back from NousCon with a few "I'll send you that on Monday" promises? tell your Hermes Agent who you met and what you promised, and it sets one reminder for each.
Show full tip
the people stay in its memory, so you can ask it later who someone was.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Help me follow up after an event: keep
the people I met in memory and set one reminder for each thing
I promised them. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Ask first">
Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer.
If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Show me first">
Show me each person you would remember and every reminder you
would create, with its day and time, before you do either.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what I said">
Remember only what I tell you about each person.
Make one reminder per promise. Nothing else changes:
no files, no config.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask who I met. For each person, ask for a name, what they
work on and one thing we talked about. Ask for another
person until I say that is everyone.
2. For each person, ask what I promised them and by when.
3. Ask what time of day to remind me and where to send it.
4. Check each reminder's weekday and date on this computer.
Show me each person and each reminder, naming the person,
my promise and what we talked about. Then stop and wait
for my yes.
5. After my yes, save the people to memory and create each
reminder. Show me each next run.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
you always forget to wish birthdays to your family and friends? your Hermes Agent can send you a gift idea and a line to text them a few days before, for each person you tell it about.
Show full tip
it asks for a name, a date and one thing they like, shows you the first heads-up, then sets one job per birthday.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Set up birthday heads-ups for the
people I want to remember. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Ask first">
Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer.
If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Show me first">
Write the heads-up for the nearest birthday before you plan
anything. Then show me every job you would create.
</principle>
<principle name="Quiet otherwise">
Send one heads-up per birthday. On every other day, send
nothing. Only the jobs are created: no files, no memory.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask for a name, a birthday and one thing that person likes.
Ask for another person until I say that is everyone.
2. Ask how many days ahead I want the heads-up and where
to send it.
3. Write the heads-up for the nearest birthday: a gift idea
built from what that person likes, plus a one-line
message I could send them.
4. Show me each scheduled job you would create. Then stop
and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, create each job. Show me each next run.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
love r/houseplants but don't have time to scroll it every day? your Hermes Agent can send you the five posts worth reading once a week, one line and a link each.
Show full tip
it reads the place you follow, shows you a sample, then schedules a weekly digest that skips anything it already sent.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Set up one weekly digest for me
from a subreddit, forum or site I follow.
Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Ask first">
Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer.
If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Show me first">
Read the source once before you plan anything.
Show me what this week's digest would look like.
</principle>
<principle name="Short and linked">
Five items at most, one line each, a link on every line.
Skip anything I have already seen in last week's digest.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask what I follow. A link is best.
2. Ask what I care about there and what I want to skip.
3. Read it once. Show me a sample digest for this week.
4. Ask which day and time to send it, and where.
5. Show me the scheduled job you would create. Then stop.
6. After my yes, create it. Show me the job and its next run.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
forget to water the plants or take the bins out? your Hermes Agent can remind you, and keep reminding you until you've done it.
Show full tip
it asks what, when and where, then schedules a reminder that repeats until you reply.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Set up one reminder for me
that keeps coming back until I tell you it is done.
Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Ask first">
Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer.
If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Stops when I say done">
When I tell you it is done, the repeats stop
until the next one is due.
</principle>
<principle name="Keep it light">
If a short script can send the reminder, use one.
No model call for a reminder that never changes.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask what I want to be reminded about.
2. Ask when it is due and how often to repeat it.
3. Ask where to send it.
4. Tell me what I say to mark it done.
5. Show me the scheduled job you would create. Then stop.
6. After my yes, create it. Show me the job and its next run.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
waiting for something you want to go on sale? your Hermes Agent can watch the price for you.
Show full tip
it checks the page once, shows you the price, asks what should trigger an alert, then schedules a check.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Set up one price watch for me.
It can be a thing I want to buy or a booking I can cancel.
Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Ask first">
Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer.
If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Real price">
Check the page once before you plan anything.
Show me the price you found, with fees if the page lists them.
</principle>
<principle name="Quiet unless it matters">
Message me only when my condition is met.
No "nothing changed" messages.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask what I want to watch. A link is best.
2. Fetch it once. Show me the item, the price and the time.
3. Ask what should trigger an alert: a target or any drop.
4. Ask how often to check and where to send the alert.
5. Show me the scheduled job you would create. Then stop.
6. After my yes, create it. Show me the job and its next run.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
using one Hermes Agent for work, home and everything in between? ask it if some of that needs an agent of its own.
