New — Hermes Blank Slate mode · June 2026

The Clean Slate Engine™+ Hermes Blank Slate mode.

Hermes just added a new way to set up your agent. Instead of booting with every tool switched on, it boots with almost nothing — and you turn on only what you actually need. Nothing you didn't pick ever loads. Not even after an update.

blank slate → pick what you need → locked, even through updates

setup modes now

toolsets you keep

capabilities OFF by default

Straight from Nous Research — read it + try it yourself ↓

the announcement@NousResearch on X → the trendHermes — trending on X → the docs · quickstartHermes Agent quickstart → install + setupGetting started → all the docshermes-agent.nousresearch.com → who makes itNous Research →

"Everything starts off except the bare minimum needed to run an agent: provider & model, the File Operations toolset, and the Terminal toolset. Blank Slate writes an explicit toolset list, so nothing you didn't choose ever loads — not even after hermes update."

— Hermes Agent docs, Nous Research

Nous announced it on X like this ↓

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My story · why this matters

I run a stack of Hermes agents. They were doing too much.

Before

Every Hermes profile I set up booted with the whole toolbox switched on.

The agent could browse the web, run code, and touch my memory before I'd asked it to do anything.

The system prompt was stuffed with tool definitions I never used.

And every time I ran an update, new tools I didn't choose just showed up.

For a client job, that's the last thing you want — an agent that might reach for something you never told it to.

Then Hermes added Blank Slate mode.

After

Now my agents start empty — a model, my files, a terminal. That's it.

My SEO agent gets web search and files. Nothing else.

My build agent gets the terminal and code. Nothing else.

Each one does exactly the job I built it for — and updates can't sneak new tools in.

You can have this too. Same agent. Far more control.

the receipts

Real people. Real wins. Building with this stack right now.

Here's what's happening for the operators already running Hermes inside the Agent OS — agency owners, ecom founders, creators, solo builders. Different businesses. Same lift.

3,600+ founders inside AIPB
400k YouTube subscribers
38 countries · live members
163k X / Twitter followers
29k Udemy students

Real member · running agents in production

Real member · built their first agent the same day

Real member · one dashboard, every model

See all the wins (158-page doc) →

Before you scroll on —

Commit to transitioning today. Not tomorrow.

You've seen the proof above. Real people. Real results.

The next few minutes show exactly how Blank Slate works.

So here's the deal.

If you run any agent — promise yourself one thing right now. You'll finish this guide AND set up one Blank Slate agent before you sleep tonight. Just one. Because the moment you stop handing your agent every tool by default, you stop guessing what it might do.

The people sitting still keep running bloated agents they don't fully control. The people who switch today are the ones who'll trust their agents on real work in six months.

Be one of those people.

Commit to the transition. Set up one clean agent tonight. It changes how you work.

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I ────── what blank slate mode is

It flips the setup upside down.

Normally you set up an agent and it comes fully loaded. Every tool switched on. You spend your time turning things OFF.

Blank Slate does the opposite. You start with almost nothing — and you turn things ON, one at a time, only when you need them.

When you run hermes setup, you now get three ways to start. Blank Slate is the new third one.

three ways to start an agent — Blank Slate is the new minimal one

Quick Setup

Free OAuth login through the Nous Portal — no API keys. Sets up a model plus the gateway tools. The fast path.

Full Setup

Walk through every provider, tool and option yourself, with your own keys. Total control, more steps.

Blank Slate ★

Everything off except the bare minimum to run an agent — model, file operations, terminal. You switch the rest on by hand.

Thinking it? "A stripped-back agent sounds weaker."

It's not weaker — it's cleaner. The same power is one command away. You just decide what's on instead of the setup deciding for you.

II ────── what you keep, what turns off

Two things stay on. Everything else waits.

Pick Blank Slate and your agent boots with just the basics it needs to run at all:

Your model. File operations — so it can read and write your files. The terminal — so it can run commands.

That's the whole starting kit.

Everything else — the big, powerful stuff — starts switched off until you say so:

Capabilities live the moment your agent boots

Full setup turns the whole toolbox on. Blank Slate keeps two and waits for you. Count of capability groups switched on at first launch.

Full setup — fully loaded14

Blank Slate — bare minimum2

Same agent. 12 powerful capabilities start OFF — and only come on when you choose them.

The 12 that wait for your say-so:

Web search · image generation · text-to-speech · browser control · code execution · vision · memory · delegation · scheduled tasks · skills · plugins · MCP servers.

None of those load until you turn them on. Your agent can't reach for a tool it doesn't have.

Thinking it? "This sounds like it's only for coders."

It's a menu with three options. You pick Blank Slate, then the agent asks you what to switch on. If you can answer a couple of questions, you can run it.

III ────── the part that makes it stick

It writes your choices down. Then it holds the line.

Here's the bit that actually matters for control.

When you pick Blank Slate, Hermes writes an explicit list of what's allowed, plus a list of what's disabled.

So nothing you didn't choose ever loads. Not by accident. And — this is the key part — not even after you run hermes update.

Most tools quietly add new features back in when they update. Blank Slate doesn't. Your agent stays exactly the shape you made it.

your picks → written to an explicit list → locked through every update

Why does that matter to you? Three things.

A smaller surface. Fewer tools on means fewer ways for an agent to do something you didn't intend.

Fewer tokens. A lean agent carries a lean prompt — less tool noise on every single call.

Predictable behaviour. The agent only ever has the tools you gave it. No surprises, every run.

Thinking it? "I already set mine up the loaded way."

You don't start over. hermes tools lets you switch capabilities off on an agent you already run. You can tidy up what you've got without a fresh install.

IV ────── old way vs new way

The loaded default vs the clean slate.

