Phase 2: memory, session search, git worktree configured Phase 3: Telegram gateway connected, DM pairing approved Phase 4: custom skills created (aws-diagnostics, jira-query, confluence-search, bitbucket-pr)
2.8 KiB
2.8 KiB
Hermes Agent: Skills System Deep Dive
What It Is
Skills are on-demand knowledge documents (SKILL.md files) that the agent loads when needed. Progressive disclosure minimizes token usage — the agent only loads full content when actually executing a skill.
Architecture
Level 0: skills_list() → [{name, description, category}] (~3k tokens)
Level 1: skill_view(name) → Full content + metadata (varies)
Level 2: skill_view(name, path) → Specific reference file (varies)
Storage
~/.hermes/skills/ # Single source of truth
├── devops/
│ └── deploy-k8s/
│ ├── SKILL.md # Main instructions (required)
│ ├── references/
│ ├── templates/
│ ├── scripts/
│ └── assets/
├── .hub/ # Skills Hub state
│ ├── lock.json
│ ├── quarantine/
│ └── audit.log
└── .bundled_manifest # Tracks seeded bundled skills
How ngn-agent Should Use This
DON'T BUILD a custom skill system — Hermes already has it. Instead:
- Author custom skills as SKILL.md files in
~/.hermes/skills/or via the skill hub tap system - Use skill bundles to group related infra workflows under one command
- Let the agent self-improve —
skill_managetool creates/updates skills after complex tasks - Publish as a tap if sharing with a team:
hermes skills tap add myorg/ngn-skills
SKILL.md Format
---
name: my-skill
description: Brief description
version: 1.0.0
platforms: [macos, linux]
metadata:
hermes:
tags: [python, automation]
category: devops
requires_toolsets: [terminal]
---
# Skill Title
## Procedure
1. Step one
2. Step two
## Pitfalls
## Verification
Key Capabilities for ngn-agent
| Capability | Description | Use for ngn-agent |
|---|---|---|
| Skill Hub install | hermes skills install openai/skills/k8s |
Install community infra skills |
| Agent-created skills | Agent auto-saves workflows as skills | Self-improving diagnostic skills |
| Skill bundles | hermes bundles create infra --skill aws-diagnostics --skill jira |
Group related tools |
| External dirs | skills.external_dirs: [~/.agents/skills] |
Share skills across tools |
| Conditional activation | fallback_for_toolsets/frequires_toolsets |
Only show skills when needed |
| Write approval gating | skills.write_approval: true |
Safety gate for agent-created skills |
Limitations
- Skills are per-profile (each Hermes profile has its own
~/.hermes/skills/) - External dirs are not read-only by default (agent can modify shared skills)
- Skills Hub requires GitHub API (60 req/hr unauthenticated, 5000 with GITHUB_TOKEN)