Herald OS

What Herald OS does

Herald OS replaces menus and folders with a conversation. Hermes opens apps, finds and organises files, watches what is running, remembers what matters to you, runs routines on a schedule and builds software while you watch. Every action that changes something goes through a permission system you control. It runs on Hermes Agent, which is installed alongside it, and on first start it adds its system tools to Hermes as a plugin under ~/.hermes/plugins/herald-os-bridge.

There are several ways to get it: a Mac app for Apple Silicon on macOS 13 or later, a Linux installer for a PC you can dedicate to it, an Arch package, an Omarchy setup, a tarball for other Linux systems, and a virtual machine image for trying the whole OS on an Apple Silicon Mac. Hermes needs a model provider, either a Nous Portal account or an API key for a supported provider. The author states that this is not an official Nous Research product and is not endorsed by them.

Key features

• Hermes Agent as the main interface for opening apps, organising files and monitoring processes
• Permission system that gates every action that changes something
• Scheduled routines and a sign-in card shown when Hermes needs a model provider
• Mac app for Apple Silicon, Linux installer, Arch package, Omarchy setup, tarball and virtual machine image
• Adds a herald-os-bridge plugin to Hermes on first start

When to use it

• Giving a spare PC or Mac to an agent that you operate by voice or text
• Letting Hermes organise files and watch running processes under permission prompts
• Trying an agent-first desktop in a virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac

Who it is for: Hermes Agent users willing to try an alpha operating system that puts the agent at the centre of the desktop.

How it fits with Hermes Agent

Herald OS is built around Hermes Agent and requires it, but it is an independent project by Luke The Dev, not affiliated with or endorsed by Nous Research.

Requirements: Hermes Agent plus a model provider (a Nous Portal account or an API key). The Mac app needs macOS 13 (Ventura) or later on Apple Silicon.

Note: Herald OS is alpha (version 0.1), and the README advises keeping backups of anything you let the agent touch.

FAQ