Show full tip
it reads your past chats and its memory, then says which jobs stay with it and which get their own profile, with the command for each.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Look at what I use you for and tell me if some of it needs an agent of its own. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Plan only">
Create no profile and change no setting, memory or file. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="From my own chats">
Base each suggestion on my past chats and your memory, and name the chats behind it.
</principle>
<principle name="Keep it small">
Suggest a new agent only where its memory and skills should stay apart. One agent is a fine answer.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Read your memory and my past chats. List what I use you for.
2. For each job, say if it stays with you or gets its own profile, and why in one line.
3. For each new profile, give a name, a one-line description and the exact create command.
4. Show me the plan. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, save it as profiles-plan.txt in this folder. Create no profile even then.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
your Hermes Agent does a few jobs by itself. this prompt gets it to read its own settings and list each of those jobs in plain words, with the setting behind it and whether it is on for you.
Show full tip
it changes nothing while it reads. then it asks what you want changed, changes only the lines you name, and shows each before and after.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Show me what you do on your own and the setting behind each. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read before you change">
Read only: change no setting, memory, skill or file. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and change nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Values from this install">
Check the value on this machine: your settings file, or the default when a setting is not in it.
</principle>
<principle name="Plain words">
One line each: what you do, when you do it, the setting name and whether it is on here.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Find each thing you do by yourself, like saving to memory, writing skills, shortening long chats or clearing old chats.
2. Check each one on this machine.
3. List them on numbered lines, in plain words.
4. Ask what I want changed. Then stop and wait for my answer.
5. Change only the lines I name. Show each before and after.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
some of your Hermes Agent's skills need something from you before they work: a key, an app or a sign-in. this prompt gets it to check each one and list what is missing, then pick three that fit you, from its memory of you.
Show full tip
it only looks: it installs nothing, loads no skill and edits no settings.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Find which of your skills need something from me before they work. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Nothing set up yet">
Look only: install nothing, load no skill, edit no settings. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Keys stay hidden">
Check only whether a key is set. Never show one, and never ask me to paste one in this chat.
</principle>
<principle name="Plain words">
For each missing piece, say what it is and where I get it, in one line I can follow without code.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Read the top of each skill file for what it needs: a key, a sign-in, an app or a certain computer.
2. Check this machine for each one.
3. Say how many work now, grouped by what they help with.
4. List each skill that needs one thing first, with that thing.
5. Pick the three that fit me best from your memory. Say why.
6. Draft the list as skills-to-set-up.txt and show it here. Then stop and wait for my yes.
7. After my yes, write it to this folder and tell me the path.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to list each fact it holds about you, from its memory and your past chats, with where each one came from.
Show full tip
nothing changes until you choose: then it removes from memory only the lines you name.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Show me what you know about me and where you keep each piece. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until I choose">
Change nothing yet: no memory, no chats, no skills, no files. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and change nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Every fact has a source">
Put the source next to each fact: your memory, a past chat, one of your skills or a scheduled job.
</principle>
<principle name="Written down, not guessed">
List only what is written somewhere. Leave out what you would guess about someone like me.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Read your memory, then search past chats for facts about me.
2. Check your skills and scheduled jobs for anything about me.
3. List each fact on its own numbered line, with its source.
4. Ask which lines to forget. Then stop and wait for my answer.
5. Remove from memory only the lines I name. Show what is left.
6. For a named line from a past chat, say which chat it is.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to find your newest backup zip (the one hermes backup writes, docs), check that every file in it reads back, and open it in a temporary folder outside your Hermes home. then it compares config, memory, skills, scheduled jobs and past chats with your live setup, one line each, and says when the live side is newer than the backup.
Show full tip
your live setup stays as it is: nothing is restored or imported, keys and tokens are never opened, and the temporary folder is deleted only after your yes. if you have no backup yet, it asks before making one.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Check that my newest Hermes backup would bring my setup back. Look, do not change.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Live setup stays as it is">
Do not restore or import anything, and change nothing in my Hermes home. Put every file you make, scripts included, in a new temporary folder outside it.
</principle>
<principle name="Names and counts, not contents">
Do not open or print my keys, tokens, .env or auth files. Report file names and counts only.
</principle>
<principle name="Ask before you make or delete">
If there is no backup, ask before making one. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and change nothing.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Find my newest backup zip. Tell me its name, date and size.
2. Test that every file in it reads back cleanly.
3. Unpack it into that temporary folder.
4. Compare it with my live setup: config, memory, skills, scheduled jobs and past chats. Count each side.
5. One line per item: matches, missing or a different count. Say so when the live side is newer than the backup.
6. Ask me before you delete the temporary folder. Then stop and wait for my yes.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to look at the tools and skills it has (tools, skills) and what its memory says about you (memory), then pick ten things you could ask it this week, each named with the tool or skill it uses. it runs one that only reads straight away, so you see a real result.
