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Hermes Agent: Build Your Own Learning AI Worker

Hermes is a self-improving AI agent from Nous Research that can run on your own machine, server, or cloud environment. It is not just another chatbot. And because of its memory-driven architecture, it self-improves over time.

In this course, you’ll build a Hermes-powered IT admin agent for a real homelab. You’ll learn how agents use memory, tools, and automations while connecting Hermes to systems like UniFi, Synology, and VMware.

Go from “I’ve heard of AI agents” to installing Hermes, understanding what makes it different, and building workflows you can actually use.
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You are in the right place if...
  • You want to understand what AI agents are beyond the hype.
  • You like building useful tools instead of just watching demos.
  • You want an assistant that can remember, automate, and use tools across sessions.
  • You are interested in AI, scripting, automation, homelabs, cloud, or self-hosting.
  • You want to see how agents can fit into real technical workflows.
  • You want a guided path before handing an AI agent access to your tools and systems.
Skills

1

Videos

10

Quizzes

0

Hours

5

Course description

The Agent Shift: From prompting to IT automation

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For IT learners, agents can help document systems, summarize alerts, troubleshoot issues, and turn messy admin work into repeatable workflows.

That changes what technicians need to understand. Prompting a model goes from "helpful" to actively useful. To get the most out of it, you need to understand how agents use tools, manage memory, run commands safely, connect to external systems, and turn repeated work into reusable skills.

Hermes gives you a practical place to learn those ideas. You can install it, talk to it from the CLI or messaging apps, connect tools, create automations, and see how persistent context changes the way an AI assistant works.

This course will make real-world agentic help a reality.

What you’ll be able to do with Hermes

Explain what makes Hermes different from a normal chatbot or coding copilot.

Install Hermes in a supported environment.

Start using Hermes from the command line and connected messaging platforms.

Understand how Hermes uses memory, tools, skills, and scheduled automations.

Connect Hermes to real homelab systems like UniFi, Synology, and VMware.

Think more clearly about agent safety, permissions, and responsible access

Use Hermes to summarize network, storage, and virtual machine status.

Lesson series

How this course works

This course is designed as a practical introduction to Hermes and AI agents.
You will get:

  • Chuck’s Hermes launch video and CTO interview.

  • A clear path from “what is this?” to “how do I run it?”

  • Lessons on installation, memory, skills, MCP, APIs, local LLMs, production readiness, and server deployment.

  • Access through NetworkChuck Academy membership.

Meet Your Instructors

NetworkChuck has helped millions of learners start building real technical skills in networking, Linux, cybersecurity, cloud, automation, and AI. His teaching style is energetic, practical, and built for people who want to try the thing for themselves.

For Hermes, Chuck brings the builder’s perspective: install it, run it, test it, break it, and see what it can actually do.
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Jeremy Cioara has been teaching technology since 1998 and is one of the most recognizable Cisco and IT trainers in the industry. He brings the instructor’s perspective: how this fits into real technical work, what concepts matter, and how to think clearly about new technology before it becomes part of your environment.

Stop just chatting with AI. Start building with agents.

Hermes gives you a practical way to explore memory, tools, skills, messaging, automation, and agent workflows in a real environment.

Course Contents

Frequently asked questions

What is Hermes?

Hermes is a self-improving AI agent from Nous Research. It can run in environments like Linux, macOS, WSL2, servers, or cloud infrastructure, and it supports features like memory, skills, tools, scheduled automations, subagents, and messaging integrations.

Is Hermes just another chatbot?

No. A chatbot mainly responds to prompts. Hermes is designed as an agent: it can use tools, remember useful context, create reusable skills, run scheduled work, and connect to the places you already communicate.

Do I need to be a  programmer?

You do not need to be a software engineer, but you should be comfortable learning technical tools. Some familiarity with the command line, Linux/macOS/WSL, and basic automation concepts will help.

Where can Hermes run?

Hermes can run on Linux, macOS, WSL2, servers, and cloud-style environments. Native Windows support is listed as early beta in the Hermes documentation.

Why should IT learners care about AI agents?

AI agents sit at the intersection of automation, infrastructure, scripting, security, and operations. Understanding how agents work helps you evaluate new tools, automate routine work, and think more clearly about where AI fits into technical environments.

Is it safe to give an AI agent access to my tools?

It depends on how you configure it. This is why permissions, approvals, boundaries, and careful workflow design matter. The goal is not to give an agent unlimited access; the goal is to connect useful tools in controlled ways.

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