model from the dropdown. Claude Sonnet is the right default — smart and cheap.

That's it. Hermes now has a brain.

Want to use something other than Claude? Skip to the "Other Brain Options" section near the bottom. But for your first run, use Claude. It's the smoothest experience.

STEP 4 · SEND YOUR FIRST MESSAGE

Just Chat Like It's ChatGPT.

Click Chatin the sidebar. You'll see a normal chat box at the bottom. Paste this in and hit enter:

Hey Hermes, I'm new here. My name is [YOUR NAME] and I run a [WHAT YOU DO]. The thing I most want help with is [YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM]. Save that info to your memory so you know who I am next time.

Fill in the brackets. Hit enter. Hermes will reply, confirm what it heard, and write it to memory.

To see the magic:close the app completely. Reopen it. Start a brand new chat. Type "What do you remember about me?"

It remembers. That's the difference between Hermes and every other chatbot you've used.

STEP 5 · ASK IT TO DO SOMETHING REAL

Stop Asking. Start Delegating.

Most people talk to AI like a search engine. Hermes is built for tasks. Try this:

Find me the 3 biggest AI news stories from the last 24 hours. For each one, give me: - One sentence on what happened - One sentence on why it matters to a non-technical person - A short hook I could use if I made a video about it When you're done, save the best hook to memory so I can find it later.

Hit enter. Watch what happens. Hermes will plan the steps, search the web, summarize, pick the best one, and save it. All in one go.

This is what people mean when they say "AI agent." It does the multi-step thing without you babysitting.

STEP 6 · SET UP A DAILY AUTOMATION

Tell Hermes To Do It Every Day, Forever.

This is where Hermes starts to feel like a real assistant. Back in the chat, paste this:

Every weekday at 7am, find the top 3 AI news stories from the last 24 hours. Summarize each one in plain English (no jargon). Pick the best one and explain why it's the best. Save the results to my memory so I can review them in the morning.

Hermes will set this up as a scheduled task. Every weekday at 7am from now on, it runs on its own — even if you're not at your computer. Open the app and your morning brief is waiting.

To see your scheduled tasks:click anywhere it says "Schedule" or "Tasks" in the sidebar (the exact name depends on your version). You can pause, edit, or delete any task from there.

STEP 7 (OPTIONAL) · TEXT IT FROM YOUR PHONE

Turn Hermes Into Your Personal Assistant On Telegram.

This is the part that blows people's minds. You can text Hermes from your phone like a real assistant. Walking the dog and you remember a task? Text it. On a flight and need a tweet drafted? Text it.

The setup, in order:

  • Open Telegram on your phone (download from the App Store if you don't have it).
  • Search for @BotFather and tap it.
  • Send /newbot as a message.
  • Give your bot a name (anything you want, like "My Hermes").
  • Give it a username ending in "bot", like marc_hermes_bot.
  • BotFather will send you a long string of letters and numbers called a token. Copy it.
  • In the Hermes app, click Gateway in the sidebar.
  • Pick Telegram. Paste your token. Save.

Done. Open Telegram, find the bot you just made, and text it anything. Hermes replies from your phone. Same memory, same skills, same everything as the desktop app.

OTHER BRAIN OPTIONS

Don't Want To Use Claude? Here Are The Alternatives.

Hermes works with any AI provider. Here are the most common alternatives, ranked by how good they feel for beginners.

  • OpenAI (ChatGPT's company). Smart, familiar, similar setup to Anthropic. Get a key at platform.openai.com/api-keys. Pick GPT-5 or whatever's newest.
  • OpenRouter. One key, dozens of models, often the cheapest path. Some models even have a free tier. Sign up at openrouter.ai/keys.
  • Claude Code OAuth (advanced). If you have a Claude Max plan AND extra usage credits, you can connect Hermes through Claude Code. Skip this unless you already use Claude Code daily.
  • Nous Portal. The team that built Hermes also hosts their own AI endpoint. Made for Hermes. Sign up at portal.nousresearch.com.

For setup, every option works the same way: Settings → Providers → pick the provider → paste your key → save.

WHAT TO BUILD NEXT

Three Beginner-Friendly Tasks To Try This Week.

  • Morning brief.The news + hook task from Step 6, but tweaked for your niche. "Top 3 stories about [your topic] from yesterday."
  • Idea jar. Every time you have a content idea, text it to your Telegram bot. Tell Hermes to keep a running list in memory. Every Sunday it sends you the list back.
  • Email draft helper.Paste a customer email into the chat. Tell Hermes "reply in my voice — friendly, direct, no fluff." After a few examples, save it as a skill and you have a one-click email assistant.
EVERY LINK IN ONE PLACE

Bookmark These.

That's It. You Have An AI Agent.

Seven steps. About 10 minutes if you didn't hit any snags. You now have a free AI agent on your computer that remembers you, runs tasks on a schedule, and gets smarter the more you use it.

Tag me when yours is running. @tenfoldmarc.

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