1password – Security skill for AI agents

1Password CLI

Use this skill when the user wants secrets managed through 1Password instead of plaintext env vars or files.

Requirements

• 1Password account
• 1Password CLI (op) installed
• One of: desktop app integration, service account token (OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN), or Connect server
• tmux available for stable authenticated sessions during Hermes terminal calls (desktop app flow only)

When to Use

• Install or configure 1Password CLI
• Sign in with op signin
• Read secret references like op://Vault/Item/field
• Inject secrets into config/templates using op inject
• Run commands with secret env vars via op run

Authentication Methods

Service Account (recommended for Hermes)

Set OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN in ${HERMES_HOME:-~/.hermes}/.env (the skill will prompt for this on first load).

No desktop app needed. Supports op read, op inject, op run.

export OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN="your-token-here"
op whoami  # verify — should show Type: SERVICE_ACCOUNT

Desktop App Integration (interactive)

1. Enable in 1Password desktop app: Settings → Developer → Integrate with 1Password CLI

2. Ensure app is unlocked

3. Run op signin and approve the biometric prompt

Connect Server (self-hosted)

export OP_CONNECT_HOST="http://localhost:8080"
export OP_CONNECT_TOKEN="your-connect-token"

Setup

1. Install CLI:

# macOS
brew install 1password-cli

# Linux (official package/install docs)
# See references/get-started.md for distro-specific links.

# Windows (winget)
winget install AgileBits.1Password.CLI

2. Verify:

op --version

3. Choose an auth method above and configure it.

Hermes Execution Pattern (desktop app flow)

Hermes terminal commands are non-interactive by default and can lose auth context between calls.

For reliable op use with desktop app integration, run sign-in and secret operations inside a dedicated tmux session.

Note: This is NOT needed when using OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN — the token persists across terminal calls automatically.

SOCKET_DIR="${TMPDIR:-${HERMES_HOME:-$HOME/.hermes}/cache/scratch}/hermes-tmux-sockets"
mkdir -p "$SOCKET_DIR"
SOCKET="$SOCKET_DIR/hermes-op.sock"
SESSION="op-auth-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"

tmux -S "$SOCKET" new -d -s "$SESSION" -n shell

# Sign in (approve in desktop app when prompted)
tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- "eval \"\$(op signin --account my.1password.com)\"" Enter

# Verify auth
tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- "op whoami" Enter

# Example read
tmux -S "$SOCKET" send-keys -t "$SESSION":0.0 -- "op read 'op://Private/Npmjs/one-time password?attribute=otp'" Enter

# Capture output when needed
tmux -S "$SOCKET" capture-pane -p -J -t "$SESSION":0.0 -S -200

# Cleanup
tmux -S "$SOCKET" kill-session -t "$SESSION"

Common Operations

Read a secret

op read "op://app-prod/db/password"

Get OTP

op read "op://app-prod/npm/one-time password?attribute=otp"

Inject into template

echo "db_password: {{ op://app-prod/db/password }}" | op inject

Run a command with secret env var

export DB_PASSWORD="op://app-prod/db/password"  # example op:// reference, resolved by `op run`
op run -- sh -c '[ -n "$DB_PASSWORD" ] && echo "DB_PASSWORD is set" || echo "DB_PASSWORD missing"'

Guardrails

• Never print raw secrets back to user unless they explicitly request the value.
• Prefer op run / op inject instead of writing secrets into files.
• If command fails with "account is not signed in", run op signin again in the same tmux session.
• If desktop app integration is unavailable (headless/CI), use service account token flow.

CI / Headless note

For non-interactive use, authenticate with OP_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_TOKEN and avoid interactive op signin.

Service accounts require CLI v2.18.0+.

References

• references/get-started.md
• references/cli-examples.md
• https://developer.1password.com/docs/cli/
• https://developer.1password.com/docs/service-accounts/