How long does this ground hermes agent with live search data tutorial take?

Most developers complete this tutorial in 15 to 30 minutes. You will need a Scavio API key (free tier works) and a working Python or JavaScript environment.

What do I need before starting?

Hermes Agent installed (v0.12.0+). A Scavio API key from scavio.dev. Basic familiarity with Hermes Agent profiles. A Scavio API key gives you 50 free credits on signup.

Can I run this tutorial with the free tier?

Yes. The free tier includes 50 credits on signup, which is more than enough to complete this tutorial and prototype a working solution.

What frameworks does this work with?

Scavio has a native LangChain package (langchain-scavio), an MCP server, and a plain REST API that works with any HTTP client. This tutorial uses the raw REST API, but you can adapt to your framework of choice.

Ground Hermes Agent with Live Search Data (2026)

Hermes Agent is a self-improving autonomous agent that creates and refines skills over time. By default, its research skills rely on the LLM's training data, which becomes stale for topics like pricing, tool versions, and market trends. Connecting an MCP search server gives Hermes access to live web data, making its research outputs accurate and current. This tutorial configures Scavio's MCP server with Hermes Agent's profile system.

Prerequisites

Hermes Agent installed (v0.12.0+)
A Scavio API key from scavio.dev
Basic familiarity with Hermes Agent profiles

Walkthrough

Step 1: Create a research profile

Hermes Agent uses profiles to separate context and tool access. Create a dedicated research profile with MCP search.

JSON

# In your Hermes Agent config (hermes.config.json):
{
  "profiles": {
    "research": {
      "description": "Research profile with live web search",
      "mcp_servers": [
        {
          "name": "scavio-search",
          "url": "https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp",
          "auth": {
            "type": "header",
            "key": "x-api-key",
            "value": "$SCAVIO_API_KEY"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Verify tool discovery

Start Hermes with the research profile and verify it discovers search tools.

Bash

hermes --profile research

# In the Hermes shell:
> /tools
# Should list: google_search, reddit_search, youtube_search,
# amazon_search, walmart_search, and 6 more from Scavio

Step 3: Create a search-grounded research skill

Define a skill that uses live search to verify claims before including them in outputs.

Bash

# Example skill prompt for Hermes:
# "Research {topic} using web search. For every factual claim
# (pricing, version, feature), verify it with a live search
# before including it. Cite the source URL for each verified claim.
# Do not include any unverified claims."

# The skill will use google_search, reddit_search, etc. automatically
# when it encounters claims that need verification.

Step 4: Test with a pricing comparison task

Give Hermes a task that requires current data to verify the grounding works.

Bash

# In Hermes research profile:
> Compare the pricing of Tavily, Serper, and SerpAPI search APIs.
# Include current tier names and prices.

# Hermes should call google_search for each tool's pricing page
# and return verified, current pricing instead of training data.

Python Example

Python

# Hermes Agent MCP config for research profile:
import json

config = {
    'profiles': {
        'research': {
            'mcp_servers': [{
                'name': 'scavio-search',
                'url': 'https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp',
                'auth': {'type': 'header', 'key': 'x-api-key', 'value': '$SCAVIO_API_KEY'}
            }]
        }
    }
}
print(json.dumps(config, indent=2))

JavaScript Example

JavaScript

// Hermes Agent MCP config:
const config = {
  profiles: {
    research: {
      mcp_servers: [{
        name: 'scavio-search',
        url: 'https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp',
        auth: { type: 'header', key: 'x-api-key', value: '$SCAVIO_API_KEY' }
      }]
    }
  }
};
console.log(JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));

Expected Output

JSON

Hermes Agent research profile with live search grounding. Research skills verify claims with current web data before including them.

Prerequisites

Hermes Agent installed (v0.12.0+)
A Scavio API key from scavio.dev
Basic familiarity with Hermes Agent profiles

Walkthrough

Step 1: Create a research profile

Hermes Agent uses profiles to separate context and tool access. Create a dedicated research profile with MCP search.

JSON

# In your Hermes Agent config (hermes.config.json):
{
  "profiles": {
    "research": {
      "description": "Research profile with live web search",
      "mcp_servers": [
        {
          "name": "scavio-search",
          "url": "https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp",
          "auth": {
            "type": "header",
            "key": "x-api-key",
            "value": "$SCAVIO_API_KEY"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Verify tool discovery

Start Hermes with the research profile and verify it discovers search tools.

Bash

hermes --profile research

# In the Hermes shell:
> /tools
# Should list: google_search, reddit_search, youtube_search,
# amazon_search, walmart_search, and 6 more from Scavio

Step 3: Create a search-grounded research skill

Define a skill that uses live search to verify claims before including them in outputs.

Bash

# Example skill prompt for Hermes:
# "Research {topic} using web search. For every factual claim
# (pricing, version, feature), verify it with a live search
# before including it. Cite the source URL for each verified claim.
# Do not include any unverified claims."

# The skill will use google_search, reddit_search, etc. automatically
# when it encounters claims that need verification.

Step 4: Test with a pricing comparison task

Give Hermes a task that requires current data to verify the grounding works.

Bash

# In Hermes research profile:
> Compare the pricing of Tavily, Serper, and SerpAPI search APIs.
# Include current tier names and prices.

# Hermes should call google_search for each tool's pricing page
# and return verified, current pricing instead of training data.

Python Example

Python

# Hermes Agent MCP config for research profile:
import json

config = {
    'profiles': {
        'research': {
            'mcp_servers': [{
                'name': 'scavio-search',
                'url': 'https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp',
                'auth': {'type': 'header', 'key': 'x-api-key', 'value': '$SCAVIO_API_KEY'}
            }]
        }
    }
}
print(json.dumps(config, indent=2))

JavaScript Example

JavaScript

// Hermes Agent MCP config:
const config = {
  profiles: {
    research: {
      mcp_servers: [{
        name: 'scavio-search',
        url: 'https://mcp.scavio.dev/mcp',
        auth: { type: 'header', key: 'x-api-key', value: '$SCAVIO_API_KEY' }
      }]
    }
  }
};
console.log(JSON.stringify(config, null, 2));

Expected Output

JSON

Hermes Agent research profile with live search grounding. Research skills verify claims with current web data before including them.

How to Ground Hermes Agent with Live Search Data

Prerequisites

Walkthrough

Step 1: Create a research profile

Step 2: Verify tool discovery

Step 3: Create a search-grounded research skill

Step 4: Test with a pricing comparison task

Python Example

JavaScript Example

Expected Output

Related Tutorials

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does this ground hermes agent with live search data tutorial take?

What do I need before starting?

Can I run this tutorial with the free tier?

What frameworks does this work with?

Related Resources

Best Search API for Hermes Agent in 2026