The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Hermes Agent

Introduction to Hermes Agent Course

Overview of Hermes Agent

• The course is presented as a comprehensive guide to using Hermes, an AI tool that assists in various aspects of life and business.

• The speaker emphasizes practical applications, stating that users can build a one-person company with AI agents handling most tasks.

• A resource compiling tips and insights from the speaker's extensive experience with Hermes will be provided throughout the course.

Course Structure

• The course will cover the fundamentals of Hermes, including its unique features compared to other AI agents like OpenClaw and Codeex.

• Participants will learn how to set up Hermes from scratch, create a personal chief of staff, and manage multiple AI agents effectively.

Capabilities of Hermes Agent

Functionalities Offered

• Hermes can generate content, manage social media, conduct customer service, analyze stocks, and even act as a personal trainer.

• The course aims to teach users how to optimize costs while ensuring security when utilizing these capabilities.

Learning Outcomes

• Users are encouraged to follow along step-by-step for maximum benefit; even beginners can grasp core concepts related to AI workflows.

Understanding What Makes Hermes Unique

Key Features

• Unlike other agents that require constant prompting, Hermes operates autonomously once trained on user preferences.

• It employs a self-improvement loop where it learns from past interactions without manual input from the user.

User Experience Enhancement

• As users interact with Hermes over time, it becomes more attuned to their specific working styles and preferences.

Memory Management in Hermes

Memory Improvement Process

• Every 10 interactions or so, Hermes evaluates its memory and improves its skills based on user feedback.

• This strategic archiving prevents cluttering of outdated information and enhances reliability over time compared to competitors like OpenClaw.

Security and Cost Efficiency

Model vs. Harness Distinction

• The difference between models (like GPT 5.5 or Claude Opus), which serve as engines for intelligence, versus the agentic harness (Hermes), which enables operational functionality is explained.

Advantages of Using Local Data Storage

• Being model agnostic allows users flexibility in choosing the best model for specific tasks while keeping data local for enhanced security.

Limitations and Responsibilities

User Control Over Agents

• Users must maintain oversight; giving too much autonomy could lead to unintended consequences (e.g., accidental deletion of important emails).

Importance of Verification

• It's crucial for users to verify outputs before trusting them completely; safeguards should be established prior to allowing significant actions by the agent.

Business Opportunities with AI Agents

Market Potential

• There’s growing demand for digital employees among businesses unaware of available solutions; early adopters stand to gain significantly by implementing systems taught in this course.

Setting Up Your Own System

Installation Options

• Two paths are available: using a VPS or setting up on an old computer. The latter is preferred due to ease of control.

Choosing an Intelligence Source

• Recommendations include using ChatGPT subscriptions for cost-effective access without incurring unexpected charges associated with API-based billing.

Establishing Support Systems

Buddy System Setup

• Codeex serves as a backup system that can troubleshoot issues encountered during setup or operation. This ensures smooth functioning across devices.

Installing the Hermes Agent

Installation Steps

• Instructions are provided on downloading and installing the application easily on Mac systems while ensuring all necessary permissions are granted for optimal performance.

Connecting Telegram and Other Channels

Setting Up Telegram

• The speaker introduces the process of connecting various messaging platforms, starting with Telegram. Resources for setup are available in a community guide.

• Instructions begin with accessing the messaging section and utilizing BotFather to create a new bot for Telegram.

• The speaker demonstrates creating a new bot named "Hermes course video_bot" and obtaining its token for integration.

• Troubleshooting is discussed when the Hermes agent fails to restart after setup, emphasizing the importance of having support systems in place.

• Successful connection to Telegram is confirmed, and instructions on pairing the bot are provided.

Managing Conversations

• The speaker sets up a home chat for updates from Hermes, showcasing how to manage communication effectively through Telegram.

• A new topic thread is created within Telegram to organize discussions better, demonstrating how multiple topics can be managed simultaneously.

