Video: "Hermes + OpenClaw + Claude is INSANE!" by Julian Goldie on YouTube.
Three tools, three jobs — one connected system
The argument for running Hermes, OpenClaw and Claude together isn't that any single one is insufficient. It's that each one covers a gap the others leave. Hermes is the orchestration layer — it holds memory across sessions, manages a skill library, and runs recurring tasks without being re-prompted. OpenClaw handles messaging: Gmail, WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, Discord, all reachable from a single agent interface. Claude is the reasoning and writing layer — the part of the stack that actually thinks through a problem and produces something worth sending.
Used separately, each does its job. Connected, Claude's output feeds directly into OpenClaw's delivery, with Hermes managing the workflow and keeping context between runs. The result is a system that can take a single goal — "produce a weekly client update and send it" — and work through each step without manual handoffs.
What changes when you connect them
The most practical change is the removal of copy-paste from the workflow. Without integration, you're generating something in Claude, copying it somewhere, pasting it into a messaging tool, and sending it manually. That takes minutes each time and breaks whenever you're not at your desk.
With the three tools connected through Hermes, you define the task once. Hermes holds the goal, calls Claude via the Model Context Protocol when reasoning or content generation is needed, and routes the output to OpenClaw for delivery. Julian demonstrated this with a content distribution flow: one brief triggered research, a draft, a review pass, and delivery to three channels — all from a single agent run. In practice, the setup does require an initial configuration session of a few hours to wire the tools together properly. It's not a one-click install.
The honest picture on setup and reliability
This kind of multi-agent stack is genuinely more capable than running tools one at a time. It's also genuinely more fragile. Each connection point is a potential failure — API limits, authentication expiry, a Hermes skill that doesn't handle an unexpected output correctly. Julian mentioned a few of these during the walkthrough, which is worth noting: the demos on YouTube tend to run cleanly, but production use means dealing with the rough edges.
That said, the rough edges have been shrinking. Hermes has been releasing updates consistently, OpenClaw's plugin system is reasonably stable, and Claude's API is well-documented. For businesses that run predictable, structured workflows — content pipelines, client reporting, inbox triage — the setup is practical. For anything requiring creative judgement or context that changes frequently, a human still needs to be in the loop.
What this tells us about where AI agents are heading
The Hermes + OpenClaw + Claude stack is an early example of what will probably become standard: AI agents that aren't standalone tools but components in a connected system, each doing the job it's best at. The interesting question isn't whether this approach is better than using one tool — it obviously is, for the right use case. The question is who's going to maintain these systems once they're set up.
Right now, that's usually someone technical. The configuration, the debugging, the skill library management — none of it is genuinely no-code yet. Julian's walkthroughs make it look accessible, and for someone willing to put in a weekend of learning, it is. For a business owner who wants results without the setup time, that's where outside help matters.
Where this connects to NordSys
We configure and maintain Hermes Agent alongside Claude Code and AI tooling for UK businesses — setting up the agent stack, writing the skills, and keeping it running rather than leaving you with a complex system to maintain yourself. If the Hermes + OpenClaw + Claude setup looks useful for your workflows, we can tell you honestly whether it's the right fit and what the setup actually involves.
See our AI Agents service →