Hermes3D is a free, open-source 3D virtual office for AI agents, and for a business it's a way to see what your agents are doing instead of reading logs.
The repo is github.com/iamlukethedev/Hermes3D, it's MIT licensed, and it's an unofficial community project by LukeTheDev, so it isn't made by Nous Research.
The quick start is five commands, which are git clone https://github.com/iamlukethedev/Hermes3D hermes3d, cd hermes3d, npm install, cp .env.example .env and npm run dev, and then you open http://localhost:3000.
So is it worth it for a business?
My honest answer is that it's worth a ten-minute demo today, and it's worth real use only if you already run Hermes agents and the repo is still being looked after.
I have to be clear about where this comes from.
I have not tested Hermes3D myself, so this is a docs-based guide built from the README, the tutorial and the docs folder, which I read on 14 October 2026.
The use cases below are what the docs say the tool does, turned into plain business language, and none of them are results I've measured.
That video is my test of Herald OS, which is a different Hermes project from the same developer, and I've used it here because I haven't made a Hermes3D video.
What Hermes3D Is And What It Costs
Hermes3D is a visual layer that sits on top of your AI agents.
The README calls it a "3D virtual office for AI agents" that you run on your own infrastructure.
Your agents appear as workers at desks, and you walk through the office to see who is doing what.
It doesn't do the work itself, and it doesn't come with an agent.
The repo's vision file puts it simply, which is that Hermes handles the intelligence and Hermes3D handles the visualisation.
Here's the fact sheet from the repo on 14 October 2026.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | The software is free. |
| Licence | It's MIT licensed, which is a permissive open-source licence. |
| Maker | It's built by LukeTheDev, an independent developer. |
| Official status | It's unofficial, and it is not made by Nous Research. |
| First release | Version 1.0.0 came out on 20 August 2026, and it's the only release. |
| Last code push | The last push I could see was on 29 August 2026. |
| Popularity | The repo had 570+ stars and 120+ forks when I checked. |
| Hosting | You host it yourself on your own machine or server. |
One line on the GitHub page might throw you.
The repo's short "About" text calls Hermes3D a 3D engine for games and simulations.
I think that's misleading, because everything in the README describes an office for agents.
A business owner should read it as a monitoring and collaboration screen, not a game tool.
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The Problem Hermes3D Tries To Solve For A Business
The README makes a point I agree with from running agents every day.
AI agents are getting more capable, but their work is still hidden in logs, terminal output and dashboards.
That's a real business problem.
If you can't see an agent, you can't tell whether it's working, waiting for approval or quietly stuck.
I've felt that myself when a batch of agents sits blocked for an hour because one needed a yes from me.
Hermes3D's answer is to make agent work visible through space and movement.
You should think of it as the open-plan office for a team that otherwise works behind closed doors.
7 Ways A Business Could Use Hermes3D
Every use case below comes from a feature in the README or the docs.
I've labelled each one honestly, because I haven't run any of them.
| Use case | Feature it relies on | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Seeing your agent team at a glance | The 3D office and the 2D pixel office | Documented, and I have not tested it. |
| Catching approvals quickly | Approvals in the same screen as chat | Documented, and I have not tested it. |
| Running an agent standup | Standups with GitHub and Jira | Documented, and I have not tested it. |
| Reviewing code changes | Pull request review inside the office | Documented, and I have not tested it. |
| Watching quality checks | QA pipelines and logs | Documented, and I have not tested it. |
| Showing clients or staff what agents do | The live office and the office builder | This is my own suggestion, based on documented features. |
| Managing a small agent team | Fleet management and orchestration tools | Documented, and I have not tested it. |
Use Case 1: See Your Whole Agent Team At A Glance
The README says you can watch your agents work in real time in a shared 3D office.
For an owner, that means one screen answers the question "what are my agents doing right now?".
If your machine is slow, the README says there's a 2D pixel office that shows the same live agents.
You switch to it in Settings under Office renderer, or with the 2D button in the toolbar.
