hermes-agent/website/docs/reference/tools-reference.md
Teknium 01906e99dd
feat(image_gen): multi-model FAL support with picker in hermes tools (#11265)
* feat(image_gen): multi-model FAL support with picker in hermes tools

Adds 8 FAL text-to-image models selectable via `hermes tools` →
Image Generation → (FAL.ai | Nous Subscription) → model picker.

Models supported:
- fal-ai/flux-2/klein/9b (new default, <1s, $0.006/MP)
- fal-ai/flux-2-pro (previous default, kept backward-compat upscaling)
- fal-ai/z-image/turbo (Tongyi-MAI, bilingual EN/CN)
- fal-ai/nano-banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image)
- fal-ai/gpt-image-1.5 (with quality tier: low/medium/high)
- fal-ai/ideogram/v3 (best typography)
- fal-ai/recraft-v3 (vector, brand styles)
- fal-ai/qwen-image (LLM-based)

Architecture:
- FAL_MODELS catalog declares per-model size family, defaults, supports
  whitelist, and upscale flag. Three size families handled uniformly:
  image_size_preset (flux family), aspect_ratio (nano-banana), and
  gpt_literal (gpt-image-1.5).
- _build_fal_payload() translates unified inputs (prompt + aspect_ratio)
  into model-specific payloads, merges defaults, applies caller overrides,
  wires GPT quality_setting, then filters to the supports whitelist — so
  models never receive rejected keys.
- IMAGEGEN_BACKENDS registry in tools_config prepares for future imagegen
  providers (Replicate, Stability, etc.); each provider entry tags itself
  with imagegen_backend: 'fal' to select the right catalog.
- Upscaler (Clarity) defaults off for new models (preserves <1s value
  prop), on for flux-2-pro (backward-compat). Per-model via FAL_MODELS.

Config:
  image_gen.model           = fal-ai/flux-2/klein/9b  (new)
  image_gen.quality_setting = medium                  (new, GPT only)
  image_gen.use_gateway     = bool                    (existing)

Agent-facing schema unchanged (prompt + aspect_ratio only) — model
choice is a user-level config decision, not an agent-level arg.

Picker uses curses_radiolist (arrow keys, auto numbered-fallback on
non-TTY). Column-aligned: Model / Speed / Strengths / Price.

Docs: image-generation.md rewritten with the model table and picker
walkthrough. tools-reference, tool-gateway, overview updated to drop
the stale "FLUX 2 Pro" wording.

Tests: 42 new in tests/tools/test_image_generation.py covering catalog
integrity, all 3 size families, supports filter, default merging, GPT
quality wiring, model resolution fallback. 8 new in
tests/hermes_cli/test_tools_config.py for picker wiring (registry,
config writes, GPT quality follow-up prompt, corrupt-config repair).

* feat(image_gen): translate managed-gateway 4xx to actionable error

When the Nous Subscription managed FAL proxy rejects a model with 4xx
(likely portal-side allowlist miss or billing gate), surface a clear
message explaining:
  1. The rejected model ID + HTTP status
  2. Two remediation paths: set FAL_KEY for direct access, or
     pick a different model via `hermes tools`

5xx, connection errors, and direct-FAL errors pass through unchanged
(those have different root causes and reasonable native messages).

Motivation: new FAL models added to this release (flux-2-klein-9b,
z-image-turbo, nano-banana, gpt-image-1.5, ideogram-v3, recraft-v3,
qwen-image) are untested against the Nous Portal proxy. If the portal
allowlists model IDs, users on Nous Subscription will hit cryptic
4xx errors without guidance on how to work around it.

Tests: 8 new cases covering status extraction across httpx/fal error
shapes and 4xx-vs-5xx-vs-ConnectionError translation policy.

Docs: brief note in image-generation.md for Nous subscribers.

Operator action (Nous Portal side): verify that fal-queue-gateway
passes through these 7 new FAL model IDs. If the proxy has an
allowlist, add them; otherwise Nous Subscription users will see the
new translated error and fall back to direct FAL.

