Okay Hermes Voice

What Okay Hermes Voice does

Okay Hermes Voice runs as a background user service named hermes-wakeword.service. A local wakeword model, distributed as a separate ONNX repository, listens for the phrase 'Okay Hermes'. After a beep the user speaks a request and Hermes answers out loud. Follow-up turns continue without repeating the wake phrase until the user says a close phrase such as close, stop listening, end voice mode, bye or cancel.

Wakeword detection runs on the local machine. Spoken answers use the text-to-speech configuration Hermes already has, and requests go to the same Hermes model, memory, tools, skills and personality as normal. Settings live in ~/.hermes/wakeword/config.yaml, including a wake threshold that can be raised if Hermes wakes too often. Optional extras are a popup window showing what Hermes heard and said, a local archive of activations for reviewing false triggers, and a native C++/Qt6 system tray toggle.

Key features

• Local wakeword detection for the phrase 'Okay Hermes'
• Spoken answers through the existing Hermes text-to-speech setup
• Follow-up conversation without repeating the wake phrase
• Close phrases such as 'close', 'stop listening' and 'end voice mode'
• Optional popup window and C++/Qt6 system tray ON/OFF toggle
• Local activation archive for reviewing false activations

When to use it

• Asking Hermes a quick question hands-free at a Linux desktop
• Dictating a todo list or summarizing recent git changes by voice
• Tuning the wake threshold to cut false activations

Who it is for: Linux users who already run Hermes Agent and want a hands-free voice assistant on their own machine.

How it fits with Hermes Agent

Built for Hermes Agent: it is a voice front end that reuses the user's existing Hermes model, memory, tools, skills and text-to-speech configuration.

How to install Okay Hermes Voice

These commands are copied from the project's README. Check the repository for the latest steps before you run them.

git clone https://github.com/H-Ali13381/okay-hermes-voice.git
cd okay-hermes-voice
git clone https://github.com/H-Ali13381/okay-hermes-repcnn-onnx.git ~/.hermes/wakeword/okay-hermes-repcnn-onnx
./scripts/install_user_service.sh

Requirements: Linux, a microphone and speakers or headphones, PipeWire or PulseAudio, and a working Hermes Agent install

Note: It is a Linux-only add-on, and its README says it is not a polished app store installer yet.

FAQ