Set up Hermes

Install and configure Hermes separately before connecting it to Lifebase. Its model provider account and usage costs are separate from your Lifebase license. The commands below configure Lifebase integration; they do not install Hermes or authenticate it.

Check the connected vault

lifebase status
lifebase agent status --tool hermes

Confirm that the connected folder is the vault you intend to use. If it was moved or copied, link its current location first.

Preview skill registration

lifebase agent setup --tool hermes --dry-run

The preview shows the proposed configuration change without writing it. Setup registers the installed vault’s skill directory with Hermes. Read the diff, then apply it:

lifebase agent setup --tool hermes

Check the preview to make sure your existing settings are retained before applying the change. Setup creates a backup first. Repeating setup does not add duplicate skill paths.

Choose the Gateway working directory

Skill discovery and working directory are separate settings. To make Hermes Gateway start from Lifebase, preview and apply the explicit option:

lifebase agent setup --tool hermes --set-vault-working-directory --dry-run
lifebase agent setup --tool hermes --set-vault-working-directory

This sets Hermes’s terminal.cwd to the vault. Direct setup without the flag does not change that setting. In the interactive Lifebase wizard, Use Lifebase as the default path for Hermes Gateway starts selected; uncheck it if you want to keep your existing working directory.

For a nonstandard Hermes config file, use its actual absolute path:

lifebase agent setup --tool hermes --config /absolute/path/to/config.yaml --dry-run

Use the same --config path when applying the change and checking status.

Verify before using notes

Run agent status again, then start a Hermes session in the vault and ask it to read AGENTS.md. Confirm that it can find the Lifebase onboarding skill. If configuration fails, inspect the reported file or YAML error before retrying; do not replace unrelated Hermes settings with a sample configuration.

Connecting Hermes does not by itself register the required daily maintenance job. Onboarding verifies whether the current runtime can register and test that job.