Show full tip
nothing is written before your yes: no memory, no skills and no files. it drafts try-these.txt in the chat first, and writes it to your folder only after you say yes.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Show me what I can ask you to do with the tools and skills you have now. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Look at your tools, skills and memory, and change nothing: no memory, no skills and no files. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what you can do now">
Each idea uses a tool or skill you have today, named next to it. Leave out anything that needs a setup step I have not done.
</principle>
<principle name="Fit it to me">
Use what your memory says about me. If it holds little, say so and pick ideas for everyday life.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. List the tools you can use here and the skills you have.
2. Pick ten things I could ask you to do this week. Write each as one sentence I can paste, with the tool or skill it uses.
3. Try one now, one that only reads, and show me the result.
4. Draft try-these.txt with the ten lines. Show it here. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, write it to this folder and tell me the path.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to read how you write in your past chats and draft three voices, each one answering a question you asked it before. it changes nothing while it drafts. when you pick one, it shows the exact lines, and only after your yes does it add them to the end of its SOUL.md, keeping everything already there (personality docs).
Show full tip
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Help me pick how you talk to me, based on how I write to you in our past chats. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Read our past chats and your SOUL.md, and change nothing. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Built from my chats">
Each voice comes from how I write and what I ask of you. Quote one line of mine for each voice.
</principle>
<principle name="Add, do not replace">
Keep everything already in your SOUL.md. Add the voice I pick as a short section at the end.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Read our chats from the last 30 days: how long my messages are, my tone, and what I ask you to change in your replies.
2. Draft three voices, five lines or fewer each: tone, reply length, and how you handle doubt or disagreement.
3. For each voice, answer one real question from our chats the way that voice would.
4. Show all three here. When I pick one, show the exact lines you would add. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, add them to your SOUL.md and tell me the change shows from my next chat.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to ask you a few short questions about your mornings: when you start, what you check first and what you want to know before the day begins. it then picks what goes in a short briefing from your answers, shows you the exact scheduled job (name, time, the prompt it runs, where it delivers) and three facts about you it would save to memory.
Show full tip
nothing is created before your yes: no job and no memory. after it, the job runs from the gateway, which checks for due jobs every 60 seconds (cron docs). send /sethome in the Telegram chat you want the briefing in (Telegram docs).
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent and I am new here. Learn about my day, then set up one morning routine for me. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="One question at a time">
Ask short questions, one at a time, and wait for each answer. Six questions at most.
</principle>
<principle name="Nothing before my yes">
Create no job and save no memory until I say yes. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what I told you">
Use only my answers for the briefing. Save facts about me in my own words, no guesses.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask about my mornings: when I start, what I check first and what I want to know before the day begins.
2. Ask when the briefing should arrive and where to send it, for example my Telegram chat.
3. Pick what goes in the briefing from my answers. Keep it to five lines or fewer.
4. Show me the exact job you would create: its name, the schedule, the prompt it runs and where it delivers. Below it, show the three facts about me you would save. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, create the job with your cron tool, save the three facts to memory and tell me how to list or remove it.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with question one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to search your chats from the last 30 days for preferences, corrections and facts you gave it more than once, then check each one against its memory. it leaves out anything memory already holds and drafts memory-gaps.txt: one line per item, with your words, the dates and the memory line it would add.
Show full tip
it reads only until you say yes: no memory changes and no files until you approve the draft. saving the file does not change memory either; it adds only the lines you name. memory loads at the start of a session, so a line you add shows up from your next chat (memory docs).
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Find what I have told you more than once that your memory still does not hold. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Read our past chats and your memory, and change nothing. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what I repeated">
List only what I said in two or more chats. Quote my words and give the date of each chat.
</principle>
<principle name="I pick what goes in memory">
Saving the file does not change your memory. Add to memory only the lines I name.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Search our chats from the last 30 days for preferences, corrections and facts about me that I gave you more than once.
2. Leave out any that your memory already holds.
3. Draft memory-gaps.txt: one line per item with my words, the dates and the memory line you would add.
4. Show it here, with how many you left out as already saved. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, write it to this folder and tell me the path.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to search your chats from the last 30 days for what you said you still had to do, would do later or were waiting on. it reads each chat around the hit, leaves out anything a later chat shows as done, and drafts open-loops.txt: one line per item, oldest first, with the date of the chat and the next step.
