Feat/hermes provider

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,21 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased](https://github.com/microsoft/conductor/compare/v0.1.19...HEAD)
 
+### Added
+
+- **Hermes provider (experimental)** — optional third provider built on the
+  NousResearch [`hermes-agent`](https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent)
+  library, which manages its own tool ecosystem (no MCP configuration). Install
+  separately with `pip install hermes-agent`; Conductor works without it.
+  Declared in the experimental provider tier with documented capability
+  carve-outs (no MCP servers, no per-agent workflow `tools:` allowlist,
+  structured output via prompt injection). Supports custom endpoints via
+  structured `runtime.provider` (`base_url` / `api_key`), `hermes_home`
+  profiles, `hermes_toolsets`, streaming + reasoning event callbacks,
+  cooperative interrupt, session-history resume, and `max_session_seconds`.
+  See [`docs/providers/hermes.md`](docs/providers/hermes.md).
+  ([#235](https://github.com/microsoft/conductor/pull/235))
+
 ## [0.1.19](https://github.com/microsoft/conductor/compare/v0.1.18...v0.1.19) - 2026-06-16
 
 ### Added

README.md

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ Conductor makes multi-agent workflows — code review pipelines, research-then-s
 ## Features
 
 - **YAML-based workflows** - Define multi-agent workflows in readable YAML
-- **Multiple providers** - GitHub Copilot, Anthropic Claude, or Claude Agent SDK with seamless switching
+- **Multiple providers** - GitHub Copilot, Anthropic Claude, Claude Agent SDK, or NousResearch Hermes (experimental) with seamless switching
 - **Parallel execution** - Run agents concurrently (static groups or dynamic for-each)
 - **Sub-workflow composition** - Reusable sub-workflows with templated `input_mapping`, usable inside `for_each` groups for dynamic fan-out
 - **Script steps** - Run shell commands and route on exit code or parsed JSON stdout
@@ -211,13 +211,14 @@ conductor stop
 
 Conductor supports multiple AI providers. Choose based on your needs:
 
-| Feature | Copilot | Claude | Claude Agent SDK |
-|---------|---------|--------|------------------|
-| **Pricing** | Subscription ($10-39/mo) | Pay-per-token | Via Claude Code CLI |
-| **Context Window** | 8K-128K tokens | 200K tokens | 200K tokens |
-| **Tool Support (MCP)** | Yes | Planned | Yes (built-in) |
-| **Streaming** | Yes | Planned | Yes |
-| **Best For** | Heavy usage, tools | Large context, pay-per-use | Full Claude Code toolset |
+| Feature | Copilot | Claude | Claude Agent SDK | Hermes |
+|---------|---------|--------|------------------|--------|
+| **Tier** | Stable | Stable | Experimental | Experimental |
+| **Pricing** | Subscription ($10-39/mo) | Pay-per-token | Via Claude Code CLI | Pay-per-token (via hermes) |
+| **Context Window** | 8K-128K tokens | 200K tokens | 200K tokens | Per-model |
+| **Tool Support (MCP)** | Yes | Planned | Yes (built-in) | No (hermes internal tools) |
+| **Streaming** | Yes | Planned | Yes | No |
+| **Best For** | Heavy usage, tools | Large context, pay-per-use | Full Claude Code toolset | Multi-provider model access |
 
 ### Using Claude
 
@@ -243,7 +244,18 @@ Requires the `claude` CLI to be installed and authenticated. Install the SDK: `u
 
 > **Note:** The `claude-agent-sdk` provider delegates tool and MCP server management to the `claude` CLI. Workflow-level `tools` and `runtime.mcp_servers` fields are ignored — configure these through your Claude Code settings instead.
 
