Build Your First Local AI Agent? 🧠 Hermes Agent Setup (Free & Private)

Local AI agents are both free & private... but how can we set them up easily? Hermes just updated their onboarding workflow, making it easier than ever to get started with local AI agents. Today, we'll explore how to get started & where to take your agent next with a full map of features ✨ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWhMzDKA7vJ5VxoVa32JcCxYl8sHKP4Ds&si=au5wAAU6-HJrK7G1 My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/wanderloots Hermes is an open source AI Agent that lets you run & own your workflows. They've just made a one-click setup for local models, making it so that you can run free & private, AI effortlessly. Normally, local model setup can be confusing, but Hermes now automatically checks your hardware and suggests the best model for you to run. This removes a lot of the confusion for getting your local model running. They even have a built-in inference engine with llama-cpp so you can get started with one tool. This local setup matters especially in situations where you want to keep your information private, like note-taking, client work, or business data. Running a local model gives you the power of an LLM, without the fear of sending your data to third parties. One of my favourite setups is using a local model to connect to Obsidian, my personal knowledge management system (second brain), so I can chat with my notes but be confident that my information is not leaving my computer. I can also use a local AI to run my LLM wiki, a way to extract information and build a personalized wikipedia from sources I curate. More on LLM Wiki here: https://youtu.be/n4EVksU_EOs New local models like Gemma 4 & Qwen come in all shapes & sizes to accommodate the computer you're running. Hermes will analyze your hardware, RAM & GPU, to see what works best for your machine & your workflow. You can run a local model and connect it to your agent of choice to have a free, private, and local agentic AI system. While I'm using Hermes in today's video, this workflow and concept applies to any local AI platform (LM Studio, Llama cpp, unsloth, etc.). Similarly, while I use Hermes Agent in today's example (by Nous Research), this workflow applies to any Agentic AI (OpenClaw, Claude Code, Codex, Antigravity, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.). There are even specialized local models you can run that enable you to code for free! I hope you enjoy! ✨ P.S. I greatly appreciate any feedback, please let me know what you think 😊 Join My Membership: YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFiU1vIpPD3lQltke_18m3A/join Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/wanderloots 💌 Sign up for my [free newsletter: Recalibrating](https://paragraph.xyz/@wanderloots.eth?referrer=wanderloots.eth) 🏡 Wander my Digital Garden https://wanderloots.xyz Timestamps: 00:00 Why Run Local AI? 00:32 Today's Outline & Goals 00:53 What Is Hermes Agent? 01:49 Installing Hermes 02:42 Your Agent Workspace 04:14 Using Hermes To Explain Agents 07:05 Running A Local Model (Free & Private) 08:56 Inference Engine (What Runs The Model) 10:26 Selecting A Local Model 12:07 Testing The Local Model 13:48 Self-Learning With Memory 15:05 Important Settings & Features 16:39 Map Of Hermes Deep Dive Playlist 19:26 Next Steps & Ideas LINKS (MY WORLD) 🧭 [Recalibrating Newsletter Home](https://paragraph.xyz/@wanderloots.eth?referrer=wanderloots.eth) 🏔️To start reading from the beginning: [Recalibrating Newsletter Entry 1: What Recalibrating Means To Me](https://wanderloots.substack.com/p/1-what-recalibrating-means-to-me) 🌍 My [Website](https://wanderloots.com/) 📸 My [Print Shop](https://wanderloots.darkroom.com/) ✨ SOCIALS 🟣 [Farcaster](https://warpcast.com/wanderloots.eth) 📸 [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/_wanderloots/) 📰 [Flipboard](https://flipboard.com/@_wanderloots) 📍 [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.ca/wanderloots/) 🐦 [X (Twitter)](https://twitter.com/_wanderloots) 🤖 [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/user/_wanderloots) MY FAVOURITE TOOLS 😴 🤯 The [Waking Up App](https://dynamic.wakingup.com/guestpass/SC4914439) (use this link for a 30 day free trial) 📝 [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) (decentralized note-taking) 📹 [Adobe Suite](https://prf.hn/l/lQ9DwpA) (general creativity) ❤️ [Welltory](https://app.welltory.com/payments/plans/main/?coupon=wanderloots) (Health Tracker) EQUIPMENT USED 6. Camera [Sony A7iii](https://amzn.to/3seSHv6) 7. Lens [Sony F2 28 mm](https://amzn.to/3TiWCT2) 8. Tripod [K&F Concept](https://amzn.to/3soCKCP) 9. Main Lighting Neewer 660 PRO RGB: https://amzn.to/3CEcU2V