Hermes Cua is the cua-spaces plugin that lets Hermes Agent do its work inside a Cua Space, which is a separate, isolated computer you can watch live, instead of on your own machine.
Hermes Agent is the free, open-source AI agent from Nous Research, and the plugin is built by Cua, the open-source computer-use company behind the trycua projects on GitHub.
It landed in the official Hermes plugin catalog on 20 October 2026 with a "Verified" badge.
For a business, the big idea is simple.
Your agent gets a fresh computer for every job, does the work there and throws that computer away at the end, so a mistake never touches your real files.
My video below walks through the announcement using Cua's own demo footage.
I haven't run this plugin on my own machine yet, so this guide is built from Cua's README, the Hermes catalog page and Nous's documentation.
Hermes Cua Use Cases At A Glance
These are the seven business uses I cover below, with the setting that makes each one work.
| Use case | The setting that makes it work | Why a business cares |
|---|---|---|
| Client code on a disposable machine | The default space: create mode. |
A bad command dies with the Space, not on your laptop. |
| Two agents for two clients at once | One Space per Hermes profile. | Neither agent can see the other client's files. |
| A virtual employee you sit next to | The Cua Spaces app or cua viewer. |
You watch the work live and take over the mouse when needed. |
| A spare Mac mini as the agent's computer | The on setting with a machine name. |
Hardware you already own does the heavy lifting. |
| Desktop and browser jobs in a Linux Space | The desktop setting on Hermes 0.22.3 or later. |
Computer use stays inside the Space instead of your desktop. |
| A Windows machine for Windows-only scripts | The image setting set to windows. |
PowerShell work runs on a real Windows Space. |
| An agent that manages its own computers | The cua mcp server or Hermes inside a Space. |
Hermes can create, use and delete Spaces as tools. |
What Hermes Cua Is, In Plain English
Think of Hermes as the brain and the Cua Space as the hands.
The brain stays where it is today, usually on your laptop or your server.
When the agent needs to type a command, save a file or run some code, the plugin sends that job to the Space instead.
A Cua Space is a full computer that runs Linux, macOS or Windows, and you can open it and watch it like a remote desktop.
Spaces can live on your own machine, on another computer you own or in your cloud account.
The catalog page lists the plugin at version 0.4.0, by trycua, needing Hermes 0.21.6 or newer, on Linux, macOS and Windows.
There's a nice twist here, too.
Nous's docs say Hermes's built-in computer-use tool already runs on cua-driver from the same trycua project, so Cua was already inside Hermes before this plugin arrived.
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The Problem It Solves For A Business
Here's the old way of running an agent on real work.
The agent sits on your own computer, so every risky command needs your approval in case it deletes something important.
That means you can't hand it a job and walk away, because it keeps stopping to ask permission.
It also means two agents on one machine can trip over each other's files.
The new way is a throwaway computer per job.
By default, each Hermes run makes its own Space named hermes-<task>-<random>, does the work there and deletes it when it finishes.
Because that Space is disposable, Hermes skips its risky-command prompts there, so the agent can keep moving.
If something goes wrong, you lose a throwaway machine rather than a client folder.
How To Set Up Hermes Cua
The README splits the install into three steps, and these are its exact commands.
First, install Cua, and sign in only if you want Spaces on your cua.ai account.
curl -fsSL https://cua.ai/install.sh | sh
cua auth login
Second, install the plugin, and answer yes when Hermes asks to install the cua Python package and enable the plugin.
hermes plugins install https://github.com/trycua/hermes-cua-spaces
The Hermes catalog page shows hermes plugins install cua-spaces as a short form of the same install.
Third, point Hermes's terminal at Cua.
hermes config set terminal.backend cua
The first Space takes a few minutes while Cua downloads the machine image.
To check it worked, ask Hermes to run hostname and cat /etc/os-release, and you should see the Space's name and Ubuntu rather than your own computer.
For the operator-level settings and every option explained, see the Hermes Cua setup walkthrough on our sister site.
Use Case 1: Let The Agent Work On Client Code Without Risk
Say you've got a client website repo and you want the agent to update dependencies and fix the build.
On your own laptop, that job means approving install commands and hoping nothing breaks your setup.
