<div align="center">
<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/main/assets/banner.png" alt="ClawRouter for Hermes" width="600">
<h1>ClawRouter for Hermes</h1>
<p>Hermes gives your agent a body. ClawRouter gives it a way to pay.<br>
No provider accounts. No per-lab keys. Two rails, one provider block.<br><br>
<strong>One Hermes provider, <!-- br:models.chatVisible -->91<!-- /br:models.chatVisible --> models from 12 labs, paid per request —<br>
USDC from a local wallet, or account credit on one BlockRun key.</strong><br><br>
<em><!-- br:models.free -->9<!-- /br:models.free --> models free — no crypto, no balance, no signup required.</em></p>
<br>
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/🆓_6_Free_Models-success?style=for-the-badge" alt="6 free models">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/🐍_Hermes_Plugin-black?style=for-the-badge" alt="Hermes plugin">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/🔑_Wallet_or_API_Key-blue?style=for-the-badge" alt="Wallet or API key">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/⚡_Smart_Routing-yellow?style=for-the-badge" alt="Smart routing">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/💰_x402_USDC-purple?style=for-the-badge" alt="x402 USDC">
<img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/🔓_MIT-green?style=for-the-badge" alt="MIT licensed">
[](https://pypi.org/project/hermes-plugin-clawrouter/)
[](https://pypi.org/project/hermes-plugin-clawrouter/)
[](https://pypi.org/project/hermes-plugin-clawrouter/)
[](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes)
[](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/blob/main/LICENSE)
[](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent)
[](https://user.blockrun.ai)
[](https://x402.org)
[](https://solana.com)
[](https://base.org)
[](https://x.com/USDC/status/2021625822294216977)
[](https://t.me/blockrunAI)
</div>
> **hermes-plugin-clawrouter** wires [NousResearch Hermes](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent) into [ClawRouter](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter), the open-source LLM router built for autonomous agents. One `pip install` gives Hermes <!-- br:models.chatVisible -->91<!-- /br:models.chatVisible --> chat models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, xAI, DeepSeek, Moonshot, Z.ai, MiniMax, Qwen, NVIDIA and more — plus image, video and web-search tools — behind a single local provider. Requests are scored across <!-- br:clawrouter.dimensions -->15<!-- /br:clawrouter.dimensions --> dimensions and routed to the cheapest capable model in under 1ms, cutting inference cost by <!-- br:savings.autoVsBaselinePct -->84<!-- /br:savings.autoVsBaselinePct -->% versus pinning Claude Opus 5. Pay however suits you: sign a USDC [x402](https://x402.org) micropayment per call from a local wallet on Solana or Base, **or** sign up at [user.blockrun.ai](https://user.blockrun.ai), top up with a card and use one `brk_…` key. <!-- br:models.free -->9<!-- /br:models.free --> models cost nothing on either rail. MIT licensed.
---
## Two ways to pay
Same catalog, same model ids, same OpenAI-compatible shape. The rails differ only in what authenticates the call and where the money comes from.
| | 👛 **Wallet** (x402) | 🔑 **API key** (account credit) |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Who it's for** | An agent that can sign but can't open accounts | A person who'd rather pay with a card |
| **Set up** | `npx @blockrun/clawrouter setup` — a local BIP-39 wallet | [Sign in at user.blockrun.ai](https://user.blockrun.ai), mint a key |
| **Sign-up needed** | None, ever | Google sign-in |
| **Funding** | Send USDC on Solana or Base | Card top-up at [/dashboard/credits](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/credits) |
| **Gateway** | `sol.blockrun.ai/api` · `blockrun.ai/api` | `api.blockrun.ai` |
| **Per-call fee** | BlockRun's `$0.001` transaction fee, on top of list price | None — list price, billed at exact usage |
| **Top-up fee** | None (you just hold USDC) | 5.5% + $0.30 per card top-up |
| **Receipts** | On-chain, plus `/clawrouter stats` | Per-request, at [/dashboard/activity](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/activity) |
| **Turn it on** | The default | `hermes-clawrouter login brk_live_…` |
**A key wins over a wallet whenever both are present.** A machine holding a wallet *and* a key you just added means "bill my account", not "keep spending my USDC". Nothing is deleted — `hermes-clawrouter logout` puts you straight back on the wallet, same mnemonic, same balance.
