Hermes Agent's /goal is usually not a failure of the command itself, but rather that the target is written too much like a wish and has too few acceptance criteria. The correct approach is to write down the final product, completion conditions, prohibited actions and inspection methods, and then use /subgoal to supplement the new requirements in operation.
/goal is a mechanism used by Hermes Agent to lock long-term goals, which is officially called the ability to allow the agent to maintain targets across multiple rounds in v0.13, and v0.14 adds a /subgoal to add success conditions to running targets. It is suitable for the task of "continuing to advance until the standard is reached", and is not suitable for a vague instruction in one sentence.
What kind of /goal is easy to deviate
- Only write "help me optimize the project", and do not say which part to optimize.
- Only write "fix the error", and do not give the reproduction order and passing criteria.
- It is allowed to make major changes freely, but there is no restriction on not changing the database, configuration, and dependencies.
- Let it be studied and realized without requiring the plan to be reported first.
These types of goals will keep Hermes Agent looking for "potentially useful" jobs that end up looking diligent and deviating from what you really want.
More stable writing
/goal can be written in four paragraphs: goal, scope, acceptance, and boundary. For example: fix the unresponsiveness of the login page button; Only front-end forms and API call layers are allowed to be modified. Verify with npm test and manual login; Don't change the database schema and don't upgrade dependencies. In this way, Hermes Agent has less room for judgment and the probability of deviation will be much lower.
If a new condition is discovered in the middle of the task, do not reopen a long task, but directly supplement it with /subgoal, such as "Additional condition: 375px width on mobile terminal cannot appear horizontal scrolling". This is more stable than a casual reminder in chat, as it enters the judgment of the current target.
When not to use /goal
If you just ask a concept, change a line configuration, and generate a piece of copy, a normal conversation is enough. /goal Suitable for long tasks with clear endpoints: fix bugs, clean up a batch of files, complete a migration, and run tests green. The official repository address is https://github.com/NousResearch/hermes-agent, and it is recommended to refer to the release description when it comes to version features.