• The ability to create different channels or tabs within Telegram is highlighted as a feature that enhances organization during conversations.

Integrating Slack

Setting Up Slack

• The speaker expresses enthusiasm about using Slack due to its team management capabilities and begins explaining how to set it up with Hermes.

• Steps include creating a new app in Slack and configuring necessary permissions for effective communication between Hermes and team members.

• Minimum required scopes are added for functionality; additional scopes can be included based on user needs.

Connecting Hermes with Slack

• After restarting the gateway responsible for channel connections, users are guided on ensuring their bot appears online in Slack.

• Demonstration of adding Hermes into private channels shows how it can facilitate team interactions seamlessly.

Setting Up iMessage

Using Photon.codes

• Introduction of iMessage as another quick communication tool; setup involves signing up on Photon.codes and creating a project specifically for Hermes integration.

• Instructions detail pasting documentation into Hermes for configuration purposes, allowing users to send messages via iMessage easily.

Enhancing Hermes' Personality

Identity Files

• Discussion shifts towards improving user interaction by giving Hermes personality traits through identity files that dictate tone and behavior during conversations.

• An example illustrates how personalized responses enhance user experience by making interactions feel more engaging rather than generic.

Memory Management

• Explanation of memory types highlights challenges faced by assistants regarding remembering context across sessions.

• Single session memory: Retaining information throughout long conversations.

• Knowledge updates: Adapting responses based on changing user preferences over time.

• Multi-session memory: Connecting information from different chats together.

• Temporal reasoning: Understanding changes over time related to user preferences.

Utilizing Honcho

Benefits of Honcho Integration

• Introduction of Honcho as an open-source solution that addresses cold start problems by maintaining context across sessions without requiring manual input from users.

Understanding Honcho and Its Integration with AI Agents

Overview of Honcho's Functionality

• Honcho acts as a central hub for various AI models like Cloud Code, Codeex, and Hermes, enhancing message processing and output quality.

• It utilizes context clues to connect different conversations, mimicking human reasoning by internalizing information over time.

• The system transforms raw chat data into useful memory through a process called neurommancer, which fine-tunes the model for better reasoning.

Memory Management in AI Agents

• Each agent can maintain separate peer cards for multiple interactions, allowing personalized responses based on individual relationships.

• The integration of Hermes with Honcho significantly improves performance compared to using Claude or Codeex alone; they are designed to work synergistically.

Cautions Regarding Power and Privacy

• While powerful, Honcho poses risks if mismanaged due to its ability to store sensitive information; responsible usage is crucial.

• Being open-source allows users to self-host their systems privately on personal devices, ensuring data security.

Setting Up Your AI Agent with Honcho

Initial Setup Steps

• To set up Honcho with your Hermes agent, navigate to settings and select 'memory provider' as honcho.

• Connect via OAUTH after creating a Honcho account; this process is straightforward and enhances the agent's capabilities.

Enhancing Agent Management

• With memory established, managing multiple agents becomes essential; visibility into their actions helps maintain organizational goals.

• Collaborative tools like Slack facilitate communication between team members and agents as if they were colleagues.

Utilizing Project Boards for Organization

Importance of Project Tracking

• Using project boards (e.g., Multica), teams can efficiently track tasks without losing sight of ongoing projects or updates from agents.

• This method contrasts typical private messaging where updates may be overlooked; project boards ensure accountability.

Managing Multiple Workspaces

• Users can manage various runtimes from one platform while keeping track of each agent’s status across different devices.

Implementing Hooks for Automation

Understanding Hooks Concept

• Hooks serve as automatic triggers that execute specific actions whenever an event occurs within the system (e.g., sending messages).

Setting Up Functionalities

• Two hooks will be established: one for loading memory in honcho after messages are sent and another for updating project boards automatically in Multica.

Creating Profiles for Different Roles

Profile Management Strategy

• Profiles allow users to create distinct AI employees tailored for specific tasks (e.g., customer service vs. business operations).

