Blog · July 21, 2026 · 6 min read
How My AI Agent Makes Instagram Reels from One Skill File
A Hermes agent can script, draw, animate, voice and post a 30-second Instagram Reel from one skill document on GitHub. The setup, plus a real run.
Watch the video: Hermes Agent Crazy Use Case: Instagram Reels
A Hermes agent can produce a finished Instagram Reel, script, visuals, animation and voiceover, from one instruction document called a skill. My agent Laura opens the video by introducing herself, and everything you see in that clip, she made. The skill lives in a public GitHub repo, so anyone can hand it to their own agent. This guide covers how it works and what a real run looks like, including the parts I would still improve.
You can watch the full walkthrough, which includes the finished Reel. Here is the setup.
What a skill is, and why it lives on GitHub
A skill is a document that teaches the agent exactly how you like something done. For Reels, it describes the format: how long, what the voiceover says, one clean image for every line, a little motion on each frame, the colors and fonts, and the order of steps.
Claude Code is the best tool I have found for writing skills, so I used it to write this one and pushed it to a public repo. Because my Hermes agent has access to my GitHub, it reads the repo and learns the style. Every time I improve the file, the agent gets better at the job without any other change. As Laura puts it in the clip: "He keeps it on GitHub, so whenever he improves it, I automatically get better at my job."
The four connections a Reels agent needs
- Research. Reddit, X or Instagram, where the agent finds what is trending and what people are asking.
- Visuals. Higgsfield.ai draws and animates the frames. Gemini or ChatGPT can generate images too; the animation in my setup runs through Higgsfield.
- Voice. ElevenLabs or OpenAI. Or your own voice: record it with a decent mic, upload the file to a Google Drive folder the agent can reach, and it uses that.
- Posting. Instagram or X, connected the same way as in the Instagram posting guide.
All of this runs through a chat: Telegram, or the Hermes desktop app.
How to connect Higgsfield to your agent
Higgsfield is the easiest of the connections.
- Ask your agent: "Give me the link to authenticate to Higgsfield.ai." It searches and sends you the link.
- Click it, and click Allow on the Higgsfield page. You land on what looks like a dead page.
- Copy the URL from the browser bar, paste it back to your agent, and type "done." When it asks for a command, allow it once.
The agent confirms Higgsfield is authenticated and reports your credits and plan. Set up the ElevenLabs API the same way you would any provider key.
How to give your agent the Reels skill
Start a new session with your Hermes agent, paste the link to the skill repo, and ask it to read the repo in preparation for creating animations. That is it. The agent now knows the format.
The repo is public and linked in the video description. If you want a different look, ask your agent to make a copy and edit it: different colors, cartoon animation instead of silhouettes, a different structure. The skill is a starting point you own.
A real run: a 30-second Reel on what an AI agent is
I asked: "Create a 30-second reel on what an AI agent is." Here is what happened.
- The agent pulled the latest repo and drafted a 30-second explainer, broken down second by second: what the voiceover says, what the visual does, what text is baked in. It asked me to approve before generating key frames.
- I typed "approve." After about 21 minutes the key frames were done: the blue and gold silhouette style and the fonts from the skill. I reviewed them in Telegram and approved again.
- After roughly 30 minutes total the visuals were assembled into the 30-second Reel, with only the voiceover left.
- I asked it to add a voiceover with a female voice. A few minutes later the Reel was complete. I downloaded it and played it.
The script it wrote: "An AI agent is not just a chatbot. A chatbot answers you. An agent takes a goal, then figures out the next steps. It can use tools, remember context, and keep working. So instead of asking AI for answers, you give it outcomes. Follow for more."
The approval steps exist because early runs gave me inconsistent results, and I did not want to burn credits on output I would reject. If you would rather it run start to finish, tell the agent: "I know the instructions say to approve every step, but for my use case run the whole process yourself." It will.
Making the result better
Two things I would change on that run, both by prompting:
- The voice. The demo used an OpenAI voice, which is my fallback. ElevenLabs voices sound more natural, and the Reel I actually posted used one. For my own account I usually record the voiceover myself and let the agent pull it from Drive.
- Background music. "Please add some background music to match the theme of our reel." ElevenLabs can generate music too. Premium tools produce a more polished Reel than the free ones.
What this means for your business
- Short-form video without an editor. A service business can publish explainer Reels on its own topic every week, in a consistent style, from a text message.
- A style you control. The skill file is your brand guide. Change it once, every future Reel follows.
- Your voice, your face optional. Record the voiceover yourself for authenticity, or use a generated voice for volume.
- Research built in. The agent watches what your customers are asking on Reddit and X and turns the best questions into content.
Part two is automation: scheduling the research, generation and posting so it runs while you are busy or asleep, and potentially selling that as a service. The use cases page shows how the same research-to-post engine works for a fitness brand. And if you want a team of specialist bots producing content together, see bot mode.
If you would like a Reels agent set up for your business, in your style, get in touch.
FAQ
What is a skill in Hermes Agent?
A document that tells the agent exactly how you want a task done. For Reels, it defines the format, visuals, voice and steps. Storing it on GitHub means the agent picks up every improvement automatically.
What tools does the agent use to make a Reel?
Higgsfield for images and animation, ElevenLabs or OpenAI for the voice (or your own recording from Google Drive), and Instagram or X for posting, all driven from Telegram.
How long does it take to produce a 30-second Reel?
In my run, about 21 minutes for the key frames and roughly 30 minutes to assemble the visuals, plus a few minutes for the voiceover.
Can I skip the approval steps?
Yes. Tell the agent to run the whole process without approvals and it will. I keep them to avoid spending credits on output I would reject.
Can I change the style of the Reels?
Yes. Ask your agent to copy the skill and edit it: different colors, cartoon or realistic animation, a different structure.