For people who run Hermes agents
Every agent gets a sealed box
hermetic runs each Hermes agent on its own machine, in your own AWS account. Nothing on the internet can connect to it. You reach it over your tailnet, from one desktop app.
hermeticCoverOne agent
01Dwg 01One fleet
Memory that outlives the machine
What an agent learns lives on a separate data volume, snapshotted every day and kept for seven. Recreate the machine and the same volume attaches to the new one. Destroy it and the volume stays unless you ask otherwise.
- 100 GiB gp3 by default
- 7 daily snapshots
- Plan, then apply, for anything destructive
02Dwg 02Your account
Your account, no middleman
Everything runs in your AWS account. One CloudFormation stack per fleet holds the network, agent records, a bucket, a fleet role and secrets, and has no always-on cost of its own. The account is frozen at init and checked before every call.
- Bedrock by default: no model API key
- Several fleets can share one account
- MIT licensed, no hosted service
03Dwg 03Your Mac
A fleet you run from one app
Your Mac joins the same tailnet. The desktop app and the hermetic CLI share one core and call AWS directly. Chat with any agent, watch its browser, and run one agent or a whole fleet from the same window.
$ hermetic agent ps --json
Watch one get set up ↓04Zero to agentA real session, abridgedSheet 04 of 06
Zero to agent in two commands
Bring an AWS profile and a Tailscale tailnet. hermetic init builds the fleet's foundation; hermetic agent create gives a Hermes agent its own sealed machine. About twelve minutes, most of it the box installing itself. Watch it in the terminal or in the app: the switch keeps your place.
A real session, abridged · two commands
The two commands typed into a terminal, with everything they print.
The same run in the desktop app: the setup wizard, then the New agent panel.
Switch with CLI | APP at any point: the run picks up at the same moment, paced for that view.
$ hermetic init --create --profile acme-prod --region us-east-1
▸ acme-prod · 123456789012 · us-east-1 · profile acme-prod
caller arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/admin/dana
organisation o-4kq81zt2mv
◇ type the twelve-digit account id to confirm (123456789012)
│ 123456789012
◇ Tailscale OAuth client secret (tskey-client-…)
│ ▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪
tailscale running · tailnet tail7c1e.ts.net · this node dana-mbp
15% identity account 123456789012 as arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/admin/dana
19% directory fleet directory ready in us-east-1 (0 fleet(s) in this account)
30% preflight tailscale running on tail7c1e.ts.net as dana-mbp
35% foundation … creating the foundation: VPC, sealed security group, agent role, bucket, 2 tables, snapshot policy
36% foundation Vpc CREATE_COMPLETE (1/22)
37% foundation PublicSubnet0 CREATE_COMPLETE (3/22)
38% foundation AgentSecurityGroup CREATE_COMPLETE (5/22)
39% foundation AgentRole CREATE_COMPLETE (6/22)
41% foundation AgentsTable CREATE_COMPLETE (8/22)
42% foundation SnapshotPolicy CREATE_COMPLETE (10/22)
50% foundation created stack hermetic-k3v9q2xa (public) in 3m08s
65% tailscale tailscale OAuth client secret stored in SSM (client kQ7xT2bN4CNTRL)
75% ami pinned Ubuntu 24.04 arm64 image ami-0c4f1e9a2b7d3e816
85% fleet wrote the _fleet item
87% directory registered fleet k3v9q2xa in the us-east-1 directory
92% artifacts pushed artifacts/0.5.1/3f9a1c07be52d481/hermeticd (sha256 7c2e90d14a6b…) and 7 stage(s); the fleet manifest names 0.5.1
96% ready the fleet manifest names hermeticd 0.5.1