---
## Where to sign up
1. Go to **[user.blockrun.ai](https://user.blockrun.ai)** and sign in with Google.
2. Mint a key at **[/dashboard/keys](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/keys)** — it looks like `brk_live_…`.
3. Add credit at **[/dashboard/credits](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/credits)** (card; 5.5% + $0.30 per top-up).
4. Tell this plugin about it:
```bash
hermes-clawrouter login brk_live_...
hermes-clawrouter account # confirms the rail, the gateway and the key (masked)
```
Every call then shows up as its own receipt — model, tokens, exact cost, request id — at **[/dashboard/activity](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/activity)**.
> Type the key in a **terminal**, never in a chat. `/clawrouter login` deliberately refuses: a slash command's arguments live in the transcript, and on Telegram that history is not yours to delete.
---
## Why this plugin exists
Stock Hermes wants a **provider block and an API key per lab**. Want Claude *and* GPT *and* Gemini *and* Grok? That's four accounts, four billing relationships, four keys to rotate, and a `config.yaml` that grows every time a new model ships.
ClawRouter collapses the whole thing into one provider:
- **Starts at $0** — <!-- br:models.free -->9<!-- /br:models.free --> free models, usable before you pay anyone anything
- **One provider, every lab** — Hermes' `/model` picker shows the full curated catalog, grouped by provider
- **No lab keys, ever** — you hold at most one BlockRun credential, never OpenAI's or Anthropic's
- **Pay how you like** — a wallet signature *or* one `brk_…` key; the plugin follows whichever is configured
- **No model babysitting** — `blockrun/auto` scores each request across <!-- br:clawrouter.dimensions -->15<!-- /br:clawrouter.dimensions --> dimensions and picks the cheapest model that can actually do the job
- **Same credential for everything** — image, video and web-search tools bill through it too
- **Fixes Hermes' auxiliary-vision breakage** — a single `api_key` provider on `127.0.0.1` sidesteps [#38679](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/38679) and [#38685](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/38685) ([how](#auxiliary-vision))
---
## How it compares
| | Hermes + lab API keys | Hermes + OpenRouter | Local Ollama | **ClawRouter for Hermes** |
| ------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------- | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Models** | One provider block per lab | Many | Whatever you host | **<!-- br:models.chatVisible -->91<!-- /br:models.chatVisible -->, one block** |
| **Free tier** | No | Rate-limited | Free but local GPU | **<!-- br:models.free -->9<!-- /br:models.free --> models, no signup** |
| **Auth** | An API key per lab | Account + API key | None | **Wallet signature, or one BlockRun key** |
| **Payment** | Per-lab invoices | Credit card | Your electricity | **USDC per request, or account credit** |
| **Model selection** | Manual | Manual | Manual | **Automatic (<!-- br:clawrouter.dimensions -->15<!-- /br:clawrouter.dimensions -->-dim scoring, <1ms)** |
| **Image / video** | Another key, another block | No | No | **Built-in tools, same credential** |
| **Frontier models** | Yes | Yes | No | **Yes** |
---
## Quick Start
> **Not sure you want to pay yet? Free models work out of the box.** Install, pick any `blockrun/free/...` model in `/model`, and you're running — no crypto, no account, no balance.
### 1. Install
```bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/main/scripts/install.sh | bash
```
The installer checks for Python, pip/venv support, `pipx`, and Node/npm/npx, installs missing basics through common Linux/macOS package managers, avoids Debian/Ubuntu's `externally-managed-environment` (PEP 668) trap by installing into Hermes' own Python environment, enables the plugin, runs setup, and prints doctor checks.
