Build an AI Employee You Teach Once and Runs 24 Hours

A single unbroken recording: the morning briefing arrives, a meeting recording turns into minutes, and one sentence becomes a calendar entry. It shows how the three scenes connect on one screen.

The video is assembled from the walkthrough screens in Chapters 4 through 7. It goes up here once those screens are final. Subscribe below to hear when it opens.

What you can do without the video

• Section 1.2 of the book walks through the same three scenes in print.
• Chapters 3 and 4 have you build the first two scenes yourself.
• The video helps you decide; it is not required for any exercise.

The book deliberately names no products, because names and features change often. This table maps products to each category as of 10 September 2026.

Products straddle categories. Chat assistants now schedule tasks, and automation services use AI judgement in places. The table sorts by character, not by quality.

Three questions when choosing

• Does it follow yesterday's instructions today?
• Does it start at a set time without being asked?
• Does work continue while you are away from the desk?

Official docs for the two tools this book uses

• Claude Code documentation
• Hermes Agent official site

Select the statements that apply. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere; the result is calculated in your browser.

Following this book to the end costs money in exactly two places: the account Harness uses in Chapter 3, and the brain Hermes uses in Chapter 4. The programs and the messenger are free. The figures below were checked on the official pages on 10 September 2026.

You can do Chapter 3 now and Chapter 4 later. The two costs start at different times, so pay for one account in the first month and add the second when you actually want the morning briefing.

Estimating a month

• Prices are in US dollars, so what you are billed in local currency shifts with the exchange rate and tax.
• Pay-as-you-go bills what you use. Because a month is hard to predict, this book works from subscriptions.
• Annual plans are paid up front. Running month to month for the first month or two is the safer start.
• Prices and tiers change without notice. Open the official pages once more right before you pay.

• Claude pricing page
• Nous Portal subscription plans

These are the eight items from the checklist at the end of Chapter 2. Skip the ones you marked yes. The first five have to be resolved before Chapter 3; the last three can wait until Chapter 4.

Once the first five are all yes, move on to Chapter 3. Items six through eight can stay unresolved without blocking anything there.

• Install guide by operating system
• Is this book for you: self check

This is the map you draw in the first exercise of Chapter 2. When a task is hard to place, compare it against the closest role below. Editing one to match your own week is more useful than copying it as is.

The right-hand column looks much the same across roles. Deciding and being accountable is never delegated. The left column is where people differ, and what fills it is whatever your own week repeats more than twice.

Writing in a target level

• Write 4 for anything that repeats at a fixed time and only reads. The morning briefing is the example.
• Write 1 or 2 for work that only needs doing when you ask.
• Write 3 for work that can run inside a boundary you set. Calendar entries belong here.
• The middle column usually stops at 2: the draft is done for you, the decision stays with you.

• Is this book for you: self check

Choose an account before installing in Chapter 3. The free account cannot run Claude Code. The figures below were checked on the official pricing page on 10 September 2026.

This book uses a single Pro subscription. Everything in Chapters 3 and 4 runs on Pro. Move up to Max if you start hitting usage limits often.

Before you pay

• Prices are in US dollars; your local total varies with exchange rate and tax.
• Annual billing is charged up front. Pro billed annually is $200 prepaid.
• Prices and tiers change without notice. Check the official page right before paying.

• Claude pricing page
• Using Claude Code with a Pro or Max plan

Creating the account

1. 1Go to claude.ai and sign up with email or a Google account.
2. 2Once signed in, choose a plan in settings. The free state will not let you continue.
3. 3Complete payment and confirm the plan name now reads Pro or Max.
4. 4Stay signed in. After installing, you connect the tool to this same account.

Windows

1. 1Click Start, type PowerShell, and open it. Not Command Prompt.
2. 2Copy the Windows command from "Copy the install command" below, paste it, and press Enter.
3. 3Lines of text scroll past. You do not need to read them. When it stops, installation is done.
4. 4Close the PowerShell window and open a new one. Skip this and the next command will not be found.
5. 5In the new window type claude --version and check that a version number appears.
6. 6Type claude. A browser opens; sign in with the account you made.

Mac

1. 1Click the magnifier at the top right, type Terminal, and open it.
2. 2Copy the Mac command from "Copy the install command" below, paste it, and press Enter.
3. 3Wait for it to finish. It will not ask for your password.
4. 4Close the Terminal window and open a new one.
5. 5In the new window type claude --version and check that a version number appears.
6. 6Type claude and sign in on the screen that opens.

Install screens change from time to time. If yours differs from the book, check the official document below. If no version number appears, go to "Install check in three steps".

• Claude Code setup documentation

Typing the command by hand invites a single wrong character. Use the copy button instead.

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash

Press Enter after pasting. When it finishes, close the window and open a new one.

