abundantbeing/hermes-browser-extension

Hermes Browser Extension – Quick Overview

What it is – A Chromium‑based side‑panel extension that lets you talk to a real Hermes Agent (the open‑source AI‑agent runtime from Nous Research) directly from the browser. It is not a standalone chatbot; it simply forwards the current web context (active tab, selected text, etc.) to a Hermes gateway (local, cloud‑hosted, or self‑hosted) and displays the agent’s response.

Key capabilities

• Multi‑agent “Bot Mode” – switch between any Hermes profile/agent on the fly, keep each agent’s chat history, and run group‑chat threads.
• Smart tab scoping – by default only the active tab is sent to the model; you can toggle other tabs IN/OUT, run an AI‑driven “/sort‑tabs” clustering, or include all tabs.
• Hermes Assist – site‑aware drafting panel that detects 31 common writing environments (email, social posts, issue trackers, etc.) and lets the agent generate drafts which you must explicitly insert.
• Page comments – pick any element on a page, add a note, and queue it as a pin next to the chat composer without polluting the prompt.
• Full‑session workspace (Hermes Web Alpha) – a richer view with a session rail, markdown rendering, media preview, tool‑activity strip, and per‑session model binding.
• Live control (MV3 controller) – optional, opt‑in ability for the agent to perform privileged actions on a leased tab (click, type, scroll) after explicit user approval.
• Diagnostics & transparency – a “What Hermes saw” receipt, copy‑diagnostics button, and metadata endpoints (/meta, /metadata, /head) that show exactly what context was sent.
• Theming – nine built‑in themes (Light/Dark/System + Nous, Midnight, Ember, Mono, Cyberpunk, Slate, Senter Space, Aphrodite, Solstice).

Supported browsers

• Chrome / Edge / Brave / other Chromium browsers (Side Panel API, Chrome 116+).
• Firefox (via AMO) – chat and context work, but the advanced tab‑control features are unavailable because Firefox lacks the required debugger API.
• Safari – not currently shipped.

How to get started

1. Prerequisites – a running Hermes Agent (local gateway, Hermes Cloud, or remote API) and Node 20+.
2. Build

   git clone https://github.com/abundantbeing/hermes-browser-extension.git
   cd hermes-browser-extension
   npm install
   npm run build   # outputs to dist/
   

3. Load
   • Chromium: open chrome://extensions, enable Developer mode, “Load unpacked” → dist/.
   • Firefox: install from the AMO page (no manual sideloading needed).
4. Open the side‑panel via the extension icon or Alt+H (default shortcut).
5. In the Settings panel pick Local gateway, Hermes Cloud, or Remote gateway and provide the URL/API key if required.

Typical workflow

1. Open a web page you want the agent to see.
2. Click the side‑panel, optionally toggle additional tabs or use /sort‑tabs.
3. Type a command (/summarize, /explain, /rewrite, etc.) or ask a free‑form question.
4. Watch the streamed response, inspect the “What Hermes saw” receipt, and, if using Hermes Assist, insert the draft into the page’s composer.

Why it matters

• Keeps the full Hermes runtime (models, tools, memory, skills) in the loop rather than a stripped‑down chatbot.
• Provides fine‑grained privacy: only the explicitly scoped tabs are sent, URLs are redacted, and all context is shown to the user before transmission.
• Bridges the gap between local AI agents and everyday web workflows, enabling powerful, context‑aware assistance without leaving the browser.

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Resources

• Project repo: https://github.com/abundantbeing/hermes-browser-extension
• Hermes Agent docs: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs
• Firefox add‑on: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/hermes-browser-extension/

All details above are taken directly from the repository’s README.