Want to connect Hermes agent to Claude Code? Running them together gives you the best of both — Claude Code's coding harness plus Hermes' free, open-source automation — inside one system, and you can even run Claude Code with free APIs. Here's how to connect Hermes and Claude Code.
📺 Watch: Hermes + free Claude Code inside the Agent OS
Want Hermes and Claude Code plugged in together? It is the Agent OS inside the AI Profit Boardroom. → Join AIPB
Why Connect Hermes And Claude Code?
Claude Code is a superb coding agent; Hermes is a free, open-source agent that automates everything else. Connect them and you can build in Claude Code while Hermes handles background tasks, memory and orchestration — and switch between them the moment one goes down. It's system over model.
How To Connect Hermes And Claude Code
The cleanest way is inside an Agent OS, where Claude Code and Hermes both plug in as separate CLIs and share the same memory. You run Claude Code for coding and Hermes agentically, and a memory system keeps them on the same context so nothing is lost between them.
📺 Watch: Claude Code for FREE + Hermes Agent OS!
Free Claude Code (Run The Harness With Free APIs)
You can also run "free Claude Code" — the Claude Code harness pointed at free or local APIs instead of the paid meter. You keep Claude Code's workflow but power it with a free model, which is exactly what Hermes does too. See free API options.
Orchestrate Them Together With Paperclip
To make Hermes and Claude Code truly work as a team, orchestrate them with Paperclip — a group chat where agents coordinate and complete tasks together, then show you everything they built. See multi-agent orchestration for Claude Code.
📺 Watch: FREE Claude Code + Hermes Agent is INSANE 🤯
Focus On One, Add The Other
A tip from experience: don't tool-hop. Master one (say Claude Code), then connect Hermes for what Claude Code can't do — free and local models, always-on background tasks, voice. Together they cover everything without you rebuilding your workflow.
Get Hermes + Claude Code Set Up
The done-for-you way is the Agent OS inside the AI Profit Boardroom, with Claude Code, Hermes and free Claude Code already plugged in, plus a memory system and orchestration. → Join AIPB.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I connect Hermes agent to Claude Code?
Plug both into an Agent OS as separate CLIs sharing one memory system — run Claude Code for coding and Hermes for automation, and orchestrate them together with Paperclip.
Can I run Claude Code for free with Hermes?
Yes — run the Claude Code harness pointed at free or local APIs (free Claude Code), and use Hermes with a free model too, so the whole setup costs nothing.
Why use both instead of one?
Claude Code is best for coding; Hermes adds free and local models, always-on background automation and voice. Connected, they cover far more than either alone.
The Bottom Line
Connect Hermes agent to Claude Code by running both in one Agent OS with shared memory and Paperclip orchestration — and run Claude Code free with a free API. You get Claude Code's coding power plus Hermes' free automation, all in one place.
Going Deeper: The Hermes And Claude Code Orchestration Playbook
The sections above cover the wiring — two CLIs, one shared memory, Paperclip for coordination. This is the operating layer on top: who owns what, how a task passes between the agents without losing context, three workflows to copy, and what to check when the two stop talking.
Who Owns What
The pattern that holds up is simple. Hermes is the orchestrator and memory keeper. Claude Code is the executor for anything that touches a codebase. Keep that line clean and most multi-agent confusion disappears.
- Hermes owns routing, background jobs, long-running automation, voice capture, model switching, and the shared memory both agents read.
- Claude Code owns reading and editing files, running the test suite, git operations, and any change that has to compile or pass a check before it ships.
- Neither owns the other's context silently — every decision is written back to memory, so the next agent picks up where the last one stopped.
The Handoff Pattern
A clean handoff is a written brief, not a vague nudge. When Hermes needs code changed, it does not say "fix the site" — it writes a scoped task and passes the exact files. The baton moves like this:
- Hermes writes a short brief to shared memory: the goal, the files in scope, the definition of done.
- Hermes calls the Claude Code CLI with that brief and the file paths, and nothing broader.
- Claude Code executes inside that scope, runs a check, then writes a result summary and a list of changed files back to memory.
- Hermes reads the summary, confirms the check passed, and either continues the chain or escalates to you.
The rule: scope every handoff to named files and a clear finish line — broad instructions are where multi-agent setups fall apart.
Workflow One: The Content Pipeline
Turning a rough idea into a published draft.
- You speak or type an idea; Hermes captures it and drops a brief into memory.
- Hermes runs the research and outline agentically, saving the outline to a shared file.
- Hermes hands the outline and target file path to Claude Code, which writes the draft into your site or repo and formats the markup.
- Claude Code commits the draft on a branch and reports back; Hermes pings you to review before anything goes live.
Workflow Two: Bug To Merge
A background alert that becomes a fix.
- Hermes notices a failing build or an error in the logs and opens a brief describing the symptom.
- It hands the failing file paths and the error text to Claude Code.
- Claude Code reproduces the issue, edits the code, runs the tests until they pass, and opens a pull request.
- Hermes summarises the fix in plain English and waits for your approval to merge — the irreversible step stays with you.
Workflow Three: Research To Publish
The long chain, where the shared memory earns its keep.
- Hermes gathers sources over several hours and saves notes to the vault as it goes.
- When it has enough, it briefs Claude Code with the strongest findings and a target template.
- Claude Code assembles the page, wires internal links, and runs a build to confirm nothing breaks.
- Hermes checks the result against the original brief and hands you a finished draft plus the source list.
Troubleshooting Connection Issues
When the two stop cooperating, the cause is almost always one of a handful of things:
- Claude Code never receives the task. The CLI path or command inside Hermes is wrong — confirm Claude Code runs on its own from the same terminal, then point Hermes at it.
- Both agents edit the same file and clash. Give each a lane: let Claude Code own the repo, and have Hermes write only to the memory vault, never the code.
- Context is lost between them. They are not pointed at the same memory folder — check both read from and write to the identical path.
- Claude Code stalls mid-task. The brief was too broad; re-scope it to fewer files and a single clear outcome, then hand it back.
- The free API drops out. Fall back to another free or local model, or the paid meter, and have Hermes retry the handoff rather than abandon the chain.
If you want a coding agent and an automation agent that actually hand work to each other instead of sitting in separate windows, check out the AI Profit Boardroom — the Agent OS ships with Hermes, Claude Code and the shared memory already wired together, plus the workflows above as ready templates. → Get the orchestration pre-built for me
A Few More Questions
Should I keep both agents running all the time? Hermes yes — it is the always-on layer that watches and routes. Claude Code can be spun up per task; Hermes launches it when a coding job appears and closes it after.
What stops them duplicating the same work? The shared memory. Each agent logs what it has started and finished, so the other reads that log before acting rather than repeating a step.
Do I still approve things, or does it run itself? You approve every irreversible step — merges, publishes, sends. The agents do the assembling; the final commit stays a human decision.
Can I swap Claude Code for another coding tool later? Yes. Because the handoff is a written brief in shared memory, you can point Hermes at another executor without rebuilding the workflow — the system outlasts any single tool.
Treat Hermes as the manager and Claude Code as the specialist it briefs, keep every handoff scoped to named files and a clear finish line, and let the shared memory carry context between them. Do that and the two stop being separate tools and start behaving like a small team that ships while you sleep.