<details>
<summary><strong>Manual install</strong> — if you already know where Hermes' venv lives</summary>
```bash
~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pip install -U hermes-plugin-clawrouter
hermes plugins enable clawrouter
~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/hermes-clawrouter setup
~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/hermes-clawrouter doctor
```
`setup` writes the model-provider plugin to `~/.hermes/plugins/model-providers/clawrouter/`, seeds `CLAWROUTER_API_KEY=clawrouter-local` in `~/.hermes/.env`, and registers ClawRouter in `~/.hermes/config.yaml` so Hermes' `/model` picker shows the provider and its curated chat models.
</details>
### 2. Pick a model
In a Hermes chat, open `/model` and choose **ClawRouter → `blockrun/auto`** for smart routing — or pin anything from the catalog, e.g. `blockrun/anthropic/claude-opus-5`, `blockrun/openai/gpt-5.6-terra`, `blockrun/free/nemotron-3.5-lightning`.
### 3. Choose how you pay (optional)
Free models need neither. For paid models, pick one:
<table>
<tr><td width="50%" valign="top">
**🔑 Pay by card**
```bash
# 1. Sign in + mint a key at user.blockrun.ai
# 2. Add credit at /dashboard/credits
hermes-clawrouter login brk_live_...
```
Verifies the key against `api.blockrun.ai`, stores it `0600` at `~/.blockrun/.api-key`, and switches the proxy over.
</td><td width="50%" valign="top">
**👛 Pay from a wallet**
```bash
npx @blockrun/clawrouter setup
# creates ~/.openclaw/blockrun/mnemonic
```
Send a few USDC on **Solana** or **Base** — $5 covers thousands of requests, fully non-custodial.
</td></tr>
</table>
Check either with `/clawrouter account` in chat, or `hermes-clawrouter account` in a terminal.
---
## What you get
### Models
The `/model` picker carries a curated, provider-grouped slice of the catalog (small inline keyboards can't render <!-- br:models.chatVisible -->91<!-- /br:models.chatVisible --> entries); every other model stays routable by full ID.
| Provider | In the picker |
| ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Routing** | `blockrun/auto` · `blockrun/premium` · `blockrun/eco` · `blockrun/free` |
| **Anthropic** | claude-fable-5.1 · fable-5 · opus-5.5 · opus-5 · opus-4.8 · opus-4.7 · sonnet-5.5 · sonnet-5 · sonnet-4.6 · haiku-4.5 |
| **OpenAI** | gpt-6-astra / sol / luna · gpt-6.1-sol · gpt-5.6-terra / sol / luna · gpt-5.5 · gpt-5.5-pro · gpt-5.4-pro / 5.4 / mini / nano · gpt-5.1 · gpt-5.3-codex |
| **Google** | gemini-4-argon · gemini-3.1-pro · gemini-3.8-flash · gemini-3.6-flash · gemini-3.5-flash · gemini-3.5-flash-lite · gemini-3.1-flash-lite · gemini-3-flash-preview |
| **xAI** | grok-4.7 · grok-4.6 · grok-4.5 · grok-4.3 · grok-build-0.1 |
| **DeepSeek** | deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp (vision) · deepseek-v4-pro · deepseek-v4.1-flash · deepseek-chat · deepseek-reasoner |
| **Z.ai** | glm-5.3 · glm-5.3-flash · glm-5.2 · glm-5.1 · glm-5-turbo · glm-5 |
| **Xiaomi** | mimo-v2.5 (vision) · mimo-v2.5-pro |
| **Tencent / Mistral** | hy4-preview · mistral-large-4 (vision) |
| **Moonshot / Qwen / MiniMax** | kimi-k3 · qwen3.7-max · qwen3.8-max · qwen3.8-flash · minimax-m3 · minimax-m2.7 |
| **Free** | nemotron-3.5-lightning · laguna-xs-2.1 · north-mini-code · nemotron-3-nano-omni (vision) · nemotron-3-ultra-550b (1M ctx) · llama-3.2-11b-vision (vision) |
### Routing profiles
| Model ID | Strategy | Cost vs. pinning Opus 5 | Best for |
| ------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------- |
| `blockrun/free` | Free models only | **100% cheaper** | $0 balance, learning |
| `blockrun/eco` | Cheapest capable | **<!-- br:savings.ecoVsBaselinePct -->98<!-- /br:savings.ecoVsBaselinePct -->% cheaper** | Maximum savings |
| `blockrun/auto` | Balanced (recommended) | **<!-- br:savings.autoVsBaselinePct -->84<!-- /br:savings.autoVsBaselinePct -->% cheaper** | General use |
| `blockrun/premium` | Best model per tier | Baseline | Mission-critical |
Savings are computed from a published workload mix, not estimated — see [savings-mix.json](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/blockrun/blob/main/src/brand/savings-mix.json). `/clawrouter route <eco|auto|premium>` sets the profile the proxy itself runs with, applied on its next spawn.
