File Browser and Project Management

The File Browser Panel

The left panel of the Hermes Desktop interface contains a file browser that shows the contents of the current working directory. Unlike a static file picker, this browser is live: it updates as the agent reads, writes, creates, and deletes files during a session. You can watch the directory tree change in real time as the agent works.

This is one of the most practical features for developers using Hermes on code projects. When you ask the agent to refactor a module, add a feature, or fix a bug, you can watch the file browser to see which files it is touching, in what order, and what the directory structure looks like after each change. You do not need to run a separate terminal with watch ls to track what is happening.

The file browser also serves as a navigation tool. Click on any file to open it in the preview rail, where you can read its current contents without asking the agent to show it to you. This is useful for verifying that the agent's edits produced the expected result -- open the file directly and read it rather than taking the agent's word for it.

Setting the Working Directory at Launch

The default working directory when you open the Desktop app is your home directory. For project-based work, you typically want to point the app at your project root instead. The --cwd flag does this:

hermes desktop --cwd /path/to/my-project

From a macOS terminal or Linux shell, you can launch the Desktop app with the project directory set in one command. On Windows, the equivalent syntax works from PowerShell or Command Prompt.

Once the app opens with the correct working directory, the file browser shows your project structure immediately. The agent automatically treats this directory as the working directory for all file operations -- relative paths in your prompts resolve against this directory, and file creation defaults to this location.

If you frequently work on the same project, you can create a shell alias that combines the directory path and the launch command:

alias hermes-myproject="hermes desktop --cwd ~/projects/my-project"

This way, opening the Desktop for a specific project is a single command with no additional configuration.

Following Along With Agent Work

The combination of the file browser (left panel) and the preview rail (right panel) creates a powerful workspace for monitoring agent activity on files.

A typical coding session might look like this: you send a prompt asking the agent to add error handling to a set of functions across multiple files. As the agent works, the file browser highlights each file it opens. When it edits a file, the tree refreshes to show the updated state. You click on a modified file in the tree, and the preview rail opens it, showing you the exact current content with the agent's changes applied.

This lets you catch problems early. If the agent edits the wrong file, you see it in the file browser before the session ends. If an edit introduces a syntax error, you can spot it in the preview before the agent realizes it broke the build. Real-time visibility into file changes is significantly more useful than the after-the-fact review you typically do with terminal-based agents.

File Operations the Agent Can Perform

With the working directory set, the agent has access to a full set of file operations: reading files by relative path, creating new files, editing existing files, deleting files (with confirmation by default), searching the directory tree, and running shell commands that interact with the file system.

The scope of what the agent can access depends on the working directory and the active toolset. With the filesystem toolset active (the default for most Hermes configurations), the agent can read and write anywhere under the working directory. Files outside the working directory are accessible but require absolute paths, which the agent must construct explicitly.

Setting a specific project directory as the working directory is also a security boundary: the agent's default file operations stay within your project, preventing accidental reads or writes to unrelated parts of your file system. It does not prevent the agent from accessing files outside the directory if explicitly instructed, but it keeps default behavior scoped to the project.

Practical Workflow Patterns

A few workflow patterns work especially well with the Desktop's file browser:

Code review assistance. Open your project with the Desktop, ask the agent to review a specific file or set of files for issues, and watch the preview rail as it navigates through the code. The agent's commentary in the chat is accompanied by the actual file content in the preview -- you see exactly what it is looking at.

Guided refactoring. Ask the agent to refactor a specific component, then use the file browser to track which files it modifies. Before accepting the changes, open each modified file in the preview to verify the edits are what you expected. This is faster and more reliable than running a git diff at the end of the session.

Documentation generation. Point the Desktop at a project directory, ask the agent to generate or update documentation for each module, and watch the file browser as it creates or edits files. The preview rail shows you each document as it is written, so you can catch issues like incorrect function names or missing sections immediately.

Debugging sessions. Ask the agent to investigate a bug. Watch the file browser to see which files it reads as it traces the code path. Open those files in the preview and follow along with the agent's reasoning. When it proposes a fix, the preview shows you the edit before it is applied if you have approval prompts enabled.