About NemoClaw

Ecosystem

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NemoClaw provides onboarding, lifecycle management, and Hermes operations in OpenShell containers. Use the nemohermes CLI alias when you work from the Hermes agent guide; it is equivalent to nemoclaw with the Hermes agent pre-selected.

This page explains how these projects fit together, where NemoClaw sits relative to OpenShell and Hermes, and when to choose NemoHermes or OpenShell directly.

How the Stack Fits Together

A NemoClaw deployment for Hermes combines three pieces with distinct scopes: Hermes, OpenShell, and NemoClaw. The following diagram shows how they fit together.

NemoClaw sits above OpenShell in the operator workflow. It calls OpenShell APIs and CLI commands to create and configure the sandbox that runs Hermes. Models and endpoints sit behind OpenShell’s inference routing. NemoClaw onboarding connects your provider choice to that route, including the Hermes Provider route when you onboard through nemohermes.

The following table shows the scope of each component in the stack.

ProjectScope
HermesThe agent: runtime, tools, messaging adapters, and an OpenAI-compatible API inside the container. It does not define the sandbox or the host gateway.
OpenShellThe execution environment: sandbox lifecycle, network, filesystem, and process policy, inference routing, and the operator-facing openshell CLI for those primitives.
NemoClawThe NVIDIA reference stack on the host: nemohermes and nemoclaw CLI paths, versioned blueprint, managed inference and Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers, messaging-channel setup, host readiness reporting, and lifecycle operations.

NemoClaw Path versus OpenShell Path

Both paths assume OpenShell can sandbox a workload. The difference is who owns the integration work.

PathWhat it means
NemoClaw pathYou adopt the reference stack. NemoClaw’s Hermes blueprint encodes a hardened image, default policies, and orchestration so nemohermes onboard can create a tested Hermes-on-OpenShell setup with less custom integration work.
OpenShell pathYou use OpenShell as the platform and supply your own container, Hermes install steps, policy YAML, provider setup, and host bridges. OpenShell stays the sandbox and policy engine; nothing requires NemoClaw’s blueprint or CLI.

What NemoClaw Adds Beyond Custom OpenShell

You can run Hermes inside OpenShell without NemoClaw by building your own image, writing policy YAML, registering providers, and wiring inference routes yourself. That path is valid when you need full control over the container layout.

NemoClaw builds on OpenShell with additional security hardening, automation, and lifecycle tooling for Hermes. The following table compares custom OpenShell integration with nemohermes onboard.

CapabilityCustom OpenShell + Hermesnemohermes onboard
Sandbox isolationYes, when you apply OpenShell seccomp, Landlock, network namespace isolation, and no-new-privileges enforcement through your policy.Yes. NemoClaw applies these through the blueprint and layers a Hermes-specific restrictive policy on top.
Credential handlingYou create OpenShell providers manually with openshell provider create and configure placeholder resolution at egress.NemoClaw creates OpenShell providers during onboarding and filters sensitive host environment variables from the sandbox creation command to reduce accidental leakage through build args.
Image hardeningDepends on your base image and install steps.NemoClaw removes build toolchains (gcc, g++, make) and network probes (netcat) from the runtime image to reduce attack surface.
Filesystem policyYou define read-only and read-write paths in policy YAML.NemoClaw defines a targeted layout: system paths (/usr, /lib, /etc) are read-only; /sandbox and /sandbox/.hermes are writable for agent state and configuration.
Inference setupYou configure OpenShell inference routing and Hermes config.yaml manually.NemoClaw validates the selected provider and model from the host, configures the OpenShell route, and writes the managed model settings into /sandbox/.hermes/config.yaml. Hermes Provider onboarding is available through nemohermes.
Managed MCPYou register providers, network policy, and Hermes MCP configuration yourself.NemoClaw manages authenticated HTTPS Streamable HTTP MCP server lifecycle, ownership records, policy, and credential placeholders through host-side commands.
Channel messagingOpenShell delivers channel credentials through its provider system and L7 proxy. You configure Hermes platform adapters manually.NemoClaw configures supported channels during onboarding or through lifecycle commands and writes the managed Hermes channel settings.
Blueprint versioningNo NemoClaw blueprint; your image tag is whatever you built locally.NemoClaw downloads the blueprint artifact, checks version compatibility, and verifies its digest before applying. Repeated onboarding uses the selected blueprint and recorded configuration; host and platform differences can still affect the result.
Lifecycle stateNot included unless you build it.NemoClaw records lifecycle progress, preserves manifest-declared Hermes state across rebuilds, and supports snapshot and restore without copying auth.json.
Host readiness and operationsYou inspect host prerequisites and operate OpenShell resources directly.NemoClaw provides read-only host readiness reporting, sandbox status and logs, recovery guidance, rebuild, snapshot, restore, and uninstall workflows.
Process count limitsYou set process count limits manually with --ulimit or orchestrator configuration.NemoClaw applies a best-effort ulimit -u 512 in the container entrypoint. Refer to the platform and hardening guidance for hosts that cannot enforce the complete control set.

When to Use Which

Use the following table to choose NemoHermes or OpenShell.

SituationPrefer
You want Hermes with minimal assembly, NVIDIA defaults, and the documented install and onboard flow.NemoClaw (nemohermes)
You need maximum flexibility for custom images, a layout that does not match the NemoClaw Hermes blueprint, or a workload outside this reference stack.OpenShell with your own integration
You are standardizing on the NVIDIA reference for always-on Hermes agents with policy and inference routing.NemoClaw (nemohermes)
You are building internal platform abstractions where the NemoClaw CLI or blueprint is not the right fit.OpenShell (and your orchestration)
  • Overview defines NemoClaw’s capabilities, benefits, and use cases.
  • How It Works describes how NemoClaw runs, the blueprint, sandbox creation, routing, and protection layers for Hermes.
  • Architecture shows the repository structure and technical diagrams.
  • Platform Support lists current support status and limitations.
  • About Managed MCP Servers explains the managed MCP security and lifecycle boundary.
  • Quickstart with Hermes installs NemoClaw and launches your first Hermes sandbox.
  • Community Solutions explains how to contribute community-driven examples, showcases, and complete blueprint patterns.