A No-Build Web UI for Hermes Agent That Matches the CLI Feature for Feature
If you're running an autonomous agent on your server, you've probably gotten comfortable with the terminal. But sometimes you want to browse sessions, preview workspace files, or tweak a model setting without typing commands. Hermes WebUI is a browser interface for the Hermes Agent that gives you full parity with the CLI—everything you can do from a terminal, you can do from the UI. No build step, no framework, no bundler.
What It Does
Hermes Agent is an autonomous agent that lives on your server and is normally accessed via a terminal or messaging apps. It remembers what it learns and gets more capable the longer it runs. Hermes WebUI puts a lightweight, dark-themed interface on top of that, so you can interact with your existing agent from a browser instead.
The layout is a three-panel design: sessions and navigation on the left, chat in the center, and a workspace file browser on the right. Model, profile, and workspace controls live in the composer footer, which stays visible while you're composing a message. A circular context ring shows token usage at a glance, and a "Hermes Control Center" (launched from the sidebar bottom) holds all your settings and session tools. The whole thing runs on Python and vanilla JS—no build pipeline to babysit.
Why It's Cool
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Genuine CLI parity, not a subset. The README is explicit about this: everything you can do from a terminal, you can do from the UI. That's a meaningful claim for agent tools, where web interfaces often strip out the parts power users actually need.
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No build step is a real design decision. No framework, no bundler—just Python and vanilla JS. That means you can clone it, read the code, and modify it without wrestling with a toolchain. For a self-hosted tool, that simplicity matters.
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It uses what you already have. Every part of the UI runs on your existing Hermes agent and your existing models. No additional setup, no reconfiguring your stack. If Hermes is already running, you're most of the way there.
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Secure access via SSH tunnel. You start the UI with a single command and open an SSH tunnel with a single command. That's a sensible approach for something that lives on your server—you don't have to expose it to the internet to reach it from your laptop.
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Beyond basic chat. The feature set includes voice, profiles, security (with password configuration), themes including light mode, and mobile support. There's also session projects, tags, and tool call cards, plus a workspace file browser with inline preview.
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Persistent memory is the whole point. Hermes retains context across sessions, runs scheduled jobs while you're offline, and builds a user profile, agent notes, and a skills system that saves reusable procedures. The web UI gives you a window into all of that without giving up the CLI's depth.
How to Try It
The README points to a quick start with bootstrap.py, start.sh, and ctl.sh. The general flow:
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Clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/nesquena/hermes-webui -
Run the bootstrap script:
python bootstrap.py -
Start the UI:
./start.sh -
Set up an SSH tunnel from your local machine to access it securely. The README mentions a single command for this.
There's also a setup guide at get-hermes.ai/setup for configuring Hermes so you can access it natively on every device.
If you prefer declarative installs, there's a Nix flake and NixOS module. Docker users get single- and multi-container deploy options. The README also covers auto-discovery, configuration overrides, remote/Tailscale/phone access, and manual launch.
Full details and screenshots are in the repo: github.com/nesquena/hermes-webui.
Final Thoughts
Hermes WebUI is best for people who already run Hermes Agent and want a convenient way to interact with it from a browser—especially if you value secure access over SSH and don't want to maintain a frontend build pipeline. The no-build approach and CLI parity make it a practical companion rather than a replacement. If you're deep in the Hermes ecosystem, this is a straightforward add-on worth trying.
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