### Slash commands
| Command | What it does |
| -------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `/clawrouter account` | Which rail you're paying on, and where to change it |
| `/clawrouter wallet` | Address + USDC balance (Solana and Base) |
| `/clawrouter wallet <solana\|base>` | Switch payment chain (machine-wide), restarts the proxy |
| `/clawrouter stats` | Proxy usage stats |
| `/clawrouter status` | Proxy health, port, active profile, auth mode |
| `/clawrouter route <eco\|auto\|premium>` | Set the routing profile |
| `/clawrouter logout` | Drop the API key, go back to the wallet |
| `/clawrouter help` | The list above |
There is no `/clawrouter login` — it refuses on purpose, and points you at the terminal. See [Where to sign up](#where-to-sign-up).
### Tools
| Tool | Coverage |
| --------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `clawrouter_image_generate` | <!-- br:models.image -->12<!-- /br:models.image --> image models — GPT Image 2, Nano Banana / Pro, Seedream 5 Pro, Grok Imagine, CogView-4 |
| `clawrouter_video_generate` | <!-- br:models.video -->7<!-- /br:models.video --> video models — Seedance 1.5 / 2.0, Grok Imagine, Sora 2 |
| `clawrouter_web_search` | Exa-powered web search |
All three bill from whichever rail you're on — wallet or account credit — with no extra keys and no extra setup. On the API-key rail they go to `api.blockrun.ai`, which serves the media and search endpoints alongside chat.
### CLI
```bash
hermes-clawrouter <setup|update|login|logout|account|wallet|doctor|route|stats>
```
| Subcommand | What it does |
|---|---|
| `login <brk_…>` | Verify a BlockRun key, store it `0600`, switch this machine to account credit |
| `logout` | Remove stored keys and go back to the x402 wallet |
| `account` | Which rail is live, which gateway, the key masked (`--json` for scripts) |
| `wallet` | Solana + Base addresses and USDC balances (`--json`) |
| `doctor` | Health check — the credential checks follow whichever rail is configured |
`hermes-clawrouter` ships as its own entry point because some Hermes releases don't register plugin-defined top-level CLI commands until the plugin is enabled. Once it's loaded, `hermes clawrouter <sub>` usually works too.
---
## Auxiliary vision
Hermes' `vision_analyze` builds a *separate* OpenAI client for the configured `auxiliary.vision` provider. That path is fragile for remote custom endpoints ([hermes-agent#38679](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/38679): `Connection error`) and for OAuth providers ([#38685](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/38685): silent fallback to `auto`). Routing vision through ClawRouter sidesteps both — it's a single `api_key` provider on `127.0.0.1`, so there's no OAuth branch to miss and no remote TLS handshake to mishandle. Add to `~/.hermes/config.yaml`:
```yaml
auxiliary:
vision:
provider: clawrouter
model: blockrun/auto # or google/gemini-2.5-pro, anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.6
base_url: http://127.0.0.1:8402/v1
api_key: clawrouter-local
timeout: 120
```
`setup` does **not** write this automatically — it would overwrite an existing vision config — so add it by hand if you want vision through ClawRouter, then `hermes gateway restart`.
That `api_key: clawrouter-local` is the placeholder, not a credential. See [the env-var note](#environment-variables).
