u/Best_Volume_3126

My husband and I have different opinions/mindset on multiple things, like I want our daughter to keep going to school and he wants to homeschool her after a certain age, and I know both our intents are good, we just don't land in the same place. It's the kind of thing where neither of us is wrong exactly, we were raised differentlly.

How do you handle parenting differences? How do you make the best decision without either of you just giving in to keep the peace?

I spent the last 24 hours with fable 5 and didn't write a single line of code, which is the opposite of how i normally treat a new model release.

usual pattern is a new model drops, i throw it straight at whatever i'm building and judge it on output quality. this time i did something different. instead of using it to produce more stuff, i used it to rebuild the systems that sit underneath the stuff.

first thing i went after was my coding workflow itself. not "to build another app" but "here's how i currently go from idea to shipped code, tear it apart and rebuild it." ended up with a set of skills that basically function as a pipeline takes a rough idea, turns it into an actual spec, builds it, tests it, reviews it. my vibe coding is now mostly automated on the front end because the loop itself got redesigned, not because i asked for more code.

did the same thing with my local model setup at home. instead of asking fable to help me build new tools for the models i'm running, i had it look at the whole operating layer which gpu is doing what, which model should be handling which task type, how outputs get routed and checked. that part had been ad hoc for months and i never sat down to actually design it.

the pattern: if you point a model this capable straight at output, you get output. if you point it at the system generating your output first, everything downstream gets better by default.

so the actual exercise, if you want to try it pick one thing you do repeatedly (content workflow, coding setup, research process, whatever), brain dump the whole thing to fable, high effort mode if it's a big system, and tell it to audit and rebuild it. go back and forth on it longer than feels necessary. don't touch the real work until that's done.

anyone else running fable against their workflows? what are the best usecase you've found with Fable?

There are multiple ways to run hermes either self-host on a VPS, or through a hosted service. The settings below apply to a self-hosted setup. On hosted services, most of this is already configured on your behalf, identity, memory, and gateway come pre-harnessed, so check your provider's dashboard before touching config files that may not exist in your environment.

This is a simple guide for a non-technical person to configure the Hermes agent.

1. Identity SOUL.md File: ~/.hermes/SOUL.md

This will load first into the system prompt. Hermes will run on the default identity, generic voice. if you don't configure it. Here you can set fixed voice and operating rules.

# Personality
You are pragmatic, direct, and unsentimental.
You optimize for truth, usefulness, and clean execution.

## Style
- Be concise unless depth is actually needed
- Push back when the request is sloppy
- Admit uncertainty plainly
- Don't do fake enthusiasm
- Don't pad answers to sound clever

## Technical posture
- Prefer simple systems over cute ones
- Treat edge cases like real design constraints
- Never invent facts to fill a gap

2. Memory config.yaml File: ~/.hermes/config.yaml

files to control it: memory.memory_enabled, memory.user_profile_enabled, memory.provider.

memory:
  memory_enabled: true
  user_profile_enabled: true
  memory_char_limit: 3500
  user_char_limit: 2500
  provider: holographic
  flush_min_turns: 6
  nudge_interval: 10

With the wrong provider after a migration, every session starts blank, even though nothing errors out.

3. Profiles Command: hermes profile create

Each profile is a separate Hermes home: its own config, .env, SOUL.md, memory, cron jobs, and gateway state.

hermes profile create writer --clone --clone-from default
writer setup
writer chat

A writing agent, an ops agent, and a research agent stay isolated on the same machine instead of sharing one memory pool.

4. Cron with delivery Command: hermes cron create

hermes cron create "0 7 * * *" \
  --name "morning-briefing" \
  --deliver telegram \
  "Check my calendar, email, and project boards. Write a concise morning briefing."

--deliver routes the output to Telegram, Discord, or another target. Without it, scheduled runs sit in a terminal nobody opens.

5. Gateway Command: hermes gateway run

hermes gateway setup
hermes gateway run

Connects Hermes to Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, and Signal. The documentation specifies foreground mode as the recommended setup for WSL, Docker, and Termux.

6. Model Context Protocol servers File: ~/.hermes/config.yaml

mcp_servers:
  hermes-vault:
    command: /home/tony/.local/bin/hermes-vault-mcp
    args: []
    enabled: true
    env:
      HERMES_VAULT_HOME: /home/tony/.hermes/hermes-vault-data

Any tool that speaks MCP loads at startup and runs as a native capability through this same config block. Databases, internal APIs, file systems, GitHub.

