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

# Hermes

> Set up Handshake with Hermes to checkpoint sessions automatically via a plugin hook, use natural language commands, and restore across agents.

Handshake integrates with Hermes via the MCP protocol and reads Hermes' SQLite session database directly. Setup is handled automatically by the wizard — you run one command and Handshake is registered and ready.

## How it works

Hermes stores its sessions in a SQLite database at `~/.hermes/state.db`. When you checkpoint a session, Handshake reads this database safely without blocking Hermes from writing.

Handshake also installs a plugin into `~/.hermes/hooks/handshake/` — a directory Hermes auto-discovers at startup. The plugin keeps your session record up to date after each conversation turn.

`handshake setup` registers Handshake as an MCP server in Hermes' config at `~/.hermes/config.yaml` under the `mcp_servers` key:

```yaml theme={null}
mcp_servers:
  handshake:
    url: http://localhost:8765/mcp
```

## Setup

Run the setup wizard once:

```bash theme={null}
handshake setup
```

The wizard adds the MCP server entry to `~/.hermes/config.yaml` (backing up the original first) and installs the hook plugin. If Hermes hasn't been configured yet and no config file exists, the wizard prints the snippet to add manually.

## Checkpointing

Once set up, you can checkpoint and restore sessions from inside Hermes using natural language:

<CodeGroup>
  ```text Save the current session theme={null}
  checkpoint this session
  ```

  ```text List saved sessions theme={null}
  list my sessions
  ```

  ```text Restore a session theme={null}
  restore my database migration session
  ```
</CodeGroup>