Hermes Agent + xCloud

Deploy from Git with Hermes Agent on xCloud

Deploying from Git with Hermes Agent means sending the always-on Nous Research agent a repository link from Telegram, Slack or your terminal, and letting it work with xCloud through detection, a dry run, your approval and a live check, remembering what you prefer for next time.

Skill: xcloud:deploy
Toolsets: sites, servers, integrations
Free with every xCloud account

Set up Hermes Agent All Hermes Agent guides

YouDeploy github.com/acme/shop to staging on the Singapore server. Dry run first.

git_detectread-only

AgentNode.js app on main. Build: npm run build, start: npm start. Free staging hostname: shop-test.acme.xcloud.site. One warning: no environment file in the repo. Create the site on Singapore?

YouYes, create it.

servers_sites_git_autoneeds approval

AgentQueued. Still building... deployed. https://shop-test.acme.xcloud.site answers 200. Dashboard link below.

Last updated: October 2026. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.

Setup

How Do You Set Up Hermes Agent to Deploy from Git on xCloud?

Connect Hermes Agent once; every job on this account uses the same connection. Then ask in plain words.

1
Add the xCloud MCP server
Add this under mcp_servers in ~/.hermes/config.yaml. If the file already has an mcp_servers block, add only the xcloud entry. Then start a new Hermes session, or run /reload-mcp in the one that is open.
YAML
```
mcp_servers:
  xcloud:
    url: "https://app.xcloud.host/mcp"
    auth: oauth
```
2
Authorize xCloud
On first connect Hermes prints an authorize URL and waits for the sign-in. Run this command to start it yourself or to re-authorize later. On the xCloud approval screen tick the teams and choose Read-only or Full access. Hermes caches the tokens in ~/.hermes/mcp-tokens/xcloud.json and reuses them on later runs.
Terminal
```
hermes mcp login xcloud
```
3
No browser? Use an API key
For a server with no browser, create a token with the mcp:invoke scope plus the read abilities for the areas it will use (read:servers and read:sites, with read:billing and read:addons for billing and add-on tools) and the matching write: abilities if it should change things in Settings, Developers, API Tokens and send it as a header in place of auth: oauth. Keep ~/.hermes/config.yaml out of version control when it holds a token.
YAML
```
mcp_servers:
  xcloud:
    url: "https://app.xcloud.host/mcp"
    headers:
      Authorization: "Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
```

Check it worked

Then ask Hermes Agent for the job itself, for example:

Prompt

Deploy github.com/acme/shop to my Frankfurt server on a staging hostname. Show me the dry run here and wait for my yes.

In practice

How Does Deploy from Git Work from Hermes Agent?

Hermes does not usually sit in your project folder. It runs as a long-lived process, often on a small server, and you reach it through its gateway from a chat app such as Telegram, Discord or Slack, or from its terminal interface. That changes how a deploy starts. You send a message with a repository link, something like deploy github.com/acme/shop to my Frankfurt server on a staging hostname, and Hermes passes the link to xCloud, which reads the repository itself. There is no local checkout to compare against, so what comes back is xCloud's detection, written as a short chat message: the app type, the branch, the install, build and start commands and any warning.

The approval step becomes a reply in the same thread. After git_detect, Hermes asks xCloud for a staging hostname, sends the create request as a dry run and posts the would_create summary with the URL, the runtime version, the commands and the web root. You read it on your phone and answer yes. Only then does it send the confirmed create call through servers_sites_git_auto, poll sites_status and post a message for each real change, ending with the URL it fetched and the dashboard link xCloud returned. If you walk away mid-deploy, the deploy keeps running on xCloud, and Hermes reports it as still running, not deployed, until the state is terminal.

Memory and cron are what make Hermes different here. Because it keeps memory across sessions, you can tell it once that production is the Frankfurt server and staging sites go on Singapore, and later deploys start from that. Its scheduler runs a job in a fresh session on a timer, but a deploy is a change, and xCloud stops for an explicit confirmation before it creates a site, so an unattended job can only detect and preview. A useful scheduled prompt asks Hermes to run detection and a dry run for one repository each morning and message you any new warning, leaving the create step for a message you send yourself.

Hermes Agent specific: Check where Hermes itself lives before you pick a target server. If you run Hermes on an xCloud server provisioned for it, that agentic server hosts only the site created at provisioning, and xCloud refuses a second site on it, so the deploy needs a different server. Hermes also reads mcp_servers when a session starts, so after you edit config.yaml run /reload-mcp or start a new session, otherwise a message sent from Telegram will find no xCloud tools. Finally, a yes typed in a chat is the approval, so use a chat only you can write in.

What xCloud does for deploy from git

xCloud detects the app in the repository, previews the site it would create with a dry run, creates it once you approve, polls the deployment to a terminal state and checks the live URL. A failed deploy gets a diagnosis and a corrected retry on the same site, never a delete and recreate.

