The Hermes Agent plugins marketplace is the official Plugin Catalog from Nous Research, and my verdict is that it's the biggest quality-of-life upgrade Hermes Desktop has had.
It lists hundreds of free community and official plugins, and most of them install into Hermes Desktop with a single "Open in Hermes Desktop" button.
People asking about it usually want a straight answer to two questions.
Is the catalog actually good, and which plugins on it are worth your time?
This is the feature-by-feature reference, with a score for each part of the experience and a verdict on every plugin I showed in my video.
The Quick Verdict On The Hermes Agent Plugins Marketplace
The Hermes Agent plugins marketplace gets a 4.5 out of 5 from me.
It takes something that used to cost an afternoon and turns it into a one-click job.
The listings give you enough information to judge a plugin before you install it, which is the part most plugin stores get wrong.
The half point I knock off is for the fact that most plugins are community-made, so the safety burden still sits partly with you.
What The Hermes Plugin Catalog Is, And Who Makes It
Hermes Agent is the free, open-source AI agent from Nous Research, and Hermes Desktop is its native app for Mac, Windows and Linux.
The Plugin Catalog is Nous Research's official directory of add-ons for both.
It launched in mid-September 2026 with around 100 plugins, and it lives at hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/plugins.
I called it 500 free plugins in my video, and the real count is close to that.
When I ran hermes plugins browse on 7 October 2026, the curated catalog listed 469 plugins, with 9 official and 460 community plugins.
Installing plugins costs nothing, although some plugins connect to services that need their own API key.
Hermes Agent Plugins Marketplace Scorecard
These are my scores, based on using the catalog and installing plugins for the video.
| Feature | What it does | My score |
|---|---|---|
| One-click install | The "Open in Hermes Desktop" button opens an install dialog in the app. | 5 out of 5, because it removes the terminal entirely for most plugins. |
| Listing detail | Each page shows stars, category, maintainer, added and updated dates, version and the README. | 5 out of 5, because you can judge a plugin before installing it. |
| Category filters | You can filter by source and by category. | 4 out of 5, because the categories are broad and some overlap. |
| Profile targeting | The install dialog lets you choose which Hermes profile gets the plugin. | 5 out of 5, because it makes safe testing easy. |
| Terminal support | Every listing shows a hermes plugins install command. |
5 out of 5, because power users lose nothing. |
| Security | The installer scans plugins and refuses anything marked dangerous. | 4 out of 5, because most plugins are still community code you should read. |
| Choice | There are 469 curated plugins across nine categories. | 4 out of 5, because more choice also means more noise. |
| Overall | It's the easiest way to extend Hermes I've used. | 4.5 out of 5. |
Feature 1: Browsing With Stars, Dates, Versions And Categories
The browsing experience is where this catalog earns its score.
Every listing shows a star count, so you can see which plugins other people have backed.
It shows when the plugin was added and when it was last updated, which tells you whether the author is still active.
It shows a version number when the author has tagged a release.
It shows the category, so you know whether you're looking at a desktop add-on, a voice plugin or a new chat platform.
And it shows the GitHub repository, the exact commit the catalog reviewed and the full README.
That combination is what makes the catalog trustworthy enough to use.
Feature 2: The "Open In Hermes Desktop" Install Flow
This is the headline feature, and it works exactly as advertised.
Here's what happened when I installed plugins in the video.
- I clicked "Open in Hermes Desktop" on the plugin page.
- Hermes Desktop opened and showed an install dialog.
- I chose where the plugin appears, such as in the desktop interface.
- The dialog showed me the GitHub repository it was about to install from.
- I chose which profile the plugin should be available in.
- I clicked Install, and it was done.
The old way was the terminal, a lot of clicking around and, in my case, about three hours on GitHub for a skill that didn't even work.
The new way is one click with ratings on the page, and that's a massive difference.
Feature 3: The Terminal Commands
If you prefer the command line, the catalog still has you covered.
I confirmed these commands with hermes plugins --help on my own install.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
hermes plugins search |
It searches the curated catalog. |
hermes plugins browse |
It lists every curated entry. |
hermes plugins info |
It shows a plugin's repo, pinned commit and what it adds. |
hermes plugins install |
It installs a plugin after a security scan. |
hermes plugins list |
It lists your installed plugins. |
hermes plugins enable and disable |
They switch a plugin on or off without removing it. |
hermes plugins check-updates |
It checks for updates without changing anything. |
hermes plugins remove |
It uninstalls a plugin. |
Feature 4: Safety And The Security Scan
This is the one thing I told everyone to check in the video.
Most plugins are community-made, so a plugin could do things you don't want.
Read the GitHub repository and the README before you install anything.
Hermes does help, because hermes plugins install runs a security scan and won't install anything marked dangerous.
The Newswire README explains that a "caution" result becomes a confirm prompt in the terminal, while the Desktop install refuses it and lists the findings.
My verdict is that the scan is a good safety net, but it isn't a substitute for reading the code page yourself.
