Hermes Agent Messaging Platforms: All 18 Supported

Overview of Messaging Platform Support

Hermes Agent connects to messaging platforms through a unified gateway subsystem that abstracts away the differences between platform APIs. Every platform connection runs through the same configuration system, and the agent maintains consistent memory and context regardless of which channel a message arrives from. This means a conversation started on Telegram can continue seamlessly on Discord or Slack without losing context.

The gateway architecture treats each platform as an interchangeable transport layer. Message content is normalized into a common internal format before reaching the agent's reasoning engine, and responses are converted back to platform-specific formatting before delivery. This design means adding support for a new platform requires only a thin adapter layer rather than changes to the core agent logic. As of the v0.15 release in May 2026, Hermes supports 18 messaging platforms with full bidirectional communication.

Fully Supported Platforms

Telegram is the most popular platform among Hermes users due to its well-documented bot API with rich formatting, inline keyboards, and file sharing. Hermes supports both private and group chats on Telegram, with configurable permissions for group environments.

Discord support includes server-based channels, direct messages, and thread conversations. The agent can be assigned roles and permissions within a Discord server, and it responds to both mentions and direct messages. Discord's rich embed format is used for structured responses.

Slack integration works through Slack's Bolt framework, supporting workspace channels, direct messages, and app home interactions. The agent can be installed as a Slack app in multiple workspaces simultaneously, each with independent memory and configuration.

WhatsApp support uses the WhatsApp Business API through a cloud-hosted bridge. This requires a WhatsApp Business account and a connected phone number. The agent handles text, image, and document messages.

Signal integration provides end-to-end encrypted communication with the agent. Signal's privacy-first architecture aligns well with Hermes's data sovereignty principles. Setup requires the signal-cli utility running alongside the agent.

Matrix support connects through any Matrix homeserver using the Matrix client-server API. This enables communication through Element, FluffyChat, or any other Matrix client. Federation is supported, meaning the agent can communicate across different Matrix servers.

Mattermost works similarly to Slack, using Mattermost's bot API for self-hosted team communication environments.

Email (IMAP/SMTP) allows the agent to receive and respond to emails. The agent monitors configured email accounts via IMAP, processes incoming messages, and sends responses through SMTP.

SMS (via Twilio) enables text message interaction using a Twilio phone number. The agent receives incoming SMS messages through Twilio webhooks and sends responses through the Twilio API.

Additional Supported Platforms

DingTalk is the leading enterprise messaging platform in China. Hermes connects through DingTalk's robot API, supporting both individual and group conversations within DingTalk workspaces.

Feishu (Lark) is ByteDance's enterprise collaboration platform, widely used across Asia. The integration supports messaging, document sharing, and calendar interactions through Feishu's open platform API.

WeCom (WeChat Work) is Tencent's enterprise messaging platform that extends WeChat's functionality into business environments. Hermes connects through WeCom's agent API for internal communication within WeCom organizations.

BlueBubbles provides an unofficial bridge to Apple's iMessage ecosystem. Running on a Mac with BlueBubbles server software, this integration allows Hermes to send and receive iMessages.

Home Assistant integration turns Hermes into a voice and text assistant for home automation. The agent connects to Home Assistant's conversation API, enabling natural language control of smart home devices.

Spotify was added in the v0.12 release as a native integration, allowing the agent to manage playback, create playlists, and search the Spotify catalog through conversational commands.

Google Meet integration enables the agent to join scheduled meetings, take notes, and provide post-meeting summaries.

Web Dashboard provides a browser-based chat interface for direct interaction with the agent, serving as both the default interface and administration panel.

Multi-Platform Context Merging

One of the most practical features of Hermes's multi-platform support is automatic context merging. When the same user contacts the agent through different platforms, Hermes recognizes them as one person and maintains a unified interaction history. You can start a conversation on Telegram during your commute, continue it on Slack when you arrive at work, and pick it up on Discord in the evening, all without the agent losing track of what you were discussing.

User identity linking is configured through the agent's user management system. You associate multiple platform identities with a single user profile, and the memory system merges all interactions into one coherent timeline. This is particularly valuable for power users who move between platforms throughout the day.

Platform-Specific Configuration

Each messaging platform can be configured independently with its own permission level, tool access, and behavioral profile. This enables sophisticated multi-platform setups where the agent behaves differently depending on the context. A personal Telegram channel might have unrestricted tool access, while a public Discord server might limit the agent to read-only operations and informational responses.

Rate limiting, message length restrictions, and formatting rules are automatically handled per platform. The agent knows that Discord supports embeds but Telegram uses HTML formatting, and it adjusts its output accordingly without any manual configuration.

Setting Up Your First Messaging Platform

For most new users, Telegram is the recommended starting platform because of its straightforward bot creation process and excellent API support. Creating a Telegram bot involves messaging the BotFather account, choosing a name for your bot, and receiving an API token. This token goes into your Hermes config.yaml file, and the agent connects to Telegram automatically on startup. The entire process takes under five minutes and requires no server configuration or webhook setup.

Discord is the second most popular starting platform, particularly for users who already operate Discord servers. Creating a Discord bot requires registering an application in the Discord Developer Portal, generating a bot token, and configuring the necessary intents (message content, guild members, and presence). The bot must be invited to your server with appropriate permissions before it can respond to messages. Discord's richer formatting options and thread support enable more structured conversations with the agent.

Advanced Multi-Platform Strategies

Experienced Hermes users develop sophisticated multi-platform strategies that leverage the strengths of different messaging platforms for different purposes. A common pattern is using Telegram for quick personal interactions (it has the fastest notification delivery and the simplest interface for mobile use), Slack for work-related agent tasks (where the agent can participate in team channels and respond to workplace queries), and Discord for community or project-based interactions (where thread support enables organized multi-topic conversations).

The agent's per-platform configuration enables different behavior profiles for each channel. A Telegram instance might be configured with full tool access and an informal communication style, while the same agent's Slack instance uses restricted tools and a more professional tone. These configurations are independent, meaning changes to one platform's settings do not affect others. The soul file provides the baseline personality, and per-platform overrides adjust the presentation for each context.

Performance Across Platforms

Response latency varies by platform due to differences in API architecture and message delivery mechanisms. Telegram typically delivers the fastest round-trip responses because its bot API uses simple HTTP polling with minimal overhead. Discord responses are slightly slower due to the gateway connection and event processing pipeline. Slack responses can be noticeably slower because Slack's API has stricter rate limits and requires acknowledgment within three seconds, which forces the agent to send an initial acknowledgment before processing the full response.

Message length limits also differ across platforms. Telegram allows messages up to 4096 characters, Discord supports up to 2000 characters per message (with the ability to send multiple messages), and Slack allows up to 40,000 characters but renders long messages poorly. Hermes automatically handles message splitting when responses exceed platform limits, breaking long responses at natural paragraph boundaries to maintain readability. The formatting engine also converts between markdown dialects, since Telegram uses HTML, Discord uses a custom markdown variant, and Slack uses mrkdwn syntax.