Doc Pack Needs human review

Doc Pack: Fastest Mac / Mac mini start

Give AI the official Hermes install, quickstart, provider, and safety context needed to start on a Mac or Mac mini without turning the page into a tutorial.

Expected outcome

AI helps the user install Hermes on macOS, configure the provider, run a smoke test, and leave the user with restart/log notes plus one first use case.

Source status: official-sources-verified-editorial-recommendation-needs-review

Copy into AI

Prompt to start with

Human review first

I want to run Hermes on a Mac or Mac mini as quickly as possible. Use the official installation, quickstart, provider, and repository sources in this Doc Pack first. Treat the Mac mini recommendation as Hermes Agent Hub editorial guidance, not an official Nous requirement. First inspect my OS, shell, Git availability, provider plan, remote-access needs, and backup expectations. Then give me a safe step-by-step plan and pause before destructive commands.

Use this as the starting instruction. Then attach or link the documents listed below. Do not let AI invent unsupported requirements.

How to use

Use this Doc Pack before commands

Copy the prompt on this page into the AI session.
Attach or link the official installation, quickstart, providers, and repository sources.
Tell AI whether this Mac is a dedicated Mac mini or a daily-use machine.
Ask AI to end with a smoke-test result, restart note, and first use-case link.

Guardrails

Keep AI inside these limits

Do not let AI assume Mac mini is an official hardware requirement.
Do not paste secrets into public chat history.
Pause before deleting files, changing shell profiles, or overwriting configuration.

Preflight

Questions AI must ask first

Is this macOS on Apple Silicon or Intel?
Is Git available and can the machine reach GitHub?
Which model provider will be used after install?
Will this Mac be a dedicated host or a daily-use laptop?
How will the user restart Hermes and inspect logs?

Verification

Definition of done

Hermes command is available after shell reload.
A provider is configured or the user knows the next provider step.
hermes doctor or equivalent validation is run where applicable.
The first post-install use case is opened.

Last reviewed: 2026-04-21

Source bundle

Documents to attach or verify

Official sources are separated from Hermes Agent Hub editorial checklists so AI can reason with the right level of confidence.

Required Verified source official

Official installation guide

Verify supported platforms, one-line installer, Git prerequisite, dependency handling, and post-install checks.

Confirms the one-line installer, supported operating systems, Git prerequisite, installer-managed dependencies, and post-install verification commands.

Required Verified source official

Official quickstart tutorial

Guide the first provider setup and first conversation after installation.

Use this as the first beginner-facing flow after installation context is confirmed.

Required Verified source official

Official AI providers guide

Prevent the common failure mode where Hermes installs but no model provider is configured.

Required because a machine can install Hermes but still fail to be useful without a model provider.

Required Verified source official

Official GitHub repository

Let AI verify current repository state and installation script before running commands.

Verify repository state before copying install, update, or troubleshooting steps.

Optional Needs human review manual

V1 Mac mini operations checklist

Editorial checklist for power, network, remote access, logs, restart behavior, disk, and backup expectations.

This is a V1 editorial recommendation, not an official Nous Research requirement.

Supporting sources

All linked resources

official Verified source

Official installation guide

Official install path for Linux, macOS, WSL2, and Android Termux. Use this before asking AI to run install commands.

Review note: Confirms the one-line installer, supported operating systems, Git prerequisite, installer-managed dependencies, and post-install verification commands.

official Verified source

Official quickstart tutorial

Official first-run tutorial for installing Hermes, configuring a provider, and starting the first conversation.

Review note: Use this as the first beginner-facing flow after installation context is confirmed.

official Verified source

Official AI providers guide

Official provider setup page. Hermes requires at least one inference provider, configured through hermes model or environment variables depending on provider.

Review note: Required because a machine can install Hermes but still fail to be useful without a model provider.

official Verified source

NousResearch/hermes-agent GitHub repository

Official source repository for Hermes Agent. Use it to verify current install scripts, README, issues, source tree, and update state.

Review note: Verify repository state before copying install, update, or troubleshooting steps.

official Verified source

Hermes Agent documentation

Primary official documentation entry for installation, quickstart, configuration, tools, skills, memory, messaging, security, MCP, and operations topics.

Review note: Verified as the first official source for broad Hermes Agent capabilities and documentation navigation.

official Verified source

Official security guide

Official defense-in-depth guide covering user authorization, dangerous command approval, container isolation, credential filtering, context scanning, session isolation, and input sanitization.

Review note: Required for any server, messaging gateway, or long-running deployment recommendation.

manual Needs human review

V1 editorial Mac mini checklist

Hermes Agent Hub editorial checklist for power, network, remote access, logs, restart behavior, disk space, and backup planning on a Mac mini.

Review note: This is a V1 editorial recommendation, not an official Nous Research requirement.

official Verified source

Official skills system guide

Official skills guide. Skills are on-demand knowledge documents and slash commands stored under ~/.hermes/skills/.

Review note: Useful for the first post-install activation flow.

official Verified source

Official persistent memory guide

Official memory guide covering MEMORY.md, USER.md, session search, duplicate prevention, and security scanning for memory entries.

Review note: Useful when explaining why a long-running Hermes instance can become more valuable over time.