Likely causes
| What Herald says | What it means |
|---|---|
| “Hermes created the bot but would not set …” | The custom provider isn’t the one behind your default model, so it wasn’t copied into the new profile |
| “The bot was created, but its first reply failed” | The bot exists but its first model call failed; Herald shows Hermes’s error and an Open Chat button |
| “No configured providers — add API keys in your Hermes setup.” | The model picker found no provider with keys on your Hermes |
| “Not connected to your Hermes” | The connection dropped while the bot was being created |
Why it happens
A new bot is a new Hermes profile. Hermes copies your default model into it, along with the endpoint that model runs on: a custom_providers or providers entry, which is how Cloudflare Workers AI and other OpenAI-compatible services are set up. Herald then applies the model you picked.
A custom provider your default model doesn’t use is not copied. Hermes can’t find it in the new profile and refuses the pick, so Herald leaves the bot on your default model and tells you. Copying every custom provider into new bots would need a change in Hermes, which checks the model inside the new profile.
Fix it
- Pick a built-in provider’s model
Open the model picker and choose a model from a provider Hermes knows natively.
- Or tap Use Hermes default
The bot then has no pin and follows your main Hermes config.
- Or make the custom provider your default
If your default model runs on that provider, new bots inherit it and the custom model works.
- Or add the provider to the new profile by hand
On the computer, copy the provider entry from your main config into the bot’s config, then pick the model in the bot’s settings.
~/.hermes/profiles/<bot>/config.yaml - If the first reply failed
Read the error on the create screen, tap Open Chat, and change the model in Bot settings if it is the cause.
Changing a bot’s model later
Open Bot settings and choose a model. A pinned model stays until you change it; Hermes default follows your main config. Herald asks “Pin this model?” before pinning one that can be expensive to run.
Questions
Where is a bot’s config on my computer?
Each bot is a profile under ~/.hermes/profiles/<name>/, with its own config.yaml, memory and skills.
Was the bot created anyway?
Yes. Hermes creates the profile first, so the bot exists on your default model. Change its model later rather than creating it again.
How do I change my default model?
Run hermes model on the computer. New bots created from Herald start from whatever it is set to, along with the endpoint behind it.