98% ready tailscale OAuth client kQ7xT2bN4CNTRL can mint tag:hermetic keys, list devices and edit the policy file
99% policy policy: hermetic entries written (ssh, acls)
100% done fleet k3v9q2xa created in 123456789012 · us-east-1
$ hermetic agent create atlas
▸ k3v9q2xa · acme-prod · 123456789012 · us-east-1 · profile acme-prod
2% validate creating atlas (medium) in us-east-1
20% secrets tailscale auth key minted and stored in its SSM slot
40% render rendered 21 files, config_hash 9c2e71d04ab35f86
55% volume data volume vol-0a8c3f1e27d94b650 (100 GiB)
80% instance … launching a t4g.2xlarge on ami-0c4f1e9a2b7d3e816
85% instance instance i-0f2b8a7c41e3d9056 recorded on the agent row
90% instance … attaching data volume vol-0a8c3f1e27d94b650 to i-0f2b8a7c41e3d9056
92% instance data volume vol-0a8c3f1e27d94b650 attached to i-0f2b8a7c41e3d9056
93% instance atlas handed off to its instance; hermeticd reports from here
100% done atlas created
the box boots, joins your tailnet and runs 7 bootstrap stages
$ hermetic agent history atlas
▸ k3v9q2xa · acme-prod · 123456789012 · us-east-1 · profile acme-prod
TIMESTAMP ACTION TRANSITION ACTOR DETAIL
2026-10-11T14:11:35.000Z ready bootstrapping→ready hermeticd/atlas 7 stage(s) ok
2026-10-11T14:11:35.000Z stage -→- hermeticd/atlas 06-verify ok in 13.8s
2026-10-11T14:11:21.000Z stage -→- hermeticd/atlas 05-service ok in 2.2s
2026-10-11T14:11:19.000Z stage -→- hermeticd/atlas 04-apply ok in 301.7s
2026-10-11T14:06:17.000Z stage -→- hermeticd/atlas 03-config ok in 1.3s
2026-10-11T14:06:16.000Z stage -→- hermeticd/atlas 02-data-volume ok in 4.1s
2026-10-11T14:06:12.000Z stage -→- hermeticd/atlas 01-tailscale ok in 22.4s
2026-10-11T14:05:50.000Z stage -→- hermeticd/atlas 00-preflight ok in 1.6s
2026-10-11T14:05:48.000Z boot creating→bootstrapping hermeticd/atlas running 7 bootstrap stage(s) from hermeticd 0.5.1
2026-10-11T14:04:18.000Z create -→creating arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/admin/dana requested
$ hermetic agent status atlas | grep -E '^(status|tailnet name|dashboard|desktop) '
▸ k3v9q2xa · acme-prod · 123456789012 · us-east-1 · profile acme-prod
status ready
tailnet name k3v9q2xa-atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net
dashboard https://k3v9q2xa-atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net/
desktop https://k3v9q2xa-atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net/vnc/
$ hermetic chat listen atlas
▸ k3v9q2xa · acme-prod · 123456789012 · us-east-1 · profile acme-prod
atlas: listening
$ hermetic chat atlas 'what is on your data volume?'
▸ k3v9q2xa · acme-prod · 123456789012 · us-east-1 · profile acme-prod
(thought for 2s)
$ bash -> running
$ bash -> ok (exit 0) in 1s
/data is my 100 GiB data volume, 1% used. My home, memory, skills and
this conversation live there, so they stay put if this box is replaced.
The 40 GiB system disk is 15% used.
$
HERMETIC☾ dark
Bind this home
Profile01
Verify account02
Foundation03
Initialize04
home: ~/.hermetic · engine: local · same core as `hermetic` CLI
Step 01
Choose a profile
acme-prodsso · us-east-1
acme-devsso · us-west-2
defaultstatic keys · eu-west-1
Region override
us-east-1
Continue →
Step 02
Verify the account
Connectedsts get-caller-identity · profile acme-prod · us-east-1
123456789012
aliasacme-prodcallerarn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/admin/danaorgo-4kq81zt2mvprofileacme-prod · sso
No foundation in us-east-1 → will CREATE one
I verified this is the account I intend to operate: 123456789012hermetic freezes this home to this account. Every create, upgrade and teardown will run here.
