A Windows-native AI agent that lives on your desktop. Chat with it, give it tools, let it learn who you are. Built with WinUI 3 and .NET 10.
v2.3.1 — Download | Changelog | Discussion
Download and run — no installer, no SDK, no setup wizard.
- Grab
HermesDesktop-portable-x64.zipfrom Releases - Extract anywhere
- Run
HermesDesktop.exe - Add your API key to
%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\config.yaml
Works on Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11. The portable build is fully self-contained — everything ships in the folder.
Minimal config.yaml to get chatting
model:
provider: anthropic
default: claude-sonnet-4-6
base_url: https://api.anthropic.com
api_key: sk-ant-your-key-here
# Add more providers for runtime swapping (optional)
provider_keys:
anthropic: sk-ant-your-key
openai: sk-proj-your-key
ollama_url: http://127.0.0.1:11434/v1First launch creates %LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes with config, memory, transcripts, and logs.
Portable (zip from Releases) — your data lives outside the app folder.
- Quit Hermes Desktop (system tray → Exit, or close the window).
- Download the latest
HermesDesktop-portable-x64.zip. - Either replace the folder (delete the old extracted folder, extract the new zip to the same path) or extract to a new folder and run
HermesDesktop.exefrom there — either way, do not delete%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes; yourconfig.yaml, sessions, memory, and wiki stay there. - Start the new
HermesDesktop.exe.
There is no in-app auto-updater yet; check Releases when you want a new build.
Built from git (dev / dotnet run) — pull and run again:
cd Hermes-Desktop
git pull
dotnet run --project Desktop/HermesDesktop/HermesDesktop.csproj -c Debug -p:Platform=x64 --launch-profile "HermesDesktop (Dev)"MSIX (run-dev.ps1) — pull, then re-register:
cd Hermes-Desktop
git pull
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Desktop\HermesDesktop\run-dev.ps1Hermes Desktop is an in-process agent runtime with a native Windows UI — not a chat wrapper. The agent runs locally, calls tools, remembers context across sessions, and can reach out to Telegram and Discord on your behalf.
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- 27+ tools — file ops, shell, web fetch/search, code sandbox, browser automation, vision, TTS, and more
- Parallel execution for read-only tools (8-worker semaphore), sequential with permission gating for mutations
- Runtime model swapping — switch between Claude, GPT, Ollama, Qwen, DeepSeek, and others mid-conversation without restarting
- Sub-agent spawning with 5 profiles for delegation and parallel work
- 94 skills across 28 categories (code review, TDD, GitHub workflows, MLOps, research, creative, and more)
- Soul system — persistent personality (SOUL.md), user profile (USER.md), project rules (AGENTS.md), mistakes journal, habits journal
- 12 soul templates — Default, Creative, Teacher, Researcher, Pair Programmer, DevOps, Security, and more
- Wiki knowledge base — markdown files with SQLite FTS5 full-text search, Obsidian-compatible, crash-safe writes
- Compiled memory stack — wiki content injected into agent context automatically, configurable in
config.yaml - 6-layer context runtime — soul context, system prompt, session state, retrieved knowledge, recent turns, current message
Built from lessons across 168+ upstream PRs and 46+ production incidents:
- Compression cooldown (600s) to prevent infinite token-burning loops
- Provider fallback with automatic 5-minute restoration
- Credential pool rotation on 401/429
- Atomic writes (WriteThrough + FlushAsync) for crash safety
- Secret scanning on all tool outputs
- Deterministic tool-call IDs for prompt cache efficiency
Eight pages: Dashboard (usage insights, KPIs, platform badges), Chat (tool calling, reasoning display, model switcher, side panels), Agent (identity editor, souls browser), Skills (searchable library with categories), Memory (browser + project rules editor), Buddy (companion with ASCII art), Integrations (Telegram, Discord, and more), Settings (model, memory, display, execution, paths).
Native C# adapters for Telegram and Discord — no Python CLI required. Slack, WhatsApp, Matrix, and others work through the Python gateway sidecar, configurable from the Integrations page.
For contributors or anyone who wants to hack on the code.
Requirements: Windows 10+, .NET 10 SDK, Windows App SDK 1.7
git clone https://github.com/RedWoodOG/Hermes-Desktop.git
cd Hermes-Desktop
dotnet run --project Desktop/HermesDesktop/HermesDesktop.csproj -c Debug -p:Platform=x64 --launch-profile "HermesDesktop (Dev)"Runs unpackaged with no MSIX registration. The Dev profile enables HERMES_DESKTOP_SHOW_LOCAL_DETAILS so paths and endpoints are visible in the UI. In Visual Studio or Cursor, select the HermesDesktop (Dev) launch profile and press F5.
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\Desktop\HermesDesktop\run-dev.ps1Builds, registers the MSIX package, and launches. Use -ShowLocalDetails to surface paths in the UI.
.\scripts\publish-portable.ps1 -ZipProduces Desktop\HermesDesktop\bin\HermesDesktop-portable-x64.zip — self-contained, ready to distribute. For ARM64: add -Platform ARM64.
