01What Minimax M3 Hermes Agent Is and How It Works

Minimax M3 Hermes Agent is a free AI worker that combines two parts: Minimax M3, a new AI model from China, and Hermes Agent, an open-source tool that gives the model a body. Together, they let you run an AI on your computer for up to 12 hours straight.

The model acts as the brain. It thinks, plans, and makes decisions. Hermes Agent acts as the body.

It opens apps, searches the web, clicks buttons, and sends reports. The agent has an autonomous self-learning loop. So the more you use it, the better it gets at your tasks.

You can run this setup locally on your machine or use a cloud-hosted version called Max Hermes. Both are free to start, with token limits on the free plan. The model is designed for long-horizon tasks that take hours, not minutes.

02Main Features of Minimax M3

Minimax M3 is a brand new coding and agentic model. It performs well on benchmarks, close to models like Opus 4.7 but much cheaper. Key features include:

  • 500,000-token context window. This means the model can remember a huge amount of information, like entire codebases or long conversations.
  • Accepts both text and image input. You can show it screenshots or documents.
  • Self-learning and improving. It can refine its own behavior over time.
  • Open weights model. The creators plan to fully open source it on Hugging Face soon.
  • Works with multiple tools: Ollama, OpenRouter, OpenClaw, Codex, and more.

Hermes Agent adds the ability to control local apps, schedule tasks, and use MCPs (Model Context Protocols). The agent can run in the background while you talk to it directly.

03How to Set Up Minimax M3 Hermes Agent for Free

Follow these steps to get started for free. You need a computer with internet and a terminal.

  1. Download and install Hermes Agent from its official site (or get it inside the AI Profit Board).
  2. Download and install Ollama on your computer. Make sure it is running in the background.
  3. Open a terminal window. Run this command: ollama launch hermes --model minimax-m3 (or the exact command shown in the episode).
  4. Wait for the model to load. You will see a confirmation that Hermes Agent is connected to Minimax M3 Cloud.
  5. Open the Agent OS interface (or your terminal) to start giving tasks.

If you want faster performance, sign up for the Minimax coding plan. Use OAuth to log in directly, avoiding API keys. You can also use OpenRouter as an alternative.

04How to Use Minimax M3 Hermes Agent: Real Examples

Once set up, you can give the agent tasks in plain English. In the episode, Julian shows several examples.

  • Open a website: Say "go to chatgpt.com". The agent opens your browser and navigates to the page.
  • Control local apps: Say "open the Notes app and write hello". The agent opens the app, types "hello", and you can see the note appear on your screen.
  • Schedule recurring tasks: Say "schedule afternoon tea at 3 p.m. daily". The agent responds and sets up the schedule.
  • Work in the background: The agent can perform these actions while you continue talking to it in the chat.

The agent also connects to Obsidian and other tools. You can preview everything live in the Agent OS interface. It shows you each step the agent takes.

05Results and Comparisons from the Episode

Julian tested Minimax M3 against other models. On the SWE-bench (a coding benchmark), M3 is not as high as Opus 4.7. But it is comparable and much cheaper as an API.

The model is designed specifically for agentic tasks. It can use MCPs and self-improve. In the test, it successfully opened the Notes app, created a note, and scheduled a daily task.

All of this ran over 12 hours.

The free Ollama plan has token limits, but most users won't hit them. The cloud-hosted version Max Hermes gives faster performance and one-click deployment.

06Tips, Limits and Mistakes to Avoid

Here are the key things to watch out for:

  • Slow speed on free plan: Using Ollama with the cloud model can be slow. For faster results, use the Minimax coding plan or OpenRouter.
  • Token limits: The free plan caps tokens. Stay within limits to avoid interruptions.
  • Not as powerful as Opus 4.7: M3 is great for agentic tasks but lags behind on pure coding benchmarks like SWE-bench.
  • UI preference: The built-in terminal and Max Hermes cloud UI are basic. Julian recommends using a custom Agent OS for a better experience.
  • One critical setup step: You must run Ollama in the background before launching Hermes Agent. Otherwise the connection fails.

Always test tasks one at a time at first. The agent learns from your corrections over time.

07Who Minimax M3 Hermes Agent Is For

This AI worker is for anyone who wants to automate computer tasks without coding. It is ideal for business owners, content creators, and developers.

You can use it to write content, search the web, send emails and reports, control local apps, and run scheduled tasks while you sleep. The agent learns your business over time.

Since both parts are free and open source (or soon to be), you get powerful automation at zero cost. The cloud version Max Hermes makes it even easier to deploy in one click.

If you want a full guide with 100 prompts and a ready-made agent operating system, Julian offers that inside the AI Profit Board.