Setup Step 1 · Read before you install
You'd never start a procedure without the time-out: right patient, right site, right equipment. Give your AI setup the same respect — eight checks before you install, then the procedure itself. Two minutes here saves an hour of frustration later.
Print it, pin it, check the boxes. The boxes on this page tick — but they're for you; nothing is saved or sent.
Before you scrub in
Time-out means pause, not panic. This is the nurse's habit of checking the setup before the work starts: right machine, right folder, right permissions, right boundaries. If one item is not ready, you have not failed — you just found the next safe fix.
Cleared? Proceed.
Menus move as Hermes updates — when something looks different, the official docs are the truth.
Go to the official site — hermes-agent.nousresearch.com — download for your computer, and follow their steps. Open it. When setup asks about an AI model or provider, see the next step first — there are free and low-cost routes.
When Hermes asks for file access, grant access ONLY to your My-Nurse-AI-OS folder. Decline anything broader — full disk, Desktop, Downloads, Photos. Think of a float nurse's badge: the assigned unit, not every floor of the hospital. Granted too much by accident? Remove it in your computer's privacy settings.
Hermes itself is free and open-source. Any cost comes from the AI model that powers it — think of Hermes as the IV pump, free, and the model as what runs through it, metered by use. You have two routes:
Route A — the Nous subscription. The simplest: one subscription, everything handled. Choose it during setup and skip the rest of this step.
Route B — Bring Your Own Keys. The most cost-effective, and how you run Hermes nearly free. In Hermes setup, choose Full Setup (not the default subscription option), then Bring Your Own Keys. We recommend OpenRouter — one free account, one API key, and a whole menu of models, including free and very low-cost ones. Then:
One caution: a ChatGPT Plus or Grok subscription usually does not include API access — that's billed separately. The safest setup is a dedicated OpenRouter key with a spending limit you set yourself.
Hermes works like a chat, but it may also use files, terminal commands, and other tools when configured. Start with approvals on, review commands and permissions, and stop when anything is unclear.
From the SOUL Quiz (downloads as Core-SOUL.md, or the whole bundle). Attach, drag, or paste it, then say:
Read its summary back. Correct anything wrong — corrections stick.
Unzip the Starter Kit somewhere you'll find again (Documents is perfect), then tell Hermes:
Open the file it creates in your browser and bookmark it — that's your station board.
Post-procedure care
You don't memorize features. You see the routine once in your mind, and your hands follow — the same way every skill you've mastered became automatic. Seven habits:
Simple work — quick questions, summaries, rewrites, brainstorming — gets a free or cheap model. Heavy work — multi-step planning, long documents, coding, deep troubleshooting — gets a stronger reasoning model. Need it to look at a screenshot or diagram? Pick a vision-capable one. You don't call the code team for a splinter: start cheap, escalate when the task needs it.
Don't mix the budget, the side gig, and the CCRN plan in one conversation — details blend and answers get muddy. A focused session produces cleaner work. New topic, new session.
A session is one conversation. For anything ongoing — a course you're building, a business plan, a family project — use a Project: a workspace where the files, goals, and conversations stay together, so you never start from scratch.
Tell Hermes who to be, and the depth and style of the answer change with it: "Act as a plain-language tutor and explain this error step by step." · "Act as a startup strategist and review my plan for risks and next moves."
You never need the perfect prompt. "What's the best next step?" · "Ask me the questions you need before we continue." · "Break this into simple steps." · "Which model should I use for this task?"
Hand over the telemetry strip instead of describing it. Share the screenshot plus: what you were trying to do, what happened instead, the exact error, and what you've already tried. Never include API keys or passwords in a screenshot — crop or blur them first.
Watch usage the way you watch supplies: spending limits on, drafts on cheap models, strong models saved for final reasoning, no huge files unless the task truly needs them.
Post-procedure orders
| You say | Hermes does |
|---|---|
| "Run my morning huddle." | Asks your #1 priority, offers three ways to help |
| "Give me a Kardex entry for this session." | Writes a 5-line handoff note to save in your Memory folder |
| "Make that correction permanent." | Turns your feedback into a standing rule |
| "Before you start, interview me like an admission assessment." | Asks questions before big tasks instead of guessing |
| "Show me your plan before you do anything." | Keeps your hand on every decision |
If your current computer can't run Hermes, you've lost nothing but the installation step. The free AI course and 55 free AI mentors run in any browser, the monthly Lamp Huddle and community are open, and the SOUL Quiz will have your SOUL file ready the day your system is.
If you feel lost: normal. You only need the next step, never the whole map. Skip what confuses you, and bring questions to the monthly Lamp Huddle — every nurse there started exactly where you are.
Download the checklist + cheat sheet (PDF) → Continue to step 2 — the SOUL Quiz →