Hermes Desktop Avatar
erenciracioglu-dotcom/hermes-desktop-avatar
Always-on-top desktop sprite avatar that chats with a local Hermes Agent gateway, built with PySide6
Hermes Desktop Avatar is an always-on-top sprite on your desktop that opens a chat panel for a local Hermes Agent. It talks to Hermes through the gateway's OpenAI-compatible HTTP API and only speaks when you interact with it.
What Hermes Desktop Avatar does
Hermes Desktop Avatar shows a small sprite on the desktop. Double-click it or right-click to open a chat panel, and answers come back through the local Hermes gateway. It has no automatic screen-commentary loop and no built-in LLM provider stack, so the avatar only talks when you interact with it. It is built with PySide6 and uses the Hermes API server, an OpenAI-compatible endpoint on loopback port 8642.
The avatar manages a loopback gateway itself, and on first launch it writes API_SERVER_ENABLED and API_SERVER_KEY into HERMES_HOME/.env. It ships one character pack, nora.hchar, and custom packs go in the app's characters folder under APPDATA on Windows or Application Support on macOS. The author calls it early alpha and a personal single-user client, tested on Windows 11 Pro and a macOS source run on Apple silicon, and a short demo video is included in the repository.
Key features
- Always-on-top sprite on the desktop
- Chat panel opened by double-click or right-click
- Talks to the local Hermes API server on loopback port 8642
- Custom character packs in .hchar format
- Starts and manages a loopback gateway, writing API keys to HERMES_HOME/.env on first launch
When to use it
- Keeping a lightweight Hermes chat window on the desktop
- Giving a local Hermes Agent a character with a custom sprite pack
- Reading a small PySide6 client for the Hermes API server
Who it is for: Hermes Agent users on Windows or macOS who want a desktop mascot front end for a local gateway.
How it fits with Hermes Agent
Built for Hermes Agent as a desktop client that uses the Hermes gateway and its OpenAI-compatible API server.
Requirements: Windows 11 Pro (10 with caveats) or macOS (experimental); Python 3.11+ in a venv; Hermes Agent runnable as hermes on PATH or via HERMES_CLI; Hermes API server enabled with an API_SERVER_KEY of 16+ characters; a loopback gateway
Note: The author describes it as early alpha, a single-user client tested only on Windows 11 Pro and an Apple-silicon Mac source run.
FAQ
What is Hermes Desktop Avatar?
Hermes Desktop Avatar is a desktop sprite that gives a local Hermes Agent a small always-on-top chat front end. It is written with PySide6 and talks to the Hermes API server.
What do I need to run Hermes Desktop Avatar?
You need Windows 11 Pro (Windows 10 with caveats) or macOS, Python 3.11 or later, and Hermes Agent runnable as hermes. The Hermes API server must be enabled with an API key of at least 16 characters.
Is Hermes Desktop Avatar free and open source?
Yes. The repository is released under the MIT license.
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Related guides: Connect Hermes agents on several machines with Hermes Desktop · How to install Hermes Agent