# Hermes Cost Audit

Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts.

- Repository: https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide (709 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: MIT
- Last updated: 2026-09-24
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide --skill hermes-cost-audit -g -a gemini-cli -y`

## Description

Audit Hermes token spend and propose cuts.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Hermes Cost Audit

Find where this Hermes install spends tokens and propose the cuts with the best payoff, backed by measurements taken on this machine.

## When to Use

- The user asks why Hermes is expensive, where tokens go, or how to spend less.
- As a weekly cron job that reports spend and new savings opportunities.

## Procedure

Run every command with the terminal tool. Read, measure, and report. **Do not change any setting until the user approves the specific change.**

1. **Measure the fixed prefix** that every model call carries, per surface actually in use:

   ```bash
   hermes tools --summary                      # which platforms have which toolsets
   hermes prompt-size --json                   # CLI
   hermes prompt-size --platform telegram --json   # repeat for each platform in use
   ```

   Record system prompt bytes, skills index bytes, tool schema bytes, and the three largest toolsets per platform.

2. **Measure real spend** over time:

   ```bash
   hermes insights --days 7
   hermes insights --days 30
   ```

3. **Read the settings that drive cost.** `auto` on an auxiliary task means *the main model*:

   ```bash
   hermes config get model
   hermes config get auxiliary.compression.model
   hermes config get auxiliary.title_generation.model
   hermes config get auxiliary.approval.model
   hermes config get auxiliary.background_review.model
   hermes config get delegation.model
   hermes config get cron.model
   hermes config get agent.disabled_toolsets
   hermes config get prompt_caching.cache_ttl
   ```

4. **Check for these patterns** and estimate the saving of each from the step 1 numbers (roughly 4.2, 4.5 bytes per token):

The rest: https://github.com/OnlyTerp/hermes-optimization-guide/blob/HEAD/skills/hermes-cost-audit/SKILL.md