Hermes MissingNo is a new free “stealth” model on Nous Portal — a coding and agentic reasoning model that Nous Research says is highly token efficient, free for a limited time. The name is a Pokémon reference (“Wild MISSINGNO. appeared!”). I plugged it into Hermes and tested it in the video below. Here’s what it is, how to switch to it in Hermes Cloud, and how it actually performed.
Key takeaways
- MissingNo was announced by Nous Research on 10 October 2026.
- It’s a coding and agentic reasoning model, free for a limited time on Nous Portal.
- In my tests it was fast at tool calls and skill creation, average at coding.
- Keep a backup free model ready — free windows end.
What Hermes MissingNo is
Nous Research — the team behind Hermes Agent — announced MissingNo on X with the line “Wild MISSINGNO. appeared!”, describing it as a coding and agentic reasoning model that is highly token efficient, free for a limited time on Nous Portal. It’s a stealth model, so they haven’t said who made it. My guess is it could be Nous’s own, since they build a lot of models, but that’s speculation.
On the Nous Portal models page it’s listed as a free text model, and community posts report a context window of around 262K tokens. Nous hasn’t published an end date for the free period.
How to use Hermes MissingNo in Hermes Cloud
- Go to Hermes Cloud, click Deploy and sign in.
- Click Create agent (or open an existing one under Manage agents).
- Click Open dashboard to open the cloud dashboard.
- In the model section, find the Nous Research models and type “missing”.
- Select MissingNo, reload the page, and start chatting.
You can also ask Hermes to configure it for you — that’s what I usually do. I keep a separate Hermes profile for each model, so I can switch between MissingNo, Step 5 and others in one click.
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How Hermes MissingNo performed
| Test | Result |
|---|---|
| /learn skill creation | Worked really well — fast, created the skill and its path cleanly |
| Agentic tool calls | Fast — probably because it’s token efficient |
| Coding a simple game | Worked, but took about 5 minutes and isn’t frontier quality |
| Speed overall | Quick — Hermes Cloud models respond fast because they’re hosted |
Let me be honest: this isn’t going to replace Claude Opus 5.5 for serious coding. But for a free model it’s fast and genuinely useful for agent work — skills, tool calls and workflows.
Best uses for Hermes MissingNo
- Creating skills with the /learn command.
- Tool-heavy agent tasks where speed matters more than deep reasoning.
- Bots and workflows — set it as the model for a Hermes bot from an active profile.
- Background jobs like competitor analysis or research, where a free model saves money.
- Simple coding — prototypes and small scripts, not production systems.
Other free models in Hermes
If MissingNo gets rate limited, becomes paid or disappears, switch to another free model. Type “free” in the model list to see them. When I recorded, the list included:
- MissingNo (stealth, free for a limited time)
- Step 5 preview
- Step 3.7 Flash
- Ling 3.0
- LongCat
- Laguna XS 2.1
- Solar Mini (free version)
Pick the free version where there’s a choice — some models have a paid twin in the list. My best Hermes Agent model guide covers which model to use for which job.
Voice plus MissingNo
One thing I love about running it inside my Agent OS: while MissingNo works in the main chat, I can talk to a pop-up voice agent at the same time — asking it things like which Hermes commands are useful day to day. /learn sets up tasks before running them, and /skills helps you find and organise skills. Having a fast free model in the background and voice in the foreground is a really productive combination.
What “stealth model” means
A stealth model is one released without saying who built it. Labs and providers use stealth releases to get real-world feedback before a public launch, and they often appear free for a limited time. That’s the deal with MissingNo: you get a capable model for nothing, and the provider gets data on how it performs in agents like Hermes. The catch is that stealth models can change, become paid or disappear without notice, so never build anything that depends on one model being there tomorrow.
That’s why the one-profile-per-model setup matters. If MissingNo vanishes, you switch the profile to another free model and your skills and workflows keep running.
How I’d use MissingNo this week
I’d point it at the jobs where speed and token efficiency matter more than perfect output: creating and refining skills with /learn, running research bots in the background, competitor analysis, and tool-heavy workflows. I’d keep Claude Opus 5.5 or another frontier model for production code and anything client-facing. Running a fast free model for the volume and a frontier model for the hard parts is the cheapest way to get a lot done with Hermes.
MissingNo vs other free Hermes models
Compared with the other free models I’ve tested in Hermes, MissingNo stands out for speed on agent work. Step 5 felt stronger as an all-round agent model in my earlier test, and Solar Mini 4 is excellent for quick research. MissingNo’s sweet spot is fast, token-efficient tool use and skill creation. My advice is to set up all three as separate profiles and run the same task on each — you’ll quickly see which suits your workflow, and you’ll always have a backup when one free window closes.
Should you use Hermes MissingNo?
Yes, while it’s free. Set up a Hermes MissingNo profile today, use it for skills, tool calls and background workflows, and keep a frontier model for anything that needs top-quality code. When the free window ends, switch the profile to the next free model and carry on.
FAQ: hermes missingno
What is Hermes MissingNo?
A stealth coding and agentic reasoning model on Nous Portal, described by Nous Research as highly token efficient and free for a limited time.
Is MissingNo free?
Yes, for a limited time on Nous Portal; no end date has been published.
Who made MissingNo?
Nous Research hasn’t said — it’s a stealth model.
How do I use MissingNo in Hermes?
In Hermes Cloud, open your agent’s dashboard, search “missing” in the model list, select it and reload.
Is MissingNo good at coding?
It works for simple coding, but it isn’t frontier level; it’s strongest at fast tool calls and skill creation.
Two ways I can help from here. Join the AI Profit Boardroom — it’s where your Hermes model setup gets built with 3,400+ members doing the same.
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About Julian Goldie
I’m Julian Goldie — founder of Goldie Agency, best-selling author, and an AI educator with 428K+ YouTube subscribers. I’ve spent 10+ years in SEO and online business and I test every AI agent on my own work before I recommend it. Join the AI Profit Boardroom for the daily builds, or book a free strategy session to talk through yours.
Related reading
Last updated October 2026. This page is a living guide to hermes missingno — the facts here move fast and it is updated as they do.