* feat(image_gen): pin GPT-Image quality to medium (no user choice)

Previously the tools picker asked a follow-up question for GPT-Image
quality tier (low / medium / high) and persisted the answer to
`image_gen.quality_setting`. This created two problems:

1. Nous Portal billing complexity — the 22x cost spread between tiers
   ($0.009 low / $0.20 high) forces the gateway to meter per-tier per
   user, which the portal team can't easily support at launch.
2. User footgun — anyone picking `high` by mistake burns through
   credit ~6x faster than `medium`.

This commit pins quality at medium by baking it into FAL_MODELS
defaults for gpt-image-1.5 and removes all user-facing override paths:

- Removed `_resolve_gpt_quality()` runtime lookup
- Removed `honors_quality_setting` flag on the model entry
- Removed `_configure_gpt_quality_setting()` picker helper
- Removed `_GPT_QUALITY_CHOICES` constant
- Removed the follow-up prompt call in `_configure_imagegen_model()`
- Even if a user manually edits `image_gen.quality_setting` in
  config.yaml, no code path reads it — always sends medium.

Tests:
- Replaced TestGptQualitySetting (6 tests) with TestGptQualityPinnedToMedium
  (5 tests) — proves medium is baked in, config is ignored, flag is
  removed, helper is removed, non-gpt models never get quality.
- Replaced test_picker_with_gpt_image_also_prompts_quality with
  test_picker_with_gpt_image_does_not_prompt_quality — proves only 1
  picker call fires when gpt-image is selected (no quality follow-up).

Docs updated: image-generation.md replaces the quality-tier table
with a short note explaining the pinning decision.

* docs(image_gen): drop stale 'wires GPT quality tier' line from internals section

Caught in a cleanup sweep after pinning quality to medium. The
"How It Works Internally" walkthrough still described the removed
quality-wiring step.
2026-04-16 20:19:53 -07:00

14 KiB

sidebar_position title description
3 Built-in Tools Reference Authoritative reference for Hermes built-in tools, grouped by toolset

Built-in Tools Reference

This page documents all 47 built-in tools in the Hermes tool registry, grouped by toolset. Availability varies by platform, credentials, and enabled toolsets.

Quick counts: 10 browser tools, 4 file tools, 10 RL tools, 4 Home Assistant tools, 2 terminal tools, 2 web tools, and 15 standalone tools across other toolsets.

:::tip MCP Tools In addition to built-in tools, Hermes can load tools dynamically from MCP servers. MCP tools appear with a server-name prefix (e.g., github_create_issue for the github MCP server). See MCP Integration for configuration. :::

browser toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
browser_back Navigate back to the previous page in browser history. Requires browser_navigate to be called first.
browser_click Click on an element identified by its ref ID from the snapshot (e.g., '@e5'). The ref IDs are shown in square brackets in the snapshot output. Requires browser_navigate and browser_snapshot to be called first.
browser_console Get browser console output and JavaScript errors from the current page. Returns console.log/warn/error/info messages and uncaught JS exceptions. Use this to detect silent JavaScript errors, failed API calls, and application warnings. Requi…
browser_get_images Get a list of all images on the current page with their URLs and alt text. Useful for finding images to analyze with the vision tool. Requires browser_navigate to be called first.
browser_navigate Navigate to a URL in the browser. Initializes the session and loads the page. Must be called before other browser tools. For simple information retrieval, prefer web_search or web_extract (faster, cheaper). Use browser tools when you need…
browser_press Press a keyboard key. Useful for submitting forms (Enter), navigating (Tab), or keyboard shortcuts. Requires browser_navigate to be called first.
browser_scroll Scroll the page in a direction. Use this to reveal more content that may be below or above the current viewport. Requires browser_navigate to be called first.
browser_snapshot Get a text-based snapshot of the current page's accessibility tree. Returns interactive elements with ref IDs (like @e1, @e2) for browser_click and browser_type. full=false (default): compact view with interactive elements. full=true: comp…
browser_type Type text into an input field identified by its ref ID. Clears the field first, then types the new text. Requires browser_navigate and browser_snapshot to be called first.
browser_vision Take a screenshot of the current page and analyze it with vision AI. Use this when you need to visually understand what's on the page - especially useful for CAPTCHAs, visual verification challenges, complex layouts, or when the text snaps…

