AI Agent Engineering Handbook

What AI Agent Engineering Handbook does

The handbook collects patterns, architectures and implementation details that the author extracted by reading framework codebases, system prompts and compaction logic. The README names OpenClaw, Claude Code, LangGraph, CrewAI and Hermes Agent among the projects covered. It is published as a long Markdown guide with a PDF version.

The parts cover agent loops (eight variants with code), system prompt assembly including the SOUL.md and AGENTS.md separation, context management and context rot, memory, tools and MCP, multi-agent orchestration, planning, human-in-the-loop, security, testing and deployment. One listed question is how Hermes Agent improves itself over time through episodic memory and self-evolution. Hermes Agent is one subject among many, so this is a general reference rather than a Hermes-specific manual.

Key features

• Eight agent loop variants with code examples
• Six context compaction strategies and notes on context rot
• Memory chapter comparing file-based, vector, observational and episodic approaches
• Coverage of SOUL.md and AGENTS.md prompt assembly
• Multi-agent orchestration patterns and a framework decision guide
• Markdown guide plus a PDF edition

When to use it

• Learning why a long-running agent degrades and how compaction helps
• Comparing how Hermes Agent and other frameworks handle memory
• Choosing between agent frameworks before starting a project
• Background reading before writing a SOUL.md persona

Who it is for: Developers and agent builders who want to understand how agent frameworks work internally.

How it fits with Hermes Agent

It is a general agent engineering reference that includes Hermes Agent among the 30+ frameworks it analyzes, not a tool built for Hermes.

FAQ