Enable Hermes Agent web search by running hermes tools, opening Web Search & Extract, selecting a provider, and entering its URL or API key. For repeatable deployments, set a provider in ~/.hermes/config.yaml. Because searching and fetching page content are separate capabilities, you may need one backend for search and another for extraction.
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What Hermes web search includes
Hermes Agent exposes two model-callable web tools: web_search, which returns ranked search results, and web_extract, which fetches readable content from a page. They are backed by configurable providers rather than by a single built-in search engine. Enabling web access therefore means choosing and configuring a backend that matches the capabilities you need.
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A provider can be hosted, requiring an API key; self-hosted, requiring a URL; keyless but rate-limited; or a combination of those models. The important distinction is whether it supports only search or both search and extraction. A search-only backend can discover URLs but cannot supply Hermes with the page text through web_extract.
Fastest setup: use the interactive wizard
The interactive path is the best choice for a first installation because Hermes asks for the exact credential or endpoint required by the selected provider and writes the configuration for you.
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- Open a terminal in the environment where Hermes Agent is installed.
- Run
hermes tools. - Choose Web Search & Extract from the tool list.
- Select a provider. The menu indicates whether that provider supplies search, extraction, or both.
- When prompted, enter the provider’s API key or service URL. For a self-hosted service such as SearXNG, provide the reachable base URL; for a hosted service, paste the corresponding API key.
- Save the selection and leave the wizard.
- Start a chat with the web toolset enabled and issue a test request, such as asking Hermes to find a current page and summarize it.
The wizard writes the selected backend into Hermes configuration. Once a shared backend has been saved, adding a different provider key to your shell does not silently switch Hermes to that provider; change the selection in hermes tools or edit the explicit configuration instead.
Configure a shared backend in YAML
Use YAML when you want a reproducible setup, configuration management, or a headless deployment. Edit ~/.hermes/config.yaml and add a shared backend:
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web:
backend: "searxng"Replace searxng with the provider identifier you selected. A shared backend is used for both searching and extraction when that provider advertises both capabilities. The value must match a backend supported by your Hermes installation; misspellings generally result in an unavailable-provider or health-check error.
Keep credentials out of the YAML file when the provider supports environment variables. Store the key in the environment used to launch Hermes, restrict the file permissions that contain secrets, and avoid pasting keys into chat transcripts or shell history.
Use different providers for search and extraction
Split configuration is useful when your preferred search service cannot fetch page content, or when you want a self-hosted search index while using a hosted extractor. Set the capabilities independently:
web:
search_backend: "searxng"
extract_backend: "firecrawl"In this example, Hermes sends discovery requests to SearXNG and page-fetching requests to Firecrawl. The same pattern works with any compatible pair. A search-only service belongs in search_backend; an extraction-capable service belongs in extract_backend.
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Explicit per-capability settings take precedence over a shared setting. If both per-capability keys are present, Hermes uses them for their respective operations. If only web.backend is present, Hermes uses that value wherever the provider supports the requested operation. Do not assume that a successful search test proves extraction is configured.
Understand provider capabilities before choosing one
The documented provider matrix separates services by operation. The following list reflects the capabilities described by the Hermes guide; availability, pricing, and limits can change independently of Hermes releases.
| Provider | Search | Extraction | Typical setup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firecrawl | Yes | Yes | Hosted API key or URL-supported deployment |
| Exa | Yes | Yes | Hosted API key |
| Parallel | Yes | Yes | Hosted API key |
| Tavily | Yes | Yes | Hosted API key |
| Perplexity | Yes | Yes | Hosted API key |
| Keenable | Yes | Yes | Hosted service or configured endpoint |
| SearXNG | Yes | No | Self-hosted URL; use another extraction backend |
| Brave Search | Yes | No | Hosted API key; use another extraction backend |
| DDGS | Yes | No | Importable Python package; use another extraction backend |
| xAI | Yes | No | Hosted API key; use another extraction backend |
| OpenAI Native | Yes | No | Authenticated OpenAI Codex OAuth login; pair with an extractor |
Search-and-extract providers are convenient when you want one credential and one service. Search-only providers can be preferable for privacy, self-hosting, or an existing search subscription, but they require a second backend for page retrieval.
