> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sanfoundation.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hermes Agent

> Register SAN as an MCP server in your Nous Research Hermes agent.

Hermes Agent has first-class MCP support. Add SAN to the `mcp_servers` section of your Hermes config and its tools are discovered automatically at startup.

## Prerequisites

* A Hermes agent\
  See [hermes-agent.nousresearch.com](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com) if you haven't installed one yet.
* A SAN API key\
  Create one in the [API Quickstart](/api-quickstart) if you don't have one yet.

## Quick Start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add SAN to your Hermes config">
    Edit `~/.hermes/config.yaml` and register SAN as a remote MCP server. Reference the key from an environment variable so it stays out of the config file.

    ```yaml theme={null}
    # ~/.hermes/config.yaml
    mcp_servers:
      san:
        url: "https://gateway.sanfoundation.com/mcp"
        headers:
          x-api-key: "${SAN_API_KEY}"
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Store your API key">
    Add the key to `~/.hermes/.env`:

    ```text theme={null}
    SAN_API_KEY=sk_...
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Load SAN's tools">
    Start Hermes (or run `/reload-mcp` in a live session). Hermes registers SAN's tools, namespaced as `mcp_san_<tool>`, and your agent can use them right away.

    ```bash theme={null}
    hermes chat
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Hermes evolves quickly — pin a version in your setup, since the CLI and config surface may change between releases.
</Note>