clarify toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
clarify Ask the user a question when you need clarification, feedback, or a decision before proceeding. Supports two modes: 1. Multiple choice — provide up to 4 choices. The user picks one or types their own answer via a 5th 'Other' option. 2.…

code_execution toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
execute_code Run a Python script that can call Hermes tools programmatically. Use this when you need 3+ tool calls with processing logic between them, need to filter/reduce large tool outputs before they enter your context, need conditional branching (…

cronjob toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
cronjob Unified scheduled-task manager. Use action="create", "list", "update", "pause", "resume", "run", or "remove" to manage jobs. Supports skill-backed jobs with one or more attached skills, and skills=[] on update clears attached skills. Cron runs happen in fresh sessions with no current-chat context.

delegation toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
delegate_task Spawn one or more subagents to work on tasks in isolated contexts. Each subagent gets its own conversation, terminal session, and toolset. Only the final summary is returned -- intermediate tool results never enter your context window. TWO…

file toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
patch Targeted find-and-replace edits in files. Use this instead of sed/awk in terminal. Uses fuzzy matching (9 strategies) so minor whitespace/indentation differences won't break it. Returns a unified diff. Auto-runs syntax checks after editing…
read_file Read a text file with line numbers and pagination. Use this instead of cat/head/tail in terminal. Output format: 'LINE_NUM|CONTENT'. Suggests similar filenames if not found. Use offset and limit for large files. NOTE: Cannot read images o…
search_files Search file contents or find files by name. Use this instead of grep/rg/find/ls in terminal. Ripgrep-backed, faster than shell equivalents. Content search (target='content'): Regex search inside files. Output modes: full matches with line…
write_file Write content to a file, completely replacing existing content. Use this instead of echo/cat heredoc in terminal. Creates parent directories automatically. OVERWRITES the entire file — use 'patch' for targeted edits.

homeassistant toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
ha_call_service Call a Home Assistant service to control a device. Use ha_list_services to discover available services and their parameters for each domain.
ha_get_state Get the detailed state of a single Home Assistant entity, including all attributes (brightness, color, temperature setpoint, sensor readings, etc.).
ha_list_entities List Home Assistant entities. Optionally filter by domain (light, switch, climate, sensor, binary_sensor, cover, fan, etc.) or by area name (living room, kitchen, bedroom, etc.).
ha_list_services List available Home Assistant services (actions) for device control. Shows what actions can be performed on each device type and what parameters they accept. Use this to discover how to control devices found via ha_list_entities.

:::note Honcho tools (honcho_profile, honcho_search, honcho_context, honcho_reasoning, honcho_conclude) are no longer built-in. They are available via the Honcho memory provider plugin at plugins/memory/honcho/. See Memory Providers for installation and usage. :::

image_gen toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
image_generate Generate high-quality images from text prompts using FAL.ai. The underlying model is user-configured (default: FLUX 2 Klein 9B, sub-1s generation) and is not selectable by the agent. Returns a single image URL. Display it using… FAL_KEY

memory toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
memory Save important information to persistent memory that survives across sessions. Your memory appears in your system prompt at session start -- it's how you remember things about the user and your environment between conversations. WHEN TO SA…

messaging toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
send_message Send a message to a connected messaging platform, or list available targets. IMPORTANT: When the user asks to send to a specific channel or person (not just a bare platform name), call send_message(action='list') FIRST to see available tar…

moa toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
mixture_of_agents Route a hard problem through multiple frontier LLMs collaboratively. Makes 5 API calls (4 reference models + 1 aggregator) with maximum reasoning effort — use sparingly for genuinely difficult problems. Best for: complex math, advanced alg… OPENROUTER_API_KEY

