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Hermes

Hermes reads MCP servers from ~/.hermes/config.yaml, under mcp_servers. The config is YAML, so add the block below to your existing file.

The EMCP Tools → Connection screen generates every block on this page for your exact site in four steps:

  1. Choose your AI client: pick Hermes.
  2. Pick how it signs in: OAuth (recommended) or Application password.
  3. Add EMCP to Hermes: copy the YAML it shows. For an application password, click Create password first (it is shown once and the blocks already contain it), or open Use a password I already have; you then get a direct HTTP block and a Node proxy (npx) block. Click I’ve added it, continue.
  4. Test the connection: reload Hermes. The screen waits for its first MCP call and shows “Hermes is connected”.

The generated blocks name the server after your site (for example emcp-your-site-com); the examples below use emcp-tools.

HTTP with an Application Password

Section titled “HTTP with an Application Password”
mcp_servers:
  emcp-tools:
    url: "https://your-site.test/wp-json/mcp/emcp-tools-server"
    headers:
      Authorization: "Basic BASE64_ENCODED_CREDENTIALS"

Generate the base64 credentials:

Terminal window
echo -n "admin:xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx" | base64

You can also create an application password yourself under WordPress admin → Users → Profile → Application Passwords.

Node proxy (most reliable)

Section titled “Node proxy (most reliable)”

If the direct HTTP transport gives you handshake trouble, run the bundled proxy over stdio. It handles the session and protocol negotiation:

mcp_servers:
  emcp-tools:
    command: "npx"
    args: ["-y", "@msrbuilds/emcp-proxy@latest"]
    env:
      WP_URL: "https://your-site.test"
      WP_USERNAME: "admin"
      WP_APP_PASSWORD: "xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx"
      MCP_PROTOCOL_VERSION: "2024-11-05"

Note WP_URL is the bare site (no /wp-json/..., the proxy adds the route), and the app password goes in plain.

Sign in with OAuth

Section titled “Sign in with OAuth”

Point Hermes at the server URL with no credentials and let the server run the browser sign-in on first connect:

mcp_servers:
  emcp-tools:
    url: "https://your-site.test/wp-json/mcp/emcp-tools-server"

Requires an HTTPS site with OAuth sign-in on (EMCP Tools → Connection → Advanced settings, on by default on HTTPS). Only administrators can approve. Sign the app out or remove it any time under EMCP Tools → Connection → Connected apps.

Verify

Section titled “Verify”
Terminal window
hermes mcp test emcp-tools

Common issues:

  • 401 Unauthorized: the application password or username is wrong, or the base64 encoding is off.
  • HTML instead of JSON: the URL is missing the /wp-json/mcp/emcp-tools-server path and is hitting the site homepage.
  • Handshake timeout on the direct URL: switch to the Node proxy block above.

After a config change, reload with /reload-mcp inside Hermes. If step 4 of the Connection wizard still says “No call yet”, click Run a server test there.

Connection and discovery help

Section titled “Connection and discovery help”

If the server is unreachable, returns no tools, or lists fewer tools than expected, follow missing-tool diagnosis. Check the failing stage before changing the enabled catalog.