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What it does

Terminal Commands execute shell commands on your Mac. Run scripts, manage files, control system settings, or automate development tasks—all with your voice.
Terminal commands run with your user permissions. Be careful with destructive commands like rm -rf.

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Configuration

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Execution modes

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Background (silent)

Commands run without opening a terminal window. Output is captured but not displayed. Use cases:
  • Quick file operations
  • System commands
  • Scripts that don’t need interaction
  • Automation that should be invisible

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Visual

Commands run in a terminal window you can see. Use cases:
  • Interactive commands
  • Long-running processes
  • Debugging scripts
  • Commands where you want to see output

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Supported terminals

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Environment variables

Your commands have access to special variables:

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Example: Use transcription in command

Trigger: “create file” Command: touch ~/Desktop/"$HERMES_INPUT".txt Say: “create file meeting notes” Result: Creates ~/Desktop/meeting notes.txt

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Examples

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Open project in VS Code

Trigger: “open project” Command: cd ~/projects/myapp && code .

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Git status

Trigger: “git status” Command: git status Mode: Visual

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Create and open file

Trigger: “new note” Command:

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Kill process by name

Trigger: “kill” Command: pkill -f "$HERMES_INPUT" Say: “kill chrome” Result: Kills Chrome processes

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Copy text to clipboard

Trigger: “clip” Command: echo "$HERMES_INPUT" | pbcopy Say: “clip hello world” Result: “hello world” copied to clipboard

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Command sequences

You can run multiple commands in sequence: Each command runs after the previous one completes.

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Security warnings

Hermes warns about potentially dangerous commands: You can still run these commands, but Hermes will ask for confirmation.

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Creating a terminal trigger

1

Open Triggers

Go to Settings → Triggers.
2

Create new trigger

Click + or New Trigger.
3

Set the phrase

Enter your trigger phrase (e.g., “git status”).
4

Choose matching mode

Exact for simple commands, Prefix if you need input.
5

Select Terminal

Choose Terminal Commands as the action type.
6

Add commands

Enter your shell commands. Add delays if needed.
7

Set execution mode

Choose Background (silent) or Visual.
8

Save

Click Save.

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Tips

  • Use background mode for quick, non-interactive commands
  • Use visual mode for long-running or interactive commands
  • Set working directory to avoid cd commands
  • Use $HERMES_INPUT to pass voice input to scripts
  • Test commands manually first before creating triggers

Keyboard Shortcuts

Simulate key presses instead.

Apple Shortcuts

Run Shortcuts app workflows.