Hermes Agent setup: install it and connect Instagram, LinkedIn and X in 15 minutes

Q: Where does Hermes store the PlugKit API key?

In ~/.hermes/.env as MCPPLUGKITAPIKEY. config.yaml references the variable in the Authorization header rather than holding the key. Turn on security.redactsecrets so keys never land in session logs.

By Antoine Blanco·September 4, 2026·7 min read

Hermes Agent takes one command to install and one more to get 85 social media tools: hermes mcp add plugkit --url https://api.plugkit.co/mcp --auth header. After that your agent can list your accounts, publish to Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram, read the inbox and reply. This is the exact sequence I ran on my own Mac on September 4, 2026, with the real output, including the one startup quirk that makes people think the connection failed.

What Hermes Agent is (and why it needs a plug)

Hermes Agent is the open-source agent from Nous Research (MIT license). Unlike a chat window, it runs always-on: a gateway process you reach from WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord or Slack, cron jobs, skills it writes and improves itself, memory across sessions, and a native MCP client. Out of the box it can browse, run code and read files. It cannot post to Instagram, because Instagram, LinkedIn, X and TikTok each ship a different API, a different OAuth flow and a different app review.

That is the gap an MCP server fills. PlugKit exposes your connected social accounts as MCP tools over plain Streamable HTTP, so Hermes gets publishing, inbox, comments, analytics and comment-to-DM automations without you touching a single platform API.

Step 1: install Hermes Agent

On macOS or Linux (WSL2 works too):

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
hermes setup

hermes setup is the wizard: it picks your model provider (I run it on gpt-5.5 through the OpenAI Codex login, Claude and local models work as well), sets the working directory the agent is allowed to see, and configures the messaging channels. Check the install:

hermes --version
# Hermes Agent v0.16.0 (2026.6.5) · upstream 85852b71

If the banner says you are behind upstream, hermes update brings you current. Hermes ships new versions several times a week.

Two settings worth fixing right away in ~/.hermes/config.yaml:

terminal.cwd: the folder the agent works in. The default resolves oddly on some Macs; set it explicitly.
security.redact_secrets: true: otherwise API keys can appear verbatim in session logs. Mine was off; I found out from the startup warning.

Step 2: get a PlugKit API key and connect your accounts

Create a PlugKit account ($29 a month for 5 connected accounts, cancel anytime), connect your social accounts from the dashboard with the normal OAuth buttons, and create an API key. Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok, Telegram, YouTube, X and LinkedIn are supported; the MCP docs list the current capabilities per platform.

The key looks like sk_…. Never paste it in a chat with the agent: it stays in the history forever. The next step stores it properly.

Step 3: add PlugKit as an MCP server in Hermes

hermes mcp add plugkit --url https://api.plugkit.co/mcp --auth header

Hermes asks two questions:

Does this server require authentication? [Y/n]: Y
API key / Bearer token: sk_…
✓ Saved to ~/.hermes/.env as MCP_PLUGKIT_API_KEY

Connecting to 'plugkit'...
✓ Connected! Found 85 tool(s) from 'plugkit':
  whoami            Entry point: returns the authenticated identity, the profiles...
  list_profiles     List profiles (workspaces grouping social accounts)...
  list_accounts     List connected social accounts, filterable by profile, platform...
  create_post       Create a post and publish it to several accounts at once...
  list_conversations, send_message, reply_to_comment, get_analytics_summary,
  create_comment_automation ...

What happened on disk: the key went to ~/.hermes/.env as MCP_PLUGKIT_API_KEY, and ~/.hermes/config.yaml gained this block, referencing the variable instead of the raw key:

mcp_servers:
  plugkit:
    url: https://api.plugkit.co/mcp
    headers:
      Authorization: Bearer ${MCP_PLUGKIT_API_KEY}
    enabled: true

You can write that block by hand if you prefer; hermes mcp add just does it for you and tests the connection.

Step 4: test the connection

hermes mcp test plugkit

Testing 'plugkit'...
Transport: HTTP → https://api.plugkit.co/mcp
  Authorization: Bear***7444
✓ Connected (2529ms)
✓ Tools discovered: 85

And hermes mcp list shows the server as enabled with all tools. Inside a session the tools are prefixed by the server name: mcp_plugkit_whoami, mcp_plugkit_list_accounts, mcp_plugkit_create_post, mcp_plugkit_send_message, and so on. They are injected into every Hermes channel (CLI, WhatsApp, Telegram, cron), no extra configuration.