Clean uninstall, manual build, troubleshooting
Updating from git is covered above under Updating (portable zip vs dotnet run vs run-dev.ps1).
Clean uninstall (MSIX):
Get-AppxPackage *EDC29F63* | Remove-AppxPackage
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force Desktop\HermesDesktop\bin, Desktop\HermesDesktop\obj, src\bin, src\obj -ErrorAction SilentlyContinueTo also remove user data: Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes"
Manual build (if scripts don't work):
dotnet build Desktop/HermesDesktop/HermesDesktop.csproj -c Debug -p:Platform=x64
cd Desktop\HermesDesktop\bin\x64\Debug\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\win-x64
Add-AppxPackage -Register AppxManifest.xml
Start-Process "shell:AppsFolder\EDC29F63-281C-4D34-8723-155C8122DEA2_1z32rh13vfry6!App"Troubleshooting:
- App window doesn't appear? Remove old packages (
Get-AppxPackage *EDC29F63* | Remove-AppxPackage), cleanbin/andobj/, rebuild. - Check crash logs:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-cs\logs\desktop-startup.log - Check Windows crash reports:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\WER\ReportArchive - Close overlay software (MSI Afterburner, RTSS) — these can interfere with WinUI startup.
- Verify SDK:
dotnet --versionshould show10.x.x - Build errors on
BriefServiceorDashboardPage? See issue #25. - Use
-p:Platform=x64, notAMD64— seeDesktop/HermesDesktop/AGENTS.mdfor details.
MSIX signing: Local cert material (Desktop/HermesDesktop/packaging/dev-msix.pfx) must stay out of git. Generate a dev cert with scripts/new-msix-dev-cert.ps1.
Hermes.CS/
├── src/ # Core agent library (Hermes.Core)
│ ├── Core/ # Agent loop, models, tool interfaces
│ ├── Tools/ # 27+ tool implementations
│ ├── LLM/ # Provider abstraction, model swapping
│ ├── soul/ # Identity system, templates, profiles
│ ├── wiki/ # WikiManager, FTS5 search
│ ├── Context/ # Prompt builder, token budget
│ ├── dreamer/ # Background free-association worker
│ ├── gateway/ # Telegram, Discord adapters
│ └── ... # memory, skills, security, plugins, etc.
├── Desktop/HermesDesktop/ # WinUI 3 desktop application
│ ├── Views/ # 8 pages + side panels
│ ├── Services/ # Chat bridge, environment, diagnostics
│ └── Strings/ # Localization (en-us, zh-cn)
├── skills/ # 94 skill definitions
├── scripts/ # Build, publish, install scripts
└── HermesDesktop.slnx
.NET 10 / C# 13 • WinUI 3 (Windows App SDK 1.7, Mica backdrop) • SQLite FTS5 • Playwright • System.Text.Json
| Version | Date | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| v2.3.1 | 2026-04-13 | Fix v2.3.0 source zip DreamerStatusSnapshot.LastLocalDigestHint compile error, fix portable startup XamlParseException on ReplayPanel (disable PublishTrimmed), add ReplayPanel constructor diagnostic capture, refresh readme screenshots |
| v2.3.0 | 2026-04-12 | Portable release (self-contained zip, no MSIX required), compiled memory stack, wiki tool, Dev launch profile, publish-portable.ps1 |
| v2.2.1 | 2026-04-10 | Fix startup crash on fresh clone, safe file ops, one-click installer |
| v2.2.0 | 2026-04-10 | User Profile section in Settings |
| v2.1.0 | 2026-04-10 | Native C# gateway — Telegram and Discord without Python CLI |
| v2.0.0 | 2026-04-09 | Runtime model swapping (Claude/OpenAI/Ollama/Qwen mid-conversation) |
| v1.9.0 | 2026-04-09 | Wiki knowledge base with SQLite FTS5 search |
| v1.8.0 | 2026-04-09 | Production hardening: cooldowns, fallback, atomic writes, secret scanning |
| v1.7.0 | 2026-04-09 | Anthropic tool calling |
| v1.5.0 | 2026-04-08 | Parallel tool execution (8 workers) |
Earlier releases
| Version | Date | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| v2.1.1 | 2026-04-10 | Fix skills discovery, model dropdown, memory paths |
| v2.0.1 | 2026-04-09 | Fix dark theme, first-run skill copy, gateway notice |
| v1.9.1 | 2026-04-09 | Agent tool loop tests (207 pass), Chat UX |
| v1.6.0 | 2026-04-09 | Execution backends, plugins, analytics dashboard |
| v1.4.0 | 2026-04-08 | +7 new tools (21 total) |
| v1.3.0 | 2026-04-08 | Chat routes through full Agent pipeline |
| v1.2.0 | 2026-04-08 | Settings page overhaul |
| v1.1.0 | 2026-04-08 | Skills page redesign |
Built on the NousResearch Hermes Agent architecture. This project exists to show appreciation for the NousResearch team — please support them and use the product they created.
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