One-Sentence Answer
Hermes Agent is an open-source AI agent that runs in your terminal and on Telegram, WhatsApp, and a dozen other messaging platforms — and you can self-host it on a cheap Hostinger VPS so it runs 24/7, keeps its own memory and skills, and never shuts down when you close your laptop.
If you have only seen Hermes as something that lives on your own PC, this guide walks you through putting it on a server where it can stay online permanently. First, the explainer on what Hermes actually is.
The Hostinger Gotcha (Read This First)
Before you run a single command, confirm you actually have a VPS — because Hermes needs a shell and root (or sudo) access, and not every Hostinger product has that:
| Hostinger plan | Can it run Hermes? | | --- | --- | | VPS (KVM) | ✅ Yes — full root SSH access | | Shared hosting | ❌ No — managed, no root SSH | | Cloud hosting | ❌ No — managed, no root SSH |
Grab your credentials in hPanel → VPS → SSH access (server IP + root password). If you bought a VPS, you will see an SSH section there. If you are on Shared or Cloud, you will need to upgrade first.
What You Need Before You Start
- A Hostinger VPS (KVM) running Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS.
- SSH access with root, or a user that can
sudo. curlandxz-utils— the installer downloads Node.js as a.tar.xzarchive.- An LLM provider — a Nous Portal OAuth login, an OpenRouter/Anthropic/DeepSeek API key, or any of the 20+ supported providers.
- A domain or static IP only if you plan to expose the web dashboard, webhooks, or the API server publicly.
Step-by-Step Install
1. SSH in and update
ssh root@<your-vps-ip>
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
2. Install the prerequisites
sudo apt install -y curl xz-utils git ca-certificates
3. (Recommended) Create a dedicated user
Run Hermes under its own user rather than root — it keeps things tidy and makes the service easier to reason about:
sudo adduser hermes
sudo usermod -aG sudo hermes
su - hermes
4. Run the official installer
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
The installer detects what is missing (uv, Python, Node.js) and installs it for you. On Linux, curl and xz-utils are the only things you are expected to have pre-installed.
5. Reload your shell and verify
source ~/.bashrc
command -v hermes # should print a path, e.g. /home/hermes/.local/bin/hermes
6. Run the setup wizard
hermes setup # interactive: model, provider, terminal, gateway, tools
hermes doctor # health check — confirm no missing dependencies
hermes setup walks you through picking a model and provider. Use hermes auth add <provider> (for example hermes auth add nous for the OAuth portal login, or hermes auth add openrouter) to attach credentials without pasting keys into config files.
7. First smoke test
hermes chat -q "Reply with the single word: online"
If you get a sensible reply, the agent is working on the server.
Keep It Running 24/7 (The Gateway)
A one-off hermes chat dies the moment you close your SSH session. To make Hermes always-on — connected to Telegram or WhatsApp and running scheduled jobs — you need the gateway as a service:
hermes gateway setup # pick and configure your messaging platforms (Telegram, etc.)
hermes gateway install # register as a systemd background service
hermes gateway start
hermes gateway status
hermes gateway install handles the systemd wiring for you. Two things to remember:
- Start the gateway before installing the service. Run
hermes gateway setup(orhermes gateway runonce to confirm it works) so the service has a valid config to launch. - If you manage systemd yourself, use the exact path from
command -v hermes, and runsudo loginctl enable-linger $USERso the process survives logout on SSH-only boxes.
Once it is running, the same agent answers you on Telegram from the server — with memory, skills, cron jobs, and full terminal access, none of which depend on your laptop staying open.
What You Can Do Once It Is Up
| Capability | Command |
| --- | --- |
| Interactive chat | hermes |
| Single query | hermes chat -q "..." |
| Run as a messaging bot | hermes gateway run |
| Scheduled jobs | hermes cron create "0 9 * * *" |
| Multiple isolated agents | hermes profile create <name> |
| Web dashboard | hermes dashboard |
| OpenAI-compatible proxy | hermes proxy |
A natural next step after the install: have the agent watch over the very VPS it lives on, or expand it into a whole team of specialist bots.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
| --- | --- | --- |
| hermes: command not found | Shell path not reloaded | source ~/.bashrc, reopen SSH, or check command -v hermes |
| Installer fails | Missing curl/xz-utils/git | sudo apt install -y curl xz-utils git ca-certificates, then retry |
| hermes doctor flags missing deps | Incomplete install | Re-run the installer and review the output |
| Gateway service exits immediately | Gateway not configured | Run hermes gateway setup first, then hermes gateway install |
| Agent stops after SSH logout | Running interactively, not as a service | Use hermes gateway install or sudo loginctl enable-linger $USER |
| Provider auth fails | Credentials not set | Run hermes auth add <provider> or hermes setup again |
| Server runs out of memory | Local model too large | Switch to a hosted model, or upgrade RAM |
Key Takeaways
- Only a VPS works. Hostinger VPS (KVM) has root SSH; Shared and Cloud hosting do not.
- Install is one command.
curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash, thenhermes setup. - Verify before you trust it.
command -v hermesandhermes doctorconfirm the install is clean. - Always-on needs a service. The gateway runs as systemd via
hermes gateway install— otherwise it dies with your SSH session. - The agent keeps its own memory and skills on the server, so it improves the longer it runs.
To understand what makes Hermes different from a plain chatbot, start with the explainer, then see how it keeps a VPS healthy on its own.
