Introduction
Parlant Agents runs Hermes for you on dedicated infrastructure. You do not need to configure a virtual server, DNS, TLS certificates, or backup scripts. This guide takes you from account creation to your first conversation.
Examples
A new customer can use the service in either of these ways:
- Managed model credit: buy a fixed amount of OpenRouter credit during setup. Parlant Agents installs a restricted key and shows the remaining balance in your account dashboard.
- Your own provider key: provision the agent first, then add a Hermes-supported provider key in the Hermes dashboard. Your provider bills you directly.
In both cases, your monthly Parlant Agents subscription pays for the managed server, private storage, hostname, TLS, and backups. Model usage is separate.
In-depth guide
1. Create your agent
Select Create agent, choose Hermes, and enter your email address. Parlant Agents sends a secure magic link to verify that address. Open the link in the same browser to continue.
2. Review the subscription
The review page shows the current monthly infrastructure price and your future agent address. Stripe handles payment securely. The subscription renews monthly until you cancel it through the billing portal.
3. Select model access
Choose managed OpenRouter credit for the quickest setup, or choose Use your own key if you already have a supported provider account. Managed credit packs do not renew automatically. You can add credit later from the Parlant Agents dashboard.
4. Follow provisioning
The progress page reports real infrastructure work: credentials, server and storage, network, DNS, TLS, model access, and the final health check. You can safely leave the page and return to your account dashboard.
5. Open Hermes
When provisioning finishes, open your Parlant Agents dashboard and select the agent. Copy the Hermes dashboard credentials or use the Open agent link. Sign in to Hermes, confirm the selected model, and begin with a bounded request such as:
Summarize what you can do in this environment. Do not make any changes. Suggest three useful first tasks and explain which tools each task would use.
Keep your first tasks narrow. Review tool requests and results before giving Hermes broader or recurring work.