Have Hermes watch blocked cards and clear easy blockers

A developer set Hermes to scan for blocked task cards every five minutes, investigate the cause, and report results in Discord.

Done with Hermes Agent· Intermediate· Sep 2026

What they did
They had Hermes build a “Kanban watchdog” that runs on a 5-minute cron. Each pass checks for cards marked blocked, looks into why they are stuck, and tries to remove the obstacle if it can do so safely. After that, it posts a short update in Discord, and the person only gets involved when Hermes needs access or some other human decision.
How it went
The setup has cut down the number of blocked cards sitting around by the next morning. It still hands off cases it cannot solve, including problems tied to missing permissions.
Tips
Keep the automation narrow: let it handle checks, diagnosis, and low-risk fixes, but require human approval for anything that changes access, settings, or unrecoverable state. A clear Discord report makes it easier to spot the cases that still need attention.

Try it yourself with Hermes Agent

Set up a watchdog for my [project board tool] that checks every 5 minutes for cards labeled blocked. For each one, inspect [logs, tickets, services, or other relevant systems] to find the cause, try any safe fix you can do on your own, and then post a brief status in [Discord channel] with what you found and what changed. Before you take any action that could not be easily undone, including payments, sending messages, deleting items, or submitting changes, pause and ask me to approve it. If you cannot resolve a card, explain exactly what is blocking it and what you need from me.

Fill in the [brackets]. Agents can make mistakes, so review anything before it is sent, paid or deleted.

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