The concept, the two free tools, and the ready-to-use prompts to launch a 3-agent team today.
Idriss Laouali Abdou
Co-founder, Karatou Academy
AI AgentsSeptember 7, 2026·8 min read
Almost everyone can talk to an AI. You ask, it answers. The real jump is not that. It is directing several of them, as a team.
In this guide, I explain the idea in two minutes, then hand you a concrete kit: the roles, the prompts to copy, and the steps to launch your first team this weekend. Even if you do not code.
What a multi-agent orchestrator is
Picture a chief of staff. You give them one mission in a sentence, they handle the rest. They know their team, hand out the work, gather the results and report back.
A multi-agent orchestrator is that, in AI. A lead agent takes your request and splits it across specialists. One researches, one writes, one designs. You talk to one, it manages the rest.
The difference with a chatbot: a chatbot answers, done. An agent team executes a whole outcome, in several steps, while you do something else.
The two free tools
No 200-dollar subscription needed. Two open source tools, running on YOUR machine, your data with you.
OpenClaw (openclaw.ai): a multi-channel assistant you connect to WhatsApp, Slack or Telegram. Great to start.
Hermes (hermes-agent.nousresearch.com): more advanced. Persistent memory, it learns, and it runs several sub-agents in parallel. Great for a coordinated team.
To build a real team, I recommend Hermes. It is the one I use.
Getting started with Hermes: the link and the basic setup
Install Hermes following the install docs on the site.
Run the config wizard: hermes setup. It helps you pick a model and connect a provider.
Check everything is fine: hermes doctor.
Connect a channel to talk to it: hermes gateway setup (Slack, WhatsApp or Telegram).
Create your agents and paste the kit prompts below.
Talk to it, and watch the team work.
That is enough to start on your own. Fair warning: the install takes some technical work, and building a full team gets trickier. I come back to that at the end.
Your starter kit: a 3-agent team
Here is the example to copy. Lea, a creator, wants to publish one video a week without losing her evenings. She builds three agents: one finds ideas, one writes, one preps the visual. A lead agent coordinates. Copy-paste these four prompts as your agent roles. Swap the field for yours.
The lead agent
You are my content team lead. When I give you a topic:
1. Ask the Scout for 3 ideas.
2. Show them to me and let me pick.
3. Send the chosen idea to the Pen for a script.
4. Send the script to the Studio for the visual.
5. Return a clean package: chosen idea, script, visual text.
Ask me to approve before finalizing. Be concise.
The Scout, research and ideas
You are the Scout. For a given topic, propose 3 concrete, current content ideas. For each: an angle and a one-line hook. Check the info is up to date and cite your source. Keep it short.
The Pen, writing
You are the Pen. From an approved idea, write a short spoken script, 150 words max. Strong hook in the first line, one call to action at the end. Short sentences, simple and direct tone.
The Studio, visual
You are the Studio. From the script, give two things:
1. The thumbnail text, 5 words max.
2. A clear image prompt to generate the visual, with the style in one line.
Then Lea writes one sentence to the lead: "find me 3 video ideas about urban gardening and prep the best one." The Scout searches, she picks, the Pen writes, the Studio preps the visual. In twenty minutes, she is ready to shoot.
5 steps to launch this weekend
Install the tool. OpenClaw or Hermes, following their official docs. Budget one evening if you are new.
Create your 4 roles. Paste the 4 prompts above, one per agent. Adapt the field.
Connect a channel. Slack or WhatsApp, to talk to your lead from your phone.
Test in one sentence. Give your lead a real small mission and watch the team work.
Adjust. A role too wordy, a step that breaks? Rewrite that one prompt.
Pitfalls to avoid
Setup takes some technical work. Be honest about your level, get help rather than give up.
Start with 3 agents, not 8. Expand once the base runs.
Keep a human in the loop. For anything sensitive, you approve first. AI can be wrong, and you must be able to say no.
Always check what the Scout brings back. A false source in a video costs you your credibility.
Your checklist
✓Tool installed (OpenClaw or Hermes)
✓4 roles created (lead, Scout, Pen, Studio)
✓A channel connected (Slack or WhatsApp)
✓First mission tested in one sentence
✓One prompt adjusted after the first run
Two paths from here
The DIY path. With this guide and the prompt kit, you have everything to launch a 3-agent team this weekend. Take an evening, install Hermes, paste the roles, test. It is free, and it works.
The done-with-you path. If you want to go far, a full team connected to your real tools, without burning hours on setup, is best built together. On my end, I built a team of eight agents with its own dashboard. In a consultation, we install your stack together, define your custom agents, connect your tools, and unblock the technical setup live. You leave with a team that runs, not with questions.
Go further
We build your team together
A full team, connected to your tools, without struggling with setup. We build it in a consultation.
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