# Susan + Herald — Rebuild on Hermes

## What we know (from VPS configs — 2026-05-10)

### Susan
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| **Port** | 18792 |
| **Workspace** | `/home/ccuser/susan/` |
| **Voice** | ElevenLabs (`IKne3meq5aSn9XLyUdCD`, multilingual v2, speed 1, stability 0.5) |
| **Telegram** | Disabled |
| **Model stack** | deepseek/deepseek-chat → MiniMax-M2.5 → moonshot/kimi-k2-0905-preview |
| **Last touched** | 2026-02-16 (OpenClaw version 2026.1.24-3) |
| **API keys in config** | OpenRouter + OpenAI |

**Known gap:** System prompt (persona, role) is NOT stored in the OpenClaw config — only operational params. Needs to be reconstructed from Rocky's memory or built fresh.

### Herald
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| **Port** | 18708 |
| **Model** | Gemini 3.1 Pro (Google direct) → Moonshot (OpenRouter) |
| **Last touched** | 2026-03-05 (OpenClaw version 2026.3.2) |
| **API keys in config** | OpenRouter + OpenAI |

**Known gap:** System prompt (persona, role) is NOT stored. Role described as "communications" — but what exactly? Email drafting? Monitoring? Posting updates?

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## Before we build — questions Rocky's inputs needed on

1. **Susan's actual role** — what did she do? Admin? Research? Voice calls? Something else?
2. **Herald's actual role** — what does "communications" mean for the Herald agent specifically?
3. **Single Hermes instance or separate processes** — should they run as two agents within the same Hermes instance (like Hermes + OpsMan currently), or as separate daemons?

---

## Rebuild steps (once persona is defined)

### Susan
1. Write `~/.hermes/skills/susan/SKILL.md` — system prompt, role definition, tools
2. Create `/home/ccuser/susan/` workspace if needed (already exists)
3. Configure Telegram DM channel (disabled in old config — ask Rocky if he wants it on)
4. Connect Airtable MCP (LFCS base: `appE43UvTyARe5oJs`) for job data
5. Set cron schedule — what does Susan do every day/week?
6. Test: verify she boots, responds, has access to right tools

### Herald
1. Write `~/.hermes/skills/herald/SKILL.md` — system prompt, role definition, tools
2. Configure model — was on Gemini 3.1 Pro Google direct (no OpenRouter tax)
3. Connect to Gmail via `gws` CLI if Herald sends emails
4. Set cron schedule — does Herald monitor anything on a timer?
5. Test: verify she boots and communicates correctly

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## OpenClaw pain points (lessons for rebuild)

- **Update fragility** — every OpenClaw update broke adapters, full day to fix per agent. Hermes updates are backward-compatible and don't break skills.
- **API cost** — 8 agents running continuously burned money. Susan + Herald on Hermes will cost a fraction (use MiniMax M2.7 as primary, cheaper models for background tasks).
- **Config sprawl** — each OpenClaw agent had its own workspace, creds, cron, agents/. Hermes uses shared infrastructure with per-agent skills and workspaces. Much simpler.

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## Port allocation if running as separate processes

If Rocky wants Susan and Herald as separate daemonized Hermes processes:
- Susan port: 18792 (reuse old port)
- Herald port: 18708 (reuse old port)
- Run each as `hermes --daemon --port XXXX` systemd service
- Gateway auth tokens already defined in old configs (reuse or rotate)

---

## Related research

- `references/agent-dashboards-github.md` — AionUi (24.3k stars) was also considered as an upgrade path. Noted that Rocky's fleet included 8 OpenClaw agents.
- `references/paperclip-research.md` — Paperclip (63.9k stars) could theoretically run Susan + Herald as managed employees, but that's a bigger rebuild than needed here.