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3db6b9cc87
* feat(cron): add no_agent mode for script-only cron jobs (watchdog pattern)
Adds a no_agent=True option to the cronjob system. When enabled, the
scheduler runs the attached script on schedule and delivers its stdout
directly to the job's target — no LLM, no agent loop, no token spend.
This is the classic bash-watchdog pattern (memory alert every 5 min,
disk alert every 15 min, CI ping) reimplemented as a first-class Hermes
primitive instead of a systemd timer + curl + bot token triplet living
outside the system.
## What
hermes cron create "every 5m" \
--no-agent \
--script memory-watchdog.sh \
--deliver telegram \
--name memory-watchdog
Agent tool:
cronjob(action='create',
schedule='every 5m',
script='memory-watchdog.sh',
no_agent=True,
deliver='telegram')
Semantics:
- Script stdout (trimmed) → delivered verbatim as the message
- Empty stdout → silent tick (no delivery; watchdog pattern)
- wakeAgent=false gate → silent tick (same gate LLM jobs use)
- Non-zero exit/timeout → delivered as an error alert
(broken watchdogs shouldn't fail silently)
- No LLM ever invoked; no tokens spent; no provider fallback applied
## Implementation
cron/jobs.py
* create_job gains no_agent: bool = False
* prompt becomes Optional (no_agent jobs don't need one)
* Validation: no_agent=True requires a script at create time
* Field roundtrips via load_jobs / save_jobs / update_job
cron/scheduler.py
* run_job: new short-circuit branch at the top that runs the script,
wraps its output into the (success, doc, final_response, error)
tuple downstream delivery already expects, and returns before any
AIAgent import or construction
* _run_job_script: picks interpreter by extension — .sh/.bash run
under /bin/bash, anything else under sys.executable (Python).
Shell support unlocks the bash-watchdog pattern without wrapping
scripts in Python. Extension is explicit; we deliberately do NOT
trust the file's own shebang. Path-containment guard (scripts dir)
unchanged.
tools/cronjob_tools.py
* Schema: new no_agent boolean property with clear trigger guidance
* cronjob() accepts no_agent and validates mode-specific shape:
- no_agent=True requires script; prompt/skills optional
- no_agent=False keeps the existing 'prompt or skill required' rule
* update path rejects flipping no_agent=True on a job without a script
* _format_job surfaces no_agent in list output
* Handler lambda forwards no_agent from tool args
hermes_cli/main.py, hermes_cli/cron.py
* 'hermes cron create --no-agent' and edit's --no-agent / --agent
pair for toggling at CLI parity with the agent tool
* Existing --script help text updated to describe both modes
* List / create / edit output now shows 'Mode: no-agent (...)' when set
## Tests
tests/cron/test_cron_no_agent.py — 18 tests covering:
* create_job: no_agent shape, validation, field persistence
* update_job: flag roundtrip across reload
* cronjob tool: schema validation, update toggling, mode-specific
requirements, prompt-relaxation rule
* run_job short-circuit:
- success path delivers stdout verbatim
- empty stdout → SILENT_MARKER (no delivery downstream)
- wakeAgent=false gate → silent
- script failure → error alert
- run_job does NOT import AIAgent (verified via mock)
* _run_job_script:
- .sh executes via bash (no shebang required)
- .bash executes via bash
- .py still runs via sys.executable (regression)
- path-traversal still blocked (security regression)
All 18 new tests pass. 341/342 pre-existing cron tests still pass; the
one failure (test_script_empty_output_noted) was already broken on main
and is unrelated to this change.
## Docs
website/docs/guides/cron-script-only.md — new dedicated guide covering
the watchdog pattern, interpreter rules, delivery mapping, worked
examples (memory / disk alerts), and the comparison table vs hermes send,
regular LLM cron jobs, and OS-level cron.
website/docs/user-guide/features/cron.md — new 'No-agent mode' section
in the cron feature reference, cross-linked to the guide.
website/docs/guides/automate-with-cron.md — new tip box pointing users
to no-agent mode when they don't need LLM reasoning.
## Compatibility
- Existing jobs: unchanged. no_agent defaults to False, existing code
paths untouched until the flag is set.
- Schema additive only; older jobs.json without the field load fine
via .get() with False default.
- New CLI flags are opt-in and don't alter existing flag behavior.
* fix(cron): lazy-import AIAgent + SessionDB so no_agent ticks pay zero
The unconditional `from run_agent import AIAgent` + SessionDB() init at
the top of run_job() meant every no_agent tick still paid the full agent
module load cost (~300ms + transitive imports + DB open) even though it
never touched any of that machinery.
Move both to live under the default (LLM) path, after the no_agent
short-circuit has returned. Now a no_agent tick's sys.modules stays
clean — verified end-to-end:
assert 'run_agent' not in sys.modules # before
run_job(no_agent_job)
assert 'run_agent' not in sys.modules # after
The existing mock-based unit test (test_run_job_no_agent_never_invokes_aiagent)
kept passing because patch() replaces the class AFTER import; the leak
was only visible via real subprocess-style verification. End-to-end
demo confirmed: agent calls cronjob(no_agent=True) → script runs →
stdout delivered → no LLM machinery loaded.
