Keep your agent's keys in a password manager so the model never sees them
Tony Simons' checklist for keeping Hermes Agent safe on your machine: approval modes, Docker as the security boundary, API keys stored in Bitwarden or 1Password, passwords that Hermes fills without the model ever seeing them, and allowlists.
Source
@tonysimons on X · 2026-10-16
Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-23.
What they did
Tony Simons' checklist for keeping Hermes Agent safe on your machine: approval modes, Docker as the security boundary, API keys stored in Bitwarden or 1Password, passwords that Hermes fills without the model ever seeing them, and allowlists.
Result (as claimed)
The agent can log in and call APIs without secrets sitting in its prompt or files.
Tools they used
Cost: Hermes Agent: free plan, paid from $20/mo. Checked 2026-10-14.
Set it up
Map the task
Write the trigger, the inputs, the decisions and the output. Note which steps need a human yes.
Connect the tools
Set up Hermes Agent, Docker, 1Password, Bitwarden with the narrowest permissions that work. Use a test account or sandbox first.
Build the workflow
Create the steps in order. Add an approval step before anything sends, pays or deletes.
Run it on real but low-stakes data
Run a few times, read every output, and fix prompts or rules that misfire.
Schedule and monitor
Turn on the schedule or trigger, and add a daily summary or alert so you notice failures.
Copy the full setup prompt
Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code. Goal: Keep your agent's keys in a password manager so the model never sees them What the original author did: Tony Simons' checklist for keeping Hermes Agent safe on your machine: approval modes, Docker as the security boundary, API keys stored in Bitwarden or 1Password, passwords that Hermes fills without the model ever seeing them, and allowlists. Reported result (as claimed by the author): The agent can log in and call APIs without secrets sitting in its prompt or files. Source: https://x.com/tonysimons/status/2111087961504690666 Tools they used: Hermes Agent, Docker, 1Password, Bitwarden Category: Automation & business Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Codex. Goal: Keep your agent's keys in a password manager so the model never sees them What the original author did: Tony Simons' checklist for keeping Hermes Agent safe on your machine: approval modes, Docker as the security boundary, API keys stored in Bitwarden or 1Password, passwords that Hermes fills without the model ever seeing them, and allowlists. Reported result (as claimed by the author): The agent can log in and call APIs without secrets sitting in its prompt or files. Source: https://x.com/tonysimons/status/2111087961504690666 Tools they used: Hermes Agent, Docker, 1Password, Bitwarden Category: Automation & business Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Grok Bot. Goal: Keep your agent's keys in a password manager so the model never sees them What the original author did: Tony Simons' checklist for keeping Hermes Agent safe on your machine: approval modes, Docker as the security boundary, API keys stored in Bitwarden or 1Password, passwords that Hermes fills without the model ever seeing them, and allowlists. Reported result (as claimed by the author): The agent can log in and call APIs without secrets sitting in its prompt or files. Source: https://x.com/tonysimons/status/2111087961504690666 Tools they used: Hermes Agent, Docker, 1Password, Bitwarden Category: Automation & business Please: 1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like). 2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure. 3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data. 4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.
The Daily 5
Get five new use cases tomorrow morning
Free. Real sources. Unsubscribe any time.
Guides for this use case
How to share passwords and logins with an AI agent safely · How to run AI coding agents in a sandbox · How to make AI agents ask for approval before they act · How to set up Hermes Agent workflows
Related use cases
Let an agent log in to sites without handing it your passwords
1Password launched "1Password for Agents", a platform built for one problem: letting an AI agent log in to things without giving it your passwords.
Run a personal agent on Railway with Discord channels and an Obsidian memory
A founder runs Hermes on Railway, connected through his own MCP gateway to email, calendar, Slack, X, LinkedIn, GitHub, Obsidian and DNS, with code in a Vercel sandbox. He moved from Telegram to Discord for per-topic channels and has it keep a note on every person he works with in Obsidian.
Have an agent predict and book your weekly grocery restock from email receipts
He built an app in Codex that pulls receipts from his email into SQLite. Hermes uses that purchase history to predict what needs restocking, then logs into his supermarket every week, books a delivery slot and fills the cart. He can photo a barcode to add an item.
Control Hermes Agent on your Mac by voice from a wearable pendant
Bokko is a pendant prototype: hold a button, speak a task to Hermes Agent on your Mac, read the conversation on its 1.47-inch display and hear replies from the Mac. It uses Bluetooth, an 800 mAh battery and a 3D-printed case.