Hermes Source Code Study

What Hermes Source Code Study does

Hermes Source Code Study is a source-analysis book for Hermes Agent written mainly in Chinese, with technical terms kept in English. It is based on the v0.9.0 version line of NousResearch/hermes-agent and is aimed at programmers with one to three years of Python experience. Each chapter opens with a guiding question, breaks the source down file by file and function by function with line numbers, adds Mermaid architecture diagrams and ends by distilling transferable design patterns.

The 25 chapters and three appendices are grouped into six parts: global architecture, the AI core, the tool system, the agent systems, platforms and infrastructure, and summary with practice. Topics include the startup path, configuration, session persistence with SQLite and FTS5, the conversation loop, system prompt construction, context management, multi-model adaptation, error handling, the tool registry, the terminal tool, MCP, sub-agent delegation, memory, skills, security, the CLI, the messaging gateway and terminal backends. The appendices cover adding a new tool, writing a custom skill and connecting a new messaging platform. Four suggested reading routes range from 7 to 28 chapters.

Key features

• 25 chapters plus 3 hands-on appendices on the Hermes Agent source
• File-by-file and function-by-function breakdowns with line numbers
• Mermaid architecture diagrams in each chapter
• Coverage of the conversation loop, context management, tool registry, MCP, memory and skills
• Four reading routes: starter, AI engineering, tool development and complete
• Appendix tutorials for adding a tool, writing a skill and connecting a platform

When to use it

• Learning how Hermes Agent is structured before contributing code
• Studying how an agent handles context management, sub-agent delegation and memory
• Following a guided path to add a new tool, skill or messaging platform adapter

Who it is for: Python programmers who read Chinese and want to understand or contribute to the Hermes Agent codebase.

How it fits with Hermes Agent

A study guide to the Hermes Agent source, written against the v0.9.0 version line of NousResearch/hermes-agent.

Note: The text is written in Chinese and covers the v0.9.0 version line, so details may differ in later Hermes Agent releases.

FAQ