81 · 5 min read
Which Workflows to Automate First
Ranking workflows by business value produces one-off agents that don't compound. Ranking by integration overlap cuts total build cost in half and makes each new agent faster than the last.
Read→Blog
Writing on AI agents
82 · 5 min read
What AI Agent Maintenance Actually Involves
AI agent maintenance isn't monitoring dashboards. It's rewriting prompts when the business changes, patching integrations when connected tools update, and reviewing logs for edge cases that never trigger errors.
Read→83 · 5 min read
Is Your AI Agent Actually Working?
A running agent and a working agent are not the same thing. Without defined success criteria, there is no way to tell them apart — and degradation is invisible until it is already expensive.
Read→84 · 5 min read
Your Second AI Agent Is Harder Than the First
The first AI agent succeeds partly because scope is forced narrow. The second build surfaces every undocumented decision the first one made — and those decisions become constraints.
Read→85 · 12 min read
Custom Agent vs Off-the-Shelf: How to Choose
Off-the-shelf agents bake in assumptions about approval chains, data formats, and output destinations. When those assumptions don't fit your workflow, workarounds compound — and maintaining them costs more than a purpose-built custom agent.
Read→86 · 6 min read
Hermes for Ecommerce: Queries, Suppliers, Orders
Hermes handles order queries and supplier follow-up for Shopify operators. Inbox time decouples from order volume as Skills build from each completed task.
Read→87 · 10 min read
How to Build a Custom AI Agent: The Five-Stage Process
A custom agent build stalls at stage 1 — process documentation — more than any other stage. If the workflow isn't written down, it can't be built. Here is the full build process, stage by stage, with timelines and what to do when something breaks.
Read→88 · 6 min read
Hermes for Agencies: Client Comms and Reporting
Hermes handles the client communication and reporting layer for agencies running retainer work — one deployment across Slack and Gmail, Skills building from every completed task.
Read→89 · 6 min read
Hermes for Consultancies: Research and Deliverable Prep
Hermes handles the research, report formatting, and client communication that consumes consultant hours — one deployment across Slack and Gmail, Skills encoding the firm's delivery patterns over time.
Read→90 · 13 min read
AI Agent vs Automation: Judgment vs Rules
Automation breaks when inputs vary from the rule it was built for. An AI agent reads context and decides what to do even when no pre-written rule applies.
Read→91 · 6 min read
Hermes Setup Guide
Hermes deploys on your own server and connects to 20+ platforms. Setup is five stages — and context definition is the step most teams underestimate.
Read→92 · 5 min read
How Hermes Learns
Hermes creates a Skill object from each completed task. Skills compound over time — the agent in month three handles edge cases month one missed.
Read→93 · 11 min read
AI Agent vs Chatbot: Actions vs Answers
A chatbot generates text responses inside a conversation. An AI agent takes actions in external tools — updating CRM records, sending emails, scheduling meetings. The difference is not intelligence. It is the ability to act.
Read→94 · 11 min read
What Is a Custom Agent? When to Build vs. Buy
A custom agent is an AI agent built for one business's specific data, processes, and output requirements. The model is a commodity — the integration work, approval logic, and workflow design are what make it custom. Here is when to build, when to buy, and what it costs.
Read→95 · 11 min read
What Is an AI Agent? Definition, Types, and How They Work
An AI agent is software that takes actions on your behalf — reads inputs, makes decisions, and acts in external tools like Gmail, Slack, or HubSpot. Unlike chatbots, agents execute. Here is how they work, what they cost, and when they make sense.
Read→96 · 10 min read
What Is Hermes? The Self-Improving AI Agent Explained
Hermes is a self-improving AI agent by Nous Research. It runs across 20+ platforms from one deployment, builds reusable skills from every task it completes, and improves continuously — unlike static agents that stay fixed after launch.
Read→97 · 5 min read
AI Agent Cost: Small Business Implementation
Most implementation quotes cover the build cost — and nothing else. Integration and maintenance together often cost as much as the build itself over three years, with year two costing more than year one.
Read→98 · 6 min read
What Building Your Own AI Agents In-House Actually Takes
In-house AI agent development is not a build project with a finish line. It is a staffing commitment with ongoing obligations — and the economics rarely favour small businesses.
Read→99 · 5 min read
Why Most AI Agent Projects Stall After Ninety Days
Most AI agent implementations don't fail at the build — they stall after go-live when ownership disappears and nobody's job is to keep the agent running correctly.
Read→100 · 5 min read
How to Brief an AI Agent
Most implementation failures trace back to an incomplete brief. What a brief actually requires — and why writing one takes longer than building the agent that runs from it.
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