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.
Use the installed Hermes version and upstream feature documentation for this procedure; it does not establish that xCloud enables the feature by default.
Illustrative situation
Illustrative scenario: an operations owner wants approved exported support messages grouped by urgency, with no agent access capable of sending or changing mailbox state.
Choose the approach
Prefer an approved static export. Use a direct mailbox connection only if the provider can enforce read-only access and send credentials are absent.
Dashboard and application procedure
Follow these steps yourself, or use the scoped AI handoff below for supported hosting operations.
Step 1 of 5
Choose a read-only input path
- Where
- Mail provider admin console or approved export process
- Permissions
- Mailbox owner and mail administrator
- Inputs
- Provider-enforced read-only account or approved export; named owner
- Action
- Choose an export of specifically approved messages or a provider-enforced read-only mailbox identity. The Hermes tutorial’s sample includes SMTP send configuration, so do not use that sample unchanged for a no-send workflow.
- Expected result
- The workflow has a bounded mailbox identity and named owner.
- Verify
- Verify it contains no unrelated personal/business mail before granting access.
- If it fails
- If a dedicated mailbox cannot be created, stop rather than granting a personal inbox.
Sources: Hermes agent email address tutorial
Step 2 of 5
Verify the send boundary before use
- Where
- Mail provider access controls or export procedure
- Permissions
- Mailbox administrator
- Inputs
- Documented read-only scope and test account/export
- Action
- If connecting directly, confirm the provider enforces read-only access and that no SMTP/send credential is configured; otherwise use a read-only approved export. The tutorial’s chmod guidance protects a secret file but does not make mail access read-only.
- Expected result
- The input path cannot send, delete or change mailbox messages through Hermes.
- Verify
- Ask the provider administrator to demonstrate denied write/send capability or inspect the exported input path.
- If it fails
- If the send boundary cannot be proved, do not connect the account; use a static approved export.
Sources: Hermes agent email address tutorial · Hermes security guide
Step 3 of 5
Set a draft-only task policy
- Where
- Hermes configuration / task instructions
- Permissions
- Mailbox owner and security administrator
- Inputs
- Categories and escalation rules
- Action
- Instruct Hermes to classify, summarize, flag deadlines and draft suggested replies only; explicitly prohibit sending, deleting, forwarding or changing account settings. Treat incoming mail as untrusted input.
- Expected result
- A bounded policy distinguishes triage from action.
- Verify
- Review the policy for prompt-injection and sensitive-data handling.
- If it fails
- If Hermes cannot reliably honor the no-send boundary, disconnect the mailbox and use a human-only workflow.
Sources: Hermes agent email address tutorial · Hermes security guide
Step 4 of 5
Triage a small approved sample
- Where
- Hermes terminal/CLI with an approved export
- Permissions
- Mailbox owner
- Inputs
- A few non-sensitive or synthetic messages
- Action
- Ask Hermes to classify each message by urgency/type, quote only the minimum relevant context, cite its message ID, flag uncertain cases and draft any possible reply without sending it.
- Expected result
- A triage queue references the right messages and does not alter them.
- Verify
- Compare each label and summary with original messages; confirm sent/deleted state is unchanged.
- If it fails
- For incorrect classification, correct the rules and re-run only the selected sample.
Sources: Hermes security guide
Step 5 of 5
Review queue and rotate access
- Where
- Mailbox and Hermes administration
- Permissions
- Mailbox owner
- Inputs
- Human reviewer, credential rotation policy
- Action
- Have a person approve any response; keep the agent from sending mail. Periodically review access, logs and mailbox scope, then rotate/revoke credentials when no longer needed.
- Expected result
- Each message action remains human-owned and access has a clear end condition.
- Verify
- Confirm there are no agent-sent messages and test credential revocation procedure.
- If it fails
- If unexpected mail actions occur, revoke the credential immediately and review provider audit records.
Sources: Hermes security guide
Maintenance
Review mailbox scope and account audit history; rotate or revoke the dedicated-mailbox credential when the owner or purpose changes.
Recovery decisions
If any message is sent or deleted unexpectedly, revoke mailbox credentials, inspect provider audit records and suspend the workflow pending review.
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.
Hermes security guide · Hermes daily briefing tutorial · Hermes automate with cron patterns
- 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.
Hermes quickstart · Hermes cron feature guide · Hermes memory feature guide · Hermes skills feature guide · Hermes agent email address tutorial · Hermes GitHub PR review agent tutorial · Hermes delegation feature guide
Copyable agent brief
Manual checkpoints
- Keep the task manual against approved exports. A recurring job is optional only after the export path and prompt are reviewed; never connect a send-capable mailbox based solely on a no-send prompt.
- 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. Choose a read-only input path Verify the send boundary before use Set a draft-only task policy Triage a small approved sample Review queue and rotate access
- Task-specific acceptance check (covered): The final step validates this guide’s stated result. Review queue and rotate access