7. Skills Command: hermes skills install

hermes skills install openai/skills/k8s
hermes skills install official/security/1password
hermes skills list --source hub

File path: ~/.hermes/skills/

Skills are saved workflows. Installed once, Hermes reuses them on the next matching task instead of solving it from scratch again.

8. Plugins Command: hermes plugins install

hermes plugins install user/repo --enable
hermes plugins list


plugins:
  enabled:
    - disk-cleanup
  disabled:
    - noisy-plugin

Plugins will add tools, hooks, slash commands, and CLI commands without waiting on a core release. MCP servers and memory providers run as separate systems from plugins, worth keeping straight.

Claude Fable 5 works differently from earlier Claude models. it is built to run for hours or days on one task, paired with the /goal or /loop commands inside Claude Code.

This is based on early testing and Anthropic's documentation ahead of the official Fable 5 release, so some specifics may shift.

The behavior shift

things that stood out:

• It rarely needs a second pass.
• It asks clarifying questions upfront, checking assumptions before an autonomous run starts instead of guessing.
• It runs many subagents at once. Complex tasks can spin up 50 or more in parallel.
• It reads images better. Dense technical screenshots, web apps, and charts come back with higher accuracy.
• It's tuned differently for coding audits. Fable stays strong at codebase review and debugging, though the re-release appears to dial that back slightly.

Running it on loops

Two commands control autonomous work in Claude Code.

/goal runs until a task is done. Example: "/goal keep researching until you can answer these 5 questions."

/loop runs on a fixed interval until you cancel it. Example: "/loop every 30 minutes, flag any email that actually needs me."

Use /goal for anything with a clear finish line, /loop for anything ongoing, like monitoring an inbox.

To control token cost, split the loop by model instead of running Fable 5 the whole way through. Fable 5 plans the first 10 percent, cheaper subagents like Sonnet, Haiku, or Opus handle the middle 80 percent, then Fable 5 comes back for the final 10 percent to verify the spec. You're only paying premium rates for the parts where judgment matters, not the grunt work in between.

Turning workflows into skills

A skill is a set of instructions Claude reuses across sessions instead of relearning each time. Three ways to build one:

From a past chat: point Claude at a conversation where you did real work, financial analysis, writing, research, and have it pull your patterns and preferences into a reusable skill.

From scratch: open the skill creator in Claude Code and build it step by step. A spreadsheet listing everything you do on a regular basis is a working starting point.

From data: feed Claude real examples, tweets from creators in your niche if you're building an X account, and have it match tone and structure. Give it feedback on what worked and the skill updates from there.

Skills live in a local folder, not inside Claude's memory, so you can move them to another model if you switch tools later. Fable 5 is built to test its own output, which makes it good at improving a skill after building it, not just running it.

Vision use cases

Fable 5's image handling is stronger than earlier models across a few concrete cases. Pull exact data points out of charts and figures inside a PDF. Drop a screenshot of an interface and get specific critique. Screenshot a dashboard and have the underlying logic reverse-engineered. Feed it screenshots of existing creative to match the style. Or let it read a live interface and act on it directly, without a separate automation tool in between.

Setting up persistent context

Fable 5 doesn't carry memory between sessions on its own, so you build that separately.

Create a folder on your machine, something like /claude-context. Put in it a map of who does what in your business, the standard procedures for anything you do repeatedly, one-pagers on key clients or projects, your existing strategy documents, and a running log of decisions and outcomes.

Inside that folder, add a file called claude-memory.md. This holds what Fable learns about you over time. Add this instruction to your setup so it updates on its own:

"Every time I give you major context about my business or situation, update claude-memory.md with the key details."

Add a claude-instructions.md file that sets the standing rules, how memory gets stored, how output gets formatted, what Fable should always or never do. A starting template:

"Every time I share major context, update claude-memory.md. Always reference past decisions before making new recommendations. When I ask for strategy, assume you know everything in this folder. Format all outputs in markdown unless I say otherwise."

Point Claude Code at the folder with /add, or reference it directly in your CLAUDE.md. Once it's connected, every loop and every skill starts with Fable already carrying your context in.

The folder is the memory system. Claude has no persistent memory across sessions by default, so whatever you put in that folder is what carries over, and what makes it portable to another model later.

UN report on Data Storage States: Data centers consumed 448 trillion watt-hours of electricity, more than all but 10 countries of the world, producing about 208 million tons (189 million metric tons) of carbon dioxide, about the same amount as Argentina

That consumed about 1.2 trillion gallons (4.5 trillion liters) of water. Land footprint was 6,900 square km (2,664 square miles) last year.