Cloning Profiles

• New profiles can be easily created by cloning existing ones or starting fresh; this flexibility supports diverse operational needs.

Establishing Squads Within the System

Squad Configuration

• Squads enable collaboration among different profiles under a leader (e.g., chief of staff), facilitating task assignments among team members.

Utilizing Different Models

• Each squad member can utilize unique models suited for specific tasks (e.g., design vs. coding), optimizing overall productivity without manual intervention.

This structured approach ensures clarity in understanding how to effectively use Honcho alongside AI agents while maintaining organization and efficiency within workflows.

How to Automate Your Workflow with Hermes

Introduction to Hermes Automation

• Hermes can connect applications like Slack, Google Drive, and project boards to automate tasks such as generating weekly reports for clients.

• Users can set up Hermes to search for niche content trends daily, providing fresh ideas for content creation.

Competitor Monitoring and Invoice Management

• Hermes can monitor competitors by scraping their data and alerting users about pricing changes in real-time.

• It can also check unpaid invoices through integration with platforms like Stripe or QuickBooks, automating follow-up reminders.

Daily Briefings with Hermes

• Setting up a morning briefing helps users stay organized by summarizing important updates from emails, Slack conversations, and news.

• A useful hack involves asking Hermes nightly about the most significant task for the next day to enhance productivity.

Creating Effective Morning Briefings

• Users can instruct Hermes via Telegram to compile a morning briefing that includes calendar events, urgent emails, and trending topics relevant to their work.

• The briefing should be concise yet comprehensive enough to prepare users for their day ahead.

Cron Jobs and Skills Development

• Users learn how to set up cron jobs in the Hermes app that automate daily briefings at specified times.

• Once satisfied with the output of a task like morning briefings, users are encouraged to turn these processes into reusable skills within the system.

Understanding Agentic Workflows

Concept of Agentic Workflows

• An agentic workflow is defined as a cycle of automated tasks performed by an AI agent without needing constant user input.

• These workflows allow users to save time by having repetitive tasks handled autonomously while improving over time through feedback loops.

Building Skills from Workflows

• Users are encouraged to create skills from effective workflows so they can easily share them with team members or reuse them later.

Creating an Animated Website Using Slashgoal

Advanced Website Creation Techniques

• The process involves using slashgoal commands that enable Hermes agents to build animated websites efficiently through iterative improvements until completion.

Integrating Additional Tools

• To enhance website functionality, tools like Hicksfield AI are integrated for image generation while Firecrawl is used for web scraping competitor insights.

Monetizing Skills Developed with Hermes

Real Estate Marketing Kits

• By leveraging generated images and marketing kits tailored for real estate listings, users can significantly improve property presentations and potentially increase sales prices.

Automating Property Searches

• Users can instruct Hermes agents to find properties in specific locations (e.g., New York), creating automated marketing kits that streamline real estate transactions.

Property Marketing Kit Development and Automation

Building a Property Marketing Kit

• The speaker requests the creation of a property marketing kit and mentions using Firecrawl to scrape other properties for potential outreach.

• Emphasis is placed on gathering contact information, including email addresses and phone numbers, for companies hosting the properties.

• An example of a completed property marketing kit is shown, featuring source photos and personal images from the speaker's experience with the property.

• The speaker highlights their favorite features of the property, such as windows in the bedroom and functionality in the kitchen.

• A demonstration of another property’s marketing kit reveals additional features like vignettes that enhance presentation.

Automating Outreach with AI

• The system suggests generating full marketing kits for multiple listings automatically, streamlining outreach efforts.

• The automation process allows users to continuously find new properties and send emails without manual intervention.

• The potential profitability of this automated system is discussed, indicating it could serve as a lucrative business model.

Content Creation Strategies

Attracting Clients through Social Media

• Transitioning into building an end-to-end content agent aimed at enhancing social media presence to attract clients.

