.env.example

@@ -40,6 +40,17 @@ OPENROUTER_API_KEY=
 # Any random string; also used as litellm's general_settings.master_key.
 LITELLM_MASTER_KEY=
 
+# --- hermes (autonomous agent with its own native Matrix presence) ---
+# Your own Matrix ID — Hermes only responds to this user, and only when @mentioned
+# in a shared room (e.g. "@hermes <task>" in the control room).
+MATRIX_HUMAN_USER_ID=@william:matrix.apps.williamturner.eu
+# Access token for the @hermes bot account (register it the same way as claude-bot —
+# see README — then log in as it via /_matrix/client/v3/login to get this token).
+HERMES_MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN=
+# Any random string — bearer key for Hermes's own OpenAI-compatible API server
+# (internal network only, not published anywhere).
+HERMES_API_SERVER_KEY=
+
 # --- portainer (GitOps redeploy) ---
 PORTAINER_STACK_WEBHOOK_URL=
 

agent/src/matrixBot.js

@@ -49,6 +49,10 @@ export async function startMatrixBot() {
     if (event.sender === BOT_USER_ID) return;
     const body = event.content?.body;
     if (!body) return;
+    // Messages explicitly addressed to another agent in this room (currently just
+    // @hermes) are that agent's to answer — without this, claude-bot's classifier would
+    // also see and reply to them, since it otherwise treats every message as its own.
+    if (/^@hermes\b/i.test(body.trim())) return;
 
     try {
       const decision = await routeMessage(body, KNOWN_REPOS);

docker-compose.yml

@@ -61,6 +61,33 @@ services:
     # Internal only — no Traefik labels. No reason to expose an LLM gateway holding a
     # master key and OAuth-forwarding config to the public internet.
 
+  hermes:
+    # Pinned to a specific dated release, not :latest — same rationale as litellm above.
+    image: nousresearch/hermes-agent:v2026.8.19
+    container_name: hermes
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    environment:
+      HERMES_UID: "1000"
+      HERMES_GID: "1000"
+      # Internal container address, not the public HTTPS one — same docker network as
+      # matrix-homeserver, no reason to round-trip through Traefik/TLS for this.
+      MATRIX_HOMESERVER: http://matrix-homeserver:8008
+      MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN: ${HERMES_MATRIX_ACCESS_TOKEN}
+      # Only you can trigger it; and only with an explicit @hermes mention in shared
+      # rooms (DMs to it would respond unprompted, per Hermes's own default behavior).
+      MATRIX_ALLOWED_USERS: ${MATRIX_HUMAN_USER_ID}
+      MATRIX_REQUIRE_MENTION: "true"
+      OPENROUTER_API_KEY: ${OPENROUTER_API_KEY}
+      # Exposed on the internal network only (see claude-agent's LITELLM_BASE_URL-style
+      # usage pattern) — nothing publishes this port externally.
+      API_SERVER_ENABLED: "true"
+      API_SERVER_HOST: 0.0.0.0
+      API_SERVER_KEY: ${HERMES_API_SERVER_KEY}
+    volumes:
+      - /home/william/hermes-data:/opt/data
+    networks:
+      - web
+
   claude-agent:
     image: ${GITEA_REGISTRY_IMAGE}
     depends_on: