The agent that walks the folders
ICM gives you the structure. Hermes is what moves through it.
What it actually is
Hermes is an agent that runs on your machine. You point it at a folder, it reads what is in there, and it does the work that folder describes.
That is the part worth sitting with. You are not pasting context into a chat window and hoping it sticks. The context lives in the folder, the agent reads the folder, and the next time you ask for something it is still there.
It also connects out to Discord, Telegram and email, and it can run work on a schedule without you sitting there watching it.
You do not need Hermes to start. The folder structure is the part that matters and you can build it tonight with nothing installed. Do that first. Hermes is what you add when you want the folders to actually do something on their own.
The order to learn it in
Most guides drop you in the middle. This is the ladder, and each rung assumes the one above it.
What Hermes is
The agent that reads your folders and does the work in them.
Getting started
Installing it and running it the first time.
Your first folder
Pointing Hermes at something real and watching it read.
Channels and automations
Discord, Telegram, email, and work that runs on a schedule.
Profiles
Keeping separate setups apart so 1 agent does not bleed into another.
A word about step 05
The profiles guide is thorough and it is worth reading, but it is further down this list for a reason. It assumes Hermes is installed and that you already know what a profile is. If you landed here from a video about second brains, start at the top instead.