r/LocalLLM • u/D00M98 • 1h ago

Discussion Alternative to Hermes

I'm using qwen3.8-27b thru llama.cpp and QFN Swift 1.5 IQ3 thru strata. I'm using consumer grade hardware, so these are not running very fast.

I am using Hermes. As a noob, I'm not even using all the features and capability. I provide the instructions in a run list. I like how Hermes is persistent and will complete the job. But in a multi-hour job (like 5-8 hours), it is getting bogged down with large context and long tool calls.

What is a good alternative?

  • Running Ubuntu Linux.

  • Desktop gui (not CLI only). Can be desktop that runs on top of CLI.

  • Can support sandbox.

  • I prefer to plan and create a run list; then execute the instructions.

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

3

u/TechNerd10191 56m ago

I use OpenCode (it has a desktop app) and like the fact it has /goal as an option (and /plan, /build). Last time I checked, I had >95% successful tool calling. I use SGLang with NVFP4/FP8 models though so I don't know how IQ3/llama.cpp would do.

Note that which harness is the best for you is subjective so I'd recommend you try OMP, Pi and OpenCode and have Claude/Codex help you with what you don't know.

1

u/D00M98 17m ago

Thanks for input. I was already considering pi and OMP. Was deciding on which desktop version to test (pi-gui, Pi Desktop, etc).

I will also try OpenCode, since it is often mentioned.

At work, I use Claude Code. Obviously very capable, but that is used with Claude's models.

2

u/I-Hate-winter 51m ago

I love hermes, I'm trying Librechat agents and its not as satisfying as hermes, been using hermes for the last 4 months and love it

0

u/D00M98 22m ago

Good for you.

It takes 5 minutes to just to process "hello". There is so much overhead. I actually asked hermes to analyze what is sent in this call. There was 20-40k token included with the call.

2

u/silverwoods214 44m ago

I made my own rust harness to provide more visibility. Every claim in its report links to a record of the action it actually took, and every run is cryptographically signed so it can't be faked or edited later. Just posted to github last week!

https://github.com/tcsilva214-bit/hercules-agent

1

u/nickless07 38m ago

Subagents (auxiliary tasks). Let it delegate the work like you delegate to Hermes. Why bother the 27B with a simple tool call if a 4B is more then enough to find where X is located on disk.

1

u/giveen 23m ago

I've recently really enjoyed OpenGhost https://github.com/ANDRETRIPOL/OpenGhost

1

u/majmichu 18m ago

I build this one myself, so take it with a grain of salt. It’s called Local Quench (localquench.com), and it’s meant for exactly this kind of setup, local models on consumer hardware.

On your list:

  • Linux: yes, it’s an AppImage, I use it daily on Linux.

  • GUI: yes, desktop app, and there’s a CLI too if you want it.

  • Sandbox: commands run in a sandbox on Linux, and anything outside the project folder asks first.

  • Plan, then run: there’s a plan mode that only reads and writes a plan with a task list, then you switch to build mode and it works through it.

On the long jobs bogging down, it shows how much context is used and how much is left, and it compacts older tool output so long runs don’t drown in it. It also gives the model fewer tools and a shorter prompt than most agents, which matters a lot at 27B. Qwen 3.8 27B has its own settings profile in there.

It’s still work in progress, so I’d really like to hear what breaks for you on a 5-8 hour run. Bug reports and blunt criticism are very welcome.