Complete Hermes Skills Directory: The Best Hermes Agent Skills in 2026

If you are looking for a Hermes skills directory, the difficult part is not finding a long list of integrations. The difficult part is choosing the small set of capabilities that fits your workflow, has the right access, and can be tested safely.

This guide covers the 13 Hermes skills currently listed in the ClawVault Hermes skills directory. It explains what each skill does, who should use it, what credentials or host permissions it needs, and which skills work well together. Use it as a starting point, then open the individual skill page for the current version, installation instructions, and verification details.

If you want to run these skills on a dedicated Docker host, see the Hermes Docker VPS template on Bluehost. It is the fastest deployment path covered in our Hermes VPS setup guide; choose the skills first, then start with one tested workflow on the server.

The Short Version: Which Hermes Skills Should You Choose?

Start with the workflow rather than the integration name:

**Research and current information:** Web Search, with Persistent Memory if the agent needs continuity between sessions.
**Documents and reports:** PDF Reader & Writer, optionally paired with Database Query for structured extraction.
**Notes, meetings, and follow-up:** Notion Workspace and Calendar Manager.
**Communication:** Email Skill and Slack Integration.
**Software work:** GitHub Assistant, Code Executor, and Browser Automation.
**Web data collection:** Web Scraper, with permission and rate-limit checks before you collect anything.
**Server administration:** Firewall Manager, used with a rollback plan and an out-of-band access path.

Do not install everything at once. Every additional skill increases the number of tools Hermes can call, the credentials you must protect, and the number of behaviors you need to test.

What Makes a Good Hermes Skill?

A good skill has a clear job, bounded permissions, understandable failure modes, and a workflow you can verify. The most useful skill is not always the one with the most features. A narrowly scoped calendar or PDF workflow can be safer and more valuable than a broad agent with access to every service.

When evaluating a skill, ask:

What can it read, write, send, execute, or delete?
Does it require an API key, OAuth client, token, or host-level permission?
Can I test it with a non-production account or sample file?
Can I review the proposed action before it changes external state?
What happens when a page, API, file, or credential is unavailable?

The individual pages in this directory show the skill category, difficulty, required keys, safety label, use cases, and warning notes. Treat those labels as a review aid, not as a substitute for checking the skill source and the permissions you grant it.

Research, Search, and Long-Term Context

Web Search

Hermes Web Search gives Hermes real-time search through Tavily or Serper. It is a good choice for current information, competitor research, news monitoring, and fact-checking. It requires a TAVILY_API_KEY according to the directory entry, so keep the credential server-side and define how recent sources need to be.

Search is most reliable when the prompt specifies the question, date range, source preference, and output format. Ask for URLs and uncertainty labels, then open the important primary sources yourself. For a deeper workflow, read OpenClaw Tavily Search: Build a Cited Research Workflow, which explains how to test cited search results and measure source quality.

Persistent Memory

Persistent Memory gives Hermes continuity across sessions through a local vector store. Use it when the agent needs to recall user preferences, past tasks, or previous outcomes. Memory should not become an unreviewed archive of everything the agent sees.

Define what is worth remembering, how long it should be retained, and how a user can correct or delete it. For sensitive workflows, separate durable preferences from temporary task context and avoid storing secrets in memory.

Documents, PDFs, and Structured Data

PDF Reader & Writer

Hermes PDF handles text and table extraction, document generation from templates, and PDF merge or split operations. It is a strong first skill for invoices, reports, proposals, research papers, and operating procedures. The directory lists it as beginner-friendly with no required API key.

Start with one document and ask Hermes to report what it could read before requesting a detailed summary. Scanned pages and complex tables need extra checking. For a complete workflow, see How to Use the Hermes PDF Skill to Read and Summarize PDFs.

Database Query

Hermes Database connects Hermes to PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite through DATABASE_URL. It can generate reports, query business data, and update records, which makes it powerful but more sensitive than a read-only information skill.

Start with a read-only database user. Limit the schemas it can reach, require approval for write queries, and log the SQL and resulting changes. If your workflow extracts values from PDFs, have a human review the extracted fields before writing them to a production database.

Notes, Scheduling, and Productivity

Notion Workspace

Hermes Notion lets Hermes search Notion, create pages, update databases, and organize notes. It requires NOTION_API_KEY. It works best when your Notion databases have predictable properties such as owner, status, project, due date, and source.

Use read-first testing: connect a test page, ask Hermes to describe the page, and only then allow it to create a draft. Keep “Needs Review” separate from “Approved” so an agent can prepare work without silently publishing it.

Calendar Manager

Hermes Calendar reads and creates Google Calendar events, updates event details, and sends invites. The directory lists Google OAuth client credentials as required. It is useful for daily briefings, follow-up scheduling, focus-time blocks, and meeting preparation.

Begin with read access and draft event creation. Require confirmation before inviting people, changing an existing event, or cancelling anything. Always make the time zone, duration, attendees, and source project explicit. The companion guide Build a Hermes Notion and Calendar Productivity Workflow shows a practical approval-based design.

Email and Team Communication

Email Skill

Hermes Email supports reading, drafting, sending, and labeling messages through Gmail OAuth or generic SMTP. It requires Gmail client credentials in the directory entry. Email is a high-value automation target, but sending is an external side effect that deserves an approval boundary.

A good first workflow classifies incoming messages and drafts replies without sending them. Add automatic sending only for narrow, low-risk cases with a clear allowlist, rate limit, and audit log. Keep credentials separate from prompts and do not give an email agent more mailbox access than necessary.

