> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.hermesvoice.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Permissions Issues

> Fixing macOS permission problems with Hermes.

## Overview

Hermes needs several macOS permissions to function. If any are missing or misconfigured, features won't work correctly.

| Permission       | What breaks without it      |
| ---------------- | --------------------------- |
| Microphone       | No audio capture at all     |
| Accessibility    | Text won't insert into apps |
| Input Monitoring | Hotkey won't work globally  |
| Screen Recording | Vision context unavailable  |

***

## Microphone permission

### Symptoms

* Hermes bar appears but shows no audio
* "Microphone access required" error
* Transcription never starts

### Fix

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open System Settings">
    Apple menu () → System Settings
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Microphone">
    Privacy & Security → Microphone
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Hermes">
    Find Hermes in the list and toggle it **on**.

    If Hermes isn't listed, you may need to trigger a permission prompt by trying to dictate.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Still not working?

1. Toggle Hermes **off**, then **on** again
2. Quit and restart Hermes
3. Restart your Mac

***

## Accessibility permission

### Symptoms

* Hermes transcribes but text doesn't appear
* "Accessibility access required" error
* Text appears in Hermes but not in target app

### Fix

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open System Settings">
    Apple menu () → System Settings
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Accessibility">
    Privacy & Security → Accessibility
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add Hermes">
    If Hermes is listed, make sure it's toggled **on**.

    If not listed, click **+**, navigate to Applications, and select Hermes.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### If Hermes is listed but not working

1. **Remove Hermes** from the list (select it, click **-**)
2. **Add it again** (click **+**, select Hermes)
3. **Restart Hermes**

Sometimes macOS caches permissions incorrectly, and re-adding fixes it.

***

## Input Monitoring permission

### Symptoms

* Hotkey only works when Hermes is focused
* Hotkey doesn't respond at all
* Other apps capture your hotkey

### Fix

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open System Settings">
    Apple menu () → System Settings
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Input Monitoring">
    Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Hermes">
    Find Hermes and toggle it **on**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Still not working?

Try a different hotkey. Some keys may be captured by the system or other apps before Hermes can detect them.

***

## Screen Recording permission

### Symptoms

* Vision context doesn't work
* App detection is inaccurate
* "Screen Recording access required" message

### Fix

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open System Settings">
    Apple menu () → System Settings
  </Step>

  <Step title="Go to Screen Recording">
    Privacy & Security → Screen Recording

    (On newer macOS, this may be called "Screen & System Audio Recording")
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enable Hermes">
    Find Hermes and toggle it **on**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Screen Recording is optional. Hermes works without it, but Vision context won't be available.
</Note>

***

## Permission was denied by organization

If you're on a work computer, your IT department may restrict permissions.

### Options

1. **Contact IT** — Ask them to allow Hermes
2. **Use a personal device** — If work computer can't be configured
3. **Request an exception** — Some organizations allow exceptions for productivity tools

***

## Resetting all permissions

If nothing else works, you can reset Hermes' permissions completely:

<Warning>
  This removes Hermes from all permission lists. You'll need to re-grant everything.
</Warning>

1. Quit Hermes
2. Open **Terminal**
3. Run these commands:

```bash theme={null}
tccutil reset Microphone com.hermes.app
tccutil reset Accessibility com.hermes.app
tccutil reset PostEvent com.hermes.app
tccutil reset ScreenCapture com.hermes.app
```

4. Reopen Hermes
5. Grant permissions when prompted

<Note>
  Replace `com.hermes.app` with the actual bundle ID if different.
</Note>

***

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Permissions setup" icon="lock" href="/setup/permissions">
    Initial permission setup guide.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Common issues" icon="circle-exclamation" href="/troubleshooting/common-issues">
    Other common problems.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>