Openclaw To Hermes

OpenClaw to Hermes Agent Migration

Complete guide for migrating an Appie from OpenClaw to Hermes Agent.

Quick Start

# 1. SSH key for GitHub (on new server)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "hermes-agent" -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 -N ""
# Add public key to github.com/settings/keys

# 2. Clone appie-brain
git clone git@github.com:S3YED/appie-brain.git ~/.hermes/appie-brain

# 3. Create identity files (SOUL.md, USER.md, IDENTITY.md, AGENTS.md)
# See full guide at ~/.hermes/docs/APPIE-PORT-GUIDE.md

# 4. Git setup
cd ~/.hermes
git init
git remote add origin git@github.com:S3YED/appie-brain.git
git config user.email "appieN@weblyfe.nl"
git config user.name "Appie-N"

# 5. Install deps
pip install pymupdf requests --break-system-packages

# 6. Create .env with secrets
# Copy from appie-brain/.env.secrets

# 7. Start Hermes
hermes-agent start

Beta client Appie WhatsApp / wacli baseline

For every client Appie we spin up in beta, treat WhatsApp/wacli setup as part of the default onboarding checklist when the client expects WhatsApp communication or WhatsApp-history-aware work.

1. Use client-owned credentials only. Never copy Seyed's WhatsApp, OpenRouter, Notion, Google, or other private credentials into a client bot.
2. Install the current wacli package:
   • Homebrew: brew install openclaw/tap/wacli or brew upgrade openclaw/tap/wacli
   • Go fallback: go install github.com/openclaw/wacli/cmd/wacli@latest
3. Verify before pairing: wacli version && wacli doctor && wacli auth status --json.
4. If auth fails with client outdated (405) or WhatsApp closes the QR channel, upgrade wacli first, then retry. Do not keep retrying old QR auth.
5. Prefer phone-code pairing for remote beta onboarding:

   wacli auth --phone "+31..." --idle-exit 5m --events
   

   Tell the client: WhatsApp Settings -> Linked Devices -> Link a Device -> Link with phone number instead.
6. Keep the auth process alive until paired, then verify:

   wacli auth status --json
   wacli doctor
   

   Look for authenticated: true, linked JID, chats/messages counts, and recent LAST_SYNC.
7. For ongoing beta sync, bound local growth unless the client explicitly wants full-history ingestion:

   wacli sync --follow --max-messages 10000 --max-db-size 1GB --events
   

8. Privacy/default safety: no outbound WhatsApp sends without explicit recipient and message confirmation. For client Appies, make this a SOUL/AGENTS rule, not only a skill rule.

Key Files to Create

SOUL.md

Identity, role, values, communication style, boundaries.

USER.md

Seyed's profile: name, timezone (Bangkok), company (Weblyfe), contact info.

IDENTITY.md

Appie family roster: Appie-1 (Orchestrator), Appie-2 (CMO), Appie-3 (CTO).

AGENTS.md

Session startup rules, memory discipline, red lines.

Required API Keys (.env)

CUSTOM_OPENAI_API_KEY=
CUSTOM_OPENAI_BASE_URL=
CUSTOM_OPENAI_MODEL=
## Required API Keys (.env)

CUSTOM_OPENAI_API_KEY=... CUSTOM_OPENAI_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434/v1 CUSTOM_OPENAI_MODEL=gemma4:26b TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=... TELEGRAM_ALLOWED_USERS=1817919454 HERMES_WORKING_DIR=/root/workspace EXA_API_KEY=... NOTION_API_KEY=ntn_... # Required for Notion access NOTION_CONTENT_FACTORY=124c3321-de60-8098-a0e0-f55416c5f95f # Key DB ID NOTION_TASK_LIST=538bdf7b-a506-4c9c-b451-5d2f78b4d544 NOTION_PROJECTS=60414e0a-cccc-480a-8800-eb3186da93a3

**Note:** Notion token variable name is `NOTION_API_KEY` (from Notion integration setup).

## Verify Setup

```bash
# GitHub SSH
ssh -T git@github.com

# Notion API test
curl -s "https://api.notion.com/v1/users/me" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $NOTION_API_KEY" \
  -H "Notion-Version: 2022-06-28" | python3 -c "import sys,json; print('✅', json.load(sys.stdin).get('name'))"

# Skills available
ls ~/.hermes/skills/

# Python packages
pip list | grep -i pymupdf

Full Guide

See: ~/.hermes/docs/APPIE-PORT-GUIDE.md

Pitfalls

1. SSH key not linked - Add to github.com/settings/keys
2. Missing .env.secrets - Copy from source machine
3. Git push fails with "fetch first" - git pull origin master --rebase then push
4. Git has unrelated histories - git pull origin master --allow-unrelated-histories
5. Bot not responding - Check TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN in .env
6. Notion token variable - Must be NOTION_API_KEY, not NOTION_TOKEN
7. Git conflicts on pull - Use git stash, git pull --rebase, git stash pop