paperclip/docs/adapters/google-vertex.md

title	description
Google Vertex AI	Run Paperclip agents on Gemini models through Google Cloud Vertex AI

The google_vertex adapter runs the local Hermes agent harness with its provider fixed to Google Vertex AI. It uses Gemini models through Vertex's OpenAI-compatible endpoint while retaining Hermes tools, skills, and session continuity.

Prerequisites

• Hermes Agent 0.21.2 or newer on the execution host
• A Google Cloud project with the Vertex AI API enabled and billing active
• An identity with the roles/aiplatform.user role
• Either a service-account JSON file or Google Application Default Credentials (ADC)

Configure an agent

Choose Google Vertex AI when creating an agent, then set:

• Model: a Vertex model ID such as google/gemini-3.8-flash
• Google Cloud project ID: optional when embedded in the credential
• Vertex region: defaults to global; Gemini 3 preview models require it
• Service-account JSON path: optional absolute path on the execution host; leave blank to use ADC

Vertex uses OAuth2 rather than a static API key. Paperclip stores only the credential-file path and non-secret routing configuration. Hermes mints and refreshes short-lived access tokens at runtime.

For local development with ADC, configure Google Cloud on the same host that executes the agent:

gcloud auth application-default login

For servers, place the service-account JSON outside the repository, restrict its filesystem permissions, and configure its absolute path in the adapter. Do not paste service-account JSON or access tokens into agent configuration fields.