diff --git a/hermes_cli/plugin_catalog.py b/hermes_cli/plugin_catalog.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3de7c1ca9e6d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hermes_cli/plugin_catalog.py
@@ -0,0 +1,307 @@
+"""Plugin catalog — curated, Nous-approved Hermes plugins shipped with the repo.
+
+Mirrors the ``optional-mcps/`` MCP-catalog pattern (see
+:mod:`hermes_cli.mcp_catalog`): each catalog entry is a single YAML file under
+the in-tree ``plugin-catalog/`` directory, pinned to an exact 40-character
+commit SHA. Users discover entries via ``hermes plugins catalog`` /
+``hermes plugins search`` and install them with
+``hermes plugins install <name>``, which clones the pinned commit.
+
+Catalog policy (see plugin-catalog/README.md for the full admission policy):
+- Entries are added only by merging a PR into hermes-agent — presence in the
+  ``plugin-catalog/`` directory is the human-merged approval gate.
+- Every entry pins an exact 40-hex commit SHA. SHA bumps are new PRs,
+  re-reviewed as diffs. The pinned release should be at least 2 weeks old at
+  pin time, mirroring the optional-mcps supply-chain rules.
+- ``plugin-catalog/removed.yaml`` is the blocklist: entries pulled from the
+  catalog for security or policy reasons are recorded there so installs of
+  the same name/repo are refused with the recorded reason.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import logging
+import os
+import re
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any, List, Optional
+
+import yaml
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+CATALOG_TIERS = ("official", "community")
+
+_SHA_RE = re.compile(r"^[0-9a-f]{40}$")
+_NAME_RE = re.compile(r"^[a-z0-9_-]{1,64}$")
+
+
+# ─── Data classes ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+@dataclass
+class RemovedEntry:
+    name: str
+    repo: str = ""
+    reason: str = ""
+    date: str = ""            # ISO date string
+
+
+@dataclass
+class CatalogCapabilities:
+    provides_tools: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    provides_hooks: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    provides_middleware: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    requires_env: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+
+
+@dataclass
+class PluginCatalogEntry:
+    name: str                 # catalog key, [a-z0-9_-]{1,64}
+    repo: str                 # https:// git URL
+    sha: str                  # 40-hex pinned commit — MANDATORY, validated
+    description: str
+    maintainer: str
+    tier: str = "community"   # one of CATALOG_TIERS
+    requires_hermes: str = "" # e.g. ">=0.19" (optional)
+    subdir: str = ""          # optional path within the repo
+    docs_url: str = ""
+    platforms: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)  # empty = all OSes
+    capabilities: CatalogCapabilities = field(default_factory=CatalogCapabilities)
+
+
+# ─── Directory resolution ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def get_catalog_dir() -> Path:
+    """Return the ``plugin-catalog/`` directory shipped with this checkout.
+
+    ``HERMES_PLUGIN_CATALOG_DIR`` overrides the location for tests only —
+    read via ``os.getenv`` at call time so monkeypatched values take effect.
+    """
+    override = os.getenv("HERMES_PLUGIN_CATALOG_DIR", "").strip()
+    if override:
+        return Path(override)
+    return Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent / "plugin-catalog"
+
+
+# ─── Loading / validation ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def _str_list(raw: Any) -> List[str]:
+    """Coerce a YAML value into a list of strings (drop non-strings)."""
+    if not isinstance(raw, list):
+        return []
+    return [str(item) for item in raw if isinstance(item, (str, int, float))]
+
+
+def _parse_entry(path: Path) -> Optional[PluginCatalogEntry]:
+    """Parse and validate one catalog YAML file.
+
+    Returns ``None`` (after logging a warning) on any validation failure —
+    the loader never raises for a bad entry.