Old way — fully loaded

~14 capabilities on

Every new agent boots with the full toolbox switched on
It can browse, run code, hit the web, use memory before you ask
The system prompt is stuffed with tool defs you never use
Every update can add new tools you didn't choose
You're never quite sure what it might reach for
Result: a powerful agent you don't fully control

New way — Blank Slate

2 toolsets, you choose the rest

The agent boots with just a model, your files, and a terminal
12 big capabilities start OFF until you switch them on
You enable only what this agent actually needs
Your choices are written down — nothing else ever loads
It stays exactly that way, even after hermes update
Result: a lean agent that does only what you told it to

Thinking it? "Will this work for my kind of work?"

Agency, ecom, coaching, content, dev — it doesn't matter what you sell. A controlled agent is a controlled agent. You give a client-facing agent only the tools that job needs, and nothing else.

V ────── the framework

The Clean Slate Engine™.

Here's the simple way I think about running a Blank Slate agent. Five moves. Wipe it, pick your tools, lock it, seal it through updates, and build up on your terms.

The Wipe

Start at zero. Your agent boots with almost nothing — just a model, your files, and a terminal. No clutter, no surprises, a calm starting point.

ii.

The Pick

Switch on only the tools the job needs. Web for research. Browser for the web stuff. Nothing more. The agent does exactly what you want.

iii.

The Lock

Your picks get written down. Nothing you didn't choose ever loads. You get a predictable agent on every single run.

iv.

The Seal

It stays locked through updates. New tools don't sneak in after hermes update. Control that actually lasts.

The Build-Up

Add power on your terms as you grow. One command turns the next tool on. You scale without ever losing the plot.

Run it properly

Want Hermes wired into a whole operating system?

Blank Slate makes one agent clean. The real power comes when your clean agents share one brain. The Agent Operating System inside the AI Profit Boardroom connects Hermes, Claude and OpenClaw into one dashboard with shared memory and shared context — so each lean agent still knows your business cold.

The full Agent OS — Hermes + every model + every channel in one place
Shared memory — your agents know your goals, your clients, your voice
4 coaching calls a week + daily tutorials as updates like this one land
A 30-day roadmap + every prompt + the Obsidian memory setup
3,600+ members across 38 countries — someone's online 24/7

Get the Agent OS →

Inside the AI Profit Boardroom · aiprofitboardroom.com

link in the description ↑

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VI ────── how to actually use it

Three commands. That's the whole thing.

step 1 · start clean

Pick Blank Slate when you set up

Run setup and choose the Blank Slate option. Your agent boots with the bare minimum.

hermes setup        # choose "Blank Slate"

You do this: spin up a fresh agent for one job — say, a research assistant — and start it empty so it only ever does that one job.

step 2 · switch on what you need

Add tools, one at a time

Turn on exactly the capabilities this agent needs. Web search for a researcher. Code for a builder. You choose.

hermes tools                  # switch capabilities on/off
hermes skills opt-in --sync   # add skills when you want them

You do this: give your research agent web search and files — and leave everything else off, so it can't wander.

step 3 · adjust any time

Change your mind later — easily

Need to tweak the agent's settings down the line? One command reopens the setup for that agent. Nothing is locked away from you — only locked down from surprises.

hermes setup agent            # adjust this agent's settings

You do this: a month in, you decide the agent should also send messages — turn that one capability on, leave the rest exactly as it was.

Thinking it? "What if I need a tool later and I'm stuck?"

You're never stuck. One command turns any capability back on. Blank Slate locks out surprises, not you. Your tools are always one line away.

VII ────── should you use it?

For anything client-facing — yes.

If you're just playing, the loaded default is fine. Turn everything on and explore.

But the moment an agent touches real work — a client's data, a live inbox, your own business — control beats convenience. Blank Slate is how you get it.

The people who run agents in production think about what their agent can't do as much as what it can. The people who skip that end up explaining to a client why the agent did something nobody asked for. The control you build now compounds.

"It's just a setup option, I'll ignore it."

A setup option here decides what your agent is allowed to touch — and keeps it that way through every update. Small menu. Big difference.

Don't take my word for it

158 pages of members already building real things with this stack — real businesses, real wins.

Read the 158-page testimonials doc →

VIII ────── the recap

What you walk away with.

You stopped guessing. Your agent only has the tools you gave it — no surprises, every run.

ii.

You shrank the surface. 12 big capabilities start off, so there's far less for an agent to misuse.

iii.

You locked it in. Your choices survive every hermes update — nothing sneaks back.

iv.

You stayed lean. A clean agent carries a clean prompt — fewer tokens on every call.

You kept the power. Every tool is one command away whenever you actually want it.

vi.

You got control. For client work, that's the whole game — and now it's a menu choice.

Stop turning tools off. Start with nothing, and switch on only what you need.

Last thing

Make every Hermes agent work harder for you.

Updates like Blank Slate land every few weeks. The Agent Operating System inside the AI Profit Boardroom turns Hermes, Claude and OpenClaw into one system with shared memory — so every clean agent you build still knows your business, and every new feature makes the whole thing stronger automatically.

The full Agent OS zip — Hermes wired into one dashboard you control
The setup walkthrough, done with you, step by step
4 weekly coaching calls, daily tutorials, a 30-day roadmap
3,600+ members, a member map, 24/7 community
158 pages of member wins — read them here →

Get the Agent OS →

Inside the AI Profit Boardroom · aiprofitboardroom.com

Set up one Blank Slate agent tonight. I'll see you in the next one ↗

Hermes Blank Slate mode · facts from the Nous Research Hermes Agent docs · The Clean Slate Engine™ · used in 38 countries