Hermes Agent connects a model to conversations, tools, and messaging channels. This guide connects an existing Hermes installation to Ember.
Prepare the endpoint
Start Ember using Setup and Deployment and verify that it can generate a response. Install Hermes using the upstream installation instructions.
If both services run on the same host, use http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1. Replace 8080 with your configured port; OtherU's internal deployment uses 8000. If Hermes runs in a separate container, its loopback address refers to that container, not the inference host. Configure a controlled route to Ember rather than making an unauthenticated API publicly accessible.
Configure the provider
Use Hermes's custom OpenAI-compatible provider configuration with these values:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Base URL | http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1 for the standard local deployment |
| Model | deepseek-v4-flash, or the ID returned by /v1/models |
| Credentials | Those required by your gateway, if present |
Ember itself does not validate API keys. Some clients require a nonempty key field even for a local service; that field is not a security control.
Verify the connection
Send a short message through Hermes after direct inference succeeds. Then enable the messaging connector supported by your Hermes installation and send a message through that channel. This separates provider configuration problems from channel-token and routing problems.
| Symptom | Check |
|---|---|
| Direct request fails | Ember startup logs, model files, and GPU availability |
| Direct request works, Hermes fails | Provider URL, model ID, and connectivity from the Hermes process |
| Hermes works locally, channel is silent | Connector configuration, account permissions, and Hermes logs |
| First request is slow | Model loading and prompt processing; compare with a repeated request |
Tools and memory
Grant only the tools and accounts needed for the intended workflow. Channel access, tool permissions, and memory access are separate configuration decisions. Adding a messaging account should not implicitly grant every sender access to private files or shared memories.
See Hermes Agent, Hindsight Memory, and Security Model for the surrounding components.