Fund a Hermes Agent test wallet

Prepare Hermes and a test wallet

Use a working Hermes Agent installation with HTTP access and a separate Bitcoin Signet receiving wallet. The faucet provides test funds; its skill does not install a wallet or change Hermes tool permissions.

For Ark, use a current compatible Bark wallet connected to https://ark.signet.2nd.dev/ and generate a fresh tark1 address. Check minimum_bark_version in faucet status and follow Second’s wallet setup guide. Keep existing funded wallets separate.

1. Install the faucet skill

Review the published skill, then run Hermes’ URL installer:

hermes skills install https://arkfaucet.com/skills/ark-faucet/SKILL.md

Confirm the skill appears in the installed list:

hermes skills list

Look for ark-faucet. Start a new Hermes session to use it; in an existing chat, /reset starts fresh. The Hermes skill guide documents URL installation and session refresh.

2. Check readiness from Hermes

Begin with a read-only prompt:

Load the ark-faucet skill and check faucet status. Confirm Bitcoin Signet, report the supported payment rails and amounts, and tell me whether 500 sats remain available. Do not request funds yet.

The underlying request is:

curl --fail --silent --show-error https://arkfaucet.com/api/status

Hermes should read the returned limits and required Ark server. The daily budget is shared and scales with the faucet balance, so an old status response does not guarantee a later claim will succeed.

3. Fund your test wallet

Replace the placeholder with the full address generated by your Signet wallet, then ask:

Use ark-faucet to request 500 Signet sats over Ark to tark1YOUR_FRESH_ADDRESS. Preserve the destination exactly, submit once, and report whether the payout was sent. Stop if it is limited or uncertain.

The request body is:

{"rail":"ark","destination":"tark1YOUR_FRESH_ADDRESS","amount_sats":500}

On success, the faucet returns HTTP 200 with success: true and status: sent. Confirm receipt through the wallet before spending in your next test. Use the agent API guide for a direct curl example.

Lightning and on-chain variations

For Lightning, generate a fresh Signet BOLT11 invoice beginning lntbs. Tell Hermes to use the Lightning rail and match the invoice amount to 500, 1,000, or 1,500 sats. The Lightning Signet guide covers invoice checks and failures.

For on-chain, provide a lowercase Signet tb1 address. Have Hermes poll the exact private claim_status_url returned with HTTP 202. Keep the original claim while its status is pending or processing. sent means broadcast; wallet confirmation is a separate step. Stop on failed or unknown.

When Hermes cannot complete the request

If installation fails, check hermes skills install --help for the options supported by your version. If the skill is installed but missing from the conversation, start a new session. If Hermes lacks HTTP access, configure the required tool through Hermes before retrying.

• 400 or 415: read the JSON error and correct the destination, amount, rail, or content type before another request.
• wrong_ark_server: use the returned required_ark_server and generate a new compatible address.
• 429: report Retry-After or retry_after_seconds and stop. Do not rotate IPs, change transports, or swap destinations to bypass a limit.
• payout_unknown or an on-chain unknown status: stop without a replacement claim; the original payment may have been sent.
• Other 503 errors: use bounded backoff and stop after a few attempts. If a connection drops after submitting a claim, do not assume the payment failed.

Compatibility and references

URL installation and session refresh were checked against Hermes Agent’s documentation on September 7, 2026. Payment examples follow ArkFaucet OpenAPI 2.1.1. Confirm the skill and tools in your own installation before an automated workflow.

This guide refers to Hermes Agent from Nous Research. ArkFaucet is an unofficial community service and is not affiliated with Hermes Agent or Nous Research.

Keep building

Read the faucet skill, OpenAPI contract, or compact service documentation. Privacy transport setup: Tor and I2P.