Hermes

Nous Research, founded in 2023, is a decentralized AI startup based in New York, focusing on open-source, human-centric artificial intelligence models and tools. In February 2026, they released Hermes Agent, an open-source autonomous AI agent under the MIT license. Hermes Agent is designed to run on user infrastructure, supporting Linux, macOS, and WSL2, and can be installed via a single curl command without prerequisites.

A key feature of Hermes Agent is its persistent memory, allowing it to remember user projects, preferences, and context across restarts. This enables the agent to adapt and improve over time, creating and refining skills based on user interactions. Hermes Agent supports integration with over 15 messaging platforms, including Telegram, Discord, Slack, and WhatsApp, facilitating seamless communication across various channels.

As of June 2026, Hermes Agent has gained significant traction, with over 163,000 stars and 26,700 forks on GitHub, indicating strong community interest and adoption. The agent is compatible with multiple large language models (LLMs), including OpenAI's GPT, Anthropic's Claude, and Google's models, providing flexibility in deployment.

Hermes Agent's open-source nature and focus on user privacy, with all data stored locally and no telemetry or cloud dependency, distinguish it from other AI agents. Its ability to run on various infrastructures, from personal servers to cloud environments, and its support for multiple messaging platforms, make it a versatile tool for developers and organizations seeking customizable AI solutions.