Sending SMS with an Agentic AI using Twilio and Hermes Agent

A Twilio engineer describes building an SMS-accessible autonomous AI agent using Hermes Agent, a local AI harness connected to an open-source model and a Twilio SMS-capable phone number. The setup involved installing Hermes on a dedicated Mac Mini, configuring Twilio credentials and a compliant phone number, using ngrok to expose a webhook, and assigning the generated URL to the Twilio number’s messaging configuration. Once operational, the agent could receive and send text messages, while additional access to a dedicated Google account, Docs, and Drive enabled it to create documents and assist with tasks such as project, sewing, and travel planning. The author found the agent’s output comparable to ordinary chatbot use but noted that its persistent access, memory, and potential autonomy could make it more useful over time, while also raising concerns about granting increasingly broad permissions.

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