---
## Paying with a BlockRun API key
```bash
hermes-clawrouter login brk_live_... # bill account credit via api.blockrun.ai
hermes-clawrouter account # what's live right now
hermes-clawrouter logout # back to signing x402 payments from the wallet
```
`login` verifies the key against `api.blockrun.ai/v1/models` before storing it, writes it `0600` to `~/.blockrun/.api-key` (shared with every BlockRun product on the machine), and stops any proxy it supervises so the new credential actually takes effect. An unreachable gateway is *not* treated as a rejected key — it saves anyway and tells you to re-run `doctor`.
**Resolution order**, highest first — identical to the upstream TS CLI, because that is the code the proxy itself runs:
1. `BLOCKRUN_API_KEY` environment variable — for CI and containers
2. `~/.blockrun/.api-key` — BlockRun Core, shared across products
3. `~/.openclaw/blockrun/api-key` — legacy ClawRouter location
A file that exists but holds something that isn't a `brk_…` key is logged and skipped rather than sent upstream: a malformed credential is a 401 per request, and an unexplained 401 is the hardest failure mode there is to diagnose.
**What changes inside the proxy is narrower than it sounds.** In API-key mode ClawRouter builds no x402 client, registers no signer, and attaches a bearer token instead of settling a 402. Everything downstream is untouched: the same model ids, the same <!-- br:clawrouter.dimensions -->15<!-- /br:clawrouter.dimensions -->-dimension classifier, the same fallback chains, the same routing profiles, the same OpenAI-compatible surface. The three plugin tools keep working unchanged.
**Requires `@blockrun/clawrouter` ≥ 0.12.268.** Older proxies ignore `BLOCKRUN_API_KEY` *silently* and sign x402 payments from the wallet instead — a configured key would spend USDC you thought was parked. When this plugin sees a stale pre-install alongside a configured key it refuses the fast path and launches `@latest` through `npx` instead; `hermes-clawrouter doctor` reports the version, and `setup` refreshes the pre-install.
**Two proxies never share a port across rails.** They bill different accounts from different hosts, so a wallet proxy already listening on `:8402` is left alone and a matching one is started on the next free port. `doctor` cross-checks the *running* proxy's `/health` against what you configured, because that is the only thing that proves which account is actually being billed.
---
## Wallet
The plugin **reads** the canonical wallet at `~/.openclaw/blockrun/mnemonic` (24-word BIP-39 phrase, mode 0o600) and never writes to it. Create one with:
```bash
npx @blockrun/clawrouter setup
```
Fund USDC on **Solana** or **Base** — $5 covers thousands of requests, non-custodial. The same wallet is shared with the upstream TS CLI and every other ClawRouter client on the machine: fund once, use everywhere. Switch chains with `/clawrouter wallet solana` or `/clawrouter wallet base` (machine-wide, and it restarts the proxy).
**Which chain by default?** Solana. When nothing is recorded, a fresh machine prefers Solana — but a machine that already had a wallet before that preference existed stays on Base, because its USDC is sitting in the Base wallet and pointing it at a Solana gateway would fail every request against an empty balance. `CLAWROUTER_PAYMENT_CHAIN` overrides both. The plugin mirrors the upstream resolution order exactly (env → `~/.blockrun/.chain` → `~/.openclaw/blockrun/payment-chain` → that default) rather than guessing, because the proxy is what actually signs and the plugin only reports what it will do.
**Headless / CI:** set `BLOCKRUN_WALLET_KEY=<0x raw EVM hex>` to bypass the mnemonic file (EVM-only — Solana derivation unavailable).
Configuring an API key does **not** touch any of this. The mnemonic stays where it is, the balance stays where it is, and `logout` returns you to it.