• Three primary methods for client acquisition are outlined: posting free content on platforms (Instagram, TikTok), personalized outreach via messages/emails, and running paid ads.

Creating Engaging Content

• Importance of producing high-quality content consistently across various platforms to build brand awareness and attract leads is emphasized.

• A common workflow for creating engaging content involves researching topics, scripting, filming, editing, posting, and analyzing performance.

Utilizing Hermes for Automated Content Generation

Carousel Creation

• Introduction to using Hermes to create carousels automatically across different social media platforms due to their high engagement rates.

• Examples of simple yet effective carousel designs are provided; emphasis on ease of reproduction using Hermes tools.

Advanced Carousel Styles

• Discussion about customizing carousel styles based on user preferences; users can upload specific design inspirations for Hermes to replicate.

Scheduling Posts Automatically

Integration with Social Media Tools

• Instructions on connecting Instagram accounts with Hermes for seamless post scheduling are provided.

• Blotato is introduced as an alternative tool that offers calendar-style management for scheduled posts across multiple platforms.

Content Repurposing System: The Content Octopus Concept

Maximizing Reach through Repurposing

• Explanation of how one long-form piece (like a YouTube video) can be transformed into various formats (clips, articles, tweets).

Implementation Steps

• Demonstration shows how to use existing video content within Hermes’ framework to generate diverse outputs efficiently.

Video Editing Process Using AI

Two-Pass Editing Technique

• Description of how video editing occurs in two phases: first removing bad takes followed by adding B-roll footage for polish.

Final Output Review

• Presentation of edited videos showcases improvements made by AI during both passes; feedback indicates areas needing further refinement before finalization.

This structured approach provides clarity on key concepts discussed throughout the transcript while ensuring easy navigation through timestamps linked directly to relevant sections.

How to Create High-Converting Ads with Hermes

Introduction to Ad Creation

• The speaker introduces a method for creating high-leverage ads that can be sold to others, emphasizing the simplicity and effectiveness of the build.

• Acknowledges that not everyone may want to create talking head videos; instead, they can use product images for advertising.

Building Ads Using Competitor Insights

• The process involves taking a product photo and using a skill to analyze competitor ads, aiming for high conversion rates.

• Instructions are given on how to utilize the Hermes platform to generate image and video ads featuring the user.

Results from Ad Generation

• After processing, various ad creatives are generated, showcasing realistic imagery and effective copywriting.

• Highlights include benefit-driven copy and humorous elements in the ads, demonstrating creativity in marketing strategies.

Automating Ad Creation

• Discusses setting up cron jobs for automatic ad generation, allowing users to produce hundreds of ads daily without manual effort.

• Mentions integrating with Meta Ads Manager (MGP) for ongoing performance tracking of created ads.

Managing Customer Support with Hermes

Importance of Customer Management

• As businesses grow and acquire clients, managing customer support becomes crucial; Hermes can assist in this area.

Creating a Community Bot

• The speaker describes building a bot within their community platform that answers questions and moderates discussions effectively.

Setting Up the Bot

• Steps include creating an account specifically for the bot, configuring its tasks, and establishing regular check-ins through cron jobs.

Integrating Email Support into Your System

Setting Up AgentMail

• Introduces AgentMail as a tool for creating an inbox dedicated to handling customer inquiries efficiently.

Connecting Email Functionality

• Demonstrates how to set up an email address for Hermes that allows it to manage support tickets directly via email communication.

Building a Self-Improvable Trading Bot

Overview of Trading Bot Capabilities

• Describes how Hermes can learn trading patterns over time through self-improvement loops based on past trades.

Steps to Build the Trading Bot

• Outlines three essential steps: connecting Hermes with a programmatic trading platform like Co-Invest, enabling paper trading features, and utilizing Telegram for real-time updates.

