Hermes Runtime

Hermes Runtime

Use this skill when the user wants Hermes to appear inside NextClaw as a formal session type.

The only preferred product path is:

• runtime entry label: Hermes
• runtime type: narp-stdio
• wire dialect: acp
• runtime entry launcher: hermes acp
• route ownership: NextClaw -> RuntimeRoute(model/apiBase/apiKey/headers) -> Hermes ACP

Do not present Hermes as:

• a plugin-private integration
• a connector-first integration
• an API-server-first integration
• a second independent provider configuration system

This installed skill must stay self-contained.

Do not assume the user can open this repository's internal design docs after installing it from the marketplace. Everything needed for setup, readiness, repair, and first-message verification should be explained here.

Install Boundary: Skill vs Hermes Binary

Always distinguish these two things before taking action:

• the NextClaw marketplace skill: installed into the active workspace as skills/hermes-runtime/SKILL.md
• the Hermes executable: the external runtime binary exposed as hermes

Installing this skill does not install Hermes by itself. The skill must detect whether hermes is already available and install or repair Hermes when it is not.

What This Skill Owns

• explain the correct product mental model
• install Hermes when missing
• detect and repair hermes acp
• write or repair agents.runtimes.entries.hermes
• verify that Hermes appears as a formal session type
• run a real first-message smoke
• diagnose and repair common failures

This skill does not redefine the runtime architecture. It operationalizes the already-locked product contract.

Required Mental Model

Always describe the system in this order:

1. NextClaw owns the unified runtime registry.
2. Hermes is one runtime entry inside that registry.
3. The preferred first version of Hermes is:
   • type: "narp-stdio"
   • wireDialect: "acp"
   • command: "hermes"
   • args: ["acp"]
4. NextClaw owns model / apiBase / apiKey / headers.
5. Hermes ACP consumes that route through the dedicated Hermes ACP bridge prepared by the Hermes setup/launcher path, not through kernel-side Hermes detection.

Do not teach users that the main setup path is:

• installing a first-party Hermes connector package
• starting a Hermes API server first

Execution Style

This skill is execution-oriented, not explanation-oriented.

When the user asks to set up, doctor, repair, or validate Hermes, the agent should:

• do the checks itself instead of handing the user a checklist
• silently run the needed shell commands and real smoke checks
• rewrite config when repair is needed
• loop until the runtime either passes or a concrete blocker is identified

The validation method does not need to be a hard-coded product script.

Good options include:

• direct shell checks
• real NextClaw -> Hermes message smokes
• an independent second-pass verification by another agent when delegation is available and appropriate

The important requirement is: the agent must actually verify, not just describe how verification could be done.

Product Contract

The integration is complete only when all of the following are true:

1. a Hermes runtime entry exists in the unified runtime registry
2. that entry is registered as a formal session type
3. NextClaw resolves the active model into a RuntimeRoute
4. Hermes ACP consumes that route directly
5. a real first reply succeeds

If any of the five conditions above is false, do not call the integration complete.

Preferred Runtime Entry Shape

Use the unified runtime registry as the primary configuration surface:

{
  "agents": {
    "runtimes": {
      "entries": {
        "hermes": {
          "enabled": true,
          "label": "Hermes",
          "icon": {
            "kind": "image",
            "src": "app://runtime-icons/hermes-agent.png",
            "alt": "Hermes"
          },
          "type": "narp-stdio",
          "config": {
            "wireDialect": "acp",
            "processScope": "per-session",
            "command": "hermes",
            "args": ["acp"],
            "env": {},
            "startupTimeoutMs": 8000,
            "probeTimeoutMs": 3000,
            "requestTimeoutMs": 120000
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

The important part is not hidden implementation details. The important part is:

• the launcher is hermes acp
• the runtime entry should carry the bundled app resource URI app://runtime-icons/hermes-agent.png
• NextClaw stays the owner of route selection
• Hermes ACP does not require a second provider setup path for this integration
• the bridge is provided by the bundled Hermes ACP bridge setup/launcher path; kernel and generic narp-stdio code must not hard-code Hermes detection

