> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ftr10.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Chat with Your Code Using the Hermes Agent in VS Code

> Use the Hermes Agent chat panel in VS Code to ask questions, get code suggestions, and apply changes — all with real-time streaming responses.

The Hermes Agent chat panel lives directly in your VS Code sidebar, giving you a full conversation interface without switching windows. You can ask questions about your code, request refactors, get explanations, and watch answers stream in with full Markdown formatting — all while your editor stays open in front of you.

## Opening the chat

Open the chat panel in either of two ways:

* Click the **Hermes Agent** icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar).
* Press `Ctrl+Shift+P` (or `Cmd+Shift+P` on macOS) and run **Hermes: Open Chat**.

<Note>
  Hermes must show a green **Ready** status pill in the toolbar before you can send messages. If you see **Connecting…**, wait a moment or use the wrench menu to run environment detection.
</Note>

## Sending messages

Type your message in the input box at the bottom of the panel and press **Enter** to send. To cancel a streaming response at any point, click the **Stop** button that appears during generation.

<Tip>
  Use **Shift+Enter** to insert a newline in your message without sending it. This is useful for multi-line prompts, code snippets, or numbered lists of instructions.
</Tip>

## Streaming responses

Responses stream in real time and are rendered as Markdown with syntax-highlighted code blocks. The panel automatically scrolls to follow new output; scroll up manually at any time to pause auto-scroll, and it resumes after five seconds of inactivity while the response is still streaming.

File paths that Hermes mentions in a response are rendered as clickable links — click any path to open that file directly in the editor.

## @file attachment

To include a workspace file in your conversation, type `@` in the input box. A file picker opens, letting you search and select any file in your workspace. The selected file is attached to your next message and sent as context to the agent.

## Code insertion

Every code block in a Hermes response has a click-to-insert action. Click the code block to insert that snippet at your current cursor position in the active editor — no copy-paste required.

## Shell commands

When Hermes suggests a shell command as part of a response, that command is automatically mirrored to an integrated terminal in your workspace. You can review and run it there without leaving VS Code.

## Insert selection into chat

To send code you're already looking at to Hermes:

1. Select the code in your editor.
2. Right-click and choose **Hermes: Insert Selection into Chat**, or run the command `hermes.sendSelection` from the Command Palette (`Ctrl+Shift+P` / `Cmd+Shift+P`).

The selected text — including the file name and line number — is inserted into the chat input box so you can add context or a question before sending.

## Thoughts and tool calls

Two optional visibility settings control how much of Hermes's internal reasoning you see:

* **`hermes.showThoughts`** — shows the agent's reasoning process as collapsible "thought" bubbles.
* **`hermes.showToolCalls`** — shows notifications when the agent calls an editor tool (such as reading a file or checking diagnostics).

Both settings default to `true`. Disable either in **Settings** (`Ctrl+,` → search **Hermes**) to keep the chat panel cleaner.

## Token usage ring

A small ring icon in the chat toolbar shows your current token usage as a percentage of the session's context window. The ring color shifts from neutral to amber to red as usage climbs. Hover over the ring to see exact token counts and a percentage label.