How to Install Hermes Agent on Windows 10/11

TL;DR

Native Windows is Tier 1. Hermes runs on Windows 10 and 11 (x86_64 and aarch64) with no WSL, no Cygwin, no Docker — the official native guide opens with exactly those words. No admin rights required. Open PowerShell and run:

iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1)

Then open a new terminal (the installer updates your User PATH) and run hermes. This guide covers Hermes Agent v0.21.5. On other platforms? See macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi, or VPS.

The three install paths

The official install page recommends the Desktop installer as the easy path on Windows and macOS; the native guide suggests the one-liner "when you're already in a terminal."

What the PowerShell installer does

Everything lands under %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\ and hermes is added to your User PATH — no UAC prompt at any point. Per the official docs, the installer bootstraps uv, Python 3.11, Node.js 26 (winget if available, else a portable tarball), and — only if git isn't already on PATH — a self-contained PortableGit (~45 MB, official git-for-windows build) under %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\git. It sets HERMES_GIT_BASH_PATH so Hermes runs shell commands through Git Bash — "same strategy Claude Code uses" — and finishes with the hermes setup wizard.

Need installer options? The scriptblock form passes parameters — -Branch / -Commit / -Tag to pin a version, -NoVenv, -SkipSetup, -HermesHome, -InstallDir:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1))) -SkipSetup

After it finishes, open a new PowerShell window and verify:

hermes version      # prints v0.21.5 (or newer)
hermes doctor       # health check — every line should be green

Then configure a model — fastest is hermes setup --portal (one Nous Portal login covers 300+ models plus the tool gateway, which the docs call the highest-friction part of Windows setup solved in one command). Full first-run walkthrough: first run and model provider on the main install page.

What works natively

Per the official feature matrix, "everything except the dashboard's embedded terminal pane runs natively on Windows": the CLI, the interactive TUI (hermes --tui), the full messaging gateway (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, 15+ platforms), the cron scheduler, the browser tool, MCP servers (stdio and HTTP), local Ollama / LM Studio, the web dashboard, and auto-start at login. The one exception — the dashboard's /chat embedded terminal — needs a POSIX PTY and shows a "use WSL2 for this" banner natively.

Native or WSL2?

Both are Tier 1, and the official WSL2 guide answers directly. Pick WSL2 if: you want the dashboard's embedded terminal tab, you do POSIX-heavy development and want Hermes on the same Linux filesystem as your tools, or you already maintain a WSL2 environment. Native is fine — or better — for everyone else: you skip crossing the WSL↔Windows boundary every time you touch a file or URL.

The WSL2 path in three commands: wsl --install from Admin PowerShell (installs the WSL2 kernel + Ubuntu), reboot, then inside Ubuntu run the standard Linux installer — curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash. The two installs coexist cleanly: native data under %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes, WSL data under ~/.hermes. WSL2 specifics (filesystem boundaries, networking, systemd) are covered by our Linux install page plus the official WSL2 guide.

Running the gateway at Windows login

For an always-on Telegram/Discord bot on your PC, hermes gateway install registers a Scheduled Task (ONLOGON, non-elevated — no UAC) with a Startup-folder fallback, and spawns the gateway detached via pythonw.exe, which the docs note "immunizes it against CTRL_C_EVENT broadcasts" — a stray Ctrl+C elsewhere can't kill it. Manage it with hermes gateway status / start / stop / restart / uninstall. Want the bot to outlive your PC's uptime entirely? That's the VPS setup.

Common pitfalls

• hermes: command not found right after install — open a new PowerShell window; existing shells don't pick up the User PATH change.
• [scriptblock]::Create(...) fails with an assignment error — your install.ps1 download picked up a UTF-8 BOM. Use the plain irm | iex form, which strips BOMs automatically.
• /edit or Ctrl-X Ctrl-E opens nothing you want — Hermes defaults EDITOR=notepad on Windows. For VS Code: $env:EDITOR = "code --wait" (the --wait is critical), set at User scope to persist.
• Non-Latin characters render as ? — the UTF-8 console shim didn't activate. Check HERMES_DISABLE_WINDOWS_UTF8 is unset, or switch to Windows Terminal.
• Weird Node version errors from the browser tool — an older system Node sits earlier on PATH than Hermes's bundled Node 26.
• Ran the Linux curl | bash in PowerShell — that command is for WSL2 only; use the irm | iex installer natively.

Deeper failures: hermes doctor diagnoses most of them, and the shared troubleshooting tree covers the cross-platform ones.

Uninstall

hermes uninstall is the clean path — it removes the scheduled task, launchers, and the hermes-agent\ checkout but leaves your config, sessions, and skills in %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes for a reinstall. To remove everything: also Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes".

FAQ

Do I need admin rights to install Hermes on Windows?

No. The installer writes only to %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes and your User PATH — no UAC prompt. Even gateway auto-start uses a non-elevated Scheduled Task.

Is native Windows still an early beta?

No — Windows 10/11 native (x86_64 and aarch64) is a Tier 1 platform, alongside macOS and Linux. Everything runs natively except the dashboard's embedded terminal pane (WSL2-only).

Should I install Hermes natively or in WSL2?

Native for most people. WSL2 if you want the dashboard's embedded terminal, do POSIX-heavy development, or already maintain WSL2 — that's the official guidance verbatim.

Where does Hermes install on Windows?

Code at %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent\; your data (config, keys, sessions, skills) directly under %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\. Reinstalls only replace the checkout — your data survives.

Does the messaging gateway work on native Windows?

Yes — Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp and 15+ platforms all run natively, and hermes gateway install keeps it running at login.

Does Hermes run on Windows on ARM?

Yes — the official matrix lists Windows 10/11 on both x86_64 and aarch64 as Tier 1.

Next: verify the install, pick a model provider, then the Skills Hub. Deciding how to run Hermes long-term? Every mode compared.