How to Install Hermes Agent on Windows

There are two ways to get Hermes Agent running on Windows 10 or 11: the official terminal installation, or a one-click installer. This guide covers both honestly, including the errors people hit most often.

Requirements

Windows 10 or 11, about 5 GB of free disk space, 4 GB RAM or more, and an internet connection. No GPU needed. Administrator rights are not required.

Method 1 — Official manual installation (terminal)

Open PowerShell (Start menu → type “powershell”) and run: iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1) — the installer downloads Python, Node.js, Git, ripgrep and ffmpeg automatically, which takes 10–20 minutes. Afterwards an English-only setup wizard asks about your AI provider; the free Nous Portal option works without an API key.

Common problems and fixes

“Running scripts is disabled”: start PowerShell with powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass. “hermes is not recognized”: close the terminal and open a new one so PATH refreshes. Antivirus slowdown: the download is from the official NousResearch server; allow it and wait. Wizard confusion: if unsure, always pick the Nous Portal option.

Method 2 — One-click installation (no terminal)

If terminals are not your thing, Hermes Easy Installer wraps the whole process into one double-click: a wizard in 6 languages checks your system, runs the official installation silently, sets up the free Nous Portal login, installs 5 ready-made business assistants and puts a shortcut on your desktop. Typical time: about 10 minutes, no commands typed at all.

After installation

Start Hermes from the desktop shortcut or run hermes --tui in a new terminal. Useful commands: hermes doctor (diagnose problems), hermes model (change AI provider), hermes gateway setup (connect Telegram or WhatsApp).