hermes-detective/CHANGELOG.md

# Session Log

## 2026-04-19

### 001 - Session Start: Hermes Hackathon

**What:** Started Hermes Agent Creative Hackathon collaboration.

**Context:**
- Hackathon: 16 days, $25k prizes (Main $15k, Kimi $5k, $5k Kimi credits)
- Presented by Kimi Moonshot & Nous Research
- Two tracks: Main (any creative use) and Kimi Track (must use Kimi models)
- Deadline: EOD Sunday, May 3rd

**Action:** 
- Set up workflow structure (`.issues/`, `docs/`, git init)
- Created first issue file: `001-hermes-hackathon-project.md`

**Next:**
- Define project concept and creative domain focus
- Explore Hermes Agent capabilities
- Sketch initial prototype idea

### 002 - Research Completed

**What:** Validated Kimi and Hermes Agent capabilities.

**Findings:**
- Kimi K2.5: multimodal (text+image+video), video understanding, visual coding
- Kimi benchmarks: SWE-bench 65.8%, Tau2 ~64%
- Hermes 3: function calling, structured output, OpenAI-compatible
- Hermes built-in skills: manim-video, ascii-video, ascii-art (accessibility-focused)

**Action:**
- Created `docs/research-kimi-visual-capabilities.md`
- Created `docs/research-hermes-agent.md`
- Created `docs/research-image-generation-apis.md`
- Updated issue file with research summary

**Next:**
- Define concrete project concept
- Choose specific creative angle (visual coding? video analysis? image generation?)
- Start rapid prototyping

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### 003 - Image Gen API Research

**What:** Found affordable/free image generation API.

**Findings:**
- **Pollinations AI** ✅: Free tier, OpenAI-compatible, multiple models (Flux, etc.)
  - Endpoint: `https://gen.pollinations.ai/image/{prompt}`
  - Simple: just curl it, no auth needed for basic
  - Models: flux, zimage, wan-image, qwen-image, gptimage
  - Cost: Free tier (pollen credits), $1 ≈ 1 Pollen paid

**Action:**
- Created `docs/research-image-generation-apis.md`
- Updated idea 001 with image gen options

**Next:**
- Sketch more project ideas for comparison
- Do idea benchmark matrix

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### 004 - Brainstorming Session

**What:** Generated 7 project ideas, deeper dive on Idea 007.

**Ideas Generated:**
1. 001: Visual Narrative Agent (text → image loop)
2. 002: Visual Memory Journal (AI scrapbook)
3. 003: Reverse Design Critic (UI critique + fix)
4. 004: Visual Poem Generator (two-AI art collaboration)
5. 005: Scene-to-Scene Video Storyteller (visual journey)
6. 006: Real-time Visual Debugger (screenshot → fix)
7. 007: Spot the Difference Agent (NEW FOCUS)

**User Preferences:**
- Want high visual analysis, low reasoning
- Single page webapp, no auth
- Show step-by-step AI process
- Gamification (leaderboard, daily puzzles)

**Selected for deeper dive:** 007 Vision Puzzle

**Action:**
- Created `docs/ideas/007-vision-spot-the-difference.md`

**Next:**
- Compare all ideas to pick winner

---

### 005 - Ideas Comparison

**What:** Created comparison matrix for all brainstormed ideas.

**Ideas Compared:** 14 concepts across visual games, interactive, and creative

**Scoring Criteria:**
- Visual Analysis (30%)
- Multi-Turn (20%)
- Human-AI Interaction (20%)
- Cost Efficiency (15%)
- Uniqueness (10%)
- Fun (5%)

**Results:**

| Rank | Idea | Score |
|------|------|-------|
| 🥇 | **033v2 Detective** | **4.7** |
| 🥈 | Auction | 3.9 |
| 🥉 | 032v2 Art Critic | 3.7 |
| 4 | 013 Image Alchemy | 3.6 |
| 5 | 009 Image Tarot | 3.5 |

**Winner: 033v2 Detective**

**Why:**
- Best multi-turn (5+ rounds)
- Human actively directs (Chief role)
- Kimi does real visual work
- Cost efficient (mostly text)
- Natural mystery/narrative arc

**Action:**
- Created `docs/ideas/COMPARISON.md`
- Created `docs/ideas/008-visual-detective.md` (includes multi-agent v2)

**Next:**
- Discuss and finalize concept details

---

### 006 - Concept Documented

**What:** Documented chosen 033v2 Detective as `chosen-detective-game.md`.

**Documented:**
- Elevator pitch
- Game roles (Chief, Witness, Detective)
- Evidence types (crime scene, documents, photos, etc.)
- Round structure (7 rounds per case)
- Scoring system
- UI concept sketch
- Difficulty tiers (Rookie → Chief)
- Daily cases + leaderboard

**Action:**
- Created `docs/chosen-detective-game.md`

**Open Questions (for discussion):**
1. How much Witness describes unprompted?
2. Can Detective be wrong?
3. Red herrings — yes/no?
4. Plot twist mid-case?
5. Timer?
6. Replay past cases?
7. Hints system?
8. Skip evidence?
9. Case sources (pre-made/generated)?
10. Image sources (real/AI/illustrated)?
11. Share results?
12. Community cases?

**Next:**
- Discuss and finalize concept details

---

### 007 - Concept Finalized

**What:** Finalized Hermes Detective Agency concept after extensive discussion.

**Key Decisions:**
- **Difficulty:** 5 levels (Easy → Impossible), one case per day
- **Open-ended solving:** No single truth, multiple valid theories
- **Scoring:** Alignment %, Evidence cited %, Time (turns × 10min)
- **Hints:** Embedded in evidence (too obvious, barely obvious, not too obvious)
- **Witness:** Dynamic appearance based on triggers (harder cases)
- **Truth reveal:** Available anytime, doesn't end game
- **Retry:** Unlimited attempts, every documented
- **Journal:** Private by default, publish stats/journal optional
- **Observe:** Watch others' published solves
- **Case source:** 5 starter cases (one per difficulty) + community generation
- **Community:** Visits + reviews (no auth, manipulable but requires effort)
- **Discovery:** Jungle (browse) vs path (direct links from creator)
- **Case format:** YAML-based template
- **Creator tools:** Hermes skill + format validator

**Action:**
- Updated `docs/chosen-detective-game.md` with full finalized concept

**Next:**
- Technical architecture
- UI/UX design
- Prompt engineering
- Prototype development

---