# NousResearch/hermes-agent · Windows docs fix for hermes PATH command guidance

## Open now

- Nothing open on GitHub.

These items address a documentation error in windows-native.md where the Get-Command hermes path shown after installation was incorrect. The changes correct the guidance to reflect the proper venv\\Scripts\\hermes.exe location.

## TL;DR

- 3 member(s): 0 open issue(s), 1 closed issue(s), 0 open PR(s), 1 merged PR(s), 1 PR(s) closed without merging.
- A fix was merged to main in PR #40613. Verify it addresses your case.
- **Recommended:** read PR #40613 (and any competing PRs below) before filing. Confirm the merged change covers your symptom.

## Maintainer resolution verdict

- Internal-tracker verdict over this cluster's issue members: `resolved` · deciding PR(s): `pr-40613`. This is distinct from the fix status above. Weigh it yourself.

## How this cluster was grouped

- Link evidence (`STRUCTURAL_SPANNING`): every member is connected by structural evidence: shared changed files, or a closing/superseded reference.
- Pairwise link density `0.67`: the share of member pairs that carry a link, counting a structural link in full and a relevance-only link at 0.36. `1.00` means every pair is linked.

## Closed / duplicate issues

- #40464: Doc: windows-native.md — Get-Command hermes path mismatch after install

## Prior & competing PRs

- **#40488: docs(windows): fix Get-Command hermes PATH guidance**. closed without merge · fix tier `suggested`
  - maintainer direction: category `uncategorized`; implication `needs_llm`; refs `#40613`
  - _suggested-tier fix detail withheld; re-request with `?tier=all` to include it._
- **#40613: docs(windows): fix Get-Command PATH guidance to venv\\Scripts\\hermes.exe**. merged to main · fix tier `verified`
  - maintainer direction: category `merged`
  - files: `tests/hermes_cli/test_windows_native_docs.py`, `website/docs/user-guide/windows-native.md`
  - fix hunks:
  - `tests/hermes_cli/test_windows_native_docs.py`

    ```diff
    @@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
    +from pathlib import Path
    +
    +
    +def test_windows_native_install_path_docs_match_installer() -> None:
    +    doc = Path("website/docs/user-guide/windows-native.md").read_text()
    +    install = Path("scripts/install.ps1").read_text()
    +
    +    assert "%LOCALAPPDATA%\\hermes\\hermes-agent\\venv\\Scripts" in doc
    +    assert "Get-Command hermes        # should print C:\\Users\\<you>\\AppData\\Local\\hermes\\hermes-agent\\venv\\Scripts\\hermes.exe" in doc
    +    assert '$hermesBin = "$InstallDir\\venv\\Scripts"' in install
    ```
  - `website/docs/user-guide/windows-native.md`

    ```diff
    @@ -17,12 +17,10 @@ If you prefer a real POSIX environment (for the dashboard's embedded terminal, `
     
     ## Quick install
     
    -[Download the Hermes Desktop installer](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/desktop) from our website and run it.
    -
    -Or, for a command-line only install, open **PowerShell** (or Windows Terminal) and run:
    +Open **PowerShell** (or Windows Terminal) and run:
     
     ```powershell
    -iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1)
    +iex (irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.ps1)
     ```
     
     No admin rights required. The installer goes to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\` and adds `hermes` to your **User PATH** — open a new terminal after it finishes.
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -30,32 +28,38 @@ No admin rights required. The installer goes to `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\` and add
     **Installer options** (requires the scriptblock form to pass parameters):
     
     ```powershell
    -& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1))) -NoVenv -SkipSetup -Branch main
    +& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/main/scripts/install.ps1))) -NoVenv -SkipSetup -Branch main
     ```
     
