Install Hermes

Download the desktop app and select your AI model.

Install the Hermes desktop app

The easiest way to install Hermes is to just download the desktop app. It’s available for Mac, Windows, Linux, and other platforms, and it sets up everything for you.

Go to the Hermes website .
Click Download for the platform of your choice.
Run the setup wizard and open the Hermes desktop app.

Here’s what the Hermes desktop app looks like after install:

Hermes Desktop app after first launch

Type this into the composer to talk to Hermes now:


Hello!

As part of the install process, Hermes should’ve picked the AI model for you already. See the next section for more details.

Select your AI model

Hermes model picker showing GPT-5.5 High selected

My recommendation: Select GPT-5.5 High from OpenAI Codex, which comes with your ChatGPT subscription. You can get a lot of usage for $20/month.

On the bottom right of the Hermes desktop app, you can see a model picker. Here are some common options:

GPT: Best default if you already pay for ChatGPT or Codex. Good performance and lots of usage for just $20/month.
Claude: Has excellent personality and reasoning skills, but you can only use Claude through its API which gets expensive fast.
Hermes subscription: Lets you try multiple models, but you’ll have to pay for another monthly subscription.

Get familiar with the app

Let’s explore the desktop app for a few minutes before moving on. A few quick notes:

On the sidebar, you can start new chats and pin useful chats.
Click Skills & Tools to see all the skills that Hermes comes pre-installed with.
Click Messaging to see all the different messaging apps where you can talk to Hermes.

Let’s configure messaging in Telegram next.