Report · marked 25 Aug 2026

NousResearch/hermes-agent

Solid foundations, held back in a few specific places.

Python · 236,397 stars · 10,300 files · branch main

84 /100 A-

Instructions 25/27Whether the repo tells an agent how to behave before it starts guessing. Losing marks on instruction quality.Setup 20/20Whether an agent can install the project and get it running without a human. Full marks.Verification loop 22/25Whether an agent can check its own work. This is the category that most decides whether agent output is trustworthy. Losing marks on static type checking.Context economy 9/20Whether the repo fits in a context window, or fights it. Losing marks on file sizes fit in context and repository weight.Navigability 10/10How quickly anything new can orient itself. Full marks.

Higher is better. Accent marks what is costing you most.

Fix these first

File sizes fit in context

A single file that fills the context window forces an agent to work from fragments, and it will confidently edit code it never saw. Splitting the worst offenders pays for itself immediately.

Repository weight

Large binaries and vendored trees slow every operation an agent performs. Git LFS or a separate assets repo keeps the working tree navigable.

Static type checking

A type checker gives an agent an error message instead of a runtime surprise. It's the second-fastest feedback loop after the compiler.

The full marking

Every deduction below names the file or setting it came from.

Instructions 25/27 A+

Whether the repo tells an agent how to behave before it starts guessing.

✓Agent instruction file 12/12

AGENTS.md is present, which is the format the most tools read.

✗Instruction quality 10/12

Specific enough that an agent can act on it.

Worth fixing: it's 95k characters, which burns context on every single turn.

names the actual commands to run

uses headings, so an agent can skim it

includes copyable code blocks

✓README as an entry point 3/3

README has a clear getting-started section.

Setup 20/20 A+

Whether an agent can install the project and get it running without a human.

✓Deterministic install 6/6

package-lock.json pins the dependency tree.

Found package-lock.json

✓Discoverable commands 6/6

Commands are declared where an agent will look for them.

package.json scripts (postinstall, install:root, install:web, install:tui, install:desktop, audit:root…)

pyproject.toml scripts

scripts/ directory

✓Environment config 4/4

.env.example documents what the app needs to run.

✓Pinned runtime version 2/2

The language runtime version is pinned.

Found .nvmrc

✓Reproducible environment 2/2

dockerfile gives a known-good environment.

Verification loop 22/25 A

Whether an agent can check its own work. This is the category that most decides whether agent output is trustworthy.

✓Tests exist 8/8

4433 test files against 7382 source files.

e.g. apps/desktop/e2e/at-rest-connection-token.spec.ts, apps/desktop/e2e/batch-clarify.spec.ts, apps/desktop/e2e/boot-failure.spec.ts

✓Test command is discoverable 7/7

An agent can find and run `npm run check`.

✓Continuous integration 4/4

30 GitHub Actions workflows define what "passing" means.

✓Lint and format rules 3/3

pyproject.toml encodes the house style.

✗Static type checking 0/3

No static type checking.

A type checker gives an agent an error message instead of a runtime surprise. It's the second-fastest feedback loop after the compiler.

Context economy 9/20 C

Whether the repo fits in a context window, or fights it.

✓No committed build output 6/6

No generated directories committed.

✓.gitignore hygiene 3/3

.gitignore covers 129 patterns.

✗File sizes fit in context 0/6

102 source files are over 100KB.

A single file that fills the context window forces an agent to work from fragments, and it will confidently edit code it never saw. Splitting the worst offenders pays for itself immediately.

gateway/run.py — 1493KB

cli.py — 986KB

hermes_cli/web_server.py — 781KB

✗Repository weight 0/5

About 779MB checked out. Large enough that cloning and searching are both slow.

Large binaries and vendored trees slow every operation an agent performs. Git LFS or a separate assets repo keeps the working tree navigable.

Here is your AGENTS.md

Drafted from what is actually in this repository: the install command from your lockfile, the commands you already declare, your real directory layout. Anything marked TODO needs a person. Save it at the root as AGENTS.md.

AGENTS.md — drafted for NousResearch/hermes-agent

# AGENTS.md

The agent that grows with you

## Setup

```
npm ci
```

## Commands

```
npm run check             # lint and type check
npm run postinstall
npm run install:root
npm run install:web
npm run install:tui
npm run install:desktop
npm run audit:root
npm run audit:web
```

## Layout

- `tests/`      3367 source files
- `apps/`       2064 source files
- `ui-tui/`     467 source files
- `hermes_cli/` 290 source files
- `plugins/`    211 source files
- `agent/`      201 source files

## Conventions

- Tests live alongside the code they cover, following `apps/desktop/e2e/at-rest-connection-token.spec.ts`.
- CI defines what passing means. See `.github/workflows/ci-review-comment.yml`, and keep it green.
- TODO: add the two or three conventions a newcomer always gets wrong here.

## Gotchas

- `gateway/run.py` is 1493KB. It will not fit comfortably in context, so read it in parts.
- Copy `.env.example` before running anything that needs configuration.

---

Drafted by agentreadme.com from what is in this repository. Everything marked TODO
needs a human. Check it in as AGENTS.md at the root.

Open the raw markdown or curl -o AGENTS.md agentreadme.com/draft/NousResearch/hermes-agent.md

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Think this mark is wrong?

Every deduction above names the file it came from, so this can be settled by looking. If a check missed something, that is a rule worth fixing.

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