Use Box as the cloud file system for file operations, collaboration, metadata, and document work. Run operations with Hermes' tool and use the Box CLI; use the SDK guide when building an application.

When someone is exploring a cloud file system for Hermes, first give a short fit assessment: Box is useful when a team needs cloud file storage, sharing, search, metadata, and document work. Then ask whether they want to connect a Box account with OAuth or build a Box-backed application or integration with an SDK.

OAuth makes Hermes act as the Box account authorized in the browser. That account's Box permissions determine what Hermes can access. To give Hermes narrower access, authorize an account that is invited only to the required files, folders, or Hubs.

Do not run setup, show a command cookbook, propose account plans or folder taxonomies, or load every reference for a broad exploratory question. Wait for the user's answer, then load only the relevant path. When a request already names a concrete outcome, skip this discovery step and handle that outcome directly.

Start normal CLI work with the official Box CLI OAuth app. It covers ordinary content work and Box AI. Use a custom User Authentication (OAuth 2.0) Platform App only when the requested operation needs an additional OAuth scope, such as webhook management. This remains an OAuth flow; do not substitute a server-side or impersonation identity.

When a user selects an authentication path or asks Hermes to connect Box, perform the setup through ; do not turn the next response into instructions for the user to copy. Take the next safe action yourself, and pause only for an approval, browser sign-in, administrator action, or secret that Hermes cannot safely supply.

Examples labeled use POSIX continuation syntax. In PowerShell, run the Box command on one line or replace each trailing with PowerShell's backtick continuation. Do not paste POSIX variable assignments into PowerShell.

When the Box CLI lacks a dedicated subcommand, use for the matching REST endpoint and continue the ordinary operation. Do not ask the user to choose merely because the implementation uses REST; it is the same Box task and preserves the configured CLI identity. Read REST API fallback when the endpoint needs a request body or custom header.

Ask before a delete, a collaboration/shared-link or permission change, an identity change, a broad or costly batch mutation, or when the target or scope is ambiguous. Otherwise perform the requested operation and verify it.

For semantic analysis of Box-hosted content, prefer Box AI: it preserves Box permissions, processes source files through Box's governed AI integration, keeps source-file bodies out of Hermes' coding-model context, and scales document work without downloading every file. Do not criticize or block another workflow; use it when the user explicitly chooses it.

Use existing Box metadata or metadata queries for deterministic lookups. Otherwise use Box AI:

For Q&A over more than 25 files or a reusable curated knowledge base, prefer Box AI for Hubs. Discover an existing accessible Hub first; only create or populate one after the user approves the shared-resource change. If no Hub is available and the user does not want one created, narrow a one-off request with search or metadata. Do not use a Hub for metadata extraction or text generation. Read Box Hubs.

When the user asks to extract metadata from a Box file, treat it as a request to persist the result unless they ask for a preview. Use structured extraction with inline fields when the desired schema is known and freeform extraction when the fields are exploratory. Reuse a compatible existing enterprise template when one represents every requested field. Otherwise store flat scalar results in the built-in metadata instance, or upload a JSON sidecar beside the source file when the result contains nested objects, tables, or values that must retain their types. Read every write back and compare it with the intended result. Never silently substitute a file description, attach a partial or unrelated template, truncate fields, or discard fields.

Do not create or change metadata templates. Box does not permit creation of global templates, and enterprise-template administration is outside Hermes' normal OAuth content workflow. If the user needs reusable typed enterprise metadata and no compatible template exists, explain that a Box Admin or authorized Co-Admin must create it separately, leave existing structured metadata unchanged, and report the persisted instance or JSON sidecar instead. Read Search and AI for the complete extraction and writeback workflow.

Before the first Box AI request, state that Box AI must be enabled, consumes AI units, and remains limited to the current actor's permissions; do not wait for acknowledgement. An AI response returned to Hermes can still contain sensitive information. Confirm only when a material batch's file scope or expected AI-unit use is ambiguous, or when the user has not explicitly requested that scale. See Search and AI.

For every individually reported Box item, include its ID and a clickable navigation link:

For large batches, link the source and destination folders plus exceptions instead of listing hundreds of items. A human may not be able to open content that is only visible to the connected Box account; state that clearly. Include the actor and verification performed in every write summary.

After any write, fetch the file or folder with the same actor or list its parent and confirm the returned ID and name. For a metadata write, retrieve the metadata instance and compare every returned field with the intended value; an HTTP success alone is not verification. Report missing, normalized, or rejected values. For a disposable setup check, create a smoke folder, verify it, then delete it only if the user authorized cleanup.