diff --git a/hermes_cli/plugins_loader.py b/hermes_cli/plugins_loader.py
index e73a9c2ce7..788aeb744c 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/plugins_loader.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/plugins_loader.py
@@ -278,6 +278,14 @@ class PluginLoaderMixin:
         if manifest.portable:
             self._load_portable_plugin(manifest, loaded)
             return
+        # requires_hermes gate: skip cleanly (no import, no traceback) on a version mismatch.
+        from hermes_cli.plugins_manifest import requires_hermes_error
+        reason = requires_hermes_error(manifest)
+        if reason:
+            loaded.error = reason
+            logger.warning("Plugin '%s' skipped: %s", plugin_key, reason)
+            self._plugins[plugin_key] = loaded
+            return
         # After the compat-removal date an external plugin that still imports pre-decomposition paths is
         # skipped with a clear reason instead of dying on ImportError mid-register (hermes_cli.plugin_compat).
         from hermes_cli.plugin_compat import disable_reason
diff --git a/hermes_cli/plugins_manifest.py b/hermes_cli/plugins_manifest.py
index fec0acfbad..ce5c34e40a 100644
--- a/hermes_cli/plugins_manifest.py
+++ b/hermes_cli/plugins_manifest.py
@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ Split out of :mod:`hermes_cli.plugins`; validation warns and never fails a load.
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import hashlib
+import importlib.metadata
 import importlib.util
 import logging
+import re
 from contextlib import suppress
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -34,6 +36,7 @@ _KNOWN_MANIFEST_FIELDS: Set[str] = {
     "pip_dependencies", "provides_browser_providers", "provides_web_providers",
     "manifest_version", "api_version", "requires_plugins", "python_dependencies", "config_schema",
     "license", "homepage", "tags", "capabilities", "emits", "listens", "hermes", "depends",
+    "requires_hermes",
 }
 
 # Highest manifest schema version this Hermes understands.
@@ -336,6 +339,9 @@ class PluginManifest:
     # Path-derived registry key used by plugins.enabled/disabled and `hermes plugins list`: ``disk-cleanup``
     # for a flat plugin, ``image_gen/openai`` for a category plugin. Empty -> name.
     key: str = ""
+    # Hermes version requirement (``">=0.19"``, comma-separated clauses allowed). Unsatisfied plugins are
+    # recorded with an error and skipped before import — see ``requires_hermes_error``.
+    requires_hermes: str = ""
     portable: bool = False
     skill_namespace: str = ""
     # Declared capability ids, normalized to KNOWN ids. Declaration is consent metadata, NOT a grant: live
@@ -364,6 +370,55 @@ class PluginManifest:
     listens: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
 
 
+# ── requires_hermes version gate ─────────────────────────────────────────────
+_VERSION_COMPARATOR_RE = re.compile(r"^\s*(>=|<=|==|!=|>|<)\s*(.+?)\s*$")
+
+
+def running_hermes_version() -> str:
+    """Installed ``hermes-agent`` distribution version, else ``hermes_cli.__version__`` (source checkout)."""
+    try:
+        return importlib.metadata.version("hermes-agent")
+    except Exception:
+        from hermes_cli import __version__
+        return __version__
+
+
+def _version_tuple(v: str) -> Optional[tuple]:
+    """``v1.2.3-rc1`` → ``(1, 2, 3)``; ``None`` when a segment is non-numeric."""
+    parts = re.split(r"[-+]", str(v).strip().lstrip("v"), 1)[0].split(".")
+    parts += ["0"] * (3 - len(parts))
+    try:
+        return tuple(int(x) for x in parts[:3])
+    except ValueError:
+        return None
+
+
+def version_satisfies(spec: str, current: str) -> bool:
+    """``>=``/``>``/``<=``/``<``/``==``/``!=`` clauses (comma = AND; bare version = ``>=``). Unparseable
+    versions are permissive — no PEP 440 dependency for a one-field manifest gate."""
+    cur = _version_tuple(current)
+    if cur is None:
+        return True
+    ops = {">=": cur.__ge__, "<=": cur.__le__, "==": cur.__eq__, "!=": cur.__ne__, ">": cur.__gt__, "<": cur.__lt__}
+    for clause in filter(None, (c.strip() for c in spec.split(","))):
+        m = _VERSION_COMPARATOR_RE.match(clause)
+        op, target = (m.group(1), m.group(2)) if m else (">=", clause)
+        tgt = _version_tuple(target)
+        if tgt is not None and not ops[op](tgt):
+            return False
+    return True
+
+
+def requires_hermes_error(manifest: "PluginManifest") -> Optional[str]:
+    """Load-blocking reason when the manifest's ``requires_hermes`` rejects the running version."""
+    if not manifest.requires_hermes:
+        return None
+    current = running_hermes_version()
+    if version_satisfies(manifest.requires_hermes, current):
+        return None
+    return f"requires hermes {manifest.requires_hermes}, running {current}"
+
+
 def portable_plugin_manifest(child: Path, source: str, prefix: str) -> PluginManifest:
     """Build the manifest for a portable Agent Plugin directory (``plugin.json``); diagnostics warn."""
     from hermes_cli.agent_plugins import read_agent_plugin_manifest
@@ -420,7 +475,7 @@ def parse_manifest_file(
             requires_env=data.get("requires_env", []),
             provides_tools=data.get("provides_tools", []),
             provides_hooks=data.get("provides_hooks", []), source=source, path=str(plugin_dir),
-            kind=kind, key=key,
+            kind=kind, key=key, requires_hermes=str(data.get("requires_hermes") or "").strip(),
             capabilities=_parse_declared_capabilities(data.get("capabilities"), name),
             **_parse_manifest_v2_fields(data, key), emits=data.get("emits") or [],
             listens=data.get("listens") or [],
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_manifest_v2.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_manifest_v2.py
index 3e8a0d9d9f..a38e9a328e 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_manifest_v2.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_plugin_manifest_v2.py
@@ -409,3 +409,26 @@ class TestCtxHasPlugin:
         finally:
             if hasattr(sys, "_m2_probe"):
                 del sys._m2_probe
+
+
+class TestRequiresHermes:
+    def test_unsatisfied_requires_hermes_skips_without_importing(self, hermes_home, monkeypatch):
+        """A too-new ``requires_hermes`` records an error and never runs register(); a satisfied one loads."""
+        import sys
+        from hermes_cli import plugins_manifest
+        monkeypatch.setattr(plugins_manifest, "running_hermes_version", lambda: "1.2.3")
+        _write_plugin(hermes_home / "plugins", "future", manifest_extra={"requires_hermes": ">=99.0"},
+                      register_body="import sys; sys._rh_future = True")
+        _write_plugin(hermes_home / "plugins", "current", manifest_extra={"requires_hermes": ">=1.2,<2"},
+                      register_body="import sys; sys._rh_current = True")
+        _enable(hermes_home, ["future", "current"])
+        try:
+            mgr = PluginManager()
+            mgr.discover_and_load()
+            assert not hasattr(sys, "_rh_future")
+            assert "requires hermes >=99.0" in (mgr._plugins["future"].error or "")
+            assert getattr(sys, "_rh_current", False) is True
+        finally:
+            for attr in ("_rh_future", "_rh_current"):
+                if hasattr(sys, attr):
+                    delattr(sys, attr)