-**See also:** [Claude Documentation](docs/providers/claude.md) | [Provider Comparison](docs/providers/comparison.md) | [Migration Guide](docs/providers/migration.md)
+### Using Hermes (Experimental)
+
+```yaml
+workflow:
+  runtime:
+    provider: hermes
+    default_model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
+```
+
+Install the library: `pip install hermes-agent`
+
+**See also:** [Claude Documentation](docs/providers/claude.md) | [Hermes Documentation](docs/providers/hermes.md) | [Provider Comparison](docs/providers/comparison.md) | [Migration Guide](docs/providers/migration.md)
 
 ### Using a Local / Custom LLM Endpoint (Ollama, vLLM, Azure OpenAI, ...)
 
@@ -357,7 +369,8 @@ See the [`examples/`](./examples/) directory for complete workflows:
 | [Parallel Execution](./docs/parallel-execution.md) | Static parallel groups |
 | [Dynamic Parallel](./docs/dynamic-parallel.md) | For-each groups and array processing |
 | [Claude Provider](./docs/providers/claude.md) | Claude setup and configuration |
-| [Provider Comparison](./docs/providers/comparison.md) | Copilot vs Claude decision guide |
+| [Hermes Provider](./docs/providers/hermes.md) | Hermes setup and configuration |
+| [Provider Comparison](./docs/providers/comparison.md) | Copilot vs Claude vs Hermes decision guide |
 
 ## Development
 

docs/cli-reference.md

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ conductor run <workflow.yaml> [OPTIONS]
 | `--metadata KEY=VALUE` | `-m` | Workflow metadata (repeatable). Merged on top of YAML `metadata:` and surfaced in the `workflow_started` event. |
 | `--workspace-instructions` | | Auto-discover convention files (`AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md`, `.github/copilot-instructions.md`, and `.github/instructions/**/*.instructions.md`) by walking from CWD up to the git root. Concatenated and prepended to every agent's prompt. See [Workspace Instructions](#workspace-instructions) below for details on the `.github/instructions/` directory convention. |
 | `--instructions PATH` | | Explicit path to an instructions file (repeatable). Combines with auto-discovered files when both flags are used. |
-| `--provider PROVIDER` | `-p` | Override provider (copilot, claude, claude-agent-sdk) |
+| `--provider PROVIDER` | `-p` | Override provider (copilot, claude, claude-agent-sdk, hermes) |
 | `--dry-run` | | Show execution plan without running |
 | `--skip-gates` | | Auto-select first option at human gates |
 | `--quiet` | `-q` | Minimal output (agent lifecycle and routing only) |

docs/configuration.md

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ The `runtime` section of your workflow defines provider settings and global defa
 ```yaml
 workflow:
   runtime:
-    provider: copilot  # or 'claude' or 'claude-agent-sdk'
+    provider: copilot  # or 'claude', 'claude-agent-sdk', 'hermes'
     default_model: gpt-5.2
     temperature: 0.7
     max_tokens: 4096
@@ -77,6 +77,31 @@ workflow:
 
 **See**: [Claude Provider Documentation](providers/claude.md)
 
+### Hermes Provider (Experimental)
+
+> **Experimental** — see [Experimental Providers](providers/experimental.md) for stability policy.
+
+Uses the NousResearch hermes-agent library for agent execution. Supports any OpenRouter-style model identifier.
+
+```yaml
+workflow:
+  runtime:
+    provider: hermes
+    default_model: anthropic/claude-sonnet-4
+    max_agent_iterations: 25
+    max_tokens: 4096
+    temperature: 0.7
+```
+
+**Features**:
+- Access to Anthropic, OpenAI, and OpenRouter models via one provider
+- Built-in hermes tool ecosystem (no MCP config required)
+- Custom endpoint routing via structured `provider:` config
+
+**Models**: `anthropic/claude-sonnet-4`, `openai/gpt-4o`, any OpenRouter `provider/model` string
+
+**See**: [Hermes Provider Documentation](providers/hermes.md)
+
 ### Custom Provider Routing (Ollama / vLLM / Azure OpenAI)
 
 `runtime.provider` accepts either the bare string shorthand