Hermes Agent inbox is the hermes inbox command, and it isn’t an email inbox. It’s one read-only view of everything your agent has in flight: failed cron runs, stalled delegations, blocked tasks, running work and what’s scheduled next. It comes from the inbox labs plugin that Nous Research built. Looking for email instead? That’s the email gateway, covered further down. My video is right under this intro.
Key takeaways
- Install with
hermes plugins install inbox. - Run
hermes inboxfor the view, or--jsonfor scripts. - Shows what needs attention, what’s running and what’s scheduled.
- Read-only: it never changes or repairs anything.
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What hermes inbox is
The plugin README puts it simply: hermes inbox shows everything Hermes has in flight for the active profile in one read-only view. It says the idea was inspired by Cursor’s Inbox.
It’s a labs plugin. The labs plugins repo says Nous Research built these plugins but does not support them, there’s no promise of fixes, and the plugin catalog lists them in the community tier.
How to install it
One command adds it: hermes plugins install inbox. It adds a single CLI command. The README says there are no model tools, no hooks, nothing runs during chats, and no dependencies beyond Hermes itself, and there’s nothing to configure.
If you use several profiles, install it in each one, then run hermes -p work inbox to see another profile’s view.
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What it shows
The view is split into sections:
- Needs attention: cron jobs whose last run failed or that were paused, stalled or dropped delegations, background processes whose process has gone, and Kanban tasks that are blocked or waiting for review.
- In progress: live background processes, running delegations and running Kanban tasks.
- Finished, result not yet delivered: delegations that completed but haven’t reached their conversation yet.
- Scheduled: enabled cron jobs and the next five runs.
- Open surfaces: CLI, TUI, Desktop and gateway chat sessions that are still alive.
Empty sections are left out, except Needs attention and In progress, which always print so an empty inbox reads as all clear.
JSON for scripts and dashboards
hermes inbox --json gives the same snapshot as JSON. The README notes the agent itself can use it: ask it to run hermes inbox --json in the terminal.
That makes it easy to build a morning check: a cron job that reads the JSON and sends you only the Needs attention items.
What it doesn’t do
It’s strictly read-only. It reads Hermes’s own files and opens its databases read-only, and the README says it never writes, repairs or prunes a store. It works whether or not the gateway is running.
It doesn’t show pending approvals or clarify prompts. Those live in the process that asked, so answer them in that chat.
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If you meant an email inbox
Hermes can also work an email inbox, but that’s a different feature. The email gateway connects over IMAP and SMTP, replies in the same thread, and the docs recommend a dedicated account for the agent.
EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERS limits which senders it acts on. For email use cases, see Hermes Agent for customer support and Hermes Agent for sales.
My verdict
If you run cron jobs, delegations or a Kanban board, install the inbox plugin and make hermes inbox your first command of the day. Just remember it’s a labs plugin with no promise of fixes. That’s how I’d use the Hermes Agent inbox.
About Julian Goldie
I’m Julian Goldie — founder of Goldie Agency and the AI Profit Boardroom. I test new AI agents almost every day for 432K+ YouTube subscribers and run Hermes, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Claude and Codex side by side in my own Agent OS. Claim your free strategy session or join the AI Profit Boardroom.
Want another angle? Read the AI Profit Boardroom guide to Hermes Agent Inbox.
FAQ: hermes agent inbox
What is the Hermes Agent inbox?
It’s the hermes inbox command from the inbox labs plugin: one read-only view of everything Hermes has in flight for the active profile, such as failed cron runs, stalled delegations and blocked tasks.
Is hermes inbox an email inbox?
No. It shows the agent’s own work. For email, Hermes has a separate email gateway that connects over IMAP and SMTP.
How do I install hermes inbox?
Run hermes plugins install inbox. It adds one CLI command and needs no configuration.
Is the inbox plugin officially supported?
It’s a labs plugin: Nous Research built it but does not support it, and the plugin catalog lists it in the community tier.
Can I get the inbox as JSON?
Yes. hermes inbox –json returns the same snapshot as JSON for scripts and dashboards, and the agent can run it in the terminal.
Does hermes inbox show pending approvals?
No. Pending approvals and clarify prompts live in the process that asked, so answer them in that chat.
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Related reading
Last updated November 2026. This page is a living guide to hermes agent inbox — the facts here move fast and it is updated as they do.
