agentos.guide › blog

The Best AI Agent For Omarchy, Ranked, With A Quick-Start For Each One

By Julian Goldie · 14 October 2026 · agentos.guide

The best AI agent for Omarchy is Hermes Agent, the free open-source agent from Nous Research, and Omarchy installs it for you with one command.

Claude Code is my second pick because Omarchy supports it more deeply than any other agent, and OpenCode is third because it is free and works with any model provider.

I run Omarchy in a virtual machine and built an Omarchy tab into my Agent OS, but I have not run a head-to-head agent test on it.

So this ranking comes from my daily use of these agents, plus the Omarchy manual and each tool's official Linux docs as they read today.

The best AI agents for Omarchy, ranked

Here is the full ranking, with what each agent is, what the tool costs and who it suits.

This order is my own first-person pick, and it is not a measured benchmark.

I use these agents every day, but I have not tested them head to head on Omarchy.

I run Omarchy in a virtual machine and I built an Omarchy desktop tab into my Agent OS, so my hands-on time there is real but limited.

Everything about Omarchy itself comes from the Omarchy site and manual as they read today.

What Omarchy is

Omarchy is a Linux distribution by DHH, based on Arch Linux, the Hyprland tiling window manager and the Quickshell desktop kit.

The project calls it "Beautiful, fun & agentic Linux", and the home page describes it as the OS for the age of agents.

It is free and MIT licensed, and the current version on the site is 4.0.4.

You install it from an ISO on a USB stick, or you try it first in a virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac or on Windows.

It is a keyboard-driven desktop that leans heavily on the terminal.

That is the reason terminal-native agents fit it so well.

What Omarchy already ships with for AI

This is the part I did not want to guess, so I read the AI page of the Omarchy manual today.

The manual says every major coding-agent CLI comes pre-wired as a lazy-loaded launcher.

Nothing is downloaded until the first time you actually run one.

The list includes Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, OpenCode, Google Antigravity CLI, GitHub Copilot CLI, Crush, Grok Build, Pi, Oh My Pi, Ori, Muse Code and Cursor CLI.

Hermes is the exception, because choosing it installs Hermes Desktop.

The manual also says Omarchy does not pick a favourite agent for you.

So your real job on Omarchy is to choose a default and learn it properly.

Quick-start for every agent on Omarchy

These are the shortest routes, taken from the Omarchy manual.

You can also choose any of them with the mouse.

Press Super + Space to open the Omarchy Menu, then go to Setup, Defaults and Agent.

A fresh Omarchy invites you to make this choice with a one-time notification.

The official Linux commands, for reference

If you are on another Linux machine, these are the install commands each tool's own docs give today.

On Omarchy itself I would use the pre-wired launchers and not these scripts.

The manual warns that the script installer for Grok overwrites Omarchy's own wrapper, so I'd stick to Omarchy's launchers for every agent.

The manual also says Hermes is only ever installed through the app on Omarchy.

🔥 Want the exact Hermes and Claude agent setup I run inside my Agent OS?

Inside the AI Profit Boardroom you get the installable Agent OS, step-by-step video tutorials, four coaching calls a week and 3,400+ members building real automations.

→ Get access here

The Omarchy shortcuts worth learning first

Once you have a default agent, these are the commands and keys that matter.

Please read the last column carefully.

The manual says agents launched this way run in their don't-stop-to-ask modes, so be ready for them to actually do things.

I would start in a project folder that holds nothing sensitive.

When you want an agent to ask before it acts, start it with its plain command.

How each agent fits an Agent OS workflow

An Agent OS is not one agent, because it is a set of jobs that need doing.

My own Agent OS runs Hermes, Claude and other agents under one shared memory.

This is how I would map the same jobs onto the agents Omarchy gives you.

You do not need every layer on day one.

Most people should start with the brain and one builder, which means Hermes Agent plus Claude Code or OpenCode.

Then you add the rest when a real job calls for it.

The top five in more detail

1. Hermes Agent

Hermes Agent is built by Nous Research, and its README calls it the self-improving AI agent.

It creates skills from experience, keeps memory across sessions and has a built-in scheduler for recurring jobs.

It also answers on Telegram, Discord, Slack and other messaging apps from a single gateway.

It is free and MIT licensed, and you can use any model you want with it.

On Omarchy, installing it gives Hermes an omarchy skin that follows your theme.

The manual says the runtime updates itself with hermes update.

Hermes is my daily agent, and it is the brain of my own Agent OS.

My walkthrough of the first run is in my one-click Hermes guide.

2. Claude Code

Claude Code is Anthropic's coding agent for the terminal.

The official docs say it requires a Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise or Console account, and that the free Claude plan does not include it.

Omarchy gives it the fullest support of any agent in the manual.

Choosing Claude as the default also attempts to set up its browser extension for Chromium-based browsers.

The official system requirements name Ubuntu, Debian and Alpine but not Arch, so I'd trust the Omarchy launcher here.

3. OpenCode

OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent with a terminal interface.

Its docs say you can use any LLM provider by configuring their API keys.

It is MIT licensed, and its docs list a pacman command for Arch Linux.

On Omarchy it follows your theme and has the one-letter shortcut c.

4. Codex CLI

Codex CLI is OpenAI's coding agent that runs locally on your computer.

The repository is licensed under Apache-2.0.

