# Delegate a bounded research brief with Hermes Split a bounded research question into source-checkable subtasks, then verify the returned summaries and citations before sharing a human-reviewed synthesis. Canonical: https://xcloud.host/use-cases/playbooks/hermes-delegated-research/ Published: 2026-10-01 · Updated: 2026-10-01 · Technical review: 2026-10-01 Evidence: Source reviewed; no production deployment test claimed Editorial owner: xCloud editorial Intent: Delegate a multi-part research brief to Hermes child agents and verify the synthesis For: administrator, team-owner ## Requirements and responsibilities - Assign a named team owner for this task and confirm that all needed service accounts, sources and data are within the approved scope. Never place credentials or private keys in agent prompts. Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation); [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot); [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) - Use the installed Hermes version and upstream feature documentation for this procedure; it does not establish that xCloud enables the feature by default. Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation); [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot); [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) ## Illustrative situation Illustrative scenario: an administrator needs one short implementation brief comparing the currently documented Hermes cron CLI and SKILL.md authoring requirements, with each point checked against official docs. ## Choose the approach - Delegate only when subtasks are genuinely independent; use one bounded research task if the evidence overlaps or tools need tighter limits. Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation); [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot); [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) ## Dashboard and application procedure ### 1. Define the question and evidence bar **Where:** Team research brief **Permissions:** Research owner **Inputs:** Question, scope, cutoff date, trusted primary sources **Action:** Write one bounded question and define what counts as a primary source, required citations, date range, and when to report uncertainty. **Expected result:** Every subtask can return a verifiable answer with source links. **Verify:** Ask a reviewer to check that the question is narrow enough to answer. **If it fails:** If the answer needs inaccessible/private sources, identify that access separately before delegating. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot) ### 2. Split the two documentation questions **Where:** Research plan in Hermes conversation **Permissions:** Authorized Hermes user **Inputs:** Cron docs question; SKILL.md format question; shared output contract **Action:** Prepare two independent questions: child A finds current official Hermes cron CLI syntax, Telegram delivery and run-inspection controls; child B finds the official agent-created skill path, required SKILL.md frontmatter and load check. Require official URL, retrieval date, exact detail and limitation from each. **Expected result:** Subtasks can be checked independently and do not ask for external actions. **Verify:** Check for overlap, missing dimensions and unsupported assumptions. **If it fails:** If subtasks overlap or require tool access not approved for the parent, revise the plan before delegation. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation) ### 3. Confirm inherited access boundary **Where:** Hermes delegation feature and security settings **Permissions:** Hermes administrator **Inputs:** Enabled parent toolsets and task data sensitivity **Action:** Review the parent’s enabled tools before calling delegation. Hermes gives child work a fresh conversation/context and terminal session, but child work inherits enabled toolsets; this is not filesystem/security isolation. **Expected result:** The operator understands that delegated work can use parent-enabled tools. **Verify:** Confirm no child task receives broader or sensitive access than appropriate. **If it fails:** If the enabled tools are broader than needed, narrow the parent’s available tools or keep the work manual. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation); [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) ### 4. Delegate with complete task context **Where:** Hermes conversation with documented \`delegate\_task\` tool **Permissions:** Authorized Hermes user **Inputs:** Two goals, complete context and source-only boundary **Action:** Use \`delegate\_task(tasks=\[{"goal":"Find current Hermes cron commands and Telegram delivery controls","context":"Use official Hermes docs only; return URLs, retrieval date, exact CLI syntax and run-check commands. No actions."},{"goal":"Find where Hermes agent-created skills live and the SKILL.md format","context":"Use official Hermes docs only; return URL, retrieval date, directory, frontmatter and load validation steps. No actions."}\])\`. Each child starts with fresh conversation context and inherits enabled tools; this does not isolate filesystem or security access. **Expected result:** Each subtask returns a traceable evidence summary or an explicit gap. **Verify:** Open the cited primary sources and compare each claim with the page. **If it fails:** If citations do not support claims, retract or correct those claims before synthesis. Capability: Use the authorized Hermes terminal, CLI or documented task interface Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation) ### 5. Synthesize and review before sharing **Where:** Research owner’s report **Permissions:** Human reviewer **Inputs:** Verified child outputs and source pages **Action:** Combine only verified claims, preserve disagreement and date limits, and label inference separately. A human reviewer approves the final brief before delivery. **Expected result:** A concise synthesis is ready with an auditable source trail. **Verify:** Check every claim against its source and ensure no child output is treated as proof by itself. **If it fails:** If sources conflict or remain unavailable, show the unresolved issue rather than choosing a convenient answer. Capability: Review the task result and retain human control Sources: [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot) ## Maintenance - Review source links and access scope for each research brief; delegated children inherit the parent’s enabled toolsets. Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation); [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot); [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) ## Recovery decisions - If child citations do not support a statement, retract or qualify that statement and recheck the primary page before sharing the synthesis. Sources: [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation); [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot); [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) ## AI handoff Configure the needed provider, channel, credentials and permissions separately. This guide does not imply xCloud has preconfigured upstream tools or scheduled jobs. ### Supported scope - **Review the task result and retain human control** (app; manual): Human acceptance and follow-up; no external write is implied. Checkpoint: Verify the source/output and actual side effects before sharing or acting. Sources: [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security); [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot); [Hermes automate with cron patterns](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/automate-with-cron) - **Use the authorized Hermes terminal, CLI or documented task interface** (app; manual): Upstream Hermes CLI/configuration workflow; requires an authorized operator and does not prove xCloud preconfigured the feature or exposed it in its panel. Checkpoint: Check the installed Hermes version and current upstream instructions; review scope and permissions before running a task. Sources: [Hermes quickstart](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/quickstart); [Hermes cron feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/cron); [Hermes memory feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory); [Hermes skills feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/skills); [Hermes agent email address tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/agent-email-address); [Hermes GitHub PR review agent tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/github-pr-review-agent); [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation) ### Copyable agent brief ```text Run only the two bounded research tasks in this brief with the documented delegate_task interface. Each child returns primary-source URLs, dates, exact supporting facts and gaps. Verify each source before combining results. Do not perform external actions. ``` ### Manual checkpoints - Use \`delegate\_task(tasks=\[{goal, context}, ...\])\` only if the delegation tool is available. Child tasks inherit enabled toolsets; this is not filesystem/security isolation. - Review the task-specific acceptance check and inspect actual output, configuration or run history before relying on it. ## Feature coverage - **Documented Hermes task path** (covered): Steps identify whether an action uses documented xCloud controls, upstream operator configuration or human review. Steps: step-1, step-2, step-3, step-4, step-5 - **Task-specific acceptance check** (covered): The final step validates this guide’s stated result. Steps: step-5 ## Sources - [Hermes delegation feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/delegation) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes daily briefing tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/daily-briefing-bot) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes security guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/security) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes automate with cron patterns](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/automate-with-cron) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes quickstart](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/getting-started/quickstart) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes cron feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/cron) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes memory feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/memory) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes skills feature guide](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/user-guide/features/skills) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes agent email address tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/agent-email-address) — reviewed 2026-10-01 - [Hermes GitHub PR review agent tutorial](https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/docs/guides/github-pr-review-agent) — reviewed 2026-10-01 ## Continue [Review xCloud Hermes deployment options](https://xcloud.host/docs/how-to-deploy-hermes-agent-with-xcloud/) - [Send a daily research briefing to Telegram](https://xcloud.host/use-cases/playbooks/hermes-daily-briefing/) - [Create a read-only GitHub pull request review digest](https://xcloud.host/use-cases/playbooks/hermes-pr-digest/)