    -| Parameter     | Default                              | Purpose                                                    |
    -| ------------- | ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
    -| `-Branch`     | `main`                               | Clone a specific branch (useful for testing PRs)           |
    -| `-Commit`     | unset                                | Pin install to a specific commit SHA (overrides `-Branch`) |
    -| `-Tag`        | unset                                | Pin install to a specific git tag (e.g. `v0.14.0`)         |
    -| `-NoVenv`     | off                                  | Skip venv creation (advanced — you manage Python yourself) |
    -| `-SkipSetup`  | off                                  | Skip the post-install `hermes setup` wizard                |
    -| `-HermesHome` | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes`              | Override data directory                                    |
    -| `-InstallDir` | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent` | Override code location                                     |
    +| Parameter | Default | Purpose |
    +|---|---|---|
    +| `-Branch` | `main` | Clone a specific branch (useful for testing PRs) |
    +| `-Commit` | unset | Pin install to a specific commit SHA (overrides `-Branch`) |
    +| `-Tag` | unset | Pin install to a specific git tag (e.g. `v0.14.0`) |
    +| `-NoVenv` | off | Skip venv creation (advanced — you manage Python yourself) |
    +| `-SkipSetup` | off | Skip the post-install `hermes setup` wizard |
    +| `-HermesHome` | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes` | Override data directory |
    +| `-InstallDir` | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent` | Override code location |
     
     The installer auto-retries flaky git fetches and strips BOM from any downloaded `install.ps1` payload, so a UTF-8 BOM picked up during HTTP transit no longer breaks the `[scriptblock]::Create((irm ...))` form.
     
    +### Desktop installer (alternative)
    +
    +A thin GUI installer is also available — useful if you'd rather double-click an `.exe` than open PowerShell. Download Hermes Desktop, run the installer, and on first launch the GUI calls `install.ps1` under the hood to provision Python (via `uv`), Node, PortableGit, and the rest of the dependency bootstrap described below. After the first run, the desktop app and the PowerShell-installed `hermes` CLI share the same `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent` install and `%USERPROFILE%\.hermes` data directory — switch between the GUI and the CLI freely.
    +
    +Use the desktop installer when you want a familiar Windows install experience or you're handing Hermes to a non-developer; use the PowerShell one-liner when you're already in a terminal.
    +
     ### Dependency bootstrap (`dep_ensure`)
     
     On first launch (and on demand when a missing tool is detected), Hermes runs a small Python bootstrapper — `hermes_cli/dep_ensure.py` — that checks for and lazily installs the non-Python dependencies it needs. On Windows, the relevant ones are:
     
    -| Dependency       | Why Hermes needs it                                                                                                          |
    -| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    -| **PortableGit**  | Provides `bash.exe` for the terminal tool and `git` for in-session clones. Provisioned at install time, not by `dep_ensure`. |
    -| **Node.js 22**   | Required for the browser tool (`agent-browser`), the TUI's web bridge, and the WhatsApp bridge.                              |
    -| **ffmpeg**       | Audio format conversion for TTS / voice messages.                                                                            |
    -| **ripgrep**      | Fast file search — falls back to `grep` if unavailable.                                                                      |
    -| **npm packages** | `agent-browser`, Playwright Chromium, and any per-toolset Node deps are installed once at first browser-tool use.            |
    +| Dependency | Why Hermes needs it |
    +|---|---|
    +| **PortableGit** | Provides `bash.exe` for the terminal tool and `git` for in-session clones. Provisioned at install time, not by `dep_ensure`. |
    +| **Node.js 22** | Required for the browser tool (`agent-browser`), the TUI's web bridge, and the WhatsApp bridge. |
    +| **ffmpeg** | Audio format conversion for TTS / voice messages. |
    +| **ripgrep** | Fast file search — falls back to `grep` if unavailable. |
    +| **npm packages** | `agent-browser`, Playwright Chromium, and any per-toolset Node deps are installed once at first browser-tool use. |
     
     Each dep has a `shutil.which(...)`-style check; if a binary is missing and the run is interactive, `dep_ensure` offers to install it (deferring to `scripts\install.ps1 -ensure <dep>` for the actual install logic). Non-interactive runs (gateway, cron, headless desktop launches) skip the prompt and surface a clear `this feature needs <dep>` error instead.
     
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -82,18 +86,18 @@ On Windows, per-tool API key setup (Firecrawl, FAL, Browser Use, OpenAI TTS) is
     
     Everything except the dashboard's embedded terminal pane runs natively on Windows.
     