Slack Integration

Hermes Slack can read recent channel activity, post messages, create threads, upload files, and respond to mentions. It requires a SLACK_BOT_TOKEN. Start with one test channel and a narrow posting policy.

Useful early workflows include a daily status digest, alerts for a monitored service, and summaries of overnight activity. Avoid allowing an agent to post to every channel until you have reviewed its tone, audience selection, and handling of confidential messages.

Coding, GitHub, and Browser Work

GitHub Assistant

Hermes GitHub can triage issues, open pull requests, review code, and check workflow status. It requires a GITHUB_TOKEN. The safest starting point is read-only repository access plus issue summarization. Later, allow branch-scoped writes and pull requests that require human review before merge.

Code Executor

Hermes Code Executor runs Python and shell code in a sandboxed environment. It is useful for data processing, calculations, and generating files, but “sandboxed” does not mean risk-free. Review filesystem, network, subprocess, and credential access before using it with real data.

Browser Automation

Hermes Browser uses Playwright to navigate pages, fill forms, extract data, and take screenshots. It is an advanced skill and requires Playwright on the host. Use it for controlled browser workflows and respect the target site’s terms, permissions, and robots guidance.

Browser tasks should use a dedicated account where possible. Separate browsing from irreversible actions: reading a page and preparing a form is safer than submitting a purchase, deleting an account, or sending a message automatically.

Web Scraping and Server Security

Web Scraper

Hermes Web Scraper extracts structured data from dynamic websites and supports browser rendering, rate limiting, and proxy-related workflows. It is marked for review because the technical ability to collect data does not automatically grant permission to collect it.

Before scraping, confirm you have a legitimate purpose and permission. Set a conservative request rate, identify yourself where appropriate, avoid collecting personal data unnecessarily, and respect site terms and robots.txt. Use browser automation instead when the task is a small, authorized interaction rather than a recurring data-collection pipeline.

Firewall Manager

Hermes Firewall manages UFW and iptables rules and can block suspicious access. It is an advanced, review-level skill because a bad rule can lock you out of a production host.

Test on a staging server, keep an out-of-band console or recovery path, export the current rules before changing them, and apply one change at a time. Never let an agent make broad firewall changes without a proposed diff, an approval step, and a rollback plan.

Useful Hermes Skill Combinations

The following combinations are easier to reason about than a single oversized agent:

**Meeting assistant:** Calendar + Notion + Email. Read the schedule, prepare notes, and draft follow-ups; require approval before sending or changing events.
**Research assistant:** Web Search + Persistent Memory + PDF. Find current sources, remember the project context, and analyze downloaded reports.
**Developer assistant:** GitHub + Code Executor + Database. Triage work, run controlled tests, and query development data with separate credentials.
**Operations assistant:** Web Search + Browser + Slack. Check external status pages, inspect authorized dashboards, and send alerts to one channel.
**Reporting pipeline:** PDF + Database + Notion. Extract information, validate it, store structured records, and publish reviewed notes.

Keep each combination modular. If a workflow fails, you should be able to tell whether the problem came from search, parsing, authorization, code execution, or the final write action.

A Safe Installation and Testing Plan

The directory’s Hermes overview page is the right place to start because it lists all current Hermes entries and their individual setup details. For the underlying project documentation, consult the official Hermes skills guide.

Use this rollout sequence:

Choose one narrow task and one skill.
Read the skill page, warning, required keys, and official source reference.
Create a test account, sample file, test database, or staging host.
Start with read-only access where possible.
Run successful, ambiguous, denied, and unavailable-input tests.
Add an approval step before messages, writes, invitations, code execution, or network changes.
Log actions and review failures before connecting a second skill.

Do not paste API keys into prompts or commit them to a repository. Use environment-level secret storage, rotate credentials when access changes, and revoke a token if a test exposes more data than intended.

Which Hermes Skill Should You Install First?

For most people, the best first choice is the skill that solves a repeated task with a clear success condition. Choose PDF for document summaries, Notion for reviewed knowledge capture, Calendar for meeting preparation, Web Search for cited research, GitHub for repository triage, or Email for draft assistance.

If you are deciding between Hermes and PicoClaw, read Hermes vs PicoClaw: Which VPS Template Should You Choose?. Hermes is the better fit for tool-rich workflows; PicoClaw is usually the simpler fit for lightweight monitoring, backups, and server operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Hermes skills are in this directory?

The directory currently lists 13 Hermes skills across research, productivity, communication, development, web data, and security. Counts can change as entries are added or removed, so use the Hermes directory for the current list.

What is the best Hermes skill for beginners?

PDF Reader & Writer, Web Search, Notion Workspace, Slack Integration, and Persistent Memory are approachable starting points because their first workflows can be tested with sample documents, a test workspace, or read-only access. The right choice depends on the task you want to automate.

What is the best Hermes skill for developers?

GitHub Assistant is a natural starting point for repository workflows. Pair it with Code Executor only after you have reviewed the sandbox and host permissions. Database Query is useful for reporting and application data, but begin with read-only credentials.

Which Hermes skills need credentials?

The directory lists credentials for Web Search, Email, Slack, Database Query, Calendar Manager, GitHub Assistant, and Notion Workspace. PDF, Persistent Memory, Browser Automation, Code Executor, Web Scraper, and Firewall Manager do not list API keys, although some require host-level setup or permissions.

Are Hermes skills safe to use in production?

Safety depends on the skill, its source, the account permissions, and the workflow. Use the directory’s Safe and Review labels as a starting point, then test with least privilege, approvals, logs, and rollback procedures. Treat code execution, database writes, browser actions, scraping, and firewall changes as higher-risk operations even when the first test succeeds.