rtk-ai/rtk

feat: add `rtk init hermes` for automatic plugin installation

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#1031 opened on Apr 5, 2026

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 (8 comments) (18 reactions) (0 assignees)Rust (48,085 stars) (2,914 forks)batch import
effort-smallenhancementgood first issueresolved-pending-close

Description

Summary

Add Hermes to the list of agents supported by rtk init, enabling automatic plugin installation:

rtk init hermes
# or
rtk init -g --hermes

This would copy the Hermes plugin files (__init__.py + plugin.yaml) to ~/.hermes/plugins/rtk-rewrite/, similar to how rtk init installs hooks for Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, etc.

Context

  • The Hermes plugin was introduced in PR #1006 (hermes/ directory)
  • Hermes is an AI coding agent by Nous Research with a Python plugin system
  • Plugins live in ~/.hermes/plugins/<name>/ with a plugin.yaml manifest + __init__.py
  • The plugin is also available via pip: pip install rtk-hermes (auto-registers via entry_points)

What rtk init hermes would do

  1. Check if ~/.hermes/plugins/ exists (Hermes installation check)
  2. Create ~/.hermes/plugins/rtk-rewrite/
  3. Copy hermes/__init__.py and hermes/plugin.yaml into it
  4. Print success message

Implementation notes

  • Installation target: ~/.hermes/plugins/rtk-rewrite/
  • The Rust code would live in src/hooks/init.rs alongside the other agent installers
  • Detection: check for ~/.hermes/ directory or hermes binary in PATH
  • Similar to the proposed rtk init --openclaw in #688

Related

  • #1006 — Hermes plugin PR
  • #688 — rtk init --openclaw request

Contributor guide

Tech stack
rustpython
Domain
clideveloper experiencetooling
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
RustRTK init systemHermes plugin structure
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
75
Research direction
Start by examining the existing `rtk init` command implementation in `src/hooks/init.rs` to understand how agent installations are handled (e.g., for Claude Code, Cursor). Then review the Hermes plugin files in the `hermes/` directory (PR #1006) to understand the structure. The implementation should follow the pattern of creating the plugin directory and copying files, with detection of Hermes installation via `~/.hermes/` or `hermes` binary. Ensure to add tests for the new subcommand.