Tutorial 11: Running Hermes on Android (Termux)

Welcome back, agent builders! Today we’re turning your Android phone into a pocket-sized AI agent machine. Hermes now ships an official signed APT package, so pkg install hermes-agent is all it takes — no compiling Python dependencies on your phone.

:::danger The Termux package is currently broken The Termux package does not work right now. A fix is in progress and will ship soon. Until then, the steps below may fail, or install a package that does not run — check the official docs before you start. :::

:::warning Tier 2 platform Android / Termux is a Tier 2 platform: releases may break it and fixes are best-effort. Only aarch64 devices are supported. :::

Termux Support at a Glance

Item	Value
Supported architecture	aarch64 (arm64-v8a) only
Termux app	Standard Termux; required prefix `/data/data/com.termux/files/usr`
Android API level	API 24 (`android_24_arm64_v8a` wheels)
Install method	Signed APT package: `pkg install hermes-agent` — never the desktop `install.sh`
Bundled runtimes	Python 3.14 (bionic pin), Node.js, npm, uv, ripgrep, ffmpeg
Support tier	Tier 2 — releases may break it, fixes are best-effort
Updates	`pkg update && pkg upgrade hermes-agent`; `hermes update` refuses to touch an APT install
Gateway	Runs in a Termux session with `hermes gateway run` (no systemd, launchd or Scheduled Tasks)
Not included	Electron, local Chromium, desktop computer-use tools, a Docker daemon, phone voice/clipboard adapters

The official APT package: two channels

The package runs Hermes on aarch64 (arm64-v8a) Android devices. Two APT channels are published under https://hermes-assets.nousresearch.com/releases/termux/<channel>:

Channel	APT suite	Contents
`stable`	`hermes-stable`	Tagged `vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` releases that passed the stable release gate
`canary`	`hermes-canary`	Prerelease builds from canary tags; versions carry `~canary.<timestamp>`

The steps below use stable. To follow prereleases, replace stable with canary and hermes-stable with hermes-canary in steps 2 and 4 — both channels are signed with the same key.

The package already includes Python, Node.js, npm, uv, ripgrep, ffmpeg and their runtime libraries. CI builds the native Python wheels and the TUI before it creates the package, so your device compiles no core dependencies and assembles no base Python environment. It uses Python 3.14 with the bionic interpreter pin (it does not need the same patch version as desktop CPython), and the wheel closure is core plus acp — not all desktop extras.

Install

Use the standard Termux application. The package requires its standard prefix /data/data/com.termux/files/usr; other architectures and renamed Termux application packages are not supported, and the wheels target Android API 24 (android_24_arm64_v8a). Do not use the desktop/server install.sh or a glibc Linux archive on this target.

Install the tools for repository setup:
```
pkg install curl gnupg
```

Download the public key:

mkdir -p "$PREFIX/etc/apt/keyrings"
curl -fsSL \
  https://hermes-assets.nousresearch.com/releases/termux/stable/key.asc \
  -o "$PREFIX/etc/apt/keyrings/hermes-agent.asc"

Verify its primary fingerprint:
```
gpg --show-keys --with-fingerprint "$PREFIX/etc/apt/keyrings/hermes-agent.asc"
```
The repository key fingerprint is:
```
C572 B5FD D1A2 9CCF A9A9 12B6 840B 0848 E139 156D
```
If the fingerprint differs, stop. Do not disable signature verification.

Add the repository:

printf '%s\n' \
  "deb [signed-by=$PREFIX/etc/apt/keyrings/hermes-agent.asc] https://hermes-assets.nousresearch.com/releases/termux/stable hermes-stable main" \
  > "$PREFIX/etc/apt/sources.list.d/hermes-agent.list"

Install Hermes:
```
pkg update
pkg install hermes-agent
```
Configure a provider, then start the TUI:
```
hermes setup
hermes --tui
```

The hermes, hermes-agent, and hermes-acp commands use the packaged runtimes — they do not require Termux’s python or nodejs packages.

Files and updates

Contents	Location
Package files	`$PREFIX/lib/hermes-agent/`
Command symlinks	`$PREFIX/bin/hermes`, `$PREFIX/bin/hermes-agent`, `$PREFIX/bin/hermes-acp`
Configuration and user data	`~/.hermes/`, or the selected `HERMES_HOME`

Update through APT:

pkg update
pkg upgrade hermes-agent

hermes update refuses to modify an APT-owned installation — it prints the package-manager command instead. Canary versions contain ~canary.<timestamp> and sort before the corresponding stable version, and each suite only lists its own channel’s packages: to move between channels, edit the channel path and suite in hermes-agent.list, then pkg update && pkg upgrade hermes-agent.

Gateway

This APT installation does not use systemd, launchd, or Windows Scheduled Tasks. Run the gateway in a Termux session:

hermes gateway run

For a background process:

mkdir -p "${HERMES_HOME:-$HOME/.hermes}/logs"
nohup hermes gateway run >> "${HERMES_HOME:-$HOME/.hermes}/logs/gateway.log" 2>&1 &

:::warning Android process limits Android can suspend or terminate background Termux processes. Battery optimization exemptions and termux-wake-lock can help, but do not guarantee persistent operation. :::

Limits

The package does not include the nemo-relay exporter — its vendored build toolchain does not support this target
No Electron, bundled Chromium, or desktop computer-use tools — the browser tool launches a system chromium when one is on PATH (pkg install chromium, where your repository provides it); without one, browsing is unavailable and the browser tool says so
A local Docker daemon is not part of the Termux environment; remote services have their own requirements and connectivity limits
Phone-native Termux:API microphone and clipboard adapters are not provided by this package path, and the prebuilt CLI/TUI is not proof of local voice or wake-word support
Optional integrations and third-party plugins can require dependencies that do not support Android
Python 3.14 on this target reports sys.platform == "android", so a dependency or skill gated only to linux is not automatically available

Uninstall

pkg uninstall hermes-agent

APT removes the package and its command symlinks but preserves your configuration, sessions, skills, and memories.

Troubleshooting

Package not found: verify the repository entry, then run pkg update
Signature error: verify the public key fingerprint. Do not use an unsigned repository or bypass the error
Missing command: verify that $PREFIX/bin is on PATH, or reinstall the package
Missing library or TUI bundle: report hermes --version and the complete error — the core package must not require a local rebuild
Gateway stops with the screen off: review Android’s battery and background-process limits
For general diagnostics, run hermes doctor

Wrap-up

Running Hermes on your phone is now three steps: add the signed official repo → pkg install hermes-agent → hermes setup. Just remember the warning at the top — the package is currently broken and a fix is on the way, so check the official docs for the latest status before you start.

Next time we’ll look at moving Hermes from one machine to another, or syncing across devices. Let us know what you’d like to see!