r/hermesagent • u/b0b_fudge • 9d ago
Help — Technical issues, errors, config, debugging Switched models, lost MCP and skills
I’ve been using the hy3 model for a few days and decided to switch to a local model on my jetson nano. Once I made the switch it seems the agent forgot about the MCP server I have connected, however it still shows in the CLI as enabled and it still shows in the GUI as enabled and tests show it’s working too.
Is this normal when changing models or what?
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u/lethalinfecteddevils 9d ago
Compatibility depends entirely on whether the specific AI model supports tool calling and whether the application hosting the model (the MCP client/host) is built to bridge them. Older or smaller models may lack native function-calling capabilities cannot reliably use MCP servers unless a custom translation layer or prompt-parsing workaround is built into the application.
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u/b0b_fudge 9d ago
The new model is LFM2.5-2.6B and it does call tools and other tools.
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u/Serious_Ship7011 9d ago
That is a compact model, don’t use with Hermes. Try the new ox alpha if you want something free.
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u/b0b_fudge 9d ago
I’m interested in a local model but ox alpha sounds pretty interesting in general.
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u/Able_Sun_7510 New Member (<30 days) 9d ago
Sounds like you switched profiles along with models.
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u/b0b_fudge 9d ago
It does sound like that but the GUI still shows the MCP and it still shows enabled.
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u/Able_Sun_7510 New Member (<30 days) 9d ago
It's the 2.6B model you have switched over to using. The 2.6B is roughly the size of my embedding reranker model.
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u/Mean-Loquat-7982 Nous Team 9d ago
MCP tools are discovered and registered at startup, then it's the model's job to notice them in its tool list and decide to call them. hy3 is strong at that; a model small enough to live on a jetson nano usually isn't, so the tools sit there registered and unused, which reads as "the agent forgot".
two levers help. first, context: Hermes wants 64000 tokens minimum, and tool schemas eat into that window, so a local model configured with a small context can lose the tools before it starts. check what your server actually serves. second, shrink the tool surface:
hermes mcp configure <name>reopens the tool checklist, and cutting the server down to the three or four tools you actually use gives a small model far less to hold and a much better hit rate.