The Projection for 2030 is going off the roof. Do we even stand a chance to stop them to use our electricity, water?

here are Four loops run inside a tight Claude Code setup, and they operate at different timescales: per-edit, per-task, per-session, and cross-session. Each one catches what the others can't.

Loop 1: Edit/Test (runs on every change)

A Stop hook runs your test suite as a script and blocks the turn from completing until it passes. Claude cannot mark a change done while the suite is red.

.claude/settings.json
{
  "hooks": {
    "Stop": [{
      "command": "npm run test && npm run lint"
    }]
  }
}

The value over prompting Claude to run tests is that the hook has no discretion. When you rely on a prompt, Claude skips it under pressure or forgets it mid-task. A hook fires unconditionally, which is the difference between tests running most of the time and running every time.

Loop 2: Goal (runs across turns until a condition is met)

/goal keeps Claude working turn after turn until a condition you wrote is true. The model that wrote the code doesn't decide whether it's done. A separate, faster model evaluates the completion condition after each turn.

/goal All tests in test/ pass with no skips, and lint is clean
/loop until: the goal condition holds

Vague goals break this. "Make checkout better" gives the judge nothing to evaluate, so the loop stops whenever Claude feels satisfied. State the end condition in terms the judge can verify: passing tests, or a specific file with specific contents.

Loop 3: Verification (fresh agent tries to break the work)

A review subagent opens with a clean context window and no memory of writing the code. Its job is to find what's wrong.

"Use a subagent to review this diff as a skeptical senior
engineer. Try to find where it's wrong: missed edge cases,
security issues, anything that breaks the requirements.
Flag only gaps that affect correctness. Then I'll fix and
have you re-review until it's clean."

One thing to watch: a reviewer told to find problems will find some even when the work is solid, because that's the assignment. Scope it to correctness and stated requirements, or you get over-engineering instead of better code. The back-and-forth between implementing session and reviewer is the loop.

Loop 4: Memory (mistakes persist into future sessions)

The three loops above live inside a session. This one outlasts all of them. When Claude makes a repeatable mistake, write the lesson into CLAUDE.md as a rule before the session ends.

"That was a mistake we've hit before. Write the lesson into
CLAUDE.md as a short rule, so future sessions don't repeat
it. Phrase it as a clear do/don't, not a story."

Without this, the same mistake resurfaces every few sessions because nothing from the previous conversation carries over. With it, each mistake only costs you once, and the setup gets sharper over weeks rather than cycling through the same corrections.

CLAUDE.md is permanent rule storage. LOOP-STATE.md from a task charter is temporary task state. Both act as memory, but at different scopes: rules that apply to all future work versus state that tracks where one specific job left off.

Claude Tag is officially in our Slack & now it takes care of our CRM. shares weekly workflow, what the team is upto. On top of that also shares weekly review on how much each employee is contributing to new ideas, conversations, & more.

so we're cooked.

Folk Agents - are all over the telegram, whatsapp threads, its so mainstream. I would not have thought that my cousins would be up to agents to book tickets, bet on stupid stuff through the chats.

discord has roleplay agents in half the channels. mods can't get over it.

claude Tag - Slack
Folk - Telegram, imessage,
Clyde(banned) - Discord
Meta AI - Whatsapp

In the group chat, I think if we human would dissapear, agents would still keep up among themselves.

Our kids' grandma would come over just to drop off things at late night. my kids are almost asleep. one excited grandma voice & yeah that's it. they get up.

we didn't get her down until 11:45 and nan left thinking she'd had a lovely little visit.

What's the most chaos a grandparent or babysitter has casually introduced into your sleep routine with complete innocence and zero awareness of the consequences?

we've hit the stage where our 2.5 Y.O wants a bedtime story every single night without fail.

Problem is I've burned through everything we own and I'm running out of ideas. He's obsessed with animals right now, trucks sometimes. It'd be good if it has a rhythm or repetition he can start predicting, because watching him shout the next word before I say it is honestly the best part of the day.

Looking for Book recommendations for a 2.5 Y.O. We've done Gruffalo, we've done all the Eric Carle. looking for more.

The working day is 9-5, or 8-6 with a commute. School is 9-3. Nursery waitlists fill before the baby arrives. Half terms come every six weeks. Grandparents have their own lives. Weekends mostly feels like catch-up, then there's Groceries, laundry, kid friend's birthday party we said yes to three weeks ago.

The current system assumes either one person stays home (financially impossible for most) or that someone absorbs all of this with no structural support (which is what's actually happening).

If you're both working full-time, how are you actually doing this? How are you managing quality time with kids & also doing good career wise?