The Hermes webapp puts the whole Hermes Desktop workspace in a normal browser tab: your chats, profiles, scheduled jobs, files, Git review and even a terminal. It’s served by the Hermes gateway itself and opened with one command, hermes webapp. It’s listed in Hermes v0.22.6, released on 2 November 2026, along with a Web Access pane in the Desktop app to open it from your phone or another computer behind Nous sign-in. Below is how to turn it on, how sign-in works, how to reach it safely from other devices, and how it compares with the Desktop app and older web UIs. My video is right under this intro.
Key takeaways
- Turn on:
hermes config set webapp.enabled true, restart the gateway, runhermes webapp. - Serves at
http://127.0.0.1:9120by default and opens a one-use sign-in link. - Settings → Web Access opens it on your network or your own HTTPS URL, behind Nous sign-in.
- A signed-in user can run commands as you, so never expose it without sign-in.
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What is the Hermes webapp?
The Hermes Desktop docs describe it as the Desktop workspace served to a browser: sessions, profiles, Capabilities, Messaging, Artifacts, scheduled jobs, the host file tree, Git review, previews and the terminal rail.
Two things make it different from older ways of using Hermes in a browser:
- It’s not the Web Dashboard. It’s the full Desktop experience.
- Chats run on the same gateway that serves the CLI, the native Desktop and your messaging apps, so every surface sees one conversation with one queue.
The gateway serves it from its own listener, and Desktop plugins can now load in a browser tab too.
How to turn on the Hermes webapp
hermes config set webapp.enabled true
hermes gateway restart
hermes webapphermes webapp builds the bundle if it’s out of date (the first build can take a few minutes), starts the gateway if it isn’t running, and opens a sign-in link in your browser. The default address is http://127.0.0.1:9120, which you can change with webapp.host and webapp.port.
Useful options from the CLI reference:
hermes webapp --status: is the gateway serving it, and at which address.hermes webapp --no-open: print the link instead of opening a browser.hermes webapp --sign-out: sign out every browser tab at once.hermes -p work webapp: open it on a named profile.
Easier option: ask your agent, “Turn on the Hermes webapp, restart the gateway and give me the status.”
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How sign-in works
On your own machine there’s no password. Instead:
- The link works once, within 60 seconds. The browser swaps it for a sign-in that stays in that tab, so reloads and gateway restarts keep you signed in.
- A fresh tab or a bare URL shows instructions, not access. Run
hermes webappagain for a new link. - New windows and pop-outs get their own one-use link.
- On Linux the gateway checks the browser connection belongs to your user. On macOS the link is written to a page only your user can read.
If a link is printed for you to open (over SSH, for example), keep it private: until it’s used, it signs a browser in as you.
Open it from your phone or another computer
In the native Desktop app, Settings → Web Access turns the webapp on for other devices, behind sign-in with your Nous account. Only the native app can change this setting; a browser signed in over the network can’t.
- This network: devices on the same Wi-Fi open
http://<this computer’s address>:9120. It’s plain HTTP, so only use it on a network you trust. - My own URL: an HTTPS address you already run, such as Tailscale Serve, a tunnel or a reverse proxy, forwarding to
127.0.0.1. It’s saved aswebapp.public_url.
Start builds the webapp, registers its sign-in with your Nous account, saves the settings and restarts the gateway. If a chat is running, it waits and shows Restart needed. The docs are clear on one thing: never forward the port from your router directly.
Safety: treat it like access to your computer
The docs put this in a warning box, and it’s the most important line on this page: a signed-in webapp user can run any command as the account running Hermes, use agent tools, read host files and Git, and reach that account’s credentials.
- Never expose it without a sign-in provider. Setting
webapp.hostto0.0.0.0requires the dashboard sign-in gate. - Use a username and password only on a trusted LAN or VPN; use OAuth/OIDC for anything internet-facing.
- Prefer an SSH tunnel, Tailscale or another trusted VPN, and HTTPS for remote use.
- Over plain HTTP on another device, browsers switch off the bot screen viewer, the microphone, clipboard reading and notifications. HTTPS or an SSH tunnel keeps them.
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Webapp vs Desktop vs other web UIs
| Hermes webapp | Native Desktop | Web Dashboard / community web UIs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Runs in | Any browser | Installed app | Browser |
| Full Desktop workspace | Yes | Yes | No |
| Same gateway and chat queue | Yes | Yes | Varies |
| Global shortcuts, overlays, updater | No (native only) | Yes | No |
| Terminal | Yes, host shell (16 at most) | Yes | Varies |
Older chats written before the gateway owned sessions can be read in the browser but not continued until you run hermes sessions adopt once on the host. For other browser options, see my Hermes Agent web UI and Hermes Agent dashboard guides.
The webapp terminal
The terminal rail opens the host’s shell in your home folder. Drop files on it to upload them (16 MiB each). Refreshing the page detaches the terminal without ending it, and it reattaches when you come back.
Detached shells are kept for 15 minutes while the gateway runs, with up to 16 host terminals in total. A gateway restart or update ends them.
My verdict
If you want to check on your agents from a laptop, a tablet or your phone, this is now the cleanest way. Turn it on locally first, then use Web Access with your own HTTPS address or Tailscale, and never open it to the internet without sign-in. That’s the safe way to use the Hermes webapp.
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 Webapp.
FAQ: hermes webapp
What is the Hermes webapp?
It is the full Hermes Desktop workspace served by the Hermes gateway to a normal browser, including chats, profiles, scheduled jobs, files, Git review and a terminal.
How do I start the Hermes webapp?
Run hermes config set webapp.enabled true, restart the gateway with hermes gateway restart, then run hermes webapp. It opens a one-use sign-in link at http://127.0.0.1:9120 by default.
Can I use the Hermes webapp on my phone?
Yes. In the native Desktop app open Settings, Web Access and choose This network or My own URL. Devices then sign in with your Nous account.
Is the Hermes webapp safe to expose online?
Only behind a sign-in provider and ideally HTTPS, an SSH tunnel or a VPN such as Tailscale. A signed-in user can run commands as the account running Hermes, so never forward the port from your router.
Is the Hermes webapp the same as the Web Dashboard?
No. The Web Dashboard is a separate tool. The webapp is the full Desktop workspace in a browser, running on the same gateway as the CLI, Desktop and messaging.
When did the Hermes webapp come out?
The hermes webapp command and the Web Access pane are listed in the Hermes v0.22.6 release notes, published on 2 November 2026.
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Related reading
Last updated November 2026. This page is a living guide to hermes webapp — the facts here move fast and it is updated as they do.