rl toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
rl_check_status Get status and metrics for a training run. RATE LIMITED: enforces 30-minute minimum between checks for the same run. Returns WandB metrics: step, state, reward_mean, loss, percent_correct. TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_edit_config Update a configuration field. Use rl_get_current_config() first to see all available fields for the selected environment. Each environment has different configurable options. Infrastructure settings (tokenizer, URLs, lora_rank, learning_ra… TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_get_current_config Get the current environment configuration. Returns only fields that can be modified: group_size, max_token_length, total_steps, steps_per_eval, use_wandb, wandb_name, max_num_workers. TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_get_results Get final results and metrics for a completed training run. Returns final metrics and path to trained weights. TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_list_environments List all available RL environments. Returns environment names, paths, and descriptions. TIP: Read the file_path with file tools to understand how each environment works (verifiers, data loading, rewards). TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_list_runs List all training runs (active and completed) with their status. TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_select_environment Select an RL environment for training. Loads the environment's default configuration. After selecting, use rl_get_current_config() to see settings and rl_edit_config() to modify them. TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_start_training Start a new RL training run with the current environment and config. Most training parameters (lora_rank, learning_rate, etc.) are fixed. Use rl_edit_config() to set group_size, batch_size, wandb_project before starting. WARNING: Training… TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_stop_training Stop a running training job. Use if metrics look bad, training is stagnant, or you want to try different settings. TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY
rl_test_inference Quick inference test for any environment. Runs a few steps of inference + scoring using OpenRouter. Default: 3 steps x 16 completions = 48 rollouts per model, testing 3 models = 144 total. Tests environment loading, prompt construction, in… TINKER_API_KEY, WANDB_API_KEY

session_search toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
session_search Search your long-term memory of past conversations. This is your recall -- every past session is searchable, and this tool summarizes what happened. USE THIS PROACTIVELY when: - The user says 'we did this before', 'remember when', 'last ti…

skills toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
skill_manage Manage skills (create, update, delete). Skills are your procedural memory — reusable approaches for recurring task types. New skills go to ~/.hermes/skills/; existing skills can be modified wherever they live. Actions: create (full SKILL.m…
skill_view Skills allow for loading information about specific tasks and workflows, as well as scripts and templates. Load a skill's full content or access its linked files (references, templates, scripts). First call returns SKILL.md content plus a…
skills_list List available skills (name + description). Use skill_view(name) to load full content.

terminal toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
process Manage background processes started with terminal(background=true). Actions: 'list' (show all), 'poll' (check status + new output), 'log' (full output with pagination), 'wait' (block until done or timeout), 'kill' (terminate), 'write' (sen…
terminal Execute shell commands on a Linux environment. Filesystem persists between calls. Set background=true for long-running servers. Set notify_on_complete=true (with background=true) to get an automatic notification when the process finishes — no polling needed. Do NOT use cat/head/tail — use read_file. Do NOT use grep/rg/find — use search_files.

todo toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
todo Manage your task list for the current session. Use for complex tasks with 3+ steps or when the user provides multiple tasks. Call with no parameters to read the current list. Writing: - Provide 'todos' array to create/update items - merge=…

vision toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
vision_analyze Analyze images using AI vision. Provides a comprehensive description and answers a specific question about the image content.

web toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
web_search Search the web for information on any topic. Returns up to 5 relevant results with titles, URLs, and descriptions. EXA_API_KEY or PARALLEL_API_KEY or FIRECRAWL_API_KEY or TAVILY_API_KEY
web_extract Extract content from web page URLs. Returns page content in markdown format. Also works with PDF URLs — pass the PDF link directly and it converts to markdown text. Pages under 5000 chars return full markdown; larger pages are LLM-summarized. EXA_API_KEY or PARALLEL_API_KEY or FIRECRAWL_API_KEY or TAVILY_API_KEY

tts toolset

Tool Description Requires environment
text_to_speech Convert text to speech audio. Returns a MEDIA: path that the platform delivers as a voice message. On Telegram it plays as a voice bubble, on Discord/WhatsApp as an audio attachment. In CLI mode, saves to ~/voice-memos/. Voice and provider…