0-5
Install and keep the goal narrow
Run the installer, then resist the urge to configure every integration immediately. Your first milestone is a working local agent, not a full production stack.
Operator Guide
Your First 30 Minutes with Hermes
This page is opinionated on purpose. The fastest way to fail with Hermes is to over-configure it in the first session. The goal of the first half hour is simple: get one real path working and stop before complexity compounds.
5-10
Finish hermes setup
Choose one provider path, save the base configuration, and make sure the agent can answer in the terminal before you branch into messaging or extra tools.
10-15
Choose one messaging surface or stay in CLI
If you want the fastest first remote access path, use Telegram. If you only need local confidence, stay in CLI for now and defer gateway setup.
15-20
Set one real task
Give Hermes one concrete job that reflects your actual workflow: summarize a repo, inspect a config, or plan a migration. Avoid toy prompts that do not test your real usage pattern.
20-25
Decide what not to add yet
Skip MCP, extra providers, and broad messaging rollout until the basic interaction style feels right. Operator discipline matters more than feature count in the first half hour.
25-30
Choose the next branch deliberately
From here, take exactly one branch: gateway, migration, provider comparison, or tool access. Do not try to advance all four in the same session.
Do this first
Pick one provider, one interface, one real task.
That is enough to tell you whether Hermes fits your workflow. Everything beyond that is second-order optimization.
Avoid these mistakes
- Configuring multiple providers before one baseline provider works cleanly.
- Adding messaging before the local terminal flow feels stable.
- Treating migration as automatic validation instead of checking status afterward.
- Connecting broad tool surfaces before you know what the first real task should be.
After 30 minutes