Hermes USB Portable: deployment tool for Hermes Agent

Run Hermes Agent from one folder or USB drive on Windows, macOS or Linux with no host install

What Hermes USB Portable does

Hermes USB Portable wraps the Hermes Agent source in launch scripts. On first run, launch.bat on Windows or launch.sh on macOS and Linux downloads a portable Python 3.11 and Node.js 22 into a .cache/runtimes folder, clones Hermes Agent into src/, builds an isolated virtual environment with uv, and installs the Python and Node packages locally. The host system, its registry and its environment variables are left untouched.

The launcher sets HERMES_HOME to a data/ folder, so configuration and state are written there instead of ~/.hermes/. That folder holds config.yaml, the .env file with API keys, chat sessions, persistent memory databases and learned skills, and it is the part to back up. Runtime builds exist for windows-x64, macos-arm64, macos-x64, linux-x64 and linux-arm64, and a terminal dashboard shows setup status, LLM providers and background gateways.

Key features

Runs from a single folder or USB drive on Windows, macOS and Linux
Downloads its own Python 3.11 and Node.js 22, so no host runtimes are needed
Redirects HERMES_HOME to a local data folder for config, keys, sessions, memory and skills
Console launcher with status for setup, LLM providers and background gateways
Isolated environment built with uv that leaves the host system unchanged

When to use it

Carry one Hermes Agent setup between a work and a home computer
Try Hermes Agent on a machine without installing it globally
Keep an agent's keys, memory and skills separate from the host system

Who it is for: Users who want Hermes Agent on removable storage or shared machines without changing the host system.

How it fits with Hermes Agent

It is built for Hermes Agent: it clones the upstream NousResearch/hermes-agent source and runs it with a redirected HERMES_HOME. The README says it keeps all Hermes features, including memory and skill generation.

How to install Hermes USB Portable

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

chmod +x launch.sh
./launch.sh

Requirements: No pre-installed Python, Node.js or package managers; runtimes download on first run (Windows 10/11, macOS or Linux)

FAQ

What is Hermes USB Portable?

Hermes USB Portable is a set of launch scripts that run Hermes Agent entirely from one folder, such as a USB drive. Runtimes, configuration, keys, sessions, memory and skills all stay inside that folder.

How do I install Hermes USB Portable?

On Windows, double-click launch.bat. On macOS or Linux, open a terminal in the folder, run chmod +x launch.sh and then ./launch.sh. The first run downloads and configures the runtimes.

Is Hermes USB Portable free and open source?

The repository has no license file, so default copyright applies and you should check with the author before reuse.