How to Run Hermes Agent Privately With Ollama

TL;DR

Install Ollama on your computer, download a suitable local model, and connect it to Hermes Agent to keep AI processing and data on your own machine. The setup can work without internet access or recurring cloud fees, although local models may be slower and roughly a year behind the strongest current cloud models.

Transcript

Imagine if you could use Hermes Agent 100% privately and free on your own computer. In this video, I'm going to show you exactly how to power Hermes Agent 100% locally. So, you can build and use your Hermes operating system from $0 and have everything completely private with no limitations, rate limits, and work anywhere in the world with no intern... Read More

Key Insights

• Local AI keeps data on the user’s computer because prompts, models, and processing can remain on the local machine instead of being sent to OpenAI, Anthropic, or another cloud provider. This enables private use without an active internet connection.
• Ollama provides access to downloadable local models, including Qwen, DeepSeek, Gemma, and Mistral. Once a model has been downloaded, it can be run repeatedly without metered cloud usage or a recurring model subscription described in the presentation.
• Hermes Agent can serve as a unified AI operating system that combines conversations, connections, goals, personas, skills, documents, schedules, usage information, and memory. It can also connect work performed across services such as ChatGPT, Claude Code, and GitHub.
• Hardware specifications should guide local model selection because different computers have different capabilities. The demonstrated approach is to open About This Mac, capture the displayed specifications, and ask Hermes which local model is best suited to that particular machine.
• The Ollama setup starts with downloading the macOS application from the official website, opening Terminal through Command and Space, and running the provided installation command. After installation, the Ollama application can download a chosen model and provide a private chat interface.
• The Hermes desktop application is optional because Hermes can also be accessed through Telegram. The desktop app simplifies interaction with the system, but a launch failure may indicate that the existing Hermes installation needs to be updated through Terminal.
• Local models involve a performance tradeoff because the presenter characterizes the strongest available local model as roughly one year behind the leading current models. The comparison given is that a leading local model is approximately comparable to Claude Sonnet 4 from mid-2025.
• Local ownership removes dependence on a single AI vendor because the model and data can remain on personally controlled hardware. The resulting system can operate offline, avoid rate limits described for cloud services, and continue working wherever the computer can be used.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do you run Hermes Agent privately with Ollama?

Download and install Ollama on the computer, then select and download a local model that fits the machine’s hardware. Install or update Hermes Agent and connect it to the locally running model. With the model executing through Ollama, prompts and processing can remain on the computer, allowing Hermes to operate without sending the user’s data to an external AI provider.

Q: Why should you run Hermes Agent on your own computer?

Running Hermes Agent locally keeps the user’s data, models, and AI processing under personal control. The setup can work without internet access, monthly model bills, cloud rate limits, or dependence on a particular vendor. The presenter also prefers a local computer over a virtual private server because information stays within the home or business rather than on remotely hosted infrastructure.

Q: How do you choose the right Ollama model for a Mac?

Open the Apple menu and select About This Mac to display the computer’s specifications. Capture a screenshot of that information and ask Hermes which local model is best for the machine. This approach uses the available hardware as the basis for choosing among downloadable models such as Qwen, DeepSeek, Gemma, or Mistral instead of selecting one without checking compatibility.

Q: What can the Hermes operating system organize?

The Hermes operating system can provide one place for AI conversations, connections, goals, personas, skills, documents, schedules, usage information, and memory. It is presented as a way to see an entire AI workflow in one interface, including activity involving ChatGPT and Claude Code. Hermes can also remember what it learns and proactively suggest improvements based on earlier conversations.

Q: Can Hermes Agent and Ollama work without internet access?

Yes. After Ollama and the selected model have been downloaded and configured, the model can run on the computer without an active internet connection. The presentation says this makes the system usable anywhere, including locations where connectivity is unavailable. Because inference happens locally, the user does not need to send each request to cloud infrastructure for processing.

Q: Is the Hermes desktop application required for local AI?

No. The Hermes desktop application is described as optional, and users can interact with Hermes through Telegram instead. The desktop application offers a direct interface and makes part of the setup easier, but it is not required for the underlying local workflow. Ollama also has its own application, which can be used to chat directly with downloaded models privately.

Q: How do you fix the Hermes desktop app when it will not launch?

A launch failure may occur because the installed version of Hermes is not current. The demonstrated fix is to open Terminal, run the Hermes update command, restore the indicated changes, and allow the update to complete. After Hermes has been updated, the user can return to the desktop application and attempt to launch it again.

Q: What are the tradeoffs between local and cloud AI?

Local AI offers privacy, offline operation, ownership, freedom from recurring cloud charges, and no cloud rate limits as described in the presentation. The main tradeoff is performance: local models may be slower and less capable than the strongest current cloud systems. The presenter estimates that the best local model available is roughly one year behind leading current models.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Hermes Agent can be powered by Ollama and a locally downloaded model, creating a private assistant that runs on the user’s own computer. The proposed setup keeps prompts, documents, models, and learned information on the machine while removing dependence on internet connectivity, cloud infrastructure, monthly subscriptions, usage limits, and individual AI vendors.

• The setup begins by downloading Ollama for macOS, installing its latest version through Terminal, and opening the Ollama application. Users can inspect their Mac specifications, share a screenshot with Hermes, and ask which local model is appropriate. Available options mentioned include Qwen, DeepSeek, Gemma, and Mistral models that can be downloaded once.

• Hermes can organize chats, connections, goals, personas, skills, documents, schedules, usage information, and memory in one operating system. Its optional desktop application provides another interface, while Telegram remains an alternative. If the desktop application cannot launch, the demonstrated troubleshooting step is to update Hermes through Terminal and retry the launch process.