    -| Feature                                                               | Native Windows      | WSL2                   |
    -| --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------- |
    -| CLI (`hermes chat`, `hermes setup`, `hermes gateway`, …)              | ✓                   | ✓                      |
    -| Interactive TUI (`hermes --tui`)                                      | ✓                   | ✓                      |
    -| Messaging gateway (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, 15+ platforms) | ✓                   | ✓                      |
    -| Cron scheduler                                                        | ✓                   | ✓                      |
    -| Browser tool (Chromium via Node)                                      | ✓                   | ✓                      |
    -| MCP servers (stdio and HTTP)                                          | ✓                   | ✓                      |
    -| Local Ollama / LM Studio / llama-server                               | ✓                   | ✓ (via WSL networking) |
    -| Web dashboard (sessions, jobs, metrics, config)                       | ✓                   | ✓                      |
    -| Dashboard `/chat` embedded terminal pane                              | ✗ (needs POSIX PTY) | ✓                      |
    -| Auto-start at login                                                   | ✓ (schtasks)        | ✓ (systemd)            |
    +| Feature | Native Windows | WSL2 |
    +|---|---|---|
    +| CLI (`hermes chat`, `hermes setup`, `hermes gateway`, …) | ✓ | ✓ |
    +| Interactive TUI (`hermes --tui`) | ✓ | ✓ |
    +| Messaging gateway (Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, 15+ platforms) | ✓ | ✓ |
    +| Cron scheduler | ✓ | ✓ |
    +| Browser tool (Chromium via Node) | ✓ | ✓ |
    +| MCP servers (stdio and HTTP) | ✓ | ✓ |
    +| Local Ollama / LM Studio / llama-server | ✓ | ✓ (via WSL networking) |
    +| Web dashboard (sessions, jobs, metrics, config) | ✓ | ✓ |
    +| Dashboard `/chat` embedded terminal pane | ✗ (needs POSIX PTY) | ✓ |
    +| Auto-start at login | ✓ (schtasks) | ✓ (systemd) |
     
     The dashboard's `/chat` tab embeds a real terminal via a POSIX PTY (`ptyprocess`). Native Windows has no equivalent primitive; Python's `pywinpty` / Windows ConPTY would work but is a separate implementation — treat as future work. **The rest of the dashboard works natively** — only that one tab shows a "use WSL2 for this" banner.
     
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -136,12 +140,12 @@ Hermes's Windows stdio shim now sets `EDITOR=notepad` as a default. Notepad ship
     
     **User overrides still win** (they're checked before the setdefault):
     
    -| Editor    | PowerShell command                                                                 |
    -| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    -| VS Code   | `$env:EDITOR = "code --wait"`                                                      |
    +| Editor | PowerShell command |
    +|---|---|
    +| VS Code | `$env:EDITOR = "code --wait"` |
     | Notepad++ | `$env:EDITOR = "'C:\Program Files\Notepad++\notepad++.exe' -multiInst -nosession"` |
    -| Neovim    | `$env:EDITOR = "nvim"`                                                             |
    -| Helix     | `$env:EDITOR = "hx"`                                                               |
    +| Neovim | `$env:EDITOR = "nvim"` |
    +| Helix | `$env:EDITOR = "hx"` |
     
     The `--wait` flag on VS Code is critical — without it the editor returns immediately and Hermes gets a blank buffer back.
     
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -196,13 +200,13 @@ Services require admin rights to install and tie the gateway's lifecycle to mach
     
     ## Data layout
     
    -| Path                                  | Contents                                                            |
    -| ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    -| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent\` | Git checkout + venv. Safe to `Remove-Item -Recurse` and reinstall.  |
    -| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\git\`          | PortableGit (only if the installer provisioned it).                 |
    -| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\node\`         | Portable Node.js (only if the installer provisioned it).            |
    -| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin\`          | `hermes.cmd` shim, added to User PATH.                              |
    -| `%USERPROFILE%\.hermes\`              | Your config, auth, skills, sessions, logs. **Survives reinstalls.** |
    +| Path | Contents |
    +|---|---|
    +| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent\` | Git checkout + venv. Safe to `Remove-Item -Recurse` and reinstall. |
    +| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\git\` | PortableGit (only if the installer provisioned it). |
    +| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\node\` | Portable Node.js (only if the installer provisioned it). |
    +| `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin\` | `hermes.cmd` shim, added to User PATH. |
    +| `%USERPROFILE%\.hermes\` | Your config, auth, skills, sessions, logs. **Survives reinstalls.** |
     
     The split is deliberate: `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes` is disposable infrastructure (you can blow it away and the one-liner restores it). `%USERPROFILE%\.hermes` is your data — config, memory, skills, session history — and is identical in shape to a Linux install. Mirror it between machines and your Hermes moves with you.
     
