System Architecture

Complete cognitive architecture for the Hermes Agent ecosystem โ€” a self-evolving, spec-driven, multi-agent knowledge management system.

Seven Layers

This architecture defines seven interconnected layers that together form a persistent, autonomous agent identity with durable memory, procedural skills, and spec-driven execution capabilities.

LayerSectionDescription
1Identity AnchorsCore identity, ethics, persona, social contracts
2Mutable MemorySemantic, episodic, session, and feedback memory
3Orchestration & RulesAgent coordination, conventions, safety gates
4Capabilities & InfrastructureSkills, procedures, tools, checklists
5Autonomic TriggersCron, bootstrap, boot hooks
6Spec-Driven Working MemoryPlans, briefs, requirements, tasks
7Swarm & Domain AlignmentDesign system, thesis, signals

Quick Reference

FilePurposeLocation
SOULEthical constraints, escalation pathsidentity-anchors/soul.md
USERHuman operator profileidentity-anchors/user.md
IDENTITYBot naming, avatars, routingidentity-anchors/identity.md
MEMORYCurated long-term factsmutable-memory/memory.md
AGENTSMulti-agent coordinationorchestration/agents.md
SKILLProcedural skill manualscapabilities/skill.md
HEARTBEATCron schedules, health checksautonomic/heartbeat.md
PLANActive goal trackingspec-driven/plan.md
THESISStrategic north starswarm-alignment/thesis.md

This architecture is self-describing โ€” the wiki is the system it documents. Changes to these pages propagate into agent behavior via the research automation pipeline.

Architecture Jun 7

Identity Anchors

The immutable foundation โ€” seven pillars that define who the agent is, how it relates to its human operator, and how it โ€ฆ

Architecture Jun 7

Mutable Memory State

Four-tier memory architecture: curated semantic base, daily episodic streams, session handoffs, and procedural โ€ฆ

Architecture Jun 7

Orchestration & Rules

Operational governance layer: multi-agent coordination, IDE conventions, repository context, task directives, and โ€ฆ

Architecture Jun 7

Capabilities & Infrastructure

Procedural manuals, distilled heuristics, host-specific reality, and dynamic ops guides. SKILL ๐ŸŽช Procedural Manual โ€ฆ

Architecture Jun 7

Autonomic Triggers

Background daemons: cron schedules, proactive health checks, first-run injection, and gateway startup hooks. HEARTBEAT โ€ฆ

Architecture Jun 7

Spec-Driven Working Memory

Active execution layer: goal tracking, scope definition, architecture strategy, formal requirements, and verifiable โ€ฆ

Architecture Jun 7

Swarm & Domain Alignment

Strategic north star: aesthetic system, shared objective, and centralized intelligence extraction. DESIGN ๐ŸŽจ Aesthetic โ€ฆ