+    """
+    try:
+        data = yaml.safe_load(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")) or {}
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.warning("Plugin catalog: failed to read %s: %s", path, exc)
+        return None
+
+    if not isinstance(data, dict):
+        logger.warning("Plugin catalog: %s: entry must be a mapping", path)
+        return None
+
+    name = str(data.get("name") or "")
+    if not _NAME_RE.match(name):
+        logger.warning(
+            "Plugin catalog: %s: invalid name %r (must match [a-z0-9_-]{1,64})",
+            path, name,
+        )
+        return None
+
+    repo = str(data.get("repo") or "")
+    if not repo.startswith("https://"):
+        logger.warning(
+            "Plugin catalog: %s: repo must be an https:// URL (got %r)",
+            path, repo,
+        )
+        return None
+
+    sha = str(data.get("sha") or "").strip().lower()
+    if not _SHA_RE.match(sha):
+        logger.warning(
+            "Plugin catalog: %s: sha must be a full 40-character hex commit "
+            "SHA (got %r)", path, data.get("sha"),
+        )
+        return None
+
+    tier = str(data.get("tier") or "community")
+    if tier not in CATALOG_TIERS:
+        logger.warning(
+            "Plugin catalog: %s: tier must be one of %s (got %r)",
+            path, "/".join(CATALOG_TIERS), tier,
+        )
+        return None
+
+    caps_raw = data.get("capabilities") or {}
+    if not isinstance(caps_raw, dict):
+        caps_raw = {}
+    capabilities = CatalogCapabilities(
+        provides_tools=_str_list(caps_raw.get("provides_tools")),
+        provides_hooks=_str_list(caps_raw.get("provides_hooks")),
+        provides_middleware=_str_list(caps_raw.get("provides_middleware")),
+        requires_env=_str_list(caps_raw.get("requires_env")),
+    )
+
+    return PluginCatalogEntry(
+        name=name,
+        repo=repo,
+        sha=sha,
+        description=str(data.get("description") or "").strip(),
+        maintainer=str(data.get("maintainer") or "").strip(),
+        tier=tier,
+        requires_hermes=str(data.get("requires_hermes") or "").strip(),
+        subdir=str(data.get("subdir") or "").strip(),
+        docs_url=str(data.get("docs_url") or "").strip(),
+        platforms=_str_list(data.get("platforms")),
+        capabilities=capabilities,
+    )
+
+
+def load_catalog() -> List[PluginCatalogEntry]:
+    """Return all valid catalog entries, sorted by name.
+
+    Parses every ``*.yaml`` in the catalog dir except ``removed.yaml``.
+    Invalid entries are skipped with a logged warning; this function never
+    raises for a malformed entry.
+    """
+    root = get_catalog_dir()
+    if not root.is_dir():
+        return []
+    entries: List[PluginCatalogEntry] = []
+    for path in sorted(root.glob("*.yaml")):
+        if path.name == "removed.yaml":
+            continue
+        entry = _parse_entry(path)
+        if entry is not None:
+            entries.append(entry)
+    return entries
+
+
+def get_catalog_entry(name: str) -> Optional[PluginCatalogEntry]:
+    """Look up a single catalog entry by name."""
+    for entry in load_catalog():
+        if entry.name == name:
+            return entry
+    return None
+
+
+def search_catalog(query: str) -> List[PluginCatalogEntry]:
+    """Case-insensitive substring search over name, description, and
+    declared tools. An empty query returns the whole catalog."""
+    entries = load_catalog()
+    q = (query or "").strip().lower()
+    if not q:
+        return entries
+    results: List[PluginCatalogEntry] = []
+    for entry in entries:
+        haystacks = [entry.name, entry.description]
+        haystacks.extend(entry.capabilities.provides_tools)
+        if any(q in h.lower() for h in haystacks):
+            results.append(entry)
+    return results
+
+
+# ─── Removed / blocklist ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def _normalize_repo(url: str) -> str:
+    """Normalize a repo URL for comparison (.git suffix and trailing slash
+    stripped, lowercased)."""
+    return url.strip().rstrip("/").removesuffix(".git").lower()
+
+
+def load_removed_list() -> List[RemovedEntry]:
+    """Load ``plugin-catalog/removed.yaml`` (the ``removed:`` list).
+
+    Missing or malformed files yield an empty list — never raises.
+    """
+    path = get_catalog_dir() / "removed.yaml"
+    if not path.is_file():
+        return []
+    try:
+        data = yaml.safe_load(path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")) or {}
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.warning("Plugin catalog: failed to read %s: %s", path, exc)
+        return []
+    raw_list = data.get("removed") if isinstance(data, dict) else None
+    if not isinstance(raw_list, list):
+        return []
+    removed: List[RemovedEntry] = []
+    for raw in raw_list:
+        if not isinstance(raw, dict):
+            continue
+        name = str(raw.get("name") or "")
+        if not name:
+            continue
+        removed.append(
+            RemovedEntry(
+                name=name,
+                repo=str(raw.get("repo") or ""),
+                reason=str(raw.get("reason") or ""),
+                date=str(raw.get("date") or ""),
+            )
+        )
+    return removed
+
+
+def find_removed(name_or_repo: str) -> Optional[RemovedEntry]:
+    """Match *name_or_repo* against the removed blocklist.
+
+    Matches by exact catalog name OR by repo URL (normalized — ``.git``
+    suffix and trailing slashes are ignored).
+    """
+    if not name_or_repo:
+        return None
+    candidate = name_or_repo.strip()
+    candidate_repo = _normalize_repo(candidate)
+    for entry in load_removed_list():
+        if candidate == entry.name:
+            return entry
+        if entry.repo and candidate_repo == _normalize_repo(entry.repo):
+            return entry
+    return None
+
+
+# ─── Human summaries ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+
+def entry_capability_summary(entry: PluginCatalogEntry) -> str:
+    """One-paragraph human summary of what an entry declares, shown at
+    install prompts so the user knows what they're granting."""