Setup Contract

setup must cover this full path:

1. explain that the goal is a formal Hermes session type inside NextClaw
2. check whether hermes exists
3. install Hermes when it is missing
4. check whether hermes acp can start
5. create or repair the agents.runtimes.entries.hermes entry
6. run readiness checks
7. run a real first-message smoke
8. finish only after Hermes is visible as a selectable session type and can really reply

Do not stop at:

• command -v hermes
• “the config file looks correct”
• “the command starts”

Do not ask the user to manually run the validation steps if the agent can run them itself.

Cold-Start Beginner Flow

This skill must work for the hardest onboarding case:

• the user only knows the name Hermes
• Hermes is not installed yet
• the user has no prior Hermes knowledge
• the agent must do the setup work itself

For that path, use this execution order.

1. Detect whether Hermes is already installed

Run:

command -v hermes

If hermes already exists, skip to the ACP probe step.

If hermes does not exist, install Hermes instead of stopping.

2. Install Hermes when missing

Preferred public install path:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.sh | bash -s -- --skip-setup

Then reload PATH if needed and verify:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
hermes --help

If the official installer cannot be used but a local Hermes source checkout already exists, a valid fallback is:

cd /path/to/hermes-agent
printf 'n\n' | bash ./setup-hermes.sh
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
hermes --help

If Hermes still cannot be executed after both checks, report a concrete install blocker.

3. Verify the ACP launcher

Probe:

hermes acp --help

If this fails because ACP dependencies are missing, repair them before continuing.

Preferred packaged install repair:

python3 -m pip install "hermes-agent[acp]"

If the user already has a local Hermes source checkout and the active hermes command comes from that checkout, a valid source repair is:

cd /path/to/hermes-agent
python3 -m pip install -e '.[acp]'

Only continue after hermes acp --help succeeds.

4. Write or repair the NextClaw runtime entry

The entry must target hermes acp, not a connector wrapper.

5. Verify session type visibility

Check:

• /api/ncp/session-types
• Hermes ready=true

If Hermes is missing or not ready, repair the runtime entry or launcher path before proceeding.

6. Run a real first-message smoke

The smoke must verify:

• the Hermes session type can be selected
• NextClaw sends a real prompt
• Hermes ACP returns structured events
• the run finishes successfully

The agent should prefer a real chat smoke over a purely synthetic health check.

7. Optional second-pass verification

When delegation is available and appropriate, the preferred finishing step is:

• primary agent completes setup and repair
• a second agent independently re-checks readiness and runs one more smoke

If delegation is not available, the primary agent should still perform at least two independent checks itself:

• one readiness/path check
• one real reply smoke

Doctor / Repair Rules

When diagnosing Hermes failures, always separate the problem into one of these buckets:

1. Hermes is not installed
2. hermes acp cannot launch
3. the NextClaw runtime entry is malformed
4. the session type does not register
5. the route bridge is not being consumed
6. the upstream route selected in NextClaw is invalid

Do not blur these into a generic “Hermes failed” message.

Important doctor rule

If a real smoke fails, first answer:

• did hermes acp actually launch?
• did Hermes appear in /api/ncp/session-types?
• did the failure happen before prompt submission, during ACP session creation, or at upstream model request time?

Only then choose a repair.

What Not To Do

Do not:

• tell the user the main setup path is a first-party connector package
• require a Hermes API server as the primary path
• tell the user to separately configure a Hermes provider when NextClaw should be providing the route
• stop after writing config without verification
• claim completion before a real reply succeeds

Success Output

When the setup succeeds, the final explanation should say, in effect:

• Hermes is now a formal NextClaw session type
• it is configured as narp-stdio(acp)
• the runtime entry launches hermes acp
• NextClaw continues to own model and upstream credentials
• a real reply smoke has passed