Hermes Agent WhatsApp always asks to re-scan the QR code, or even if it is clearly connected but does not receive messages, it is usually two types of problems: the session is not persisting, or the WHATSAPP_ALLOWED_USERS is not releasing the sender. The official WhatsApp documentation goes into great detail about both, so checking these two first is much faster than reinstalling.
Check the session first
Hermes saves WhatsApp sessions on ~/.hermes/platforms/whatsapp/session. If the directory doesn't exist, can't be written, or if you run in the container without hanging a persistent volume, you'll get the symptom of "having to rescan every time you restart". Long-term offline phones, WhatsApp updates, manual unlinks can also invalidate old sessions.
Check again why you can't receive the news
If only some people can't send it, focus on whether the WHATSAPP_ALLOWED_USERS contains the other party's number, and the format must include the country code, but not + and spaces. If you want to release all of them, you can temporarily set them to * to verify whether the link is normal.
When to rescan
hermes whatsapp repair is only required if the session is truly invalid. If it is just network jitter, the gateway will handle the temporary disconnection on its own. If the bridge suddenly becomes abnormal after the Hermes update, it is recommended to update the version first and then consider reconfiguration.
In a word: frequently scanning QR codes is mostly session; If you don't receive any messages, it's mostly allowlist. Separate these two things first, and the obstacles will be fast.
Official open source address: https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent; Official document entry: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/.
