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Plugin Catalog

The plugin catalog is a curated, human-reviewed directory of Hermes plugins you can install by name with a single command:

hermes plugins install <name>

Browse it visually at /docs/plugins — search, tier filters (Official / Community), capability chips, and copyable install commands for every entry.

The catalog complements — it does not replace — the existing plugin system. Anything you can install from the catalog is a normal plugin under the hood; the catalog just adds discovery and a review layer on top.

What's in an entry​

Each catalog entry is a small YAML file in the plugin-catalog/ directory of the hermes-agent repository, declaring:

FieldMeaning
nameThe catalog key you pass to hermes plugins install
repoThe plugin's public git repository
shaThe exact 40-hex commit that was reviewed — installs check out this pin, not a branch tip
tierofficial (maintained by NousResearch) or community
maintainerWho owns the plugin
capabilitiesDeclared tools, hooks, middleware, and required env vars
requires_hermesMinimum Hermes version, e.g. >=0.19 (optional)
platformsOS restrictions, empty = all (optional)
docs_urlExternal documentation link (optional)

Trust model​

The catalog is designed so you know exactly what you're installing:

  • Human-merged admission. Every entry (and every pin update) lands via a pull request reviewed by a maintainer. Nothing enters the catalog automatically.
  • Exact SHA pins. Entries pin a specific commit, not a branch. A plugin author pushing new code to their repo does not change what the catalog installs — updating the pin requires another reviewed PR.
  • Capability declarations. Entries state up front which tools, hooks, and middleware the plugin provides and which environment variables (API keys etc.) it needs, so you can judge its blast radius before installing.
  • Removed list. Plugins pulled from the catalog (for example after a security incident) go on plugin-catalog/removed.yaml with a reason and date. The installer refuses to install anything on the removed list.
  • Installed ≠ enabled. Installing a catalog plugin puts it on disk; like any plugin it must still be enabled before it loads. See Plugins → Enabling and disabling.
Catalog review is a point-in-time review

A catalog entry means the pinned commit was looked at by a human, capability declarations were checked, and the repo met the submission bar. It is not a security audit, and it says nothing about other commits in the same repository. Review the code of anything you give credentials to.

Installing from the catalog​

# Install a reviewed catalog entry by name (checks out the pinned SHA)
hermes plugins install <name>

# Then enable it, as with any plugin
hermes plugins enable <name>

The install prompt shows the entry's capability summary — declared tools, hooks, and required env vars — before anything is cloned.

Updating a catalog install​

hermes plugins update <name> never runs git pull for catalog installs — it compares your installed pin against the current catalog pin and, when the catalog moved (via a reviewed PR), force-reinstalls at the new SHA. Your enabled/disabled state is preserved. hermes plugins list shows catalog installs as catalog:<tier>@<sha> so you can see provenance at a glance.

Names not in the catalog​

A bare name that isn't a catalog entry is an error: there is no second, unreviewed name index. Install such plugins by owner/repo or Git URL instead (custom source, see below), or submit them to the catalog.

Live refresh​

The docs build publishes the catalog as one JSON document (https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/api/plugin-catalog.json). search/install/update fetch it at most every six hours and cache it under ~/.hermes/cache/, so new entries and removals reach installed clients without updating Hermes. Offline, the copy shipped with your checkout is used. Removals from the in-tree list and the live list are always both enforced.

Custom git URLs are different​

hermes plugins install <git-url> still works for any repository, but it bypasses the catalog entirely:

  • No review — you get whatever is at the branch tip, not a reviewed pin.
  • A warning banner is shown to make clear the code is unvetted.
  • The removed list is still consulted (a known-bad repo is refused by URL).

Use the git-URL path for your own plugins and repos you already trust; use the catalog for discovery.

Submitting a plugin to the catalog​

Submissions are pull requests that add one plugin-catalog/<name>.yaml file. The full checklist lives in the plugin-catalog README; in short, an entry must be:

  1. Owner-submitted — the PR author owns or maintains the plugin repo.
  2. A public repository — the repo URL is publicly cloneable.
  3. Released — the repo has real releases/tags, not just a default branch.
  4. Passing validation — the catalog validation GitHub Action is green on the PR (schema, SHA format, reachability).
  5. Pinned to settled code — the pinned SHA is at least 2 weeks old, so the catalog never points at code pushed moments before review.

Pin updates (bumping sha to a newer commit) follow the same PR + review process.

See also​