hermes - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Setup]: Bad UX: Manual .env/config.yaml configuration required for Discord gateway setup

What's Going Wrong?

Summary Discord integration requires users to manually configure both .env (API keys) and config.yaml to get working, creating a poor first-time user experience. This should be streamlined or made optional where possible.

Problem When setting up Hermes Agent with Discord as the gateway platform, users face friction:

Manual API key injection - Users must create/edit .env files and add secrets like DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN, DISCORD_CLIENT_SECRET, etc. Config file editing - Manual edits to config.yaml are needed for platform-specific settings. Multiple restart cycles - Often requires restarting the gateway service after each configuration change.

This creates a steep learning curve, especially for users who: Are new to Hermes Agent Don't have access to the terminal where .env is located Prefer GUI-based setup flows Are concerned about accidentally exposing secrets

Expected Behavior Option A (Ideal): Provide an interactive setup wizard that: Prompts for Discord credentials through CLI safely (echo'd to stdout - Just like the telegram version echos the bot key) Guides users step-by-step through configuration Validates settings before restart is needed

Option B (Acceptable): Improve documentation with: Step-by-step setup guide specifically for Discord Security best practices for storing .env files Quick-start examples using Docker volumes or profile isolation

Option C (Best of both): Both improved wizard + better docs/examples

Impact Onboarding friction: New users are likely to get stuck or give up entirely Security concerns: Users may store secrets in unsafe locations (e.g., GitHub, plain text) Support burden: More questions/bugs about configuration (1/2) Competitive disadvantage: Competitors like Claude Code have better gateway onboarding

Suggested Improvements Add interactive hermes gateway setup discord command Use secure input methods for secrets (e.g., stty -echo) Provide Docker Compose examples with volume mounting for .env Create profile-specific configuration templates Add "get started" documentation specifically for Discord users

Related Commands/Docs hermes gateway setup - needs improvement Configuration docs - could use platform-specific examples Messaging guide - Discord section unclear

Tags/Labels to Add (GitHub) bug, enhancement, discord, gateway, ux, documentation, onboarding

Steps Taken

Manually edited files to get it working. hermes couldn't handle the task of fixing it alone.

Installation Method

Install script (curl | bash)

Operating System

Operating System: Linux 6.14.0-29-generic

Python Version

Python version: 3.12

Hermes Version

Hermes Agent v0.14.0 (2026.5.16)

Debug Report

Full Error Output

don't have it... I deleted the error.log to make sure I was seeing the latest information.

What I've Already Tried

No response