david-internal/hermes-obsidian-always-on-setup/hermes-obsidian-setup

Hermes Obsidian Setup

Overview

Guide the user through the exact always-on setup: Hermes runs on the VPS, Obsidian runs on the Mac, and both share one synced vault folder. Keep the focus on a real file loop, not controlling the Obsidian app.

Operating Principle

Make one folder the source of truth on the VPS, then point both obsidian-headless and Hermes at that same folder.

Default path:

/root/HermesVault

If the user chooses a different path, use that exact same path everywhere.

Workflow

1. Confirm prerequisites:

• VPS shell access, preferably root on Ubuntu.
• Active Obsidian Sync subscription on the same account used on the Mac and VPS.
• Obsidian installed locally on the Mac.
• Model provider ready for hermes setup.
• Telegram integration only after the vault loop works.

1. Install Hermes:

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash
hermes setup

1. Install Node 22 and obsidian-headless. Use NodeSource, not Ubuntu's default npm package.
2. Log in with ob login. If "server overloaded" appears repeatedly, ask the user to confirm the account has active Obsidian Sync in the web UI.
3. Create or select the remote vault.
4. Create the dedicated folder before running ob sync-setup:

mkdir -p /root/HermesVault
cd /root/HermesVault
ob sync-setup --vault "VAULT_ID"

1. Verify the setup output says Location: /root/HermesVault. If it says /root, stop and fix it before doing anything else.
2. Install the continuous sync service:

bash scripts/install_obsidian_sync_service.sh /root/HermesVault

1. Add this to ~/.hermes/.env:

OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH=/root/HermesVault

1. Restart Hermes so it reloads .env.
2. Turn on Obsidian Sync on the Mac for the same remote vault.
3. Test both directions:

• Telegram or Hermes creates a note, then the note appears on the Mac.
• Mac creates a note, then the note appears in /root/HermesVault.

Guardrails

• Never run ob sync-setup from /root; it can make the whole home directory the vault.
• Do not claim Obsidian adds agent intelligence by itself. Obsidian adds the human workspace; Hermes does the agent work.
• Do not demo fake "AI controls the app" behavior. Show the shared vault folder and the synced note in Obsidian.
• Do not store API keys, passwords, or private secrets in notes unless the user explicitly accepts that risk.
• Do not continue setup if Obsidian Sync is not active on the account.

Resources

• Read references/full-setup-runbook.md when the user wants the full command-by-command process.
• Read references/troubleshooting.md when a command fails or notes do not sync.
• Run scripts/check_vps_prereqs.sh on the VPS before setup or while debugging.
• Run scripts/install_obsidian_sync_service.sh /root/HermesVault after ob sync-setup succeeds.

Completion Criteria

Finish only when the user can create a note through Hermes or Telegram, see it on the VPS, see it in Obsidian on the Mac, and create a Mac note that appears back on the VPS.