The Hermes Agent brew command is brew install hermes-agent, and it's a real formula in Homebrew core, but Nous Research lists Homebrew as an unsupported way to install Hermes.
The officially supported install on a Mac is the one-line script, which is curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash.
So you have two working routes, and this walkthrough gives you the exact commands for both, plus setup, updating, uninstalling and the errors you're most likely to hit.
I checked everything here on 12 October 2026 against brew info, the formula file, the official install docs and hermes --help on my own machine.
The Short Answer On Hermes Agent Brew
Here are the three commands people are really looking for.
| What you want | The command | Supported by Nous Research? |
|---|---|---|
| Hermes Agent CLI from Homebrew | brew install hermes-agent |
No, the docs list brew installs as unsupported. |
| Hermes Desktop app from Homebrew | brew install --cask hermes-desktop |
The cask is a Homebrew package, not a Nous install path. |
| Hermes Agent CLI, the official way | curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash |
Yes, this is a Tier 1 install on Apple Silicon Macs. |
The formula is real, it's maintained in Homebrew core and it's popular.
Homebrew's own analytics showed roughly 2,400 installs of hermes-agent in the 30 days before I wrote this.
The catch is in the official platform support page, which puts "installs via brew" in its unsupported list.
That page says unsupported methods may break, and that fixes for them won't be accepted.
So my advice for operators is simple.
Use the official script on any machine you depend on, and use brew only if you understand the trade-off.
What Hermes Agent Is, In One Minute
Hermes Agent is a free, open-source AI agent from Nous Research.
It can run commands, use tools, remember things between sessions and work through chat apps such as Telegram and Slack.
It doesn't ship with one fixed model, so you choose the brain after you install it.
The code is MIT licensed, and the home of the project is github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.
If you want the wider picture first, my Hermes Agent by Nous Research explainer covers who makes it and why.
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Do Not Confuse The Hermes Names In Homebrew
This is the mistake I'd expect most people to make.
Typing brew install hermes does not install Hermes Agent.
On my Mac it returns "No available formula with the name hermes" and asks if I meant hermit.
Hermit is a tool from Cash App for managing project tools, and it has nothing to do with Nous Research.
There's also a JavaScript engine from Meta called Hermes, which is a completely different project.
The two names you actually want are these.
- The formula
hermes-agentinstalls the command-line agent. - The cask
hermes-desktopinstalls the Hermes desktop app.
You can check both without installing anything.
brew search hermes
brew info hermes-agent
brew info --cask hermes-desktop
Those three commands only read information, so they're safe to run.
What You Need On A Mac First
The official script needs very little.
The docs say it needs Git, curl, tar and a SHA-256 tool, and a Mac already has curl, tar and a checksum tool.
Git arrives with Apple's command line tools, which you install like this.
xcode-select --install
You don't need to install Python, Node or uv yourself for the official route.
The docs say the installer downloads its own pinned copy of uv, and that Hermes's package manager then provides pinned Python, Node.js, npm, ripgrep and FFmpeg.
The script even ignores a uv that's already on your PATH.
For the Homebrew route you need Homebrew itself, which comes from brew.sh.
Here is what Homebrew can and can't do for each part.
| Tool | Can brew install it? | Do you need to install it yourself? |
|---|---|---|
| Git | Yes, with brew install git. |
Only if the command line tools aren't installed. |
| Python 3.14 | Yes, as python@3.14. |
No, both routes bring their own. |
| Node.js | Yes, as node. |
No, both routes bring their own. |
| uv | Yes, as uv. |
No, the official script downloads its own pinned copy. |
| ripgrep | Yes, as ripgrep. |
No, both routes bring it. |
| FFmpeg | Yes, as ffmpeg. |
Only on the brew route, and only for voice features. |
The FFmpeg line comes straight from the formula, which prints a note saying voice and text-to-speech conversion optionally uses FFmpeg.
Route 1: Install Hermes Agent With The Official Script
This is the route I'd use, and it's the one my own machine runs.
When I run hermes --version, it reports "Install method: git", which is what the official script sets up.
- Open Terminal.
- Paste the install command and press enter.
- Let it finish, because it clones the code and prepares the dependencies.
- Reload your shell so the new command is found.
- Start Hermes.
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
source ~/.zshrc
hermes
The docs say the code lands in ~/.hermes/hermes-agent/, the command is a small wrapper at ~/.local/bin/hermes and your data lives in ~/.hermes/.
By default the script also installs the browser tools and the computer-use driver.
You can skip those with flags if you want a lighter install.
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash -s -- --skip-browser --skip-computer-use
The docs say Hermes remembers that choice, so a later update won't add them back.
If something fails, the installer writes its full output to logs/install.log inside your Hermes data folder.
Route 2: Install Hermes Agent With Brew
If you still want the Hermes Agent brew route, here it is.
I want to be straight with you first.
I haven't installed the Homebrew build on my own machine, because my install is the official one.
What follows comes from reading the formula file and brew info output, so treat it as documented behaviour rather than something I've run.
- Install Homebrew from brew.sh if you don't have it.
- Update Homebrew's package list.
- Install the formula.
- Check the version.
brew update
brew install hermes-agent
hermes --version
When I checked, the formula was at version 0.21.6.
It depends on Python 3.14, Node, ripgrep, libheif and a few Python libraries, and Homebrew pulls those in for you.
The formula installs three commands, which are hermes, hermes-agent and hermes-acp.
It also generates shell completions, so tab completion should work without extra steps.
If you want the app as well, the cask is a separate command.
brew install --cask hermes-desktop
The cask puts Hermes.app into your Applications folder, and it was at version 0.21.2 when I checked.
Never run both routes on the same machine at once.
