Hermes Labs is a new home for experimental Hermes Agent plugins that Nous Research built but chose not to put in the core product. It arrived with Hermes Agent v0.22.4 on 21 October 2026, and it launched with three plugins: Inbox, Workflow Record and Telegram Business. All three install from the Hermes plugin catalog in one command. In the video below I walk through Hermes Mission Control and memory — the kind of “see everything your agent is doing” view that Hermes Labs’ Inbox plugin now gives you. Here’s what Hermes Labs is, what each plugin does, and whether you should use them.
Key takeaways
- Hermes Labs = experimental plugins built by Nous Research but not officially supported.
- Three plugins at launch: Inbox, Workflow Record and Telegram Business.
- Each installs with
hermes plugins install <name>from the community tier of the catalog. - Want help using them in your business? Claim a free strategy session.
What is Hermes Labs?
Hermes Labs is a GitHub repository from Nous Research called hermes-labs-plugins. Nous describes the plugins in it as Hermes features they decided not to add to the core. Rather than throw that work away, they released it so anyone who wants it can install it.
The catch is in the name. These are labs plugins, and Nous is clear that they are not supported:
- No promise of fixes — a bug report may sit, and a core update could break a plugin before anyone notices.
- Community tier — the plugin catalog lists them as community plugins, not official ones, so nobody thinks Nous maintains them.
- Up for adoption — if you use one and want to own it, Nous will help you move it to your own repo.
- Tested every night — CI runs each plugin against the current Hermes nightly build, so breakage is at least visible.
Supported, first-party plugins still live in hermes-official-plugins. Hermes Labs is the “works, but use at your own risk” shelf next to it.
| Hermes Labs at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Made by | Nous Research |
| Launched | 21 October 2026, with Hermes Agent v0.22.4 |
| Licence | MIT |
| Support | Not supported — community tier |
| Plugins at launch | Inbox, Workflow Record, Telegram Business |
| Install | hermes plugins install <plugin> |
Hermes Labs plugin #1: Inbox
Install it with hermes plugins install inbox. Then hermes inbox shows everything in flight for your active profile in one read-only view:
- Failed cron runs
- Stalled or dropped delegations to sub-agents
- Orphaned background processes
- Blocked kanban tasks
- Running work, undelivered results and upcoming jobs
- Open chat sessions
If you run Hermes for real work, this is the one I’d install first. Once you have scheduled jobs, sub-agents and background tasks running, the hardest part is knowing what broke overnight. Inbox puts it all on one screen, and because it’s read-only it can’t change anything by accident.
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Hermes Labs plugin #2: Workflow Record
Install it with hermes plugins install workflow-record. Then hermes record captures a browser workflow you demonstrate once — your clicks, the values you type into fields and the pages you visit. Passwords are masked inside the page.
The plugin ships with a skill that lets Hermes’ /learn command turn that recording into a skill Hermes can replay. In plain English: show Hermes a task once, and it learns to do it.
That’s a big deal for business owners, because most repetitive admin lives in a browser — filling in the same form, downloading the same report, posting to the same dashboard. Record it once, turn it into a skill, and hand it to your agent.
Hermes Labs plugin #3: Telegram Business
Install it with hermes plugins install hermes-telegram-business. It turns Hermes into an “observe-with-approval” secretary for your Telegram Business account. Hermes drafts replies to your customers, and nothing is sent until you approve it.
Telegram Business used to have its own repository. With v0.22.4 it moved into Hermes Labs’ community tier, so it now sits alongside the other experimental plugins.
Should you use Hermes Labs plugins?
| Plugin | Best for | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| Inbox | Anyone running cron jobs, sub-agents or kanban tasks | Low — read-only |
| Workflow Record | Turning repeat browser tasks into skills | Medium — review the skill before you trust it |
| Telegram Business | Businesses answering customers on Telegram | Medium — approvals keep you in control |
My rule for any labs plugin: test it on a separate Hermes profile first, keep approvals on, and don’t build a business-critical process on something nobody has promised to fix. If a plugin becomes essential, that’s exactly when to adopt it or ask for it to move into the official tier.
How to install Hermes Labs plugins
- Update Hermes first with
hermes update— Hermes Labs arrived in v0.22.4. - Browse the plugin catalog and look for the community tier.
- Run
hermes plugins install inbox(orworkflow-record, orhermes-telegram-business). - Keep them current with
hermes plugins update, added in v0.22.3.
If you’re in Hermes Desktop, plugins installed from git also show an Update button. For the full catalog, see my guide to the Hermes Agent plugins marketplace.
Hermes Labs vs official Hermes plugins
| Official plugins | Hermes Labs plugins | |
|---|---|---|
| Built by | Nous Research | Nous Research |
| Supported | Yes | No — best effort only |
| Catalog tier | Official | Community |
| Repo | hermes-official-plugins | hermes-labs-plugins |
| Examples | mcp-serve, agent-importers, bubblewrap | Inbox, Workflow Record, Telegram Business |
Both install the same way, so the only difference you’ll notice is the label in the catalog — and how quickly a bug gets fixed.
My verdict on Hermes Labs
Hermes Labs is a smart move from Nous: useful features get released instead of binned, and the community can pick them up. Inbox is the standout for anyone running Hermes seriously, and Workflow Record points to where agents are heading — learning by watching you. Treat them as experiments, and Hermes Labs is well worth a look.
About Julian Goldie
I’m Julian Goldie — founder of Goldie Agency and the AI Profit Boardroom. I test new AI agents almost every day for 432K+ YouTube subscribers and run Hermes, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Claude and Codex side by side in my own Agent OS. Claim your free strategy session or join the AI Profit Boardroom.
FAQ: hermes labs
What is Hermes Labs?
Hermes Labs is Nous Research’s collection of experimental Hermes Agent plugins that it built but does not officially support. They install from the community tier of the plugin catalog.
Which plugins are in Hermes Labs?
At launch: Inbox (one view of everything in flight), Workflow Record (record a browser task once and turn it into a skill) and Telegram Business (drafts customer replies for approval).
Are Hermes Labs plugins safe?
They work and are tested nightly against Hermes, but Nous doesn’t promise fixes. Test on a separate profile and keep approvals on.
How do I install a Hermes Labs plugin?
Update Hermes, then run hermes plugins install followed by the plugin name, such as inbox or workflow-record.
Are Hermes Labs plugins free?
Yes — they’re open source under the MIT licence.
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Related reading
Last updated October 2026. This page is a living guide to hermes labs — the facts here move fast and it is updated as they do.