Roman Peschke@roman.peschke

How to Run Hermes Agent on Your Claude Subscription

Set up the Claude Subscription DirectSDK plugin in Hermes Desktop, install it, restart, pick it in the dropdown, and stop paying through the API.

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You can finally connect your Claude Code subscription back to Hermes. Nous Research, the team that builds Hermes, released the official plugin for it.

The link from the reel

The plugin page with the Open in Hermes Desktop button: Claude Subscription DirectSDK.

Setup

  1. 1

    Open the plugin page

    Claude Subscription DirectSDK on the Hermes plugin catalog.

  2. 2

    Click Open in Hermes Desktop

  3. 3

    Click Install

  4. 4

    Restart Hermes

  5. 5

    Log into Claude Code

    Skip if Claude Code is already logged in on this machine. Otherwise:

    npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
    claude auth login
  6. 6

    Click the model dropdown in the chat composer

  7. 7

    Select Claude Subscription DirectSDK (Experimental)

    Pick a model:

    ModelContext
    Sonnet 51M
    Opus 51M
    Opus 4.81M
    Fable 5.11M
    Haiku 4.5200K
  8. 8

    Optional: set it as the default in Settings → Model

Before you rely on it

  • Needs Hermes 0.21.4 or newer and a Claude Pro or Max plan. Update Hermes under Settings → About → Update now.
  • Usage goes about 1.7x faster than Claude Code. Nous measured it at the same rate as claude -p. Expect roughly 60% of Claude Code's throughput per 5-hour window.
  • Fable 5.1 costs extra on Pro. It bills to usage credits from the first request; Max includes it up to half your weekly limit. Pick it on Pro without credits and you get a "Fable 5.1 requires usage credits" error.
  • Turn off extra usage in your Claude account if you don't want overage. The plugin adds no spending cap, and the cost Hermes shows is a list-price estimate, not what your plan charges.

Sources

FAQ

  • Does this use my Claude subscription or an API key?

    Your subscription. The plugin has no credentials of its own and sends no API key. Every request runs through the Claude Code CLI you logged into, and the plugin never opens or copies its credential files.

  • Which Claude models can Hermes use?

    Sonnet 5, Haiku 4.5, Opus 5, Opus 4.8, and Fable 5.1. Sonnet, Opus, and Fable run on their 1M-token routes; Haiku has a 200K window.

  • Does Hermes burn my usage faster than Claude Code?

    Per token it meters at the same rate as claude -p, about 1.7x the interactive terminal. On identical coding tasks Nous saw Hermes send about 0.6x the tokens Claude Code did.

  • Is running Hermes on a subscription allowed?

    Anthropic's help center says Agent SDK, claude -p, and third-party app usage draw from your subscription's usage limits. A plan to move that usage onto a separate monthly credit was paused on June 15, 2026.