# Hermes Agent Prompt Cheatsheet & System Patterns

Category: Context & Config
Stack: Hermes Agent, Open-Weight Models, Function Calling

## Overview
Core prompting conventions for guiding open-weight models (DeepSeek, GLM, Llama 3) through multi-tool execution pipelines.

## The Problem
Open-weight models often struggle with tool-calling precision if prompt formats deviate from expected JSON or XML structures.

## Production Rule
Wrap tool schemas in explicit XML boundaries with typed parameter examples. Require models to output thought reasoning before emitting tool calls.

## Code / Specification
File: `hermes_tool_calling.xml`

```system prompts
<tool_call>
  <thought>Need to verify if table 'vendors' exists before running ETL.</thought>
  <function_call name="execute_sql">
    <parameter name="query">SELECT table_name FROM information_schema.tables WHERE table_schema='public';</parameter>
  </function_call>
</tool_call>
```