# Turn any website into an API for your agent

Hermes Startup can turn a website's hidden JSON calls into a private API your agent can call directly. No browser needed after the first run.

## What it is

Most sites that look like static pages actually fetch JSON behind the scenes: search, autocomplete, feeds, checkout, pricing tables. Hermes Agent can watch one real browser session on such a site, record the network calls, and distill them into a static API client. From then on your agent calls the site's JSON endpoints directly with plain HTTP — faster and cheaper than driving a browser for every request.

This is the official Hermes Agent skill `har-derived-api-client`, delivered through your own Hermes Agent.

## How to use it

Paste this into your Hermes Agent:

```
Install the official skill har-derived-api-client, then help me turn https://EXAMPLE.COM into a private API my agent can call directly. Record one browser session, derive the JSON endpoints, and show me how to call them.
```

Your Hermes Agent will:

1. Open the site once in a real browser and record the traffic (a HAR file).
2. Derive the site's JSON API: endpoints, parameters, headers, and replay hints.
3. Give you a working client you can call with plain HTTP, no browser in the loop.

## What it costs

The skill itself is free and runs inside your Hermes Agent. Recording uses a browser: a local browser is free; a cloud browser (for sites that block data-center traffic) draws from your pay-as-you-go balance. There is no separate fee.

## Verified example

On 16 August 2026 Hermes Startup recorded one Wikipedia search, derived the endpoint `w/rest.php/v1/search/title` with its `q` and `limit` parameters, and replayed it with a plain HTTP request. The same search returned the same pages, without a browser. The record is in the project changelog.

## Boundaries — read this before you use it

- It captures and replays; it does not bypass logins, CAPTCHAs, or bot detection. If a site needs a session, your agent carries the session forward; it does not forge one.
- Some sites' terms prohibit automated access. Check before you record.
- Sites change their private endpoints without notice. If a call breaks, re-derive instead of patching.
- HAR files contain live session data. Delete them after deriving (your agent does this).
- The derived API is for your own use, not for reselling a site's data.

## When to use it

Use it when a site has no public API but clearly loads JSON, and you keep repeating the same browser steps. That is the exact case where a static API pays for itself. Don't use it to hammer a site: keep request rates modest and respect the site.

## Related

- Homepage: https://hermesstartup.com/
- Agent handoff: https://hermesstartup.com/for-agents.md
- Installable skill: https://hermesstartup.com/skill/SKILL.md
- Agent index: https://hermesstartup.com/llms.txt