Hermes Agent: The New OpenClaw?

By Greg Isenberg

Categories: Startup, Product

Summary

Hermes Agent is outperforming OpenClaw with built-in memory, 40+ pre-installed tools, and superior stability—users report zero restarts over a week versus hourly crashes. The key differentiator: SQLite-based memory system that learns workflows automatically and searches historical logs for context, solving the token-bleeding and context-loss problems plaguing competitors.

Key Takeaways

  1. Hermes includes 40+ built-in tools vs. OpenClaw's bare-bones approach, eliminating the need to hunt for extensions—covers browser automation, web search, cron jobs, image generation, and Home Assistant integration out-of-box.
  2. Built-in memory system automatically logs successful task completions, allowing the agent to improve over time and recall solutions without user repetition—a core pain point that made OpenClaw require constant re-instruction.
  3. SQLite database architecture enables real-time search across all historical agent interactions, recovering lost context like forgotten API keys from past conversations—providing visibility into token usage that OpenClaw lacked.
  4. Stability improvement: 7+ days without restart vs. OpenClaw requiring hourly gateway restarts, fundamentally changing ROI from setup tax to actual productivity gains within the same timeframe.
  5. Platform-native skill pre-installation (Apple Notes, Reminders, Find My, iMessage on macOS; Android support available) eliminates configuration friction—users get productivity immediately rather than spending hours in setup.

Topics

Transcript Excerpt

Hermes agent. You're seeing it everywhere. People are calling it the open claw killer. And today's episode is about how you can actually install it, how you can connect it with GStack by Gary Tan, how you can connect it to Obsidian, how you can create skills. We go through step by step how you can get started with Hermes agent. This is everything you need to know for how to run it, get started, and actually how you can even use it on an Android device. So enjoy the episode. It's with my dear fri...