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -220,12 +224,12 @@ The browser tool uses `agent-browser` (a Node helper) to drive Chromium. On Wind
     
     ### PATH after install
     
    -The installer adds `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin` to your **User PATH** via `[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable`. Existing terminals don't pick this up — open a new PowerShell window (or Windows Terminal tab) after installation. Close-and-reopen, don't `$env:PATH += …` by hand unless you know what you're doing.
    +The installer adds `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\hermes-agent\venv\Scripts` to your **User PATH** via `[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable`. Existing terminals don't pick this up — open a new PowerShell window (or Windows Terminal tab) after installation. Close-and-reopen, don't `$env:PATH += …` by hand unless you know what you're doing.
     
     Verify:
     
     ```powershell
    -Get-Command hermes        # should print C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\hermes\bin\hermes.cmd
    +Get-Command hermes        # should print C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\hermes\hermes-agent\venv\Scripts\hermes.exe
     hermes --version
     ```
     
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -244,11 +248,11 @@ Don't put secrets in User environment variables unless you specifically want eve
     
     These only affect native Windows installs:
     
    -| Variable                      | Effect                                                                                                                                             |
    -| ----------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    -| `HERMES_GIT_BASH_PATH`        | Override bash.exe discovery. Point at any bash — full Git-for-Windows, WSL bash via symlink, MSYS2, Cygwin. The installer sets this automatically. |
    -| `HERMES_DISABLE_WINDOWS_UTF8` | Set to `1` to disable the UTF-8 stdio shim and fall back to the locale code page. Useful for bisecting an encoding bug.                            |
    -| `EDITOR` / `VISUAL`           | Your editor for `/edit` and `Ctrl-X Ctrl-E`. Hermes defaults to `notepad` if both are unset.                                                       |
    +| Variable | Effect |
    +|---|---|
    +| `HERMES_GIT_BASH_PATH` | Override bash.exe discovery. Point at any bash — full Git-for-Windows, WSL bash via symlink, MSYS2, Cygwin. The installer sets this automatically. |
    +| `HERMES_DISABLE_WINDOWS_UTF8` | Set to `1` to disable the UTF-8 stdio shim and fall back to the locale code page. Useful for bisecting an encoding bug. |
    +| `EDITOR` / `VISUAL` | Your editor for `/edit` and `Ctrl-X Ctrl-E`. Hermes defaults to `notepad` if both are unset. |
     
     ## Uninstall
     
    ```

    ```diff
    @@ -283,7 +287,7 @@ Consequence: any codepath that said "check if this PID is alive" via `os.kill(pi
     ## Common pitfalls
     
     **`hermes: command not found` right after install.**
    -Open a new PowerShell window. The installer added `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin` to User PATH, but existing shells need to be restarted to pick it up.
    +Open a new PowerShell window. The installer added `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes\bin` to User PATH, but existing shells need to be restarted to pick it up. In the meantime you can run `& "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\hermes\bin\hermes.cmd"`.
     
     **`WinError 193: %1 is not a valid Win32 application` when running a tool.**
     You hit a shebang-script invocation that bypassed the `.cmd` shim. Hermes resolves commands through `shutil.which(cmd, path=local_bin)` so PATHEXT picks up `.CMD` — if you're invoking the tool via a hardcoded path instead, switch to the `.cmd` variant (e.g., `npx.cmd`, not `npx`).
    ```

## Fix status

- Merged to main in PR #40613 (cited above). No release data is tracked. Verify downstream.
- Fix last verified (merged) `2026-06-08`.
- Subsystem: `docs`