What should I do if the Hermes Agent TUI keeps starting slowly?

The Hermes Agent TUI is slow to start the first time, most often during installation or rebuild ui-tui/node_modules, which is a normal one-time cost. If it is slow every time, check if the Node dependency directory is writable, if version updates trigger frequent rebuilds, or if you are running in a read-only/temporary directory.

The difference between normal slow and abnormal slow

The official TUI documentation states that the Node dependencies will be installed on the first start, and if the source code is newer than the build product after the update, it will also be automatically rebuilt. Normally, just wait once; The exception is that it reinstalls every time it is opened, or it keeps getting stuck in the boot phase and does not enter the interface.

Processing order

• Run hermes doctor to confirm the Node.js and dependency status first.
• Check the Hermes installation directory for write access, especially for Docker, Nix, read-only system package environments.
• If the release offers a pre-built TUI, you can set HERMES_TUI_DIR to point to a directory that contains dist/entry.js and node_modules.
• When you need to work temporarily, use the classic CLI:hermes.

Don't repeatedly Ctrl+C restart when startup is slow, which can make the dependency installation abandoned halfway. Let it run once before judging whether it is really abnormal.