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Hermes Deployment Patterns 2026-05-29 2026-05-29 concept personal
hermes
architecture
agent
eagle
kraken
infra
medium
tech/hermes-eagle-mac
tech/hermes-docker-kraken
tech/hermes-kraken-api
personal-os-architecture

Hermes Deployment Patterns

Three distinct ways Hermes runs in the Personal OS ecosystem. Each serves a different access model and client type.

Pattern 1: Eagle Native (Mac M4)

Where: Eagle Mac M4 Max, native process (not Docker)
Transport: Zulip (Docker)
Model backend: claude-code-openai-wrapper (Python) on port 8090 — uses claude-agent-sdk to spawn the bundled claude CLI as a subprocess and expose an OpenAI-compatible endpoint with real streaming support.
Previous backend: openclaw-claude-proxy (Node.js) on port 3456 — still running as fallback but streaming broken since CLI ≥ 2.1.141.
Autostart: launchd (com.openclaw.claude-proxy.plist)

Why native: Mac file system access, MCP tools (obsidian-mcp), and the cron wiki-curation job all need full host access. Docker would require volume mounts for every integration.

Key pitfall: claude-python-proxy-start.sh must source ~/.hermes/.env explicitly — launchd does not inherit login session env. Also CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN expires (access tokens are short-lived); when it does both proxies return 401. See claude-python-cli-proxy for full details and token-refresh procedure.

Pattern 2: Kraken Docker (RPi5)

Where: Kraken RPi5, docker run (not compose)
Transport: Zulip (same instance or separate)
Model backend: Gemini or OpenRouter via Hermes gateway
Autostart: --restart unless-stopped on the container

Why docker run, not compose: explicit restart behavior; avoids accidental docker compose down wipes. Config volume: ~/.hermes on Kraken host.

See tech/hermes-docker-kraken.

Pattern 3: Kraken API Server (OpenAI-compat)

Where: Kraken RPi5, same hermes-kraken container
Transport: HTTPS via Cloudflare Tunnel (kraken.qentra.top)
Model backend: Gemini / OpenRouter (same gateway)
Clients: Android Aide app (BYOK → Custom Endpoint), any OpenAI SDK

Why Cloudflare Tunnel: no port-forwarding on home router required. The tunnel terminates at cloudflared running with network_mode: host, hitting localhost:8642 directly.

See tech/hermes-kraken-api.

Comparison

Dimension Eagle Native Kraken Docker Kraken API
Model claude-sonnet via Python proxy (8090) Gemini/ORouter Gemini/ORouter
Transport Zulip Zulip HTTPS REST
Clients Cron, MCP tools Zulip bot clients Mobile / OpenAI SDK
External access No No Yes (CF Tunnel)
MCP/tools Full (host access) Docker volumes Not applicable
Rate limits Claude OAuth (proxy workaround) API keys API keys

Design Principle

Hermes deployments follow the client's access model:

  • Interactive/tool-heavy → Eagle native (full host, MCP)
  • Always-on background → Kraken Docker (low-power, 24/7)
  • Mobile / external → Kraken API server (HTTPS, standard protocol)

This avoids running a single large instance with conflicting requirements. See personal-os-architecture for the full system overview.