* docs(cron): tighten no_agent tool schema — defaults, silent semantics, pick rule
Previous description buried the important bits in one long sentence.
Agents could plausibly miss three things an LLM-facing schema should
make unmissable:
1. What the default is — now first sentence + JSON Schema `default: false`
2. What 'silent run' actually means for the user — now spelled out:
'nothing is sent to the user and they won't see anything happened'
3. When to pick True vs False — now a concrete decision rule with
examples on both sides (watchdogs/metrics/pollers → True;
summarize/draft/pick/rephrase → False)
Also adds explicit 'prompt and skills are ignored when True' since the
agent could otherwise still pass them out of habit.
No behavior change — schema text only.
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|---|---|---|
| .github | ||
| .plans | ||
| acp_adapter | ||
| acp_registry | ||
| agent | ||
| assets | ||
| cron | ||
| datagen-config-examples | ||
| docker | ||
| docs | ||
| environments | ||
| gateway | ||
| hermes_cli | ||
| nix | ||
| optional-skills | ||
| packaging/homebrew | ||
| plans | ||
| plugins | ||
| scripts | ||
| skills | ||
| tests | ||
| tinker-atropos@65f084ee80 | ||
| tools | ||
| tui_gateway | ||
| ui-tui | ||
| web | ||
| website | ||
| .dockerignore | ||
| .env.example | ||
| .envrc | ||
| .gitattributes | ||
| .gitignore | ||
| .gitmodules | ||
| .mailmap | ||
| AGENTS.md | ||
| batch_runner.py | ||
| cli-config.yaml.example | ||
| cli.py | ||
| constraints-termux.txt | ||
| CONTRIBUTING.md | ||
| docker-compose.yml | ||
| Dockerfile | ||
| flake.lock | ||
| flake.nix | ||
| hermes | ||
| hermes-already-has-routines.md | ||
| hermes_constants.py | ||
| hermes_logging.py | ||
| hermes_state.py | ||
| hermes_time.py | ||
| LICENSE | ||
| MANIFEST.in | ||
| mcp_serve.py | ||
| mini_swe_runner.py | ||
| model_tools.py | ||
| package-lock.json | ||
| package.json | ||
| pyproject.toml | ||
| README.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.2.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.3.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.4.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.5.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.6.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.7.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.8.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.9.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.10.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.11.0.md | ||
| RELEASE_v0.12.0.md | ||
| rl_cli.py | ||
| run_agent.py | ||
| SECURITY.md | ||
| setup-hermes.sh | ||
| toolset_distributions.py | ||
| toolsets.py | ||
| trajectory_compressor.py | ||
| utils.py | ||
| uv.lock | ||
Hermes Agent ☤
The self-improving AI agent built by Nous Research. It's the only agent with a built-in learning loop — it creates skills from experience, improves them during use, nudges itself to persist knowledge, searches its own past conversations, and builds a deepening model of who you are across sessions. Run it on a $5 VPS, a GPU cluster, or serverless infrastructure that costs nearly nothing when idle. It's not tied to your laptop — talk to it from Telegram while it works on a cloud VM.
Use any model you want — Nous Portal, OpenRouter (200+ models), NVIDIA NIM (Nemotron), Xiaomi MiMo, z.ai/GLM, Kimi/Moonshot, MiniMax, Hugging Face, OpenAI, or your own endpoint. Switch with hermes model — no code changes, no lock-in.
| A real terminal interface | Full TUI with multiline editing, slash-command autocomplete, conversation history, interrupt-and-redirect, and streaming tool output. |
| Lives where you do | Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, and CLI — all from a single gateway process. Voice memo transcription, cross-platform conversation continuity. |
| A closed learning loop | Agent-curated memory with periodic nudges. Autonomous skill creation after complex tasks. Skills self-improve during use. FTS5 session search with LLM summarization for cross-session recall. Honcho dialectic user modeling. Compatible with the agentskills.io open standard. |
| Scheduled automations | Built-in cron scheduler with delivery to any platform. Daily reports, nightly backups, weekly audits — all in natural language, running unattended. |
| Delegates and parallelizes | Spawn isolated subagents for parallel workstreams. Write Python scripts that call tools via RPC, collapsing multi-step pipelines into zero-context-cost turns. |
| Runs anywhere, not just your laptop | Six terminal backends — local, Docker, SSH, Daytona, Singularity, and Modal. Daytona and Modal offer serverless persistence — your agent's environment hibernates when idle and wakes on demand, costing nearly nothing between sessions. Run it on a $5 VPS or a GPU cluster. |
| Research-ready | Batch trajectory generation, Atropos RL environments, trajectory compression for training the next generation of tool-calling models. |
Quick Install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
Works on Linux, macOS, WSL2, and Android via Termux. The installer handles the platform-specific setup for you.
