The open-source AI agent framework Hermes Agent just dropped version 0.17.0, and the headline feature is a native iMessage channel that doesn't require any Mac hardware in the loop. The new release integrates an iMessage platform plugin powered by Photon Spectrum's managed relay pool, letting users log in with a device code and ditch the need to self-host a Mac or run a bridge like BlueBubbles.
Beyond the messaging expansion, the update introduces asynchronous sub-agents. You can now offload heavy research or build tasks via delegate_task(background=true) — the main agent keeps chatting with you while the work happens in the background without blocking. On the model front, xAI subscription authorization now includes support for the latest grok-composer-2.5-fast model (with a 200k context window). That means you get the same rapid Composer coding capability as Cursor without needing a separate API key.
Desktop users get a new watch-windows panel for real-time sub-agent monitoring, letting you stream background task execution in its own pane. You can also install any theme from the VS Code marketplace directly. Under the hood, the upgraded memory tool now supports atomic add, replace, and delete operations in a single call, making memory management more efficient within limited character budgets and significantly reducing the chance of interaction failures due to memory overflow in long conversations.