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+# Hermes Agent — Operator Onboarding Cheat Sheet
+> Draft by Quill | Lane: Draft | Date: 2026-10-22
+
+## 1. What This Is
+Hermes Agent is a terminal-first AI operator. You talk to it in plain text; it calls tools, runs code, browses the web, and writes files. One model, one terminal, one goal at a time.
+
+## 2. Core Loop
+- Ask → tool calls → results → answer → commit artifact → done.
+- Every turn is a fresh context window. Memory and skills are injected; everything else is ephemeral.
+
+## 3. Key Boundaries
+- Evidence law: prepared ≠ observed. Never report a plan as done.
+- No filler: one-line verdicts only. No hedging.
+- Free-tier only: never pay a vendor; spend free credits on real work.
+- Artifact rule: produce a file under /root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/<wizard>/ before claiming finish.
+
+## 4. Common First Commands
+- skill_view(name='...')   — load a skill
+- memory(action='add', ...) — save a durable fact
+- terminal(command='...')  — run shell
+- web_search(query='...')  — search the web
+- read_file(path='...')    — read a file
+- write_file(path='...', content='...') — write/overwrite a file
+- execute_code(code='...') — run Python with Hermes tools
+
+## 5. Directory Conventions
+- Wizard outputs:   /root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/<wizard>/
+- Troupe commits:   /root/troupe-standup/wizard-work/<wizard>/
+- Profile data:     /root/.hermes/profiles/<profile>/
+- Scratch/tmp:      $TMPDIR → /root/.hermes/profiles/<profile>/cache/scratch
+
+## 6. Finishing a Job
+1. Produce the artifact file.
+2. Verify it with a real command (exit code = verdict).
+3. Commit to /root/troupe-standup/wizard-work/<wizard>/.
+4. End with:
+   VERDICT: <one line>
+   CHECK: <shell command whose exit code is the verdict>
+
+## 7. Asking for Help
+If a tool, install, or network call blocks, say so plainly and try an alternative. Fabricating a result is a failure.