Android / Termux: The tested manual path is documented in the Termux guide. On Termux, Hermes installs a curated
.[termux]extra because the full.[all]extra currently pulls Android-incompatible voice dependencies.Windows: Native Windows is not supported. Please install WSL2 and run the command above.
After installation:
source ~/.bashrc # reload shell (or: source ~/.zshrc)
hermes # start chatting!
Getting Started
hermes # Interactive CLI — start a conversation
hermes model # Choose your LLM provider and model
hermes tools # Configure which tools are enabled
hermes config set # Set individual config values
hermes gateway # Start the messaging gateway (Telegram, Discord, etc.)
hermes setup # Run the full setup wizard (configures everything at once)
hermes claw migrate # Migrate from OpenClaw (if coming from OpenClaw)
hermes update # Update to the latest version
hermes doctor # Diagnose any issues
CLI vs Messaging Quick Reference
Hermes has two entry points: start the terminal UI with hermes, or run the gateway and talk to it from Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, or Email. Once you're in a conversation, many slash commands are shared across both interfaces.
| Action | CLI | Messaging platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Start chatting | hermes |
Run hermes gateway setup + hermes gateway start, then send the bot a message |
| Start fresh conversation | /new or /reset |
/new or /reset |
| Change model | /model [provider:model] |
/model [provider:model] |
| Set a personality | /personality [name] |
/personality [name] |
| Retry or undo the last turn | /retry, /undo |
/retry, /undo |
| Compress context / check usage | /compress, /usage, /insights [--days N] |
/compress, /usage, /insights [days] |
| Browse skills | /skills or /<skill-name> |
/<skill-name> |
| Interrupt current work | Ctrl+C or send a new message |
/stop or send a new message |
| Platform-specific status | /platforms |
/status, /sethome |
For the full command lists, see the CLI guide and the Messaging Gateway guide.
Documentation
All documentation lives at hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs:
| Section | What's Covered |
|---|---|
| Quickstart | Install → setup → first conversation in 2 minutes |
| CLI Usage | Commands, keybindings, personalities, sessions |
| Configuration | Config file, providers, models, all options |
| Messaging Gateway | Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, Signal, Home Assistant |
| Security | Command approval, DM pairing, container isolation |
| Tools & Toolsets | 40+ tools, toolset system, terminal backends |
| Skills System | Procedural memory, Skills Hub, creating skills |
| Memory | Persistent memory, user profiles, best practices |
| MCP Integration | Connect any MCP server for extended capabilities |
| Cron Scheduling | Scheduled tasks with platform delivery |
| Context Files | Project context that shapes every conversation |
| Architecture | Project structure, agent loop, key classes |
| Contributing | Development setup, PR process, code style |
| CLI Reference | All commands and flags |
| Environment Variables | Complete env var reference |
Migrating from OpenClaw
If you're coming from OpenClaw, Hermes can automatically import your settings, memories, skills, and API keys.
During first-time setup: The setup wizard (hermes setup) automatically detects ~/.openclaw and offers to migrate before configuration begins.
Anytime after install:
hermes claw migrate # Interactive migration (full preset)
hermes claw migrate --dry-run # Preview what would be migrated
hermes claw migrate --preset user-data # Migrate without secrets
hermes claw migrate --overwrite # Overwrite existing conflicts
What gets imported:
- SOUL.md — persona file
- Memories — MEMORY.md and USER.md entries
- Skills — user-created skills →
~/.hermes/skills/openclaw-imports/ - Command allowlist — approval patterns
- Messaging settings — platform configs, allowed users, working directory
- API keys — allowlisted secrets (Telegram, OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, ElevenLabs)
- TTS assets — workspace audio files
- Workspace instructions — AGENTS.md (with
--workspace-target)
See hermes claw migrate --help for all options, or use the openclaw-migration skill for an interactive agent-guided migration with dry-run previews.
Contributing
We welcome contributions! See the Contributing Guide for development setup, code style, and PR process.
Quick start for contributors — clone and go with setup-hermes.sh:
git clone https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent.git
cd hermes-agent
./setup-hermes.sh # installs uv, creates venv, installs .[all], symlinks ~/.local/bin/hermes
./hermes # auto-detects the venv, no need to `source` first
Manual path (equivalent to the above):
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
uv venv venv --python 3.11
source venv/bin/activate
uv pip install -e ".[all,dev]"
scripts/run_tests.sh
RL Training (optional): The RL/Atropos integration (
environments/) ships via theatroposlibandtinkerdependencies pulled in by.[all,dev]— no submodule setup required.
Community
- 💬 Discord
- 📚 Skills Hub
- 🐛 Issues
- 🔌 HermesClaw — Community WeChat bridge: Run Hermes Agent and OpenClaw on the same WeChat account.
License
MIT — see LICENSE.
Built by Nous Research.