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Email Setup

Hermes can receive and reply to emails using standard IMAP and SMTP protocols. Send an email to the agent's address and it replies in-thread — no special client or bot API needed. Works with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Fastmail, or any provider that supports IMAP/SMTP.

No External Dependencies

The Email adapter uses Python's built-in imaplib, smtplib, and email modules. No additional packages or external services are required.

Prerequisites​

  • A dedicated email account for your Hermes agent (don't use your personal email)
  • IMAP enabled on the email account
  • An app password if using Gmail or another provider with 2FA

Gmail Setup​

  1. Enable 2-Factor Authentication on your Google Account
  2. Go to App Passwords
  3. Create a new App Password (select "Mail" or "Other")
  4. Copy the 16-character password — you'll use this instead of your regular password

Outlook / Microsoft 365​

  1. Go to Security Settings
  2. Enable 2FA if not already active
  3. Create an App Password under "Additional security options"
  4. IMAP host: outlook.office365.com, SMTP host: smtp.office365.com

Other Providers​

Most email providers support IMAP/SMTP. Check your provider's documentation for:

  • IMAP host and port (usually port 993 with SSL)
  • SMTP host and port (usually port 587 with STARTTLS)
  • Whether app passwords are required

Step 1: Configure Hermes​

The easiest way:

hermes gateway setup

Select Email from the platform menu. The wizard prompts for your email address, password, IMAP/SMTP hosts, and allowed senders.

Manual Configuration​

Add to ~/.hermes/.env:

# Required
EMAIL_ADDRESS=hermes@gmail.com
EMAIL_PASSWORD=abcd efgh ijkl mnop    # App password (not your regular password)
EMAIL_IMAP_HOST=imap.gmail.com
EMAIL_SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com

# Security (recommended)
EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERS=your@email.com,colleague@work.com

# Optional
EMAIL_IMAP_PORT=993                    # Default: 993 (IMAP SSL)
EMAIL_SMTP_PORT=587                    # Default: 587 (SMTP STARTTLS)
EMAIL_POLL_INTERVAL=15                 # Seconds between inbox checks (default: 15)
EMAIL_HOME_ADDRESS=your@email.com      # Default delivery target for cron jobs

Step 2: Start the Gateway​

hermes gateway              # Run in foreground
hermes gateway install      # Install as a user service
sudo hermes gateway install --system   # Linux only: boot-time system service

On startup, the adapter:

  1. Tests IMAP and SMTP connections
  2. Marks all existing inbox messages as "seen" (only processes new emails)
  3. Starts polling for new messages

How It Works​

Receiving Messages​

The adapter polls the IMAP inbox for UNSEEN messages at a configurable interval (default: 15 seconds). For each new email:

  • Subject line is included as context (e.g., [Subject: Deploy to production])
  • Reply emails (subject starting with Re:) skip the subject prefix — the thread context is already established
  • Attachments are cached locally:
    • Images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP) → available to the vision tool
    • Documents (PDF, ZIP, etc.) → available for file access
  • HTML-only emails have tags stripped for plain text extraction
  • Self-messages are filtered out to prevent reply loops

Sending Replies​

Replies are sent via SMTP with proper email threading:

  • In-Reply-To and References headers maintain the thread
  • Subject line preserved with Re: prefix (no double Re: Re:)
  • Message-ID generated with the agent's domain
  • Responses are sent as plain text (UTF-8)

File Attachments​

The agent can send file attachments in replies. Include MEDIA:/path/to/file in the response and the file is attached to the outgoing email.

Skipping Attachments​

To ignore all incoming attachments (for malware protection or bandwidth savings), add to your config.yaml:

platforms:
  email:
    skip_attachments: true

When enabled, attachment and inline parts are skipped before payload decoding. The email body text is still processed normally.

Access Control​

Email access follows the same pattern as all other Hermes platforms:

  1. EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERS set → only emails from those addresses are processed
  2. No allowlist set → unknown senders get a pairing code
  3. EMAIL_ALLOW_ALL_USERS=true → any sender is accepted (use with caution)
warning

Always configure EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERS. Without it, anyone who knows the agent's email address could send commands. The agent has terminal access by default.

Troubleshooting​

ProblemSolution
"IMAP connection failed" at startupVerify EMAIL_IMAP_HOST and EMAIL_IMAP_PORT. Ensure IMAP is enabled on the account. For Gmail, enable it in Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
"SMTP connection failed" at startupVerify EMAIL_SMTP_HOST and EMAIL_SMTP_PORT. Check that your password is correct (use App Password for Gmail).
Messages not receivedCheck EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERS includes the sender's email. Check spam folder — some providers flag automated replies.
"Authentication failed"For Gmail, you must use an App Password, not your regular password. Ensure 2FA is enabled first.
Duplicate repliesEnsure only one gateway instance is running. Check hermes gateway status.
Slow responseThe default poll interval is 15 seconds. Reduce with EMAIL_POLL_INTERVAL=5 for faster response (but more IMAP connections).
Replies not threadingThe adapter uses In-Reply-To headers. Some email clients (especially web-based) may not thread correctly with automated messages.

Security​

warning

Use a dedicated email account. Don't use your personal email — the agent stores the password in .env and has full inbox access via IMAP.

  • Use App Passwords instead of your main password (required for Gmail with 2FA)
  • Set EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERS to restrict who can interact with the agent
  • The password is stored in ~/.hermes/.env — protect this file (chmod 600)
  • IMAP uses SSL (port 993) and SMTP uses STARTTLS (port 587) by default — connections are encrypted

Environment Variables Reference​

VariableRequiredDefaultDescription
EMAIL_ADDRESSYes—Agent's email address
EMAIL_PASSWORDYes—Email password or app password
EMAIL_IMAP_HOSTYes—IMAP server host (e.g., imap.gmail.com)
EMAIL_SMTP_HOSTYes—SMTP server host (e.g., smtp.gmail.com)
EMAIL_IMAP_PORTNo993IMAP server port
EMAIL_SMTP_PORTNo587SMTP server port
EMAIL_POLL_INTERVALNo15Seconds between inbox checks
EMAIL_ALLOWED_USERSNo—Comma-separated allowed sender addresses
EMAIL_HOME_ADDRESSNo—Default delivery target for cron jobs
EMAIL_ALLOW_ALL_USERSNofalseAllow all senders (not recommended)