01What Is an Agent Operating System?
An agent operating system is a single dashboard where all of your AI agents, tools, and outputs live together in one organized workspace. Instead of switching between ten different apps and terminals, you get one place to create, manage, and preview everything your agents build.
In this episode, Julian Goldie explains how he built his own agent operating system after nine failed attempts. The system gives every AI agent shared memory, automatic organization, and a beautiful interface. It turns a messy collection of tools into a unified system that works like a well-oiled machine.
02The Seven Layers of the Blueprint
Julian's agent operating system has seven layers, each one essential and feeding the next. Build them from the bottom up so the system stays stable.
- Foundation - the hardware and operating system you run on
- Memory - where your context and notes live, using Obsidian and OMI
- Brain - the AI models you route to, like Claude or Gemini
- Agents - the tools that wrap models, like Hermes and OpenClaw
- Command Center - a mission control dashboard for every agent
- Production - purpose-built services like SEO tools and a studio
- Loop - a feedback system that writes outputs back into memory
If you skip a layer, the layers above it collapse. Julian spent over 100 hours building his system and learned that each layer makes the next one easier to build.
03How to Set Up Your Agent Operating System
Setting up your own agent operating system takes time, but anyone can do it. Julian has no coding or development background, yet he built the whole thing himself. Here are the steps he follows.
- Set up your foundation with any modern laptop - you do not need a fancy system.
- Install Obsidian as your memory layer and create a vault folder for all your notes.
- Add OMI to record your screen and microphone so it takes notes automatically.
- Connect a free API to Hermes or Claude Code to get started without spending money.
- Install your first agents, starting with just Hermes and OpenClaw if you want.
- Build a mission control dashboard using Next.js to bring everything together.
- Add production services like SEO tools, a studio, and workspace previews.
- Create a loop so every output gets written back into Obsidian for better future responses.
You can start with just one or two agents and add more as you need their unique strengths.
04Using the System for Real Work
Julian uses his agent operating system every day for content creation, SEO, and managing his business. The system includes a studio for generating images and videos, a Kanban board for tracking goals, and an SEO section for finding keywords.
For example, when Julian wants to create SEO content, he goes into the system and uses the keyword tool to find relevant terms. The agents pull context from his Obsidian vault, so they already know his agency and voice. This saves him from re-explaining everything in every prompt.
The command center gives him one dashboard to see all his agents. He can preview previous work, search Twitter, generate voice notes, and manage everything visually. Every output gets saved to a workspace with clear folders, so nothing gets lost or forgotten.
One client question was about using the system for separate clients. Julian says the memory system can store every client's information, and you simply customize the production services to fit each client's needs.
05Results and Comparisons from the Episode
Julian compared his old way of working to his new agent operating system. The old way involved many subscriptions, 14 browser tabs, and every prompt starting from zero with no memory. He was the bottleneck in the system, and AI just made him faster at being the bottleneck.
The new way uses free tools like Obsidian, free Claude Code CLI, and Hermes open source. He publishes five to 10 pages per day instead of one per week. The system runs autonomously and gets smarter every day.
Julian also shared results from other people. John Meza built his own agent operating system following this blueprint. Members of the AI Profit Boardroom community have created their own systems without any prior AI experience.
One community member found it as a replacement for NerveUI and called it his favorite OpenClaw UI.
06Mistakes to Avoid When Building Yours
Julian made five big mistakes before getting his system right. The first was thinking AI is a tool instead of a system. Treating each new tool like a fancy hammer just adds more scattered pieces to a broken workflow.
The second mistake was paying for subscriptions before trying free options. The best memory system he has seen is Obsidian, which is free. Free cloud code and open source projects like Hermes often beat paid alternatives by creating new features faster.
- Do not start every conversation from zero - build a second brain with Obsidian and OMI.
- Avoid building automations in n8n when you can do the same thing natively with Hermes agent.
- Never let outputs land in random folders - give every file a home that auto-collects it.
The biggest lesson is that every output needs a type home. The AI should organize files into beautiful folders so you never forget or accidentally delete your work.
07Who Should Build an Agent Operating System
An agent operating system is for anyone who uses multiple AI tools and feels scattered. Julian built his because he was tired of switching between ChatGPT, Claude, and Hermes in different terminals. He could not see his history or visualize what he had created.
People often believe they are not technical enough to build this system. Julian has no technical experience, no coding skills, and no developer background. He says the only technical bar is being able to copy and paste a command into a terminal.
Some people think the system will be obsolete in six months. Julian says the opposite is true because the architecture survives. Models change, tools change, and agents get replaced, but the seven layers stay the same.
New agents and models just plug into your existing system.
One community member said it best: if you can read and type, you can make an agent operating system. Julian agrees completely.
08Why the Loop Makes the System Powerful
The seventh layer is the loop, and Julian says it is the most important part of the system. Without it, your agent operating system stays the same on day one and day 100. With it, the system improves every single day.
The loop is simple. Every output your agents produce gets written back into the memory layer. Every blog post, Kanban card, studio image, and goal completion flows back into Obsidian as structured notes.
This means every new chat gets smarter. New content references prior work, keeps your brand voice consistent, and builds on everything you have done before. Julian calls this the infinite context engine.
He also showed how OMI records his screen and microphone all day, then exports that information to Obsidian in one click. The vault automatically organizes everything into a beautiful knowledge graph that all agents can access at the same time.