BackContinue →
Step 03
Create the foundation
Tailnettail7c1e.ts.net · this node dana-mbpdone
Tailnet policytagOwners: tag:hermetictag owned
OAuth clientauth_keys · devices:core · policy_filedone
HTTPS certificatesenabled on tail7c1e.ts.netdone
Client secret▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪verified
Networkpublicnat$3.65/mo per agent
BackInitialize →
Step 04
Home bound
123456789012
create · acme-prod · us-east-1 · tail7c1e.ts.net
100%
Resolve caller identity2.0s
directory1.0s
Check this machine's tailnet2.0s
Create the CloudFormation stack3m10s
Store the Tailscale OAuth secret2.0s
Pin the Ubuntu arm64 image2.0s
Write the _fleet item8.0s
Publish the hermeticd artifact5.0s
Check the fleet can launch an agent3.0s
Write hermetic's blocks into the tailnet policy1.0s
Done
[14:00:34] ▸ identity account 123456789012 as arn:aws:sts::123456789012:assumed-role/admin/dana
[14:00:36] ▸ directory fleet directory ready in us-east-1 (0 fleet(s) in this account)
[14:00:37] ▸ preflight tailscale running on tail7c1e.ts.net as dana-mbp
[14:00:39] … foundation creating the foundation: VPC, sealed security group, agent role, bucket, 2 tables, snapshot policy
[14:01:01] ▸ foundation Vpc CREATE_COMPLETE (1/22)
[14:01:19] ▸ foundation PublicSubnet0 CREATE_COMPLETE (3/22)
[14:01:32] ▸ foundation AgentSecurityGroup CREATE_COMPLETE (5/22)
[14:02:11] ▸ foundation AgentRole CREATE_COMPLETE (6/22)
[14:02:38] ▸ foundation AgentsTable CREATE_COMPLETE (8/22)
[14:03:16] ▸ foundation SnapshotPolicy CREATE_COMPLETE (10/22)
[14:03:47] ▸ foundation created stack hermetic-k3v9q2xa (public) in 3m08s
[14:03:49] ▸ tailscale tailscale OAuth client secret stored in SSM (client kQ7xT2bN4CNTRL)
[14:03:51] ▸ ami pinned Ubuntu 24.04 arm64 image ami-0c4f1e9a2b7d3e816
[14:03:53] ▸ fleet wrote the _fleet item
[14:03:54] ▸ directory registered fleet k3v9q2xa in the us-east-1 directory
[14:04:01] ▸ artifacts pushed artifacts/0.5.1/3f9a1c07be52d481/hermeticd (sha256 7c2e90d14a6b…) and 7 stage(s); the fleet manifest names 0.5.1
[14:04:06] ▸ ready the fleet manifest names hermeticd 0.5.1
[14:04:07] ▸ ready tailscale OAuth client kQ7xT2bN4CNTRL can mint tag:hermetic keys, list devices and edit the policy file
[14:04:09] ▸ policy policy: hermetic entries written (ssh, acls)
[14:04:10] ▸ done fleet k3v9q2xa created in 123456789012 · us-east-1
Bound to acme-prod · 123456789012 · us-east-1Open fleet →
HERMETICFLEET 1CHATSETTINGS☾ dark
FLEET k3v9q2xa ▾123456789012us-east-1tailnet tail7c1e.ts.net · ● connected
Fleet · us-east-1
1 agents1 volumes
1 ready0 in progress0 stopped
BOARDTABLETRIAGE+ NEW AGENT
No agents herea fresh fleet: nothing running, nothing billingCreate your first agent →
atlas NEW
k3v9q2xa-atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net
100.101.7.42 · cpu 4% · mem 11%
ready
Data volume
vol-0a8c3f1e… · 100 GiB · attachedNew agent
Create agent
Target · k3v9q2xa · 123456789012 · us-east-1
Agent name
atlas
✓ k3v9q2xa-atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net
Brain
bedrockzai.glm-4.7-flashfleet default▾
IAM instance role · no stored secrets
Preset
Lightsmall · 50 GiB2 vCPU · 16 GiB$92/mo
Standardmedium · 100 GiB8 vCPU · 32 GiB$207/mo
Heavylarge · 200 GiB8 vCPU · 64 GiB$363/mo
GPUgpu-xsmall · 100 GiB4 vCPU · 8 GiB$318/mo
▸ CUSTOMIZE everything at fleet default
Tailscale only · 0 inbound rules · no SSH key · Hermes 0.21.5 · Chromium · noVNC desktop
$ hermetic agent create atlas --size medium --volume-gib 100 --root-gib 40 --provider-profile bedrock
Total
≈$207/mo~$0.28/h · ready in ~8 minatlas
