01What Are Hermes Computer Use Agents?

Hermes computer use agents are a new free feature that lets your AI agent operate your Mac for you in the background. It clicks, types, opens apps, and completes tasks on its own, just like a human assistant would. Meanwhile, you keep using your mouse and keyboard normally—your cursor stays still, your screen doesn't jump, and you can work on other things at the same time.

This is different from older computer use agents that hijacked your mouse and forced you to sit and wait. Hermes works alongside you like a teammate. For example, in this episode, one instruction opened the Notes app, created a new note, and filled it with 10 personalized ideas in about 8 seconds—while the host kept talking and typing uninterrupted.

02Key Features and What's New

Here are the main features shown in this episode:

  • Background operation: Your agent works without moving your cursor or blocking your keyboard, so you can multitask freely.
  • Permission-based safety: Hermes asks before doing risky actions like deleting files or sending emails, and you can stop it midway.
  • Self-improvement: It tests itself after setup to check it works, and it continually improves as you use it.
  • Model flexibility: You can stack any AI model you want—use Claude, a free local model, or swap anytime. Computer use is free, the models are free, and Hermes is free.
  • Assisted setup: Copy-paste instructions into Hermes, and it walks you through configuration and grants permissions automatically.
  • Agent-to-agent conversation: The wildest test—Hermes opened a terminal, started another Hermes, and had a conversation with itself, all on its own.

These features make it accessible even if you have no technical skills.

03How to Set Up Hermes Computer Use

Setup takes about 5 minutes and requires no coding knowledge. Follow these steps from the episode:

  1. Update Hermes: Type Hermes update in your terminal to pull in the latest version.
  2. Install computer use: Type Hermes computer use install in the terminal. It sets up in seconds.
  3. Grant permissions: Go to your accessibility settings and allow terminal access. If you're unsure, paste the instructions into Hermes and it will guide you step by step.
  4. Let Hermes test itself: After setup, Hermes runs a self-test to confirm everything works.

This runs on Mac currently and is experimental, so start small and only grant access to things you're comfortable with.

04How to Use Hermes Computer Use Agents

Using Hermes is as simple as typing one sentence. In the episode, the host said, "Open up the notes app and create a note about the best AI workflows to grow the AI profit boardroom." Hermes did the rest—opened the app, created the note, and filled it with relevant ideas. You can also control it from your phone, letting you start tasks remotely and check outcomes later.

To get the best results, follow the goal-based approach instead of assigning tiny tasks. For example, instead of "write an email," give a full outcome: "Go through my inbox, find messages about the AI profit boardroom, summarize what each person needs, draft a reply, and put it in my drafts folder." This gives you a worker, not a tool that needs babysitting. Then oversee, approve big actions, and transform the output into content, client work, or systems.

05Results and Tests From the Episode

The host tested Hermes in several ways. The simplest task—creating a note with 10 ideas—completed quickly and cleanly in about 8 seconds. The agent kept working in the background while he continued his video, and he didn't touch anything.

Then came the jaw-dropping test: he told Hermes to open a new terminal, start another Hermes, and have a conversation with itself. It moved the mouse, clicked, opened Hermes, typed "hello," and the other Hermes replied. This agent-to-agent interaction worked smoothly.

However, not everything was perfect. The host notes that simple tasks like writing notes and journaling are nailed fast and clean, but bigger, complicated jobs—like fully reorganizing a huge messy knowledge base—slowed down a bit. So, it's great for background tasks right now, but not for a giant hour-long project.

06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid

Here are the key tips and warnings from the episode:

  • Give a goal, not a task: Don't say "write an email." Say "summarize my inbox about X, draft replies, and put them in drafts." This yields far better results.
  • Don't babysit: Be the CEO. Let the agent work and only approve the big stuff. You oversee, you don't operate.
  • Start small: Because it's experimental, begin with low-risk tasks like notes or journaling before anything complex.
  • Know its limits: Big, complicated projects like reorganizing a massive knowledge base will slow down. Stick to everyday tasks that eat your time.
  • Always stay in control: Hermes asks before risky actions, but you still need to review requests and can stop it anytime.
  • Don't give access to sensitive stuff: Only permit what you're comfortable with.

07Who Should Use Hermes Computer Use Agents

These agents are for anyone who wastes time on repetitive computer tasks—writing notes, checking inboxes, organizing files, or drafting messages. If you run a business, you can hand over the boring work while you focus on growing. The host's framework is: give a goal, oversee, and transform the output into content, client work, or systems.

It's also perfect for beginners. You need zero tech skills and zero code. Two commands and a permission toggle get you started.

And because it's free, there's no financial barrier.

Even skeptics will find it useful. In the episode, the host debunks myths: it won't take over your computer (it asks permission), you don't need to be a tech expert, and you're not too late—this just dropped, so early users have an edge.

08Getting the Most With an Agent Operating System

The host recommends using Hermes computer use inside his Agent Operating System (Agent OS), which he built to control everything in one clean workspace. Instead of staring at a boring terminal, you get a visual dashboard with your chat history, project previews for notes, images, videos, and text-to-speech, plus a Kanban board to drag and drop agents like cards.

Hermes computer use plugs straight into this system, so your agent works in the background while you watch from one screen. You can run Claude, Hermes, Gemini, and other models side by side.

The Agent OS is available through the AI Profit Boardroom, and it includes a complete zip file, a 30-day roadmap, SOPs, and over 100 prompts. But even without that, Hermes computer use stands alone as a free, powerful tool. The host also mentions a free community, the AI Success Lab, with 38,000 members sharing AI use cases.