Hermes Agent slash commands are the shortcuts you type in a Hermes chat, starting with /, to control the agent without leaving the conversation: start a new session, switch model, run a task in the background, check your usage and much more. They work in the terminal, in Hermes Desktop and, for most of them, in Telegram, Discord and Slack too. There are dozens, so below I start with the ones worth learning first, then give the full list by category from the official slash command reference, and finish with what’s new: since v0.22.5, plugin commands can ask you to pick an option. I’ve also put my video on the /loop command below.
Key takeaways
- Type
/help(or press Ctrl+P) to see every command. - Learn these first:
/new,/model,/bg,/btw,/goal,/usage. - Any installed skill is a command too:
/<skill-name>. - Plugins can add their own commands, and now show pick-an-option menus.
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How Hermes slash commands work
A slash command is a message that starts with /. Instead of going to the AI model as a question, it tells Hermes itself to do something: change a setting, start a task, show information. Most run instantly and don’t use any tokens.
You don’t need to memorise them. Type /help to see the commands grouped by category, or open the fuzzy command palette with /palette or Ctrl+P, start typing, and press Enter to drop the command into the message box. In messaging apps, /commands shows a paginated list.
The Hermes slash commands worth learning first
If you only learn ten, learn these:
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
| /new [name] | Start a fresh session (alias /reset) |
| /model | Show or switch model, e.g. /model provider:model |
| /bg <prompt> | Run a task in a separate background session while you keep chatting |
| /btw <question> | Ask a quick side question about the chat without interrupting it |
| /goal <text> | Set a standing goal Hermes keeps working on until a judge model says it’s done |
| /queue <prompt> | Line up the next prompt without interrupting the current answer |
| /steer <prompt> | Slip a note in mid-task; the agent reads it after its next tool call |
| /compress | Summarise a long chat to save tokens |
| /usage | Token use, costs and your account limits |
| /stop | Kill running background processes |
Two more that save a lot of time: /retry resends your last message, and /undo removes the last exchange.
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Session commands
These control the conversation itself:
/history,/save,/title: view, save or name the chat./resume [name]and/sessions: go back to an earlier session./branch(alias/fork): copy the session to explore a different path. On Discord, Telegram, Slack and Matrix it opens in a new thread./rollback: list or restore file checkpoints./diff: show git changes in the working folder./snapshot: save or restore your Hermes config and state./subgoal: add a condition to the active /goal./heartbeat every <interval> <prompt>and/loop: re-run a prompt on a schedule in this session./review: spawn an independent reviewer for the work just discussed./moa <prompt>: run one prompt through Mixture of Agents./refine: run the memory and skill self-improvement review now./status,/context,/agents: session info, a context-window breakdown, and running tasks.
Configuration commands
/config: show your current configuration./reasoning [level]: set reasoning effort, from none up to max or ultra./fast: fast mode (OpenAI Priority Processing / Anthropic Fast Mode)./personalityand/skin: change the agent’s personality or the display theme./verboseand/focus: show more or less tool output./busy: decide what happens when you message while Hermes is working: queue, steer or interrupt./approvals [manual|smart|off]and/yolo: control approval prompts for risky commands. Be careful with /yolo, which skips them all./voiceand/wake: voice mode and the “Hey Hermes” wake word./exportand/import: pack a profile into a shareable archive, or install one (CLI only).
Tools and skills commands
/toolsand/toolsets: list, enable or disable tools for this session./skills: search, install and manage skills, and approve skill changes./learn <source>: turn a folder, a link or a workflow you just did into a reusable skill./plan [task]: write a plan to.hermes/plans/without doing anything./init: generate an AGENTS.md from a repo scan./cron,/blueprint,/suggestions: scheduled tasks, automation templates and suggested automations./memory: review memory writes waiting for approval./kanban: drive the multi-profile project board from chat./browser connect: attach browser tools to your running Chrome, Brave, Chromium or Edge./plugins,/reload-mcp,/reload-skills,/reload: check plugins and reload MCP servers, skills or .env keys.
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Info and account commands
/helpand/palette: find any command./usage,/insights: usage now and over the last 30 days./subscriptionand/topup: your Nous plan and balance./login: sign in with a Nous account./version,/profile,/whoami: version, active profile and your command access level./paste,/image <path>,/copy: attach images or copy the last answer./updateand/debug: update Hermes or upload a debug report./quit(or/exit): leave the CLI.
Slash commands in Telegram, Discord and Slack
Most commands work the same in messaging apps. A few only exist there, according to the reference:
/approveand/deny: approve or reject a risky command waiting for you./sethome: make this chat the home channel for deliveries./pause: an emergency stop that holds new cron, kanban and gateway work./restart: restart the gateway after active runs finish./platform list|pause|resume: control a running platform from chat./topic: multi-session topic mode in Telegram DMs./discard: drop a turn lost in a restart so queued messages run again.
On Slack, some commands go through /hermes, for example /hermes login.
Skill commands and your own shortcuts
Every installed skill is also a slash command. Type / followed by the skill’s name to load it on demand, for example /github-pr-workflow. /help skills lists them all.
You can also make your own: skill bundles (configured under bundles: in config.yaml) create a /<name> command that loads several skills at once. /bundles lists the ones you have.
New: plugin commands that ask you to pick
Plugins can add their own slash commands, and since v0.22.5 those commands can ask you to choose from a list. The plugin guide shows how it looks on each surface:
| Where you’re chatting | What you see |
|---|---|
| Telegram, Discord, Slack | A card with one button per choice, plus “Other” |
| Other messaging apps | A numbered list; reply with the number or the label |
| CLI, TUI, Desktop | The same picker Hermes uses for its own questions |
The docs’ example is a /delegation command that lets you switch between delegation modes (default, model routes or profiles) with a tap, instead of remembering the exact words. For you, that means plugin commands get easier to use, especially on your phone.
My verdict
You don’t need all of these. Learn /new, /model, /bg, /btw, /goal and /usage, keep /help or Ctrl+P for the rest, and you’ll already move faster than most Hermes users. Bookmark this page as your reference for Hermes Agent slash commands.
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.
Want another angle? Read the AI Profit Boardroom guide to Hermes Agent Slash Commands.
FAQ: hermes agent slash commands
How do I see all Hermes Agent slash commands?
Type /help in any Hermes chat to see them grouped by category, or press Ctrl+P (or type /palette) to search them. In messaging apps, /commands shows a paginated list.
Do slash commands work in Telegram and Discord?
Yes. Most commands work in messaging apps, and some, such as /approve, /deny, /sethome, /pause and /restart, are made for them. On Slack, some run through /hermes.
What does /goal do in Hermes?
It sets a standing goal. After each turn a judge model checks whether the goal is done; if not, Hermes keeps going until it is, or until you pause or clear it. /subgoal adds conditions mid-loop.
What is the difference between /bg and /btw?
/bg runs a whole task in a separate background session while you keep chatting. /btw asks a quick side question about the current conversation without interrupting it.
Can I make my own Hermes slash commands?
Yes. Every installed skill becomes /
Do slash commands use tokens?
Most don’t, because they control Hermes itself rather than asking the model. Commands that run the agent, such as /bg, /goal or /review, do use tokens.
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Related reading
Last updated October 2026. This page is a living guide to hermes agent slash commands — the facts here move fast and it is updated as they do.
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