The hermes agent os github repo you're looking for is iamlukethedev/Herald-OS. That's Herald OS, an open-source operating system that uses Hermes Agent as its interface. It's MIT licensed, built by Luke The Dev, and the first public release, v0.1.0-alpha.1, landed on 6 October 2026.
📺 Watch: Herald OS DESTROYS Hermes Agent Desktop?
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This page walks through what's in the repo, the licence and who's behind it, how to install it on each platform step by step, the requirements, updates and rollback on Linux, and how to report problems. I'll keep my own hands-on notes short.
If you want guided Hermes training alongside this, the AI Profit Boardroom has Hermes Agent courses, daily Hermes updates and a course on building your own Agent OS.
Where to find the Hermes agent OS GitHub repo
Go to github.com/iamlukethedev/Herald-OS. At time of writing it has about 124 stars and 17 forks. Downloads live on the repo's Releases page, not in the main code view, so that's where you grab the installer for your machine.
Per the README, Herald OS is "an agent-native operating system, with Hermes Agent as the interface." Instead of clicking through menus, you type or speak to Hermes, and it can open apps, organise files, run scheduled routines and remember your preferences.
For a full feature tour, read my Herald OS review.
What's in the README
The README is detailed. Here's the short version of what it covers.
Pages and tools
- Overview, Hermes, Missions, Memory, Files, Automations, Connections and Settings.
- A Terminal, a System monitor and floating chat windows.
- A command bar to open pages, add memories, run automations and start missions.
- Studio, which builds a project from a description with a live preview.
- Screen tools: ask about an area of the screen, colour picker, QR, screenshots and recordings.
- Automations that trigger on login, after a break, on low battery or after a crash.
- Twelve themes (two light), theme from an image, themes installed from git, custom fonts.
- A usage page with weekly and monthly usage plus a 90% warning.
Permissions
Every system tool has a tier. Read and act tools run directly and are logged. Mutate tools ask first. Destructive tools ask every time. Your ~/.ssh folder, keychains and Hermes's own credentials are always refused, and an audit log is saved on disk.
Voice and privacy
You can press the voice key or say "hey Hermes". The free voice engine works with any speech provider, and there's an opt-in realtime engine. "Pick up where you left off" is off by default. When it's on, it suggests up to three threads of work using names and dates, not file contents, and those are sent to your model provider.
📺 Watch: Hermes3D Is INSANE: AI Agents Now Have a 3D Office
Licence and affiliation
Herald OS is MIT licensed, and it builds on Hermes Agent, which is also MIT. That means you can read the code, fork it and change it.
It's an independent project by Luke The Dev (iamlukethedev). Per the README, it is not an official Nous Research product and it isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Nous Research. Hermes Agent itself comes from Nous Research. Herald OS is a separate UI layer on top.
Why does that matter? It tells you where to go for help. Questions about Herald OS pages, themes or installers belong in the Herald OS repo. Questions about Hermes Agent itself, like hermes setup or model connections, belong with the Hermes Agent docs from Nous Research. Keeping those separate saves you a lot of time when something breaks.
Requirements
| Item | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Hermes Agent | Installed separately first; source builds need Hermes Agent 0.21.3 or newer |
| Model provider | Nous Portal account or an API key (OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, a local model and others) |
| Mac app | macOS 13 Ventura or later, Apple silicon only (no Intel build) |
| Linux ISO | x86_64, 8GB+ USB stick |
| Arch package | x86_64 or aarch64, needs niri |
| Source build | Node.js 22.12+, Git, Xcode Command Line Tools |
You pick or change the model with hermes model, or in Settings under Hermes & agents.
📺 Watch: Hermes AI Agents Just Went Portable
How to install Herald OS, platform by platform
Whatever platform you're on, install Hermes Agent first. If you haven't done that yet, follow my Hermes Agent installation guide.
Mac (Apple silicon)
- Install Hermes Agent with the official install script from hermes-agent.nousresearch.com.