Show full tip
it reads only until you say yes: no memory, no reminders and no files until you approve the draft. then it writes open-loops.txt to the folder you are in.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Go through our past chats and find what I said I would do but have not done. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Search and read our past chats and change nothing: no memory, no reminders and no files. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what I said">
Every item comes from a past chat and carries its date. Add no tasks of your own.
</principle>
<principle name="Done is done">
If a later chat shows an item finished, leave it out.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Search our chats from the last 30 days for things I said I still had to do, would do later or was waiting on.
2. Read each chat around the hit so you know if it got done.
3. Draft open-loops.txt: one line per item, oldest first, with the date of the chat and the next step.
4. Show it here, with how many you left out as done and a ? on any you are unsure of. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, write it to this folder and tell me the path.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to open a web page you send it (a thread, a review, a comment), read it with every reply, and draft your reply from what you want to say. it quotes the line your reply answers and lists anything it could not check.
Show full tip
it reads only until you say yes: it does not post, click reply, type into the page or sign in, and it writes no file until you approve the draft. then it saves reply-draft.txt to the folder you are in, and you post the reply yourself.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Read a web page I send you and draft my reply to it, written the way I write. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Open and read the page and change nothing. Do not post, click reply, type into the page or sign in. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Reply to what was said">
Quote the line my reply answers. Every fact in it comes from the page or from me.
</principle>
<principle name="Sound like me">
Use what your memory holds about how I write. If it holds nothing, ask me one question about tone.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask me for the link and what I want my reply to say.
2. Open the page and read all of it, every reply too.
3. Tell me in two lines what it asks and what others said.
4. Draft reply-draft.txt: the quoted line, my reply, and anything you could not check. Show it here. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, write it to this folder and tell me the path. I will post it myself.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to read the ten newest open pull requests on a repo, note every change a user would notice (a new command, flag, setting or default), and check whether the same pull request updates the README or docs. for each change with no docs line, it drafts the missing line and names the doc file and section where it belongs.
Show full tip
it reads only until you say yes: no comments, labels or reviews on GitHub, and no file until you approve the draft. then it writes DOCS-TODO.md to the folder you are in. if a pull request is too big to read, it says so instead of guessing a row.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat, from inside the repo:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Check the open pull requests on this repo against its docs and list every change that would reach users with no docs line. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Read the repo and the pull requests and change nothing. No comments, labels or reviews on GitHub. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what the diff shows">
Base every row on a diff you read. If a pull request is too big to read, say so instead of guessing.
</principle>
<principle name="Name the exact spot">
Give the doc file and section where each missing line belongs.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. List the ten newest open pull requests on this repo.
2. For each one, read the diff and note any change a user would notice: a new command, flag, setting or default.
3. Check if the same pull request updates the README or docs.
4. For each change with no docs update, draft the missing line.
5. Draft DOCS-TODO.md with one row per pull request: number, title, change, docs status, where the line goes. Show it here. Then stop and wait for my yes.
6. After my yes, write it to this folder and tell me the path.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to write MY-HERMES.md, a one-page manual of its own setup: model, provider, messaging platforms, cron jobs, skills by folder, where memory and sessions live, and how to back it up and restore it.
Show full tip
it works because the agent can run hermes dump and the list commands itself and read its own files, so every line comes from your machine, not from memory. keys show as "set" or "not set", never the value, and anything it could not check is marked unknown. it shows you the page and writes the file only on your yes.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Write a one-page manual of your setup, so I could rebuild you on a new machine. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Use read-only commands and change nothing. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and write nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="No secrets on the page">
Never print a key, token or password, in chat or in the file. Write "set" or "not set" in its place.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what you checked">
Every line comes from a command you ran or a file you read. Mark anything you could not check as unknown.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Run hermes dump, hermes cron list and hermes skills list.
2. Note your model, provider, messaging platforms and cron jobs.
3. Count your installed skills by folder.
4. Give the paths of your config, memory files and sessions.
5. Add how to back up and restore you, from the live Hermes docs.
6. Draft MY-HERMES.md on one page and show it here. Then stop and wait for my yes.
7. After my yes, write it to this folder and tell me the path.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to audit the files that shape it: SOUL.md, its two memory files (MEMORY.md and USER.md) and your project's AGENTS.md. you get a before and after for each one, with the stale, repeated and contradicting lines marked.