t4g.2xlarge · 100 GB data volume · us-east-1
100%
Validate name and claim the row2.0s
Mint the tailscale key into SSM2.0s
Render config and manifest3.0s
Allocate the data volume3.0s
Launch the EC2 instance and attach its data volume31.0s
Created
[14:04:21] ▸ validate creating atlas (medium) in us-east-1
[14:04:23] ▸ secrets tailscale auth key minted and stored in its SSM slot
[14:04:25] ▸ render rendered 21 files, config_hash 9c2e71d04ab35f86
[14:04:28] ▸ volume data volume vol-0a8c3f1e27d94b650 (100 GiB)
[14:04:31] … instance launching a t4g.2xlarge on ami-0c4f1e9a2b7d3e816
[14:04:46] ▸ instance instance i-0f2b8a7c41e3d9056 recorded on the agent row
[14:04:47] … instance attaching data volume vol-0a8c3f1e27d94b650 to i-0f2b8a7c41e3d9056
[14:05:01] ▸ instance data volume vol-0a8c3f1e27d94b650 attached to i-0f2b8a7c41e3d9056
[14:05:02] ▸ instance atlas handed off to its instance; hermeticd reports from here
[14:05:02] ▸ done atlas created
Safe to close: the operation continues in the engine and the row keeps updating.Back to fleet
readyk3v9q2xa-atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net · 100.101.7.42
atlas
Dashboard ↗Open desktop ↗×
k3v9q2xa · 123456789012 · us-east-1medium · t4g.2xlarge
Status
Ready and serving chats.
Health
hermes0.21.5
tailscale100.101.7.42
disk/data 1%
dashboardserving
Bootstrap · 7 stages
Preflightok1.6s
Tailscaleok22.4s
Data volumeok4.1s
Configok1.3s
Applyok5m02s
Serviceok2.2s
Verifyok13.8s
atlas/defaultk3v9q2xa-atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net · bedrockOpen in dock
You
what is on your data volume?
thinking…
bash ok · exit 0 · 1s
atlas
/data is my 100 GiB data volume, 1% used. My home, memory, skills and this conversation live there, so they stay put if this box is replaced. The 40 GiB system disk is 15% used.
→ atlas/default · in-app session
Message atlas…Send ↵
Output formats are the CLI's own; account, names, ids and timings are illustrative. Abridged: the Tailscale setup notes init prints before the secret prompt, the tailnet confirmation and most of the 22 stack resources are cut. The atlas reply is an example. The APP view is an illustration of the desktop app's screens over the same run: the AWS and bootstrap timings are shared, the clicks are the app's own, so it reaches the chat sooner.
05The appFive screensSheet 05 of 06
Five screens you will use every day
The desktop app and the hermetic CLI share one core. Each screen here has a command that does the same thing.
1Screen 1 of 5The fleet
See every agent at a glance
Board, table and triage show the same live fleet three ways, so a degraded agent or a stalled boot stands out before you go looking.
$ hermetic agent ps
atlasready0.21.3
corviddegraded0.21.1
kestrelready0.21.3
lumenready0.21.3
mothstopped0.21.3
wrenunreachable0.21.3
| Agent | Status | Health | Version | Size | Mem |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 atlas | ready | 0.21.3 | M t4g.2xlarge | 38% | |
| 02 corvid | degraded | 0.21.1 | S r8g.large | 22% | |
| 03 kestrel | ready | 0.21.3 | M t4g.2xlarge | 17% | |
| 04 lumen | ready | 0.21.3 | M t4g.2xlarge | 61% | |
| 05 moth | stopped | 0.21.3 | S r8g.large | — |
Attention2degraded, unreachable or behind
corvid degraded · 0.21.1
wren unreachable · last heartbeat 6m
Healthy3ready and on latest
atlas 0.21.3
kestrel 0.21.3
lumen 0.21.3
Stopped1disks only
moth stopped 2d
2Screen 2 of 5Chat
Talk to any agent, on any box
Every bot on every box you listen to sits in one rail. The transcript lives on the agent's data volume, and hermetic keeps no copy.
