Hermes + Aion UI is Insane (FREE)!
The video demonstrates how to run the Hermes AI agent inside Aion UI, a free open-source interface that provides a cleaner alternative to terminal-based AI agent management. The presenter walks through installation, setup, and key features including multi-agent management, scheduled tasks, and integrations. The combination is presented as a powerful, free alternative to paid tools like Claude Desktop.
Summary
The video opens by framing the core problem: most people run Hermes AI agent inside a terminal, which works but is messy, hard to manage, and not built for running multiple agents simultaneously. Aion UI is introduced as the solution — a free, open-source interface that consolidates multiple AI agents (Hermes, Claude Code, OpenClaw, Gemini CLI, Open Code) into a single clean dashboard.
The presenter walks through the installation process, noting that Aion UI can be downloaded directly from its GitHub releases page and is available on Mac, Windows, and Linux. The UI is shown side-by-side with a terminal to emphasize the visual and usability improvement. The presenter highlights that the project is free and open source.
Key features are then demonstrated: a skills marketplace where users can search and install new capabilities across multiple agents; the ability to open project folders as context (similar to how Claude Code operates); a conversation history view across different agents; and context usage tracking within conversations. The presenter notes that Claude Code is highly responsive within the UI, while OpenClaw is described as consistently buggy regardless of the interface.
The scheduled tasks feature is highlighted as particularly powerful — unlike using a single CLI agent, Aion UI allows users to manage scheduled tasks across all agents in one unified view, with the ability to keep agents active so tasks aren't missed when the computer goes to sleep. Users can assign tasks to specific agents or skills, including Hermes, Gemini, Claude Code, Qwen, and others.
Additional features covered include: adding local or custom models via OpenAI-compatible APIs; MCP tool configuration; speech-to-text voice input setup; and image model integration. The presenter also demonstrates a prior session where Claude Code was used inside Aion UI to build and deploy a website to a subdomain, serving as a practical proof of capability.
Key Insights
- The presenter argues that running Hermes inside a terminal is messy and not built for managing multiple agents at once, and that Aion UI solves this by consolidating all agents into one clean dashboard where you can switch between them instantly.
- The presenter positions Aion UI as a free alternative to Claude Desktop, stating that while Claude Desktop is amazing, many people can't or don't want to use it, making Aion UI a better option for those users.
- The presenter demonstrates that Aion UI's scheduled tasks feature becomes especially powerful when managing multiple CLI agents simultaneously, allowing all their scheduled tasks to be viewed and managed in one UI while keeping agents awake so tasks aren't missed.
- The presenter claims that any OpenAI-compatible model can be added to Aion UI as a custom model, enabling users to switch between local models and external APIs within the same interface.
- The presenter shows a real prior session where Claude Code running inside Aion UI built and deployed a website to a subdomain, using it as evidence that the tool can handle substantive, end-to-end development tasks.
Topics
Full transcript available for MurmurCast members
Sign Up to Access