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Plugin-By-Plugin Verdicts From The Hermes Agent Plugins Marketplace
Star counts below are what the catalog showed when I checked on 7 October 2026, and they will change.
| Plugin | Category | What it does | Stars when checked | My verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hermes Newswire | Desktop | It adds a scrolling news ticker to new chats. | 37 | It's a great first install, because it uses no API keys or model tokens. |
| Hermes Tailscale | Desktop | It connects Hermes across your devices. | 52 | It's a must-have if you want Hermes on your phone. |
| WhatsApp agent platform | Platforms | It connects Hermes to Meta's WhatsApp Agent Platform API. | 10 | It's useful, but read the data notes first. |
| Minecraft gateway | Platforms | It puts a Hermes bot inside a Minecraft server. | 1 | It's fun rather than essential. |
| Brave Search | Web and Browser | It adds a Brave web search tool. | 3 | It's solid if you already have a Brave API key. |
| Ollama Cloud web search | Web and Browser | It adds search and page extraction through Ollama. | 1 | It's handy if you already use Ollama Cloud. |
| Hermes Speech | Voice | It adds text-to-speech and speech-to-text. | 196 | It's the voice plugin I'd try first. |
| Job search | Automation | It filters job postings against plain-English preferences. | 50 | It's niche, but very good at its one job. |
| Hermes Office | Desktop | It shows your Bot Mode agents in a visual office. | 16 | It's a fun way to watch your agents work. |
Hermes Newswire verdict
Hermes Newswire puts a scrolling ticker at the bottom of a new chat.
You add topics and sources, and I searched for "Hermes agent" release notes as my first one.
You can add several sources, delete ones you don't want and resize the ticker.
The settings let you switch it on or off, set it to fast or slow and pause it.
My verdict is that it's the perfect starter plugin, because it's useful and costs nothing to run.
Hermes Tailscale verdict
Hermes Tailscale lets you connect to and control Hermes Desktop across multiple devices, such as your phone and your laptop.
The official plugin page shows the README, what it does, what it's powered by and where it works.
Manual install instructions exist, but they're slower than one click.
My verdict is that it's the most practical plugin I showed.
Platform plugin verdicts
The WhatsApp plugin's page says it isn't affiliated with Meta or Nous Research and that those agent chats aren't end-to-end encrypted.
That honesty is great, and it's also why the README check matters.
The Minecraft gateway spawns a bot that joins a server and relays chat between players and Hermes.
Browser and search plugin verdicts
The Web and Browser category covers browser automations and web search providers.
Brave Search adds one tool, brave_web_search, and asks for your Brave API key during install.
Ollama Cloud web search reuses your Ollama API key and covers both search and page extraction.
My verdict is to pick one search plugin that matches a key you already have, rather than stacking several.
Voice plugin verdicts
The voice plugins, including Hermes Speech, Hermes Talk and Hermes Live Voice, turn Hermes into something like Jarvis.
Install only one, and pick the one with the most stars.
Hermes Talk's own page warns that one of its live modes uses an undocumented endpoint that may stop working, so read before you rely on it.
Job search verdict
The job search plugin is hyper-personalised, because it filters postings on what matters to you rather than a handful of keywords.
Its README says it runs locally and writes digests on a schedule.
Hermes Office verdict
Hermes Office, which I called Hermes Office 2 in the video, gives your agents a visual office.
You send a task to a bot by its nameplate, and finished tasks earn a star.
My verdict is that it's mostly fun, but it does make multi-agent work easier to follow.
What The Hermes Agent Plugins Marketplace Does Not Do
It doesn't vet every line of community code for you.
It doesn't stop you from installing too many plugins.
It doesn't make a weak model better at using the new tools a plugin adds.
That last point matters, and I compare brains for that job in my roundup of the best AI models for coding.
Don't Install Everything
My strongest piece of advice is to resist the urge to install everything.
Pick the plugins that solve a real problem, test them in a spare profile and remove what you don't use.
If you want to see how another agent harness handles plugins, my DeepSeek Harness review is a useful comparison, because that tool also treats everything as a plugin.
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Final Verdict: Who Should Use It
You should use the Hermes Agent plugins marketplace if you run Hermes Desktop and want voice, mobile access, live search or new chat platforms without touching the terminal.
You can skip it if you only use Hermes for simple chat and you're already happy.
For everyone else, it's a 4.5 out of 5 and an easy recommendation.
Related Reading
- My DeepSeek Harness review looks at another agent that is built around plugins.
- The best AI models for coding helps you pick the brain behind your plugins.
Also On Our Network
- 🌐 The operator's install walkthrough for Hermes plugins
- 🌐 Real business use cases for the Hermes plugin catalog
- 🌐 A Hermes plugins quick-start for your Agent OS
- 🌐 GoldieBench scores for the models that power Hermes
FAQ: Hermes Agent Plugins Marketplace Verdict
Is the Hermes Agent plugins marketplace worth using?
Yes, because it replaces terminal installs with one click and shows stars, dates, versions and the GitHub repo on every listing.
The only real downside is that most plugins are community-made, so you need to read each README.
How many plugins are in the Hermes plugin catalog?
When I ran hermes plugins browse on 7 October 2026, the curated catalog listed 469 plugins.
That was 9 official plugins and 460 community plugins.
What are the best Hermes plugins to start with?
I'd start with Hermes Newswire, Hermes Tailscale, one voice plugin and Hermes Office.
Add web search or platform plugins only when you need them.
Does the Hermes plugins marketplace check plugins for safety?
The installer runs a security scan and refuses anything marked dangerous.
That helps, but it doesn't replace reading the repository and README yourself.
Who should skip the Hermes plugins marketplace?
If you only use Hermes for simple chat, you don't need plugins.
They're most useful when you want new platforms, voice, live search or a visual dashboard.
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About Julian
I'm Julian Goldie, an SEO entrepreneur, author and founder of the AI Profit Boardroom, which has 3,400+ members.
I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation and SEO.
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Read the README, install what you need, and you'll get a 4.5-star experience from the Hermes Agent plugins marketplace.