$ hermetic chat atlas/default "status?"
search bots…
atlas
defaultTwo items moved…
researchDraft is in /data…
corvid
default2Disk is at 91%…
lumen
default■ pytest exited 0
atlas / defaultBot Chat · in app
pytest -qexited 0 · 41s
output · 212 lines · last line: 212 passed
atlas
↳ responding to pytest. All 212 tests pass on the new parser. I pushed the branch and left the summary in the PR description.
you
Ship it after the 14:00 scrape.
Message atlas/defaultSEND ↵
3Screen 3 of 5New agent
Start an agent from one panel
Name it, pick a machine, and read the monthly price before anything launches. The panel also prints the command that makes the same agent, so the next one can be a script.
$ hermetic agent create heron --preset heavy
New agent
Create agentTargetmain · 123456789012 · us-east-1
Agent name
herone.g. corvid-2
✓ heron.tail7c1e.ts.netlowercase, digits, dashes · becomes the EC2 tag, SSM path and tailnet hostname
Brain
bedrockzai.glm-4.7-flashfleet default
Presetsize + data volume + system disk
Lightsmall · 50 GiB2 vCPU · 16 GiB$92/mo
Standardmedium · 100 GiB8 vCPU · 32 GiB$207/mo
Heavylarge · 200 GiB8 vCPU · 64 GiB$363/mo
GPUgpu-xsmall · 100 GiBT4G · 4 vCPU · 8 GiB$318/mo
▸ Customize from Heavy
$ hermetic agent create heron --size large --volume-gib 200 --root-gib 40 --provider-profile bedrock
Total≈$363/mo~$0.50/h · ready in ~8 min
CancelCreate agent →4Screen 4 of 5Desktop
Watch its browser, or take the wheel
Every agent runs one headed Chrome on its own display. You see the window it drives, so you can get it past a login wall and hand it straight back.
$ hermetic agent status atlas
READY
atlas.tail7c1e.ts.net · 100.101.7.12Dashboard ↗Open desktop ↗
Overviewall checks ok
Chatlistening
Desktopconnected
Logsactivity · journal · console
Configbedrock · default
Lifecyclestop · reboot · rebuild
Supplier portalOrders
https://supplier.example/account
click the frame to send keys and clicks · click outside the frame, then Esc closes the drawer
5Screen 5 of 5Volumes
Rebuild the box, keep the memory
What an agent learns lives on its own EBS volume with seven daily snapshots. Destroy the agent and the volume stays, ready to give to a new one.
$ hermetic agent create cinder-2 --volume vol-0a91c2…
No agent1destroyed, memory kept
vol-0a91c2e47d
agent cinder · destroyed 3d ago
- size
- 100 GiB gp3
- snapshots
- 7 daily
- cost
- $8/mo
CREATE AGENT →
New agent
CREATE AGENTcinder-2
✓ cinder-2.tail7c1e.ts.net
Data volume · locked
vol-0a91c2e47d100 GiB · us-east-1b · 7 snapshots$ hermetic agent create cinder-2 --volume vol-0a91c2e47d
06Sizesus-east-1 list pricesSheet 06 of 06
Pick the power
Every size is Arm. A new size lands on the next recreate, and the memory comes with it.
$12.89smallest agent, 8 GiB disk, running all month
$209the default medium, disks included
$9.60a stopped agent: only its disks bill
Full price table →Compute list prices, us-east-1, per month. Model usage is separate. Bar height on a log scale. ★ default.
Seal your
first agent
▶ Or watch the six minute overview
Pre-alpha · Apple silicon · unsigned build