---
## Environment variables
| Variable | Effect |
|---|---|
| `BLOCKRUN_API_KEY` | **A real credential.** A `brk_…` key; makes the proxy bill account credit through `api.blockrun.ai` instead of signing x402 payments. Wins over a wallet. |
| `BLOCKRUN_API_BASE_URL` | Override the API-key gateway (staging deploys). Default `https://api.blockrun.ai`. |
| `CLAWROUTER_PROXY_URL` | Point at an externally-managed proxy (e.g. `https://my-host/v1`). Skips local spawn entirely. |
| `HERMES_CLAWROUTER_AUTOSPAWN=0` | Disable lazy spawn; require `npx @blockrun/clawrouter` to be running already. |
| `BLOCKRUN_WALLET_KEY` | Raw EVM hex private key — overrides the mnemonic file. |
| `CLAWROUTER_PAYMENT_CHAIN` | `solana` / `base`. Wins over both chain files. Wallet rail only — an API key has no chain to sign on. |
| `CLAWROUTER_ROUTING_PROFILE` | `eco` / `auto` / `premium`. Forwarded to the proxy on spawn. |
> **`CLAWROUTER_API_KEY` is not `BLOCKRUN_API_KEY`.** The names sit one word apart and mean opposite things. `CLAWROUTER_API_KEY` is a non-secret placeholder (`clawrouter-local`) that exists only because Hermes hides API-key-style providers from `/model` unless their key env var is set — putting a `brk_…` key there does nothing, since the local proxy replaces the client's `authorization` header on the way upstream. `BLOCKRUN_API_KEY` is the one that spends money.
---
## Upgrading
```bash
hermes-clawrouter update # pip upgrade + refresh the materialized integration
```
A plain `pip install -U` works too: the materialized provider plugin is stamped with the version that wrote it, so the next Hermes start notices an older stamp and rewrites it in place — no `setup --force` needed to pick up newly added models. (Before 0.3.16 that refresh never happened, which is why a bare upgrade could strand you on an old model list.)
`update` also re-runs `setup`, which reinstalls `@blockrun/clawrouter@latest` — the fastest way to clear the "pre-installed proxy is too old for API-key mode" warning.
---
## Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| `error: externally-managed-environment` on `pip install` | Do **not** use `--break-system-packages`. Use the one-command installer, or run pip from Hermes' venv (`~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/python -m pip install -U hermes-plugin-clawrouter`). |
| `~/.hermes/hermes-agent/venv/bin/hermes: No such file or directory` | Reinstall or repair Hermes first, then re-run the ClawRouter installer. |
| `hermes-clawrouter --version` still shows the old version | Your shell is finding a stale `~/.local/bin/hermes-clawrouter` from a previous `pip --user` install. Re-run the one-command installer; it refreshes that launcher to delegate to Hermes' current venv. |
| `ClawRouter (0 models)` in the picker | Run `hermes-clawrouter setup`, then restart Hermes. |
| Set a key but the wallet is still being spent | Your pre-installed proxy predates 0.12.268 and ignores the key. Run `hermes-clawrouter setup` (installs `@latest`), then `doctor`. |
| `401` on every call after `login` | The key is revoked or mistyped. `hermes-clawrouter doctor` says so explicitly; mint a new one at [/dashboard/keys](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/keys). |
| `402 insufficient_quota` on the key rail | Account credit is exhausted — top up at [/dashboard/credits](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/credits). There is no local balance gate, by design: the gateway's books are server-side, and guessing zero would silently downgrade a paying customer. |
| `logout` didn't switch me back | `BLOCKRUN_API_KEY` is still set in your shell — only you can unset that one. `logout` says so when it happens. |
| Anything else | `hermes-clawrouter doctor` |
### Guides
Standalone problem→solution walkthroughs for common Hermes provider/vision setups:
| Guide | When you need it |
|---|---|
| [`vision_analyze` "Connection error" on a custom provider](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/blob/main/docs/01-vision-analyze-connection-error-custom-provider.md) | Chat works but `vision_analyze` returns `Connection error` on a custom OpenAI-compatible endpoint ([hermes-agent#38679](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/38679)) |