Use Case 2: Catch Approvals Before They Cost You A Morning
The README lists approvals alongside agent chat, settings and session controls.
An approval is when an agent stops and asks a human before it does something risky.
In my experience, a silently blocked agent is one of the most expensive failures in agent work, because nothing looks broken.
A screen that keeps approvals in front of you is useful for that reason alone.
I learned this with Hermes Pixel Office, which is a different tool, so I can't promise Hermes3D handles it as smoothly.
Use Case 3: Run A Standup With Your Agents
The README says you can run standups with agents connected to GitHub and Jira.
For an agency or a software team, that's a daily check on what each agent shipped and what's next.
I haven't seen how deep that connection goes, so I'd test it on one small project first.
Use Case 4: Review Code Changes In One Place
The README says you can review pull requests from inside the office.
If your agents write code for client sites or internal tools, that keeps the human review step close to the agents.
A human should still approve anything that goes live.
Use Case 5: Watch Quality Checks And Logs
The README says you can monitor QA pipelines and logs without leaving the workspace.
That suits a business that has agents testing their own work.
Use Case 6: Show People What Your Agents Actually Do
This one is my own idea and not a claim from the docs.
Agents are hard to explain to a client or a new team member, because the work is invisible.
An office where each agent is a character at a desk is a much easier thing to show on a call.
The repo also has an /office/builder editor for editing and publishing office layouts, so you could lay it out like your own company.
You should never share a screen that shows private client data or keys, and that's a rule I follow with every agent tool.
Use Case 7: Manage A Small Team Of Agents
The README lists fleet management, agent creation and settings.
The adapter docs say the main Hermes agent can act as an orchestrator that spawns sub-agents, delegates tasks and lists the team.
Those sub-agents appear in the office as separate characters with their own conversations.
That's the closest Hermes3D gets to the "AI workforce" idea, and it depends entirely on how good your underlying agents are.
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What Hermes3D Really Costs To Run
Free software is never the whole bill, so here's the honest version.
| Cost | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Hermes3D itself | It's free under the MIT licence. |
| The AI model | Your agents still need a model, and that's whatever your Hermes setup already uses. |
| A machine | You need a computer or server that stays on while the office is in use. |
| Setup time | Someone has to install Node.js, clone the repo and connect it. |
| Voice replies | These are optional and need your own ElevenLabs keys. |
| The jukebox | The SOUNDHERMES jukebox is optional and needs your own Spotify sign-in. |
| Upkeep | You update it yourself, because there's no company supporting it. |
I'm not going to quote prices for the model or the extras, because they depend on what you pick.
If cost is your main worry, my free Hermes Agent OS guide covers the free options I've used.
How To Get Hermes3D Running In A Business
You don't need Hermes installed to see the office.
The README has a demo mode with fake agents, and that's where I'd tell any business owner to start.
git clone https://github.com/iamlukethedev/Hermes3D hermes3d
cd hermes3d
npm install
cp .env.example .env
npm run demo-gateway
Then you open a second terminal window in the same folder and run this.
npm run dev
You open http://localhost:3000, connect to ws://localhost:18789 and choose Demo backend.
The README recommends Node.js 20 or newer and npm 10 or newer.
When you're ready for real agents, you swap the demo gateway for the Hermes adapter with npm run hermes-adapter and choose Hermes backend.
The README is clear that Hermes3D does not install Hermes for you, so Hermes has to be running first.
The full operator walkthrough is in the Agent Operators post linked in the network section below.
The Risks A Business Should Weigh With Hermes3D
I'd rather you hear these from me now than find them later.
It's unofficial
Hermes3D is a community frontend, and the README says it isn't affiliated with or endorsed by the teams behind the backends it connects to.
If Hermes changes, nobody is obliged to update Hermes3D.
It has one release and has been quiet since August
The only release is v1.0.0 from 20 August 2026, and the last push I could see was on 29 August 2026.
That doesn't mean it's abandoned, but you should check the repo for activity before you build a process around it.
Security is your job
The README says the gateway URL and token are loaded into browser memory at runtime.
