Web Search in Hermes Agent: What's Built In and How to Use It

Hermes is an automated server-based agent designed to perform scheduled web tasks without human intervention, utilizing three layers of web access for different functions. It includes web_search and web_extract as primary tools, with Firecrawl as the default backend for robust page content rendering, especially for JavaScript-heavy pages. The web_search tool returns titles, URLs, and markdown descriptions, while web_extract fetches full page content. The agent also features a comprehensive browser toolset for interactive sessions, handling content that requires user interactions such as form submissions or dynamically-rendered tables. Multiple backends like Tavily, Parallel, and Exa are supported, but Firecrawl is preferred for its extensive capabilities including site-wide crawling. The Nous Portal's Tool Gateway allows subscribers to bypass individual API key setups for seamless web access and automation. Hermes's cron system enables recurring tasks, automating research, monitoring changes, and data collection, with the flexibility to handle complex tasks that involve client-side rendering or user interaction through its browser tools.