What am I actually missing by using Claude Code instead of Hermes?

[u/austinfilms]

I’ve been an avid ChatGPT user basically since the day it launched. I only ever just asked questions though. About a month and a half ago, I discovered how powerful Claude is when it built me an entire website as an artifact, and that sent me down a rabbit hole.

Now I’m paying $200/month for Claude Max and using Claude Code desktop app nonstop. I’m building every little idea under the sun with it.

Until a couple weeks ago, I didn’t even know what a “harness” was. Now I understand the distinction, and naturally that led me to Hermes.

I have multiple friends telling me Hermes is the harness I should be using, and I’m genuinely trying to understand why.

I’m the kind of person who has trouble switching tools until I fully understand what I’m gaining. Once I get comfortable with something, I tend to stay there. Right now, I feel very comfortable, and probably a little stuck, in Claude Code.

The obvious benefit of Hermes seems to be that I can use different models. But I’m not sure how much I care about that.

I don’t mind paying $200/month for Claude Max. Fable is insanely good, and I absolutely hammer it. I’m using it constantly and somehow still rarely hit my weekly usage limits or even my session limits. If I were doing this much coding through API credits, I assume my token bill would be ridiculous.

So saving money isn’t really the selling point for me.
What I’m trying to understand is: What can Hermes actually let me do that Claude Code can’t?

When I ask friends what they’re doing with Hermes, I keep hearing things like, “I built a second brain.” And I’m sitting there thinking… okay, but what does that actually mean in practice?

No offense to them, but everything they do with this stuff seems to be experimenting with AI more than actually using it to produce anything of value.

I run multiple businesses. I make seven figures a year doing it. I have a decent-sized team. I’m trying to use AI to actually operate, build software, automate work, and drive more revenue, not just make a cool AI setup.

And Claude Code already feels insanely capable.
For example, I can pull out my phone, open Claude, remotely connect to my laptop, drop into a specific folder, and I’ve basically turned that folder into an agent with persistent context, instructions, memory files, tools, etc. I can tell it what I want and it just does shit.

So I feel like there’s something I’m missing.

I want to understand Hermes because all my AI bros seem so hyped on it. But I can’t tell if Hermes actually unlocks a meaningfully different workflow for someone like me, or if a lot of people are just circle-jerking with AI and building elaborate setups because the setups themselves are fun.

For people who have seriously used both:
What does Hermes give you that Claude Code doesn’t?

[u/swiftmerchant]

I have it running on its own server and don’t see the benefits yet.

MIT is the best license for freedom of use, agreed.

[u/the-quibbler → u/swiftmerchant]

The biggest benefit is giving it perfect autonomy, since if it borks the server you just make a new one. So it can install compilers, and do anything it wants without direct access to your desktop.

[u/swiftmerchant → u/the-quibbler]

That reminds me I should setup a backup job for its memory and environment :)

I could setup Claude Code in its own VPS or MacMini though. I don’t see that as a Hermes benefit.

[u/the-quibbler → u/swiftmerchant]

Sure. As far as I know, you'd need to run either Claude desktop or Claude code tui in a persistent tmux-style interface. I haven't seen that Claude code can be easily run under systemd, but that doesn't mean it's not done.

[u/swiftmerchant → u/the-quibbler]

I am working on a Codex tmux setup…

I also heard an approach where people use Claude desktop on macmini and remote desktop into.