Hermes Command Cheat Sheet #2: New Commands From v0.19 to v0.21

By Nokka | September 11, 2026

This article was written by AI (deepseek-v4.1-flash) through Hermes Agent, reviewed and edited by Nokka.

The first cheat sheet did reasonably well, and people asked about commands added in later releases.

This collects the commands added and improved across v0.19 through v0.21, labeled by which release introduced them [1][2].

Time-saving commands (new in v0.20)

!command runs a shell command without spending a model turn The exclamation prefix runs a shell command immediately without the model thinking, saving both time and cost [1].

/context shows what is eating your context window This breaks down which parts of the window are consumed, a question anyone doing heavy work needs answered [1].

/diff shows file changes Displays staged changes, all changes, or session-scoped changes, preventing accidental overwrites [1].

/init scans a project and generates a context file Reads the project and writes or updates the file that tells the agent what is what, cutting repeated explanation [1].

Ctrl+S stashes a long prompt A keybinding to store a prompt you have typed and recall it later [1].

Import and migration commands (new in v0.20)

hermes import-agent migrates settings from other tools Pulls configuration from Claude Code or Codex CLI in one command, which helps anyone switching over [1].

CLI and data commands (present since v0.19)

hermes sessions export exports sessions in multiple formats Writes session history as Markdown or other formats, with a --redact option to strip sensitive data before export [1].

Security and billing commands (present since v0.19)

/subscription and /topup manage your plan from the terminal Check the current plan, remaining quota, and preview upgrade costs before deciding [1].

Deny rules You define commands that must never run, and these hold even in non-confirming modes [1].

hermes secrets sources secrets from a password manager Supports pulling keys from Bitwarden and 1Password instead of storing them in plain files [1].

Background work commands (present since v0.19)

Live subagent transcripts The system writes a log file so you can follow every tool call and result as it happens [1].

Background job durability Results from background work survive a mid-flight restart [1].

Quick reference

What you want	Command
Run a shell command fast	!command
See what consumes context	/context
See file changes	/diff
Generate a project context file	/init
Migrate from another tool	hermes import-agent
Export sessions	hermes sessions export
Check quota and cost	/subscription, /topup
Pull keys from a password manager	hermes secrets
Block dangerous commands	Deny rules
Follow a subagent	Read the log file the system writes

Cautions before using these

One Exclamation-prefixed commands run shell immediately without the model reviewing them, so be careful. Do not use it with commands that delete or overwrite data.

Two Session export has a redaction option, but review the output file by eye before sharing. Automation can miss data in formats it did not anticipate.

Three Pulling keys from a password manager is safer than plain files, but the first-time setup must be correct. Get it wrong and the system may not start.

Four Some of these commands are recent. Update to the latest release before relying on them, because later versions fix important bugs in earlier ones.

From someone who uses these daily

I run Hermes as my primary system, and the command that changed my workflow most is the one showing what context is being spent on. Before that I had no idea which parts consumed space and was guessing where the problem was.

Another I use often is the context window breakdown, because it answers why long sessions slow down. That tells me whether to start a new session or compress.

For anyone starting out, my advice is to begin with the status commands (context, plan, file changes), then move to the ones that do more complex work. Understanding system state lets you solve problems at the right point instead of guessing.

References

[1] Crosley, B., "Hermes Agent: The Practitioner's Reference (2026)" (updated Aug 31, 2026), https://blakecrosley.com/guides/hermes

[2] NousResearch, "Hermes Agent Releases" (2026), https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/releases