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Hermes (Nous Research) is a self-improving, multi-channel agent with a terminal TUI, an OpenAI-compatible HTTP API, and first-class MCP support in both directions. Because Hermes is a native MCP client, the cleanest integration is to register Smithers as an MCP server. Hermes can then list, run, watch, and approve workflows as tools.

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Register the MCP server

The fastest path is mcp add, which writes its server straight into Hermes’s ~/.hermes/config.yaml:
To do it by hand, Hermes reads MCP servers from ~/.hermes/config.yaml under mcp_servers. Add Smithers as a stdio server:
Or use the Hermes CLI:
Smithers’ tools surface as mcp_smithers_<tool>: mcp_smithers_run_workflow, mcp_smithers_watch_run, mcp_smithers_resolve_approval, and the rest. Full reference: MCP Server.

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Optional generated skill files

Hermes supports the SKILL.md (agentskills.io) format. skills add syncs the generated Smithers CLI skill set into ~/.agents/skills/, which Hermes can be pointed at if you want command-level skill context:
Because Hermes is a native MCP client, the MCP server above is the primary integration; generated skill files are a complement, not a requirement.

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Standing instructions

Hermes resolves an instruction file by priority (.hermes.md, then AGENTS.md, then CLAUDE.md), and the first match wins. Add an orchestration section to whichever the repo already uses:

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See also