API Server — Hermes as a Service

Think of it like a universal power adapter: you plug your favorite charger into any wall socket, and it just works. Hermes Agent’s API server does exactly that for AI frontends.

One Format, Every Frontend

If you’ve used Open WebUI, LobeChat, LibreChat, or NextChat, you’ve used the OpenAI chat format. Hermes speaks that same language natively. That means you can point any of these tools at your Hermes backend and instantly get a fully-equipped agent — with terminal access, file operations, web search, memory, and custom skills — without writing a single line of frontend code.

The magic: when you ask a question, Hermes runs its full toolset behind the scenes. With streaming enabled, you’ll see progress indicators appear inline — like “searching the web…” or “running command…” — so your users always know what the agent is doing.

Zero-Config Setup with Nous Portal

The easiest path is to pair Hermes with a Nous Portal subscription. It gives you two things in one: 300+ language models and a Tool Gateway for web, image, TTS, and browser actions. Run this once:

hermes setup --portal

After that, your API server is ready to serve any frontend with full tool support. No separate API keys for each tool. No middleware glue.

Quick Start in Two Steps

1. Enable the server

Open your config file:

nano ~/.hermes/.env

Add these lines:

API_SERVER_ENABLED=true
API_SERVER_KEY=change-me-local-dev

The key is like a password for your API. Change it to something unique before going anywhere near production.

2. Start and connect

Launch the server:

hermes api

Now open Open WebUI (or any OpenAI-compatible frontend) and set the base URL to http://localhost:8000/v1 and the API key to the one you just set. That’s it. You now have a personal agent backend with tools, memory, and skills — all through a familiar chat interface.

Why This Matters

You don’t need to build a UI. You don’t need to manage multiple model providers. You don’t need to wire up tools manually. The API server turns Hermes into a reusable service — one backend, many frontends, full agent capability.

Practical Tip

Start with streaming enabled in your frontend settings. You’ll see tool progress live, which makes the agent feel transparent and trustworthy. And always use a real API key (not change-me-local-dev) if the server is reachable beyond your own machine.

Hermes as a service — plug in, ask, and watch it work.