In the default Hermes Cua mode, the agent gets a fresh Linux Space, installs what it needs and runs the build there.
When the run ends, the Space is deleted, so no stray packages are left on any machine you care about.
The README also says the plugin does not copy your Hermes skills, cache or credentials into the Space, so the machine starts clean.
Use Case 2: Run Two Agents For Two Clients At The Same Time
Agencies always have more than one client in flight.
With Hermes Cua, two Hermes runs at once get two Spaces and never touch each other's files.
If you use a separate Hermes profile per client, the README shows how to pin each one to its own named Space.
HERMES_CUA_SPACE=build-a hermes --profile a
HERMES_CUA_SPACE=build-b hermes --profile b
You create those Spaces first with cua spaces create linux --name build-a.
That gives you one agent per client, each on its own computer, which is a much cleaner story to tell a client about their data.
Use Case 3: A Virtual Employee You Can Sit Next To
This is the part I described in my video as a virtual employee you sit next to.
You open the Cua Spaces app, click the Space and watch its desktop while Hermes works.
From a terminal, cua spaces ls lists your Spaces and cua viewer opens a browser viewer for all of them.
If you see the agent heading the wrong way, you click in the viewer and take over, and Hermes keeps working next to you.
Cua's Spaces page goes further and says your team and your agents can share a Space, with a cursor each on the same desktop.
That's useful for training a junior team member, because they can watch exactly what the agent did.
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Use Case 4: Turn A Spare Mac Mini Into The Agent's Computer
Lots of businesses have an old computer sitting on a shelf.
The plugin's on setting decides where a new Space goes, and it accepts local, cloud, host:<machine> or the name of one of your machines.
The README's own example points it at a spare Mac mini.
hermes config set plugins.entries.cua-spaces.settings.on "spare mac mini"
Now the heavy work runs on that box, while you keep working on your main machine.
Cua's Spaces page says you can add the Mac mini on the shelf or the Linux box under the desk, and find all your Spaces in one list.
Use Case 5: Desktop And Browser Jobs Inside A Linux Space
Some jobs need a screen, such as clicking through a web dashboard or using a desktop app.
The catalog says that on Hermes 0.22.3 and later, Bot Desktop, computer_use and the browser follow the terminal into the Space.
That only works in Linux Spaces, with the cua command on your PATH at version 0.7.0 or newer.
You let the plugin install the desktop stack once with this command.
hermes config set plugins.entries.cua-spaces.settings.desktop true
The README says the install takes a few minutes and needs internet and sudo inside the Space.
The business win is that the agent's clicking and browsing happen on the throwaway machine, not on the desktop where your email and banking tabs are open.
If you want to understand the computer-use tool itself, read my guide to the Hermes computer use skill.
Use Case 6: Windows-Only Scripts On A Windows Space
If a client runs Windows software, you can give the agent a Windows Space.
cua spaces create windows --name my-pc
hermes config set plugins.entries.cua-spaces.settings.space my-pc
The terminal runs in PowerShell there, and the file tools and execute_code run in Git Bash, which the plugin installs if it's missing.
Be clear on the limit, though.
The README says browser tools, computer_use and Bot Desktop are not available in a Windows Space, so they use your own machine instead.
It also warns that a Windows Space on an Apple silicon Mac runs by emulation and is slow, so use an x86 machine or your cloud account for real work.
Use Case 7: Let Hermes Manage Its Own Computers
The README lists two more routes that need no plugin.
The first gives Hermes the Cua tools through cua mcp, so it can create Spaces, run commands, drive their desktops and delete them as tools it calls itself.
mcp_servers:
cua:
command: cua
args: ["mcp"]
You can lock it down with args: ["mcp", "--permissions", "spaces:readonly"] and tools.include.
The second runs Hermes itself inside a Space, so the agent, its keys and its tools all stay there.
cua agent create ada --harness hermes --in local:dev --env-from-host OPENAI_API_KEY
cua agent tell ada "summarize the repo in /home/cua/project"
The README says Hermes keeps its memory in your Cua Volume in that setup, so the memory survives if the Space is replaced.
The Rules That Still Apply
A throwaway computer doesn't mean anything goes.
