Hermes Agent · Tutorial 20
Name, Resume, and Branch Your Best Hermes Conversations
Give important chats memorable names, return to them later, and explore an alternative without losing the original conversation.
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Last tested and updated: August 25, 2026, with Hermes Agent v0.20.5. Run /version first.
Good conversations become working assets: they contain decisions, rejected options, and accumulated context. Hermes lets you give them memorable titles, return later, and branch an alternative without overwriting the original.
A complete five-minute demo
Begin inside a useful conversation:
/title Kyoto Autumn TripHermes can auto-generate a title after the first exchange, but a deliberate title gives you a predictable resume handle. Titles must be unique, are limited to 100 characters, and can include emoji or CJK text.
Now create an alternative:
/branch Kyoto Autumn Trip - Budget
Revise the itinerary around a lower hotel budget and public transport only.List recent sessions and return to the original:
/sessions
/resume Kyoto Autumn TripBoth versions still exist. The branch copied the full transcript into an independent session and switched you into it; the original remained resumable.
What the commands mean
| Command | Use |
|---|---|
/title | Show the current ID/title |
/title <unique name> | Give the session a stable human name |
/sessions | List or switch sessions, depending on surface |
/resume | Show recent choices |
/resume <title-or-id> | Restore a saved session |
/branch <new title> or /fork | Copy this conversation into an independent new session |
The classic CLI list and TUI switcher differ. In the TUI, /sessions focuses on live TUI sessions; use /resume for stored or closed transcripts. Gateway users can use sessions full and sessions search <query>; cross-origin sessions all requires an administrator.
CLI resume restores the recorded working directory, model/provider, and session-scoped approval state as well as the transcript. Gateway resume clears pending queue state and conversation-specific overrides before switching.
Everyday uses
- Branch a travel plan into “comfortable” and “budget” versions.
- Preserve an approved report while exploring a shorter executive version.
- Resume a long-running home project with its decisions intact.
- Test a risky idea in a branch while keeping the original discussion untouched.
The stable sessions guide and command reference document these behaviors.
How to know it worked
/titleshows your chosen name and a session ID./sessionsor/resumelists both original and branch.- Resuming the original restores its earlier transcript and workspace metadata.
- Work added to the branch does not appear as conversation turns in the original.
Frequently asked questions
Why name sessions if Hermes auto-titles them?
Your own title is predictable and easier to resume months later.
Can two sessions share a title?
No. Choose a distinct name for each branch.
Does /resume restore more than text?
In the CLI it also restores recorded workspace and model/provider state.
Does /branch copy files?
No. It copies the conversation only.
Can one branch’s actions affect another?
Yes, if both point to the same files or external account.
How do I isolate code experiments?
Use a separate Git worktree, not only a conversation branch.
Can a stranger resume my gateway session by guessing an ID?
Gateway access is scoped by platform, user, and chat; cross-origin access requires explicit admin authority.