Two copies of hermes on one PATH is a recipe for confusing bugs, and this command shows you every copy your shell can see.
which -a hermes
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Run Hermes Setup After The Hermes Agent Brew Install
The install only gives you the program, so the next job is giving it a brain.
Both routes use the same wizard.
hermes setup
The wizard walks you through the model, the terminal backend, the messaging gateway, the tools and a few other choices.
You can also run one section at a time.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
hermes setup |
It runs the full interactive wizard. |
hermes setup --portal |
It logs you in to Nous Portal and sets it as your provider in one go. |
hermes setup model |
It runs only the model section. |
hermes setup gateway |
It runs only the messaging section. |
hermes setup --quick |
It asks only for the items that are still missing. |
hermes model |
It changes your default provider and model later. |
hermes doctor |
It checks your configuration and tells you what's missing. |
The fastest path in the docs is hermes setup --portal.
Once the wizard finishes, type hermes and send a test message.
If you want to know which install and model choices I'd pair together, my best Hermes Agent setup ranking lays out six of them.
Updating: Hermes Update Versus Brew Upgrade
The update command depends on which route you chose.
| Install route | How you update |
|---|---|
| Official script | hermes update |
| Homebrew formula | brew update then brew upgrade hermes-agent |
| Homebrew cask | brew upgrade --cask hermes-desktop |
| Desktop app from the Hermes website | The Update control inside the app |
The docs are clear that hermes update is for a managed source checkout, and that it doesn't rewrite files a package manager owns.
On the official route, hermes update --check tells you whether an update exists without installing it.
The official install follows the stable release channel by default, so it moves from one published release to the next.
On the brew route, you get a new version only when Homebrew's maintainers update the formula.
That gap is usually small, but it's a gap you don't control.
Uninstalling Hermes Agent Cleanly
Back up first, whatever route you used.
hermes backup
That command zips your configuration, skills, sessions and data, and my Hermes Agent backup walkthrough covers restoring it.
For the official route, look before you delete.
hermes uninstall --dry-run
hermes uninstall
The default uninstall can keep your configuration and data, and hermes uninstall --full removes those too.
For the Homebrew route, Homebrew owns the program files.
brew uninstall hermes-agent
brew uninstall --cask hermes-desktop
Your data stays in ~/.hermes after a brew uninstall.
That's handy, because it means you can remove the brew build, run the official script and keep your agent's memory.
Apple Silicon Versus Intel Macs
The official support table lists macOS on Apple Silicon as Tier 1, and it doesn't list Intel Macs there.
The install docs say the macOS desktop installer is Apple Silicon only.
The platform page adds that an Intel Mac can install the command-line version and run hermes desktop from there.
The Homebrew formula tells the same story from a different angle.
It lists pre-built bottles for Apple Silicon on three recent macOS versions, plus two Linux bottles, and no Intel Mac bottle.
Homebrew also lives in different places on the two chips, which is /opt/homebrew on Apple Silicon and /usr/local on Intel.
If you're on an Intel Mac, I'd go with the official script and expect a rougher ride.
Common Hermes Agent Brew Errors And Fixes
| The error | The fix |
|---|---|
hermes: command not found after the official script |
Run source ~/.zshrc, or add ~/.local/bin to your PATH. |
hermes: command not found after brew |
Run eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)" so Homebrew's folder is on your PATH. |
| "No available formula with the name hermes" | Use the full name, which is hermes-agent. |
| The wrong version runs | Run which -a hermes and remove the copy you don't want. |
| "API key not set" | Run hermes model and pick a provider. |
| Settings look wrong after an update | Run hermes config check, then hermes config migrate. |
| Voice features fail on the brew build | Run brew install ffmpeg. |
The PATH fix for the official route is one line you can add to ~/.zshrc.
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
When in doubt, run hermes doctor, because the docs say it tells you exactly what's missing and how to fix it.
Linux, WSL And Windows
Homebrew also runs on Linux, and the formula ships Linux bottles for both ARM and x86 machines.
On a server I'd still use the official script, because Linux and WSL2 are Tier 1 for that route.
Windows has its own official PowerShell command, which is iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1).
If you're choosing where Hermes runs its commands after the install, my Hermes Agent backend walkthrough explains the options.
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Related Reading
- How to set up Hermes Agent in one click covers the easiest beginner route.
- The best Hermes Agent setup ranks six ways to build on top of this install.
- The Hermes Agent backup walkthrough shows how to protect your data before you switch install routes.
Also On Our Network
- 🌐 Whether a business should install Hermes with Homebrew
- 🌐 Brew versus the official Hermes installer, scored
- 🌐 The five-minute Hermes install quick-start for an Agent OS
- 🌐 Which model to pick after you install Hermes, with real bench scores
FAQ: Hermes Agent Brew
Can I install Hermes Agent with Homebrew?
Yes, and the command is brew install hermes-agent.
The formula is in Homebrew core, but Nous Research lists brew installs as unsupported.
What is the official Hermes Agent install command?
The official command on macOS, Linux and WSL2 is curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash.
After that you run source ~/.zshrc and then hermes.
Does brew install hermes work?
No, because there's no formula with that exact name.
The names you want are hermes-agent for the CLI and hermes-desktop for the app.
How do I update Hermes Agent installed with Homebrew?
Run brew update and then brew upgrade hermes-agent.
The hermes update command belongs to the official script route.
Does Hermes Agent work on Intel Macs?
The official support table lists Apple Silicon Macs only.
The Homebrew formula has no Intel Mac bottle either, so I'd expect more friction on Intel.
How do I uninstall Hermes Agent from Homebrew?
Run brew uninstall hermes-agent to remove the program.
Your data stays in ~/.hermes, so back it up with hermes backup before you delete anything.
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Pick the official script for anything you rely on, keep the formula name straight, and you'll have no trouble with Hermes Agent brew.
