01What Is Hermes Desktop Bot Screen Mode?

Hermes Desktop bot screen mode is a feature that gives each of your AI agents its own computer in the cloud. The agent can control that computer to browse websites, fill forms, and do tasks for you. You can watch everything it does in real time and even take over the controls when you want.

In this episode, Julian Goldie showed how the feature works inside the Hermes Desktop app. You go to your Hermes Agent chat and tell it to open something in bot screen mode. For example, you can say "open up Julian Goldie in bot screen mode" and the agent will open a cloud computer and go to that site.

The bot screen runs on a Linux gateway host. You do not need to worry about the technical details. What matters is that your agent has its own desktop, its own browser, and its own cookies.

Each Hermes profile can have its own separate screen.

02Key Features of Bot Screen Mode in Hermes Desktop

  • Own cloud computer: Each agent gets a separate Linux-based desktop that runs in the cloud.
  • Live preview: You see a real-time view of what the agent is doing on its screen.
  • Takeover control: You can click to take over the agent's computer and navigate yourself.
  • Background operation: The agent runs in its own session and does not open tabs in your browser or take over your screen.
  • Persistent sessions: The agent keeps working even when you close the Hermes app or shut your laptop.
  • Separate profiles: Each agent has its own browser profile and cookies, so they do not mix data.

This makes it different from normal browser use. You can see the history of what the agent did and you can let it log into websites with its own credentials. It is like giving each of your AI workers their own office computer.

03How to Set Up Hermes Desktop Bot Screen Mode

  1. Install the Hermes Desktop app on your computer.
  2. Open the app and go to the bots section.
  3. Find the bot screen section and open a bot screen session.
  4. Go to settings and find the saved connections area.
  5. Configure the gateway for bot screen. You can do it yourself (the episode mentions training is available) or ask Claude Opus 5.5 to set it up for you.
  6. If you have problems, give your AI a screenshot of the issue and let it fix the configuration.

You can also use bot screen mode in the terminal, not just in the desktop app. The setup is technical, but you can use AI to help you. If something is not working, just share a screenshot with your agent and it can usually fix it.

04How to Use Bot Screen Mode with Hermes Desktop

Once you have bot screen mode set up, using it is simple. Open the bots section in Hermes Desktop. Go to your Hermes Agent chat.

Type a command like "Navigate to Google.com" and the agent will open that site on its own cloud computer. You can watch the live preview on the right side.

To take over, click the takeover section. Then you can control the cloud computer with your mouse and keyboard, just like you were sitting at that computer.

You can give your agent many types of tasks. For example:

  • Log into your website and create a blog post.
  • Analyze social media and post updates.
  • Do competitive research by visiting competitor sites and noting offers, prices, CTAs, and lead magnets.
  • Test your own website pages for broken links, slow loading, or confusing content.
  • Fill out forms in the background.
  • Browse the web to find top trending topics and give you headline ideas.
  • Check which of your URLs are working and which are down.
  • Test a new page before launch by clicking every button and seeing what breaks.

05What Julian Demonstrated: Live Examples

In the episode, Julian showed a live example. He typed "open up Julian Goldie in bot screen mode" and the agent immediately opened a cloud computer and navigated to the site. He then switched to a chat and told the agent to navigate to Google.com.

The agent opened Google in its cloud browser, and Julian could see the live preview on the right side.

He also used the takeover feature. He clicked the takeover button and took control of the cloud computer to move the mouse and navigate around. This shows you can correct the agent if it goes off track.

Julian mentioned that you can configure the gateway using Claude Opus 5.5. He said you can give Claude a screenshot of any setup issue and Claude will fix it. This makes the technical setup easier for non-experts.

06Bot Screen Mode vs Grokbot: Differences and Results

Julian compared Hermes bot screen mode to Grokbot. Grokbot also works with a computer screen in the cloud. But there is a key difference: with Grokbot, all agents share one computer.

With Hermes, every agent gets its own separate computer screen.

This means your agents can work across different apps and inboxes without mixing anything up. Each bot has its own browser and cookies. For example, a research bot and a social media bot can run at the same time, each in its own space.

Another difference is that Hermes is open source. You can run it with free models directly inside the desktop app. You can also connect to Hermes cloud models.

Julian noted the feature is early days and can be a bit buggy when used back and forth, but you can use AI to help configure and fix issues.

07Tips, Limits, and Mistakes to Avoid

  • Expect some bugs: Julian said the feature can be a little buggy when you use it back and forth. Be patient.
  • Use AI to help configure: If you struggle with the technical setup, ask Claude Opus 5.5 or another agent to set it up for you. Give it a screenshot if something is wrong.
  • Keep agents separate: Use different bot screens for different tasks so they do not mix cookies or logins.
  • Check on the live preview: Watch the preview to make sure the agent is doing what you want. If not, take over and correct it.
  • Use it in the background: Since agents run in the cloud, you can close the app and they keep working. Just make sure you set up scheduled tasks if you need them.

Mistakes to avoid include not configuring the gateway properly, using the same screen for multiple agents, and ignoring the takeover feature when the agent gets stuck.

08Who Should Use Hermes Desktop Bot Screen Mode

This feature is for anyone who wants to automate web tasks without keeping their own computer busy. It is useful for digital marketers, content creators, and business owners who manage websites, social media, or research tasks.

You can use it to save time clicking around and doing repetitive work. The agent can log into websites, test forms, do competitive research, and create content for you. Having its own computer means you do not have to watch your screen get taken over.

It also works on mobile. You can connect to the bot screen from your phone and watch your agent work in real time. You can even take over from your phone.

This opens up many possibilities for remote monitoring and control.

If you want more training, Julian mentioned the AI Profit Boarding has tutorials on setting up and using Hermes bot screen, including step-by-step prompts. You can also connect Hermes to messaging channels like Telegram or Discord for more flexibility.