Hermes Agent 0.22: 5 changes, 600 plugins
Nous Research put Hermes Agent 0.22.0 and the 0.22.1 patch on GitHub on the 14th of October 2026. New users get a free setup chat, app connectors and local models without an API key.
Nous Research's Hermes Agent 0.22Nous Research released Hermes Agent 0.22.0 on GitHub on the 14th of October 2026. It calls it "The Threshold Release", and it adds a free setup chat, app connectors and one-click local models.
A patch, 0.22.1, followed the same day. Its notes list 315 bug fixes, with "a handful of fixes for the Windows Store, plugin updates, and more".
Below we break down the 5 changes a user will notice first
A new desktop install opens on a setup chat, the 0.22.0 notes say. It runs on a free trial model, so no API key, the paid password for a model service, is needed.
Connectors let the agent act inside apps such as Linear and Notion. The user signs in once in the browser, and no Nous account is needed to start, the notes say.
Nous Research's agent can now run open models on the user's own computer. It installs llama.cpp, a free program that runs AI models at home, and picks a model that fits the machine.
Installs now follow tested stable releases by default. Windows gets a signed package through the Microsoft Store, and Mac gets a signed build for Apple Silicon.
The browser agent can log into websites with 1Password or Bitwarden. The model never sees the password, the notes say.
The code base shrank by 34 percent, and the plugin catalog reached 600
Source code went from about 1.06 million lines to 698,000, the notes say. The new plugin catalog holds 600 reviewed plugins.
Windows 11 22H2 is now needed, and old chats are deleted after 90 days
The Windows desktop app now needs Windows 11 version 22H2 or newer, the upgrade notes say. Ended chats left alone for 90 days are now deleted at startup, unless the user switches this off.
What is confirmed and what is not
The 0.22.0 notes give the 13th of October as the release date, and GitHub shows the 14th. A web search on the 15th of October found no Nous Research blog or X post on the release.
Key facts
Hermes Agent 0.22.0 and 0.22.1 came out on GitHub on the 14th of October 2026.
New installs start with a free setup chat.
Connectors reach apps like Linear and Notion.
Local models run in one click.
The 0.22.1 patch lists 315 bug fixes.