Configure SearXNG correctly
SearXNG is a self-hosted search option. Give Hermes the SearXNG URL as the search backend, then configure an extraction-capable provider separately:
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search_backend: "searxng"
extract_backend: "tavily"The Hermes guide uses this endpoint to test a local instance:
http://localhost:8888/search?q=test&format=jsonRun the request from the same network context in which Hermes runs. A response showing HTTP 403 commonly means JSON output is disabled in SearXNG. Enable JSON output in SearXNG’s settings.yml, restart the service, and repeat the request. If the endpoint is bound only to a loopback interface inside a container, use a hostname or network address reachable from the Hermes process instead of assuming that localhost refers to the host machine.
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Use OpenAI Native when you already authenticate with Codex OAuth
The documented OpenAI Native backend is intended for an authenticated OpenAI Codex OAuth login. Set it explicitly as the search backend:
web:
search_backend: "openai-native"
extract_backend: "firecrawl"OpenAI Native supplies search only in the documented matrix. Without the second line, Hermes can discover results but extraction requests will fail because no extraction-capable backend is selected. This arrangement also lets you keep search and page fetching under separate credentials and data-routing policies.
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Backend selection follows a defined precedence order. Understanding it prevents a newly added key from appearing to have no effect.
- Explicit capability settings:
web.search_backendcontrols search andweb.extract_backendcontrols extraction. - Shared setting:
web.backendis used when a capability-specific value is absent. - Environment auto-detection: when no shared selection has ever been written, Hermes inspects available credentials and installed packages.
Documented credential signals include:
TAVILY_API_KEYfor Tavily.PERPLEXITY_API_KEYfor Perplexity.EXA_API_KEYfor Exa.PARALLEL_API_KEYfor Parallel.FIRECRAWL_API_KEYorFIRECRAWL_API_URLfor Firecrawl.SEARXNG_URLfor SearXNG.BRAVE_SEARCH_API_KEYfor Brave Search.- An importable
ddgspackage for DDGS.
With no credentials, the current guide describes a keyless rotation ring across Exa, Parallel, Firecrawl, and Keenable. Treat that as a convenience rather than a guaranteed capacity or uptime commitment; explicit configuration is safer for production workflows.
Start Hermes with the web toolset
Web backends can be configured correctly while remaining unavailable to a session that did not load the web toolset. For a one-off CLI session, start Hermes with:
hermes chat --toolsets web,file,terminalThe web entry enables web tools; file and terminal are optional additions shown in the documented command. If you omit web, Hermes cannot call web_search or web_extract regardless of backend configuration.
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Use hermes tools for interactive tool management and provider selection. This is separate from the browser toolset: the documented web tools are direct search and extraction interfaces, not a general-purpose browser session.
Verify the active backend
Verification should test both configuration discovery and an actual operation.
Check detected configuration
Run:
hermes setupThe setup report shows the detected web backend. If the report names a provider you did not intend to use, inspect explicit YAML values first, then remove or change stale selections through hermes tools.
Inspect backend status from a source checkout
When working from a Hermes source checkout, activate that checkout’s environment and run:
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Run a functional search and extraction test
- Launch a session with
hermes chat --toolsets webor the fuller toolset command shown above. - Ask for a search on a stable, known topic and confirm that ranked results are returned.
- Ask Hermes to extract one result and summarize its page content.
- If search succeeds but extraction fails, inspect
extract_backendrather than changing the search provider.
Troubleshoot common failures
web_search returns success: false
- Confirm that the selected API key is present in the environment visible to Hermes, not just in another terminal or user account.
- Check the provider URL for spelling, scheme, port, and network reachability.
- Run the provider’s health check or the provider-specific diagnostic described by its documentation.
- Run
hermes setupto verify which backend Hermes actually selected.
If you recently added a new key, remember that an existing web.backend setting has priority over environment auto-detection. Change or remove that explicit selection before expecting the new key to take over.
web_extract reports a search-only backend
This is a capability mismatch, not necessarily a broken search service. Keep the current provider in web.search_backend and assign an extraction-capable provider to web.extract_backend. Firecrawl, Tavily, Perplexity, Keenable, Exa, and Parallel are listed as extraction-capable options.
SearXNG responds with HTTP 403
A 403 from the documented JSON test generally means SearXNG’s JSON output is not enabled. Turn on JSON in settings.yml, restart SearXNG, and repeat the request. Also verify that the URL Hermes uses points to the same reachable instance you tested manually.
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The expected provider is ignored
- Look for
search_backendorextract_backend, which overridebackend. - Check for a previously saved shared backend created by the interactive wizard.
- Confirm that the shell running Hermes has the intended environment variables.
- Restart the Hermes process after changing configuration so it does not retain an old in-memory selection.
Choose a backend by operational requirements
| Requirement | Practical choice | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| One service for discovery and page text | Firecrawl, Exa, Parallel, Tavily, Perplexity, or Keenable | These are documented as supporting both search and extraction. |
| Self-hosted search endpoint | SearXNG for search plus a separate extractor | Search traffic can stay on infrastructure you control, while extraction is delegated independently. |
| Search without a hosted API key | DDGS, SearXNG, or the documented keyless rotation ring | Availability and limits depend on the installation and current provider conditions. |
| Existing Codex OAuth authentication | OpenAI Native for search plus an extractor | The documented backend uses the authenticated OAuth session but does not provide extraction. |
| Separate privacy policies for discovery and fetching | Any explicit search/extract pair | Per-capability configuration keeps credentials and traffic paths distinct. |
Also consider whether the provider is index-backed or model-generated, where data is routed, whether self-hosting is practical, and how rate limits affect your workload. A provider’s free allowance is not a permanent product guarantee. The guide lists Firecrawl at 500 credits per month, Brave Search at 2,000 queries per month, and Exa at 1,000 searches per month with a key; these are provider-plan figures that may change, so confirm the current terms before relying on them.
Keep credentials, traffic, and limits under control
- Scope keys narrowly: use a key intended for the Hermes workload rather than a personal master credential where the provider allows separate keys.
- Prefer environment injection: environment variables or a secrets manager reduce the chance of committing credentials to a configuration repository.
- Watch extraction volume: page fetching can consume a different quota from search, especially when every result is extracted automatically.
- Set explicit providers in production: auto-detection is convenient for experimentation but can change when a new key or package appears.
- Document the split: record which backend handles search and which handles extraction so operators know where to check quotas and logs.
- Review data routing: hosted providers may receive queries and fetched URLs; self-hosting can reduce external routing but shifts maintenance and availability work to you.
Extend Hermes with a custom web backend
The developer interface allows web backends to be bundled with Hermes, installed under ~/.hermes/plugins/web/<name>/, or supplied through Python package entry points. A plugin registers a WebSearchProvider, advertises whether it supports search and extraction, and is selected through the same web.backend, web.search_backend, and web.extract_backend keys.
A useful plugin should declare its capabilities accurately. Marking a search-only implementation as extraction-capable causes failures later, when Hermes attempts to fetch page text. It should also validate credentials early, return clear health information, and expose predictable errors for authentication, rate limiting, and network failures. After installation, use hermes setup or python -m tools.web_tools from the source checkout to confirm that Hermes can discover the plugin.
A reliable production configuration pattern
For a deployment that wants self-hosted discovery and hosted extraction, combine explicit capability settings with a startup check:
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web:
search_backend: "searxng"
extract_backend: "firecrawl"- Make the SearXNG URL available to the Hermes process and enable JSON output.
- Provide the extraction provider’s credential through its supported environment variable.
- Run
hermes setupand confirm both capability assignments. - Run
python -m tools.web_toolswhen operating from a source checkout to inspect provider health. - Start Hermes with the
webtoolset enabled. - Perform one search followed by one extraction during deployment validation.
- Monitor search and extraction quotas separately because the two operations may be billed or rate-limited independently.
This pattern avoids the most common configuration error: selecting a backend that can discover links but cannot retrieve the documents Hermes is expected to read.
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