At a glance
- Provider
- HermesMailAgent, not Herald and not Nous Research
- Address
- Something like name@hermesmailagent.com, based on the bot’s handle
- How the bot reads and replies
- HermesMailAgent’s MCP server, installed on the bot’s profile
- Outgoing mail
- New addresses need approval before they send
- Connection
- Bots on your primary connection
- Cost
- HermesMailAgent’s own plans. Herald stays a single purchase.
Give a bot an address
- Sign in to HermesMailAgent
Open Settings › General › Mail (HermesMailAgent) and choose Sign in with email; you get a one-time code. You can also choose Use an existing API key. Keys start with hm_live_ or hm_test_.
- For a new bot, tick the box
In the create wizard’s Email step, tick “Give this bot an email address”. The address is made when you tap Create Bot; if the name is taken, a short suffix is added.
- For an existing bot, use its settings
Open Bot settings and tap Add an email address.
- Let Herald finish the wiring
Herald creates the inbox, saves the address on the bot’s profile and installs the mail tools. If a step fails, the message says which, and Reconnect tools in the bot’s settings retries it.
Reading and answering mail
Open Inbox from the More menu on the home screen. It shows mail for all inboxes or one, how many messages need handling, or “All caught up”. Open a message to Mark handled, Reply from that address, or Hand off to a bot, which sends the email to the bot as a message. Compose writes a new email from any of your inboxes. Attachments open in the HermesMailAgent dashboard, and the inbox refreshes when you open it or pull down.
The bot can work its inbox too, through HermesMailAgent’s tools, so you can ask it in the chat to check mail or answer a thread.
Approvals for outgoing mail
New addresses need approval before they send. When you reply from an inbox that requires it, Herald’s button reads Send for approval, and the draft then waits for approval in the HermesMailAgent dashboard before it goes out. Inboxes HermesMailAgent trusts send straight away. Recipients who have unsubscribed or bounced are blocked.
Ways to give a Hermes bot email
| Option | Who runs the mailbox | Set up from |
|---|---|---|
| HermesMailAgent through Herald | HermesMailAgent | Herald’s create wizard or bot settings |
| Your own mailbox with the Himalaya skill | Your email provider | The Hermes guide, on the computer |
| The Hermes email gateway (IMAP and SMTP) | Your email provider | hermes gateway setup on the computer |
Limits
- You need a HermesMailAgent account, which depends on that service being open.
- Inboxes are managed from your primary connection; a bot created on another computer starts without one.
- Your HermesMailAgent plan limits how many inboxes you can create.
- Attachments open in the HermesMailAgent dashboard rather than in Herald.
Privacy
Mail is received and stored by HermesMailAgent, not by Herald or your computer. Your HermesMailAgent key is kept in the iOS keychain or encrypted storage on Android. When you give a bot an address, Herald also passes the key to that bot’s profile on your computer, where it is saved in the profile’s .env so the bot’s mail tools can sign in. It goes to hermesmailagent.com and your own Hermes, nowhere else; Herald has no server of its own in this path.
Questions
Does Mail cost extra?
Herald itself is one purchase. HermesMailAgent is a separate service with its own plans.
Is HermesMailAgent part of Herald?
No. It is a separate service with its own account and terms. Herald connects to it only if you sign in.
Can I use my own email address instead?
Yes, on the Hermes side. The Hermes docs show how to give an agent a mailbox with the bundled Himalaya skill, and the messaging gateway can talk over IMAP and SMTP. Those are set up on the computer, not in Herald.
Will the bot send email without asking me?
New addresses need approval to send. After that it depends on the inbox’s approval setting in HermesMailAgent; Herald shows “needs approval before it sends” when a reply will wait.
