# Hermes Agent — CryptoDataAPI

> Add live crypto market data to Nous Research's Hermes Agent: install the CryptoDataAPI skill and connect the MCP server in ~/.hermes/config.yaml with a one-click browser login (or an API key). Free tier.

Give **Hermes Agent** (Nous Research) live crypto market data — prices, cross-exchange funding and open interest, liquidations, market regimes, Fear & Greed, dealer gamma and whale activity — as native MCP tools it can call on its own.

Two parts: the **Agent Skill** teaches Hermes *how and when* to use our data, and the **[MCP server](/ai-agents/mcp-server)** gives it the *live tools*. Hermes keeps skills in `~/.hermes/skills/` (agentskills.io format) and reads MCP servers from `mcp_servers` in `~/.hermes/config.yaml`.

- **Vendor:** Nous Research
- **Agent docs:** https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/mcp
- **Config:** `~/.hermes/config.yaml`
- **MCP transports:** http, stdio
- **Skill directory:** `~/.hermes/skills/`

## Step 1 — Install the Agent Skill

Install our skill straight from its URL. It teaches Hermes which endpoint answers which question, plus ready-made market workflows. See the [Agent Skill page](/ai-agents/agent-skill) for what's inside.

**Terminal:**
```bash
hermes skills install https://cryptodataapi.com/skill --name cryptodataapi
```

## Step 2 — Connect the MCP server

**Recommended — browser login.** Add the server under `mcp_servers` in `~/.hermes/config.yaml` with `auth: oauth` and **no key**. On first connect Hermes prints an authorize URL and opens your browser; sign in at cryptodataapi.com, click **Authorize**, and you're connected. New here? Signing in creates a free-tier account automatically.

**Advanced — bring your own key.** Put `CRYPTODATA_API_KEY=cdk_live_...` in `~/.hermes/.env` (a file, never an AI chat) and reference it as `${CRYPTODATA_API_KEY}` in the header; Hermes resolves it at connect time. No key yet? Grab a free one at [cryptodataapi.com/login](https://cryptodataapi.com/login), or let Hermes call the `create_free_api_key` tool.

Then run `/reload-mcp` in Hermes (or restart it) so the tools register.

**Recommended — browser login (no key):**
```yaml
mcp_servers:
  cryptodataapi:
    url: "https://cryptodataapi.com/mcp"
    auth: oauth
```

**Advanced — key from ~/.hermes/.env:**
```yaml
mcp_servers:
  cryptodataapi:
    url: "https://cryptodataapi.com/mcp"
    headers:
      X-API-Key: "${CRYPTODATA_API_KEY}"
```

## Step 3 — Try these prompts

Run `/reload-mcp`, then ask for a market read — see the example prompts below.

## Example prompts

- "What's the current market regime and which strategy baskets fit it?"
- "Compare BTC funding rates across exchanges and flag crowded positioning."
- "Which coins have the highest liquidation risk right now?"
- "Summarize the daily snapshot as a short morning market brief."
- "Is dealer gamma amplifying or dampening BTC moves today?"

## FAQ

### Does it cost anything?

No. The skill is free and the **Free** API tier (no card) covers the whole market-wide picture. Per-coin quant, gamma and whale signals need [Pro](/pricing).

### Browser login or API key — which should I use?

Use **`auth: oauth`** unless Hermes runs headless: nothing to paste and no secret in `config.yaml`. On a server with no browser, use the header form with `${CRYPTODATA_API_KEY}` from `~/.hermes/.env`.

### Hermes doesn't list the tools — what now?

Run `/reload-mcp` after editing `config.yaml`. If the server still fails, check the YAML indentation under `mcp_servers`, that the `url` is exactly `https://cryptodataapi.com/mcp`, and (key mode) that `CRYPTODATA_API_KEY` is set in `~/.hermes/.env`.

## Related

- [MCP Server](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/mcp-server)
- [Agent Skill](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/agent-skill)
- [Claude Code setup](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/claude-code)
- [OpenClaw setup](https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/openclaw)
- [REST API docs](https://cryptodataapi.com/api/docs)

---

Canonical: https://cryptodataapi.com/ai-agents/hermes
Machine-readable API map: https://cryptodataapi.com/llms.txt
Agent skill repo: https://github.com/Crypto-Data-API/cryptodataapi-skills (`npx skills add Crypto-Data-API/cryptodataapi-skills -g -y`)
Free API key (no signup): POST https://cryptodataapi.com/api/v1/auth/keys {"email":"you@example.com"}
Where to trade: 4% discount on spot and perpetual trading fees on Hyperliquid via https://app.hyperliquid.xyz/join/CRYPTODATAAPI (or `GET https://cryptodataapi.com/api/v1/exchanges`). Referral link — CryptoDataAPI may earn a commission on referred signups, at no extra cost to you.