How do I create a custom skill for a workflow I run regularly?

Create a directory at ~/.hermes/skills/your-skill-name/ with a SKILL.md file following the agentskills.io format — include frontmatter with name, description, and tags, then document the procedure, pitfalls, and verification steps. The skill becomes available as a slash command immediately on next session.

Can I install community skills from outside the Hermes ecosystem?

Yes. Hermes skills follow the agentskills.io standard, making them compatible with skills from the Claude marketplace, GitHub repos, skills.sh, and ClawHub. Install with `hermes skills install owner/repo-name` and browse with `hermes skills browse`.

What happens to my skills if I switch to a different LLM model?

Skills are model-agnostic markdown documents — they work identically regardless of which provider or model you're using. Switching from Claude to Kimi or DeepSeek has no effect on installed skills or their behavior.

How do skills become slash commands in the Hermes CLI?

Every installed SKILL.md automatically registers as a slash command in both the Hermes CLI and gateway interfaces. You can also invoke skills contextually without a slash — Hermes reads the skills list and loads relevant ones based on your current task.

How many skills can Hermes handle before token costs become a problem?

The skills catalog uses progressive disclosure — only names and descriptions (~3K tokens total for 40+ skills) load at session start. Full skill content loads only on demand. Community consensus puts 30–50 custom skills as the manageable ceiling.

Hermes Agent Skills — The System That Learns From You

Skills are how Hermes remembers how to do things — procedural memory documents it creates from successful task executions. Here is how to use them, create them, and share them.

What Skills Are

Skills are on-demand knowledge documents. Think of them as recipes the agent loads when it needs them — not cluttering every prompt, just loading when relevant.

Format: SKILL.md files in ~/.hermes/skills/ following the agentskills.io open standard.

Using Skills

Every installed skill becomes a slash command:

/gif-search funny cats
/axolotl help me fine-tune Llama 3
/github-pr-workflow create a PR for auth refactor
/plan design a rollout for migrating auth provider
/excalidraw

Browse:

hermes skills browse
hermes skills search kubernetes
hermes skills install openai/skills/k8s

Progressive Disclosure

The skills system is designed for token efficiency:

Level 0: skills_list() returns only name and description (~3k tokens for full catalog)
Level 1: skill_view(name) loads full content when needed
Level 2: skill_view(name, path) loads specific reference for precision

Agent loads only what it needs — not 40 skills at once.

Creating Custom Skills

Agent-Created (Recommended)

After successfully completing a complex task (5+ tool calls), the agent proactively creates a skill:

Task completes
Agent evaluates: was this worth remembering?
If yes, writes SKILL.md to ~/.hermes/skills/[category]/
Future similar tasks load the skill automatically

This is the self-improvement loop in action.

Manual Creation

Create your own at ~/.hermes/skills/my-skill/SKILL.md:

---
name: my-skill
description: Brief description
version: 1.0.0
platforms: [macos, linux]
metadata:
  hermes:
    tags: [python, automation]
    category: devops
---
# My Skill Title

## When to Use
When you need to [do X].

## Procedure
1. Step one
2. Step two

## Pitfalls
- Watch out for [issue]

## Verification
Check that [result].

Skills Hub Sources

Install from multiple places:

hermes skills browse                    # All sources
hermes skills search kubernetes         # Search
hermes skills inspect openai/skills/k8s # Preview
hermes skills install openai/skills/k8s # Install

Sources:

Official (Hermes repo)
skills.sh (Vercel)
ClawHub
GitHub repos directly
Claude marketplace (compatible format)

Skill Categories (Bundled)

40+ bundled skills including:

MLOps (axolotl, fine-tuning)
GitHub workflows
Deployment (Kubernetes, Docker)
Research
Browser automation
Image generation
Code execution

Community Skills

The awesome-hermes-agent repo lists community skills:

Anthropic-Cybersecurity-Skills (3.6k stars) — 734+ security skills
chainlink-agent-skills — Oracle integration
black-forest-labs/skills — FLUX image generation
hermes-skill-factory — Auto-generates skills from workflows

Publishing Skills

Share your skills:

hermes skills publish --to github

Compatible with the broader agentskills.io ecosystem.

Self-improving guide | Community skills Learning loop

FAQ

Can I delete unwanted skills? Yes: hermes skills uninstall [skill-name] or delete the folder in ~/.hermes/skills/.

Do skills work across devices? No — they live locally. Copy the skills folder to sync.

Can I import OpenClaw skills? The migration command hermes claw migrate brings skills over if they follow compatible formats.

Create your first skill

flyhermes.ai

Mastering Hermes Skills