Hermes Agent Hosting: Dashboard, API Server Key and Telegram

Use your hosted Hermes Agent: sign in to the dashboard, set model keys, call the OpenAI-compatible API, connect Telegram and use the web terminal safely.

• Applies toHermes Agent hosting
• Time needed20 min
• LevelIntermediate

Hermes Agent is an open-source agent from Nous Research designed to grow with you: it creates skills from experience, remembers across sessions and can run scheduled tasks in plain language. It is not tied to a laptop, so it is a natural fit for hosting: you can talk to it from Telegram while it works on a server.

How the pieces fit together on your service.

The management panel

Step 1: sign in to the Hermes dashboard

1. Open the Overview tab and copy the username and password.
2. Open the Hermes dashboard from the panel and sign in with them.
3. In the dashboard open the Models and Keys pages to choose your provider and paste its API key. You can also run hermes setup in the web terminal.

Hermes works with many providers, including OpenRouter, OpenAI and your own endpoint. Create a dedicated key with a spending limit (see the AI agent security checklist).

Step 2: use the OpenAI-compatible API

The API runs on its own hostname, separate from the dashboard, so tools that speak the OpenAI API format can talk to your agent. Open API Details; you will see the API base URL and the API Server Key.

# check that the API is up
curl https://YOUR-API-HOST/v1/health -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_SERVER_KEY"

# most OpenAI-compatible clients only need these two values
Base URL : https://YOUR-API-HOST/v1
API key  : YOUR_API_SERVER_KEY

• Use the API Server Key as the Bearer token (or "OpenAI API key") in Open WebUI, LibreChat or your own scripts.
• Append paths such as /chat/completions to the base URL.
• Do not use the dashboard address for /v1 calls; that is a different service.
• To rotate the key, use Change API Server Key. Leave it blank to generate a new one. The container is recreated and old clients stop working until they receive the new key.

You can also call your agent from n8n with an HTTP Request node (see 10 practical n8n automations).

Step 3: connect Telegram

1. Create a bot with @BotFather and copy the HTTP API token.
2. Open the Telegram tab, paste the token, save, and wait 2 to 3 minutes while the container is recreated.
3. Message your bot. It replies with a pairing code. Paste the code (or your chat ID) into Telegram approval code or chat ID in the panel and approve.
4. If a phone or CLI client shows pairing required, start a connect request there, then press Approve device in the panel.

Terminal, config and environment

• Web terminal: stopped by default to save resources. Press Start, wait 1 to 2 minutes, then open it with the same username and password as the dashboard. It runs hermes commands only, such as hermes setup, hermes model, hermes chat and hermes status; type help for the list.
• Config Editor: shows the persisted configuration file. If it is YAML, the editor is read-only to protect your comments; change settings in the dashboard or with hermes config set. Restart from the Overview tab for changes to apply.
• Env file: edits the container's .env. Saving recreates the container, so allow 2 to 3 minutes.

Last reviewed 19 October 2026. Need a hand? Contact DignityHost support or open a ticket from your client area.