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it works because Hermes Agent loads these files at the start of every session, so an old line keeps steering it after it stops being true. the agent checks each line against your machine and the project files, and it changes nothing until you say yes.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Audit the files you read at the start of every session, so what shapes you stays current and lean. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Read the files and change nothing: no memory entry, no file, no config. Every edit waits for my yes.
</principle>
<principle name="Every line earns its place">
Flag an entry that is stale, says something twice, contradicts another, or costs context without changing what you do.
</principle>
<principle name="Show before you change">
Show each file as it is and as you would leave it. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and change nothing.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Read your SOUL.md, your memory files USER.md and MEMORY.md, and the AGENTS.md in this folder if there is one.
2. For each file, give its path and one line on what it is for.
3. Check each claim against this machine and the project files.
4. List every flagged entry: the file, the entry, the flag, and the reason in one sentence.
5. Where two entries contradict, name the one you would keep and ask me to confirm.
6. Show a before and after for each file you would change. Then stop and wait for my yes.
7. After my yes, apply only the changes I approve. Report what changed in each file.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gets your Hermes Agent to write the list of everything it can do: every skill installed, one line each, what it does in plain words and where it lives.
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it works because skills are files on your disk. each one is a folder with a SKILL.md, and the agent opens every one of them itself: it rewords each description, checks the body against it, and looks for two skills doing the same job. the result is skills-index.md, a file you can open.
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Write an inventory of every skill installed for you, so I can see what you can do and what is cluttering the tree. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only until my yes">
Read the skills tree and nothing else changes: no skill edited or removed, no config touched. The only thing you ever write is the one file I ask for.
</principle>
<principle name="Plain words, one line each">
One line per skill: its name, what it does in plain words, and where it lives. Reword the description; do not paste it.
</principle>
<principle name="Show before you write">
Show me the whole index and wait. Write the file only on my yes. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. List your skill roots: your skills folder and any profile or plugin roots you can see. Give the path of each.
2. Read every SKILL.md under those roots. List every skill on one line: name, what it does, where it lives.
3. Flag overlaps: two or more skills covering the same job. Flag skills whose description does not match what the body does.
4. For each flagged skill, propose one word: keep, merge or remove. Give the reason in one sentence.
5. Show me the index and the flags. Then stop and wait for my yes.
6. After my yes, ask me where to save it if I have not said, and write it as skills-index.md there. Report the path and how many lines it has.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
this prompt gives your Hermes Agent a morning routine: a brief on the topics you follow, a source link on every line, at the time you pick, every day. paste it into a fresh chat and answer two questions.
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paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are setting up a daily brief for me inside Hermes Agent. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="a source on every line">
Every line of the brief ends with the link it came from. A finding with no link is left out.
</principle>
<principle name="my topics, my words">
Follow the topics exactly as I give them. Do not add related topics on your own.
</principle>
<principle name="show before you create">
Nothing is created until I say yes. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Ask me for three to five topics to follow. One question, then wait for my reply.
2. Ask when and where the brief should arrive, then wait.
3. Search each topic once and show me a sample brief: one line per finding, the link at the end of the line, ten lines at most.
4. Show me the exact scheduled job you would create: its name, its schedule, the prompt it runs and where it delivers. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, create the job with your cron tool and tell me the command that lists it and the command that removes it.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with question one now.
</task>
your Hermes Agent can brief itself on your project before every session. this prompt writes the file that does it. paste it into a chat opened in the repo: it reads the README, the build files and the recent commits, asks you what the repo could not tell it, and drafts the AGENTS.md that Hermes loads at the start of every session in that folder. you see the whole file before it is saved, and Hermes asks once more before it writes an AGENTS.md, that file is protected by default.
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paste this into a Hermes Agent chat opened in the repository:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Write the AGENTS.md for the repository we are in, so that every future session starts knowing how this project works. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read before you write">
Read the README, the build and test files, the folder layout and the recent commits before you draft a line. If the repo does not answer a question, ask me instead of guessing.
</principle>
<principle name="Under sixty lines">
The file stays under sixty lines: what the project is, how to run and test it, the conventions you found, and what must never be touched. Plain sentences, one level of headings.
</principle>
<principle name="Show before you save">
Show me the whole draft and wait. Save AGENTS.md only after I say yes. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and save nothing.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. List the files you read, one line each, with the one thing each file taught you.
