I built managed hosting for Hermes Agent so I could stop babysitting a VPS
The problem I run Hermes, an open-source agent with tools, memory, and cron built in. Before running my own managed service SaaS, I used various competitors to deploy on VPS. This method has a lot of downsides because you are often SSH'ing in and managing secrets directly in a .env file, which can leave you exposed if your box is compromised. It is also very cumbersome, especially for agencies to…
Hermes Agent, an open-source tool with built-in tools, memory, and cron, required a managed hosting solution to stop the author from constantly babysitting VPS instances. The author previously used various competitors to deploy on VPS, but this method came with downsides such as directly managing secrets in a .env file, which could be exposed if the box was compromised.
Additionally, it was cumbersome, particularly for agencies managing always-on agents for clients on VPS. To address these issues, the author built SEAOTTER, a managed control plane for Hermes Agent.
SEAOTTER provides per-agent isolation, ensuring each agent runs in its own namespace with a gVisor sandbox. This way, one client's agent cannot see or touch another's. The service also allows operators to manage agents without SSH, offering features like pause, restart, restore, and log reading through an API instead of a terminal.
Moreover, SEAOTTER handles secrets for agents using Google Secret Manager, eliminating the need for .env files. The process involves creating an agent via a POST request to /api/v1/agents, which provisions a namespace, installs Hermes via Helm, sets up the sandbox, wires DNS/TLS, and provides a reachable dashboard within minutes.
SEAOTTER is targeted at agencies managing one isolated agent per client, Hermes power users who require lifecycle control (pause/restart/restore) without maintaining SSH access, and hobbyists who want a standing assistant without becoming an operations person. The service offers a 14-day free trial on the Hobby plan, though it currently requires a card at checkout.
The author is working on a no-card method to try it out. The documentation provides detailed instructions on using the API and dashboard. The author is seeking feedback on the self-hosting Hermes on VPS experience, the isolation model (namespace + gVisor per agent), and any existing MCP integrations using the service from editors or agent clients.
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