- If you name your own Space, the plugin never deletes it and Hermes keeps asking before risky commands.
- The plugin never stores a token or key, and nothing about Cua goes into your Hermes config or
.envfile. - With a local Space, nothing leaves your machine, while cloud or remote Spaces go through Cua's encrypted relay or your own network.
- The
cuapackage has its own anonymous usage telemetry, which you turn off withcua telemetry offorCUA_TELEMETRY=0.
If you want a second opinion on where agents fit your SEO or agency work, you can book a free SEO strategy session with my team.
The Limits A Business Should Know About
- The first Space takes a few minutes to create because Cua downloads the machine image.
- Computer use and the browser only follow the agent into Linux Spaces, not macOS or Windows Spaces.
- Older Hermes versions keep computer use, Bot Desktop and the browser on your own machine.
- Windows Spaces on Apple silicon are slow because they run by emulation.
- Throwaway Spaces delete their files at the end, so set
delete_on_exittofalseif you need work to persist.
How It Compares With Grok Bot
In my video I compared this with Grok Bot, and this part is my own opinion rather than a spec sheet.
The way I see it, a setup where the agent works on one shared computer is fine for small jobs.
Hermes Cua flips that, because each run can get its own clean machine and you can still sit next to it and watch.
If you're new to Hermes bots in general, my Hermes Agent bot mode guide is the place to start.
Who Is Behind Cua
Cua's Y Combinator page lists it in the Spring 2025 batch, in San Francisco, with Francesco Bonacci as founder and CTO.
Its original YC launch post says its Lume virtual machines reach up to 97% of native CPU speed on Apple Silicon.
The main Cua repository is MIT licensed and had about 30,700 stars on GitHub on 23 October 2026.
Cua's README also mentions a limited launch offer on Spaces Pro and Teams for Hermes users, for the first 50 people until 15 November, and the details are on the plugin's GitHub page.
🔥 Want my Hermes playbooks for client work? The AI Profit Boardroom has the Agent OS, Hermes Agent training and four weekly coaching calls where you can ask me how to roll agents out across your clients. → Join the AI Profit Boardroom
Related Reading
- How a business uses a Hermes Agent sandbox
- The Hermes computer use skill, for business owners
- What changed in Hermes Agent v0.22
Also On Our Network
- 🌐 The three-step Hermes Cua setup walkthrough
- 🌐 Every Hermes Cua feature, scored with a verdict
- 🌐 The Hermes Cua quick start inside an Agent OS
- 🌐 The models worth running inside a Cua Space, on GoldieBench
FAQ: Hermes Cua For Business
What is Hermes Cua in plain English?
It's a plugin from Cua that moves Hermes Agent's terminal, file and code work onto a separate computer called a Cua Space.
By default, a new Space is made for each run and deleted afterwards.
Why would a business use Hermes Cua?
It keeps risky agent work off your real computer and away from client files.
Two agents get two Spaces, and you can watch each one live.
Is Hermes Cua free?
Hermes Agent and the plugin are MIT licensed, and a local Space needs no Cua sign-in.
Spaces on a cua.ai account need a sign-in, and Cua sells paid Spaces plans such as Pro and Teams.
Can my team watch the same Hermes Cua Space?
Cua says teams and agents can share a Space with a cursor each.
You open it in the Cua Spaces app or with cua viewer.
Does Hermes Cua work with Windows software?
The terminal, file tools and execute_code run in a Windows Space.
Computer use, Bot Desktop and the browser do not move into a Windows Space.
If you run an agency and want help planning agent work for your clients, you can book a free strategy session and we'll map it out together.
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About Julian
I'm Julian Goldie, an SEO entrepreneur, author and founder of the AI Profit Boardroom, which has 3,400+ members.
I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation and SEO.
- I've built a 7-figure SEO and link-building agency, Goldie Agency, with 70+ people in Bangkok.
- I've grown a YouTube channel to 400,000+ subscribers.
- I wrote the book "Link Building Mastery", which covers nine link building strategies.
- I run GoldieBench, where I score AI models on real one-shot builds.
→ Get my best AI training inside the AI Profit Boardroom
Give each job its own throwaway computer, watch it live and keep your real machine clean, and that's how a business gets real value from Hermes Cua.
