diff --git a/hw/straylight/default.nix b/hw/straylight/default.nix
index e4f50b8..f57a0b7 100644
--- a/hw/straylight/default.nix
+++ b/hw/straylight/default.nix
@@ -353,6 +353,47 @@ in
     # Project tracker (hackerman edition), tailnet-only.
     services.tracker.enable = true;
 
+    # Hermes Agent gateway (messaging platforms, e.g. Mattermost).
+    # The CLI itself is installed imperatively via `uv tool install hermes-agent`
+    # (shim at ~/.local/bin/hermes); only the always-on gateway service is
+    # declared here. Credentials/state live in ~/.hermes (unmanaged; keep the
+    # bot token out of git). Do NOT also run `hermes gateway install` — it would
+    # write a mutable unit that shadows this one. Applies to every user manager
+    # on the host, but kyle is the only linger-enabled user, so effectively his.
+    users.users.kyle.linger = true;
+
+    systemd.user.services.hermes-gateway = {
+      description = "Hermes Agent Gateway - Messaging Platform Integration";
+      documentation = [ "https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs" ];
+      after = [ "network-online.target" ];
+      wants = [ "network-online.target" ];
+      wantedBy = [ "default.target" ];
+      startLimitIntervalSec = 0;
+
+      unitConfig.ConditionPathExists = "%h/.hermes/config.yaml";
+
+      serviceConfig = {
+        Type = "simple";
+        ExecStart = "%h/.local/bin/hermes gateway run";
+        WorkingDirectory = "%h/.hermes";
+        Environment = [
+          "PATH=%h/.local/bin:/run/current-system/sw/bin"
+          "HERMES_HOME=%h/.hermes"
+          # uv's foreign CPython has no CA bundle; point std-lib SSL at the
+          # NixOS store (needed for OAuth token refresh via urllib).
+          "SSL_CERT_FILE=/etc/ssl/certs/ca-certificates.crt"
+        ];
+        Restart = "always";
+        RestartSec = 5;
+        RestartForceExitStatus = 75;
+        RestartPreventExitStatus = 78;
+        KillMode = "mixed";
+        KillSignal = "SIGTERM";
+        ExecReload = "/run/current-system/sw/bin/kill -USR1 $MAINPID";
+        TimeoutStopSec = 60;
+      };
+    };
+
     # Open ports: DNS (53), mc-proxy (443/8443/9443), agent (9444), master (9555), open-webui (8080).
     networking.firewall.allowedTCPPorts = [ 53 443 8080 8443 9443 9444 9555 ];
     networking.firewall.allowedUDPPorts = [ 53 ];