The fastest way to extend Hermes Agent is to create a focused skill directory with a required SKILL.md file, place it in ~/.hermes/skills/, and invoke it as a slash command. A good skill explains when it should be selected, gives Hermes a repeatable procedure, records failure handling, and defines how to verify the result. You can keep supporting references, scripts, and templates beside the Markdown file, then test the skill in a fresh session before sharing it.
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What a Hermes Agent skill is—and when to use one
Hermes Agent treats Skills as its preferred extension mechanism when a workflow can be expressed with instructions, shell commands, and tools the agent already has. The skill is an instruction package, not a new runtime integration: it tells Hermes how to approach a task, which commands or existing tools to use, what output to expect, and how to recover from common errors.
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Build a Tool instead when the feature requires code Hermes does not already have. A Tool is the better boundary for custom Python or other integration code, API-key or authentication handling inside the agent, deterministic data processing, binary or streaming data, or real-time events. A useful rule is: if a careful set of instructions and existing tools can perform the work, start with a Skill; if the agent needs a new programmatic interface or strict machine-level behavior, use a Tool.
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| Decision axis | Skill | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Core mechanism | Instructions plus existing shell, web, or agent tools | Custom integration code exposed as a callable capability |
| Authentication | Can tell Hermes how to use an already configured tool | Appropriate when API-key or authentication handling belongs inside the integration |
| Processing requirements | Human-readable, instruction-led workflow | Deterministic processing, binary data, streaming, or real-time behavior |
| Portability | Usually a directory that can be copied or published | Depends on the implementation, runtime, and dependencies |
| Maintenance | Update the Markdown procedure as commands or policy change | Maintain code, dependencies, interfaces, and authentication behavior |
The official developer guidance summarizes the preference plainly: “Skills are the preferred way to add new capabilities to Hermes Agent.”
Required layout and discovery locations
Every custom skill is a directory containing one required file named exactly SKILL.md. The directory name is normally the skill’s slash-command name, so a skill called my-skill lives in a directory named my-skill.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThe default location for user-created skills is ~/.hermes/skills/. Create a category subdirectory when it helps you organize several related skills:
~/.hermes/skills/my-category/my-skill/SKILL.mdHermes can also discover skills supplied by a trusted project. Project-local locations include <project-root>/.hermes/skills/ and <project-root>/.agents/skills/. A project-local directory is not automatically trusted: an explicit trust action is required before Hermes loads those skills.
If the same skill name exists in more than one location, directory precedence determines which copy wins. Keep names unique where possible, and treat a project-local copy as a deliberate override rather than assuming both versions will be merged.
The skills.create_dir setting can redirect where newly created skills are placed. This is useful for a shared, team-managed, or Git-tracked skills directory instead of the per-user default. Check the active setting before creating a large collection so that files land where your sessions can discover them.
Create the directory and the minimum SKILL.md
1. Make a focused directory
Use a narrow, descriptive name. Narrow scope improves automatic selection because Hermes can distinguish a specific workflow from a vague “helper” skill.
mkdir -p ~/.hermes/skills/my-category/my-skill
The command creates the parent directories if they do not already exist. You can choose another category or change the root through skills.create_dir.
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2. Add frontmatter at the top of SKILL.md
The file begins with YAML frontmatter between two lines containing three hyphens. A practical minimum is a name, a description, and a version:
---
name: my-skill
description: Brief description of what this skill does
version: 1.0.0
metadata:
hermes:
tags: [my-tag, automation]
category: my-category
---
name is the stable identity Hermes uses for discovery and invocation. Keep it concise and consistent with the directory and slash command. description should say what the skill accomplishes, not merely repeat its name; include the trigger conditions or the kind of input it handles. version gives you a way to track revisions as commands, policies, or supporting files change.
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The documented frontmatter also supports optional author, license, and platforms fields. Add them when portability, ownership, or licensing matters. Under metadata.hermes, you can record tags, related skills, required tools, configuration, and blueprints. Use tags and a category to make discovery clearer, list required tools so a user can prepare the environment, and describe configuration or related skills when the workflow depends on them.
3. Write the body below the closing delimiter
The body is the operational contract. Keep the main file short enough for Hermes to load as an overview, but explicit enough that another user can execute the workflow without guessing. A dependable body normally contains these sections:
- When to Use: concrete requests or conditions that should activate the skill, plus cases where it should not be used.
- Prerequisites: required programs, permissions, files, environment variables, configuration, or a clean working directory.
- Procedure: ordered steps with commands, paths, inputs, expected outputs, and decision points.