| [Auxiliary vision falls back to "auto" with an OAuth provider](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/blob/main/docs/02-oauth-vision-provider-falls-back-to-auto.md) | `auxiliary.vision.provider` (e.g. `minimax-oauth`) logs `unhandled auth_type` and silently degrades ([#38685](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent/issues/38685)) |
| [Run GPT-5, Claude, Gemini & DeepSeek from one endpoint](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/blob/main/docs/03-one-endpoint-gpt-claude-gemini-deepseek.md) | You want many models in Hermes without a separate provider/key block per model |
| [Pay-per-call LLM access — no API keys](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/blob/main/docs/04-pay-per-call-llm-no-api-keys-hermes.md) | You'd rather pay per request with USDC than manage and rotate provider API keys |
| [Behind an HTTP proxy/VPN: timeouts, 500s, `Premature close`](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/blob/main/docs/05-proxy-vpn-timeouts-premature-close.md) | Small requests work but large agentic requests 500 or time out after payment — your proxy (mihomo/clash/corporate) isn't being used by ClawRouter's upstream traffic |
| [Retry-and-repay loop: `Invalid character in header content`](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes/blob/main/docs/06-invalid-character-header-cyrillic-reasoning.md) | Non-English prompts (Cyrillic/CJK) on ClawRouter ≤ 0.12.207 crash response delivery after payment settles; Hermes retries and re-pays the same request |
---
## How it works
```
┌─ x402 USDC signed locally ─→ sol.blockrun.ai/api
Hermes chat → ClawRouter provider (127.0.0.1:8402) ─┤ blockrun.ai/api
↑ spawned + supervised └─ Bearer brk_… ─→ api.blockrun.ai
↓
OpenAI / Anthropic / Google / xAI / …
```
1. `hermes` starts → the entry-point plugin loads → `register(ctx)` wires tools, slash commands, CLI, and the skill.
2. `hermes-clawrouter setup` materializes `~/.hermes/plugins/model-providers/clawrouter/{plugin.yaml,__init__.py}` from bundled package data and writes the Hermes config/env hints that current provider and gateway model-picker paths need.
3. Hermes' `providers/__init__.py` discovers the materialized directory and registers `ClawRouterProfile`, pointing `base_url` at `http://127.0.0.1:<port>/v1`.
4. First tool call or chat turn → the supervisor probes `:8402`, checks the running proxy's `/health` is on the rail you configured, spawns one if not, waits ≤30s for `/v1/models`, then forwards the request.
5. A heartbeat thread restarts the subprocess on death (max 3 restarts/min).
Wallet (BIP-39, Solana + Base), API-key resolution, routing (the <!-- br:clawrouter.dimensions -->15<!-- /br:clawrouter.dimensions -->-dimension scorer) and x402 payment all live in the canonical [TypeScript implementation](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter) — this package is a thin Python adapter, not a fork.
**Not a local-inference tool.** Prompts are sent over HTTPS to a BlockRun gateway for execution. If you need inference that never leaves your machine, use Ollama.
### Distribution
The Python package ships **both** logical plugins:
- **Standalone** plugin (this PyPI entry point): tools, slash commands, CLI, skill.
- **Model-provider** plugin (materialized into `~/.hermes/plugins/model-providers/clawrouter/` by `hermes-clawrouter setup`): `ProviderProfile` registration.
The split is required because Hermes' PluginManager (`hermes_cli/plugins.py`) skips `register(ctx)` for `kind: model-provider`, and entry-point plugins always load as `kind: standalone`.
---
## Development
```bash
git clone https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter-Hermes.git
cd ClawRouter-Hermes
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest
```
---
## Support
| Channel | Link |
| --- | --- |
| 🔑 Sign up / API keys | [user.blockrun.ai](https://user.blockrun.ai) |
| 💬 Community Telegram | [t.me/blockrunAI](https://t.me/blockrunAI) |
| 🐦 X / Twitter | [x.com/blockrunai](https://x.com/blockrunai) |
| 📅 Schedule a demo | [calendly.com/vickyfu9/30min](https://calendly.com/vickyfu9/30min) |
| ✉️ Email | vicky@blockrun.ai |
---
## From the BlockRun ecosystem
<table>
<tr>
<td width="50%">
### 🐍 ClawRouter-Hermes
**ClawRouter for NousResearch Hermes**
You're here. <!-- br:models.chatVisible -->91<!-- /br:models.chatVisible --> models, smart routing, wallet or API key.
