Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent is a terminal agent from Nous Research. The Liquid Inference plugin adds the exchange as a model provider. It is also in the Hermes Agent plugin catalog. The plugin holds the exchange URL and the request headers. The buyer key stays in the environment.

Steps 1 to 5 use the plugin. To set each value yourself, see Manual configuration.

Start with the Liquid CLI

The Liquid CLI can start Hermes Agent with the exchange as its provider. Set Hermes Agent up one time first.

curl -fsSL https://inference.ai.exchange/cli/install.sh | bash
liquid login
liquid connect hermes-agent   # prints the setup below with your model filled in
liquid hermes

Before you start

• A workspace with a balance and a spend key. See API keys.
• macOS or Linux, with git and curl.
• On Linux, the libatomic library, before step 1. The install command cannot ask for a sudo password. The package is libatomic1 on Debian and Ubuntu, and libatomic on Fedora and RHEL.
• A model with a context window of 64,000 tokens or more. Hermes Agent refuses a smaller model.
• Hermes Agent 0.21.6. This setup is tested with that release.

1. Install Hermes Agent

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/818c13be1dc4fd28987e1e881a9408224afd4535/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --commit 818c13be1dc4fd28987e1e881a9408224afd4535 --skip-setup
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

The script comes from the commit of the Hermes Agent 0.21.6 release. It downloads its own Python and Node, and it places hermes in ~/.local/bin. The second command adds that directory to PATH. --skip-setup omits the setup questions.

2. Export the buyer key

Use the same shell for each command below.

export LIQUID_API_KEY=sk-liquid-...

LIQUID_API_KEY is the buyer key. LIQUID_BASE_URL is the exchange URL, with /v1. Set it only if the command shows it. To keep a setting between shells, put the line without export in ~/.hermes/.env. Keep that file private.

3. Install the plugin and select the model

hermes plugins install architect-xyz/hermes-liquid-inference --ref a7ce8ae3d46253b51c70922c734e3a71ee6bad37 --enable &&
hermes config set model.provider liquid &&
hermes config set model.default "liquid.auto"

The first command installs one commit of the plugin into ~/.hermes/plugins. --ref fixes the commit, and --enable turns the plugin on. The other commands each change one setting in ~/.hermes/config.yaml: model.provider selects the plugin, and model.default is the model for new sessions.

The plugin sends these headers with each model request, including the requests for a session title, compression and vision:

Hermes Agent reads the model list from the exchange but not a context window. For a model it does not know, such as liquid.auto, it uses 256,000 tokens. To change this, set model.context_length. Do not put the key in the configuration file or in a header.

4. Check it works

hermes -z "Reply with the word ready"

The answer must contain ready. Open Credits → Receipts to check the charge and the Hermes Agent client label.

5. Start a session

hermes

To use another model, change model.default, or type /model in a session. Use an exact model, a router model or a preset. See Connect an app.

Reasoning effort

Task requests use medium unless you set a reasoning effort. The plugin sends the level that you select, for example /reasoning high in a session or:

hermes config set agent.reasoning_effort high

The plugin sends none for none or when reasoning is off. The exchange sends a request with a reasoning effort only to an offer that accepts one. Otherwise it refuses with 400 unsupported_parameter and no charge, and Hermes Agent sends the request again without it.

The session title request

Each session sends one more request for a title, with the same headers and cap. It asks for a JSON schema format. If no offer accepts it, the exchange refuses with 400 unsupported_parameter and no charge, and Hermes Agent sends it again without the format. To stop the title request:

hermes config set auxiliary.title_generation.enabled false

Control the cost

To set a different cap for each request:

hermes config set model.default_headers.x-liquid-cap-usd 0.25

A header in model.default_headers replaces the plugin header of the same name. Do not set X-Title there, or the receipt has no client label.

One task can send several requests, so the request cap does not limit the total charge. Set a spend limit on the key. See API keys. For other rules, use a preset. See Purchasing rules.

Troubleshooting

See Errors.

Manual configuration

Use the custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint, with no plugin. Do steps 1 and 2, then run these commands in place of step 3.

hermes config set model.provider custom &&
hermes config set model.base_url "https://router.inference.ai.exchange/v1" &&
hermes config set model.key_env LIQUID_API_KEY &&
hermes config set model.default "liquid.auto" &&
hermes config set model.context_length 128000 &&
hermes config set model.default_headers.X-Title "Hermes Agent" &&
hermes config set model.default_headers.x-liquid-cap-usd 1.00

• model.key_env names the variable that holds the key. Write LIQUID_API_KEY without $.
• model.context_length is the context window of your model. Change it with model.default.
• Set headers in model.default_headers. extra_headers on a named provider is not sent with the session title request.

Reasoning effort with a custom endpoint

Hermes Agent sends reasoning_effort: medium with each task request and none with the title request. If no offer accepts it, the exchange refuses with 400 unsupported_parameter and no charge, and Hermes Agent sends the request again without it. To prevent the refused requests:

hermes config set model_overrides.custom._default.supports_reasoning false &&
hermes config set auxiliary.title_generation.enabled false

Troubleshooting a custom endpoint