> 📥 The full guide is available as a PDF (Danish). Download it at the top of the page.
Most people think this is "too technical". It isn't. You don't have to code anything. You copy a few commands, paste them into a window, and answer a few questions along the way. If you can follow an IKEA assembly manual, you can do this.
I installed Hermes Agent myself the other day. It didn't take long — but it wasn't completely friction-free. My API key didn't work on the first try. I kept going, troubleshot with my Claude, tried again — and it worked. That friction is there for a reason: it's still early with these machines. Which is exactly why it's worth doing now — before everyone else.
Hermes is an open-source AI agent from Nous Research. It runs locally on your computer, talks to your own tools, and can execute tasks — not just answer questions. That's the difference between a smart chat window and an agent that actually works. This guide takes you from nothing to a running agent on your phone in about an hour.
What an agent can do that a chat window can't
- Access to your own things — it can read and work with your projects, files and workflows directly, not just what you paste in.
- It takes initiative — it doesn't wait for you to ask about every little step; it can plan and execute on its own.
- It runs without you — you can set it to solve tasks at a fixed time, even when you're not at the screen.
The three pieces
1. Hermes Agent — the agent itself. Runs locally on your computer.
2. A model via OpenRouter — the agent's brain. We use Claude Sonnet 4.6 through OpenRouter — pay-as-you-go, 10 USD is plenty to start.
3. Telegram — your channel to it, so you can message your agent from your phone.
Once those three run, we finally connect your Claude Cowork.
Five steps
1. Preparation (~10 min) — OpenRouter account + API key, Telegram bot via @BotFather, your user ID via @userinfobot.
2. Install Hermes (Mac ~10 min · Windows ~25 min) — On Mac: open Terminal and run the installer. On Windows: install WSL2 first, restart, then run the installer in Ubuntu.
3. Check it works (~10 min) — Run `hermes doctor` and chat briefly via `hermes`.
4. Set up Telegram (~10 min) — `hermes gateway setup`, choose Telegram, paste token + user ID. Start the channel and test from your phone.
5. Connect Claude Cowork (optional · ~10 min) — Ask Cowork to create a symlink so Hermes can use your existing skills.
If the key gives you trouble
If Hermes later says the model isn't responding or the key is invalid, re-insert it with:
```
hermes config set OPENROUTER_API_KEY YOUR-KEY-HERE
```
An invisible extra space when pasting a key manually is enough to break the whole thing. `hermes config set` cleans it up automatically.
The most important trick
If you get stuck, copy the entire error from Terminal and paste it into your Claude or Cowork. Briefly describe what you tried. That's exactly how I got through it myself. You're not alone — you have a troubleshooting partner that never gets tired.
📥 Download the full guide as a PDF (Danish) at the top of the page.
🎓 Want help bringing AI agents into your organization? Book an AI Readiness Sprint or a workshop.
📬 Subscribe to the newsletter "AI, Built Human" on Substack — weekly insights on AI in practice.
Stefano Vincenti · AI Advisor & Trainer · aitrainer.dk · External Lecturer, IT University of Copenhagen · Cofounder & CTO BotTellMe · Partner, TryZone