Pick the team and server. The agent uses the server you name. If you name none it lists provisioned servers and asks; it never picks one silently. Node.js, PHP and static builds need an Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed server; anything else needs a Docker server.
Detect the repository. git_detect reads the default branch, the app type (WordPress, Laravel, custom PHP, Node.js or Lovable), the web root, suggested install, build and start commands, repository access and server compatibility. Detection creates nothing.
Choose the address. With no domain the agent asks xCloud for a free staging hostname. With a live domain it checks whether the zone is on a connected Cloudflare account, in which case xCloud writes the DNS record and certificate itself.
Dry run, then one approval. The agent sends the create request with dry_run set to true and shows you the resolved configuration: app type, URL, branch, commands, runtime version and every warning. Then it asks once, naming the server and the URL, before sending the same body with confirm set to true and an idempotency key.
Poll and verify. A 202 means queued, not deployed. The agent polls the site status until it is terminal, reports each real step change, reads failed_steps and the SSL block, and fetches the URL before it calls the site live.
Recover if it fails. On a failed deploy the agent reads the deployment diagnosis, proposes a fix from the correctable fields, and retries on the same site with your approval. Two failed retries with the same classification stop the loop and hand you the dashboard link.

Reference

Deploy from Git Settings and Limits on xCloud

The facts Hermes Agent works within when it deploys from Git. Where a row names the dashboard, that step stays yours to take there.

Setting or limit	What applies
Supported app types	WordPress, Laravel, custom PHP, Node.js and Lovable on native servers; Dockerfile and Compose apps, including Python, Go and Rust, on Docker servers
Repository sources	Public HTTPS URLs, repositories on a connected GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket provider, and private SSH repositories with a read-only deploy key
Private repositories	The agent prepares a deploy key on the server, you add the public key to the repository, xCloud verifies it. A private key or personal token never goes in the request
Preview	dry_run: true returns the would_create block and consumes no idempotency key
Idempotency	The create call carries an Idempotency-Key, so a retried request cannot create a duplicate site. A new deployment needs a new key
Deployment states	deployed, failed or cancelled once terminal is true; failed_steps can be non-empty on a deployed site and must be read
Node.js versions	The Node version is server-wide, not per site; changing it can affect other apps on the server
Redeploys	A redeploy runs git reset --hard and git clean -df in the site directory, so uncommitted server-side changes are lost. Supply environment values through env_file_content, not files in the checkout
Staging environments	Available for Git sites on paid plans through the API; WordPress staging stays a dashboard step
Agentic servers	An OpenClaw, Hermes, Paperclip or DeepSeek Harness server hosts only the site created at provisioning; a second site is refused

Rules Hermes Agent has to follow

Creating a site is billable and stops for your approval; detection and the dry run never create anything.
The agent explains every detection warning before asking, and a repository access problem is never worked around by naming an app type by hand.
A deployed state is not proof the application works: the agent fetches the URL and reads failed_steps first.
A failed site is retried in place with corrections; it is never deleted and recreated to retry.
Changing a live site's domain after creation, databases and server resizing are dashboard steps; the agent gives you the path and the dashboard link xCloud returned.

Example prompts

What Can You Ask Hermes Agent to Do for Deploy from Git?

Type these as written and swap in your own repository, site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.

Prompt

Deploy github.com/acme/shop to my Frankfurt server on a staging hostname. Show me the dry run here and wait for my yes.

Prompt

Remember that production goes on the Frankfurt server and staging sites go on Singapore. Then deploy github.com/acme/api to staging.

Prompt

Every weekday at 8am, run xCloud detection and a dry run for github.com/acme/shop and message me any new warning. Create nothing.

Prompt

Deploy https://github.com/acme/shop to my Frankfurt server and show me the dry run before creating anything.

Prompt

Deploy the private GitLab repository connected to my team on a staging hostname.

Prompt

Scan the docker-compose.yml in github.com/acme/api and tell me which services and ports xCloud would use.

Prompt

Create a staging environment from the feature/checkout branch of the API site.

Prompt

Deploy the latest commit of the shop site after showing me what will change.

Prompt

The last deploy of the API site failed. Diagnose it, fix the build command and retry on the same site.

Hermes Agent and Deploy from Git: Frequently Asked Questions

What people ask before they let Hermes Agent deploy from Git through xCloud.

Can Hermes Agent deploy a repository on a schedule?

It can run detection and a dry run on a schedule, and message you the result, but it cannot create the site unattended. xCloud refuses the create call without an explicit confirmation, so the create step waits for a message you send. Keep scheduled jobs to detection and previews.

Does Hermes Agent remember which server I deploy to?

Yes, Hermes keeps memory across sessions, so you can tell it that production is the Frankfurt server and staging goes on Singapore. It still shows the server in the dry run, and you still approve before xCloud creates the site.

Does the agent create the site as soon as I give it a repository URL?

No. It detects the repository and runs a dry run first, shows you the resolved configuration, and asks once. Only after you approve does it send the create call with an explicit confirmation and an idempotency key.

Can an agent deploy a private repository through xCloud?

Yes. Either the repository is on a Git provider connected to your xCloud team, or the agent prepares an SSH deploy key on the server for you to add to the repository. A private key or a personal access token is never sent in the request.

What does a 202 response mean during a deploy?

That xCloud queued the deployment. The agent polls the site status until it is terminal and reports deployed, failed or cancelled, then checks failed_steps and fetches the URL before calling the site live.

What happens when a deploy fails?

The agent reads the deployment diagnosis, which classifies the failing step and quotes the relevant log lines, proposes a fix from the fields xCloud lets it correct, and retries on the same site after your approval. It never deletes and recreates the site to retry.

Which servers can take a Git deploy?

Node.js, PHP and static builds deploy to Nginx or OpenLiteSpeed servers. Dockerfile and Compose apps, and other language stacks, need a Docker server. Agentic servers running OpenClaw, Hermes, Paperclip or DeepSeek Harness take no additional sites.

Other agents