First close the command window completely, open a new one, and try again. That alone fixes most cases. If not, work through the steps below.

Step 1. Permissions

1. 1On Windows, type Get-ExecutionPolicy in PowerShell. Restricted means the install command is blocked.
2. 2If it is blocked, paste the policy command below and install again. It applies to your account only.
3. 3On a work computer, security software may block the install. If you saw a warning, ask IT for an exception.
4. 4On a Mac, if you see a warning about a downloaded program, allow it under System Settings, Privacy and Security.

Step 2. Path

1. 1In a new window type claude --version. If a version appears, you are done.
2. 2If not, find where it landed: which claude on Mac, Get-Command claude on Windows.
3. 3If the location appears but the name alone does not run, the path is not registered. On Mac, paste the line below and open a new window.
4. 4On Windows, open the environment variable editor and add %USERPROFILE%\.local\bin to Path, then open a new PowerShell window.
5. 5If no location appears at all, the install did not finish. Go to step 3.

Step 3. Network

1. 1A corporate network or VPN may block the download.
2. 2Check the connection with curl -I https://claude.ai on Mac or Test-NetConnection claude.ai -Port 443 on Windows.
3. 3If it is blocked, switch to a phone hotspot long enough to finish the install.
4. 4If policy forbids installing outside software, use a personal computer for the exercises.

Commands used above

Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope CurrentUser RemoteSigned

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc

If all three steps change nothing, run the install command once more. Installing over an existing install is safe.

The rule book is one file named CLAUDE.md in your work folder. Copy the text below as is, or edit the sentences to match your own work.

Base rule book

# Work rules

## Tone
- Lead with the conclusion.
- Use plain words instead of jargon.

## Format
- Split the task list into Today, This week, and Later.
- Write each task on one line, with the deadline in parentheses if there is one.

## Folder rules
- Save output only in the 'work-automation' folder.
- Name files as 'date_title', for example 20260724_today-tasks.

Examples by job type

## Document rules
- Always use the client's registered company name.
- Quote amounts with tax included.
- Open every proposal with one sentence on what the client gains.

## Record rules
- Save meeting notes as 'date_client_topic'.
- Put the next appointment date and time at the bottom of the note.

## Format
- One line per receipt: date, amount, vendor, category.
- Add a subtotal per category in the expense report.
- Write amounts to the last digit, with thousands separators.

## Review rules
- Flag any item above one million won and tell me separately.

## Content rules
- Keep post titles under 30 characters.
- Put the date and campaign name in image file names.
- When quoting a number, state its source in parentheses.

## Review rules
- Show me anything that goes public before it is posted.

First instructions

Create a CLAUDE.md file in the work folder and put the following text in it.

Organise the tasks below in the rule-book format and save the result as a file.

Three rules for writing rules

• Write only what you can count in the output. "Be friendly" cannot be checked.
• Write only what you have run into. Rules invented for hypothetical cases end up vague.
• Long rule books stop being followed. Start with ten lines and add one when something actually goes wrong.

If you create the file in Notepad, set the file type to All Files when saving. Otherwise it becomes CLAUDE.md.txt and will not be read.

Hermes Agent itself is free and open source, so installing and running it costs nothing. The monthly cost comes from the model that does the thinking. Figures below are as of 10 September 2026.

This book uses the Nous Portal subscription. One command signs you in, and there is no key to copy around. For work that runs overnight, a login that does not expire matters as much as the price.

What to look at

• Choose a model built for chained tool use. Chat-tuned models stall partway through agent work.
• For overnight work, how long the login holds matters as much as the monthly cost.
• Switching is cheap. Type hermes model and pick from the list.

• Hermes model provider documentation
• Nous Portal plans
• ChatGPT pricing
• Claude pricing

Run hermes gateway setup to see the messengers Hermes currently supports. The table below sorts platforms by whether an individual can create an assistant account at all.

Three questions when choosing

• Can an individual create the account for free?
• Can you finish today without company approval?
• Do phone and computer show the same conversation?

You do not have to switch the messenger you already use. Keep the work assistant on Telegram and leave the rest alone.

Signing up on your phone

1. 1Install Telegram from the App Store or Play Store.
2. 2Open it and enter your phone number.
3. 3Enter the code you receive by text.
4. 4Enter your name and you are done. There is no separate ID or password.

Signing in on your computer

1. 1Download the desktop app from telegram.org and install it.
2. 2Open it and enter the same phone number.
3. 3Enter the code that arrives in Telegram on your phone.
4. 4If chats sent from the phone appear on the computer, you are connected.

Creating the assistant account

1. 1Search for BotFather and pick the account with the blue check next to the name.
2. 2Send /newbot in the chat.
3. 3When asked for a display name, enter what you want to call it.
4. 4When asked for an account name, use one ending in bot. Add digits if the name is taken. Write this name down.
5. 5The long string that comes back is your key. Keep this chat open; you need it shortly.

