Describe Hermes Profiles for Smarter Kanban Routing

A profile name such as writer or ops is only a hint. A profile description gives the Kanban orchestrator a durable statement of capabilities, boundaries, and intended work so assignments can be made with less guesswork. Descriptions are stored in profile.yaml and shared with the gateway.

Set or generate a description

Use hermes profile describe <name> --text "…" for a reviewed description. Use --auto to generate one with the auxiliary model configured at auxiliary.profile_describer. --all --auto fills missing descriptions across profiles, while --overwrite is required before user-authored text is replaced. Generated entries carry description_auto: true.

A good description names skills, tool boundaries, data access, and exclusions. Avoid marketing language and never include credentials, private customer details, or transient task status.

Description checklist

State the profile's primary capability.
Name important tools or platforms at a high level.
Record meaningful safety or data boundaries.
Exclude temporary projects and secrets.
Review auto-generated text before relying on it.
Revisit the description when the profile's role changes.

Common pitfalls

Using a clever name as the entire routing signal. Names do not describe actual capability.
Auto-overwriting curated text. Hermes requires --overwrite so deliberate descriptions are protected.
Adding stale task status. A profile description should remain useful across many jobs.
Overstating access. Describe what the profile is actually configured to use.

Verification

Read back profile.yaml, confirm the gateway sees the description, and create a harmless Kanban task with an obvious capability match. Verify assignment uses the intended profile and that generated metadata is marked accurately.

Official reference: Hermes profile commands.