It tells you to set STUDIO_ACCESS_TOKEN before you expose the app beyond your own machine, and to set an allowlist in production.
The tutorial recommends Tailscale or an SSH tunnel instead of opening ports to the internet.
If nobody on your team knows what those words mean, keep it on one computer and don't expose it.
Some features are unfinished
The README says voice transcription isn't bundled, the Spotify sign-in may need repeating, and the office and the builder are still separate stacks.
The multi-office feature is labelled a beta.
I haven't tested it
I can tell you what the docs promise, and I can't tell you how it behaves on a busy day.
Hermes3D Next To The Agent Tools I Actually Use
I want to give you a fair comparison, so here's what I've really used.
| Tool | What it's for | What I can honestly say |
|---|---|---|
| Hermes3D | It's a 3D office for watching and steering agents. | I've read the docs, and I haven't tested it. |
| Herald OS | It's an OS-style Hermes front-end from the same developer. | I've used it, and it's a good-looking alpha with rough edges. |
| Hermes Desktop | It's the official Hermes app from Nous Research. | I've used it, and it's the safest daily choice. |
| My Agent OS | It's my own dashboard for running Hermes, Claude and other agents under one memory. | It's my product, and it's available inside the AI Profit Boardroom. |
Since the Agent OS is mine, you should weigh my view of it accordingly.
You'll find my Herald OS business guide in this Herald OS post.
My ranked list of interfaces is in the best Hermes Agent UI post.
If you want to know what to give your agents once you can see them, read the best Hermes Agent use cases.
For every dashboard option in one place, my Hermes Agent dashboards roundup is the sibling to this post.
If you'd like to talk through where agents and SEO fit in your business, you can book a free SEO strategy session with my team. If you already run a serious operation and want a higher-level room, have a look at the SEO Elite Circle.
Who Should Use Hermes3D, And Who Should Wait
You should try it now if you already run Hermes agents and you've got someone technical on the team.
You should run the demo if you're curious, because it needs no agent and no account.
You should wait if you haven't got a single agent doing useful work yet, because an office with nobody in it won't help you.
You should wait if you need vendor support, a service agreement or regular updates.
My advice for most business owners is to get one agent doing one real job first, and to add a visual office second.
If you want my top interface pick instead, the best UI for Hermes Agent gives it in the first line.
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Related Reading
- My Herald OS guide for business owners covers the other project from the same developer.
- The best Hermes Agent UI list ranks the interfaces I've used.
- The best Hermes Agent use cases shows what to hand to an agent first.
- My Hermes Agent dashboards roundup sorts every dashboard by what it shows you.
Also On Our Network
- 🌐 The step-by-step Hermes3D setup for operators
- 🌐 Every Hermes3D feature, with my docs-based verdict
- 🌐 The Hermes3D quick start inside an Agent OS workflow
- 🌐 Which models to run behind Hermes3D, with real scores
Hermes3D FAQ For Business Owners
What is Hermes3D?
Hermes3D is a free, open-source 3D virtual office for AI agents that you host yourself.
Your agents show up as workers in an office, and you can chat with them, handle approvals and watch their activity.
How much does Hermes3D cost?
The software is free under the MIT licence.
Your real costs are the AI model your agents use, the machine you run it on, and optional extras such as voice replies.
Is Hermes3D worth it for a small business?
It's worth a short demo, because the demo needs no agent and no account.
It's only worth daily use if you already run Hermes agents and the repo shows recent activity.
Will Hermes3D make my business money?
Hermes3D doesn't do any work on its own, so it can't make money by itself.
It's a visual layer, and any value comes from the agents behind it.
Is Hermes3D an official Hermes product?
No, it isn't.
The README calls it an unofficial, independent, community-driven frontend, and it is not made by Nous Research.
Do I need a developer to run Hermes3D?
You need someone who is comfortable with a terminal, Node.js and environment files.
The demo is a handful of commands, but connecting real agents and securing remote access takes more care.
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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
Get one agent doing one real job, run the demo, and check the repo's activity before you commit, and you'll know whether your business needs Hermes3D.