Utilizing Strategies from Successful Traders

Analyzing Political Trading Patterns

• Discusses insights gained from analyzing trades made by U.S. politicians like Elizabeth Warren and Nancy Pelosi who outperform market averages significantly.

Leveraging Quiver Quant API

• Explains how users can connect their trading bots with Quiver Quant's API to access data on congressional trades and implement successful strategies automatically.

Optimizing Personal Health Tracking with Hermes

Health Optimization Journey

• Shares personal experiences about improving health through consistent tracking facilitated by Hermes after conducting blood tests.

Daily Health Management Routine

• Details how Hermes helps maintain accountability by reminding users about workouts and supplement intake based on personalized health data analysis.

Creating an Integrated Chat Management System

Introduction of Agent Club Feature

• Presents "Agent Club," designed as a centralized hub for managing multiple chat agents across different platforms seamlessly.

This markdown file summarizes key points from the transcript while providing timestamps linked directly back to specific moments in the video content. Each section is organized logically around major themes discussed throughout the presentation.

Daily Agenda and Goals

Overview of Today's Tasks

• The speaker outlines a structured agenda for the day, emphasizing the need to respond to community questions by 11:00 AM.

• A reminder is given about new member introductions and unanswered posts due at 1:15 PM.

• The speaker has a friend's birthday celebration scheduled for 7 PM, prompting an early wrap-up around 5 PM.

• The primary goal for the day is completing the Hermes course, with three specific steps outlined.

Steps to Complete Hermes Course

• Step one involves creating a tutorial on building Jarvis.

• Step two focuses on demonstrating how to use Hermes in conjunction with Fable, which has recently been released.

• The final step requires sending completed materials to an editor.

Demonstrating Jarvis Command Center

Features of Jarvis

• The speaker showcases their agenda through Jarvis, highlighting its ability to organize tasks and display calendar events effectively.

• An interesting feature includes voice cloning technology used for fun purposes within Jarvis.

Building the Command Center

• The speaker explains that building the command center involves several components that work together seamlessly.

Key Components Explained

1. Life Context:

• Utilizes personal context through honcho setup for tailored morning briefings based on user priorities.

2. Calendar Organization:

• Integrates with Google Calendar (Gcal MCP), allowing automatic organization of schedules.

3. Computer Use:

• Enables opening tabs and applications via commands issued through Hermes.

4. Voice Technology:

• Voice capabilities are powered by tools like 11 Labs or alternatives like Voice Box for local use.

5. HUD Interface:

• Custom interface designed using screenshots as inspiration, developed with Claude's assistance.

Packaging and Selling Builds

Offering Prepackaged Solutions

• A prepackaged version of the build process is available in the school community for those who want a quicker setup without extensive debugging.

Monetizing Builds

Key Considerations Before Selling

1. What can be sold?

• Everything built during this course qualifies as a product; choose offerings aligned with personal strengths and customer needs.

2. Pricing Strategy:

• Determine appropriate pricing based on value provided and market demand.

3. Approach Customers:

• Develop strategies for reaching out post-completion of builds to potential clients.

Insights from Mark Cuban

Importance of AI Implementation in Business

• Mark Cuban emphasizes understanding AI's implementation in businesses as crucial for gaining competitive advantages, especially among small enterprises lacking resources or expertise in AI technologies.

Opportunities for New Graduates

• Young individuals entering the workforce should focus on learning AI research alongside practical application skills relevant to various industries.

Recap of Course Builds

Summary of Built Projects

1. Installation of Hermes as an AI employee system capable of managing tasks autonomously.

2. Development of agentic workflows including morning briefings and content creation systems such as property marketing kits and e-commerce ads.

3. Advanced projects include trading bots, longevity coaches, and community management solutions aimed at enhancing operational efficiency across different sectors.

Pricing Models

• Suggested pricing ranges from $250-$1500 depending on complexity; simple setups can attract non-tech users while premium services cater to more advanced needs like executive assistants or automated content engines.