Quick Start
Install → connect → talk, in about two minutes. This page is deliberately short: every step links to a detail page if you want the full story, and nothing here requires the Relay plugin — a vanilla Hermes install is enough.
1. Install the app
For most people, the fastest path is the Google Play build. It installs in one tap, updates automatically, and includes Chat, Voice, Manage, and the optional Relay-powered features that do not require phone control.
Need Hermes to read, tap, type, or navigate on your phone? Install the signed Sideload APK instead. Compare the two builds and install either one →
2. Have Hermes running
You need a reachable hermes-agent with its API server enabled. If yours isn't running yet, Installation & Setup has the copy/paste commands for the host machine.
3. Connect
Open the app and swipe through to Connect. Enter your server's address — http://<host>:8642 — and the API key configured on that Hermes host. If the server intentionally runs without API_SERVER_KEY, leave the key field blank. The wizard probes everything for you, finishing with a capability card:
Don't want to type it? Tap Scan for Hermes on LAN to auto-find the server, or use Scan setup QR — you can even ask your Hermes agent to generate a QR with your URL and key. Full host setup is in Installation & Setup.
| Line | What it means |
|---|---|
| Chat | API server reachable — you can talk |
| Manage | Dashboard found — skills, models, keys, profiles from the phone |
| Voice | Speech ready via your server (or one sign-in away) |
| Relay | Optional power tools — fine to leave unpaired |
4. Sign in to Manage (only if asked)
If your dashboard requires sign-in, do it once under the Manage tab. That same session also unlocks voice for the connection.
5. Talk
Type a message, or tap the mic and speak. That's the whole Vanilla Hermes setup.
You are connected when…
The capability card shows Chat · Ready and the Chat header carries a green connection pulse. Manage, Voice, and Relay may still show optional or sign-in states without blocking your first message.
See the exact first-run screens and detailed setup →
Want more? Power tools via Relay
Pairing the optional Hermes-Relay plugin adds Terminal (a real tmux on your server), Bridge device control (sideload builds), realtime provider-native voice, and per-profile voice providers. Everything above keeps working without it.