- Pitfalls: known failure modes, unsafe assumptions, platform differences, and recovery actions.
- Verification: checks that prove the operation completed successfully, including what to inspect when a check fails.
Write commands exactly as they should be run and explain what a successful result looks like. If a command changes files, state which files are expected to change. If the workflow is destructive or requires network access, make that visible before the step that performs it.
A reusable SKILL.md outline
The following outline is intentionally generic; replace each example with the behavior of your own workflow:
---
name: my-skill
description: Run the project quality workflow and report actionable failures
version: 1.0.0
author: Your team
license: MIT
platforms: [linux, macos]
metadata:
hermes:
tags: [quality, automation]
category: development
required_tools: [git, project-check]
---
# My Skill
## When to Use
Use this skill when the user asks for the project quality workflow.
Do not use it for deployment or production changes.
## Prerequisites
- Run from the project root.
- Confirm `project-check` is installed.
- Ensure the working tree state is known before changing files.
## Procedure
1. Inspect the repository state.
2. Run the check command.
3. Explain each failure and apply only requested fixes.
4. Re-run the check after changes.
## Pitfalls
- Stop if the command is unavailable and explain how to install it.
- Do not overwrite uncommitted user work.
## Verification
Report the final exit status and the files changed. A zero exit status is required.
The example demonstrates structure, not a universal command set. Do not include a prerequisite or platform claim unless the workflow really needs it. Keep secrets out of the Markdown; refer to Hermes configuration or the host’s approved secret mechanism instead of hard-coding tokens.
Use progressive disclosure for supporting material
Hermes uses progressive disclosure. The skill index supplies a compact summary, a full skill view loads SKILL.md, and a specific reference file is loaded only when needed. This lets you keep selection cues and core procedure in the main file without forcing every session to ingest long API documentation.
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Optional subdirectories give the skill a maintainable shape:
references/for long API notes, policy details, schemas, or extended examples.scripts/for reusable helper scripts that the procedure calls.templates/for repeatable output files, configuration fragments, or report formats.
Link to these files from the relevant procedure step and state when Hermes should load or execute them. Keep the main SKILL.md authoritative about order, safety, and verification; supporting files should supply detail rather than contradict it.
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Make the skill reliable instead of merely descriptive
Define activation boundaries
Include recognizable user language and input conditions in “When to Use.” Also state exclusions. A skill that says only “helps with files” is difficult to select safely; one that says “use when asked to produce a release checklist from an existing repository, but never to deploy” has a useful boundary.
Make prerequisites testable
Identify the working directory, required binaries, access permissions, configuration, and expected input files. If a prerequisite can be checked, give Hermes the check and the failure message to report. This prevents a half-completed workflow caused by a missing command or an incorrect project root.
Separate observation from mutation
Put inspection steps before edits, and tell Hermes to show or preserve user changes. Ask for confirmation before destructive operations unless the user has clearly authorized them. For network or shell operations, explain what data leaves the machine and what host-side effects are possible.
Specify failure handling
For each important command, document a likely failure, its meaning, and the next safe action. “Retry” is not enough: say whether Hermes should install a dependency, ask the user for access, skip an optional step, or stop without changing files.
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Define a concrete verification result
Verification can be an exit code, a generated file, a report entry, a clean diff, or a successful follow-up query. State the required result and what to report when it is absent. A workflow is not complete merely because the last command returned control to Hermes.
Test a custom skill locally
Confirm discovery first
Start a new Hermes session after creating or changing a skill, then list installed skills:
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hermes skills list
Confirm that the expected name and description appear. A missing entry usually indicates a path, filename, frontmatter, trust, or configuration problem. Check that the file is named SKILL.md with the correct capitalization and that its directory is under a location Hermes actually scans.
Invoke it as a slash command
Skills become slash commands automatically. Try a realistic request rather than a vague “test” prompt:
hermes chat -q "/my-skill help me with the thing"
In an interactive session, invoke /my-skill followed by the actual task and inputs the skill is designed to handle. Check that Hermes selects the skill, follows the stated order, asks for missing prerequisites, and stops at the documented safety boundaries.
Run the skills-focused test command
The developer workflow also documents an explicit skills toolset:
hermes chat --toolsets skills -q "Use the my-skill skill to do Y"
Replace Y with a complete, representative request. This test helps distinguish a discovery problem from a procedure problem: if the skill is listed but the response ignores it, improve the description, trigger conditions, or invocation wording.
Test failure paths, not only the happy path
- Invoke the skill from the wrong directory and confirm it explains the prerequisite.
