Run boring parts of daily life with a local personal agent

Tools

Hermes Agent

Overview

I run an personal AI agent locally (hermes), and use a combination of local models and whatever model I can get for a reasonable price (usually deepseek).

Workflow

I run an personal AI agent locally (hermes), and use a combination of local models and whatever model I can get for a reasonable price (usually deepseek). After using it for a couple months, I'm converted. They're so good, the more you use it, the more useful it is; you internalise more of what it could be used for. It runs so many boring parts of my life, leaving me with more time to spend with my family. I liken it to release of the first iPhone; it didn't invent any new technology, but packaged different bits of tech together in a way that was consumer friendly. I think we'll look back at OpenClaw/Hermes/Muse/Instinct in the same way. I do worry about using purely cloud based offerings like Muse, I reckon there is a market for someone to package an consumer AI agent that lives on your home network.

Reported result

The user reports feeling 'converted' after a couple of months, noting that the agent handles many 'boring parts' of life, freeing up time for family. Specific outcomes include automated grocery orders, successful train delay compensation applications, and streamlined task management from emails. No quantitative metrics or failure rates are provided in the source.

Human role

The original post does not say how a person stayed involved.

Limitations

The workflow requires significant technical setup, including local IMAP servers, SQLite databases, and browser automation tools like Camoufox. Security concerns are noted regarding data privacy with cheaper cloud models and the need for manual captcha solving. The user admits to 'muddling things together' without following best practices, suggesting potential instability or maintenance overhead.

Try it

I want to set up a local personal AI agent to automate my daily life tasks. Please guide me through configuring a system similar to the 'Hermes' agent described in the source. 1. **Infrastructure Setup**: Help me set up a local IMAP server using mbsync to sync my emails locally. Create a SQLite database to store parsed email data (receipts, bookings). 2. **Agent Configuration**: Configure an agent (using local models or DeepSeek) that can query this database. 3. **Automation Tasks**: - Write a script to parse incoming emails for grocery receipts and update the database. - Create a logic flow for the agent to predict restocking needs based on purchase history. - Set up a browser automation tool (like Camoufox) for the agent to log into my supermarket website, book delivery slots, and add items to the cart. 4. **Human-in-the-Loop**: Implement a WhatsApp bridge for notifications. Ensure the agent asks for my confirmation before finalizing any purchase or booking. 5. **Security**: Advise on how to handle credentials securely (e.g., 1Password integration) and how to manage captcha challenges via VNC if needed. Start by asking me for my email provider details and preferred supermarket website. Do not execute any real transactions or send any messages until I explicitly confirm the setup is correct and safe.

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