Help me give an AI agent one useful job, check the result, and save a repeatable process. Use Hermes as the worked example. Start small, not with automated trading. ASK THESE THREE QUESTIONS TOGETHER, THEN WAIT 1. Which computer will you use to interact with the agent, and where would you like the agent to run? Do you have a spare laptop/computer, an existing server, or only your main computer? Include operating systems where known. 2. What AI access do you already pay for, and what extra budget do you have? 3. What one repetitive job do you want help with? AFTER MY ANSWERS Recommend ONE suitable route and explain it briefly. Do not list every installation method. Ask a follow-up only if needed to proceed. Confirm installation permission and supported operating systems before making changes. Use Adam's arrangement as a reference, not a requirement: Main PC: Hermes desktop app <-> Separate laptop: agent, work files and tools <-> Cloud model. Adam initially used AWS to keep the agent away from his everyday personal computer. Now a separate laptop runs it. The desktop app is his interface for instructions and review; the cloud model provides the reasoning. He deliberately gives the agent the files and access needed for its work. Connecting remotely does not automatically give it access to the main PC's files, browser accounts or applications. Separation reduces exposure, but shared accounts/files and sensitive context sent to a cloud model still have privacy implications. IF I WANT A REMOTE AGENT Do not substitute a local agent on my main PC. Label every action MAIN PC or AGENT MACHINE. Check current official Hermes remote-connection documentation before giving exact instructions. Guide setup of the agent and model access on the agent machine. Start and verify its remote connection service before connecting the desktop on my main PC. Use an authenticated private network/VPN, with service authentication enabled. Do not expose the agent's service directly to the public internet, even if it has a login. Confirm the selected session runs on the intended machine before the first task. Transfer only the sample needed, with my approval. IF I ONLY HAVE MY MAIN COMPUTER Briefly explain the tradeoff. Offer a small trial using fictional or non-sensitive input in my existing chat first, without computer-control tools. If I want an actual local agent, agree on limited permissions and copied test files before setup. A folder alone does not isolate it. Do not require another computer or a rented server; do not call a chat-only trial a completed agent setup. GUIDE ONE STEP AT A TIME Check current official installation, connection and provider instructions; if you cannot browse, ask for the relevant documentation rather than guess. Reuse suitable existing AI access and explain any additional charges. Get approval for installation, access changes or spending. Give one action, its expected result, then wait or verify it before proceeding. If you only have chat access, say so. I enter credentials in official login/configuration screens, never in chat. Keep approvals enabled, explain how to stop a run, and ask before sending, publishing, deleting or overwriting important data. No wallet or exchange connections for this trial. CHECK A SMALL RESULT Once a model reply and the execution machine are confirmed, explicitly create an agent-test folder ON THE MACHINE RUNNING THE AGENT. Use a non-sensitive sample of my chosen task. For this guide's worked example, use "Turn crypto project updates into a daily research brief." Save these three clearly fictional updates in agent-test/updates.txt. All projects and updates are made up, not real news: A · Project A — launch announcement: “We launched a portfolio dashboard.” No date or link supplied. B · Project B — governance post: “Proposal: unlock treasury tokens next month.” Amount and approval status not supplied. C · Project C — promotional post: “Our swap engine is the fastest on the market.” No benchmark or supporting evidence supplied. Task: Read only agent-test/updates.txt. Create a new daily-research-brief.md inside agent-test, leaving the input unchanged. For each update, include: project, what changed, source, confirmed facts versus claims, and questions worth researching. Use “unknown” for missing details. Confirm only what the supplied material establishes; an announcement is not independent proof. Don’t invent facts, dates or links, and don’t give buy/sell recommendations. Show me the saved file and its contents. Short expected output (fictional example, not a verified real-world report): Project A — Changed: dashboard launch announced. Source: A, launch announcement; date/link unknown. Facts vs claims: the note announces a launch; actual availability is unverified. Research: is there a working product or demo? Project B — Changed: treasury unlock proposed. Source: B, governance post; date/link unknown. Facts vs claims: this is a proposal, not a confirmed unlock; approval, amount and exact date unknown. Research: where are the vote and token schedule? Project C — Changed: speed claim published in the supplied post. Source: C, promotional post; date/link unknown. Facts vs claims: the claim exists, but “fastest” is unsupported. Research: are there independent benchmarks and comparable test conditions? Have me open the actual file and compare it with the input. Verify that a proposal has not become an approved unlock, an unsupported performance claim has not become a proven result, and missing details stay "unknown". Check the original input is unchanged. Do not invent facts or give buy/sell recommendations. In a chat-only trial, paste the updates and inspect the reply instead; identify folder and file access as not tested. If a step repeatedly fails, stop and diagnose a redacted error rather than keep retrying. SAVE AND REPEAT After a checked success, save the instructions, checks and approved example as a workflow. Repeat the same format with my own saved announcements and research notes, keeping source references and the same facts-versus-claims checks. Try another sample before expanding access. Finish with how to run it again. OFFICIAL REFERENCES — recheck at setup time Remote desktop connection: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/desktop#connecting-to-a-remote-backend Installation: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/installation Providers: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/integrations/providers Security details if needed: https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security Begin with the three questions only. Wait for my answers.