Here is what whoami and list_accounts returned on my account, trimmed:

profiles: Antoine Blanco (6 accounts, 54 posts), Antoine Blanco Business (1 account)

platform   account                    
facebook   Antoine.Blanco
linkedin   Antoine Blanco
youtube    @antoineblancobusiness
youtube    @antoineblanco99
tiktok     Antoine Blanco
x          @AntoineBlanco99
instagram  @antoineblanco99

Seven accounts, one plug. Ask Hermes "what PlugKit accounts do I have?" and that table is the answer.

The startup quirk that looks like a failure

If you test with a one-shot command like hermes chat -q "list my PlugKit accounts", the first reply may say the tools are not available. It is not the connection. Hermes discovers MCP servers in a background thread and only waits 0.75 seconds for it before the first turn (hermes_cli/mcp_startup.py, wait_for_mcp_discovery(timeout=0.75) in v0.16.0). PlugKit's handshake takes about 2.5 seconds, so the first message races ahead of the tool list.

Three ways around it:

Talk to the always-on gateway (WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord). It connected at startup, the tools are there.
In an interactive hermes chat, send any message first, then your real request.
For scripts and cron jobs, use hermes cron or a session with two turns rather than a single -q.

I wasted twenty minutes on this before reading the source. You now have the minute.

What to ask Hermes once it is plugged in

Read-only, safe to try first:

"What PlugKit accounts do I have, and which profile is the default?"
"Show me my last 10 Instagram posts with reach and likes."
"List unanswered Instagram DMs from the last 24 hours."
"What are my best times to post on LinkedIn?"

Then the real work:

"Post this text to Instagram, LinkedIn and X at 9am tomorrow, same media." One create_post, three targets.
"Reply to every comment on my last Reel that asks about pricing with the link in the bio." That is get_comments plus reply_to_comment.
"Create a comment-to-DM automation on Instagram: keyword PLUG, send the guide link as a button." That is create_comment_automation; the DM is sent with a button because Meta blocks raw URLs in message bodies.
"Every Monday at 8am, send me a report of last week's reach per account." Hermes cron plus get_analytics_summary.

Start Hermes with the OAuth scope mcp:read if you want a week of read-only before letting it write; the API key path gives full access, so keep approvals.mode: smart on the Hermes side and test writes on a secondary account.

Hermes Agent, OpenClaw or a plain script?

If you already run OpenClaw, PlugKit connects the same way (it speaks standard MCP over HTTP). Hermes is the one gaining ground in 2026: always-on gateway, cron, self-improving skills, and a native MCP client that needs no bridge. A plain script calling the PlugKit REST API is still the right answer when you want deterministic publishing with no model in the loop; the agent is for the conversational half, replies, triage, decisions.

For the full comparison, read Hermes Agent vs OpenClaw for social media. For the mechanics behind the MCP server, how to give an AI agent social media access.

FAQ

Does Hermes Agent support MCP servers?

Yes. Hermes has a native MCP client since early 2026: servers go under mcp_servers in ~/.hermes/config.yaml (stdio or HTTP), tools are discovered at startup and registered as mcp_<server>_<tool> in every channel. hermes mcp add, hermes mcp test and hermes mcp list manage them from the terminal.

Can Hermes Agent post to Instagram?

Not on its own. Instagram requires the Graph API with a business or creator account and an app review. Through the PlugKit MCP server, Hermes gets create_post, publish_post, get_comments, reply_to_comment and the inbox tools on your connected Instagram account, so it can publish, read and reply.

Where does Hermes store the PlugKit API key?

In ~/.hermes/.env as MCP_PLUGKIT_API_KEY. config.yaml references the variable in the Authorization header rather than holding the key. Turn on security.redact_secrets so keys never land in session logs.

Why does Hermes say the PlugKit tools are unavailable on the first message?

Because MCP discovery runs in the background and the first turn only waits 0.75 seconds for it, while the PlugKit handshake takes about 2.5 seconds. Send a second message, or use the gateway, which connected at startup.

How much does this cost?

Hermes Agent is free and open source; you pay your model provider. PlugKit is $29 a month for 5 connected accounts or $97 for 30, every tool included, cancel anytime. X API calls are the one pass-through, billed at X's own rate.

Antoine BlancoFounder of PlugKit. Runs his own Instagram, YouTube and X accounts through the API and MCP server described here.

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