01What Is the Hermes Kanban Agent?

The Hermes Kanban agent is an AI-powered project management system built into Hermes, an AI agent platform. It uses a Kanban board—a visual board with columns like sticky notes on a wall—to organize and automate tasks. You drop in one idea, and a team of AI agents plans, builds, and ships the final product while you do other things.

In this episode, Julian Goldie shows a new upgrade: the board now includes a human approval step and an Obsidian memory log. This turns the board into what he calls an 'agent operating system.' You go from idea to finished app or website in just a few clicks.

02Key Features of the Hermes Kanban Agent

The upgraded Hermes Kanban board has several standout features that make it powerful and user-friendly.

  • Human approval step: Before any build starts, the board shows you the plan and asks you to approve or reject it. This puts you in control.
  • Agent team: Multiple AI agents work together, including a research agent, designer, coder, and a project manager that coordinates the work.
  • Obsidian memory log: The agents write everything down in your Obsidian vault, so they remember past projects and can pick up where they left off.
  • Preview gallery: Finished work appears in a gallery where you can preview it live and even go full screen to use it.
  • Sorting and planning: The system sorts your idea, figures out what you asked for, and creates a detailed plan with milestones.

These features solve the two big problems of the old Kanban: tasks piling up unfinished and no human oversight.

03How to Set Up the Hermes Kanban Agent

Setting up the Hermes Kanban agent is straightforward. Julian shares a 30-day roadmap he built inside the AI Profit Boardroom to help you get started.

  1. Set up Hermes on your system. Day one of the roadmap covers this.
  2. Create your Kanban board. Day two shows you how to set it up and drop in your first idea.
  3. Add the approval step. Day three teaches you to configure the board so nothing builds until you approve the plan.
  4. Install the 'agent operating system' tool if you want the full setup. It comes as a zip file ready to install.
  5. Optionally, connect Obsidian as your memory log for extra features.

Julian notes that almost nobody wants to read documentation, so this step-by-step approach makes it much easier to get started.

04How to Use It: From Idea to Finished Product

Using the Hermes Kanban agent is simple. Julian walks through a real example on screen.

  1. Type one line with your idea. He wrote: 'Create a new SEO website for OpenClaw, a beautiful blog.'
  2. The board sorts your idea and figures out what you want.
  3. Click the button that says 'let the agents shape it.' The agents review your request and write a plan.
  4. Review the plan. It shows milestones like researching keywords, designing the website, building on a modern stack, adding internal links, and setting up analytics.
  5. Approve or reject the plan. If you approve, click 'approve and build now.'
  6. The project manager and sub-agents start building while you do other things.
  7. When done, the finished product appears in the gallery where you can preview it live.

You can also drop in new ideas anytime, like a landing page for your business, and the agents will handle it.

05Results and Comparisons: Old vs. New

Julian compares the old Hermes Kanban with the new upgraded version to show why this is 'Kanban 2.0.'

The old way worked but had two big problems. First, tasks piled up and never got finished. Second, there was no human in the loop—you gave it a task and had no idea if it understood you or was working on the right thing.

With the new board, you approve the plan before anything is built, so you stay in control.

He also shows real results built with the system: a meditation app with sessions you can start, a habit tracker, and the OpenClaw SEO blog. These are finished, working products you can preview and use.

Most people still drag cards around a to-do list and do every task by hand, but this system runs on its own. It's the same Hermes agent underneath, just organized in a way that's easier to see and control.

06Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid

Julian offers practical advice to get the most out of the Hermes Kanban agent.

  • Don't skip the approval step. It's what keeps you in control and ensures the agents build what you actually want.
  • Use the Obsidian memory log. AI agents forget things, so logging projects prevents you from re-explaining everything later.
  • Don't get stuck in chat windows. Going back and forth in a terminal or chat is hard and hard to see results. The board gives you a visual overview.
  • Avoid task pile-up. The new system prevents unfinished tasks from accumulating.

Julian also mentions that some people think they don't have time or that it's too technical, but the whole point is to save you time. The setup takes a few days, but then you save hours on every project.

07Who Should Use the Hermes Kanban Agent?

The Hermes Kanban agent is for anyone who wants to turn ideas into finished products quickly without doing all the work by hand. It's especially useful for business owners who want to build websites, tools, games, or apps while focusing on other tasks.

Julian stresses that this is the future. Most people are still controlled by their AI agent, but with this system, you control the agent. It's the same tool used differently.

Learning it now gives you a head start because soon this will be normal.

For beginners, there are resources like the AI Profit Boardroom with daily tutorials, coaching calls, a prompt library, and a member community. You can also join the free AI Success Lab for more use cases and support.