An open-source OS with the AI agent built into it

Luke The Dev@iamlukethedev

I built an operating system where the AI agent isn’t another app. It’s part of the OS.

Today, Herald OS is open source and you can install it yourself 🚀

It’s built around Hermes Agent by Nous Research.

Talk or type to Hermes and it can work across your entire computer:

• Open and use apps
• Find, organize and work with your files
• Remember what matters
• Run routines and automations
• Build software while you watch
• Understand what’s happening on your screen
• Work across the machine instead of being trapped inside a chat window

And when something is about to make a change, you approve it first.

🎙️ Talk to your computer

Say “Hey Hermes” and just talk.

Native OS commands don’t need to burn model tokens. When you actually ask the agent to think, build or perform a task, that’s when Hermes gets involved.

⚡ Everyday superpowers

• Select any part of your screen and ask Hermes about it
• Pick a colour from anywhere
• Read a QR code from your screen
• Copy text from anywhere on screen
• Emoji in any app you type in
• When an app crashes, Hermes explains what happened in plain English
• One-click installs for Claude Code, Codex, local models and more

🐧 And yes, Herald OS Linux is an actual operating system

• Fedora underneath, Herald on top
• OS and Herald update together as one system
• Roll back an update if something goes wrong
• Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound, display and battery controls
• Screen recording
• Night light
• Fingerprint and security-key sign-in
• Firewall closed by default

🎨 Make the entire OS yours

Themes don’t just change a wallpaper. They can restyle the whole system, including the terminal.

Drop in any photo and build a theme from it.

Or describe what you want and let Hermes design one.

You can also:

• Ask Hermes to create a widget, then choose exactly what that widget is allowed to access
• Drag the menu bar into the layout you want
• Create your own menu entries
• Put your own logo in About

💻 Run it almost anywhere

• Native Mac app for Apple Silicon
• PC installer from a USB stick
• Arch Linux package
• Omarchy integration where Herald follows your theme and adds itself to the menu and keybindings
• Or boot the full Herald OS inside a VM on your Mac with one command

It’s free, open source and MIT licensed.

It’s also still alpha, so expect rough edges. This is an independent project and is not affiliated with Nous Research.

I’ve been building toward this idea for a while:

Instead of opening an AI app on your computer, what if your computer itself understood what you wanted?

Now you can try it

⭐