+    caps = entry.capabilities
+    parts: List[str] = []
+    if caps.provides_tools:
+        parts.append(f"registers tool(s): {', '.join(caps.provides_tools)}")
+    if caps.provides_hooks:
+        parts.append(f"hook(s): {', '.join(caps.provides_hooks)}")
+    if caps.provides_middleware:
+        parts.append(f"middleware: {', '.join(caps.provides_middleware)}")
+    if caps.requires_env:
+        parts.append(f"requires env var(s): {', '.join(caps.requires_env)}")
+    if not parts:
+        capability_text = "declares no tools, hooks, middleware, or env vars"
+    else:
+        capability_text = "; ".join(parts)
+    bits = [
+        f"{entry.name} ({entry.tier}, maintained by {entry.maintainer})",
+    ]
+    if entry.description:
+        bits.append(entry.description)
+    bits.append(f"This plugin {capability_text}.")
+    if entry.platforms:
+        bits.append(f"Platforms: {', '.join(entry.platforms)}.")
+    if entry.requires_hermes:
+        bits.append(f"Requires Hermes {entry.requires_hermes}.")
+    return " ".join(bits)
diff --git a/plugin-catalog/README.md b/plugin-catalog/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..6a44c3a6e68c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugin-catalog/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+# Hermes Plugin Catalog
+
+Curated, Nous-approved Hermes plugins. Each YAML file in this directory
+(except `removed.yaml`) is one catalog entry, discoverable via
+`hermes plugins catalog` / `hermes plugins search` and installable with
+`hermes plugins install <name>`.
+
+## Admission policy
+
+Presence in this directory **is** the trust signal. The rules that keep it
+meaningful:
+
+1. **Human-merged gate.** Entries are added *only* via a PR to the
+   `hermes-agent` repository, reviewed and merged by a maintainer. There is
+   no self-serve registry, no automated ingestion.
+2. **Exact SHA pins are mandatory.** Every entry pins a full 40-character
+   commit SHA. Branches, tags, and short SHAs are rejected by the loader.
+   Installs clone the repository and check out exactly that commit.
+3. **Pin maturity.** The pinned release should be **at least 2 weeks old**
+   at pin time, mirroring the supply-chain policy used for `optional-mcps/`
+   and pyproject dependencies. This gives the community time to notice a
+   compromised release before Hermes ships a pointer to it.
+4. **SHA bumps are new PRs.** Updating an entry's pin is a new PR whose diff
+   (old SHA → new SHA) is re-reviewed like any other change — reviewers are
+   expected to look at the upstream commit range being adopted.
+5. **Owner-or-major-contributor submissions only.** An entry may only be
+   submitted by the plugin repository's owner or a major contributor to it.
+   Drive-by submissions of third-party repos are declined.
+6. **Declared capabilities must match reality.** The `capabilities:` block
+   (tools, hooks, middleware, env vars) must match what the plugin actually
+   registers at the pinned commit. Validation fails the entry otherwise —
+   undeclared capability creep is treated as a security issue.
+
+## Entry schema
+
+```yaml
+name: example-plugin        # [a-z0-9_-]{1,64}, the catalog key
+repo: https://github.com/owner/repo   # https:// only
+sha: <40-hex commit sha>    # mandatory exact pin
+subdir: ""                  # optional path within the repo
+description: One-line description.
+maintainer: OwnerName
+tier: official              # official | community (default community)
+requires_hermes: ">=0.19"   # optional
+docs_url: ""                # optional
+platforms: []               # optional, e.g. [linux, macos]; empty = all
+capabilities:
+  provides_tools: []
+  provides_hooks: []
+  provides_middleware: []
+  requires_env: []
+```
+
+## removed.yaml — the blocklist
+
+When an entry is pulled from the catalog for security or policy reasons, it
+is recorded in `removed.yaml` with a reason and date. The installer refuses
+to install anything matching a removed entry's name or repo URL, so a
+malicious plugin cannot be re-installed from a stale identifier after
+removal. Removals, like additions, land via reviewed PRs.
diff --git a/plugin-catalog/example-plugin.yaml b/plugin-catalog/example-plugin.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..236b6fa9a777
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugin-catalog/example-plugin.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+name: example-plugin
+repo: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-example-plugins
+sha: 38fe0fb53eff98d477f807432e965429e665ca33
+subdir: ""
+description: Reference example plugins for the Hermes plugin system.
+maintainer: NousResearch
+tier: official
+docs_url: ""
+platforms: []
+capabilities:
+  provides_tools: []
+  provides_hooks: []
+  provides_middleware: []
+  requires_env: []
diff --git a/plugin-catalog/removed.yaml b/plugin-catalog/removed.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..75c6ab8c6cfe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/plugin-catalog/removed.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Blocklist for plugins pulled from the catalog for security or policy
+# reasons. The installer refuses to install anything whose name or repo URL
+# matches an entry here (unless the caller explicitly bypasses the check).
+# Each entry: {name, repo, reason, date}. Removals land via reviewed PRs,
+# same as additions.
+removed: []