Finding your account number

1. 1Search for @userinfobot and open it.
2. 2Send it any message.
3. 3The number in the reply is your account number. It is not your phone number and not your @ handle. It is nine or ten digits.

If you lost the screen with the key, send /mybots to BotFather and select the assistant you created to see it again.

• Telegram official download

Both systems

• Confirm the Chapter 3 install and login are finished.
• Keep the internet connection up through the install.
• Leave a few gigabytes of free disk space.

On a Mac

1. 1Type git --version in Terminal.
2. 2A version number means you are ready.
3. 3If an install prompt appears, accept it and wait for it to finish.
4. 4If no prompt appears and you only see an error, type xcode-select --install.
5. 5Check git --version once more when it finishes.

On Windows

1. 1Type Get-ExecutionPolicy in PowerShell.
2. 2If it says Restricted, run the policy command from "Install check in three steps" first.
3. 3Watch for antivirus or corporate security warnings and request an exception if one appears.

Hermes install command

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash

iex (irm https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.ps1)

When the install finishes, close the command window and open a new one, or the hermes command will not be found. Downloading the installer and double-clicking it gives the same result.

• Hermes Agent official site
• Hermes installation docs

The long string BotFather gives you is the key to the office. Anyone holding it can talk to your assistant and give it work.

Do not

• Screenshot the key and send it to a group chat or by email
• Write it into a document or code and push it to a public repository
• Leave a note containing it open while screen sharing
• Keep it in a text file on a shared computer
• Send it to someone else to enter for you

How to keep it

• Paste it once during setup and delete your copy. Hermes keeps it in its own configuration.
• If you need it again, read it from the BotFather chat rather than storing it elsewhere.
• If you must store it, put it in a password manager.

If it leaks

1. 1Send /revoke in the BotFather chat.
2. 2Take the new key. The old one stops working immediately.
3. 3Run hermes gateway setup again and enter the new key.
4. 4Start the assistant again with hermes gateway.
5. 5Send a message in the chat and confirm you get a reply.

/revoke kills the old key the moment you send it, which also stops an assistant that is currently running. No briefing arrives until you enter the new key, so do not rotate for practice if nothing leaked.

In this order

1. 1Check that the window running the assistant is still open. If you closed the hermes gateway window, the assistant went home. Open it and run the command again.
2. 2If you get a permission message instead of a reply, your account number is wrong in the allow list. Confirm it with @userinfobot and run hermes gateway setup again.
3. 3If nothing comes back at all, confirm the chat you opened belongs to the assistant you made. Compare it letter by letter with the account name from BotFather.
4. 4If it is still silent, look at the key. A stray space or line break when pasting breaks the connection. Run hermes gateway setup again and paste the key alone.

By symptom

If all four check out and it is still silent, run hermes gateway setup from the start. Re-entering the key and number takes about five minutes.

The assistant lives on your computer, so it sleeps when the computer does. A dark screen is fine. Sleep is the problem.

Mac

1. 1Open System Settings from the Apple menu.
2. 2Choose Battery on a laptop, or Energy Saver on a desktop.
3. 3While on power, set it not to sleep automatically when the display turns off.
4. 4A laptop sleeps when you close the lid. Leave it open on nights you expect a briefing.

Windows

1. 1Open Settings, then System, then Power and battery.
2. 2Expand Screen and sleep.
3. 3Set sleep to Never while plugged in.
4. 4On a laptop, set the lid-close action to Do nothing in Control Panel power options.

Keeping a Mac awake for one night

caffeinate -dimsu

If leaving the computer on overnight is impractical, move the briefing to just after you arrive at work. A briefing that lands when you switch the machine on is still a briefing. Chapter 12 covers running independently of your computer.

A briefing is a note you read in 30 seconds. Pack ten things into it and by day three you stop opening it. Copy the lines below straight into the chat.

Basic

Send me a briefing now.

Put today's date and weekday in the briefing, plus the contents of the task file in the work-automation folder on my desktop.

Send me a briefing every morning at 8.

Also send one three minutes from now.

By job type

In the briefing, list today's date and weekday, the clients I am meeting today, the Today items from the task file, and anything I promised to reply to and have not sent.

In the briefing, list today's date and weekday, expense approvals and tax deadlines due this week, and the Today items from the task file.

In the briefing, list today's date and weekday, the content scheduled to go out today, the Today items from the task file, and the numbers to check on yesterday's post.

When writing your own

• Start with three items. Adding is easy; cutting is not.
• Put whatever you check first in the morning at the top.
• Keep the first briefing read-only. Replying and paying come after the safeguards are in place.

The calendar and email lines fill in once Chapters 5 and 6 connect them. An empty line today is expected, not a failure.