- Run hermes setup and connect your model provider.
- Open the repo's Releases page and download the HeraldOS mac-arm64 .dmg.
- Drag Herald OS into Applications.
- The build isn't notarised yet, so macOS will quarantine it. The README gives a one-time command to clear the quarantine. Copy it from the README and run it once.
- Open the app.
Intel Macs aren't supported. There's no Intel build.
Linux installer ISO
- Download both parts of the x86_64 installer ISO from Releases.
- Join the two parts into one file.
- Verify the SHA-256 checksum.
- Write it to an 8GB or larger USB stick with Fedora Media Writer or balenaEtcher.
- Boot from the USB and install. Per the README, you can install it next to Windows and encrypt the disk.
Arch
There's an Arch package for x86_64 and aarch64. It needs the niri compositor.
Omarchy
There's a dedicated Omarchy app.
Other Linux distros
Use the tarball from the Releases page.
Virtual machine
If you're on an Apple silicon Mac and want the full Linux version without wiping anything, the README lists a VM option.
Build from source
You'll need Node.js 22.12 or newer, Git, Xcode Command Line Tools (on Mac), and Hermes Agent 0.21.3 or newer. Clone the repo and follow the build steps in the README.
If you're deciding between Herald OS and the official desktop app, compare it with my Hermes Desktop installation guide first.
Stuck on a step or want to know which setup fits your business? Book a free AI strategy session.
Updates and rollback on Linux
The Linux version comes with extras the Mac app doesn't: a control menu, one-click installs for AI tools (Claude Code, Codex, local models), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound and display panels, do not disturb, clipboard history and a firewall.
It also has two commands that matter a lot during alpha:
- herald-os update pulls the latest version.
- herald-os rollback takes you back if an update breaks something.
On an alpha, rollback is your safety net. Use it.
Alpha caveats and backups
Herald OS is alpha, version 0.1. The README says it plainly: "Expect rough edges, and keep backups of anything you let an agent touch."
Take that seriously. Before you let Hermes organise files or run automations on anything important:
- Back up the folders it can reach.
- Keep auto-approve off until you trust it, so it asks before sending messages.
- Check the activity history now and then. Stuff gets set up in the background and you forget about it.
- Be careful what's on screen when you share. The Memory page shows everything Hermes remembers.
Reporting issues and the Discord
Since the code is on GitHub, the repo is the place to report bugs. Check whether someone's already flagged the same problem, then open a new issue with your platform, version and what happened. There's also a Discord community for the project, linked from the README, where you can ask questions and follow progress.
And because it's open source, you can ask your AI agent to fix things locally too.
My short hands-on note
I literally went into Claude and said, can you set this up? About two minutes later it was running. It's super nice, super clean, easy to use, and it synced up pretty quickly. My automations synced across Herald OS, Hermes Desktop and my own Agentic Operating System.
Two rough edges: the top of the window cut off slightly, and the Connections page didn't work or sync for me. I'd just ask Claude to fix it. It's open source, who am I to be picky.
If you want a full system that runs multiple agents, not only Hermes, check my Agent OS guide and see how models score on Goldie Bench. My Agent OS, with the courses and support around it, is inside the AI Profit Boardroom for $69/mo. Or talk it through on a free AI strategy session.
FAQ
Where is the Hermes agent OS on GitHub?
It's at github.com/iamlukethedev/Herald-OS. The project is called Herald OS, and installers are on the repo's Releases page.
Does Herald OS run on Intel Macs?
No. The Mac app needs macOS 13 Ventura or later on Apple silicon, and there's no Intel build.
Is Herald OS open source?
Yes. It's MIT licensed and builds on Hermes Agent, which is also MIT. It's an independent project by Luke The Dev, not an official Nous Research product.
Do I need Hermes Agent installed first?
Yes. Install Hermes Agent separately with the official script, run hermes setup, then install Herald OS. Source builds need Hermes Agent 0.21.3 or newer.