- Remove or hide a required command and verify that Hermes stops with an actionable message.
- Give incomplete input and check that it asks for the missing value instead of guessing.
- Use an input that belongs to an excluded workflow and confirm that the skill declines or routes the request appropriately.
- Inspect the final files, exit status, and diff specified by the verification section.
Re-test after changing frontmatter, command names, paths, or supporting files. Start a fresh session when checking discovery so cached context does not disguise a broken installation.
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Publishing and sources
Hermes documentation describes several sharing routes: official optional skills, Skills Hub sources, GitHub repository paths, custom taps, skills.sh, well-known endpoints, and direct URLs to a SKILL.md file. The command-line workflow includes inspection, installation, publishing, tap management, auditing, and updates:
hermes skills inspect ...
hermes skills install ...
hermes skills publish ...
hermes skills tap add ...
hermes skills audit
hermes skills update
The ellipsis represents the source or skill identifier required by the specific command; do not paste it literally. Inspect a source before installation, and use an explicit version or revision when the provider offers one so that an update cannot silently change a production workflow.
Review untrusted content before enabling it
A skill is an executable procedure document even when its main file is Markdown. Read its SKILL.md, referenced files, and scripts before relying on it. Check commands that can delete files, upload data, modify credentials, install packages, or run with elevated permissions. Verify that the stated required tools and configuration match your environment.
Current Hermes guidance says inline shell snippets are opt-in and execute on the host when enabled. Community hub installations are scanned and do not auto-execute those snippets unless the trust gate allows it. Treat that gate as a security boundary, not a convenience prompt: grant trust only after reviewing the commands and source.
Keep credentials out of skills
Never place API keys, passwords, cookies, or private tokens in SKILL.md, templates, or scripts committed to a shared repository. Keep secrets in Hermes configuration or the approved host secret store, document the required configuration key, and make the skill fail clearly when it is missing.
Choose a sharing location deliberately
Use the per-user directory for personal experiments, a configured shared or Git-tracked directory for a team workflow, and a trusted project-local directory when the skill must travel with one repository. Remember that project-local locations require explicit trust and that duplicate names are resolved by directory precedence.
Troubleshoot the most common problems
The skill does not appear in hermes skills list
- Confirm the directory is under
~/.hermes/skills/, the configuredskills.create_dir, or a trusted project path. - Check the exact filename:
SKILL.md, including capitalization. - Validate the opening and closing frontmatter delimiters and YAML indentation.
- Ensure the skill name is present and does not collide unintentionally with another directory.
- Start a new session and run the list command again.
Hermes lists it but does not select it
Rewrite the description around user intent and concrete triggers. Add the task vocabulary users actually type, identify required inputs, and state exclusions. Test with the documented skills toolset command and compare the result with a similarly named skill; overlapping descriptions can make selection ambiguous.
The procedure stops at a command
Check the prerequisite section, executable availability, working directory, permissions, and configuration. Add the expected output and a branch for the observed error. If the command is optional, tell Hermes when to skip it; if it is mandatory, require a stop rather than silently continuing.
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Confirm that the project path is correct and that the project has passed the required trust action. Check for a same-named user skill and remember that location precedence decides which one loads. Rename one of the skills if both are intended to remain available.
An installed skill changed unexpectedly
Inspect the installed source and revision, audit its files, and compare the update with the previous version. Pin or copy a reviewed revision for workflows where an unreviewed procedure change would be unacceptable.
Maintenance checklist
- Keep the skill’s scope narrow and its name stable.
- Update the version whenever the procedure, supported platform, required tool, or output contract changes.
- Re-run a representative happy-path request and at least one failure-path request after edits.
- Review commands and scripts for new side effects before sharing an update.
- Move long explanations into
references/while keeping triggers and the essential procedure inSKILL.md. - Run
hermes skills listafter installation andhermes skills auditbefore trusting third-party content. - Use
hermes skills updatedeliberately; read the change before allowing a new version into a trusted workflow.
What a complete first skill looks like
A first skill is ready when a new Hermes session can discover it, select it from a realistic request, execute its ordered procedure with the existing tools, handle missing prerequisites without guessing, and report the verification result. The implementation can remain as small as a directory and one well-written Markdown file; add references, scripts, or templates only when they reduce ambiguity or repeated work.
The practical sequence is therefore straightforward: create the directory, write valid frontmatter, define triggers and prerequisites, document the procedure and recovery branches, add optional supporting files, test with both slash-command and skills-toolset invocations, then audit before sharing. That approach uses Hermes’s intended extension model while keeping the workflow portable, inspectable, and maintainable.
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