2. Ask me the questions the repo could not answer, three at most.
3. Draft AGENTS.md from what you read and what I answered. Show me the whole file. Then stop and wait for my yes.
4. After my yes, save it at the root of the repository.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
want a Monday morning note on what you and your Hermes Agent did last week, written by the agent itself? paste this prompt into a fresh chat. it searches your sessions from the last seven days, writes a ten-line review, and shows you the scheduled job before it exists: the day, the hour, the prompt it will run and where it lands. nothing is created until you say yes.
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paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Build me a weekly review that writes itself: every Monday morning, a short summary of what we worked on together the week before. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Show before you schedule">
Draft the first review now from our past sessions and show it to me. Create the scheduled job only after I say yes. If you cannot get my answer, end your turn and create nothing.
</principle>
<principle name="Ten lines, not a report">
The review is ten lines at most: what we finished, what is still open, and one thing worth doing next. Plain words, no headings.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what is on record">
Use our session history and your memory. If the record is thin, say so instead of filling the gaps.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Search our sessions from the last seven days and list the topics you find, one line each.
2. Write the ten-line review from that list. Show it to me.
3. Ask me which day and time I want it, and where to deliver it.
4. Show me the exact job you would create: the schedule, the prompt it will run, and the delivery target. Then stop and wait for my yes.
5. After my yes, create the job and tell me its name and how to remove it.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
where the review arrives: wherever you chat with your agent through the gateway (Telegram, Discord, Slack, Hermes Desktop). from a plain terminal session the job saves its output and you read it with hermes cron list or by asking the agent for the last review. the cron dials it leans on have their own Wingtips: #55 and #62.
want to know what your Hermes Agent would change about its own setup? paste this prompt into a fresh chat. it runs hermes doctor and hermes dump, reads the report against how you actually use it, and hands you three changes with the exact line for each. it changes nothing: you run the commands yourself.
Show full tip
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. Audit your own setup on this machine and tell me what to change. Read, do not change.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Read only">
Run hermes doctor and hermes dump, read the output, and stop there. Change nothing: no files, no config, no installs.
</principle>
<principle name="Three changes, not thirty">
Pick the three findings that matter most for how I use you. One line each. Everything else is a footnote.
</principle>
<principle name="Exact commands">
For each change, give the one hermes config set line that makes it, and say what it does in plain words.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Run hermes doctor. Note every check that is not a pass.
2. Run hermes dump. Note the model, the provider, and the settings that differ from defaults.
3. Match what you found against how I actually use you in this session history.
4. Write the three changes: the finding, why it matters to me, and the exact command to run.
5. Show me the list and wait. I will run the commands myself.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
finished a task with your Hermes Agent that you will need again? paste this prompt into the same chat. it reads the session back, drafts a SKILL.md from the steps that actually worked, shows it to you and waits. it saves only on your yes.
Show full tip
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. We just finished a piece of work together in this session. Turn what we did into a skill, so the next time it is a procedure and not a memory. Ask, do not guess.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="Show before you write">
Draft the whole skill and show it to me. Nothing is saved until I say yes.
</principle>
<principle name="Only what we did">
The steps are the ones that worked in this session, in the order they worked. No steps you did not run, no invented commands.
</principle>
<principle name="Trigger first">
The description line opens with when to use the skill, in under sixty characters. That line is what you read when you decide to pick a skill on your own.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Read back this session. Name the task we did, in one sentence.
2. Draft a SKILL.md: name, description, when to use, the steps that worked, the pitfalls we hit and how we got past them.
3. Keep it under forty lines.
4. Show me the draft and wait.
5. On my yes, save it with your skill tool and tell me the path.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with step one now.
</task>
send this prompt to your Hermes Agent and answer its ten questions. it interviews you about how you work and saves only what you said, in your words, to its memory. skip any question and nothing is saved for it. memory only: no files, no config.
Show full tip
paste this into a fresh Hermes Agent chat:
<role>
You are my Hermes Agent. You will work with me every day, so you need to know how I work. Ask, do not assume.
</role>
<principles>
<principle name="My words, not yours">
Save only what I said, in my words where you can. No guesses, no reading between the lines.
</principle>
<principle name="Skipped means skipped">
If I skip a question, nothing goes into memory for it.
</principle>
<principle name="Memory only">
Nothing else changes: no files, no config. Your memory is the only thing you write to.
</principle>
</principles>
<instructions>
1. Interview me about my tools and languages, my conventions, what I never want you to do, and how I like answers.
2. One question at a time. Wait for my reply before the next one. Short questions, one thing each.
3. Stop after ten questions.
4. Save the durable facts to your memory.
5. Show me exactly what you saved, entry by entry.
</instructions>
<task>
Start with question one now.
</task>