`pip install hermes-plugin-clawrouter`
</td>
<td width="50%">
### ⚡ [ClawRouter](https://github.com/BlockRunAI/ClawRouter)
**The LLM router built for autonomous agents**
The canonical TypeScript proxy this plugin wraps. Works with any OpenAI-compatible client.
`npx @blockrun/clawrouter`
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td width="50%">
### 🤖 [BRCC](https://blockrun.ai/brcc.md)
**BlockRun for Claude Code**
Claude Code on <!-- br:models.chatVisible -->91<!-- /br:models.chatVisible --> models — no Anthropic account, no rate limits, pay per request.
`curl -fsSL https://blockrun.ai/brcc-install | bash`
</td>
<td width="50%">
### 📊 [Models & pricing](https://blockrun.ai/models)
**The live catalog**
Every model, every price, updated as the gateway changes.
[blockrun.ai/models](https://blockrun.ai/models)
</td>
</tr>
</table>
---
## FAQ
### Does this replace Hermes' own providers?
No. It adds one more provider. Existing OpenAI/Anthropic/OAuth blocks in `config.yaml` keep working; you can move to ClawRouter model by model.
### Do I need crypto to try it?
No. <!-- br:models.free -->9<!-- /br:models.free --> models are free with no wallet, no balance and no signup. Beyond that you can pay with a card at [user.blockrun.ai](https://user.blockrun.ai) and never touch a wallet at all.
### If I switch to an API key, what happens to my wallet?
Nothing. The key takes precedence while it's configured, and the wallet sits idle — same mnemonic, same USDC balance, same addresses. `hermes-clawrouter logout` removes the stored key and the very next call signs x402 again. `/clawrouter wallet` still shows the balance either way, and still switches the chain the wallet *would* use.
### Do the image, video and search tools work on the API key?
Yes. `api.blockrun.ai` serves `/v1/images/generations`, `/v1/videos/generations` and `/v1/exa/search` alongside chat, and the three plugin tools go through the same local proxy on either rail. If a partner endpoint ever isn't published on that host, the proxy rewrites the gateway's `Unsupported endpoint` 404 into an explanation instead of a bare error.
### Where do my keys live?
On the wallet rail: a local BIP-39 mnemonic at `~/.openclaw/blockrun/mnemonic` (mode 0o600), which never leaves the machine — only detached x402 payment signatures are sent. On the key rail: `~/.blockrun/.api-key` (mode 0o600), sent as a bearer token to exactly one host, `api.blockrun.ai`. Either way you hold no lab API keys — BlockRun owns those relationships.
### What does it cost to run?
The plugin is MIT and free. You pay per request at gateway prices — on `blockrun/auto` that's <!-- br:savings.autoVsBaselinePct -->84<!-- /br:savings.autoVsBaselinePct -->% less than pinning Claude Opus 5 for the same traffic, and <!-- br:savings.ecoVsBaselinePct -->98<!-- /br:savings.ecoVsBaselinePct -->% less on `eco`. The wallet rail adds BlockRun's `$0.001` per-call transaction fee; the key rail has no per-call fee and charges 5.5% + $0.30 once, when you top up.
### Can I see exactly what each call cost?
On the key rail, yes — [user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/activity](https://user.blockrun.ai/dashboard/activity) lists every request with its model, token counts, exact cost and request id. On the wallet rail, `/clawrouter stats` plus the on-chain record.
### Can I point it at my own proxy?
Yes — set `CLAWROUTER_PROXY_URL` and the plugin skips the local spawn entirely.
---
<div align="center">
**MIT License** · © [BlockRun](https://blockrun.ai) — agent-native AI infrastructure
⭐ If ClawRouter powers your Hermes agent, consider starring the repo!
</div>