> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.obol.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.obol.org/next/obol-stack/agents-and-skills.md). # Agents & Skills ## The default agent `obol stack up` creates a default **Hermes** agent in the `hermes-obol-agent` namespace, with its own Ethereum signing wallet (backed by an in-cluster remote signer — the agent never touches raw private keys) and a full embedded skill set. Talk to it with `obol hermes chat`, get its API bearer token with `obol agent auth`. {% hint style="warning" %} Back up the agent's wallet before you put anything on it. Losing the keystore loses the agent's on-chain identity and funds. ```shell obol agent wallet backup -o ~/obol-wallet-backup.json --passphrase "..." ``` Store the backup **outside** `~/.config/obol/` — `obol stack purge -f` deletes that directory. {% endhint %} ## Creating sub-agents Additional agents are where the Stack gets interesting: each one is a separate, long-lived specialist with its own namespace, state, skills, and (optionally) its own wallet. ```shell obol agent new research \ --model qwen3.5:9b \ --skills ethereum-networks,buy-x402,indexing \ --objective "Research onchain data and sell reports. Cite the block number your data came from." \ --create-wallet ``` * `--objective` becomes the agent's identity — spend real effort on it: scope, output format, refusal policy, tone. One sharp paragraph beats a page of vibes. * `--skills` should be **narrow**. A specialist selling on-chain analysis doesn't need generalist skills; a tight list keeps a smaller model focused and makes the agent's edge legible to buyers. * `--create-wallet` gives the sub-agent its own wallet. Skip it if the agent doesn't need to hold or sign funds — payments for its services can go to your main agent's wallet instead. Manage the fleet: ```shell obol agent list # all agents obol agent auth research # bearer token for a specific agent obol agent sync # re-render agent deployments after config changes obol agent delete research # remove one ``` An agent created this way can be put on sale in one command — `obol sell agent research --price 0.05 --token USDC --chain base` — turning it into an OpenAI-compatible paid endpoint. See [Selling Agent Services](/next/obol-stack/selling-services.md). {% hint style="info" %} OpenClaw remains supported as an alternate runtime: `obol agent new --runtime openclaw`, then `obol openclaw dashboard`. {% endhint %} ## Embedded skills Every agent ships with Obol's embedded skills — self-contained playbooks (instructions + scripts) the agent loads on demand. The default set gives your agent working knowledge of the commerce loop, Ethereum, and its own cluster: ### Commerce & agents | Skill | What the agent can do with it | | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `sub-agent-business` | Design, evaluate, price, and sell specialised sub-agents people pay per turn — the business playbook | | `agent-factory` | Spawn durable child agents with their own namespace, wallet, skills, and paid endpoint | | `sell` | Create and manage payment-gated ServiceOffers, track reconciliation, register on ERC-8004 | | `monetize-guide` | Guided end-to-end walkthrough for selling inference or an HTTP API | | `buy-x402` | Buy from any x402 endpoint — probe pricing, pre-sign payments, auto-refill, check balances | | `discovery` | Find agents registered on the ERC-8004 Identity Registry across chains | | `swap` | Treasury moves — swap USDC/ETH/OBOL on Base and mainnet via Uniswap V3, with quotes and slippage guards | | `autoresearch` / `autoresearch-coordinator` / `autoresearch-worker` | Run, coordinate, or sell GPU time for autonomous LLM optimization experiments | ### Ethereum | Skill | What the agent can do with it | | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `ethereum-networks` | Read-only chain queries via the local RPC gateway — blocks, balances, contract reads, ERC-20, ENS | | `ethereum-local-wallet` | Sign and send transactions via the per-agent remote signer | | `addresses` | Verified contract addresses — payment rails first, then DeFi, tokens, bridges, registries | | `building-blocks` | DeFi protocol composability — Uniswap, Aave, Aerodrome, Pendle | | `concepts` | The onchain mental model — state machines, incentives, why nothing is automatic | | `gas` | Real transaction costs today, mainnet vs L2 | | `indexing` | Reading historical onchain data at scale — The Graph, Dune, Ponder, event-first design | | `l2s` | The L2 landscape — which chain for which job | | `standards` | ERC-8004, x402, EIP-3009, EIP-7702, ERC-4337 | | `wallets` | Wallet architecture and key safety for AI agents | | `why` | Why Ethereum for agents — the ERC-8004 + x402 loop | ### Operations | Skill | What the agent can do with it | | ------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `obol-stack` | Kubernetes diagnostics from inside the cluster — pods, logs, events | | `distributed-validators` | Obol DVT cluster monitoring via the Obol API | The list evolves — ask your agent, or run: ```shell obol hermes skills list # live catalogue (default agent) obol hermes skills add # add a skill obol hermes skills remove # remove one ``` Custom skills are just directories with a `SKILL.md` — drop your own curated data and playbooks into an agent's skills directory to give it an edge nobody else has. That curation is exactly what makes a sub-agent worth paying for: see [Build a Profitable Obol Stack](/next/obol-stack/build-a-profitable-stack.md). --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.obol.org/next/obol-stack/agents-and-skills.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.