Setup guide

Budget Variance Agent for Hermes

The $19 Budget Variance Agent runs on Hermes as three plain-text files: set it up once in your Hermes workspace, approve a sample-data test, then trigger each run with the usage prompt and this run's inputs.

What the Budget Variance Agent does

On Hermes, this agent's files and outputs stay entirely on your machine. It maintains your approved budget sheet and explains budget-to-actual variance with the source row linked: account, budget, actual, variance, source, explanation.

Explaining variances means hunting through the ledger for what moved, then writing the same overspend paragraph for the fifth month running.

Where the three files go in Hermes

Give Hermes the three files in its workspace: skill.md becomes the standing skill, then run the setup prompt and approve the fictional-data test. Because Hermes is open-source and local-first, your prompts and outputs stay under your control.

What a run looks like on Hermes

A run looks like this: you ask Hermes to run budget-variance with this run's inputs, and it works through the workspace skill. The output - it maintains your approved budget sheet and explains budget-to-actual variance with the source row linked: account, budget, actual, variance, source, explanation - is written to your own workspace for review.

Setup, step by step

  1. Place skill.md in your Hermes workspace as the standing skill for the job (for example: budget variance).
  2. Run setup-prompt.txt; the agent runs budget-variance on fictional sample data first - approve that test before real work.
  3. Hermes is local-first and open-source, so the prompts, files and outputs stay under your control.
  4. Trigger each real run with usage-prompt.txt and this run's inputs; the workspace persists between asks.

Honest limits on Hermes

Hermes is a young, fast-moving open-source project. Expect rough edges, and verify its current file-handling in its own docs before a big setup.

Questions people ask

Does the Budget Variance Agent work on Hermes?

Yes - the agent is three plain-text files, and on Hermes they live in your Hermes workspace. The four setup steps below are the whole job: Place skill.md in your Hermes workspace as the standing skill for the job (for example: budget variance). Then run setup-prompt.txt; the agent runs budget-variance on fictional sample data first - approve that test before real work.

What does the Budget Variance Agent produce on Hermes?

It maintains your approved budget sheet and explains budget-to-actual variance with the source row linked: account, budget, actual, variance, source, explanation.. Hermes writes it into your own workspace - nothing leaves your machine. Every run waits for your approval before anything is sent, spent, published or scheduled.

Is this affiliated with Hermes?

No. AI Agent Skills is an independent store. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hermes or its makers. Platform names belong to their owners; capabilities change, so check Hermes's current documentation.

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AI Agent Skills is an independent store, not affiliated with Hermes or its makers. Platform names belong to their owners.