**Hermes Persistent Memory** is a feature of 📝Hermes Agent that keeps bounded, agent-curated memory across sessions in two files: MEMORY.md for the agent's own notes and USER.md for the user's profile. Both live in ~/.hermes/memories/ and enter the system prompt as a frozen snapshot at session start, and the agent maintains them itself through the memory tool.

It exists so the agent can carry a user's preferences, projects, environment and lessons learned from one session to the next, while strict character limits keep that memory focused and the system prompt bounded. The repository README lists agent-curated memory as part of Hermes' 📝closed learning loop.

It serves anyone who runs Hermes across many sessions, including on messaging platforms, where a chat stays one continuous session until /new is run. Memory is scoped per profile, so a second agent gets its own profile rather than a shared home.

Key Capabilities

• Two bounded stores — by default MEMORY.md holds up to 2,200 characters of agent notes and USER.md up to 1,375 characters of user profile, both adjustable in config.
• Frozen snapshot — entries load into the system prompt once at session start to keep the prefix cache intact; mid-session writes reach disk but appear only next session.
• Agent-managed edits — the memory tool adds, patches or removes entries for a memory or user target, rejects exact duplicates, and errors instead of overflowing.
• Write approval — memory.write_approval: true gates every save: foreground CLI writes prompt inline, and all others, background review included, wait in /memory pending.
• Session search alongside — for specifics beyond the two files, the agent queries every stored conversation with 📝FTS5 Session Search instead.

Getting Started

1. Keep memory_enabled and user_profile_enabled on (the default) in the memory config block.
1. Tell the agent what to remember; it saves the fact itself through the memory tool.
1. Confirm the entry landed with cat ~/.hermes/memories/MEMORY.md or USER.md.
1. Run /new so the next session loads the updated snapshot.
1. Optionally set memory.write_approval: true and review saves with /memory pending.

Contexts

• 🏷️#hermes
• 🏷️#feature-of-hermes-agent
• 🏷️#hermes-agent
• 🏷️#hermes-lexicon