OpenAI recommends signing in with a ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu or Enterprise plan.

The Omarchy agents panel covers Codex and lets you switch between several Codex subscriptions.

5. Pi

Pi describes itself as a minimal, extensible agent harness that you can make your own.

It is MIT licensed, and you connect a subscription or an API key with /login.

Its README says it skips features like sub-agents and plan mode on purpose.

I covered Pi in my Harness Multiplier guide, which is a good next read if you like lean tools.

🔥 Want the exact Hermes and Claude agent setup I run inside my Agent OS?

Inside the AI Profit Boardroom you get the installable Agent OS, step-by-step video tutorials, four coaching calls a week and 3,400+ members building real automations.

→ Get access here

What Omarchy documents for each agent

This table reports only what the manual names today.

A "not named" cell means the manual does not mention that agent for that feature.

It does not mean the feature fails.

The manual adds that the Omarchy Skill also sits in a generic skills folder, so most harnesses pick it up.

The agents panel and the Omarchy Skill

The top bar has an agents icon, and its panel shows each account with its plan and usage limits.

The manual says Claude Code, Codex, Grok and Fireworks are covered out of the box.

You can add more than one subscription for Claude, Codex or Grok and switch between them.

The Omarchy Skill is a default skill for tailoring the system, such as your Hyprland config, the bar or a new theme.

The manual calls that skill experimental.

It suggests running in plan mode first, and it names omarchy reinstall configs as the reset if an agent makes a mess.

Omarchy also watches for crashed processes and can hand one to your default agent with a diagnose-crash skill.

Local models on Omarchy

You do not need a paid model to run an agent on Omarchy.

The manual recommends two ways to run local models, which are LM Studio and Ollama.

It says LM Studio is the easier start if you are new, and both install under Install and AI in the Omarchy Menu.

A local model is usually slower and weaker than a top paid one, so I'd give it light jobs first.

I keep real scores for the local models I have run on the GoldieBench local models board.

How I use Omarchy with my own Agent OS

I run Omarchy through the Try Omarchy app, which runs the whole desktop in a virtual machine on an Apple Silicon Mac.

Inside that VM I have Hermes Agent installed, and it has answered real prompts and created a real file there.

I also built an Omarchy desktop tab into my Agent OS, so that Linux desktop sits next to my other agent screens.

My Agent OS is only available to AI Profit Boardroom members, and there is no public GitHub repo for it.

You can see how its layers work in my 3-layer Hermes OS guide and my AI Agent OS guide.

If you want a screen on top of Hermes, read the best UI for Hermes Agent and my guide to Hermes Agent dashboards.

Honest limits

I have not benchmarked these five agents on Omarchy.

Hermes has no instant launcher on Omarchy, and its first install takes a few minutes.

The manual does not name Hermes, OpenCode or Pi in the usage panel.

Claude Code and Codex make the most sense with a paid plan.

The default-agent shortcuts skip approval prompts, which is a real risk on a machine with private files.

The Omarchy Skill is experimental by the manual's own description.

Omarchy moves quickly, so check the manual again before you rely on any detail here.

Tips for your first week

Try Omarchy in a virtual machine before you wipe a computer.

Set one default agent and use it for a full week before you judge it.

Keep the plain commands for sensitive work and the shortcuts for throwaway folders.

Use Omarchy's own launchers before any script installer.

Run omarchy update to keep the launchers current.

Add a second agent only when the first one is clearly not enough.

FAQ

What is the best AI agent for Omarchy?

My pick is Hermes Agent, the free open-source agent from Nous Research. Claude Code is second and OpenCode is third. This is my own ranking from daily use and the official docs, and it is not a head-to-head test on Omarchy.

Does Omarchy come with AI agents already installed?

Omarchy ships with pre-wired launchers for the major coding-agent CLIs, including Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, OpenCode and Pi. The manual says nothing is downloaded until the first time you run one. Hermes is the exception, because choosing it installs Hermes Desktop.

How do I change the default agent on Omarchy?

Run omarchy default agent followed by the agent name, or open the Omarchy Menu with Super and Space and go to Setup, Defaults and Agent. If the agent is not installed yet, choosing it installs it first.

Can I run a local model with an agent on Omarchy?

Yes. The Omarchy manual recommends LM Studio and Ollama for local models, and both install under Install and AI in the Omarchy Menu. A local model is usually slower and weaker than a top paid one, so start with light jobs.

Is Julian's Agent OS part of Omarchy?

No. My Agent OS is my own product and it is only available to AI Profit Boardroom members. I built an Omarchy desktop tab into it, but Omarchy is a separate, free Linux distribution by DHH.

Final word on the best AI agent for Omarchy

Set Hermes Agent as your default, keep Claude Code or OpenCode ready for builds, and learn the Omarchy shortcuts before you trust them with real files.

Do that for one week and you will know from your own work which one is the best AI agent for Omarchy.

Related guides on agentos.guide

→ How To Set Up Hermes Agent In One Click

→ The AI Agent OS

→ The 3-Layer Hermes OS

→ The Harness Multiplier

→ Herald OS: The Free Hermes Agent OS

📺 Video notes + links to the tools 👉

🎥 Learn how I make these videos 👉

🆓 Get a FREE AI Course + Community + 1,000 AI Agents 👉

← all guides on agentos.guide